The Great Lakes Calendar features events from around the region that may be of interest to Great Lakes stakeholders, with a focus on professional conferences and events relevant to research, science, policy, and education. If you have an event you would like to publicize, please submit it below!
The Michigan Clean Water Corps (MiCorps) hosts an annual conference each fall to report on volunteer monitoring activities in the state. Training is provided at the conference for interested volunteer coordinators. The conference provides an excellent opportunity to stay up to date on monitoring methods and to meet and interact with other volunteer monitors.
This North Central Region Water Network webinar will give an overview of conservation and water quality tracking across the Mississippi and Atchafalaya River Basin (MARB). Discussion will focus on the overall need for tracking and what is being done on the state and regional level. The goal is to add power to the conservation story by showing the combined impact of all of our efforts.
The second Binational Great Lakes Aquatic Invasive Species Forum will be held November 9, 2017 in Ann Arbor, Michigan. The Forum will bring together representatives of federal, state and provincial agencies, research facilities, environmental groups, private industry, and other key stakeholders, from the United States and Canada who are working on aquatic invasive species (AIS) issues.
The HABs Collaboratory will be hosting the Current and Emerging Technology in the Great Lakes webinar. During this webinar, presenters will highlight technology that is currently being used and/or developed to measure water quality and harmful algal blooms in the Great Lakes.
The “Mapping and Monitoring Avian Resources in the Great Lakes” project was designed to understand how birds use the shoreline and offshore areas of the Great Lakes, and how can this information be used to evaluate the potential impact of proposed offshore wind projects and other resource management issues. During this webinar, we will talk about the history of the project and share some of the results.
Calling all anglers, charter captains, and lake enthusiasts! Learn about research on salmon stocking, migration, reproduction, and feeding, as well as the reintroduction of native ciscos, and the economic impact and value of recreational fishing in southern Lake Michigan. This workshop is hosted by Purdue University and the Illinois-Indiana Sea Grant.
The experience of nature is a critical issue in the lives of our children. Explore the "extinction of experience" - a widespread concern that many children have diminished contact with nature in their daily routines and what this might mean for childhood development. At this event, there will be a screening of the award-winning film, NaturePlay: Taking Childhood Back. Following the film, the presenters will highlight some local research and programming that is studying and supporting nature play for children in our region. The event is free and open to the public.
A Seafood Hazard Analysis Critical Control Point (HACCP) Training Course that is being coordinated by Michigan Sea Grant, Michigan State University Extension, and the Great Lakes Indian Fish and Wildlife Commission will be held December 5-7, 2017 at Ojibwa Casino Resort in Baraga, Michigan. All fish processors are required to take this training if they are not currently certified.
The 28th Annual No-Spills Conference is a premier environmental and emergency response event focused on preventing hazardous material spills into the Great Lakes and its tributaries. Our conference encourages and facilitates interaction between agencies, industry professionals, subject matter experts and the public. Our presentations foster communication, promote the analysis of environmental issues, and offer solutions for prevention and of mitigation of hazardous material spills. This year's theme: Protecting the Great Lakes: Ownership, Resurgence and Renewal.
The Michigan State University Extension Introduction to Lakes six-week course starts January 23, is offered in a convenient self-paced online format, and is designed for anyone interested in lakes. Topics of the course include lake ecology, watersheds, aquatic plants, shorelines, Michigan water law, and citizen involvement.
Wisconsin Wetlands Association's 23rd annual Wetland Science Conference will be held February 20-22, 2018, at the Olympia Resort in Oconomowoc, Wisconsin. The two-day conference includes a keynote address, organized symposia, topical oral sessions, a poster session, working groups, a banquet, and field trips to area wetlands.
The ICWMM brings together professionals from around the world to exchange ideas on current practices and emerging technologies in water management. Emphasis is on state-of-the-art computer modeling for resolving water quantity and quality problems in stormwater, wastewater, watershed and water distribution systems.
Save the date: The Great Lakes Commission Semiannual Meeting and Great Lakes Day events will take place March 6-8, 2017, at the Madison Hotel in Washington, D.C. Events featured dialogue on Great Lakes priorities by regional leaders and members of Congress who play a critical role in shaping Great Lakes policies. Meeting information will be posted later this fall at www.glc.org/meetings/greatlakesday.
The Michigan Chapter of the North American Lake Management Society (McNALMS) is holding a Lunch and Learn Conference Event on Thursday, March 8, 2018 at the Kellogg Center in East Lansing, MI from 11am-2:30pm. The topic will be Managing Fish Habitat in a Changing Climate, and will feature two speakers: Kevin Wehrly from the Institute for Fisheries Research, Michigan Department of Natural Resources and Peter Jacobson from the Minnesota Department of Natural Resources. Registration includes lunch.
The Sixth International Marine Debris Conference (6IMDC) is an opportunity to energize international coordination efforts within the marine debris community. It will build upon the partnerships and successes of the Honolulu Strategy which was developed at the last conference in 2011.
Manufacturing custom soil blends from dredged sand in private-public partnerships has been demonstrated in St. Paul Minnesota where the MN Department of Transportation requires specified drainage and growth characteristics for roadside topsoil. The technology is transferable to other regions if the feedstock materials, manufacturers, and customers can be identified and matched in a local market. Successful soil markets can extend the life of Corps CDFs, create economic opportunity, and improve watershed hydrology and water quality with improved stormwater management.
Got tech & innovative ideas that could protect our water? Sign up now for the 2018 AquaHacking Challenge Launch event! Each year, over several months, the AquaHacking Challenge engages with rising gen hackers, engineers and marketers from various universities to create multi-disciplinary teams and develop clean-tech engineering, web and mobile solutions to water issues affecting the Great Lakes and St. Lawrence Basin. On March 21, this year's challenges, experts, and more will be revealed.
“Water Loss,” “Non-Revenue Water,” or “Leaks," no matter what we call it, our water infrastructure systems are not performing to their full potential. As communities face big decisions about investing scarce funds in water infrastructure, improving efficiency is critical. Learn from the experiences of Asheville, North Carolina and the State of Wisconsin about how to successfully identify and reduce water loss to save money and increase system resilience. Join us for the second in a series of webinars looking at equitable and sustainable solutions for community water infrastructure risks in the Great Lakes and beyond.
The need for supplemental irrigation is nearly universal, but how do we ensure we are making the most efficient use of water possible? This webinar will overview recent research evaluating irrigation water use efficiency, and highlight case studies on irrigation management throughout the region.
The Lake Erie Foundation is hosting "Lake Erie’s challenges and opportunities" at its annual conference April 13th in Perrysburg, Ohio. Open to the public, the event will include a slate of experts. Newly appointed University of Toledo Lake Erie Center Director, Tom Bridgeman will share monitoring information along with Tim Davis, BGSU on developing impaired goals and the lawyer on the impairment issue, Madeline Fleisher, manure management in Michigan with Pam Taylor and others will provide current Lake Erie topics etc. Additionally, Kent Bekker from the Toledo Zoo will discuss the sturgeon reintroduction in the Maumee project.