7th Annual Freshwater Summit
This year’s Freshwater Summit will be held October 31 from 9 a.m.-2:30 p.m. at the Hagerty Center, NMC Great Lakes Campus, 715 E. Front St. in Traverse City.
The Freshwater Summit is an annual conference of environmental professionals and concerned citizens focusing on current issues facing the Great Lakes region. Guest speakers will discuss climate change, invasive species, water levels, and economic impacts. Local experts will also cover ongoing research and restoration projects from the Grand Traverse region, including stormwater management, groundwater evaluations, Schoolship monitoring, and the Boardman River Dams Ecosystem Restoration Project.
Tentative Schedule:
- 9:00-9:10 Welcome: Mark Breederalnd, Michigan Sea Grant Extension Coordinator
- 9:10-9:40 Opening Keynote Address: Michigan’s Water Heritage: Jon Allan, Michigan Department of Environmental Quality’s Office of the Great Lakes
- 9:40-10:10 Innovating for the Blue Economy in Michigan: Jeff Mason, Executive Director, University Research Corridor
- 10:10-10:30 BREAK
- 10:30-11:00 Attacking the Great Lakes Vampire: Sea Lamprey Control Past, Present, & Future: Dr. Mike Siefkes, Sea Lamprey Control Program Manager, Great Lakes Fishery Commission
- 11:00-11:30 Importance of Habitat Quality When Dealing with Ecosystem Disturbance: Randy Claramunt, Michigan Department of Natural Resources and Environment
- 11:30-12:00 Climate Change Integrated Assessment: Michigan State University
- 12:00-1:00 LUNCH
- 12:30-1:00 Boardman River Ecological Restoration Project: Frank Dituri, Boardman River Dams Committee Implementation Team Chairman and Wetland Ecologist Project Manager, Grand Traverse Band of Ottawa and Chippewa Indians
- 1:00-1:10 BREAK
Lightning Talks: 1:10-2:20 (8 minutes each)
- Kids Creek: Restoring an Urban Stream: Sarah U’Ren, Program Director, The Watershed Center Grand Traverse Bay
- Overview of Groundwater & Surface Water Interface (GSI) Assessments: Dennis McCauley, President & Principal Research Scientist, Great Lakes Environmental Center
- Schoolship Monitoring: The Changing Fish Community in Suttons Bay: Jeanie Williams, Lead Scientist and Education Director, Inland Seas Education Association
- Wetland Drying/Wetting Impacts on Greenhouse Gas Fluxes: Taylor West, Student, Northwestern Michigan College’s Water Studies Institute
- Citizen Science Botulism: Dan Ray, Avian Botulism Monitoring Project Lead, Sleeping Bear Dunes National Lakeshore
- Runoff & Rebound in Great Lakes Levels: Mark Breederland, Michigan Sea Grant Extension Educator, Great Lakes Products & Programs
- Tools and Resources for Managing Great Lakes Coasts: Rachael Franks Taylor, Coastal Management Specialist, NOAA’s Office of Coastal Management
2:20-2:30 Final thoughts/Evaluation/Adjourn
Cost is $35 per person, including lunch; $15 for students.
The 7th Annual Freshwater Summit is a product of the Freshwater Roundtable and was organized by The Watershed Center, NMC’s Water Studies Institute, Michigan Sea Grant Extension, Great Lakes Environmental Center, Inland Seas Education Association, NOAA’s Office for Coastal Management, and Grand Traverse Conservation District.
Sponsored by:
