KEYNOTE ADDRESS
Effects of Fluctuating Water Levels on Great Lakes Coastal Wetlands
Douglas A. Wilcox, Coastal Wetland Ecology Branch Chief
U.S. Geological Survey Great Lakes Science Center, Ann Arbor, MI

Water levels in the Great Lakes fluctuate at different scales across centuries, decades, years, seasons, and hours. Plant communities of coastal wetlands must be adapted to those fluctuations to survive. They do so by continually cycling through different successional stages across the wetland elevational gradient, using the seed bank to restore species and communities. During high lake stages, invading upland plants and large, canopy-dominating plants within specific elevation ranges are killed. Ensuing low water years expose sediments and allow numerous species to grow from the seed bank, thus increasing species richness and habitat diversity. Canopy-dominating species eventually become dominant again, but the next high water stage restarts the cycle. With successional stages differing by elevation, shifting zonation patterns appear that are directly related to lake-level history. Longer-term fluctuations with large amplitudes determine the upslope wetland boundary, multi-decadal fluctuations serve to maintain overall diversity, and short-term fluctuations such as seiche events determine the composition and areal extent of species that grow at the land-water interface, which changes elevation from year to year.

Dr. Douglas Wilcox received his B.S. and M.S. degrees in biochemistry from S.U.N.Y. College of Environmental Science and Forestry in Syracuse, N.Y. and his Ph.D. in aquatic ecology from Purdue University. He worked as a research wetland ecologist for the National Park Service at Indiana Dunes National Lakeshore on the south end of Lake Michigan for nine years and has been employed in a similar capacity by the U.S. Geological Survey-Great Lakes Science Center in Ann Arbor, Michigan for the past 17 years, where he also serves as Branch Chief of the Coastal and Wetland Ecology Branch. He is currently conducting studies on the effects of global climate change on Great Lakes wetlands, studies related to the regulation of water levels in Lake Ontario, and studies to develop new restoration and management strategies for wetlands in western Lake Erie. He has served as Editor-in-Chief of the journal Wetlands for the past 18 years and was honored as one of the first three members elected into the Fellows program by the Society of Wetland Scientists.

BIODIVERSITY OF COASTAL WETLANDS
Moderator: Don Reed, Southeast Wisconsin Regional Planning Commission

11:00 - 11:15	Landscape dynamics of bird and frog distributions in Wisconsin’s coastal wetlands, Robert Howe, Cofrin Center for Biodiversity, UW-Green Bay; Gerald Niemi, JoAnn Hanowski, Charles Smith, David Marks, and Steven Price
11:15 - 11:30	Use of Great Lakes coastlines by migratory landbirds during spring migration, David N. Ewert, The Nature Conservancy, and Becky Abel, Wisconsin Wetlands Association.
11:30 - 11:45	Distributions and habitat associations of Odonata in Lake Superior coastal peatlands, Robert B. DuBois, Bureau of Endangered Resources, Wisconsin Department of Natural Resources
11:45 - 12:10	Insights from the edge of extinction: The Hine's emerald dragonfly and what it can teach us about wetland conservation, Daniel A Soluk, Biology Department, University of South Dakota
12:10 - 12:25	Northern pike within the west shore coastal zone, Michael Donofrio, Tammie Paoli, Richard Rost, Wisconsin Department of Natural Resources

LARGE-SCALE ASSESSMENT OF COASTAL WETLANDS
Moderator: Anett Trebitz, USEPA Mid-Continent Ecology Division

Part 1	.
1:30 - 1:45	Long-term monitoring and indicators of coastal wetland health, Joy B. Zedler and Christin Frieswyk, UW-Madison
1:45 - 2:10	Comparison of recently-developed indicators of wetland quality for coastal wetlands: a basin-wide perspective, Patricia Chow-Fraser, McMaster University
2:10 - 2:35	Nutrient and habitat indicators for criteria development in Great Lakes coastal wetlands, Anett S.Trebitz, US. EPA Mid-Continent Ecology Division
2:35 - 3:00	A new approach for developing indicators of ecological condition in Great Lakes coastal wetlands, Robert Howe, Cofrin Center for Biodiversity, UW-Green Bay; Gerald Niemi, Ron Regal, JoAnn Hanowski, and Nick Danz
Part 2	.
3:30 - 3:45	Great Lakes Coastal Wetlands Consortium, Karen M. Rodriguez, U.S. EPA Great Lakes National Program Office and Ric Lawson and John Hummer, Great Lakes Commission
3:45 - 4:10	Developing indices of biotic integrity for Great Lakes coastal wetlands, John Hummer, Great Lakes Commission; Karen Rodriguez, U.S. EPA Great Lakes National Program Office; Dr. John Schneider, GLNPO; and Ric Lawson, GLC
4:10 - 4:35	Landscape-level monitoring of Great Lakes coastal wetland area and conditions, Ric Lawson, Great Lakes Commission; Karen Rodriguez, U.S. EPA Great Lakes National Program Office; Dr. John Schneider, GLNPO; and John Hummer, GLC
4:35 - 4:50	Monitoring for vegetation change in Lake Superior coastal wetlands, Jim Meeker, Northland College
4:50 - 5:00	Discussion and questions

