The Association of State Wetland Managers, Inc., Michigan Department of Environmental Quality, Grand Traverse Band of Ottawa and Chippewa Indians, U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, sponsors and cooperating parties invite you to participate in Wetlands 2006, an international symposium providing a forum for presentations and discussion on the scientific, legal and management tools relevant to sustaining and restoring wetlands and watershed functions. The symposium will include presentations, posters and discussion on activities in the Great Lakes area as well as projects describing "lessons learned" from other parts of the United States and Canada.

Location: Grand Traverse Resort, Near Traverse City, Michigan. The Grant Traverse Resort is located a half-mile from the shore of Lake Michigan west of Traverse City.

Duration: 3 days (plus a pre- day, August 28, for field trips and a special legal symposium)

Audience: Wetland and aquatic resource managers, scientists, consultants, lawyers, federal, tribal, state, and local government staff, state and provincial legislators, not for profits and others with interest and expertise in wetland issues.

Organized by: Association of State Wetland Managers, Inc.

Hosts: Michigan Department of Environmental Quality Grand Traverse Band of Ottawa and Chippewa Indians

Primary Sponsors (additional sponsors are invited): U.S. Environmental Protection Agency Region 5 U.S. Environmental Protection Agency Great Lakes National Program Office Michigan Department of Transportation

Symposium Co-Chairmen: Jeanne Christie, Executive Director, Association of State Wetland Managers, Inc.; Peg Bostwick, Michigan Department of Environmental Quality; Jon Kusler, Associate Director, Association of State Wetland Managers, Inc.

Conference Challenge: The Great Lakes represent the largest freshwater lake system in the world. It is a unique resource whose ecological health, recreational and commercial value is dependent on the conservation and management of coastal and inland fresh water wetlands and other aquatic resources that comprise the Great Lakes watershed. The purpose of this conference is to expand our collective understanding of the scientific, legal and management tools that can be applied to protect and manage the ecological health of the wetlands and associated aquatic resources of the Great Lakes, adjacent eco-regions and other ecosystems in the U.S. and Canada. Also relevant are scientific, legal and management tools that provide "lessons learned."

Goals: The overall goal of the symposium is to understand the important linkages of individual actions that collectively promote the protection and restoration of wetland ecosystems and their watersheds with special emphasis upon wetlands and related ecosystems of the Great Lakes. Other, more specific goals include:

	¨	Support the application of sound science in wetland protection and restoration for Great Lakes Region, the Northeast and other areas of the United States and Canada
	¨	Identify current legal challenges and opportunities for protecting and conserving wetlands and related resources
	¨	Share wetland mapping, and assessment techniques for wetlands and related aquatic resources
	¨	Identify benefits of monitoring wetlands and encourage integration of monitoring with related aquatic resources
	¨	Define appropriate applications of performance standards to small and large scale ecosystem restoration projects
	¨	Link watershed approaches to wetland protection and restoration to the protection of water quality
	¨	Identify existing high priority areas of wetland research activity and identify gaps
	¨	Explore the importance of wetlands in global warming and better quantify the critical role of wetlands in storing carbon
	¨	Explore opportunities for remedial clean up of toxics and hazardous substances in wetlands
	¨	Link conservation of herpetofauna populations--reptiles and amphibians-with management of wetland habitats
	¨	Promote international cooperation in managing and restoring wetlands between the U.S. and Canada

Special Legal Symposium August 28: Wetlands 2006 will be preceded by a special one-day symposium bringing together state and federal attorneys, state legislators, and wetland/scientists/managers to share insights on current legal issues that are impacting the management of wetlands with special emphasis on the Great Lakes region. The overall goal of the legal symposium is to improve understanding and encourage cooperation among lawmakers, wetland scientists/managers and attorneys in promoting sound wetland law and policy. Topics will include wetlands and the public trust; state and federal jurisdiction over wetlands; and recent Supreme Court and lower court decisions. The day will include a special session on legal challenges that Indian Tribes must address in the development and operation of a wetland regulatory program including program enforcement.
Dedicated Sessions: The symposium will include both plenary sessions, concurrent and dedicated sessions. Dedicated sessions are special topic areas that individuals and organizations are cosponsoring. Currently the following dedicated sessions have been identified:

