Please view our 2019 Conference Agenda.
Monday, January 29th, 2024
8:00 am - 8:30 am
Centennial Room
Registration
Big Ten Room
Breakfast
8:30 am - 8:45 am
Big Ten Room
Welcome
- Lisa Brush
The Stewardship Network
8:45 am - 10:00 am
Big Ten Room
Keynote Presentation: Reciprocity through Flames
- Evan Larson
University of Wisconsin - Plattevile
10:00 am - 10:30 am
Break
10:30 am - 11:30 am
Room 103
Public Gardens as Sentinels Against Invasive Plants
- Michelle Beloskur
Midwest Invasive Plant Network
Room 104
Meet Your Hosts: The Stewardship Network
- Lisa Brush
The Stewardship Network - Jason Frenzel
Huron River Watershed Council - Matt Preisser
Michigan Department of Environment, Great Lakes, and Energy
Room 105
Seeing Red: Thoughts and Observations About Red Pine in its Natural Settings Throughout Michigan*
- Jesse Lincoln
Michigan Natural Features Inventory - *MDARD credit available
see session description for more information
Room 106
Leveraging Lake Stewardship
- Melissa DeSimone
Michigan Lakes and Streams Association
Red Cedar
Michigan Wild Rice Initiative
- Katie Lambeth
Michigan Department of Environment, Great Lakes, and Energy
11:30 am - 1:00 pm
Big Ten Room
Lunch
1:00 pm - 2:00 pm
Room 103
An Investigation of Two Upland Forest Fragments and the Suitability of Fire in Their Management: Are Maples the Enemy?
- Robert Ayotte
Michigan Botanical Club
Room 104
Collaborative European Frog-bit delimitation, pathways of spread, treatment, and lessons learned in Oakland County, MI*
- Patrick Canniff
Oakland County CISMA & Oakland County Parks - *MDARD credit available
see session description for more information
Room 105
Sense of Place: Facilitating Connections to the Natural World
- Bob Kellum
Grand Raisin Conservation Community - Rob Luzynski
The Stewardship Network - Tyler Bassett
Michigan Natural Features Inventory
Room 106
Building the Power of your Board
- Paco Ollervides
Red Cedar
Oak Regeneration Assessment and Planning
- Michael Kost
University of Michigan Matthaei Botanical Gardens and Nichols Arboretum
2:00 pm - 2:20 pm
Break
2:20 pm - 3:20 pm
Room 103
Bumble Bee Conservation in Michigan Requires a Community Approach*
- Logan Rowe
Michigan Natural Features Inventory - *MDARD credit available
see session description for more information
Room 104
Hearing the voice of the Original Stewards
- Kira Davis
National Parks Conservation Association
Room 105
Growing Native Plants to Heal a Creek
- Benji Steenwyk
Plaster Creek Stewards - Betty Gronsman
Plaster Creek Stewards - Haley Weesies
Plaster Creek Stewards
Room 106
Advancing Integrated River Management: Social & Technical Solutions for Whole River Systems
- Hannah Mico
River Network
Red Cedar
Keynote Workshop: Forging New Relationships to Advance Forest and Fire Stewardship in the Great Lakes Region
- Evan Larson
University of Wisconsin - Plattevile
3:20 pm - 3:40 pm
Break
3:40 pm - 4:40 pm
Room 103
Birds Eye Look at Habitat Restoration
- Francie Krawcke
Michigan Avian Experience
Room 104
Climate Resiliency of Native Plant Communities: An Ecohydrological Perspective
- Scott Dierks
GEI Consultants
Room 105
Scaling Urban Reforestation Stewardship
- Amos White
100K Trees for Humanity
Room 106
Harnessing Collaborative Power to Address Invasive Plants in the Great Lakes*
- Taaja Tucker-Silva
Great Lakes Commission - Theresa Gruninger
Great Lakes Commission - *MDARD credit available
see session description for more information
Red Cedar
U.S. Biosphere Network: Working Together to Improve Livelihoods and Sustain Nature
- Jon W. Allan
US Biosphere Network - Kelly Cerialo
US Biosphere Network
4:40 pm - 5:00 pm
Break
5:00 pm - 5:30 pm
East Patio
Water Ceremony
- Panoka Walker
5:30 pm - 7:15 pm
Big Ten Room
Dinner, Poster Reception & Ice Cream Social with the Great Lakes Leadership Academy
7:30 pm - 9:00 pm
Red Cedar
Nocturnal Science in the Great Lakes Region
- Ian Ableson
Six Rivers Land Conservancy
Tuesday, January 30th, 2024
7:45 am - 8:30 am
Hallway
Registration
Big Ten Room
Breakfast
8:30 am - 8:35 am
Big Ten Room
Welcome
- Lisa Brush
The Stewardship Network
8:35 am - 9:35 am
Big Ten Room
