SCENIC SYMPOSIUM 2026
Sessions and Speakers
Sessions and Speakers
Sept. 23-24 | Missouri Botanical Garden – Bayer Center | St. Louis
REGISTER NOW TO ATTEND SCENIC SYMPOSIUM 2026
Day one
Wednesday, Sept. 23
Agenda at a glance
- 9–11:15 a.m. — Registration and optional Missouri Botanical Garden tram tours
- 11:30 a.m.–noon — Welcome remarks and box lunch
- Noon–12:15 p.m. — Welcome to the Missouri Botanical Garden
- 12:15–12:45 p.m. — Beautifying transportation infrastructure — a Columbia, Missouri, case study
- 12:45–1:35 p.m. — What today’s advocates can learn from yesterday’s victories
- 1:35–1:45 p.m. — Break
- 1:45–2:15 p.m. — Federal policy outlook: What scenic advocates need to know
- 2:15–3:15 p.m. — Poster session and refreshments
- 3:15–4 p.m. — Billboards and the battle for visual character
- 4–5:15 p.m. — Creating places people value
- 6–7:30 p.m. — Networking reception at the Chase Park Plaza “R” Club
9–11:15 a.m. | Registration and optional tram tours
Check in for the Symposium and take an optional tram tour of the Missouri Botanical Garden before programming begins.
11:30 a.m.–noon | Welcome remarks and box lunch
Scenic America will welcome attendees to St. Louis and officially open Scenic Symposium 2026. A box lunch will be provided as the day’s programming gets underway.
Noon–12:15 p.m. | Welcome to the Missouri Botanical Garden
Dr. Lúcia G. Lohmann
President and director, Missouri Botanical Garden
Dr. Lúcia G. Lohmann is president and director of the Missouri Botanical Garden and George Engelmann Professor of Botany at Washington University in St. Louis. An internationally recognized botanist and conservationist, her research focuses on neotropical biodiversity, particularly the Amazon Basin. Lohmann became the Garden’s eighth president — and the first woman to lead the institution — in 2025.
12:15–12:45 p.m. | Beautifying transportation infrastructure — a Columbia, Missouri, case study
Laurel Harrington will explore Columbia’s effort to incorporate community character and thoughtful design into the reconstruction of the I-70/U.S. 63 interchange. The project uses landscape and architectural enhancements to transform major transportation infrastructure into an attractive gateway to the city while establishing a model that can inform future highway improvements across Missouri.
Laurel Harrington
Urban Design Group leader, Lochmueller Group
Harrington is a licensed landscape architect with more than 30 years of experience in landscape architecture and planning. Her work encompasses urban design, active transportation, parks and recreation, and business-district redevelopment, with an emphasis on creating public spaces and infrastructure that strengthen communities and improve quality of life.
12:45–1:35 p.m. | What today’s advocates can learn from yesterday’s victories
Conversation with the author
In a special conversation with Scenic America President and CEO Mark Falzone, Anthony C. Wood will explore the people, ideas, and hard-fought victories that established the public’s right to protect beauty and historic character. Drawing on the remarkable story of preservation pioneer Albert Sprague Bard, Wood will consider what decades of preservation advocacy can teach those working to protect scenic beauty today.
Anthony C. Wood
Preservationist, historian, and author
Wood is a nationally recognized preservationist, historian, and author whose career spans more than four decades. Founder of the New York Preservation Archive Project and a longtime faculty member in Columbia University’s historic preservation program, Wood is the author of Preserving New York and Servant of Beauty, his acclaimed biography of pioneering preservation advocate Albert Sprague Bard.
1:35–1:45 p.m. | Break
1:45–2:15 p.m. | Federal policy outlook: What scenic advocates need to know
Panel discussion
Scenic America President and CEO Mark Falzone and Policy and Research Director Tziporah Feldman join federal policy expert Paul Bock for a timely look at the legislative and regulatory landscape in Washington. The panel will examine federal developments affecting scenic conservation and the opportunities, challenges, and emerging issues that could shape Scenic America’s work and the nation’s communities and landscapes.
