[PCA] CALL: Presentations for Wisconsin Wetlands Association's Conference

[Olivia Kwong]

Wetlands in Service
15th Annual Conference
February 11-12, 2010
Eau Claire, Wisconsin

http://www.wisconsinwetlands.org/2010CFP.htm

CALL FOR PRESENTATIONS
Abstract Deadline: Monday, November 9, 2009
Note: Presenters receive a $15 registration discount.

In 2010, Wisconsin Wetlands Association will convene members of the 
regional wetland community for our 15th annual wetland science conference, 
Wetlands in Service, to discuss the latest in wetland science, management, 
restoration and protection issues. The program for this 2-day conference 
will have a special thematic focus on the ecological services provided by 
wetlands and will include a keynote address, topical oral sessions, a 
poster session, working groups, a banquet and wetland field trips. 
Following more than a decade-long tradition, we anticipate that this 
year.s conference will contribute to a growing regional collaboration for 
protecting and conserving Wisconsin.s wetlands.

The concept of "ecological services" is increasingly used in making the 
case for the preservation of natural systems in general and wetlands in 
particular. We are focusing on wetland services as this year.s theme to 
stimulate practitioners, regulators, and researchers to make presentations 
to help us all understand the state of our knowledge about ecological 
services provided by wetlands in our region. The concept of ecological 
services is defined in a number of ways, but we define it as any 
beneficial contribution to an ecosystem, including human health and 
welfare. This is a broad theme and we expect that most people interested 
in and working on wetlands will be able to contribute.

Wisconsin Wetlands Association invites you to submit an abstract for 
presentation at our 15th Annual Conference. We seek proposals for oral 
presentations or posters on wetlands research, restoration and management 
projects. We welcome presentations on work done in all wetland community 
types and from around the Midwest region, as long as the content of the 
presentation applies to wetlands of Wisconsin. We especially encourage 
submissions on these topics related to the theme, Wetlands in Service:

1. Floral Diversity: Wetlands as habitat for plants, food and shelter 
provided by plants.
2. Wildlife & Fisheries Habitat: Wetlands as exclusive or essential 
habitat for animals (including mammals, birds, invertebrates, fish, 
reptiles, and amphibians), threats to biodiversity from invasive species.
3. Flood & Stormwater Attenuation: Flood protection and mitigation, 
stormwater retention and management, regional effects of wetlands on 
evapotranspiration, reduction of flood damage.
4. Water Quality Protection: Wetlands as "filters" and as sinks, 
regulators, and cyclers of nutrients, sedimentation.
5. Shoreline Protection: Wetlands and their relation to lakes, streams and 
rivers.
6. Groundwater Connections: Wetland-related impacts on groundwater 
recharge and discharge, groundwater level changes as they affect wetlands.
7. Recreation and education: Economic and social impacts of 
recreation-based tourism, formal and informal educational programming 
interpreting wetlands.

We also recognize that, to maximize wetland benefits and balance them with 
other resource demands, we need intelligent and scientifically-based 
management. Therefore, we also seek presentations that cut across all of 
the eight areas identified above (or address other ecological services 
wetlands provide), including presentations on:

* Balancing management impacts on services: When you manage for one 
service in particular, what are the impacts on other services (how do you 
measure these impacts, and how do you evaluate the costs and benefits of 
these choices)?
* Location, location, location: Where do we need wetlands on the landscape 
in order to achieve human goals for particular ecological services?
* The contribution of wetlands in atmospheric maintenance and climate 
regulation
* Wetlands as an adaptive response to the anticipated increase in flooding 
events associated with global climate change
* Maximizing the water quality benefits of wetlands: Regulation and policy 
for clean water
* Maximizing the hydrologic benefits of wetlands: Regulation and policy 
for water storage and discharge
* Keeping what we have: Regulations on wetland fill and modification and 
protections against other threats
* Improving and adding to what we have: Restoration and wetland creation
* Watershed management: Including all landscape attributes within a 
watershed that influence wetlands

We also recognize that often wetland scientists must translate the science 
behind ecosystem services into terms that can be understood by decision 
makers and compel them to take action in order to achieve practical 
results that benefit wetlands and their nearby human communities. 
Therefore, we seek presentations or workshops that articulate:

* Techniques and methods for quantifying ecosystem services provided by 
wetlands.
* Methods/strategies for communicating about wetland ecosystem services to 
decision makers.
* How and whether ecosystem services (beyond biodiversity) could be 
incorporated into mitigation performance standards.
* Case studies that illustrate restoration and management of wetlands to 
improve ecological services.
* How existing wetland protection regulations, policies, and planning 
tools/processes help maintain or restore wetland ecological services
* Where regulatory environments that affect wetlands might overlap and/or 
conflict (e.g. floodplain, shoreland, and wetland regulations).

See the link above for more information and submission information.