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![Great Lakes Commission News Briefs]() |
A
monthly summary of issues, activities and events
at the Great
Lakes Commission |
May 18, 2007 | |
![Commission News]()
- The
Great Lakes Commission approved a new five-year strategic plan at
its 2007 Semiannual Meeting, May 14-15 in Indianapolis. See www.glc.org/about/strategy.
Meeting attendees also discussed strategies for implementing the
recommendations of the Great Lakes Regional Collaboration,
approaches to solving the problem of aquatic invasive species and
specific Great Lakes priorities of the host state of Indiana.
Presentations are online at www.glc.org/announce/07/05presentations.html.
Indiana environmental leader Lee Botts was presented with the
Commission's Lifetime Achievement Award in honor of her efforts to
protect the Indiana Dunes and the Great Lakes. More information at
www.glc.org/announce/07/05botts.html.
A slide show of photos from the meeting is available at www.glc.org/announce/07/05semiannpix.html.
See Policy and Advocacy section below for information on the
ballast water resolution adopted at the meeting.
- The
Great Lakes Panel on Aquatic Nuisance Species (ANS) held its
spring meeting jointly with the federal ANS Task Force at the Tom
Ridge Environmental Center in Erie, Pa., May 8-11. The meeting
included an all-day session on ANS state management plans from a
Great Lakes perspective, moderated by the Great Lakes Commission.
The session featured outcomes from a two-year series of state
workshops conducted by the Commission to support the advancement
of state management plans and generated recommendations for
developing and implementing such plans in the Great Lakes and
other regions of the country. Meeting summaries and related
materials will be posted, as they become available, at www.glc.org/ans/panel.html#glpmeet
and www.glc.org/ans/initiatives#advance.
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![Policy and Advocacy]()
Congress urged to make ballast water legislation #1 Great
Lakes priority
This week the Commission unanimously adopted a
resolution urging the region's congressional delegation to make its
top 2007 Great Lakes priority the passage of legislation to reduce
and ultimately eliminate the introduction and spread of aquatic
invasive species from ballast water. The resolution also renews the
request, made repeatedly by the Great Lakes states, through the
Commission and the Council of Great Lakes Governors, and the mayors
through the Great Lakes and St. Lawrence Cities Initiative, that
Congress enact and the president sign comprehensive legislation,
such as the National Aquatic Invasive Species Act of 2005 (reflected
in S. 770, H.B. 1591 and H.B. 1592). For the full text of the
resolution, see www.glc.org/about/resolutions.
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![Upcoming Events]()
![]() More events |
![Featured Project]()
Great Lakes Dredging
Team
The Great Lakes Commission provides staff support to
the Great Lakes Dredging Team (GLDT), a partnership of federal and
state agencies created to assure that navigational dredging in the
Great Lakes system is conducted in a timely, cost-effective and
environmentally sound manner. Many of the issues it addresses center
around dredged material management, including the challenges
presented by limited space in confined disposal facilities,
remediation of contaminated sediments, options for beneficial uses
of dredged material, and evaluations of relevant federal and state
policies. GLDT staff are completing an illustrated brochure
outlining Great Lakes dredging needs and the importance of
navigational dredging to the North American economy. The GLDT will
also soon be reconvening its Windows Advisory Team to continue work
toward identifying those times when dredging may be conducted in the
most environmentally benign and cost-effective manner. Contact:
Victoria Pebbles, vpebbles@glc.org |
Great Lakes Commission
Eisenhower Corporate Park
2805
S. Industrial Hwy, Suite 100
Ann Arbor, MI
48104-6791
734-971-9135
www.glc.org
A News Briefs archive
can be found at www.glc.org/email/archive | |
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