# Midwest Fish and Wildlife Conference Dec. 11-14 in Grand Rapids



## Hamilton Reef (Jan 20, 2000)

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
November 3, 2005

Contacts: Kelly Siciliano Carter 517-241-5431 or Mary Dettloff 517-335-3014 

Michigan Hosting Midwest Fish and Wildlife Conference
Dec. 11-14 in Grand Rapids

The 66th Midwest Fish and Wildlife Conference will be hosted by Michigan governmental agencies and universities on Dec. 11-14 at the Amway Grand Plaza Hotel in Grand Rapids. Each year, the conference draws nearly 1,000 fisheries and wildlife professionals from around the Midwest and is one of the oldest natural resource management conferences in North America. 

"The Midwest conference serves as the region's principle forum for the dissemination and discussion of information related to the management and preservation of our extensive fish and wildlife resources," said DNR Director Rebecca Humphries. "Michigan is proud to host this annual event this year because it is the ideal venue for fisheries and wildlife managers to share their latest research findings and concerns."

The conference will feature two keynote speakers. Author Winona LaDuke, an Anishinaabeg (Ojibwe) enrolled member of the Mississippi Band of Anishinaabeg, is the program director of Honor the Earth and founding director of the White Earth Land Recovery Project. She has published extensively on Native American and environmental issues and is the author of several books including "Last Woman Standing," "All Our Relations," "In the Sugarbush" and "The Winona LaDuke Reader." Her most recent book, "Recovering the Sacred," was released in July.

The second keynote speaker is Ralph Keeney, a research professor of decision sciences at the Duke Fuqua School of Management. Dr. Keeney is a recognized expert in management decision-making, risk analyses and decision analyses. He is the author of several books, including "Smart Choices: A Practical Guide to Making Better Decisions" and "Value-Focused Thinking: A Pathway to Creative Decision Making." Recently, Dr. Keeney has been studying decision-making in natural resources management related to fisheries and forests in the Pacific Northwest.

The conference will feature several symposia and workshops on a myriad of wildlife and fisheries topics including cormorants, tribal fisheries management, comprehensive wildlife strategies across the Midwest, Lake Huron's recent food web transformation and its impact on the fisheries, hunter recruitment and retention, amphibian and reptile conservation and management, media, use of the National Hydrography Dataset in fisheries management, the Farm Bill and its benefits to wildlife and fisheries, and a student workshop about careers in wildlife and fisheries management.

The registration cost for the conference is $200 if registration is received by Friday, Nov. 4, and $275 afterward. Participants can register online at the conference's Web site at www.midwestfishandwildlife.com. One day registrations are available at the door of the conference. A full schedule of events and more information also are located on the Web site. The last day to reserve a hotel room at the Amway Grand Plaza at the conference rate of $95 a night is Thursday, Nov. 10. After Nov. 10, room reservations at the hotel will be on an availability basis and subject to the hotel's regular rates.

The conference is being held in conjunction with the 9th National Wild Turkey Symposium, with free admission for Midwest Fish and Wildlife Conference attendees.

The conference will be hosted by the Michigan DNR, U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, U.S. Forest Service, Grand Valley State University, Central Michigan University, Michigan State University and the University of Michigan.

The DNR is committed to the conservation, protection, management, use and enjoyment of the state's natural resources for current and future generations.


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