2018 Sessions are subject to change. Check back for session details and more.
Day 1: February 28, 2018
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8:00 – 9:00 am – Registration; Exhibit Hall Open
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9:00 – 9:45 am – Welcome, Conference Overview
Jeff Forester, Executive Director, MN Lakes & Rivers Advocates
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9:45-10:15 am – Keynote: AIS in a Changing World
Don Shelby, Retired WCCO news anchor
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10:30 – 11:30 am – Plenary: The New Normal – Understanding and Preparing for Changes to our Natural Environment
Facilitator: Don Shelby
Panelists:
Michael Hoff, retired, U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service
Dr. Peter Sorensen, University of Minnesota
Dr. Ray Newman, University of Minnesota
Dr. Jim Cotner, University of Minnesota -
11:30 am – 1:00 pm – Lunch and Presentation:
Ballast Water, Ground Zero in the Fight Against AISPhyllis Green, National Park Service
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1:00 – 2:30 pm – Breakout One
Track One – Assessing the Spread of AIS in Minnesota
- Will AIS Get to Your Lake and Will They Survive – Targetng Resources Where the Risk is Greatest-Dr. Nicholas Phelps & Dr. Ranjan Muthukrishnan
- Spiny Water Fleas – Mode of Transport, Survivability, and Ecosystems Impact-Dr. Donn Branstrator
- St. Louis County AIS Introduction Rish Assessment-Josh Dumke & Kristi Nixon
Track Two* – Mandatory Regional AIS Inspection/Decontamination – A Minnesota Pilot Project Update
- Wright County Inspection Pilot Program Overview & Findings-Blaine Blakely & Chris Hector & Alicia O’Hare
- Other Counties have tried. How did Wright County succeed? A Case Study-Kathy Jonsrud & Alicia O’Hare
Track Three* – Concordia Study – Who Are Minnesota’s Lake Associations and What Do They Do
- Concordia Lake Association Study Overview & Findings-Dr. Michelle Marko & Matt Zabel
- Implications of the Concordia Study-Jeff Forester
*Live streaming attendees will be able to choose to view either Track Two or Track Three online. -
2:45 – 4:15 pm – Breakout Two
Track One – Latest Science-Are We Close to Effective Management?
- Research on Effectiveness of Various Agents on Zebra Mussels-Jim Luoma
- Lakewide eDNA – New Technology Allows You to Find Out Exactly What is in Your Lake-Dr. Jessica Eichmiller
- Carpageddon-Research on a Virus to Decimate Common Carp-Dr. Sunil Kumar Mor
Track Two* –
AIS in the Schools – Curriculum to Engage Local Students- Use of Weevils to Control of Eurasian Water Milfoil-Dr. Sallie Sheldon
- Curriculum for Local School Kids to Use Weevils to Protect a Local Lake-Paul Hamilton
- Data is Power:Portable eDNA Screening Tool for use by Students/Lake Associations-Chris Merkes
Track Three* – Angling and AIS – Role of Anglers and Impacts to Fisheries
- Long-term effects of Constant Fishing Pressure on Fish Growth, Behavior, Ecology and Catchability -Dr. Peter Sorensen
- The Role of Zebra Mussels in Walleye Production In Mille Lacs Fish Ecology, Fisheries and Policy-Dr. Tony Pitcher (SKYPE)
- Bigmouth Buffalo May Be Living 100 Years: What Can We Learn About AIS From This Potentially Long-lived Native Fish?-Alec Lackmann
*Live streaming attendees will be able to choose to view either Track Two or Track Three online.