Mark Falzone
President and CEO, Scenic America
Falzone leads Scenic America’s national efforts to preserve and enhance the scenic beauty of America’s communities and landscapes. A former five-term Massachusetts state representative, he previously served as deputy director of the National Immigration Forum and was appointed to the Route 66 Centennial Commission.
Tziporah Feldman
Policy and research director, Scenic America
Feldman leads Scenic America’s policy, research, and advocacy work on issues affecting the nation’s scenic character. Her interdisciplinary background spans ecology and evolution, science communication and public policy, geographic information systems, and participatory action research, bringing a science-based perspective to Scenic America’s engagement with federal, state, and local policy.
Paul Bock
Partner, Thorn Run Partners
Bock has more than 30 years of experience in politics and public policy. He previously spent more than 12 years as chief of staff to U.S. Sen. Herb Kohl and has extensive experience in congressional affairs, government relations, transportation and infrastructure policy, appropriations, and the federal legislative process.
2:15–3:15 p.m. | Poster session and refreshments
The Scenic Symposium poster session will showcase projects, research, and ideas that demonstrate the breadth of scenic conservation in communities and landscapes across the country. Presenters will explore innovative approaches to protecting scenic resources, strengthening connections between people and place, enhancing public spaces, and celebrating the natural, cultural, and historic features that give communities their distinctive character.
3:15–4 p.m. | Billboards and the battle for visual character
Panel discussion
From traditional roadside billboards to increasingly prominent digital displays, outdoor advertising continues to reshape the visual character of America’s communities and landscapes. Longtime billboard-control advocate Dale McKeel and environmental designer Paula Rees will explore evolving billboard and signage issues, lessons from state and local advocacy, and the role effective sign controls can play in protecting community character.
Dale McKeel
Transportation campaigns manager, North Carolina Conservation Network
McKeel is a transportation planner and longtime scenic-conservation advocate who leads transportation and land-use advocacy for the North Carolina Conservation Network. A former executive director and president of Scenic North Carolina, he has spent more than three decades working on billboard control, scenic byways, transportation policy, and protection of roadside landscapes.
Paula Rees
Principal, Foreseer
Rees is a Seattle-based environmental designer whose work integrates urban design, environmental graphics, public art, signage, and architecture to create distinctive public places. She is also a longtime advocate for thoughtful sign regulation and has been actively involved in public debates over billboards, digital displays, and sign policy in Seattle and King County.
4–5:15 p.m. | Creating places people value
4–4:30 p.m. | Beauty and resilience — creating places that do both
Resilient communities don’t have to choose between function and beauty. Drawing on projects that integrate ecology, infrastructure, public space, and community needs, KC Shepherd Coyne will explore how thoughtful planning and design can address environmental challenges while creating places that inspire joy, connection, and a deeper relationship with the natural world.
KC Shepherd Coyne, AICP
Founder and managing principal, Resilient Future Studio
Coyne is an ecologist, designer, urban planner, and founder of Resilient Future Studio, an Austin-based planning and design practice focused on creating resilient communities for people and ecosystems. A former environmental officer for the City of Austin, KC brings expertise in ecological design, green infrastructure, parks and open space, climate resilience, and community-centered planning.
4:30–5 p.m. | Creating places people value — and want to protect
Dan Burkhardt will explore how conservation, historic preservation, recreation, culture, and storytelling can work together to strengthen people’s connections to the places around them. Drawing on efforts along the Katy Trail and Missouri River Valley, he will show how celebrating a place’s landscape, history, and character can help communities preserve what makes it special.
Dan Burkhardt
President and co-founder, Magnificent Missouri
Burkhardt is an author, conservationist, and president and co-founder of Magnificent Missouri, which works to conserve and celebrate the Katy Trail and Missouri River Valley. Through land conservation, historic preservation, storytelling, and community projects, he has worked to connect people with the landscapes and places that define Missouri. He and his wife, Connie, received Missouri’s Master Conservationist Award in 2026.
