Great Lakes Calendar

Invasive aquatic plants and animals introduced through trade channels pose a significant threat to natural ecosystems. Invasive organisms can be released into waterways or escape from private ponds and water gardens. Invasive aquatic species can also be included in shipments to vendors and consumers via “hitchhiking” organisms or mislabeling. Join us for this month’s The Current to hear from Extension professionals around the region on their successful efforts – and lessons learned – in blocking invasive aquatic species from these trades.

The U.S. Brig NIAGARA Environmental Science Field School is a multi-disciplinary experience incorporating marine sciences, underwater archaeology, and square-rig seamanship, and in past years has contributed leading-edge research on micro-bead pollution in the Great Lakes. The program takes place on the U.S. Brig NIAGARA, a reconstructed nineteenth-century sailing ship, owned by the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania and operated as a sailing school vessel. College credit available. Passport required.

Discover how our Great Lakes fisheries (past, present, and future) can benefit local museum programs, enhance coastal tourism development opportunities, and support community development efforts. Learn more about Michigan's Great Lakes Fisheries Heritage Consortium projects and partnerships, including current partnerships in fostering a regional fisheries heritage trail website. This year’s conference will serve to unveil a new Great Lakes Fisheries Heritage Trail website; and explore technology and online opportunities to better connect local fisheries heritage among Great Lakes-wide audiences. Participants will learn to archive, share and connect work in their local communities, museums, and libraries with others across the state.

On September 14, 2018, the inaugural Ohio Public Interest Environmental Law Conference will occur at the Ohio State University Moritz College of Law. The Ohio Public Interest Environmental Law Conference will kickstart a distinctly Ohioan conversation to discuss controversial and complicated state and national environmental concerns.

The Michigan Department of Environmental Quality’s (DEQ) third annual Michigan Sustainability Conference (MISCON) is designed to promote meaningful engagement with business professionals in discussion surrounding the topic of sustainability, by addressing the triple bottom line – people, planet, and profit.

The American Society of Adaptation Professionals (ASAP) and the Great Lakes Integrated Sciences & Assessments (GLISA) invite you to register today for the 2018 Great Lakes Adaptation Forum as registration will close on September 14.

The Great Lakes Hydrilla Collaborative Technical Webinar Series continues on Tuesday, September 25 from 2:00pm-3:00pm EDT. Mark Warman, Hydrilla Project Coordinator with the Cleveland Metroparks, will present "A Hydrilla Project in Ohio’s Lake Erie Basin: Detection, Control and Prevention."

Help restore and protect the Huron River in Ann Arbor, Michigan, and have a good time! Volunteer with other citizen scientists of all ages and experience levels to collect all kinds of river bugs and creatures. Pollution-sensitive creatures help determine the health of the Huron River and steer action to restore and protect it.

On October 1, Circle of Blue and its partners Bridge Magazine and Detroit Public Television continue the H2O Catalyst series with a discussion of Michigan’s groundwater emergency. National experts and journalists will define and debate responses to groundwater pollution challenges that are disrupting the lives of millions in Michigan and across the country. Registration is […]

This year, the Michigan Clean Water Corps (MiCorps) will be meeting jointly with the Michigan Inland Lakes Partnership to host the 2018 Michigan Inland Lakes Convention. The Convention will take place October 4-5, with an opening reception on the evening of October 3rd, at the Crowne Plaza Grand Rapids – Airport.

IAGLR and Michigan Technological University are pleased to announce that the 2018 State of Lake Superior (SOLS) Conference will be held October 9-12 in Houghton, Mich. Hosted on the beautiful MTU campus, SOLS will be a multi-day conference and include invited sessions and abstracts, plenary sessions, field trips, and associated meetings.

Experience two beautiful nature preserves in one evening in Onekama, Michigan! Enjoy a guided hike through the forest at our Portage Point Woods Preserve. Then move next door to one of our oldest nature preserves, Lucia K. Tower Preserve at Portage Point Dunes, to see a stunning dune blowout rising 200 feet above Lake Michigan for a sunset you won’t forget. Free and family friendly.

The Great Lakes Observing System is a network of data providers and consumers. Every year the data sharing community gathers to celebrate successes, share best practices, and to catch up on each other's work.

You are invited to the 2018 Great Lakes Beach Association and Great Lakes Water Safety Consortium Joint Conference on October 24-25, 2018, at the DoubleTree Hilton in Independence (near Cleveland), Ohio. This joint conference will draw more than 200 resource managers, scientists, coastal planners, local officials, government agencies, students, and interest groups from around the Great Lakes. We expect up to 16 sessions showcasing a variety of Great Lakes beach protection and water safety issues. There will be keynote addresses, plenary sessions, field trips, evening networking, and poster receptions.

Registration is now open for the 2018 Binational Lake St. Clair Conference, which will take place at MacRay Harbor on Lake St. Clair, Michigan. The conference will highlight environmental management efforts in the "Heart of the Great Lakes," the Lake St. Clair watershed shared by the U.S. and Canada. This year's conference will focus on building partnerships to advance the social, environmental and economic health of Lake St. Clair.

EPA’s WIFIA program invites you to join us in Chicago to learn more about our low-cost, long-term loans for water infrastructure projects. The information session will provide prospective borrowers with a greater understanding of the WIFIA program requirements and pave the way for successful applications to the program.

NOAA is conducting a series of Listening Sessions across the United States to receive public input regarding the implementation of the Department of Commerce's 2018-2022 Strategic Plan. One of the goals in the Strategic Plan is to Strengthen U.S. Economic and National Security by Reducing Extreme Weather Impacts. NOAA has a critical role in implementing this goal through the implementation of the Weather Research Forecasting and Innovation Act of 2017 which includes advancing science and technology innovation, improving weather research to operations, developing a community-based weather model, and advancing seasonal to subseasonal weather forecasts.

The Great Lakes-St. Lawrence River Water Resources Regional Body (Regional Body) will meet on Thursday, December 6, 2018, at 9:00 a.m. CST at the Drake Hotel in Chicago, Illinois. Additionally, the Great Lakes-St. Lawrence River Basin Water Resources Council (Compact Council) will meet on Thursday, December 6, 2018, at the Drake Hotel in Chicago, Illinois. The meeting will begin immediately following the adjournment of the Regional Body meeting. Both meetings will be open to the public and will include an opportunity for public comments.