Sep 19, 2011

2011 State of the Lakes Ecosystem Conference (SOLEC) in Erie, Pennsylvania, October 26 & 27, 2011.

State of the Lakes Ecosystem Conference (SOLEC) is the key science broker for information on the Great Lakes ecosystem.

Conference Highlights include:

  • Most up-to-date information on the status of the Great Lakes using an improved, updated and representative indicator suite
  • New presentation format that better illustrates the linkages between the condition of the ecosystem and how human activities are related
  • Keynote presentation by Dr. Robert Glennon, author of Unquenchable: America’s Water Crisis and What To Do About It
  • Special presentation by Dr. Bryan Pijanowski, Associate Professor at Purdue University and land use change expert
  • Recognition of Great Lakes successes at the SOLEC Banquet on the evening of
    Day 1
  • Presentations on current conditions in each Great Lake, the connecting channels and the St. Lawrence River highlighting a unique land-use
  • IMAX viewing of Mysteries of the Great Lakes and evening pre-SOLEC reception at Tom Ridge Environmental Center

Conference Agenda
The theme for SOLEC 2011 is “Linking Land to the Lakes” which will expand the nearshore focus of the 2008 conference and highlight land-based issues as they relate to water quality in the Great Lakes.

A special presentation by Purdue University’s Bryan Pijanowski on day 1 of SOLEC will focus on Bryan’s work related to a decision-support system which is designed to provide stakeholders across the Great Lakes basin with a better understanding of how human activities impact the environment.

Plenary presentations during the first day of SOLEC will focus on the condition of the Great Lakes based on indicator assessments of the following categories: Water Quality, Aquatic-Dependent Life, and Landscapes and Natural Processes.  These presentations will incorporate management and human interest questions and answers.  This new format allows decision-makers to better understand the linkages of how human activities are related to conditions in the ecosystem.

Dr. Robert Glennon, author of “Unquenchable: America’s Water Crisis and What To Do About It” will deliver the keynote address on Wednesday, October 26, 2011. He will present his views on the water... Read on and register here