News from the Senator George J. Mitchell Center for Environmental and Watershed Research
Wednesday, March 19, 2008
7:30am-4:00pm
Augusta Civic Center, Augusta, Maine
http://www.umaine.edu/waterresearch/mwc
CONFERENCE HIGHLIGHTS
Plenary speakers:
MARK MYERS, Director, U.S. Geological Survey
Mark Myers is responsible for leading the Nation's largest water, earth, biological science, and civilian mapping agency in its mission to provide the scientific data that enable decisionmakers to create sound policies for a changing world. He is an internationally recognized geologist and former State Geologist and head of Alaska's Geological Survey.
LAURIE FOWLER, Co-Director, UGA River Basin Center
The Etowah Aquatic Habitat Conservation Plan: Marrying Science with Policy in a Conservative State
Laurie Fowler is an environmental attorney with a joint appointment at the University of Georgia School of Law and Odum School of Ecology. She is the director for policy of the River Basin Center, where ecologist,
lawyers, planners and economists research the effects of land use on
water quality and biodiversity and assist governments in the development of management strategies to protect water resources.
Concurrent sessions:
The Maine Water Conference includes morning and afternoon concurrent sessions on topics and issues affecting Maine's water resources today. Following is a current list of session options. Full session descriptions are available on the sessions page of the conference Web site. Please note that this list is correct at time of publication, but may change prior to the conference.
* Groundwater threats and private wells
* Impacts of climate change on water resource-related sectors
* Low impact development case studies
* Watershed Management: The local perspective
* Ultra-trace contamination of water resources
* Information Systems: If you build it…will they come?
* Drinking Water Topic – LD 1888
* Tools for Watershed Managers
* What’s in the Legislature?
* Participating in Legislative Rule-Making
* Selecting effective evaluation tools for outreach projects
REGISTRATION & EXHIBIT INFORMATION
Registration:
Registration for the Maine Water Conference is only $38 and includes all conference sessions, breaks, and lunch. Discounts are available for students giving oral or poster presentations. Late registration (after 3/3/08 or day of
conference) is $50.
Registration forms are available at
http://www.umaine.edu/waterresearch/mwc/registration_08.htm.
For additional information contact Kim Raymond at 207/581-3244.
Exhibitors:
Exhibitor fees are listed below and include lunch and registration for one attendee:
Full table (8' display area) - $180
1/2 table (4' display area) - $90
Exhibitor registration forms are available on the web at:
http://www.umaine.edu/waterresearch/mwc/exhibitor_08.htm.
For additional information contact Ruth Hallsworth at 207/581-3196.
POSTER COMPETITION: CALL FOR ABSTRACTS
Poster Chair: Laura Wilson, UMaine Cooperative Extension, 207/581-2971
The submission deadline for poster abstracts is: Friday, February 22, 2008.
Posters invited for display will address one or more aspects of water quality or quantity issues. These may include chemical, biological, hydrological, and geochemical aspects of surface and ground waters, and their policy and economic implications.
The juried poster competition will include three judging categories: graduate, undergraduate and high-school.
Non-student poster presentations based on appropriate research findings are also accepted for display.
Guidelines and submission information for poster abstracts is available at:
http://www.umaine.edu/waterresearch/mwc/poster_08.htm.
The Mitchell Center Web site provides a comprehensive listing of environmental seminars taking place across the University of Maine campus each semester. This listing includes seminars from departments throughout the university including: School of Marine Sciences, School of Economics, Dept. of Wildlife Ecology, School of Biology & Ecology, School of Forest Resources, Dept. of Chemistry, Dept. of Civil & Environmental Engineering, Dept. of Earth Sciences, Dept. of Plant, Soil and Environmental Sciences.
If you are hosting seminars at UMaine that you would like to include in this listing, please contact Kim Raymond at 207/581-3196.
A Draft Table of Contents for Penobscot River, Penobscot Bay: State of the Watershed is available for review and comment. This outline was developed via workshops with the Lower Penobscot Watershed Coalition, scientists, managers, and other entities.
Feedback is welcome. Please contact Catherine Schmitt at 207/581-1434.
Catherine and Gayle Zydlewski will be working this winter with partners at College of the Atlantic to develop some example maps and data products, and will be seeking funding to create the report and associated Web site. Please let Catherine know if you or your organization are interested in working with them on moving this project forward.
Additional information on Penobscot River research is available on the Penobscot River Synthesis Web site.
