The Planning & Zoning Center at MSU, along with 13 other sponsors, will hold the second Saginaw Bay Watershed Conference at Saginaw Valley State University’s Curtiss Hall from 8:30 a.m. to 5 p.m. on June 12. The public and interested stakeholders are invited.
The conference will feature current research and practices focused on water quality protection and related efforts in the Saginaw Basin. Todd Ambs, campaign director of Healing Our Waters, will provide a holistic perspective on Great Lakes water quality, while Jon Allan, director of the Office of the Great Lakes, will discuss the new Michigan Water Strategy.
John Austin, director of the Michigan Economic Center at Prima Civitas, will explore Michigan’s water assets and the potential for creating and growing the state’s Blue Economy. A panel of experts from the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency and The Nature Conservancy will discuss the renewed Great Lakes Water Quality Agreement and its implications on stakeholders in the basin.
Other topics that will be highlighted during the conference include:
- Using the new federal Farm Bill for water quality protection
- Stormwater management techniques
- Stakeholder engagement in urban and rural communities
- Minimizing negative impacts from nutrients and pollutants
- Urban Planning and Revitalization on Brownfields
- Fish passage and dam removal
- Sediment reduction and best management practices
- Outdoor recreation as an avenue for economic development
- Sustainability and conservation practices
- Wetlands restoration at wildlife refuges
- Local data and communication tools to share water quality information with residents and stakeholders
Registration for the conference is $30 and includes lunch and handout materials. To register and learn more, visit http://www.landpolicy.msu.edu/2014SaginawBayWatershedConference.