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4:30 – 5:30 pm – Breakout Three
Track One – Building Partnerships for Lake Protection
- Resort Owner Programs Increase Protection-Bill Grantges, Jeff Lovgren,
Emily Nelson, Rima Smith Keprios - Cass County Tournament Program-Rima Smith Keprios & Eric Bakke
Track Two* – Local Actions and Programs-Beyond AIS to Increase Lake Resiliency
- Creating a Lake Association Foundation to Secure Conservation Easements-Lindsey Ketchel
- Sustainable Shoreline Incentive Act-Barb Eller & Jeff Forester
Track Three* – Making it Easier for People to Stop the Spread of AIS
- Assessing the Impact of Deploying a Prototype User-Operated AIS Cleaning Station-Pat Conzemius & Dr. Edgar Rudberg
- Identifying Human Behaviors to Inform More Effective Outreach Efforts-Dr. Lorin Hatch
*Live streaming attendees will be able to view either Track Two or Track Three online.
- Resort Owner Programs Increase Protection-Bill Grantges, Jeff Lovgren,
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5:30 – 7:00 pm – Exhibitor Reception
Meet Officer Shelby, DNR’s K9 officer trained to sniff out zebra mussels and watch her demonstrate her skills.
Student poster session.
Join us for complimentary appetizers.
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Day 2: March 1, 2018
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7:00 – 9:00 am – Exhibit Hall Open, Continental Breakfast
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8:00-8:50 am – Pre-Session Meeting:
AIS Prevention Dollars: A Statewide SnapshotJustin Townsend
How are other AIS prevention programs across the state utilizing their allocated funds? What invasive species are natural resource professionals most concerned about? How have funding priorities changed in the past several years?
A Presentation: Results from a survey of SWCDs
A Comparison: AIS prevention fund priorities, past & future
A Discussion: Why these are the priorities funds are being allocated to
What’s next: Invasive species of most concern and how the list has changed -
9:00 – 9:15 am – Welcome and Announcements
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9:15 – 10:45 am – Plenary
Legal Panel: Role for County Attorneys in AIS Prevention and to Increase Consistency Across Jurisdictions.Introduction and Moderator:
Stephanie Showalter Otts, J.D., National Sea Grant Law CenterPanel:
Greg Kryzer, Wright County Attorney
Deputy Jeff Hahn, Sheriff, Polk County, Wisconsin
Kevin Reuther, Chief Legal Officer, MN Center for Environmental Advocacy
Jim Gray, Attorney (ret.)
Attorney TBA – DNR1.5 CLE Hours in the Standard Credit Category –Event Code 253562
State Board of Continuing Legal Education -
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11:00 am – 12:30 pm Breakout Four
Track One-Local Impact, Innovation and Improvement
- Use of Herbicide to Control Eurasian Water Milfoil Without Harming Native Plant Communities-Patrick Selter
- Zebra Mussel Veliger Density Monitoring in Alexandria Area Lakes-Moriya Rufer & Justin Swart
- Lake Minnewashta vs. Zebra Mussels: A Collaborative Effort to Control and Treat Repeated Introductions of Zebra Mussels in a Popular Metro Lake-Drew Dickhart
Track Two*-Starry Stonewort Panel: Impact, Control & Next Steps
- Management of Starry Stonewort in Koronis Lake-Kevin Farnum
- Emerging Methods for the Control of Starry Stonewort-Dr. John Rodgers, Jr.
- MAISRC Research Efforts to Control Starry Stonewort-Dr. Dan Larkin
Track Three* – Water Connects Us All: Introduction to Freshwater Conservataion Zones
Overview and Moderator: Dr. Peter SorensenExpert Panelists: (SKYPE)
Liam Antrim (ret.), Research Coordinator – Olympic Coast National Marine Sanctuary
Dr. Cory Suski, University of Illinois
Dr. Cindy Chu, Ontario Ministry of Natural Resources and Forestry*Live streaming attendees will be able to view either Track Two or Track Three online.
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12:30 – 1:45 pm – Lunch & Minnesota Public Radio Panel Discussion on AIS
Moderator: Chris Farrell
Panelists:
Jeff Forester, MN Lakes & Rivers Advocates
Kelly Pennington, MN DNR
Jim Wherley, Owner, Sunset Bay Resort1:45 – 1:55 – Closing comments
-Jeff Forester