GLIN==> Great Lakes Fishery Commission Honors NWF's Andy Buchsbaum for Outstanding Contributions to Great Lakes Restoration

For Immediate Release
June 2, 2010
Contact:  Marc Gaden
734-417-8012

GREAT LAKES FISHERY COMMISSION HONORS ANDY BUCHSBAUM FOR GREAT LAKES RESTORATION ADVOCACY


Buchsbaum, of Ann Arbor Michigan, is recognized for vision, clout, and ability to forge consensus among those with differing viewpoints

SAULT STE. MARIE, ON-The Great Lakes Fishery Commission today presented Mr. Andy Buchsbaum, regional executive director of the National Wildlife Federation's Great Lakes Regional Office, with the 2010 C.D. "Buzz" Besadny Award for Fostering Great Lakes Partnerships.   Mr. Buchsbaum, who also co-founded the Healing Our Waters Great Lakes Coalition, was honored for his remarkable ability to build consensus for Great Lakes restoration among often conflicting interests.  Those who receive commission awards are first nominated by outside individuals.  Mr. Buchsbaum was nominated two years in a row by different individuals representing a broad range of perspectives.

The C. D. "Buzz" Besadny Award for Fostering Great Lakes Partnerships is named after the former Wisconsin Department of Natural Resources Director and Great Lakes Fishery Commission Chair who was known throughout the region as a statesman, partnership-builder, and respected force for ecosystem conservation.

"The Great Lakes Fishery Commission today honored Andy Buchsbaum for his remarkable ability to bring diverse groups together in the pursuit of a shared vision for Great Lakes restoration," said commission chair Dr. Michael Hansen, a professor of fisheries at the University of Wisconsin at Stevens Point.  "Andy is one of the few people in the Great Lakes basin who has such widespread respect that he can forge strong partnerships between conservation groups, industry, academia, and policy leaders."

Hansen continued:  "Andy put his remarkable partnership building skills to work as co-Chair and one of the founders of the Healing Our Waters Great Lakes Coalition (HOW), a forum where more than 100 environmental, conservation, and business groups exchange ideas, coordinate actions and advocate politically in support of a healthy Great Lakes ecosystem.  The coalition was formed in part to advance the recommendations of the Great Lakes Regional Collaboration, a massive effort to achieve consensus on Great Lakes restoration."

"Among Andy's many contributions to the Great Lakes is his ability to chart a course for restoration and to then advance the cause," said commissioner David Ullrich, Executive Director of the Great Lakes and Saint Lawrence Cities Initiative.  "To win Federal dollars for Great Lakes restoration, Andy recognized the need to demonstrate a strong link between Great Lakes health and economic health in the region.  Together with the Brookings Institute, Buchsbaum collaborated with Great Lakes mayors, industry, and academia to carry out a research project estimating the future economic benefit of Great Lakes restoration initiatives.  This intensive research project resulted in the detailed report: America's North Coast: a Benefit-Cost Analysis of a Program to Protect and Restore the Great Lakes.  A shorter report Healthy Waters, Strong Economy: the Benefits of Restoring the Great Lakes Ecosystem, was distributed widely throughout the region and to all members of Congress."

Hansen concluded:  "The combined effects of the Healing our Waters coalition and the report findings were a major factor in influencing policy leaders to support federal funding of the Great Lakes Restoration Initiative.  The first installment of this funding, $475 million, became reality on October 30, 2009, and should have a major impact on the ecosystem."

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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 in the Great Lakes, and facilitate implementation of A Joint Strategic Plan for Management of Great Lakes Fisheries, a provincial, state, and tribal fisheries management agreement.



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Great Lakes Fishery Commission Commissioner David Ullrich presents Andy Buchsbaum (left) with the C.D. Buzz Besadny Award for Fostering Great Lakes Partnerships.  The award was presented to Mr. Buchsbaum on June 2, 2010, during the Great Lakes Fishery Commission's annual meeting, held in Sault St. Marie, Ontario.  Photo:  T. Lawrence

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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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