Join river enthusiasts and Prairie Rivers Network’s staff and board members for good conversation, food, and fun at our Annual Dinner as we celebrate our rivers and streams and 45 years of protecting Illinois’ environment.

Where: I Hotel and Conference Center, 1900 S. First Street, Champaign, IL 61820

When: Friday, October 5, 2012

Reception – 6:00 pm
Dinner – 7:30 pm

By popular demand, we will have an afterparty at Houlihan’s.

Price: $50 per person or $400 for a table of 10

Keynote Speaker: Richard Lazarus

The US Supreme court, the Court’s Health Care Ruling, and Champaign-Urbana’s Boneyard Creek

The Supreme Court’s decision upholding the Affordable Care Act was certainly big national news this past summer. Less obvious was the relevance, if any, of the Court’s ruling to environmental protection law. But, within minutes of the opinion’s announcement, lawyers representing business interests were touting the case’s potential to limit the reach of laws such as the Clean Water Act. In this talk, Professor Lazarus will discuss the Court’s ruling, assess its implications for environmental law, and describe the broader environmental significance for Illinois’ rivers and Champaign-Urbana’s own Boneyard creek.

Richard Lazarus, an Urbana, IL native and University of Illinois graduate, has long been prominent in the national environmental movement as a scholar, Supreme Court advocate, and most recently, Executive Director of the President’s Commission on the BP Oil Spill. Now a Professor of Law at Harvard University—after years on the faculties of Georgetown and Washington University—Lazarus is best known for representing the environmental side in many Supreme Court cases, where he sought to uphold land-use and environmental laws and to defend against claims that the government may not limit activities on private land without financial compensation. As a scholar Lazarus has written extensively on environmental justice, the criminal enforcement of environmental laws, and the Supreme Court’s dismal record in environmental cases. As Executive Director of the Oil Spill Commission, he oversaw the federal effort to identify the root causes of the oil spill and to recommend changes in law and policy.

RSVP: Reservations are required. Please reserve your place by September 26, 2012.

Dinner Choices:

  1. Broiled Lake Michigan Whitefish Provencal with a Dill Buerre Blanc, Seared Potato Gnocchi and Seasonal Parisian Vegetables
  2. Locally Grown Chicken Breast Stuffed with Havarti, Fresh Herbs & Dried Fruits with Seared Potato Gnocchi & Seasonal Parisian Vegetables
  3. Grilled Vegetable Ravioli with Sautéed Seasonal Vegetables with a Tarragon Chardonnay Cream Sauce (vegetarian)

Dress Requirement? No. There is no dress requirement, however, most attendees dress in business or evening informal.

 

Do you own or manage a business?

Prairie Rivers Network invites you to support clean water and healthy rivers by becoming a business member of Prairie Rivers Network. Business sponsors can be recognized at our Annual Dinner and Illinois Marathon – Run for Your Rivers – charity running team.

For more information, please view our business sponsorship package, or contact Steph Adams at 217.344.2371 or steph [at] prairierivers.org.