The 2023 Great Lakes Conference will be held from Thursday, October 12 to Friday, October 13 in Cleveland, Ohio.
We will be expanding the conference from last year and meeting for two full days rather than a day-and-a-half. Plenaries and breakout sessions will cover both days and the first day will also include optional field trips and an evening reception.
ONLINE REGISTRATION IS CLOSED
Registration will be available on-site at the conference.
SCHOLARSHIPS
We've gotten lots of interest in scholarships and we have reached our scholarship limit. But we do have a waitlist available that you can sign up for through this form and we'll contact you if additional funds become available.
-
Thursday, October 12 - Friday, October 13
Hilton Cleveland Downtown
100 Lakeside Ave E.
Cleveland, OH 44114
Thursday, October 12
8:00 AM Registration/Exhibitors/Breakfast
9:00 AM Welcome
Kira Davis, Co-Chair, Healing Our Waters-Great Lakes Coalition and Great Lakes Senior Program Manager, National Parks Conservation Association
9:15 – 10:15 AM Opening Plenary
People, Power & Environmental Protection in Cleveland
Moderator
Crystal Davis, Vice President of Policy and Strategic Engagement, Alliance for the Great Lakes
Panelists
Kim Foreman, Executive Director, Environmental Health Watch
Da’Na Langford, CEO & Medical Director, Village of Healing
Jade Davis, Senior Vice-President, Public Affairs and Energy Policy, Port of Cleveland
Shanelle Smith Whigham, Senior Vice President and Director of Community Relations and Corporate Initiatives, Key Bank
10:15 – 10:30 AM Break
10:30 - 11:30 AM Breakout Sessions
Plastic-Free Collaborations: Building a Sustainable Movement to Reduce Plastics
Going Green in Green Bay: A Case Study on Advancing Green Infrastructure Policy through Dynamic Community Engagement
Tribal Stream and Michigan Fruitbelt Collaborative: Outcomes and Lessons Learned from this Regional Conservation Partnership Program Initiative
Building Community Capacity & Creating Equitable Access to a Restored Rouge River
11:45 AM – 12:30 PM Lunch
12:45 - 1:45 PM Breakout Sessions
From Research to the Runway: New Crops Poised to Deliver Clean Water AND Prosperity; The Amazing Potential for Winter Oilseeds to Enhance Great Lakes Water Quality
Engaging Dugway Brook Communities in Designing Stream and Wetland Restoration
Changing the Game: Rethinking Community Advisory Committees for Broader Community Engagement
Lake Erie Volunteer Science Network: Empowering Communities with Credible Water Monitoring
2:00 PM – 5:00 PM Field Trips
6:00 PM – 9:00 PM Reception
Friday, October 13
8:00 AM Registration/Exhibitors/Breakfast
8:45 AM Welcome
Rebecca Meuninck, PhD, Co-Chair, Healing Our Waters-Great Lakes Coalition and Executive Director, Great Lakes Regional Center, National Wildlife Federation
Chris Ronayne, Cuyahoga County Executive
9:00 - 10:00 AM Plenary
Supreme Problem for Water? What Sackett v. EPA means for the Great Lakes
Moderator
Chad Lord, Policy Director, Healing Our Waters-Great Lakes Coalition; Senior Director, National Parks Conservation Association
Panelists
Jim Murphy, Director, Legal Advocacy, National Wildlife Federation
Melanie Houston, Managing Director of Water Policy, Ohio Environmental Council
Brian Vigue, Freshwater Policy Director, Audubon Great Lakes
10:00 – 10:45 AM Get Up and Get Moving
10:45 AM - 11:45 PM Breakout Sessions
Partnering to Advance Equity & Resilience: CHEERS in Cleveland
Survey Says….Come on Down! How to Create Fun, Accessible Engagement Opportunities
Technical Assistance and Financing for Water Infrastructure in Communities Living with Environmental Justice Concerns
Restoring Coastal Wetlands for Birds and People
12:00 – 12:45 PM Lunch
12:45 PM - 1:45 PM Breakout Sessions
New Dairy Concept: Rethinking Production Dairy Focusing on Emerging Markets and the Environment
Harmful Algal Blooms: Legal and Scientific Perspectives on Why Lake Erie’s HABs Aren’t Going Away
The Great Lakes Sediment and Nutrient Reduction Program: Successes, Challenges, and Case Studies of Regional Restoration Work
