Registration

Registration is $65 per person, which covers instructional materials, meals, & T-shirt. Registration is limited to the first 60 respondents. If paying by check, registration forms must be received by August 17, 2012. No Refunds.

Payment by credit card

To pay by credit card, visit the registration form here: http://www.regonline.com/owls-2012

Payment by check

Please make check payable to Ohio State University. Mail checks and registration forms to OSU Extension, 280 West Union Street, Athens, Ohio 45701.

Agenda

Day 1

Registration – 9:30 – 10:00 a.m.

10:00 – 10:30 - Welcome – Jerry Iles & Joe Bonnell – OSU Extension, Laura Walker – Grand Lake St. Marys/Wabash River Watershed Coordinator - Introductions of the 2012 OWLS Planning Committee.

10:30 – 10:45 – Opening Remarks – Karl Gebhardt, Chief – ODNR Division of Soil & Water Resources (Invited)

10:45– 11:15 - Welcome to Grand Lake St. Marys – Crisis Communication: Weathering the Storm of Negativity - Donna Grube, Executive Director, Auglaize & Mercer Counties Convention & Visitors Bureau

11:15 – 12:00 – Ice Breaker Team Building Activity

12:00 – 12: 30 – Lunch

12:45 – 2:45 – Tour the Grand Lake St. Marys Watershed – See it for Yourself!- Stops will include: St. Charles Seminary and their agriculture best management practices; Prairie Creek Treatment Train; and an Agricultural Research Service edge of field monitoring station. Points of interest will include: dredging, Franklin Twp Greenspace, channels, airygator, cover crops, hayland buffers, fish hatchery, church steeples and others as the tour progresses. Presenters include Theresa Dirksen, Mercer Soil and Water Conservation District Engineer; Milt Miller, Grand Lake St. Marys Restoration Manager; Grand Lake St. Marys Restoration Commission Members; Agriculture Research Service Representative and other local watershed project stakeholders.

2:45 – 3:00 – Break with snacks & drinks

3:00 – 3:30 – Session A - Harmful Algal Blooms Update – Linda Merchant- Masonbrink (OEPA)
or
Session B – Ohio Agricultural Landowners Opinion Surveys – Joe Bonnell (OSUE)

3:30 - 4:00 – Session A – Addressing Grand Lake St. Marys Internal Nutrient Load – Alum, Airygator’s and More - Brian Miller, Park Manager
Session B – The 4 R Conservation Program - Carrie Vollmer-Sanders
Western Lake Erie Basin Project Director - The Nature Conservancy

4:00 – 4:30 – Session A – Evolution of the Restoration Efforts of Grand Lake St. Marys – It’s not just a watershed project. - Milt Miller, Grand Lake St. Marys Restoration Manager
or
Session B – Western Lake Erie Basin Programs – Ed Crawford, ODNR - DSWR.

4:35 – 4:45 – Return to Harbor Point 4-H Camp

4:45 – 5:45 – Free time – Volleyball etc.

6:00 – Board pontoon boats to Bella’s Italian Grille

6:30 – 7:30– Dinner

9:00 – Campfire at Harbor Point 4-H Camp

Day 2

8:00 – 8:45 – Breakfast

8:45 – 9:15 – Session A - Environmental Education Opportunities - Dennis Clement - OEPA
or
Session B - Twin Creek Preserve: A Regional Approach to Solving Water Problems - Kara Scheerhorn – Mill Creek Watershed Council

9:15 – 9:45 – Session A - Ohio’s Balanced Growth Initiative – David Rutter – MORPC
or
Session B – Chagrin River Watershed Partners, Inc.: Building a Sustainable Watershed Organization - Christina Znidarsic - Chagrin River Partners

9:45 – 10:00 – Break

10:00 – 10:30 – Funding Home Sewage Treatment Systems in Your Watershed – Cindy Brookes –Watershed Specialist, Sandusky River Watershed Coalition
or
Session B – Regional Watershed Councils and Partnerships - Claire Childers, OEC

10:30 – 11:30 – Ohio Watershed Professionals Association Meeting – D. Rutter - MORPC

11:45 – 12: 45– Lunch & Watershed Programs Discussion – Nageotte/Bonnell