Join us on Friday and Saturday, January 23rd and 24th 2009 in East Lansing, MI as we once again bring you the latest information on the Science, Practice, and Art of Restoring Native Ecosystems. You will be joined by hundreds of people representing the broad array of people working in universities and colleges, in their backyards, for nonprofits, for governments, and for private businesses to care for our natural lands and waters.

Over 350 people from throughout the Midwest attended the Stewardship Network's conference last year. Check back regularly as we will be posting tentative schedules and speakers as we work towards next year's conference.

The venue will be the same as the 2008 conference. And it will take place in the last week of January, just as it did this year.

Here's what some of this year's attendees had to say:

"Great conference! This was one of the most amazing gatherings in MI that I have ever been a part of."

"Thank you again for making the conference happen. The facility is wonderful and the presentations were excellent."

A broad ranging discussion on the larger issues we face in ecological restoration was attended by more than 150 people on Friday night. photo courtesy: David Bay

Lisa Brush, Stewardship Network Executive Director, moderated the discussion sparked by Steve Apfelbaum, Applied Ecological Services; Ray Fahlsing, MDNR Stewardship Unit; and Tony Reznicek, Univ of Michigan photo courtesy: David Bay

"Congrats on a terrific conference! I learned so much and I had a wonderful time to boot!"

"Good talks, good networking, and good food."

"The conference was extremely well done with a great variety of experts and opportunities for exchange of views - plus the facilities were very nice."

"Excellent, excellent conference!"

"Thank you for the conference. It was a great mid winter boost, reinvigorated me to work on those winter invasive projects and mentally got me thinking that spring is just around the corner. It was great to spend time with so many like-minded people and talk to so many old friends in the stewardship field."

Community volunteers and academics presented their work through a poster session. photo courtesy: David Bay

The poster session also featured a networking happy hour where people made connections and exchanged valuable ideas. photo courtesy: David Bay

"We were very impressed with the quality of the presenters, the well organized logistics, and the relevance of the subject matter. We also appreciated the short concise presentations. It was one of the best programs that we have attended."

So you ask, "When is next time?" We are already making plans to improve an already fantastic program for 2009. Stay tuned for dates!

Please don't hesitate to contact us with any other comments or suggestions for next year's agenda.