TOOLS TO PROTECT COASTAL WETLANDS
Moderator: Cathy Techtmann, Northern Great Lakes Visitors Center

Part 1	.
1:30 - 1:45	Public preferences for Great Lakes wetland protection programs, Melissa Gibson, Michigan State University; F. Lupi, M.D. Kaplowitz, J.P. Hoehn, M. Gibson and O. Arreola
1:45 - 2:10	Identifying wetland management opportunties in the Milwaukee River Basin through the use of GIS and local expert knowledge, Marsha Burzynski and Kate Barrett, Wisconsin Department of Natural Resources
2:10 - 2:35	Arriving at a workable coastal wetland definition in light of compensatory mitigation, Geoffrey B. Parish, Eric C. Parker & Susan Schumacher, Graef, Anhalt, Schloemer & Associates, Inc. / We Energies
2:35 - 3:00	"String of Pearls- Wisconsin’s Estuaries Along Lake Superior"; Building Support For A National Estuarine Research Reserve (NERR), Cathy Techtmann, Community Economic Development Department, UW-Extension
Part 2	.
3:30 - 3:45	U.S. Fish & Wildlife Service coastal program: A partner in restoration of the Great Lakes basin, Ted Koehler, Craig Czarnecki, Mark Dryer, and Bob Kavetsky, U.S. Fish & Wildlife Service
3:45 - 4:10	Funding sources available for coastal wetlands protection, Tim Grunewald, Wisconsin Department of Natural Resources and Travis Olson, Wisconsin Coastal Management Program
4:10 - 4:35	Everything you wanted to know about remote sensing of coastal wetlands and what the heck is GLOS? Brian Huberty, U.S. Fish & Wildlife Service
4:35 - 4:45	Discussion and questions

PROGRAM DETAILS: Thursday, January 27

SPECIAL SESSION PART 1: THE EVOLUTION OF ECOSYSTEM RESTORATION FOR THE LITTORAL ZONE AND COASTAL MARSHES IN GREEN BAY, LAKE MIGHIGAN, 1978-2004
Organized and moderated by H.J. Harris, UW-Green Bay and Victoria Harris, UW Sea Grant
Our present understanding of Green Bay’s littoral zone and coastal marshes provides a foundation for restoring a degraded ecosystem. Our collective knowledge, while far from perfect, now allows the testing of hypotheses and model development for restoration of the littoral zone including coastal marshes. This special session provides eight research presentations which together characterize the developmental nature of ecosystem understanding. We emphasize the importance of gaining an ecosystem perspective for the restoration of degraded coastal ecosystems.

Part 1	.
8:50 - 9:00	Session introduction, H.J. "Bud" Harris, UW-Green Bay
9:00 - 9:15	Historical changes in Green Bay’s coastal marshes with observations on controlling factors, Gary Fewless, UW-Green Bay
9:15 - 9:30	Distribution and abundance of marsh nesting birds in two Green Bay coastal marshes with observations on controlling factors, H. J. "Bud" Harris, UW Green Bay
9:30 - 9:45	Ordination of epiphytic invertebrate communities of four coastal wetlands in Green Bay, Paul Sager and Patricia Schneider, UW-Green Bay
9:45 - 10:00	Effects of dikes on standing vegetation and seed banks of Great Lakes coastal wetlands with an emphasis on Green Bay, Lake Michigan, Brad Herrick, UW-Madison
10:00 - 10:15	Remedial measures to restore submergent aquatic vegetation in lower Green Bay, Lake Michigan, Patrick Robinson, Wisconsin Department of Natural Resources
Part 2	.
10:45 - 11:00	Light attenuation factors in lower Green Bay: implications for wetlands restoration, Paul Sager, UW Green Bay; Theresa Qualls, Victoria Harris, and Dave Dolan
11:00 - 11:25	A phosphorus budget for Green Bay and implications for ecosystem restoration, J. Val Klump, Great Lakes WATER Institute, UW-Milwaukee; Richard MacKenzie, Paul Sager, Dale Robertson, and James Waples
11:25 - 11:50	Cat Island Chain Restoration, Green Bay, Dr. Rob Nairn, Chris Petykowski, Baird & Associates and Victoria Harris, University of Wisconsin Sea Grant Institute
11:50 - 12:15	Session conclusions, discussion and questions

