Three talented speakers will be featured during the Michigan Department of Natural Resource’s latest Wildlife Through Forestry Forum April 16 at the River Rock Lanes and Banquet Center in Ishpeming.

The forum is scheduled from 5 to 9 p.m. EDT.

Speakers will include Brandon Gerig, who will present “Dynamic linkages between forest and lake: The Lake Superior watershed.” Gerig is an assistant professor of fisheries biology in the Northern Michigan University Biology Department. He has studied fish populations in streams, rivers, and lakes in the Great Lakes region, the Colorado River and Alaska.

Thomas Pratt will offer “Everything is connected – life in the nearshore zone of Lake Superior.” Pratt is a research scientist with the Department of Fisheries and Oceans (Canada). He is a fisheries ecologist who works on a variety of issues, conducting research throughout the Great Lakes basin.

Shawn Sitar will present “Fishes in the abyss – the offshore ecosystem of Lake Superior. Sitar is a Michigan DNR fisheries research biologist specializing in lake trout and lake whitefish in the upper Great Lakes. He also is the project leader for the Research Vessel Lake Char and has led research expeditions to the far reaches of Lake Superior, below and above the surface.

“This is another offering in our exciting series which explores the connections between forests and wildlife,” said DNR service forester Gary Willis. “All of these events in this series have provided great opportunities to get together to have a good time discussing topics of interest to us all, and to learn something new at the same time.”

The DNR launched its forums designed to demonstrate to private landowners that they can accomplish their wildlife habitat enhancement goals and objectives by careful implementation of a well-written resource management plan.

As part of this effort the DNR has been offering its forums in the western Upper Peninsula over the past couple of years.

More than 150 professional foresters and 20 wildlife biologists develop Forest Stewardship Plans for forest landowners in Michigan. For information about these plans or the Commercial Forest Program, contact Gary Willis, DNR Service Forester, 427 U.S. 41 North, Baraga, Michigan, 49908; 906-353-6651, ext. 122 or willisg2@michigan.gov.

Contact: Gary Willis, 906-353-6651, ext. 112 or John Pepin, 906-226-1352