LAKE HURON FOREVER
ONE WATER GATHERING
October 1-2, 2026
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Alpena, Michigan
CONFERENCE OVERVIEW
The One Water Gathering is an international event bringing people from both sides of Lake Huron together to explore solutions, share best practices and celebrate a sustainable future for our shared Great Lake. This year's gathering takes place October 1-2, 2026 in Alpena, Michigan, and centers on the theme of resilience, built on three pillars: planning, action and philanthropy.
Through programming, networking and outdoor field trips, attendees will dig into these three elements, exploring how each plays a role in protecting water quality and building healthy, sustainable communities. Youth voices, projects and actions will be featured throughout the gathering, reflecting that resilience depends on new hands and new voices joining the work now, for long-term watershed protection.
All are invited: attendees will include Canadian, United States, First Nations and Tribal partners, municipal leaders, watershed groups, regulatory agencies, engineers, landscape architects, school administrators, educators, artists, writers, musicians and volunteers who all share a common goal of supporting a healthy Lake Huron, forever.
OCTOBER 1
OCTOBER 2
THE CONFERENCE
AGENDA SNAPSHOT
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Mobilizing Local Knowledge for Resilience Planning: A Community Roundtable
Facilitator: Hannah Mico (she/her), Resilient Communities Manager at River Network.
Location: Alpena Community College
Whether we’re tackling climate, coastal or general community resilience, the best solutions are often already in our communities. Local leaders, lived experience and place-based knowledge are the keys to understanding and solving resilience challenges. Join Hannah Mico of River Network for a learning session and discussion on strategies to enable meaningful community-led planning and actions, featuring our Tools for Equitable Climate Resilience. Participants will be led through activities helping them adapt tools and frameworks to work for their specific communities.
Participants can expect to leave with an in-progress action plan that includes: (1) a resilience research guide specific to your community, (2) a resource & power map, and (3) a workplanning outline with immediate, near-term and long-term goals for resilience planning. These activities are meant to complement existing municipal/strategic planning efforts or jump-start new planning efforts. All are welcome to attend this session, no prior experience is necessary. This session will be fairly discussion-oriented and include group and individual activities. A laptop or internet-enabled device may be helpful, but isn’t required.
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Location: Great Lakes Maritime Heritage Center
Join fellow watershed champions for a relaxed evening of networking, conversation and refreshments on the green roof, a beautiful setting to connect with partners from across the Lake Huron watershed before Friday’s full day of programming.
The evening will feature an ROV (remotely operated underwater vehicle) demonstration from the Alpena High School ROV team, who competed in the 2026 MATE ROV World Championship Competition in Newfoundland this past June. We’ll also celebrate the launch of the new Lake Huron Forever impact report, with readings and storytelling from partners featured in its pages. Come enjoy happy hour, hear stories from around the watershed and make new connections with the people working to protect Lake Huron.
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Location: Alpena Community College
A full day of learning, connection and inspiration awaits — from a morning welcome and breakout sessions to afternoon field trips showcasing real projects in Alpena and beyond. See what's possible firsthand and leave with a clear sense of your own next step in protecting Lake Huron.
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Wrap up the conference the fun way: with Great Lakes trivia, happy hour drinks and one last chance to connect before you head home. How well do you really know your Great Lakes?
FRIDAY AFTERNOON FIELD TRIPS
October in the Alpena area can be cool, so please dress for the weather and come prepared for changing conditions.
Beach Clean-Up: Two Nations, One Lake
Led by: Alyssa Bourassa and Meredith Watson (Lake Huron Coastal Centre) & Meag Schwartz (Great Lakes Great Responsibility)
See how plastic pollution travels from inland communities to the Great Lakes during this hands-on field trip with Ontario-based Lake Huron Coastal Centre and Michigan-based Great Lakes Great Responsibility. Participants will visit two clean-up sites, one inland and one along Lake Huron at Starlite Beach, to collect and document litter, contributing directly to plastic pollution data and research for Lake Huron. Along the way, compare Canadian and U.S. approaches to plastic pollution and explore how community science builds lasting stewardship – an important part of Lake Huron Forever’s work to strengthen the resilience and sustainability of our shared waters.
Downtown Alpena Walkability Experience
Led by: Anne Gentry (Alpena Downtown Development Authority) & the Alpena Walkability Action Institute Team
Help shape a safer, more connected and walkable downtown Alpena. Led by Alpena Downtown Development Authority staff, this interactive walk audit will take participants along a proposed project route to experience downtown through the eyes of pedestrians and provide real-time feedback on safety, wayfinding, accessibility and connections to Lake Huron. Along the way, explore Alpena’s historic downtown and vibrant public murals while learning about demonstration projects designed to slow traffic, improve walkways and reconnect the heart of the community to the waterfront. Participants will have the opportunity to roll up their sleeves and help bring some of these ideas to life. Participants should be prepared to walk approximately 1–1.5 miles.
Emily Min Hunt Nature Preserve: Protecting Land & Water
Led by: Lauren Gietzon (University of Michigan, SEAS Masters Student)
See firsthand how land protection, active stewardship and research are strengthening the resilience of land and water in the Lake Huron region. A guided walk through Huron Pines’ Emily Min Hunt Nature Preserve will highlight efforts to restore its globally rare limestone glade ecosystem, including a recent prescribed burn. Along the way, learn about a University of Michigan capstone project exploring barriers to coastal habitat conservation and opportunities for greater knowledge sharing. One of the student researchers will be on-site to share insights from the project and what the team is learning. Participants should be prepared to walk on uneven terrain.
Green Stormwater Infrastructure Walking Tour
Led by: Amy Nowakowski (Huron Pines) & Rachel Smolinski (Alpena City Manager)
See what community-driven planning looks like when local input becomes action on the ground. On this walking tour through Alpena, participants will travel from the shores of Lake Huron into the city’s central business district to explore green stormwater infrastructure projects designed to manage runoff and protect water quality. Learn how community input gathered through a 2023 visioning process helped prioritize and fund eight projects, demonstrating how thoughtful planning can lead to meaningful action and strengthen community resilience. Participants should be prepared to walk approximately 1–1.5 miles.
WHERE TO STAY
We partnered with Holiday Inn Express and Suites - Alpena Downtown to secure a block of standard rooms at a discounted rate.
225 River Street, Alpena, MI 49707
(989) 340-1800
King Standard: $139/night
Double Queen Standard: $149/night
Make reservations by Sept. 7th
ABOUT ALPENA
“Sanctuary of the Great Lakes”, Alpena is nestled in the northeast corner of Michigan’s lower peninsula. Home to the first federally designated freshwater marine sanctuary, the Alpena area has over 1,000 miles of shoreline and over 300,000 acres of open water. This historic port city is also centrally located to 3 Dark Sky Preserve parks, 7 lighthouses, over 2 dozen parks, 100+ miles of trails and at least 200 shipwrecks.
CONFERENCE SPONSORS
Interested in sponsoring the One Water Gathering? Explore our sponsorship packages HERE to see how your organization can support the conference and the future of Lake Huron. To learn more, contact Brenda Herman, Huron Pines Development Director, at brenda@huronpines.org.