GLIN==> Great Lakes Fishery and Ecosystem Restoration Program

just-signed "ENERGY AND WATER" BILL TO BRING SIGNIFICANT HABITAT IMPROVEMENTS TO THE GReaT LAKES

Congress provides, and the president accepts, additional funds for the "Great Lakes Fishery and Ecosystem Restoration Program"

ANN ARBOR, MI-The Great Lakes Fishery Commission today commended Congress and the president on the passage and signing into law of the fiscal 2010 Energy and Water Appropriations bill, legislation that funds essential water projects throughout the United States.  The bill, signed October 28th, 2009, includes $2.4 million for the Great Lakes Fishery and Ecosystem Restoration Program (GLFER), a program authorizing the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers to partner with state and local agencies or private groups to implement projects that protect and restore habitat, fisheries, and the Great Lakes ecosystem.

The Great Lakes comprise a nationally and internationally significant fishery and ecosystem that requires restoration and improvement.  To further that goal, the Water Resources Development Act of 2000 authorized $100 million for the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers to partner with state and local agencies and non-governmental organizations to plan, implement, and evaluate projects that support the restoration of the fishery and the ecosystem.

"Since its inception, GLFER has brought much-needed restoration dollars to the Great Lakes region for projects such as dam removal, fish passage around barriers, shoreline improvements, and fish and wildlife habitat recovery," said William Culligan of the New York State Department of Environmental Conservation, chair of the GLFER Review Committee.  "The funds provided for fiscal 2010 will allow the corps to work with state and local agencies, and perhaps non-governmental organizations, to complete projects already in progress and to begin new high-priority restoration initiatives."

"The GLFER program is an excellent example of partnerships," Culligan added. "Through GLFER, agencies throughout the Great Lakes basin collaborate to plan and implement projects, leverage resources, and incorporate science into the program.  Overall, GLFER has been a tremendous asset to the region and has allowed for key restoration projects to move forward.  I commend Congress and the president for providing greater attention to this important initiative."

A list of current GLFER projects is online at www.glfc.int/glfer<http://www.glfc.int/glfer>.


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The Great Lakes Fishery Commission is an international organization established by the United States and Canada through the 1954 Convention on Great Lakes Fisheries.  The commission has the responsibility to support fisheries research, control the invasive sea lamprey, and facilitate implementation of A Joint Strategic Plan for Management of Great Lakes Fisheries, a provincial, state, and tribal fisheries management agreement.  The commission is also responsible for facilitating the operations of the GLFER Review Committee, a committee of state, tribal, and non-governmental observers tasked with reviewing and making recommendations potential GLFER projects.  For more information about the commission and GLFER, visit www.glfc.int<http://www.glfc.int> and www.glfc.int/glfer<http://www.glfc.int/glfer>.


For Immediate Release
October 29, 2009
Contact:    Dr. Marc Gaden
734-662-3209 x 14
734-417-8012 (cell)


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Marc Gaden, PhD
Communications Director and Legislative Liaison
Great Lakes Fishery Commission
2100 Commonwealth Blvd. Ste 100
Ann Arbor, MI  48105
734-662-3209 x. 14
marc at glfc.org<mailto:marc at glfc.org>
www.glfc.org<http://www.glfc.org>
P Please consider the environment before printing this email.

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