Improving Habitat for People, Fish & Wildlife

It was wonderful to see so many take part in the Shoreline and Shallows Conference last week in East Lansing! If you missed out, you can find the presentations and resources here: Shoreline and Shallows Conference webpage.

We also thought these resources might be of particular interest to you:

National Lakes Assessment (NLA) Data Dashboard
NLA Lakes Context Tool - see how your lake measures up to national data
Wisconsin Fish Sticks Website - resources to inform your own project
Midwest Glacial Lakes Partnership Webinar about Woody Habitat Science and Restoration
New White House Document: Opportunities to Accelerate NATURE BASED Solutions
EGLE Shoreline Protection Website - be sure to check out the Story Map

We are excited to offer sessions at the MLSA Annual Conference related to this important work - see presentations highlighted below!

Join us on May 5 & 6 at Crystal Mountain Resort

Registration for this 2 day conference is $200

What you get:

Two days of in person sessions with our expert speakers
Friday: Breakfast (added this year), Lunch, Dinner, and Happy Hour
Saturday: Breakfast and Lunch
Door prizes, raffle, exhibitors, fellowship
New this year - Field Trip Opportunity and Bonus Saturday Lunch Presentation

Held at Crystal Mountain Resort in Thompsonville, MI –
click here for hotel information
Please make your room reservations before April 4, 2023

Agenda details and our generous sponsors can be found on the conference page: https://mymlsa.org/mlsa-events/annual-conference-2023/

The goal of this events is to provide an opportunity for our members and friends to network and learn together. We have worked hard to design an engaging event for all. Please share this opportunity with others and feel free to contact us if you have any questions: info@mymlsa.org

Conference Registration

Breakout Session Highlights

Two Shoreline Sessions, Saturday

by Julia Kirkwood, Michigan Natural Shoreline Partnership Chair

Morning Session:
MI Shoreland Stewards Ambassadors: Get Started on Outreach for Healthy Shores

Afternoon Session:
Native Plants? What should I choose?

Julia has worked as a natural resource professional for 30 years. For the past 20 years she has worked in the Nonpoint Source Pollution Program of the Michigan Department of Environment, Great Lakes, and Energy (EGLE) collaborating with community stakeholders to protect and restore rivers and lakes from land use impacts through the watershed planning process. She serves on multiple statewide inland lake partnerships and is the chair of the Michigan Natural Shoreline Partnership. She has enjoyed developing and leading the MI Shoreland Stewards Program and is currently working on creating more resources to facilitate better understanding on how to keep lakes healthy.

Special Session

Join us at lunch on Saturday for a talk with
Sara Adlerstein-Gonzalez

Sara Adlerstein is an applied aquatic ecologist and obtained a MS at the University of Concepcion Chile and a MS and PhD at the University of Washington. She is currently an Associate Research Scientist in the School of Natural Resources & Environment, and her work focuses on environmental stressors affecting Great Lakes ecosystems. She did not pursue academic training in the arts but she has been painting for as long as she has been a scientist.

At U of M she has taught courses bridging arts and sciences at the School of Art & Design and the Residential College and has organized and participated in events to immerse the arts within the endeavors of a research university. Her works have been published in books and magazines, shown in galleries and museums in Chile, Europe, Canada and the US and are part of public and private art collections. She is currently a visiting artist at the Washington Street Gallery. Adlerstein moved to Ann Arbor with her husband in 2001 and has two sons.

Check out her personal website here and check out her work for sale here. If you are in the Ann Arbor area, you can visit the Washington Street Gallery to see and purchase her work in person.

Riparian Rights Sessions

Attorney Cliff Bloom

Riparian Rights Q&A

Keeping with the tradition of the Annual MLSA Conference, Attorney Cliff Bloom will join us after dinner on Friday night for an open Q&A! This unique opportunity gives you the chance to ask your questions and get situational advice from our prominent attorney.

Breakfast with Cliff:
Riparian Rights Update

Another annual tradition! We will have our breakfast on Saturday morning while Cliff Bloom gives us the latest in riparian rights cases and trends. Another session you won't want to miss!

Free In-person Training for Cooperative Lakes Monitoring Program Volunteers

In-person training is held during the MLSA Annual Conference at Crystal Mountain Resort.

MLSA invites you to attend any conference sessions that do not conflict with your training schedule for free - as a thank you for your volunteer service!

You are also welcome to join us for meals during your training for a reduced cost, meals can be added on when you register for your training.

You can find the CLMP training schedule here.

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