	¨	Restoration of Northern Forested Wetlands. The science of restoring forested wetlands in the north has lagged behind bottomland hardwoods and other forested wetland types. A series of presentations will be devoted to identifying gaps and improving the science.
	¨	Wetlands, Climate Change, and Carbon Sequestration. Wetlands provide a vital role in storing the world's available carbon-estimates range from 30 upwards to 50%. A series of presentations will provide information on the status of the science and strategies for managing this resource.
	¨	WORKSHOP IS FULL Remote Sensing and Mapping of Wetlands. Mapping technologies are rapidly changing for acquiring and delivering 'geospatial' wetland information. This series of presentations will be aimed at providing a broad brush of mapping technologies to characterize wetlands. This session will be sponsored jointly by the Society of Wetland Scientists, American Society for Photogrammetry and Remote Sensing, and the Federal Geographic Data Committee - Wetlands Remote Sensing Working Group.
	¨	Developing and Maintaining a Tribal Wetland Program. The challenges Indian Tribes face in developing quality wetland programs, including the science, policy, staffing, and funding are complex. A series of presentations will be devoted to identifying these challenges and will provide strategies to overcome them.

NEW GIS Demonstration Room: The GIS Demonstration Room will showcase the research and application of this emerging technology by wetlands experts from across the country. Presenters will be displaying posters, live computer demonstrations, and practical presentations over the course of 3 days at the conference. Landscape-level wetland functional assessments, Internet-based GIS systems, and Remote Sensing applications will be just a few of the major topics on display. Conference attendees will be able to peruse the exhibits in the demo room for the entirety of the conference, in between plenary sessions, or whenever time allows.

International Coordination Committee: An international coordination committee has been formed to support the symposium. At least one representative from each sponsoring organization and cooperating party will be represented on this committee. Committee members will provide ideas on plenary and break-out session topics, speakers, etc., share and distribute information on the conference and serve as a conduit for communication with various interest groups.

Regional Advisory Committee: The regional advisory committee will provide region-specific information, help identify volunteers, and carry out additional responsibilities leading up to and through the conference. In addition the regional advisory committee will provide ideas on plenary and break-out session topics, speakers, etc., share and distribute information on the conference and serve as a conduit for communication with various interest groups.

Steering Committee: The steering committee includes the co-chairs of the conference and are members of all committees and involved in all levels of conference preparation, execution and follow-up.

Dedicated Session Committees: Dedicated Sessions will have small committees to invite papers, organize and moderate special topic areas.

Sponsors and Cooperating Parties: We would like to invite your organization to be a sponsor or cooperating party supporting Wetlands 2006. There are many ways to support the international symposia. If interested, please contact Jeanne Christie (207) 892-3399 or jeanne.christie@aswm.org.

Questions Regarding Program, Please Contact: Jeanne Christie, Executive Director, Association of State Wetland Managers, Inc., 2 Basin Road, Windham, ME 04062; (207) 892-3399; Fax: (207) 892-3089; jeanne.christie@aswm.org.

Questions Regarding Abstracts, Please Contact: Sharon Weaver, Association of State Wetland Managers, Inc., 1434 Helderberg Trail, Berne, NY 12023; (518) 872-1804; Fax: (518) 872-2171; sharon.weaver@aswm.org.

Questions Regarding Sponsorship and Exhibits/Poster, Please Contact: Laura Burchill, Association of State Wetland Managers, Inc., 2 Basin Road, Windham, ME 04062; (207) 892-3399; Fax: (207) 892-3089; laura@aswm.org