STATE OF THE BAY 2024

Sept 26, 2024 : State of the Bay 2024 : Bay City

And Lake Huron Forever's One Water Gathering

STATE OF THE BAY CONFERENCE 2024

TAKING PLACE

Sept 26, 2024

Doubletree Hotel and

Conference Center

1 Wenona Park Place

Bay City, MI 48708

The premier event showcasing Saginaw Bay, its tributaries and the people and organizations that are working to protect, restore and conserve it.

Every two years, the Saginaw Bay Watershed Initiative Network (WIN) and its partners provide a focus on Saginaw Bay and its Watershed through the State of the Bay conference. The purpose of the conference is to highlight educational initiatives, restoration, community development and conservation activities occurring across the watershed and related to our river systems and coastal areas, as well as provide an update on research and emerging topics of interest. Hear from researchers, educators, nonprofits, and more on three tracks of focus: Environmental Education, Community Development, and Watershed Issues and Management.

In addition, this year Lake Huron Forever's One Water Gathering will occur the day after the State of the Bay conference on September 27. This separately ticketed event is an international initiative bringing professionals and partners from both sides of Lake Huron together to explore the lakeshore and celebrate a sustainable future for Lake Huron. Through programming, networking and outdoor field trips, this full-day event focuses on how we can advance water quality protection and healthy, sustainable communities on both sides of the lake. Attendees will meet at the Delta College Planetarium in the morning and spend part of the day visiting local points of interest. We will gather to learn about the Bay City area – what makes it unique, how people experience and enjoy coastal areas, what programs and projects are happening through local actions, and how Lake Huron Forever works to protect this area long term.

AGENDA

KEYNOTE

Jane Elder is the author of the 2024 book, Wilderness, Water, and Rust: A Journey toward Great Lakes Resilience. Jane asks us to consider what we value about life in the Great Lakes region and how caring for its remarkable ecosystems might help us imagine new, whole futures.

Jane served as executive director of the Wisconsin Academy of Sciences, Arts & Letters for ten years and now consults on environmental and nonprofit strategy and volunteers with groups working on Great Lakes and climate issues. She previously led the Biodiversity Project and headed Sierra Club's Midwest office in Madison, Wisconsin, leading the Great Lakes program. She has written for Sierra, Wisconsin People & Ideas, and The Living Wilderness magazines. She holds degrees from Michigan State University (BA, communications) and University of Wisconsin (MS, land resources), and was awarded distinguished alumni status by the University of Wisconsin–Madison Nelson Institute for Environmental Studies in 2019. Learn more about Jane and purchase her book here.

LUNCH DISCUSSION

Dr. Daria Kluver is a Professor of Climatology in the Department of Earth and Atmospheric Sciences at Central Michigan University. Dr. Kluver will discuss the future of Saginaw Bay climate, based on research that she has done with various climate models. Based on research, the Saginaw Bay Watershed is projected to experience increases in both daily maximum and minimum temperature, total annual precipitation, and precipitation intensity which have substantial implications for watershed processes. Dr. Kluver earned a bachelor's degree in meteorology from Saint Cloud State University in Minnesota, and a Master’s degree and Ph.D. in Climatology from the University of Delaware. She has taught for the meteorology and environmental science programs at CMU since 2011, earning a CMU College of Science and Engineering Teaching Award in 2019. She has a wide range of research interests, including climate data analysis, climate modeling, Great Lakes meteotsunami, and the scholarship of teaching and learning.