On June 17 and June 24 the Great Lakes Climate Action Seminar was held. This virtual conference was made possible through the coordinated efforts of the New York Upstate ASLA Chapter together with the Ohio, Michigan, and Wisconsin ASLA Chapters. Sharing the majority of shoreline within the Great Lakes system Upstate New York, Ohio, Michigan, and Wisconsin were identified by ASLA National as being uniquely positioned to collaborate on climate action issues that impact this watershed. Using the virtual format enabled this multi-state conference to highlight strategies and new knowledge across this large region, and provide an accessible platform for both presenters and participants to communicate with each other. Registration for each day of the seminar was just shy of 120 people, with participants joining from as far away as the Pacific Northwest.
Over the seminar’s two days, professional work and ongoing research was presented by teams drawn from all four participating states. The seminar brought together landscape architects, engineers, planners, researchers, and civic leaders who presented their work in addressing climate change issues specific to the Great Lakes Region. Topics ranged from the analysis of resiliency case studies to strategies that address public outreach and environmental justice, from shoreline and stream restoration to edible ecologies in urban environments. In addition to providing a wealth of information related to climate action in the Great Lakes watershed, the conference was also an opportunity for participants to earn continuing education units with a total of 13 HSW CEUs being offered by the 12 sessions in the seminar.
We would like to thank the hard-working team that made this seminar possible:
· Molly Vendura, Bill Elliot and Lauren Butts with the NY Upstate Chapter
· Allison Marusic from the Michigan Chapter
· Chris Laster, Glenn Bayfield and Jerry Smith with the Ohio Chapter
· Rhonda James and Stephanie Wilson from the Wisconsin Chapter