Audubon Great Lakes, in partnership with the Great Lakes Coastal Assembly and Great Lakes Commission, proudly present the first Great Lakes Coastal Wetlands Symposium, an event for conservation practitioners, scientists, and coastal wetland stakeholders.
A special thank you goes out to the generous sponsors of the 2019 Coastal Wetlands Symposium including the Wildlife Conservation Society, Doris Duke Charitable Foundation, Blue Accounting, Ducks Unlimited, Ohio Department of Natural Resources – Old Woman Creek, Society of Wetland Scientists, Great Lakes Commission, U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service Coastal Program, the Upper Mississippi River and Great Lakes Region Joint Venture, Michigan Department of Environment, Great Lakes and Energy, and Michigan Department of Natural Resources.
Thank you to the planning committee for leadership and expertise.
Registration and more information about the program, accommodations, and travel can be found here: https://gl.audubon.org/coastal-wetlands/2019-coastal-wetlands-symposium
Program Schedule
Wednesday, September 18th
6:00pm – 8:00 pm
Conference Registration (Hotel Lobby)
Thursday, September 19th
7:00am – 8:30am
Exhibitor and Poster Setup
7:00am – 12:00pm
Registration and Information Desk Open
7:00am – 8:30am
Breakfast
8:30am – 11:30am
Plenary Sessions (Bald Eagle and Blue Heron rooms)
8:30am – 8:45am
Welcome: The Honorable Wade Kapuszkiewicz, Mayor of the City of Toledo
8:45am – 9:15am
Hydrology of the Great Lakes – Drew Gronewold, Associate Professor, University of Michigan
9:15am – 9:45am
Ecology of Great Lakes Coastal Wetlands – Dennis Albert, Senior Researchn Faculty, Oregon State University
9:45am – 10:15am
Coastal Wetland Monitoring Program Results – Matthew Cooper, Professor, Northland College and Don Uzarski, Director and Professor, Institute of Great Lakes Research, Central Michigan University
15-minute break
10:30am – 11:00am
Climate Change and Birds in the Great Lakes – Chad Wilsey, interim Chief Scientist and Vice President of Conservation Science, National Audubon Society
11:00am – 11:30am
Assessing and Enhancing the Resilience of Coastal Wetlands – Greg Mayne, Great Lakes Program Officer and Daniel Rokitnicki-Wojcik, Coordinator, Environmental Programs, Environment and Climate Change Canada
11:30am – 1:00pm
Lunch – Lightning Round Presentations – Facilitated by the Society of Wetland Scientists
The Same but Different: Comparing Post Restoration Conditions in the Shiawassee National Wildlife Refuge - Kate Vogel, University of Michigan
Fyke Nets, are they Enough in a World of Extremes? - Olivia Mitchinson, University of Michigan
Differences in Open and Closed Wetland Units in the Shiawassee National Wildlife Refuge - Eliza Lugten, University of Michigan
From Cornfield to Wetland: Progress toward Ecological Restoration in a Prairie Pothole Region Wetland Complex - Cheyenne Durant, North Dakota State University
Insight into Water Quality, E. coli, and Genetic Source Tracking in Urban Ponds - Erika Olson, North Dakota University
Understanding Urban Wetland Soil Taxonomy and Development of Redoximorphic Features Utilizing Detention Basin Wet/Dry Cycles - Hannah Ohm, North Dakota State University
Effect of Soluble Salt on the Germination of Thuja occidentalis -Sara Johnson, University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign
Blue Accounting: A New Way to Visualize Coastal Wetlands Investments in the Great Lakes Basin - Stephanie Hickel, The Nature Conservancy
Society of Wetland Scientists North Central Chapter - Christina Hargiss, Society of Wetland Scientists, North Dakota State University
Application of Quality Assurance and Quality Control Principles to Ecological Restoration Monitoring - Brick Fevold, USEPA
1:00pm – 5:00pm
Field Trips to Wetland Sites – see full descriptions (Hotel Lobby)
6:00pm – 9:00pm
BBQ Dinner – please register in advance (Maumee Bay Event Tent)
Friday, September 20th
7:00am – 12:00pm
Registration and Information Desk Open (Hotel Lobby)
7:00am – 8:30am
Breakfast (Bald Eagle & Blue Heron Room)
7:15am – 8:00am
Society of Wetland Scientists North Central Chapter Business Meeting (Mainsail Room)
8:30am – 12:00pm
Plenary Sessions (Bald Eagle and Blue Heron rooms combined)
8:30am – 8:45am
Field Trip Reflections – Jason Hill, Director of Conservation Programs, Ducks Unlimited
