Fifteenth Annual Chapter Meeting

Purdue University Northwest, Hammond, Indiana
May 17th –  19th, 2024

“Connecting for a Resilient Future: Restoration of Midwestern Habitat Mosaics“

Register here: https://www.ser.org/events/EventDetails.aspx?id=1845027&group=

The Meeting Program and Abstracts can be found here: https://chapter.ser.org/midwestgreatlakes/files/2024/04/2024_MeetingBook_Tentative-_4_25_2024.docx

Please join us for the fifteenth annual meeting of the SER Midwest-Great Lakes Chapter.  Our primary meeting goal is to highlight the linkages between restoration of Midwestern habitat mosaics and ecosystem resiliency and the importance of facilitating connections ecologically and socially.   Our meeting agenda includes:

  • A keynote presentation by John Shuey of The Nature Conservancy: Restoring Resilience to Conservation Landscapes in the Face of Climate Disruption.
  • A meeting host plenary session and field tour on the Gabis Arboretum and Tallgrass Prairie Restoration:  Dr. Young Choi will give a plenary presentation on the tallgrass prairie restoration efforts at Gabis Arboretum and then lead a field tour of the arboretum.
  • Two workshops:
    • Workshop 1 – Characteristics of a Well-planned Ecological Restoration Project: With Emphasis on the Construction and Implementation Phases.
    • Workshop 2 – Pathways into the Profession and Practice of Ecological Restoration.
  • Four symposia:
    • Symposium 1 – Ecological Restoration to Connect Habitats in the Chicago Crescent:  Establishing Habitat Mosaics at the Southern Tip of Lake Michigan
    • Symposium 2 – Role of Soil Mutualists in Midwestern Restorations
    • Symposium 3 –Finding the Middle Ground: Exploring Lawn Alternatives in Public Spaces as a Conservation Tool From Practice and Research Perspectives
    • Symposium 4 –Creating a Regional Native Seed Network for the Midwest – Who are the Players and What Are the Needs?
  • Contributed oral presentation sessions:  We currently have 42 presenters from Illinois, Indiana, Iowa, Michigan, Minnesota, Missouri, New York, Ohio, Wisconsin, Virginia, and the District of Columbia who will share their experiences involving forest, prairie, lake, wetland, river, and urban restoration.  Presentation topics include community approaches to urban restoration, hydrology and water quality of a restored dune-and-swale wetland, prescribed fire timing effects on the phenology in tallgrass prairies plants, and assessment of federal wetland restoration efforts, and many more!
  • Dedicated contributed poster session:  We currently have 20 presenters from Georgia, Indiana, Illinois, Michigan, Minnesota, Ohio, Wisconsin, and Virginia who will share their experiences involving prairie, forest, dune, wetland, stream, and urban restoration.  Presentation topics include effects of fire on tallgrass plant species, restoration in mined areas, molecular diversity of Indiana morels, student-led restoration training, and more!

Choice of one of SIX field trip: 1) Tour of Efroymson Restoration at Kankakee Sands ;2) Succession Trail in the Indiana Dunes National Park West Beach; 3) Fisher Oak Savanna Nature Preserve; 4) Restoration of Cowles Bog in Indiana Dunes National Park; 5) Southern Lake Michigan Dune and Swale Restorations; 6) Little Calumet River channel and floodplain wetlands in NW Indiana

Social events:  Several social events are scheduled that include lunch and sponsorship reception on Friday, breakfast and a boxed lunch on Saturday, and a no-host social on Saturday evening at the Indiana Dunes National Park pavilion.

Meeting updates will be periodically posted on our Chapter website (https://chapter.ser.org/midwestgreatlakes/annual-meetings/annual-meeting-2024/).