Equity in Every Drop: Navigating Water Affordability, Community-Centered Legislation, and Nationwide Initiatives
1:45 PM - 2:00 PM Break
2:00 PM - 3:00 PM Plenary
Centering Communities in Great Lakes Ecosystem and Restoration Programs
Moderator
Laura Rubin, Director, Healing Our Waters-Great Lakes Coalition
Panelists
Deanna Erickson, Reserve Director, Lake Superior National Estuarine Research Reserve
Sridhar Vedachalam, PhD, Director, Water Equity and Climate Resilience, Corvias Infrastructure Solutions, LLC (CIS)
Katie (Kathleen) Williams, PhD, Geographer, Ecosystem Services Branch, Great Lakes Toxicology and Ecology Division, US EPA
3:00 PM Conference Ends
-
We are no longer accepting proposals for breakout sessions, but thank you to everyone who applied!
Partnering to Advance Equity & Resilience: CHEERS in Cleveland
Join project partners to learn about CHEERS, an effort to build resilience along Lake Erie in Cleveland's east side neighborhoods. The session will introduce the project, demonstrate engagement tools, and gather project feedback from attendees. The partners will highlight some of the challenges of equitable engagement and the community relationship building necessary to address environmental justice.
Presenters:
Joyce Pan Huang, Director of City Planning, City of Cleveland
Linda Sternheimer, Vice President, Urban Planning and Engagement, Cleveland-Cuyahoga County Port Authority
Kelly Coffman, Principal Planner, Cleveland Metroparks
David Wilson, Co-Director, Black Environmental Leaders Association/Director of Parks & Community, LAND studio
Technical Assistance and Financing for Water Infrastructure in Communities Living with Environmental Justice Concerns
Water-focused Technical Assistance programs are evolving and expanding—and are often complex to navigate. This session will provide an overview of available Great Lakes region-focused water TA from representatives spanning federal, nonprofit, and for-profit sectors, and will discuss how to identify and implement sustainable water infrastructure solutions. Audience engagement will be proactively cultivated throughout the session to ensure two-way/multi-way dialogue and peer learning occurs.
Presenters:
William (Bill) Schleizer, CEO, Delta Institute
Sanjiv Sinha, PhD, Chief Executive Officer, Corvias Infrastructure Solutions, LLC
Isabelle Horvath, PhD, Infrastructure Specialist, Water Division at USEPA Region 5
Engaging Dugway Brook Communities in Designing Stream and Wetland Restoration
Learn about the community engagement approach that is underway and currently exploring the feasibility of a potential stream daylighting project in an under-resourced urban neighborhood in Cleveland. In this working/input breakout session, participants will have the opportunity to not only learn about the community engagement methods and approaches that are underway for this project, but also share their expertise on best practices for community engagement in under-resourced and urban areas.
Presenters:
Andrew Sargeant, American Society of Landscape Architects
Laura Bonnell, Associate Director, Chagrin River Watershed Partners
Pamela McClarin, Co-founder and Chief Volunteer Officer, East Cleveland Concerned Citizens
Changing the Game: Rethinking Community Advisory Committees for Broader Community Engagement
The work to clean up our waterways is complicated but important. To do it well, all of us must be a part of the process. The Milwaukee AOC CAC works to ensure Milwaukee residents, especially those underrepresented in/excluded from environmental decision making, play an active role in shaping the decisions made during the Area of Concern delisting process. The workshop will be an interactive introduction to the unique approach of Milwaukee’s CAC, including its triumphs and challenges, and an opportunity for group sharing of best practices around community engagement. Participants will learn: why the CAC was reformed and refreshed, how the CAC is approaching the work, and CAC lessons learned and next steps.
