The Fifth Biennial Conference of the Lake Erie Millennium Network was a binational conference that was held at the University of Windsor (Windsor, ON) from April 29th to May 1st, 2008. The conference was jointly presented by the Great Lakes Institute for Environmental Research, the National Water Research Institute, the Ohio Sea Grant - F.T. Stone Laboratory of Ohio State University, and the Large Lakes Research Station, US EPA of Grosse Ile.

Conference Resources

Conference Program (with abstracts): Download (PDF)

Download links to PowerPoint presentations will be added soon.

Summary of the Conference Findings

The conference summarized knowledge of recent changes occurring in Lake Erie and its tributaries. Presentations reviewed progress towards formulating research needs and plans, emphasized the link between the lake and its inputs and outputs, and factors contributing to increasingly rapid rates of change. Platform sessions highlighted recent biological and environmental trends relating to trophic status, indicator development and reporting, ecological forecasting, integrated habitat characteristics, restoration strategies, and new pressures on the ecosystem. Preliminary steps for planning research and monitoring for the 2009 Lake Erie Intensive Monitoring Year were discussed. These topics will form the focus for open discussion of ways to integrate binational research with management and public needs on the major issues affecting Lake Erie.

Goals were to: (1) exchange information; (2) generate plans for studying/implementing solutions; and (3) build on our initiative to implement binational research strategies to ensure co-ordinated collection and dissemination of data to address the continuing research and management needs.