INVASIVE SPECIES IN COASTAL WETLANDS
Moderator: Mike Gardner, Inland Sea Society

9:00 - 9:15	Challenges of replacing Phalaris arundinacea with native species, Julia C. Wilcox and Joy B. Zedler, Nelson Institute, UW-Madison
9:15 - 9:30	Seed fertility and invasiveness in Typha in the Great Lakes Region, S. Galen Smith, Department of Botany, University of Wisconsin-Madison
9:30 - 9:45	The impact of the invasive cattail Typha x glauca on the physiochemical environment and plant species diversity of a Great Lakes Coastal Marsh, Kathi Jo Jankowski, Sharon Shattuck and Nancy Tuchman, Loyola University Chicago
9:45 - 10:00	The effects of invasive cattails (Typha sp.) on the periphyton community from a Great Lakes costal marsh, Laura Pickering and Robert W. Pillsbury, Biology Department, UW-Oshkosh
10:00 - 10:15	Do seed banks confer resilience for coastal wetlands invaded by cattails? Christin Frieswyk and Joy B. Zedler, UW-Madison

CITIZEN-BASED EFFORTS TO PROTECT COASTAL WETLANDS
Moderator: Robert Howe, Cofrin Center for Biodiversity

10:45 - 11:00	Leaders explore natural areas: Building public awareness and stewardship capacity for coastal wetland State Natural Areas, W. David Clutter, Natural Resources Foundation of Wisconsin
11:00 - 11:25	Landscapes of Opportunity: A Regional Conservation Plan for Wisconsin’s Lake Michigan Basin, Karen Bassler and Nancy Pierce, Lake Michigan Shorelands Alliance (Gathering Waters Conservancy and Kenosha-Racince Land Trust)
11:25 - 11:50	Community based efforts to address Great Lakes wetland issues in the Maumee River watershed, Ohio: Technology, education, public awareness and planning initiatives, Patrick L. Lawrence, University of Toledo
11:50 - 12:15	Coastkeeper: Community-based restoration and monitoring for Lake Superior, Mike Gardner and Darienne McNamera, Inland Sea Society

BANQUET SCHEDULE

Roger Kuhns started his geologic career as a kid collecting fossils along Door County's dolomite fencerows. He has global experience, having worked in over 40 countries in research, teaching, economic/mineral deposits, tectonics, groundwater and environmental geology. He earned his Ph.D. from the University of Minnesota. Roger has explored for minerals worldwide and was involved with several gold and diamond discoveries. He is a frequent speaker for various geology organizations and writes news features and science articles for magazines and two Door County newspapers. Roger also writes and performs monologues and is a singer/songwriter. He lives in Egg Harbor, Wisconsin.

WETLAND FIELD TRIPS

Wetland Restoration on the Oneida Reservation
Trip Leader: Tony Kuchma, Wetland Program Coordinator, Oneida Nation of WI
Visit a wetland restoration site on Oneida lands that was completed in the summer of 2002. This site was a farmed wetland that had been extensively ditched and tiled. Oneida Nation, with partners BIA and USFWS, broke the tiles, constructed two dikes and placed a water elevation control structure to create nearly 55 acres of wetland habitat. Visit this diverse site that includes shrub-carr, wooded swamp, marsh and shallow open water, and learn about other wetland work being done by Oneida Nation of Wisconsin.

Green Bay’s West Shore Wetlands
Trip Leaders: Coastal wetland experts from the Green Bay region (see list below)
The west shore of Green Bay is home to some of the finest remaining coastal wetlands along the Lake Michigan shoreline. These coastal wetlands provide critical habitat for fish and wildlife, enhance water quality by filtering rain water running off of urban and agricultural lands, and support commercial and recreational fisheries. Join west shore experts for a winter perspective on these unique coastal wetlands.
This field trip will be led by:

WORKING GROUP SESSIONS

1:30 - 3:30	Coastal Wetlands Research Needs. Facilitated by Paul Zedler, UW-Madison, and Alice Thompson, Thompson and Associates Wetland Services.
1:30 - 3:30	Emerging Issues Related to Invasion and Control of Phragmites. Facilitated by Kelly Kearns, Wisconsin Department of Natural Resources, and Laura England, Wisconsin Wetlands Association. Download agenda for working group (Word document)
12:30 - 2:30	Wetland Indicators for the National Coastal Management Performance Measurement System. Organized and facilitated by Travis Olson and Alberto Vargas, Wisconsin Coastal Management Program. The National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) in coordination with coastal states is developing a National Coastal Management Performance Measurement System to measure progress towards meeting the goals of the Coastal Zone Management Act. The Performance Measurement System (PMS) consists of performance indicators to measure the outcomes and outputs of Coastal Management Programs (CMP), as well as indicators that address socioeconomic and environmental contexts of the coastal zone. The PMS is being designed to contribute to adaptive management of coastal resources, increase accountability for CMP implementation and funding, enhance existing evaluation and assessment methods, identify national trends in coastal resources, identify needs of state and local coastal managers, and promote awareness of coastal management issues and CMPs.