September 12, 2006

First-Ever Great Lakes-Wide Dunes Conference to Consider Collaboration and Management Strategies

Traverse City, Mich. - For the first time, researchers, educators and resource managers from eight states and Ontario, Canada, will gather October 2-4, 2006, in Traverse City, Michigan, to discuss Great Lakes sand dunes needs, to begin developing a basin wide strategy for environmentally responsible dunes management, and to consider forming a Great Lakes Sand Dunes Ecosystem Coalition.

Conference organizer Sandra E. Bonanno, New York Sea Grant, says, "The Great Lakes dunes system is vital to environmental, ecological, tourism and economic interests. Many organizations and individuals have been active in Great Lakes dune research, management and education. What we have not had is a structure to share knowledge, experiences and lessons learned that will help us develop a basin wide strategy for managing this resource."

"We're pleased to be able to host this key event here in Traverse City near some outstanding Great Lakes dune ecosystems," says Mark Breederland, Michigan Sea Grant Extension District Educator in Northwest Michigan.  "Participants will see The Nature Conservancy's Point Betsie region and the CMS/Arcadia area. More important, though, will be discussions leading to collaborative basin wide conservation strategies for these unique systems."

The October 2-4 conference at Northwestern Michigan College’s Hagerty Center will address the current state of dunes research, education and resource management efforts. Participants will brainstorm needs, threats and opportunities to begin a strategic management plan. "We need to learn what has and hasn’t worked in our different political and cultural settings. Multi-state and bi-national cooperation is needed to focus political attention on the Great Lakes dunes system. This conference is the first step toward building a broad coalition," Bonanno says.

The conference will feature speakers from the Environmental Protection Agency’s Great Lakes National Program Office, the U.S.-Canada International Joint Commission, Wilfrid Laurier University and Nipissing University in Ontario, Canada; and from Michigan State University, Hope College, and Calvin College in Michigan.  Speakers from The Ontario Dune Coalition in New York State, Wisconsin State Parks, Ontario Parks, and the Ohio Department of Natural Resources will talk about dune management. Representatives from the U.S. National Park Service, Ontario Parks, the Michigan Department of Natural Resources and Michigan Sea Grant will talk about educational outreach.

A pre-conference field trip to Sleeping Bear Dunes National Lakeshore is scheduled Monday afternoon, October 2, followed by a Great Lakes dunes history, lore and legends presentation.

Michigan Sea Grant is a conference co-host, along with New York and Wisconsin Sea Grant programs, Michigan Department of Environmental Quality’s Coastal Zone Management Program, Lake Huron Center for Coastal Conservation, National Park Service, Ohio Department of Natural Resources, The Nature Conservancy, Northwestern Michigan College, and Wilfred Laurier University. The conference is supported by a grant from the US Environmental Protection Agency’s Great Lakes National Program Office, administered by the National Fish and Wildlife Foundation. Additional support is provided by New York Sea Grant and the Great Lakes Water Studies Institute of Northwestern Michigan College.

To learn more, submit a poster or register ($50 US conference fee), go online to www.nysgdunes.org or contact Dunes Conference Coordinator Sandra E. Bonanno, New York Sea Grant, Oswego, NY, 315-598-4063 or 315-312-3042, seb84@cornell.edu. Local contacts are: Mark Breederland, Michigan Sea Grant, 231-922-4628 or breederl@msu.edu and Becky Ewing, Northwestern Michigan College, 231-995-1793 or bewing@nmc.edu

Conference rate for rooms at the Bayshore Resort (next to the Hagerty Center) is good through Friday, September 15; 1-800-634-4401.

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