ON-SITE AT THE SWCS 64TH ANNUAL INTERNATIONAL CONFERENCE HELD AT
DEARBORN, MICHIGAN
FRIDAY, JULY 10TH. GETTING READY FOR THE CONFERENCE.
THE WELCOME SIGN WAS OUT FRIDAY MORNING AT THE
DEARBORN HYATT REGENCY!
SARAH VANDELFZIJL WAS THE EARLY BIRD TO GET STARTED PACKING THE BORCHURE ENVELOPES!
OKAY, SO SARAH WASN'T WORKING ALONE! SWCS NATIONAL STAFF JODY OGG AND DEWAYNE JOHNSON WERE ALREADY AT WORK WHEN SARAH GOT THERE.
SOON JEAN GAGLIARDO, JAY BLAIR AND KAREN BLAIR JOINED
THE ASSEMBLY LINE!
THEN REBEKAH DEWIND JOINED IN AND THINGS GOT MOVING FAST!
THEN KELLY GOWARD JOINED AND IT JUST BECAME A BLUR OF ACTIVITY!
SATURDAY, JULY 11, 2009, OPENING DAY
JODY OGG, COMPTROLLER, SWCS HEADQUARTERS, ANKENY, IOWA,
HANDS THE INTERNATIONAL CONFERENCE REGISTRATION PACKET TO
JEAN GAGLIARDO, MICHIGAN CHAPTER REGION 3 DIRECTOR.
AARON LAUSTER, (R) PRESIDENT, MICHIGAN CHAPTER, INTRODUCED AL LYONS, THE JOHNSON CENTER FOR PHILANTHROPY, GRAND VALLEY STATE UNIVERSITY AT THE BREAKOUT SESSION "SHARPENING THE SAW" DURING THE CONSERVATION LEADERSHIP DEVELOPMENT WORKSHOP. MEMBERS FROM CHAPTERS THROUGHOUT THE SOCIETY LEARNED IMPORTANT INFORMATION ABOUT RUNNING A CHAPTER BOARD OF DIRECTORS.
PARTICIPANTS IN THE SATURDAY WORKSHOP THEN ENJOYED AN EXCELLENT LUNCH IN THE HYATT REGENCY.
SUE ANN LYNES, EXECUTIVE ASSISTANT, SWCS HEADQUARTERS, CONTINUED THE WORKSHOP WITH MORE TRAINING ON CHAPTER OPERATIONS.
DEWAYNE JOHNSON, PROFESSIONAL DEVELOPMENT DIRECTOR, SOCIETY HEADQUARTERS, DISCUSSED THE ART AND SCIENCE OF ORGANIZING A FORUM OR WORKSHOP.
SUNDAY, JULY 12, GETTING EVERYONE TOGETHER
CHAPTER DELEGATES AND OTHERS LISTEN TO PEGGIE JAMES, SOCIETY PRESIDENT, DELIVER THE "STATE OF SOCIETY ADDRESS" DURING THE NOON HOUSE OF DELEGATES MEETING.
EXHIBITS, SUCH AS THIS BEAUTIFUL RPM EXHIBIT, WERE SET UP IN THE EXHIBIT HALL SUNDAY AFTERNOON.
THE SILENT AUCTION, INCLUDING THIS BEAUTIFUL ORIGINAL OIL PAINTING DONATED BY J. ANN HOLCOMB, WAS ALSO SET UP IN THE P.M.
KELLY GOWARD, MICHIGAN CHAPTER PAST PRESIDENT, INTRODUCED THE FELLOWS FORUM TOPIC, "EMERALD ASH BORER AND THE CONSERVATION CONSEQUENCES." KELLY ORGANIZED AND MODERATED THE FORUM.
AN ORIENTATION FOR NEW MEMBERS AND FIRST TIMERS WAS PRESENTED AT 6 P.M. THIS PRESENTATION INTRODUCED THE SOCIETY AND EXPLAINED HOW THE CONFERENCE WORKED.
THE MAIN EVENT FOR SUNDAY EVENING WAS THE WELCOME RECEPTION. FOOD CAME FIRST AND THERE WAS PLENTY OF IT!
THE WELCOME RECEPTION WAS HELD IN THE EXHIBIT HALL WHERE THERE WAS A FULL HOUSE OF EXHIBITS FOR ALL TO ENJOY AND LEARN.
THE MICHIGAN CHAPTER SILENT AUCTION WAS ALSO LOCATED IN THE EXHIBIT HALL. EACH EXHIBIT HAD AT LEAST ONE SILENT AUCTION ITEM ON DISPLAY AT THEIR TABLE. THERE ARE TWO HERE!
SILENT AUCTION ITEMS WERE ALSO ON TABLES AROUND THE OUTSIDE OF THE EXHIBIT HALL.
THIS QUILT WAS MADE AND DONATED TO THE SILENT AUCTION
BY MRS. AARON LAUSTER.
GAYLYNN KINTER, CHAIR OF THE SILENT AUCTION COMMITTEE, HAD SO MANY SILENT AUCTION DONATIONS THERE WAS HARDLY ANY ROOM LEFT!
KELLY GOWARD, MICHIGAN CHAPTER PAST PRESIDENT (FRONT CENTER), AND SARAH VANDELFZIJL, ANOTHER PAST PRESIDENT (CENTER REAR), TALK TO EXHIBITORS.