Keynote Presentation: Reimagining (Bio)Diversity and Richness in Conservation
- Priya Nanjappa
National Parks Conservation Association
9:35 am - 10:00 am
Break
10:00 am - 11:00 am
Room 103
Unmanned Aerial Vehicles (UAV's) and their Effective Use in Wildland Conservation*
- Mark Ledebuhr
Application Insight, LLC - *MDARD credit available
see session description for more information
Room 104
Stewardship is Climate Action
- Denise Keele
Michigan Climate Action Network
Room 106
Cultural Fire: Anishinaabeg Firekeepers of the Past and Present
- Mary Parr
Pierce Cedar Creek Institute
Red Cedar
Cultivating Teen Stewards: Hear from a panel of alumni youth participants
- Micah Blake-Smith
Detroit Zoological Society & Belle Isle Nature Center - Nyijah Coleman-Clark
Detroit Zoological Society & Belle Isle Nature Center - Obadiah James
Detroit Zoological Society & Belle Isle Nature Center
Michigamme
Reawakening the Senses: A Philosophy of Restoration (Part 1)
- Jeremy Siegrist
Iron Creek Ecological Restoration
11:00 am - 11:20 am
Break
11:20 am - 12:20 pm
Room 103
The Restoration of Duff Lake Fen*
- Nathan Simons
Blue Heron Ministries - John Brittenham
Blue Heron Ministries - *MDARD credit available
see session description for more information
Room 104
Beech Leaf Disease: A New Threat to Michigan Forests*
- Jenna Nutter
University of Michigan - Lauren Bennett
University of Michigan - *MDARD credit available
see session description for more information
Room 106
Enriching Volunteer Knowledge and Expertise, Engaging Partners, and Addressing Local Needs Through the Michigan Conservation Stewards Program
- Georgia Peterson
Michigan State University Extension - Bindu Bhakta
Michigan State University Extension - Alexa Warwick
Michigan State University - Jason Frenzel
Huron River Watershed Council - Kirsten Lyons
St. Clair County Parks and Recreation Commission - Sue Hodapp
Friends of the Kal-Haven Trail - Pat Reid
Friends of the Kal-Haven Trail
Red Cedar
Keynote Workshop: Elevating and Including Voices and Perspectives when Collaborating for Conservation
- Priya Nanjappa
National Parks Conservation Association - Kira Davis
National Parks Conservation Association
Michigamme
Reawakening the Senses: A Philosophy of Restoration (Part 2)
- Jeremy Siegrist
Iron Creek Ecological Restoration
12:20 pm - 1:50 pm
Big Ten Room
Lunch
1:50 pm - 2:50 pm
Room 103
Eradicating Racist Roots from Urban Forest Stewardship
- Christine Carmichael
Fair Forests Consulting LLC
Room 104
Managing for Resistance, Resilience, or Transformation: A Facilitated Conversation on Invasive Species and Climate Change*
- Jacqueline Courteau
NatureWrite LLC - Sheila Schueller
University of Michigan, School of Environment and Sustainability - *MDARD credit available
see session description for more information
Room 106
The Sunny Side of Stewardship: Invasive Species Edition*
- Kirsten Lyons
St. Clair County Parks and Recreation Commission - *MDARD credit available
see session description for more information
Red Cedar
Winter Wetland Restoration Panel Discussion: Hogging, Slogging and Cold-Weather Logging*
- Steven Parrish
University of Michigan Botanical Gardens and Arboretum - Matt Demmon
Feral Flora - Robb Johnston
Stantec - *MDARD credit available
see session description for more information
Michigamme
We Are Stardust – The Interconnection of All Things
- Barb Barton
Endangered Species Consulting
2:50 pm - 3:10 pm
Break
3:10 pm - 4:10 pm
Room 103
The Present Day and Future Challenge of Managing Deer
- Chad Stewart
Michigan Department of Natural Resources
Room 104
A Recipe for Restoration for Nature’s Caretakers
- Jon Cross
Oak Savanna Communications - Susan Cross
Oak Savanna Communications
Room 106
Anishinaabe Culture in the Political Sphere
- Nichole Keway Biber
Anishinaabek Caucus
Red Cedar
Grand Island: An Ecological (and slightly hyperbolic) Tour
- Joshua Cohen
Michigan Natural Features Inventory - Jesse Lincoln
Michigan Natural Features Inventory
Michigamme
Importance of Herpetofauna and Tools for Their Protection*
- David Mifsud
Herpetological Resource and Management - *MDARD credit available
see session description for more information