*** REGISTER TODAY! *** 2010 Annual Meeting for the U.S. Great Lakes Areas of Concern Program Advancing Restoration Actions under the Great Lakes Restoration Initiative Preliminary agenda and registration form now available at http://www.glc.org/rap/aocconference10.html September 22-23, 2010 Adam's Mark Hotel Buffalo 120 Church St. Buffalo, New York 716-845-5100 (The Areas of Concern conference will be held in conjunction with the 6th Annual Healing Our Waters Great Lakes Restoration Conference being held September 22-24 at the same location. Additional details to follow.) Conference Overview The annual Areas of Concern (AOC) program meeting will convene participants from the 30 U.S. AOCs to review recent developments affecting the AOC program; discuss approaches for implementing delisting targets; build capacity to implement on-the-ground restoration actions; identify opportunities to address AOC restoration priorities under President Obama's Great Lakes Restoration Initiative; improve linkages between the AOCs, LaMPs and other programs; and consider actions that will strengthen the regional U.S. AOC program. Who Should Attend The conference is intended for all parties involved in efforts to restore the U.S. Great Lakes Areas of Concern, including members of local AOC groups, state and federal agency staff, LaMP participants, academic partners, consultants, and others interested in the AOC program. Preliminary Agenda A preliminary conference program is available on the conference website at http://www.glc.org/rap/aocconference10.html. The conference will feature updates on the status of the U.S. AOC program and the Great Lakes Restoration Initiative (GLRI). Breakout sessions will be offered on a number of topics, including: . Implementing a habitat restoration project . Removing dams and providing fish passage: Issues to consider and examples of successful projects . Tips for writing an excellent habitat restoration proposal . Options for generating non-federal cost share for GLRI projects . Implementing a strategic approach to assessing, restoring and delisting beneficial use impairments . Accommodating climate change impacts in habitat restoration projects Registration The meeting registration fee is $65 and includes lunch on Wednesday, breakfast on Thursday, breaks, and all conference materials. To register, complete the registration form and submit it to the Great Lakes Commission. The registration form is available on the conference website at http://www.glc.org/rap/aocconference10.html. The registration fee may be paid in advance or onsite at the meeting. The registration deadline is Friday, September 17! Registration instructions for the Healing Our Waters Great Lakes Restoration Conference to be held in conjunction with the AOC conference is available at www.healthylakes.org/conference. Travel Funding Travel funding will be available for one representative from each AOC group. The chair of each group will be responsible for designating in advance who will be eligible for travel funding. Lodging Lodging is available at the Adam's Mark Hotel Buffalo where the meeting is being held. A block of sleeping rooms has been reserved under "Great Lakes Commission" for Tuesday, Sept. 21 and Wednesday, Sept. 22, at a rate of $99 per night plus tax. The reserved block will be released Sept. 1, after which rooms will be provided on a space-available basis. Call the hotel at 716-845-5100 to make your reservation by phone. Dinner Cruise on the Buffalo River and Lake Erie Join us for dinner and a boat cruise on the Buffalo River and Lake Erie. Dinner will be provided and beer, wine and soda will be complementary during the first two hours of the cruise. A $25 fee will be charged for this optional event and advance registration is required. Space is limited to 100, so sign up early! The Healing Our Waters conference is coordinating the dinner cruise. To register, go to www.healthylakes.org/conference. Exhibitor Tables Exhibit tables are available for both the AOC and the Healing Our Waters conferences for a charge of $150. To sign up for an exhibit table, please go to the Healing Our Waters conference website at www.healthylakes.org/conference. At the site, start the registration process, click on the sponsorship tab and proceed to the bottom of the page and check the box for "exhibitor table only." Sponsors The meeting is sponsored by the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, Great Lakes National Program Office; National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration-Great Lakes Habitat Restoration Program; the Great Lakes Commission; and the New York State Department of Environmental Conservation. Contact Matt Doss Great Lakes Commission 734-971-9135 mdoss at glc.org -------------- next part -------------- An HTML attachment was scrubbed... URL: http://www.great-lakes.net/lists/glin-announce/attachments/20100715/1f3473b3/attachment.html