Presenter:
Shalina S. Ali, Community Advisory Committee, Milwaukee Estuary Area of Concern
Nancy Retana, Resilient Communities Program Director, Clean Wisconsin
Steven Hunter, Milwaukee Area of Concern Community Advisory Committee Member
Tribal Stream and Michigan Fruitbelt Collaborative: Outcomes and Lessons Learned from this Regional Conservation Partnership Program Initiative
Michigan’s first Indigenous-led, multi-agency collaborative created under the Regional Conservation Partnership Program authority to restore and protect the ecology of streams and rivers across the entire northwest Lower Michigan will be showcased during this session. Key staff leading the Tribal Stream and Michigan Fruitbelt Collaborative will share lessons learned and highlight successes in implementing this 20+ agency collaborative that has opened over 281 miles of stream habitat and protected over 3,500 acres from development.
Presenter:
DJ Shook, Biologist and Senior Project Manager, Conservation Resource Alliance
Restoring Coastal Wetlands for Birds and People
Join Audubon Great Lakes to discuss and learn best practices for community-oriented conservation design and delivery. We will also explore a new effort to utilize birds as a measuring stick for Great Lakes Restoration Initiative success.
Presenters:
Stephanie Beilke, Senior Manager, Conservation Science, Audubon Great Lakes
Jennifer Johnson, Wild Indigo Program Associate, Audubon Great Lakes
Plastic-Free Collaborations: Building a Sustainable Movement to Reduce Plastics
The plastics crisis demands collaborative problem solving and systemic solutions to reduce the harms plastics have on human and environmental health. Join members of the Plastic-Free MKE and Plastic-Free Cleveland coalitions to hear how they are working to build and expand their local movements to reduce plastics and participate in a collaborative visioning session to kickstart or enhance ideas for reducing plastics in your own community!
Presenters:
Cathi Lehn, PhD., Sustainability Senior Manager—Circular Economy, City of Cleveland—Mayor’s Office of Sustainability
Deidre Peroff, PhD., Social Science Outreach Specialist, Sea Grant, University of Wisconsin
Katharyne Starinsky, Program Officer, Department of Sustainability, Cuyahoga County
Leah Holloway, Program Manager, Milwaukee Riverkeeper
Survey Says….Come on Down! How to Create Fun, Accessible Engagement Opportunities
This workshop will educate attendees in creative ways to engage with the public about water quality issues to move them to make impactful changes for the environment. We will share how we created multiple interactive games such as Jeopardy, The Price is Right, and Family Feud, and we will spend most of the time in this workshop actually playing them!
Presenters:
Cara Decker, Stormwater Program Coordinator, Lower Grand River Organization of Watersheds
Robert Cloy II, Urban Waters Ambassador for the Urban Waters Federal Partnership, Grand Valley Metropolitan Council
Going Green in Green Bay: A Case Study on Advancing Green Infrastructure Policy through Dynamic Community Engagement
Clean Wisconsin is excited to present their dynamic strategy for advancing green infrastructure policies through sharing a case study of their work in Green Bay, Wisconsin. Through targeted engagement with diverse stakeholder groups, we built promising partnerships and created a resource rich in policy and engagement ideas for creating more sustainable cities in Wisconsin. This resource, the Green Infrastructure Toolkit for Wisconsin Municipalities, was informed by qualitative and quantitative research that also demonstrates its need and promise to be useful in advancing sustainable policies and practices at the municipal level.
