With an action-packed, two-day national convention in Cambridge, Maryland, the League is offering virtual workshops before the in-person convention. Workshops will run for 1 hour each with ample time for Q&A and engagement with the presenters. Workshops will be recorded and available for anyone to view after the live events. Please see below for more details.

Tools for Creating a Crowdsourced Monitoring Network at Your Chapter

Want to get people in your community involved in Nitrate Watch or Salt Watch, but don’t know where to start? League staff have put together the building blocks you need to get people in your community engaged in chapter monitoring activities, whether they are students, scouts or adults who are concerned about the safety of their drinking water.

This workshop highlights a wide range of tools – from flyers and fact sheets to social media resources, the Clean Water Hub website and more – specifically designed for community outreach.

Watch the recording

Increasing Chapter Visibility with a Paint the Plow Community Event

In the fall of 2023, League staff led a “Paint the Plow” program in partnership with the Montgomery County Department of Transportation – students, partner organizations, and even our staff painted 11 snowplow blades with smart salt messaging. Those plow blades are used across the county today.

This workshop will walk you through how to run a “Paint the Plow” program in your community, from working with the DoT or local government, engaging partners, and the supplies you’ll need – plus some lessons learned. This is a great project to get League messaging out in your community, engage folks in Smart Salt messaging, and recruit new members.

Watch the recording

We hope you’ll take some time to enjoy all the amenities at the Hyatt Regency Chesapeake Bay Resort in Cambridge, Maryland. The League’s special hotel room rate (about half the seasonal rate for this hotel!) is good for three days before and three days after convention as long as rooms are available. Book early to ensure you don’t miss this deal!

To ensure smooth sailing in July, we have a few tips on getting to Cambridge.

A Note About the Key Bridge Collapse: You have likely heard about the collapse of the Key Bridge in Baltimore, Maryland, and the tragic loss of six people who were working on the bridge when it collapsed. This bridge is NOT on the route convention attendees will follow to and from the convention site in Cambridge. Attendees will cross the Chesapeake Bay Bridge on Route 50.

By Car

Plan around peak travel times. Maryland’s Eastern Shore is a popular summer destination for people throughout the Washington, DC, region, and traffic is especially busy on the weekends. Friday afternoon/evening and Saturday morning are peak travel times going east across the Bay Bridge and on Routes 50 and 301 toward the convention site in Cambridge. Sunday morning/afternoon are peak drive times coming back west.

Getting there: If you plan to arrive at the convention hotel on Sunday, July 14 (the Early Bird Welcome Reception and Auction will be held on Sunday evening), there will be much less traffic toward Cambridge on Sunday morning, although you’ll still have company on the roads from people with Sunday-to-Sunday beach rentals. If you plan to arrive at the hotel on Saturday, avoid traveling in the direction of Cambridge on Saturday morning.

Crossing the Bay Bridge: Route 50, which is the most commonly used major road toward the Eastern Shore, crosses the Chesapeake Bay Bridge. Traffic congestion approaching the bridge has been substantially reduced through “highway speed tolling” using E-Z Pass, Pay-By-Plate or Video Tolling (cash payment is NOT accepted). The Maryland Transportation Authority Bay Bridge website has useful travel tips, including about peak travel times, and real-time traffic information.

Coming home: After convention, traffic will be much lighter heading back west Wednesday or Thursday.

Driver assistance crossing the Bay Bridge: The Chesapeake Bay Bridge offers a spectacular view of the bay and surrounding landscape. But if you’re nervous about driving the 4-mile-long span, assistance is available. The Kent Island Express is a paid service that will drive your car (and you!) over the Bay Bridge. Call 410-604-0486 one hour before you expect to reach the bridge. The fee for this service is $40 cash / $50 credit and additional fees apply for trips between 8 p.m. and 7 a.m. (which are by advance appointment only).

By Plane

If you’re arriving by plane and heading straight to convention (rather than taking in the sights, like Washington, DC), you definitely want to fly into Baltimore Washington International Airport (BWI). Reagan National Airport in Washington, DC, and Dulles International Airport in Loudoun County, Virginia, are far from the convention site and the League strongly discourages Ikes from using these airports.