8:45am – 9:15am
Blue Accounting: Tracking Progress towards Coastal Wetland Restoration Goals – Michelle Selzer, Lake Coordinator, Michigan Department of Environment, Great Lakes, and Energy
9:15am – 9:45am
Great Lakes Coastal Wetland Collaboration Panel: Aligning Targets for Tracking Progress across State and International Boundaries – moderated by Eric Ellis, Program Manager, Great Lakes Commission
15-minute break
10:00am – 10:20am
Launch of H2Ohio – Mary Mertz, Director, Ohio Department of Natural Resources
10:20am – 10:50am
Implementation of a Coastal Wetland Landscape Conservation Design in Ohio – Scudder Mackey, Chief, Office of Coastal Management, Ohio Department of Natural Resources
10:50am – 11:10am
Stakeholder Connections to Ohio’s Coastal Wetlands – Dave Sherman, Wetland Habitat Coordinator, Ohio Department of Natural Resources
11:10am – 11:30am
Coastal Wetland Functionality with Respect to Nutrient Reduction – Kristin Arend, Research Coordinator, Old Woman Creek National Estuarine Reserve, Ohio Department of Natural Resources
11:30am – 11:50am
Great Lakes Restoration Action Plan III – Kevin O’Donnell, Physical Scientist, U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, Great Lakes National Program Office
11:50am – 12:10pm
Engineering with Nature on the Great Lakes: Initiative Update – Tony Friona, Regional Working Group co-lead, U.S. Army Corps of Engineers
20-minute break
12:30pm – 1:30pm
Lunch
1:30pm-3:00pm
Track breakouts
White Egret Part 1: Landscape Conservation: From Design to Action (12 minutes each)
Landscape Conservation Design for Saginaw Bay - Western Lake Erie – Christie Deloria, U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service
Saginaw Bay to Western Lake Erie - Ecosystem Service Valuation and Mapping – Lou Nadeau, Eastern Research Group
St. Clair – Detroit River System Initiative’s Coastal Wetland Priority Objective Assessment – Michelle Selzer, Michigan Department of Environment, Great Lakes, and Energy
Coastal Wetland Restoration Assessment – Kurt Kowalski, U.S. Geological Service
Conservation Opportunities on Great Lakes Islands – Matt Preisser, Michigan Department of Environment, Great Lakes, and Energy
Facilitated discussion by Society of Wetland Scientists
Tern Track Part 1 – Conservation Addressing System Change (12 minutes each)
Changing Paradigm in Coastal Wetland Bird Conservation – Greg Soulliere, U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service Upper Mississippi Great Lakes Joint Venture
Spatial Priorities for Great Lakes Marsh Bird Conservation – Nicole Michel, National Audubon Society
Waterbird Use in Coastal Wetlands – John Simpson and Brendan Shirkey, Winous Point
Migratory Stopover Habitat in Coastal Areas – Mark Shieldcastle, Black Swamp Bird Observatory
Black Tern Conservation in the Great Lakes - Stephanie Beilke, Audubon Great Lakes
Facilitated discussion by Greg Souillere
30-minute snack break
3:30-5:00pm
Track breakouts
White Egret Part 2: Watershed Improvements for Water, People and Wildlife (12 minutes each)
Recruitment Strategies to Diversify your Stewardship Community – Teri Valenzuela, Audubon Great Lakes
Water Quality Benefits to Connectivity – Matt Kovach, The Nature Conservancy Ohio
Great Lakes Wildlife Restoration Funds – Jeff Finn, U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service
Collaborating with Communities on Coastal Planning and Restoration Efforts – Alicia Beattie, Chagrin Watershed Partners
Engaging Diverse Communities in Natural Resources – Refugio Mariscal, Audubon Great Lakes
Facilitated discussion by Teri Valenzuela
Tern Track Part 2 – Restoration Best Practices (12 minutes each)
The Great Black Swamp Restoration – Christina Kuchle, Ohio Department of Natural Resources
Best Management Practices for Working with and Restoring Reptile and Amphibian Habitat in Coastal Wetlands – Dave Mifsud, Herpetological Resource and Management
Sault Tribe’s Collaborative Approach to Invasive Species Management in the St. Marys River – Dani Fegan, Sault Ste. Marie Tribe of Chippewa Indians Natural Resources Department
The Restoration of Mentor Marsh – David Kriska, Cleveland Museum of Natural History
Living Shoreline Solutions – Scott Bartkowski, Living Shoreline Solutions
Facilitated discussion by Janice Kerns and Dani Fegan