Presenters:
Nancy Retana, Resilient Communities Program Director, Clean Wisconsin
Tamar Cloyd, Principal Consultant, The Antidote LLC
The Great Lakes Sediment and Nutrient Reduction Program: Successes, Challenges, and Case Studies of Regional Restoration Work
The Great Lakes Sediment and Nutrient Reduction Program (GLSNRP) presents a unique grant structure to combat regional water pollution. Come learn about project successes, new challenges to connect grantees for better learning, and about two case studies from grantees inspiring regional change. Participants will have a chance to share their insights about community building to assist our grantees.
Presenters:
Connor Roessler, Program Specialist, Great Lakes Commission
Dave Giordano, Executive Director, Root-Pike Watershed Initiative Network
Kim Brewster Shefelton, Deputy Director, Chagrin River Watershed Partners, Inc.
Harmful Algal Blooms: Legal and Scientific Perspectives on Why Lake Erie’s HABs Aren’t Going Away
Despite decades of research, multiple lawsuits, millions of dollars of investments, and even a bi-national treaty, Lake Erie’s harmful algal blooms (HABs) are not going away. Many factors have frustrated progress, including political resistance to reasonable regulation of large-scale industrial livestock facilities, a legal and enforcement framework that has proven ineffective. This panel will explore the scientific, legal, and historic reasons for the stagnation that is keeping Lake Erie polluted and propose some potential solutions.
Presenters:
Dr. Julie Weatherington-Rice, Soil Scientist
Dr. Jeff Reutter, Aquatic Biologist and Limnologist
Rob Michaels, Senior Attorney, Environmental Law and Policy Center
Building Community Capacity & Creating Equitable Access to a Restored Rouge River
Friends of the Rouge is spearheading the community led effort to create meaningful and equitable access to the Rouge River. The water trail and network of connected greenways impacts 10 municipalities, each with varying resources and capacity to drive the trails vision forward. FOTR's intentional approach to inclusion and diversity in the planning/development process has helped formalize community coalitions in each municipality that work advance this effort despite limited staff capacity, funding, and historical challenges developing capital improvement projects.
Presenter:
Herman Jenkins, Trails Manager, Friends of the Rouge
New Dairy Concept: Rethinking Production Dairy Focusing on Emerging Markets and the Environment
Studies have shown that managed grazing of ruminant livestock on perennial ground cover virtually eliminates phosphorus runoff and soil erosion while providing a host of other environmental and social benefits. This session will explain how managed grazing can be used in dairy production systems and scaled in a way that serves emerging markets and transforms Ag land management in the most sensitive regions. Join Joe Tomandl, III, a dairy farmer of 25 years and 2022 recipient of the Wisconsin Leopold Conservation Award, for a discussion about this regenerative farming method and a development model that provides solutions for our waters, ecosystems, and rural communities.
Presenter:
Joe Tomandl, Dairy Farmer and Executive Director of Dairy Grazing Apprenticeship
Lake Erie Volunteer Science Network: Empowering Communities with Credible Water Monitoring
How can volunteer-driven water quality monitoring programs collaborate with one another to increase their credibility and drive collective impact at the scale of a Great Lake? A network of local stewardship and STEM programs around Lake Erie have been working out the answer.
Presenter:
Max Herzog, Program Manager, Cleveland Water Alliance
From Research to the Runway: New Crops Poised to Deliver Clean Water AND Prosperity; The Amazing Potential for Winter Oilseeds to Enhance Great Lakes Water Quality
If you’re into water quality or jet fuel, you NEED to know about winter camelina. This is an exciting new crop that could change the way we protect water quality and the way we fly. Learn from policy and commercialization experts how this crop is “taking off.”
Presenters:
Steve Morse, Executive Director, Minnesota Environmental Partnership
Colin Cureton, Supply Chain Development Specialist, University of Minnesota's Forever Green Initiative
Equity in Every Drop: Navigating Water Affordability, Community-Centered Legislation, and Nationwide Initiatives
Everyone needs access to clean water, but for many people in the U.S., the cost of having clean water puts it out of their reach. Advocates across the country are pushing back on this inequity, including the newly formed Water Equals Life Coalition—a collective of local, state-based, regional, and national entities who have come together in a Michigan-wide campaign to ensure everyone’s basic human need for water is met, regardless of income. Hear from some of the group’s leaders in this panel discussion.