5–5:15 p.m. | Response and reflections
Following Dan Burkhardt’s presentation, Scenic America President and CEO Mark Falzone will lead a brief response and discussion reflecting on the ideas raised and their connections to Scenic America’s work to protect scenic beauty, strengthen community character, and foster places people value and want to protect.
Mark Falzone
President and CEO, Scenic America
Falzone leads Scenic America’s national efforts to preserve and enhance the scenic beauty of America’s communities and landscapes. A former five-term Massachusetts state representative, he previously served as deputy director of the National Immigration Forum and was appointed to the Route 66 Centennial Commission.
6–7:30 p.m. | Networking reception
Continue the conversation with fellow Symposium attendees at the Chase Park Plaza “R” Club.
Day two
Thursday, Sept. 24
Agenda at a glance
- 9–9:05 a.m. — Welcome
- 9:05–9:50 a.m. — Undergrounding utility lines: Making the case for resilience
- 9:50–10:20 a.m. — Discovering Missouri’s scenic natural wonders
- 10:20–10:50 a.m. — Shaw Nature Reserve — a century of conservation and restoration
- 10:50–11:05 a.m. — Break and refreshments
- 11:05 a.m.–noon — Missouri’s political landscape: What scenic and conservation advocates need to know
- Noon–12:45 p.m. — Scenic byways: Protecting special places and strengthening communities
- 12:45–1 p.m. — Closing remarks
- 1 p.m. — Symposium concludes
9–9:05 a.m. | Welcome
Mark Falzone
President and CEO, Scenic America
9:05–9:50 a.m. | Undergrounding utility lines: Making the case for resilience
Panel discussion
Moving overhead utility lines underground can protect scenic beauty — but the benefits extend far beyond aesthetics. Infrastructure experts Samuel T. Ariaratnam and Mark Bridgers will examine the engineering, economic, and practical considerations involved in undergrounding, including how strategic investments can improve reliability and resilience, reduce vulnerability to severe weather and other hazards, and deliver long-term benefits for communities.
Samuel T. Ariaratnam, Ph.D., P.E.
Professor and Sunstate Chair of Construction Management & Engineering, Arizona State University
Ariaratnam is an internationally recognized expert in trenchless pipeline engineering with more than 30 years of research and teaching experience. He has published more than 350 technical papers and reports and has held leadership positions in major engineering organizations in the United States and internationally.
Mark Bridgers
Principal and founder, Continuum Capital
Bridgers is a recognized expert in utility and infrastructure construction with more than 25 years of industry experience. A leading advocate for strategic undergrounding, he studies the economics of moving vulnerable electric infrastructure underground to improve reliability and resilience while reducing long-term maintenance and disaster-recovery costs.
9:50–10:20 a.m. | Discovering Missouri’s scenic natural wonders
Drawing on his new book, Scenic Natural Wonders of Missouri, Don Corrigan will take attendees on a journey through some of the state’s remarkable natural places. Through stories and photography, he’ll explore the landscapes that give Missouri its distinctive scenic character — and encourage people to experience, appreciate, and care for the natural treasures close to home. According to Corrigan, “Words matter, nature matters.”
Don Corrigan
Author, journalist, and environmental writer
Corrigan is an author, environmental writer, and professor emeritus of journalism at Webster University. A longtime St. Louis-area newspaper editor and founder of Webster’s Outdoor/Environmental Journalism Certificate program, he has written extensively about Missouri’s environment and natural landscapes and received the Lewis C. Green Environmental Service Award for his environmental journalism.
