2026 MACD Annual Conference Agenda
Michigan Conservation: Empowering Communities and Ecosystems
October 20-22, 2026 ⢠Lansing Center ⢠Lansing, Michigan
October 19
Director Training/State Council Lunch and networking
Session Description
Session description coming soon.
State Council Meeting
Session Description
Session description coming soon.
Director Training
Session Description
Session description coming soon.
State Council Dinner
October 20
Annual Business Meeting and Elections
Session Description
Conservation districts are required to hold an annual meeting for board of director election purposes. The conservation district director elections must follow the procedures outlined by MDARD. This session will cover the requirements for holding the annual meeting and election.
Exhibitor/Sponsor Set-up
Open Registration
Welcome Lunch and Showcase
Director Round Table
Session Description
Join MACD Executive Director Rivka Hodgkinson and President Jerry Miller for an engaging and insightful roundtable discussion designed exclusively for members of Boards of Directors at local conservation districts. This session will provide a unique opportunity to connect with fellow Directors from accross the state. During our time together, we will share successes, address challenges, and explore innovative strategies to enhance our conservation efforts. Whether you're looking to gain new perspectives, share your experiences, or find solutions to common issues, this discussion promises to be a valuable and enriching experience for all. Don't miss this chance to build stronger connections and drive positive change within our Conservation Districts!
From Ripple to Wave: Building a Community Water Festival from the Ground Up
Session Description
Connecting with local schools can transform your conservation district's community reach and create lasting watershed awareness. Our EGLE-funded intensive outreach program demonstrates how strategic school partnerships can deliver measurable educational impact while building essential community relationships. Through a systematic approach we generated over 1,000 total student impressions while our pre/post survey data documented significant growth in watershed understanding. We'll share our curriculum framework, partnership development strategies, and measurement tools that made this program successful, plus practical insights for overcoming common challenges like scheduling, transportation, and teacher buy-in. Whether you're looking to launch your first school program or expand existing educational outreach, you'll leave with actionable strategies for building sustainable school partnerships that amplify your conservation message throughout the community while establishing your district as the go-to educational resource for environmental stewardship.
Understanding the Practice Standards: Highlight major NRCS changes affecting popular Michigan practices
Session Description
Session description coming soon.
Guardians of the Galaxy: Incorporating Invasive Species into Conservation District Programming
Session Description
Japanese stiltgrass (Microstegium vimineum) is a fast-growing invasive species that forms dense mats, displacing native plants and altering natural habitats. Recently listed as a State Watchlist and Tier 1 species, it has been identified across diverse habitats - including the popular Watkins Lake State Park and County Preserve. This session will highlight the challenges and successes of surveying and managing this species amid increasing extreme weather events. Presenters will share lessons learned, key partnerships, and outreach efforts designed to contain the spread and raise public awareness.
Poster and Photo Contest
Session Description
Session description coming soon.
Renovate or Remove? The Trout River Dam in Presque Isle County
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Session description coming soon.
Farm to Family Listening Session
Session Description
MDARD's Farm to Family Program is a new program focused on strengthening local food supply chains, engaging community input, and embracing innovation. The program offers grants, networking opportunities, and marketing consultations to farmers, food businesses, and other local food supply chain stakeholders across the state. The purpose of this listening session is to identify the emerging needs and opportunities that conservation district staff and stakeholders have identified in their communities. This feedback will directly inform our program's funding and technical assistance priorities in future years. If you have ideas about what projects our team should be funding, you should attend this session!
State of Agroforestry in Michigan: Where are we at? Where are we going?
Session Description
Session description coming soon.
Afternoon Snack
Urban Forest Walking Tour: Discovering Nature in Downtown Lansing (Field Trip, meet in main concourse)
Session Description
Session description coming soon.
Michigan Green Communities Panel
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Session description coming soon.
A Journey in Regenerative Agriculture
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Session description coming soon.
Ranking Consistency 1: Planning for resources versus Points. Identifying the right practice for the resource concern. Plan for a need not a want
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Session description coming soon.
Empowering the Next Generation of Conservation Leaders: Student & Professional Networking
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Session description coming soon.
GLC Study
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Session description coming soon.
Rooted & Ready: The Next Generation of Michigan Farmland
Session Description
We hear it all the time: new farmers cannot find the land they need to grow, and more and more retiring farmers have no successor to take over their operation. Or even if they do, making the transfer is challenging. How do we bring these two groups together to create opportunities for both? The way other states in the US have been doing it for years - using a land-linking platform (think e-Farmony!). Add effective, supportive staff and tools to help retiring farmers transfer their land to a new generation, and you have a recipe for success.
Better Together: Conservation Districts & DNR
Session Description
Session description coming soon.
Silent Auction and Exhibitor Visit + Empowering the Next Generation of Conservation Leaders: Student & Professional Networking
Director ONLY Euchre Night
October 21
Yoga
Breakfast
From Access to Action: Engaging Underinvested Communities in Conservation and Sustainability
Session Description
Session description coming soon.
