2025 Annual Conference
CONFERENCE DATES
Day 1: August 25th, 2025
Day 2: August 26th, 2025
LOCATION
The Gateway Hotel and Conference Center
2100 Green Hills Drive Ames, IA 50014
RESERVE HOTEL OPTIONS
Reminder IDALS will cover the cost of hotel accommodation and scheduled lunches for commissioners and assistant commissioners. Rooms can be reserved after completing online registration (above), or by clicking here:
2024 Annual Conference Agenda
Sunday, August 24, 2025
Noon Registration Table Opens
3:00 pm CDI Board Meeting
Monday, August 25, 2025
7:00 am Registration and Credentials Tables Open
Exhibits Open – Silent Auction Items Accepted
8:45 am Registration Closes
9:00 am
Welcome
- Jeri Thornsberry, President, Conservation Districts of Iowa
- Steve Hofmann, Chair, State Soil Conservation and Water Quality Committee and retired Army Member
Pledge of Allegiance
- TBD
Welcome
9:20 am Commissioners’ Annual Business Meeting
12:30 pm Lunch and Awards Presentation
1:30 pm Afternoon session – TBD
2:00 pm Ice Cream Social served by CDI Board – Break and Exhibits
Visit: Iowa Learning Farm’s new trailer in the parking lot with Conservation Station on the Edge, showcasing edge-of-field practices
3:00 pm Conservation Discussion and Presentations
- TBD
- TBD
- TBD
- What’s on Commissioners’ Minds? Questions from commissioners—Open Discussion
4:30 pm Social Hour, Exhibits
5: 30 pm Awards Banquet
Announcements
- 2024 State Poster Contest Winners
- Envirothon State Winner
Award Presentations
- CDI Scholarship Recipient
- Spencer Award Recipient
- Leopold Conservation Award Finalists Announcement
Honoring Past Presidents
- Ramona Nitz, CDI Immediate Past President
Key Note Address
- TBD
Closing
Note
- Silent Auction closes at the end of evening
Tuesday, August 26, 2025
7:00 am Breakfast Buffet
Each district will gather at tables assigned by regions for open discussion with fellow commissioners
7:45 am Visit Exhibits
8:00 am
Pledge of Allegiance
- TBD
Announcements
8:30 am
Partner Updates and Presentations: What’s New Since Spring Regionals?
- FSA
- FSA
- IDNR
- NRCS
- IDALS
- IDALS
10:00 am
Enriching Commissioner’s Knowledge: Legal Primer – Understanding Commissioner Roles and Responsibilities: Open Meetings, Open Records, and Soil Loss Complaints
- TBD
11:00 am
Concurrent Workshop Sessions
(Choose Track #1 or Track #2)
Track #1 (11:00 a.m. – 11:55 a.m.)
TBD
Track #2 Two 25-minute Breakout Sessions
Session A (11:00 a.m. – 11:25 a.m.)
TBD
Session B (11:30 a.m. – 11:55 a.m.)
TBD
12:00 pm Lunch and District Awards
1:15 pm Annual Conference Wrap-up