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Opening Keynote Speaker Announced for Conference12-01-17 | Association News

Opening Keynote Speaker Announced for Conference
Penny Luehring from the USDA Forest Service Will Present

Wildfires ravaged Northern and Southern California in October, burning thousands of acres and claiming dozens of lives

Post-wildfire remediation will be the keynote topic for the International Erosion Control Association's 2018 annual conference and expo in Long Beach, Calif.

The United States Department of Agriculture Forest Service Burned Area Emergency Response (BAER) program leader, Penny Luehring, will be the opening speaker.

Luehring's presentation, "Post-Wildfire Remediation of Federal Lands" comes after large wildfires burned through Northern and Southern California in October. The Tubbs fire in Napa and Sonoma County destroyed over 5,000 structures and caused 21 deaths according to the California Department of Forestry and Fire Protection.

Her speech will detail the effects wildfires have on land and natural resources as well as the response from emergency agencies like BAER.

Currently more than 54,000 fires have burned over eight million acres across the nation in 2017 according to the National Interagency Fire Center.

The BAER program was implemented to address situations such as increased runoff caused by fires, which can lead to erosion or flooding.

Since working at the USDA in 1977, Luehring has served as a soil scientist and watershed specialist in Wyoming, New Mexico and Arizona. She will speak on the first day of the conference, Feb. 12.

The IECA is a non-profit organization with 2,500 members from over 30 countries. The annual conference brings professionals from the erosion, sediment control and stormwater industry together to network and learn about the latest industry trends.