Cultivating Change: How Replacing Banned Species Can Heal Your Backyard
Session Description
Session description coming soon.
CTAI Round Table
Session Description
CTAI program updates and networking.
Michigan Forest Health: Status Update and Current Messages
Session Description
Session description coming soon.
Mutually Assured Success-The Director and Manager Relationship
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Session description coming soon.
Ranking Consistency 2: Understanding conservation plans ranking programs. Understanding the policy â Field Office Tech Guide and ensuring that every planner has job approval authority and planner certification
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Session description coming soon.
CTAP Field Coordinator Panel (Part 1)
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Session description coming soon.
Morning Snack Break - Sponsored by
Interseeding Cover Crop
Session Description
Session description coming soon.
Tissue Culture for Species we can't Afford to Lose
Session Description
When seed sources are scarce or unavailable, traditional conservation tools fall short. Plant tissue culture offers a way to preserve and multiply threatened or endangered plants, stabilize populations, and provide the foundation for habitat restoration. This session introduces the science of micropropagation in plain language, shares examples of successful conservation applications, and highlights how districts can collaborate with labs and nurseries to restore ecosystems and support species that depend on these plants.
Well Isolation distances and authorities
Session Description
Session description coming soon.
Connecting Kids to Forests: Youth Education Strategies for Foresters
Session Description
Session description coming soon.
Achieving Peak Board Performance
Session Description
The success of the district is dependent on the performance of its directors. Understanding your board culture, recruiting, onboarding new directors and planning for succession are critical elements that create and support the high performing board culture to which every District aspires. This session will explore the board member lifecycle and how to ensure a successful experience for everyone.
Mis Semillas: Seeding Sustainability
Session Description
Session description coming soon.
CTAP Field Coordinator Panel (Part 2)
Session Description
Session description coming soon.
Funding the Future: Solving Conservation Challenges Through Partnerships and Grant Strategies
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Session description coming soon.
Prairie strips: The "how" and "why" of integrating native spaces in agriculture
Session Description
Session description coming soon.
Navigating new guidance for northern white-cedar management
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Session description coming soon.
Do I Belong Here? Communication That Invites Participation
Session Description
How often have you introduced yourself with, âIâm with the Conservation District,â only to spend the next five minutes explaining what that means? And even then, do you walk away confident that they really understood what it is? In this interactive workshop, youâll learn how to test whether your organizationâs message is clear and easy to understand. Through hands-on activities, youâll practice identifying language that might confuse outsiders and translating it into plain language that connects. This session will boost your confidence and give you a practical skill you can take back to your community, so the next time you introduce your organization, people will get it.
Building your Fundraising Capacity
Session Description
Session description coming soon.
Building a Livestock Farm System that Works
Session Description
In this session, weâll examine the power of building coalitions among conservation-minded livestock farmers. By fostering connections between producers, these coalitions create opportunities for shared knowledge, pooled resources, and coordinated strategies that support both farm viability and sustainable land management. Such networks can also grow into marketing cooperatives or informal alliances that increase collective bargaining power and open access to larger buyers, including restaurants, grocers, and institutions, that require volumes beyond the reach of a single small farm. Attendees will gain practical insight into how these farmer-led collaborations strengthen local economies and promote ecological stewardship. Real-world examples from Michigan and beyond such as A Common Pasture, Washtenaw Meats, Grazing Fields, and Berry Beef in Kentucky, will showcase how cooperative models can thrive in different agricultural landscapes
Selling BMP's & convincing Landowners to do the right thing
Session Description
Session description coming soon.
Keynote Luncheon
Session Description
This keynote celebrates the resilience, innovation, and leadership of women shaping the future of agriculture. From stewarding the land and advancing sustainable practices to championing food justice and building resilient communities, women are not just part of the movementâthey are leading it. Attendees will gain insight into the unique challenges and opportunities women face in this sector, explore inspiring stories of those breaking barriers, and learn how their work is transforming food systems globally. This address honors the visionaries on the frontlines and calls on all of us to recognize, support, and amplify their contributions in cultivating a thriving, equitable agricultural future.
Marketing Essentials for Organic & Regenerative Farms
Session Description
Session description coming soon.
So You're Hosting a Forestry Event: The Before, During, and After Considerations to Best Connect with Your Audience
Session Description
Session description coming soon.
District Manager Roundtable
Session Description
Connect with other District Managers, share successes, challenges, and strategies, in this guided roundtable discussion.
Beyond Grants: Building Sustainable Revenue and Winning Bigger Projects
Session Description
Session description coming soon.
Roots, Resin & Ritual: Handmade Incense Making from Michigan's Native Plants
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Session description coming soon.
