GLIN==> Great Lakes Town Hall Awarded GLIN Site-of-the-Month Honor

	A Special Announcement from the Town Hall

Dear Great Lakes Neighbor, I hope this note finds you well and looking forward to the new year. The Great Lakes Town Hall has been online just three weeks, but we've already received great interest from our neighbors around the region. Numerous media stories in print, online, and on the radio have helped boost our profile - connecting more Great Lakes residents in the Town Hall every day. This week, we're very pleased to announce that the Great Lakes Town Hall has been choosen as the Great Lakes Information Network's "Site-of-the- Month."

		About the GLIN Site-of-the-Month Honor . . . Each month, the Great Lakes Information Network (GLIN) selects a Web site to highlight. While the Great Lakes Town Hall has been online for less than a month, GLIN has given it a big boost by choosing the site as its January 2006 "Site-of-the-Month." Some of the other sites that have been honored with this designation in the past include the states of IL, IN, MI, MN, NY and WI; the U.S. EPA-Great Lakes National Program Office; New York State's Seaway Trail; Pier Wisconsin; and many more. The Great Lakes Town Hall was designed to connect the many voices, ideas and experiences that shape our regional identity. Without leaving your home, you can join thousands of residents across the Great Lakes Basin to participate in the online Town Hall community. The site includes daily postings from guest speakers, opportunities for interactive discussions, networking, and more. The Town Hall also includes Celebrate the Lakes, Tools for Action, Community Bulletin Board and other interactive sections. A Great Lakes Commission project, the Great Lakes Information Network (GLIN) is a gateway to the Great Lakes region of North America. Its data holdings and services cover the environment, economy, tourism, education, maps and GIS, demographics and much more. Learn more about GLIN here . . .

We hope you'll join the Great Lakes Information Network in spreading the word about the Great Lakes Town Hall this month. While we've had a successful launch, many challenges remain. Indeed, the Town Hall relies on participation from you and others throughout the region that care about the future of our Great Lakes. Please, if you haven't already registered to participate in the Great Lakes Town Hall, do so today. We value your thoughts, opinions, ideas and experiences. Your Great Lakes Neighbor, Jeffrey Potter Biodiversity Project's Great Lakes Town Hall email: jpotter@biodiverse.org phone: (608) 250-9876 web: http://www.greatlakestownhall.org