MACD State Council Votes to Move 2021 Fall Convention to Virtual Setting

Today at the MACD State Council Quarterly meeting, in the interest of the health and well-being of the entire Michigan Conservation District community, the State Council voted unanimously to move the 2021 Fall Convention to a virtual setting.

"Given the current rise of COVID-19 cases throughout the state, the high likelihood that our Federal and State partners would be prohibited from traveling, and the significant number of MACD members that have expressed concerns over meeting in person; the State Council concluded that moving the 2021 Fall Convention is the best course of action," stated MACD President Gerald Miller. He continued, "We would love to meet in person, as many new staff and directors haven't yet had the opportunity to meet their colleagues from around the state face-to-face, but until the pandemic subsides to safe levels, MACD feels it would be irresponsible to move forward with plans to reconvene in that setting."

MACD Executive Director Dan Moilanen expressed, "While disappointing, as I still haven't met a majority of our members in person, having only started in this role earlier this year; I agree with the State Council's decision and believe this is the best course of action. We still have a great slate of programming coming together that I think will be really engaging for the Michigan Conservation community." He continued, "Despite the lack of networking opportunities, sometimes the virtual setting presents perks like the capacity to record all sessions which can then be accessed at a later date. Also, for those with busy schedules or limited travel budgets, the virtual setting can be more accessible."

MACD President Jerry Miller stated, "We hope that our members will still plan on joining us for the 2021 Fall Convention, as the content shared by presenters is always valuable to the work we collectively do as conservation districts."

The 2021 Fall Convention will still take place November 8th-10th, however the MACD Annual General Assembly, which was originally scheduled during the convention, will be moved to December 2nd, from 9am-12pm via a virtual setting. Annual Assembly registration details will be announced at a later date.

Registration for the 2021 Fall Virtual Convention will be going live next week. Registration is free for CD Directors with MACD membership in good standing, and we encourage as many directors as possible to participate. Registration pricing for CD staff and conservation partners will be shared when registration goes live.

MACD thanks our membership for their continued patience and support through these uncertain times.