MANY POSTER PRESENTATIONS ALSO ATTRACTED VISITORS AND GENERATED SCIENCE DISCUSSIONS.
AND, OF COURSE, CHAPTER MEMBERS FROM ACROSS THE COUNTRY GOT TO MEET AND TALK WITH OTHER MEMBERS, INCLUDING AARON LAUSTER, MICHIGAN CHAPTER PRESIDENT (CENTER), AND REBEKAH DEWIND, MICHIGAN CHAPTER PRESIDENT ELECT.
MONDAY, JULY 13 FIRST DAY OF SYMPOSIA AND ORAL PRESENTATIONS
USDA SECRETARY TOM VILSACK PRESENTS THE H. WAYNE PRITCHARD LECTURE AT THE OPENING PLENARY.
MANABENDRA (BEN) CHANGKAKOTI, PIMA COUNTY PUBLIC WORKS GAVE AN ORAL PRESENTATION TITLED "A DECADE OF NATURAL RESOURCE CONSERVATION: PIMA COUNTY IN THE NEW MILLENNIUM."
REBECCA ROOSE, USEPA, OFFICE OF WATER, GAVE AN ORAL PRESENTATION TITLED "OVERVIEW OF CAFO NPDES PERMIT REGULATIONS AND 2008 PROGRAM REVISIONS."
JONATHAN WINSTEN, WINROCK INTERNATIONAL/UNIVERSITY OF VERMONT, GAVE AN ORAL PRESENTATION TITLED "PILOT-TESTING PERFORMANCE BASED INCENTIVES FOR AGRICULTURAL POLLUTION CONTROL."
SCOTT SINGER, USDA-NRCS, GAVE AN ORAL PRESENTATION TITLED "THE USE OF EQIP TO FUND NATIVE GRASSLAND PLANTINGS AS CONSERVATION COVER, WILDLIFE HABIT, FORAGE, AND A DEDICATED ENERGY CROP."
MEMBERS OF THE EAST NORTH CENTRAL REGION MET FOR NETWORKING IN ONE OF EIGHT REGIONAL ROUNDTABLE LUNCHES. THE EAST NORTH CENTRAL REGION INCLUDES THE ALL OHIO, HOOSIER, MICHIGAN AND WEST VIRGINIA CHAPTERS.
NETWORKING AND LEARNING CONTINUED IN THE EXHIBIT HALL DURING THE MORNING AND AFTERNOON BREAKS.
RANDALL REEDER, OHIO STATE UNIVERSITY, DISCUSSED "GENERAL COMPACTION AND THE HISTORY OF YIELDS" DURING THE SYMPOSIUM ON "USING COVER CORPS TO MANAGE NUTRIENT AVAILABILITY AND SOIL COMPACTION."
JAMES HOORMAN, OHIO STATE UNIVERSITY EXTENSION, DISCUSSED "THE BIOLOGY OF SOIL COMPACTION AND IMPACTS ON WATER QUALITY" DURING THE SYMPOSIUM "USING COVER CROPS TO MANAGE NUTRIENT AVAILABILTIY AND SOIL COMPACTION."
TUESDAY, JULY 14, SECOND DAY OF SYMPOSIA AND ORAL PRESENTATIONS, PLUS THE TUESDAY PLENARY.
PETER NOWAK, UNIVERSITY OF WISCONSIN-MADISON, AND A MEMBER OF THE SWCS SCIENCE AND POLICY COMMITTEE, DELIVERED AN OVERVIEW OF HOW THE SCIENCE AND POLICY COMMITTEE ARRIVED AT THE QUESTION "CAN CEAP HELP US DELIVER MORE CONSERVATION?" DURING THE TUESDAY PLENARY SESSION.
SANDRA BATIE, PROFESSOR, MICHIGAN STATE UNIVERSITY, AND MEMBER OF THE MINI-BLUE RIBBON PANEL ON THE CROPLANDS CEAP UPPER MISSISSIPPI RIVER BASIN REPORT, PRESENTED THE MINI-BLUE RIBBON PANEL'S THOUGHTS ON THE QUESTION.
DAN LAWSON, DIRECTOR, CONSERVATION PLANNING AND TECHNICAL ASSISTANCE DIVISION, USDA-NRCS ALSO PARTICIPATED ON THE PANEL.
FOLLOWING THE PANEL PRESENTATIONS, QUESTIONS WERE TAKEN FROM THE AUDIENCE.
WEDNESDAY, JULY 15 - TOURS!
FOLKS WERE EXCITED AND GATHERING FOR THE TOURS AT 7:00 A.M. WEDNESDAY MORNING.
MANY DIFFERENT SIZES OF TOUR VEHICLES WERE READY AND WAITING.
DEWAYN JOHNSON HELPED LOAD THE BUS FOR THE FORD TOUR.
THE FORD ROUGE PLANT AND FORD FIELD PARK TOUR BUS
IS ABOUT READY TO LOAD.
THERE WERE SEVEN DIFFERENT TOURS PLANNED FOR WEDNESDAY.
SARAH VANDELFZIJL AND DAVE BURGDORF (L) CHECK OVER FINAL DETAILS.
THIS GROUP WAS GOING TO CABELA'S!!!
LOAD 'EM UP AND LET'S HEAD OUT!!!
(PHOTOS BY DANIEL F. KESSELRING)
Canadian Tour follow-up story and photos
AND MORE PHOTOS AT
http://www.swcs.org/en/conferences/2009_annual_conference/photos/