2024 TENTATIVE MEETING SCHEDULE

Friday May 17th 
9:00 am –  4:30 pmRegistration
10:00 am – 12:00 pmConcurrent Workshops
12:00 pm – 1:00 pmLunch
1:00 pm – 2:00 pmKeynote Presentation
2:00 pm – 2:30 pmBreak
2:30 pm – 4:30 pmConcurrent Symposia
4:30 pm – 4:45 pmBreak  
4:45 pm – 5:30 pmBusiness Meeting & Recognition Awards
5:30 pm – 7:30 pmPoster Session & Sponsorship Reception
Saturday May 18th 
7:00 am – 11:00 amRegistration
7:00 am – 8:00 amContinental breakfast
8:00 am – 10:00 amConcurrent Oral Presentation Sessions
10:00 am – 10:20 amBreak
10:20 am – 11:20 amConcurrent Oral Presentation Sessions
11:20 am – 11:40 amBreak
11:40 am – 12:40 pmMeeting Host Plenary session
12:40 pm – 1:00 pmBreak & Box Lunch pick-up
1:00 pm – 2:00 pmBus ride to Gabis Arboretum
2:00 pm – 3:00 pmPicnic Lunch at Gabis Arboretum
3:00 pm – 4:00 pmMeeting Host Field Tour of Gabis Arboretum
4:00 pm – 5:00 pmReturn bus ride to Purdue Northwest
6:00 pm – wheneverNo Host Social at Dunes Pavilion in Indiana Dunes State Park
Sunday May 19th 
9:00 am – 12:30 PMOffsite field trips

Meeting Location and Lodging Information:

Meeting Location – Purdue University Northwest, 2200 169th Street, Hammond, Indiana 46423

Discounted Hotel Blocks – Must be booked by April 16th to receive discounted rate.

Hampton Inn & Suites (reservation link): https://ser.us8.list-manage.com/track/click?u=f17f91d2a71840cffa4a85bfd&id=e816a935b6&e=90b72109c4

Hampton Inn & Suites, 2842 Carlson Dr., Hammond, IN 46323

Fairfield Inn & Suites (reservation link): https://link.edgepilot.com/s/20a92af0/1040wQQOsEGIRHCAO2t37w?u=https://www.marriott.com/events/start.mi?id=1705004734615%26key=GRP

Fairfield Inn & Suites, 7720 Corinne Dr., Hammond, IN 46323

Thank you to our generous Meeting Host & sponsors

MEETING HOST

Purdue University Northwest

SHARP-LOBED HEPATICA SPONSOR

Davey Resource Group

NiSource

The Nature Conservancy

PRAIRIE TRILLIUM SPONSORS

Ernst Seeds

GEI Consultants

KCI Technologies

The Wetlands Initiative

Stantec

BLOOD ROOT SPONSOR

Illinois-Indiana Sea Grant

Gabis Arboretum

Announcing the Annual Chapter Meeting 2024!

Meeting Theme:  Connecting for a Resilient Future: Restoration of Midwestern Habitat Mosaics

Date: May 17 to 19, 2024

Location: Purdue University Northwest, Hammond, Indiana

NEW (1/19/2024)!  Deadline Extended for Contributed Oral and Poster Presentation Abstracts!   The deadline for submitted a contributed presentation abstract is now February 19, 2024. See the link below for a pdf file of the call for abstracts with information on abstract formatting and submission and the link to the word document with formatting examples.

ink to pdf: https://chapter.ser.org/midwestgreatlakes/files/2023/11/2024CallforAbstracts.pdf

link to word document: https://chapter.ser.org/midwestgreatlakes/files/2023/11/AbstractFormatExample2024.doc

NEW (1/19/2024)!  Deadline Extended for Workshop Proposals! 

The deadline for submitted a workshop proposal is now February 19, 2024. See the link below for a pdf file of the call for abstracts with information on abstract formatting and submission and the link to the word document with formatting examples.

link to pdf: https://chapter.ser.org/midwestgreatlakes/files/2023/11/2024CallforWorkshopsSymposia.pdf

link to word document: https://chapter.ser.org/midwestgreatlakes/files/2023/11/SymposiaWorkshopFormatExamples2024.docx

NEW (1/19/2024)!  Call for Symposia Proposals is closed. 

Call for Meeting Sponsors:  We are again seeking meeting sponsors for our Annual Meeting that will assist with defraying registration costs for all meeting attendees.  Click here for details on the different sponsorship tiers and their associated benefits.  If you are interested or have questions, then please contact Dave Coulter (email: mwgl.ser@gmail.com). 

Please check back periodically for more information.  Tentatively, we plan to open registration in February 2024

THANK YOU TO OUR GENEROUS MEETING HOSTS – PURDUE UNIVERSITY NORTHWEST!