THE MARCELL EXPERIMENTAL FOREST 50th ANNIVERSARY SYMPOSIUM A three day symposium will be held 23-25 June 2009 to 1) discuss past and current scientific research and 2) mark the 50th Anniversary of the Marcell Experimental Forest (MEF). The 2009 symposium will precede a book on MEF research to be published during 2010. This conference will review 5 decades of ecosystem and watershed research on peatlands, hydrology, biogeochemical cycles, and forest management.
CONVENERS Dr.’s Randy Kolka and Stephen Sebestyen, Northern Research Station, USDA Forest Service, Grand Rapids, MN Dr. Sandy Verry, Ellen River Partners, Grand Rapids, MN Dr. Ken Brooks, University of Minnesota, St. Paul, MN REGISTRATION The Registration cost of $275 will cover conference fees, breakfasts, lunches, a dinner banquet, and coffee breaks as well as include one copy of the MEF book for each conference participant upon publication. The registration deadline is 15 May 2009. A registration form will be sent at a later date. Check-in and registration starts on Monday, 22 June. The conference will end on Thursday, 25 June at 3:00 PM. LOCATION AND LODGING The conference will be held at the Sugar Lake Lodge, which is about 10 miles from Grand Rapids, Minnesota. For information on the facility and amenities, visit the Sugar Lake Lodge website (www.sugarlakelodge.com). A block of rooms has been reserved for conference attendees from June 22 to 25. The lodging forms need to be submitted directly to Sugar Lake Lodge by 15 April 2009 (see attachment). The cost is $70 per person per night, with several room options (single rooms, or individual rooms in shared 2 or 3 bedroom townhouses). For those wishing to spend more time in the Grand Rapids areas, the same rate is offered to meeting participants from 19 to 28 June 2009. Lodging forms can be requested by e-mailing [email protected]. SPONSORSHIP We are currently pursuing sponsors to defray some of the registration costs and we will inform participants as funding is secured. POSTER ABSTRACTS / MEETING ATTENDANCE We encourage poster contributions on a wide range of peatland, watershed, forestry, ecology, and related topics that are studied at the MEF and elsewhere. Maximize poster size is 48 x 48 in (120 x 120 cm). Poster abstracts (<250 words) should be sent to [email protected] by 15 May 2009. We request that you inform of us your intention to attend as soon as possible. Send messages to [email protected]. PRELIMINARY MEETING AGENDA The presentations, to be followed by discussions and questions, will mirror the chapter structure of the compendium book of MEF research and will be given by book chapter authors. Monday, 22 June 2009, travel day Afternoon Check-in at Sugar Lake Lodge 5:00 PM Meeting Registration Starts Tuesday, 23 June 2009 7:00 – 8:15 AM Breakfast (provided) and Registration 8:15 – 8:45 AM Welcome and Introductions 8:45 – 9:25 AM History, Philosophy and Legacy of the Marcell Experimental Forest 9:30 – 9:50 AM Long-term Monitoring at MEF 9:50 – 10:10 AM An Evolving Research Agenda 10:10 – 10:30 AM Break 10:30 – 11:10 AM Geology, Paleo Botany, Paleo Climate and Paleo Hydrology 11:15 AM – 12:10 PM Physical Properties of Organic Soils 12:15 – 1:15 PM Lunch (provided) 1:15 – 1:55 PM Scaling up Evapotranspiration Estimates: Process Studies to Watersheds 2:00 – 2:40 PM Watershed Hydrology 2:40 – 3:00 PM Break 3:00 – 3:40 PM Nutrient Cycling 3:45 – 4:25 PM Mercury Cycling in Peatland Soils and Watersheds 4:30 – 6:00 PM Ice Breaker and Poster Session 6:00 PM Dinner on your own Wednesday, 24 June - Field Trip 7:00 – 8:00 AM Breakfast (provided) 8:15 – 9:15 AM Bus trip to Marcell Experimental Forest 9:15 AM – 12:15 PM Tour of MEF 12:15 – 1:00 PM Lunch 1:00 – 2:00 PM Bus returns to Sugar Lake Lodge. The afternoon is open for recreation or spending additional time at the MEF. Transportation will be provided for those wishing to stay longer at the MEF. 6:00 – 7:30 PM Banquet at Lodge Thursday, 25 June 7:00 – 8:15 AM Breakfast (provided) 8:15 – 9:25 AM Carbon Pools in Uplands and Peatlands 9:30 – 10:10 AM Carbon Emissions from Peatlands 10:10- 10:30 AM Break 10:30 – 11:10 AM Forest Management Practices and Silviculture 11:15 – 11:55 AM Hydrologic Responses to Forest Cover Changes on Uplands and Peatlands 12:00 – 1:00 PM Lunch (provided) 1:00 – 1:40 PM Effects of Forest Cover and Environmental Change on Water Chemistry 1:45 – 2:25 PM Models for Predicting Hydrologic Response of Peatland and Upland Forested Watersheds to Management and Climate Change 2:30 – 3:00 PM Final Discussion and Closing Remarks
