Convention
Michigan Inland Lakes Convention
The 2018 Michigan Inland lakes Convention brought 200 lake enthusiasts to Grand Rapids, October 4-5. This year, we met jointly with the Michigan Clean Water Corps (MiCorps) Annual Volunteer Monitoring Conference.
Crowne Plaza Grand Rapids - Airport
Agenda
The Convention kicked off with a welcome reception on Wednesday evening, October 3. Thursday morning, two outstanding keynote speakers - Bill Creal, former Water Resources Division Chief for the Michigan Department of Environmental Quality, and Lisa Borre of the Cary Institute of Ecosystem Studies - set the tone for the Convention along the theme of "Working Together for Healthy Lakes" - on local, state, and global scales. We broke out into thematic sessions on Thursday afternoon, followed by an evening reception highlighting posters and educational displays. Friday morning, the thematic breakout sessions continued, and Friday afternoon offered a variety of workshops, field trips, and breakout sessions. View full session descriptions for Thursday and Friday.
Session themes include:
- Invasive Species
- Lake Management
- Lake Monitoring
- Water Law
- Lake Levels
- Fisheries Management
- Public Health/Septic Systems
- Lake Stewardship
- Aquatic Plants
- Natural Shorelines
- Volunteer Monitoring/Citizen Science
- Water Conservation
- Contaminants
Schedule at a Glance
Wednesday, October 3 |
|
| 7:00 - 9:00 p.m. | Opening Reception |
Thursday, October 4 |
|
| 9:30 - 10:30 a.m. | Welcome and Keynote: William Creal |
| 10:30 - 11:00 a.m. | Break |
| 11:00 - 11:45 a.m. | Keynote: Lisa Borre |
| Noon - 1:30 p.m. | Lunch |
| 1:30 - 3:00 p.m. | Early afternoon concurrent sessions |
| 3:00 - 3:30 p.m. | Break |
| 3:30 - 5:00 p.m. | Late afternoon concurrent sessions |
| 5:00 - 8:00 p.m. | Reception: Posters and Educational Displays |
Friday, October 5 |
|
| 8:00 - 9:30 a.m. | Early morning concurrent sessions |
| 9:30 - 10:00 a.m. | Break |
| 10:00 - 11:30 a.m. | Late morning concurrent sessions |
| 11:30 - 1:00 p.m. | Lunch |
| 1:00 - 4:30 p.m. | Afternoon concurrent sessions, workshops, and field trips |
Lodging and Travel
- Convention Hotel: The Convention was held at the Crowne Plaza Grand Rapids - Airport.
- Map to Convention hotel
- Things to do in Grand Rapids
Photo Contest
Our Photo Contest is complete! The top 10 vote-getters on social media were selected to move on to the Convention, where participants voted for the winners! Photo contest details and rules.
Continuing Education Credits
Up to 8 MDARD Pesticide Applicator Recertification Credits could be earned by participating in the Convention. Master Citizen Planners could earn 1.5 credits per session, to a maximum of 9 credits for attending the entire Convention. The Wildlife Society allowed a maximum of 9 Continuing Education Units (CEUs) in Category I of the Certified Wildlife Biologist ® Renewal/Professional Development Certificate Program for participation in the Convention.
Social Media
Stay up to date by following us on social media - just click the icons at the bottom of this page.
Convention Sponsors
