Registration open for the Wisconsin Lakes and Rivers Convention

The 2025 Wisconsin Lakes and Rivers Convention is set for March 26-28 at the Holiday Inn Convention Center in Stevens Point. The theme this year is, “The Power of Words: Working for Our Waters.” The convention was created by the Wisconsin Lakes and Rivers Partnership. That partnership consists of the Department of Natural Resources, the Extension Lakes Program and Wisconsin Lakes.

Both in-person and virtual attendance options are available. The in-person registration period ends on March 16, with the last day to order a convention T-shirt being Feb. 28. Registration for virtual attendees is open until 11:50 p.m. on March 16.

The agenda on Wednesday allows participants to select a full day workshop or up to two half-day workshops with an option for lunch in between. The full day workshop is entitled Water Organization Executive Director’s Workshop. The workshop will be facilitated by Johnson Bridgewater of the River Alliance of Wisconsin. Half-day workshop topics include climate adaptation, the Healthy Lakes and Rivers Program, invasive species in trade, fundraising for lake organization, aquatic plant identification, aquatic invertebrate identification, lake district treasurer training, and many others.

There are also post-convention workshops scheduled for Friday afternoon. Those include Enhanced Wakes on Wisconsin Lakes: Education and Regulation at the Town Level, An Invitation to Wonder: Waubesa Wetlands and Connecting to Conservation: Tools to Build Relationships.

Thursday and Friday will feature concurrent sessions both days with the welcome keynote by Dr. Kelsey Leonard of the Shinnecock Nation on Thursday morning. Friday’s Confluence Keynote speaker will be Chris Heeter, leadership speaker, poet and wilderness guide at The Wild Institute. Full details on those concurrent sessions will be available soon.

Exhibitors will be present in the commons area to talk with attendees throughout the convention.  It is a great opportunity for attendees to network, not only with exhibitors, but also with other water stakeholders from across the state. 

For more information on the 2025 Wisconsin Lakes and Rivers Convention, see the website at wisconsinwaterweek.org.

Beckie Gaskill may be reached via email at [email protected].