Moderator:
Kristy Meyer, Campaign Director, Water Equals Life
Panelists:
Monica Lewis-Patrick, President and CEO, We the People of Detroit
Denise Poloyac, Associate Director, Great Lakes National Program Office, National Wildlife Federation
Jill Ryan, Executive Director, Freshwater Future
-
All field trips are scheduled for Thursday afternoon, October 12. The fee for attending a field trip is $10 in addition to the conference registration fee.
Green n' Tha Ghetto: Rid-All Green Partnership Urban Ag Tour
Hosted by: Rid-All Green Partnership
Join some of Cleveland’s most notable Environmental Justice Leaders for a tour of the historic Rid-All Farm. What began as just 1.3 acres of vacant property in 2010 has now amassed into Rid-All Green Partnership’s urban farm, a world-renowned urban agricultural center located in the heart of one of Cleveland’s oldest neighborhoods.
You'll have the opportunity to hear Mr. Tim Lewis, the Outreach Director of Rid-All Green Partnership speak and share about the mission.
Introduction to Lake Erie Fish Identification & Aquatic Plant Identification
Hosted by: Cleveland Metroparks
Mike Durkalec, Aquatic Biologist at Cleveland Metroparks, will take attendees out on an electrofishing boat in groups to experience fish sampling and collection. Mark Warman will lead remaining participants in an aquatic plant sampling exercise with collection and identification near the boat ramp and surrounding access points.
After everyone has had a turn on the boat, we will gather as a group to observe the fish and plants we collected (in aquariums onsite) and discuss identification, natural history/ecology, and cultural/recreational significance of the live specimens. IF TIME DOES NOT PERMIT THIS ENTIRE ACTIVITY, then alternatively the fish/plants may be pre-collected beforehand for the observation and discussion.
Attendees must be comfortable on a boat, netting fish if they choose to partake in this portion of the outing.
From Remediation to Revitalization: Exploring the Cuyahoga River Area of Concern
Hosted by: Cuyahoga Area of Concern/Ohio Sea Grant
Participants will take a scenic walk along the Lower Cuyahoga River Area of Concern (AOC) on the Ohio & Erie Canal Towpath Trail. The journey will start and finish at Hart Crane (River Gate) Park and wind up the ‘Crooked River’ pausing to observe areas where river restoration actions have been implemented.
Examples include: areas where fish habitat has been installed within the shipping channel, erosion has been remediated along the river banks with best management practice, and public access points have been established
Members of the Cuyahoga River Area of Concern (AOC) Advisory Committee will serve as guides and tell the inspiring story of how a river that once caught on fire and catalyzed the passage of the Clean Water Act was named the American Rivers Conservation Association's "River of the Year" in 2019 and USA Today's "Best Urban Kayaking Spot" in the country in 2023.
Walking tour will be ~5 miles.
Downtown Cleveland Trail Network Bike Ride
Hosted by: Cleveland Metroparks
The ride will cover approximately 8-10 miles in three hours to tour the growing network of trails and bike lanes in Cleveland. It includes segments of major trail projects underway or recently completed including the recently 101-mile Towpath Trail, Cleveland Lakefront Bikeway, Cleveland Foundation Centennial Lake Link Trail, and the Re-Connecting Cleveland TIGER-grant funded trail project. Along the way there will be a stop to the Historic U.S. Coast Guard Station on Whiskey Island.
The impacts of these investments and how they represent an evolution of how the city’s transportation facilities are used and changing views on how waterfront assets are utilized will be explored.
Attendees will need to be able to ride a bicycle mainly on separated, paved trails but with portions that will include grade changes and use of on-street bicycle facilities/riding with traffic. Pedal-assist e-bikes are available.
