Kellogg Center, Michigamme Room
9 a.m. - 4 p.m.
Sponsor
Michigan Chapter, Soil and Water Conservation Society
"With eight billion people, we're going to have to start getting interested in soil, [David Montgomery]
said. We're simply not going to be able to keep treating it like dirt."1 Soil – it's an extremely important
natural resource that supports our feet, our farms, our cities, our lives.
Demand for food, fiber, land and water are increasing with population, and the emphasis on increasing
production of energy from biomass will dramatically intensify the demands placed on soil, water, and
agricultural resources. More intensive and effective conservation efforts are already needed to ensure
that we meet these increased demands while sustaining our natural resources and ecosystems. Climate
change will multiply the challenges conservationists face.2
So how are we doing? “Haiti has lost its soil and the means to feed itself.”3 ““Early last week I [Pete
Nowak] had a chance to drive from Madison to Nebraska City... across SW Wisconsin, Central Iowa,
and SW Iowa shortly after the significant rain events... I have not seen washing and gullies to this
extent since I was [an] assistant professor at Iowa State University in the early 1980s....I do not buy the
argument that this was a 'natural' event where nothing could be done to prevent it!”4 Are our
conservation efforts succeeding? What do public policy, economics, climate change and public
demand have to do with conservation?
This Seminar is intended for anyone who is concerned about the sustainability of soils and working
lands. Learn soil resource trends and concerns; the impact of climate change, public policy, public
demand and economics on soil; and what needs to be done to sustain the soil for future generations.
Preregistration is required. There will be a registration fee.
1 Charles C. Mann, “Our Good Earth”, National Geographic, November, 2008.