Summit at a Glance

8:00 – 9:00 am – Registration; Exhibit Hall Open

9:00 – 9:45 am – Welcome, Conference Overview

Jeff Forester, Executive Director, MN Lakes & Rivers Advocates

9:45-10:15 am – Keynote: AIS in a Changing World

Don Shelby, Retired WCCO news anchor

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 AIS

Phyllis Green, National Park Service

• 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.

• 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.

• 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.

7:00 – 9:00 am – Exhibit Hall Open, Continental Breakfast

8:00-8:50 am – Pre-Session Meeting:
AIS Prevention Dollars: A Statewide Snapshot

Justin 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

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 Center

Panel:
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 – DNR

1.5 CLE Hours in the Standard Credit Category –Event Code 253562
State Board of Continuing Legal Education

• 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 Sorensen

  Expert 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.

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 Resort

1:45 – 1:55 – Closing comments

-Jeff Forester