Contract Management Changes and Impact: Impact on transfers, modifications, required documentation, and NRCS policy
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Session description coming soon.
CTAP Trivia
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Session description coming soon.
Afternoon Snack Break
Effective Outreach for Agricultural Diversification
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Session description coming soon.
Seeing the forest and the trees: Integrating forest ecology education into volunteer outings
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Session description coming soon.
Legislative Advocacy
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Session description coming soon.
CTAP Program Update
Session Description
This session will include both MAEAP and RAP programs. It will cover the following topics for both programs: Year in Review, What to Expect in FY26, Time for Questions and Discussions, and more.
"But They Met Their Metrics!" When success on paper doesn't tell the whole story.
Session Description
When we have been doing something the same way for a long time, it can become difficult to identify system level areas for improvement. This is due to habituation and lack of fresh perspective, focus on outputs and not processes, bias of internal perspective, and the urgency trap. In this session, we will explore how we can reimagine the roles that conservation districts play in their communities, and how this reimagining can unearth new opportunities for system level improvements and conservation district growth.
Conservation Planning Policy: An overview of eligibility requirements for participation in Farm Bill Programs
Session Description
Session description coming soon.
Conservation Easements and Stewardship
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Session description coming soon.
Field Trip - $10 add-on
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Session description coming soon.
New Friends and Funding for Water Quality
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Session description coming soon.
Envirothon
Session Description
Session description coming soon.
Willow and biochar an environmental and economic solution
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Session description coming soon.
Twilight Grower Gatherings: Building Community, Connection, and Collaboration Among Small-Scale Specialty Crop Growers
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Session description coming soon.
Farm Safety
Session Description
Session description coming soon.
New Agroforestry Practices: Cover crops in Michigan
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Session description coming soon.
Developing an Actionable Roadmap for Nutrient Reduction in Michigan Watersheds
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Session description coming soon.
Trivia Night
October 22
Breakfast
PFAS and Michigan Agriculture
Session Description
Session description coming soon.
Digital Accessibility
Session Description
Session description coming soon.
Agrivoltaics in Practice: Different Farms. Different Solutions.
Session Description
Agrivoltaics is the integration of solar energy and agriculture. This is often a unique opportunity to strengthen both farming and rural communities while meeting growing energy demand. This session explores how agrivoltaic projects can restore soil health, preserve farmland under development pressure, and create new pathways for agricultural viability. By diversifying farm operations with renewable energy partnerships, producers can reduce economic risk and adapt to todayâs challenging farm economy. Participants will gain insight into how agrivoltaics can serve as a tool for farmland preservation, ecological restoration, and long-term community benefit.
What is 'natural'? Addressing landowner forest management expectations/perceptions.
Session Description
Session description coming soon.
Tiny Greens, Mighty Impact: Superfoods for your Windowsill
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Session description coming soon.
Dogs as Conservation (Detection) Stewards + Citizen Science
Session Description
Session description coming soon.
Forest Bathing for Busy Professionals
Session Description
Session description coming soon.
Invasive Species in Michigan
Session Description
Session description coming soon.
Enhancing human-wildlife coexistence across Michigan
Session Description
Session description coming soon.
Environmental Education Roundtable
Session Description
Calling All Conservation Educators! If you work in conservation, youâre already an educator - whether youâre leading field trips, running programs, or inspiring your community to care for the environment. Join the MACD Education Committee for a lively roundtable where ideas flow, connections grow, and resources are shared. Bring along your favorite success stories and program highlights Swap creative ideas with fellow educators Discover new tools, tips, and support for your work in environmental and outdoor education Come ready to connect, collaborate, and leave inspired. We canât wait to see you there!
Doing More Without Doing More: Building Capacity Through Better Systems
Session Description
Session description coming soon.
Succession Planning-Here today, Gone Tomorrow
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Session description coming soon.
Outreach to Underserved Communities
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Session description coming soon.
Technician Elevator Pitch and Competition
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Session description coming soon.
Tree 4 Kids Program
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Session description coming soon.
Water Districts - Building Communities of Good Water Stewards
Session Description
Session description coming soon.
Environmental Education Roundtable (cont.)
Session Description
Calling All Conservation Educators! If you work in conservation, youâre already an educator - whether youâre leading field trips, running programs, or inspiring your community to care for the environment. Join the MACD Education Committee for a lively roundtable where ideas flow, connections grow, and resources are shared. Bring along your favorite success stories and program highlights Swap creative ideas with fellow educators Discover new tools, tips, and support for your work in environmental and outdoor education Come ready to connect, collaborate, and leave inspired. We canât wait to see you there!
The Sterile Insect Technique: Past, Present and Future
Session Description
Session description coming soon.
Lessons learned from regenerative farming practices at KBS LTAR
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Session description coming soon.
Online and data security
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Session description coming soon.
Technician Elevator Pitch and Competition (cont.)
Session Description
Session description coming soon.