"For Love of Lakes"

It is clear that Dr. Darby Nelson has a life-long commitment to the preservation of our environment – especially our lakes. He is an aquatic ecologist who taught at Anoka-Ramsey Community College for 35 years, and then brought his knowledge and experience to the Minnesota state legislature where he served three terms and chief-authored numerous environment and conservation bills. He is a friend, supporter, and co-chair of Conservation Minnesota, where he recently served as board president.

Nelson currently writes for several outdoor publications, and his new book, For Love of Lakes, just hit shelves last month. Editor-in-chief at the Minnesota State University Press calls it the “Sand County Almanac of lakes.” This necessary and thoughtful book addresses the stewardship void while providing improved understanding of our most treasured natural feature.

Darby will no doubt get you thinking about how our actions have an effect on our lakes and inspire you to continue your great efforts of “protecting in partnership our legacy of lakes.”

"Partnering in Wisconsin: Lakes, Rivers, Watersheds, and Beyond"

Lisa Conley is the President and Water Team Co-Leader for the Town and Country Resource Conservation and Development (RC&D). She is the Past President of the Rock River Coalition and the North American Lake Management Society. Lisa served over 10 years on the Board of the Wisconsin Association of Lakes, guiding the merger of the Wisconsin Association of Lake Districts and the Wisconsin Federation of Lakes. She has also lead and participated in numerous steering committees and boards at the local, regional and state level. A Wisconsin native, Lisa has lived in lake-rich Oconomowoc since 1970. Her interest in lakes has developed over time to encompass issues related to polluted runoff, groundwater usage, and sustainable community development.

Town and Country RC&D has benefitted from Lisa's experience in forging and nurturing partnerships. Today, the organization collaborates with no fewer than twenty-four other groups in the southeast Wisconsin region to enhance the health of our communities, our economy, and our environment. During the 2012 Wisconsin Lakes Partnership Convention, Lisa will share lessons learned through a lifetime of cooperation.

George Meyer
Tuesday, April 10th
2:30 - 3:00 pm

"Partnering Today"

George Meyer is Executive Director of the Wisconsin Wildlife Federation. The Wisconsin Wildlife Federation is the state’s largest conservation organization representing over 170 hunting, fishing, trapping and forestry related groups. Prior to that George served for thirty-two years with the Wisconsin Department of Natural Resources and eight years as Secretary of that Department under the administration of former Governor Tommy Thompson. On a national level he served as the President of the Environmental Council of the States and as the Vice-President of the International Association of Fish and Wildlife Agencies.

Our natural resources are extremely important to George. He has navigated our Wisconsin’s Water resources for years on topics such as protection against invasive species, mercury levels, and currently, mining law and its impacts on our water resources. Join us for a discussion with George on these current events.

To learn more about the Wisconsin Wildlife Federation, visit: http://www.wiwf.org/.