Lake Ontario in the spotlight March 9–11

For IMMEDIATE RELEASE
March 8, 2021

Contact: Ed Verhamme, IAGLR President & SOLO Committee Co-Chair, (734) 681-0577, [email protected]

IAGLR hosts online conference highlighting Lake Ontario science and policy

Ann Arbor, Mich. — Lake Ontario will take center stage this week, when scientists, natural resource managers, and others gather online for the 2021 State of Lake Ontario Conference (SOLO21). The conference will feature daily speakers and discussions, as well as more than 120 oral and poster presentations on topics such as climate change and shoreline resiliency, plastic pollution, Indigenous Peoples’ science, wetlands, native fish restoration, contaminants, harmful algal blooms, and invasive species.

SOLO21 is the fourth in an annual series of State of Lake conferences hosted by IAGLR and designed to promote collaboration between science and policy communities—particularly lake-specific research, management, education, and nonprofit organizations.

“This conference is a great opportunity for scientists to share the latest Lake Ontario environmental research with each other, the community, and policy makers,” says IAGLR President Ed Verhamme, an environmental engineer at LimnoTech, in Ann Arbor, Michigan.

Plenary Speakers

(see Speaker Bios)

TUESDAY MARCH 9

• 10 a.m. - Opening featuring DOROTHY TAYLOR, Curve Lake First Nation
• 10:15 a.m. - Welcome Address featuring The Honourable ELIZABETH DOWDESWELL, Lieutenant Governor of Ontario
• 12:40 p.m. - The pulse of Lake Ontario: Evolution of an Ecosystem Approach featuring ORA JOHANNSSON, University of British Columbia / Fisheries and Oceans Canada (retired) and LARS RUDSTAM, Cornell University

WEDNESDAY MARCH 10

• 10:00 a.m. - Global to Local: Canada's 2020 International Freshwater Biodiversity Targets featuring CATHERINE MASSON, Trent University
• 12:40 p.m. - Bridging the Ways of Knowing featuring GARY PRITCHARD, Curve Lake First Nation

THURSDAY MARCH 11

• 10:00 a.m. - What is Plan 2014 and How Did It Get Such a Bad Rap? Featuring TONY DAVID, Director, Saint Regis Mohawk Tribe’s Environment Division

Plenary Discussion

THURSDAY MARCH 11, 2:30 p.m.

Identifying Science Needs for Lake Ontario

Presentations and facilitation by Dan Gurdak, Annie Scofield, and Kristina Heinemann, U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, and Luca Cargnelli, Steve Clement, and Paul Parete, Environment and Climate Change Canada

Four breakouts will focus on the following topics:

• Nutrient and bacterial-related impacts on Lake Ontario
• Loss of habitat and native species
• Impacts of aquatic invasive species
• Impacts related to critical and emerging chemical contaminants

For media attending SOLO21

For complimentary access for those with media credentials, please register using the media registration form.