President’s Message
Hello Great Lakes IECA Chapter Members!
I hope this email finds you well, despite the many stressors we as a community are facing. Social injustices, public unrest, a global pandemic, new work practices and locations (I write this in the inherited Dale Earnhardt themed basement of my home), and travel restrictions are a few of the issues that are sadly a part of our day-to-day lives. Our thoughts are certainly with all of those affected by any of the adversities and tumultuous happenings in the world. With all that is happening around the country and world it is often difficult to focus on our craft. Yet, we must continue to promote the vision of this great organization; “to be the global resource for people who share a common concern for the prevention and control of erosion. The Great Lakes Chapter is in an extremely unique position when it comes to this vision. As we all know, the Clean Water Act and similar regulations are the drivers for many of the requirements imposed on development. In no other chapter is there as much at stake given the abundance of freshwater resources in the Great Lakes Chapter. Now more than ever we need to stay persistent in our endeavors of promoting our values and cause.
Through these trying times the Great Lakes Chapter has remained committed to the pursuit of widespread education and engagement with Erosion and Sediment Control and Stormwater practitioners. In partnership with the Great Rivers Chapter, The Great Connections event was the first conference in our industry to switch from in-person (formerly St. Louis, MO) to a completely virtual conference held July 28-30, 2020. This groundbreaking conference was the first of its kind in our industry and attendance and participation exceeded all expectations.
With that said, there are many opportunities for all of us to step outside of our region and participate in free online educational events (PDHs included) provided by other chapters. This is such a unique opportunity, despite meeting and travel limitations, to learn and exchange ideas from others around the world. Below is a list of upcoming events:
The Great Lakes Chapter is striving to provide the best services and opportunities for our members. We continue to seek and provide new local opportunities throughout the Chapter for all members to participate in. These opportunities may include but are not limited to lunch-and-learns, regional trainings, and after hour socials with local members. Please let any of our Officers know if you are interested in helping us with implementing this in your area, or if you have any ideas or recommendations on how we can make this happen. Part of this includes the welcoming of new members; we are looking to become more involved with Universities located in the Great Lakes Region and integrate more student participation in the National Conferences. We will be hosting the 2022 IECA Conference in Minneapolis, MN, and we look forward to solid representation of the Great Lakes Chapter by our University partners. If you have any contacts at a local University that may be interested in becoming a University Partner, please let me know and we can discuss the benefits and opportunities with them.
Finally, we ask that you take a bit of time to vote for the reunification of Region 1 and the Australasian Chapter. The Great Lakes Chapter’s very own Vice-President, Adam Dibble, also happens to be the Board of Directors President for Region 1. It took a herculean effort by both Adam and Andrew McCutchen (Australasian Board President) to put together a plan for reunification and get it pushed along to this point. The benefits of making the IECA a truly International organization again are endless. More specific information on the reunification can be found here. This process is at the finish line and all we need is your vote FOR reunification. Click Here for more details.
We are looking forward to a great remainder of 2020!
Matt Welch, President, CPESC, CESSWI