Host

Located in the northernmost region of present-day Michigan’s Upper Peninsula, Michigan Tech and the communities of Houghton and Hancock serve as the gateway to the Keweenaw Peninsula. At the base of the peninsula, the Keweenaw Waterway winds past the university, providing direct access from its docks at the Great Lakes Research Center to the open waters of Gichigami (Lake Superior). An iconic lift bridge, featured in the conference logo, spans the waterway to connect these two communities.

This beautiful landscape, with its wooded hills and unique geology, is located within the homelands of the Anishinaabeg-Gichigami (Lake Superior people) and ceded-territory established by the Treaty of 1842. The area is a popular vacation destination offering year-round outdoor adventure and is also historically rooted in the Copper Boom of the mid- to late 1800s. Remnants of this legacy riddle the landscape, adding a scenic charm, a link to our past, and challenges to our future. Scientists and natural resource managers are still exploring the long-term and persistent impacts on the region, including the Gichigami watershed and its many human and more-than-human inhabitants.