Program

The State of Lake Ontario Conference will be a three-day online event featuring daily plenaries and four concurrent sessions.
(Last revised December 20, 2020)

• Tuesday, March 9
• 10–10:50 a.m.

  Welcome

  Welcome: Ed Verhamme, President, International Association for Great Lakes Research

  Opening: Dorothy Taylor, Elder, Water Walker, and Knowledge Keeper, Curve Lake First Nation
  Dorothy Taylor is from Curve Lake First Nation and is a member and founder of the Mississauga Sacred Water Circle.

  Welcome Address: The Honourable Elizabeth Dowdeswell, Lieutenant Governor of Ontario

• 10:50–11:50 a.m.

  Concurrent Sessions

• 11:50 a.m. –12:40 p.m.

  Lunch Break / Exhibits Open

• 12:40–1:30 p.m.

  Plenary

  The pulse of Lake Ontario: Evolution of an Ecosystem Approach
  Ora Johannsson, University of British Columbia, and Lars Rudstam, Cornell University

  Ora Johannsson is an aquatic ecologist retired from Fisheries and Oceans Canada and now an adjunct professor in zoology at the University of British Columbia.

  Lars Rudstam is a professor in fisheries and aquatic sciences in the Department of Natural Resources and the Environment, Cornell University, and the director of the Cornell Biological Field Station.

• 1:30–4:20 p.m.

  Concurrent Sessions

• Wednesday, March 10
• 10–10:50 a.m.

  Plenary

  Welcome: Andy Bramburger, Vice President, International Association for Great Lakes Research

  Global to Local: Canada's 2020 International Freshwater Biodiversity Targets
  Catherine Masson, Trent University
  Catherine Masson is a Ph.D. Candidate at the Trent University School of Canadian Studies. Focusing on the Great Lakes–Upper St. Lawrence biogeographic zone, her global-to-local research addresses freshwater biodiversity across boreal parks and protected areas, integrating Indigenous Knowledge and media communications toward Canada’s post-2020 goals and targets.

  (Introduction/Q&A Moderation by Jeff Ridal, River Institute)

• 10:50–11:50 a.m.

  Concurrent Sessions

• 11:50 a.m. –12:40 p.m.

  Lunch Break / Exhibits Open

• 12:40–1:30 p.m.

  Plenary

  Bridging the Ways of Knowing
  Gary Pritchard, Curve Lake First Nation
  Gary Pritchard is a conservation ecologist and engagement specialist and a proud member of Curve Lake First Nation.

  (Introduction/Q&A Moderation by Paul Parete, Environment and Climate Change Canada)

• 1:30–3:50 p.m.

  Concurrent Sessions

• 4–5 p.m.

  Poster Session

• Thursday, March 11
• 10–10:50 a.m.

  Plenary

  Welcome: Paul Sibley, Past President, International Association for Great Lakes Research

  What is Plan 2014 and How Did It Get Such a Bad Rap?
  Tony David, Director, Saint Regis Mohawk Tribe’s Environment Division
  Tony David is director of the Saint Regis Mohawk Tribe (SRMT), Environment Division and was also appointed by the International Joint Commission to serve on the U.S. Section of the International Lake Ontario-St. Lawrence River Board.

  (Introduction/Q&A Moderation by Rick Balla, US EPA)

• 10:50–11:50 a.m.

  Concurrent Sessions

• 11:50 a.m. –12:40 p.m.

  Lunch Break / Exhibits Open

• 12:40–2:20 p.m.

  Concurrent Sessions

• 2:30–4 p.m.

  Wrap-Up: Ed Verhamme President, International Association for Great Lakes Research

  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