Press Release 4-9-14 WISCONSIN LAKES PARTNERSHIP CONVENTION AIMS TO PUT RESEACH INTO ACTION

April 9, 2014

2014 Wisconsin Lakes Partnership Convention aims to put research into action

Award-winning biologist, University of Wisconsin researchers to highlight event

Contact Eric Olson, 715-346-2192, eolson@uwsp.edu

Stevens Point, Wis.—A researcher known for groundbreaking studies on the link between frogs and environmental contaminants will be the keynote speaker at the 2014 Wisconsin Lakes Partnership Convention being held in Stevens Point from April 24-26.

Tyrone Hayes, a professor of integrative biology at the University of California-Berkeley, will speak at what has become the nation’s largest state lakes convention, annually attracting more than 500 participants. He joins nearly 100 presenters, including a panel of lake scientists from the University of Wisconsin’s Trout Lake Research Station at the Stevens Point Holiday Inn and Convention Center.

Hayes will share his life story, starting as a South Carolina child interested in nature to a Harvard graduate student to becoming one of the youngest full tenured professors at Berkeley. Hayes was selected by the Center for Biological Diversity for its 2013 E.O. Wilson Award and in 2010 he was given the E.E. Just Award by the American Society for Cell Biology.

Friday’s lake science panel will revisit an acid rain research project that began over 30 years ago on Little Rock Lake in northern Wisconsin. Carl Watras, research scientist; Susan Knight, botanist and AIS specialist; and Tim Kratz, director of the University of Wisconsin Trout Lake Station will participate in a discussion moderated by Glen Moberg from Wisconsin Public Radio. Panelists will highlight the long-term experiments carried out in Vilas County and the management implications of current lake research in Wisconsin.

“The sessions on Friday and Saturday offer a unique experience for lake stakeholders to learn about research that has direct implications for how we care for our lakes,” says Eric Olson, who leads the Extension effort for lakes education. “At the convention, people will see the ways that they can turn research into action and play a role in maintaining Wisconsin’s excellent quality of life.”

In addition to keynotes, conference attendees can select from a wide range of pre- and post-convention workshops held on April 24 and April 25.

The convention is sponsored by the Wisconsin Lakes Partnership–a collaboration between the University of Wisconsin-Extension, the Department of Natural Resources and Wisconsin Lakes.

To see the full convention agenda including pre-convention workshops, or to register, go to the convention link found at http://www.wisconsinlakes.org.