The ninth annual Freshwater Summit, set for Friday, Oct. 28 at the Hagerty Center, will feature Professor Mark Luttenton speaking on the New Zealand mudsnail, part of the conference’s focus on invasive aquatic species. “New Zealand mudsnails have the potential to significantly impact the quality of our coldwater stream resources,” says Luttenton. The Associate Dean of the Graduate School and Professor of Biology at Grand Valley State University and Associate Research Scientist in the Annis Water Resources Institute will present “Michigan’s Latest Invader: Introduction and Potential Impacts of the New Zealand Mudsnail.” The snail is just one of 180 of aquatic invasive and non-native species in the Great Lakes region that degrades habitat, disrupts the food web and out-competes native species.

Other topics to be covered at the ninth annual conference include golden brown algae, agriculture sustainability and impacts on water quality, inland lakes monitoring, grass river sedimentation and local research and restoration projects.

A collaboration of The Watershed Center, Great Lakes Environmental Center, Inland Seas Education Association, Northwestern Michigan College’s Water Studies Institute, Michigan Sea Grant, the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration and the Grand Traverse Conservation District, the conference will run from 8:30am to 3pm at the Hagerty Center. Tickets are $35, $15 for students, and include lunch. Click here for more information and tickets.