Guided Native Plant Garden Tour: National Wildlife Federation’s Sacred Grounds Program
Hosted by: National Wildlife Federation
Join us on a guided wildlife habitat tour featuring local houses of worship. The National Wildlife Federation’s Sacred Grounds program leverages the grassroots capacity of houses of worship to act as environmental and social change agents in their communities.
Sacred Grounds works in close partnership with local partners to provide funding and technical support for faith-based sites to create native plant gardens and engage their communities in environmental stewardship. The tour will visit 3 sites, including an in-depth stop at one of the houses of worship, where a faith leader will share their personal experience and insight on creating sustainable natural spaces for people and wildlife.
The walking tour has some uneven terrain and is approximately 2 miles.
GLRI Restoration at Cuyahoga Valley National Park: Stanford Run
Hosted by: Cuyahoga Valley National Park
This field trip will focus on GLRI-funded restoration at Cuyahoga Valley National Park that re-established 2,200-linear feet of Stanford Run and five acres of streamside forest as part of a larger effort to restore the health of the Cuyahoga River. Increased precipitation, development, and spread of invasive plants contributed to site degradation.
Prior to restoration, Stanford Run was flowing within the asphalt footprint of Stanford Road and supported no aquatic life. Following restoration, a variety of fish, amphibians, and reptiles - as well as beavers - recolonized the area, some of which will be available for viewing at the site.
Attendees must be able to walk over uneven terrain to tour the site, but can view part of the area from an adjacent road.
Cleveland's Portage Escarpment ravines: Connecting Underserved Neighborhoods with Nearby Nature
Hosted by: Bluestone Conservation
Too steep for traditional building practices, Cleveland’s Portage Escarpment ravines became unmarketable real estate. Residential neighborhoods rose on the ravine rims as the slopes were timbered. In post-industrial mode, the neighborhoods have lost wealth while the slopes have voluntarily reforested.
Now, in watershed restoration mode, underserved communities may, with help, reconnect with the ravines as nearby nature. In 2017, Bluestone and partners began neighborhood-level ravine stewardship workshops. At the Caledonia and Green ravines, local advocates will speak to intersecting environmental and social resources and on the evolution of the ongoing workshop initiative.
Attendees will walk relatively level unpaved trails with stops at 300 yds and 1200 yds.
-
Hilton Cleveland Downtown, Cleveland Ohio
Due to an overwhelming response, the guest room block at the Hilton Cleveland Downtown is sold out.
Accommodation options include:
Checking with the Hilton Cleveland Downtown (216-413-5000 or Hilton website) in case there are any rooms still available. Any available rooms would not be associated with the conference room block.
Two hotels within walking distance to the conference venue
Marriott Key Tower (.2 miles, 4 minute walk)
Westin Cleveland Downtown (.3 miles, 7 minute walk)
-
Parking is located at 1141 West 3rd St, Cleveland, OH 44114. Please note that when self-parking, there are convenient, reserved spots on the second level especially for hotel guests. If unavailable, please feel free to park in any available, unmarked spot in the garage.
-
Ariel International Center
1163 E. 40th Street
Cleveland, OH 44114
(216) 344-9441
Reception will be held Thursday, October 12 from 6 - 9 PM on the 4th floor.
Free and ample parking in the venue's parking lot. Shuttles will also be available to and from the hotel.
Reception will include food and beverage offerings, as well as entertainment.
SPONSORS
Please review our 2023 sponsorship brochure for more information on sponsorship.
Interested in becoming a sponsor? Please contact Laura Rubin, director of the Healing Our Waters-Great Lakes Coalition, at RubinL@nwf.org, or (734) 887-7106.
LAKE SUPERIOR LEVEL ($25,000)
LAKE MICHIGAN LEVEL ($10,000)
LAKE HURON LEVEL ($5,000)
LAKE ONTARIO LEVEL ($2,500)
LAKE ERIE LEVEL ($1,000)
ADDITIONAL SPONSORS