From BWI, you have a few options for getting to Cambridge:

• Rental car: Multiple car rental companies operate out of BWI. You do need to take a free shuttle from the airport terminal to the car rental facility.
• Bay Runner Shuttle: This shuttle stops right at the Hyatt Regency, making it simple for you to get from BWI to the convention hotel. A one-way fare is $84, but per-person rates decrease when you have more than one passenger in your reservation. PLEASE NOTE: The earliest shuttle from the convention hotel to BWI departs at 6 a.m. daily. If you plan to use the shuttle to travel to BWI after convention, keep the shuttle departure time in mind when booking your flight home.

Thursday, July 17

• Executive Board Meeting
• Endowment Board Meeting
• Early Bird Welcome Party and Auction
• Youth Convention Early Bird

Friday, July 18

• President's Breakfast with Division Presidents
• Delegate Orientation Workshop
• Convention Opening Ceremony
• Conservation Luncheon
• National Officer Elections
• Resource Committee Reports
• Parade of States

Saturday, July 19

• Izaak Walton League Endowment Annual Meeting
• Izaak Walton League Board of Directors Meeting
• Executive Board Elections
• Midwinter 2026 Site Selection
• League Awards Luncheon
• Resolution Committee Report
• Vote on Resolutions
• Convention Site Selection
• Closing Banquet and Officer Inductions

Adam Nickel

Peshtigo Fisheries Team Supervisor, Wisconsin Department of Natural Resources

Nickel joined the Peshtigo Fisheries Work Unit as the Fish Team Supervisor in 2023. Previously he worked as a Senior Fisheries Biologist with the Wisconsin Department of Natural Resources where he coordinated habitat restoration and research projects, with many focusing on northern pike. Since joining the Peshtigo team, he has enjoyed working with the great fishery resources and partners the Green Bay watershed has to offer.

Buddy Huffaker

Executive Director, Aldo Leopold Foundation

Huffaker began at the Foundation as an intern in 1996 and became Executive Director in 1999. With a background in landscape architecture and plant ecology, he has been recognized as an Executive Scholar in Not-for-Profit Management by Northwestern University’s Kellogg School of Management. He says the most thrilling part of his job is working with people throughout the US “who are working not only to fully understand Leopold’s vision of a land ethic, but more importantly, implement it in their day-to-day lives.”

Jayne Black

Field Consultant, Moms Clean Air Force

Moms Clean Air Force is a community of more than 1.5 million moms and dads united against air pollution—including the urgent crisis of our changing climate—to protect children’s health. A former pre-k teacher, Black has a daughter with multiple sclerosis and a son with asthma. She sees the impact of climate change and poor air quality on her children daily, which inspired her to help pass Wisconsin’s first indoor air quality bill for schools. She is fighting for transparency and accountability in indoor air quality monitoring and testing.

Kate Hansen

Agriculture Program Director, Izaak Walton League of America

In her role, Kate leads the League’s work to influence state and federal policies to increase conservation practices, improve water quality, and restore soil health on farms and ranches across the country. She holds a B.A. from Wellesley College in geosciences and American studies and is based in northern Indiana.

Tamara Arndt

Lead Animal Care Specialist, Kansas City Zoo & Aquarium

Tamara Arndt is a Lead Animal Care Specialist at the Kansas City Zoo & Aquarium where she cares for a variety of marine life species and oversees a passionate team of aquarists. She was the first team member brought on to open the aquarium in 2023 and was responsible for acquiring and transporting thousands of animals during the opening efforts. She earned a B.A. in Marine Biology at the College of Charleston and a Master’s Degree in Marine Biology Techniques from James Cook University. Originally from Green Bay, she was a member of the League’s Brown County Chapter from a young age. Her favorite hobbies take place outdoors, including snorkeling, diving, hiking and gardening.

Kayla Reed

Graduate Student, South Dakota State University

Kayla Reed is a graduate student at South Dakota State University pursuing a Master’s Degree in Wildlife and Fisheries with a fisheries specialization. Her research focuses on the effects of hypoxia on sportfish in small South Dakota impoundments. Kayla earned Bachelor’s Degrees in Water Resources and Fisheries and Aquatic Sciences from the University of Wisconsin – Stevens Point. Kayla is the recipient of Izaak Walton League national, division and chapter scholarships supporting students majoring in natural resource fields.