Registration is now closed.
The United States and Canada invite members of the public and those involved in Great Lakes programs to register for their attendance at the Great Lakes Public Forum on February 4-5, 2026.
The forum will be held in a public meeting space on the 3rd floor of the Ralph H. Metcalfe Federal Building at 77 West Jackson Blvd, Chicago, IL 60604. Virtual attendance is also available.
Both in-person and virtual attendees are required to register. Registration for this event is free. Virtual attendees will receive additional information on how to participate closer to the date of the forum.
Please direct any questions to the Registration Coordinator at GLForum@epa.gov.
Great Lakes Public Forum – Clean Water through Cooperative Partnerships
Final Agenda – Please Note: Speakers and Times May be Subject to Change
Day 1 – February 4th
12:30 PM – 3:30 PM Central Time
| Time (Central) | Overview | Presenters (Agency) |
|---|---|---|
| 12:30 PM – 1:00 PM | Opening | Anne Vogel, U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) Region 5 Administrator Usha-Maria Turner, EPA Assistant Administrator for Office of International and Tribal Affairs Véronique Hiriart-Baer, Director General, Freshwater Management, Canada Water Agency (CWA) Teresa Seidel, EPA Great Lakes National Program Office Director |
| 1:00 PM – 2:00 PM | State of the Great Lakes 2025 (SOGL) | Matthew Pawlowski, EPA Luca Cargnelli, CWA |
| 2:00 PM – 3:30 PM | Revitalizing Great Lakes Areas of Concern (AOCs) | |
| 2:00 PM – 2:15 PM | Tommy Thompson Park, Toronto and Region AOC | Andrea Chreston, Toronto and Region Conservation Authority |
| 2:15 PM – 2:30 PM | City of Hamilton Watershed Action Plan, Hamilton Harbour AOC | Mike Christie, City of Hamilton |
| 2:30 PM – 2:45 PM | Innovative Partnerships in the St. Louis River AOC | LaRae Lehto, Minnesota Pollution Control Agency |
| 2:45 PM – 3:00 PM | Milwaukee Metropolitan Sewerage District Envisions a Healthier, Cleaner, Resilient Region | Kevin Shafer, Milwaukee Metropolitan Sewerage District |
| 3:00 PM – 3:15 PM | Muskegon Lake Restoration | Erin Kuhn, West Michigan Shoreline Regional Development Commission |
Day 2 – February 5th
8:30 AM – 4:00 PM Central Time
| Time (Central) | Overview | Presenters (Agency) |
|---|---|---|
| 8:30 AM – 10:00 AM | Managing Nutrients in the Great Lakes | |
| 8:30 AM – 8:45 AM | Model Wetlands and Other on the Ground Projects | Jennifer English, City of Defiance |
| 8:45 AM – 9:00 AM | Wisconsin Demonstration Farm Networks: Partnering for Water Quality | Whitney Prestby, University of Wisconsin-Madison Division of Extension |
| 9:00 AM – 9:15 AM | Working with Ohio Farmers to Reduce Phosphorus Loads while Maintaining Agricultural Production | Doug Deardorff, Hardin County Ohio Soil and Water Conservation District |
| 9:15 AM – 9:30 AM | Building Trust-based Relationships with Farmers and Ranchers in the Lake Erie Basin | Alyssa Cousineau, ALUS |
| 9:30 AM – 9:45 AM | New Phosphorus Monitoring and Modelling in the Leamington, Ontario Region | Christopher Weisener, University of Windsor |
| 9:45 AM – 10:00 AM | Agricultural Community Actions to Reduce Phosphorus Loss and Improve Lake Erie | Donna Small, Lower Thames Valley Conservation Authority |
| 10:00 AM – 11:30 AM | Healthy Watersheds for Healthy Great Lakes | |
| 10:00 AM – 10:15 AM | Lynde Shores Conservation Area Restoration and Resilience Project | Dan Moore, Central Lake Ontario Conservation |
| 10:15 AM – 10:30 AM | Science-informed Management of Goldfish Populations | Jon Midwood, Fisheries and Oceans Canada |
| 10:30 AM – 10:45 AM | Sand Supply Restoration in South Huron | Patrick Huber-Kidby, Maitland Valley Conservation Authority |
| 10:45 AM – 11:00 AM | Habitat Restoration in Michigan | Melanie Foose, Michigan Department of Environment, Great Lakes, and Energy |
| 11:00 AM – 11:15 AM | Removing Invasive Grass Carp from the Great Lakes | Christine Mayer, University of Toledo |
| 11:15 AM – 11:30 AM | Freshwater Mussel Restoration | Jessica Jock, Saint Regis Mohawk Tribe |
| 11:30 AM – 1:00 PM | Lunch Break | |
| 1:00 PM – 3:00 PM | International Joint Commission (IJC) listening session on the Progress Report of the Parties | |
| 3:00 PM – 3:30 PM | Closing |