10:20–10:50 a.m. | Shaw Nature Reserve — a century of conservation and restoration
For more than a century, Shaw Nature Reserve has evolved from a refuge for Missouri Botanical Garden plants threatened by St. Louis air pollution into a center for ecological restoration, conservation, and environmental education. Director Quinn Long will explore the Reserve’s remarkable history and its continuing work to restore native landscapes, protect biodiversity, and connect people with the natural world.
Quinn Long, Ph.D.
Director, Shaw Nature Reserve, Missouri Botanical Garden
Long is an ecologist and conservation biologist specializing in the restoration of native plant communities. His work focuses on ecological restoration, fire ecology, invasive species, and conservation of grasslands, savannas, woodlands, and rare plants. He has been with the Missouri Botanical Garden since 2011 and has led Shaw Nature Reserve since 2017.
10:50–11:05 a.m. | Break and refreshments
11:05 a.m.–noon | Missouri’s political landscape: What scenic and conservation advocates need to know
Panel discussion
How do issues affecting conservation and community character move from ideas to action in Missouri? Veteran government-affairs consultant Kyna Iman, Conservation Federation of Missouri Executive Director Tyler Schwartze, and state Rep. Bruce Sassmann will offer perspectives from inside and outside the State Capitol on Missouri’s current political environment, emerging policy issues, and how advocates can effectively engage policymakers.
Kyna Iman
Governmental affairs consultant
Iman has represented nonprofit and public-interest organizations before Missouri policymakers for more than four decades. Founder of Kyna Iman LLC, she works across conservation, arts and culture, education, health care, and other issues and currently represents the Conservation Federation of Missouri.
Tyler Schwartze
Executive director, Conservation Federation of Missouri
Schwartze leads efforts to protect and advance Missouri’s conservation heritage, natural resources, wildlife, and outdoor recreation. A lifelong Missourian, he regularly engages state policymakers on conservation legislation, funding, and issues affecting Missouri’s outdoors.
Rep. Bruce Sassmann
Missouri House of Representatives
Sassmann represents District 61 in the Missouri House and serves as vice chair of the House Conservation and Natural Resources Committee. A longtime conservationist who lives on a restored prairie farm, he has received numerous state and national honors for conservation, environmental education, and land stewardship.
Noon–12:45 p.m. | Scenic byways: Protecting special places and strengthening communities
Panel discussion
Scenic byways do more than offer beautiful drives. They can protect distinctive landscapes, connect travelers with history and culture, support local businesses, and create new opportunities for communities. Cory Jobe, Candace Hillyard, and Eric Hermanson will share perspectives from Illinois, Pennsylvania, and Missouri on how scenic byways can celebrate what makes regions special while building sustainable tourism and economic opportunity.
Cory Jobe
President and CEO, Great Rivers & Routes Tourism Bureau
Jobe is president and CEO of the Great Rivers & Routes Tourism Bureau of Southwest Illinois and a former director of the Illinois Office of Tourism. A longtime tourism and economic-development leader, he promotes the distinctive communities, landscapes, historic sites, and outdoor experiences of southwestern Illinois, including the Great River Road and Route 66.
Candace Hillyard
Executive director, PA Route 6 Alliance
Hillyard leads the PA Route 6 Alliance, which works across 11 counties to preserve, enhance, and promote Pennsylvania’s historic Route 6 corridor. She helped lead the multiyear effort that resulted in 211 miles of Route 6 becoming Pennsylvania’s longest state scenic byway in 2025, linking scenic conservation with heritage tourism and community development.
Eric Hermanson
Creator, Ozark Run Scenic Byway; board member, Scenic Missouri
Hermanson is the creator of the Ozark Run Scenic Byway and a board member of Scenic Missouri. A map and travel enthusiast turned scenic-byway advocate, he led the grassroots effort to develop the Ozark Run, resulting in the 2023 designation of its first 78-mile section as Missouri’s first new state scenic byway in nearly two decades.
12:45–1 p.m. | Closing remarks
Mark Falzone
President and CEO, Scenic America
1 p.m. — Scenic Symposium 2026 concludes