Consider sponsoring this unique forum!
by Rob Zisette, President-elect and Conference Committee Chair
Mark your calendars now for WALPA’s first virtual conference on October 15-17, 2020! The Conference Committee has received more than 30 abstracts and is currently developing program details around our conference theme: Lake Diversity – From Ponds to Reservoirs.
The conference will open with a plenary session planned by our newly formed Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion Committee. The plenary will feature a guest speaker on the topic of how environmental justice and freshwater intersect and will include an open forum to discuss some of the challenges to increasing diversity in our field.
The second day will kick off with a discussion panel among public lake access stakeholders to examine how WALPA can better support increased lake access and lake stewardship at public access points throughout Washington. The program will include one student poster session and a series of 30-minute presentations organized into two-hour sessions on topics including algae toxins and control, climate change impacts, human health impacts, pollutant source tracking, aquatic plants, invertebrates, and fish.
Our pivot to a virtual format will be facilitated by experts we’ve hired from the University of Washington-Tacoma. They’ll run the digital conference with help from volunteer moderators to field speaker questions. Please join us! Registration is open, the conference is FREE, and the program will be available soon at https://www.walpa.org/annual-conference/
Also, please consider sponsoring the conference to fund our student grant program!
Feel free to email me if you have questions about the program, registration, or sponsorships at rzisette@herrerainc.com.
