Coalitions for the Great Lakes are good. This new one is good. But history seems to be repeating itself. This reads like a release from the 80s. Let's hope this generation has more success.
Unprecedented Coalition Forms
to Restore the Great Lakes
Healthy Great Lakes Benefit People, Wildlife, Economy
TRAVERSE CITY, MI (April 27)- As government officials from throughout the
nation gather this week to participate in the most comprehensive Great
Lakes conservation planning effort in the history of the region, over 50
national, state and local conservation organizations today announced the
formation of a Great Lakes restoration coalition aimed at securing a
sustainable restoration plan and obtaining the billions of dollars needed
to implement it.
"People and organizations throughout the nation recognize the
unprecedented opportunity we have to protect and restore the Great Lakes,"
said coalition co-chair and National Parks Conservation Association (NPCA)
President Tom Kiernan. "This is the first time in this region's history
that national, regional, state and local organizations have joined together
to fight for comprehensive Great Lakes restoration and the billions of
dollars such an effort will require. By restoring the Great Lakes, we will
be protecting our national heritage, as well as the memories of millions of
families."
The National Wildlife Federation (NWF) and NPCA are heading the Healing Our
WatersSM - Great Lakes coalition, which seeks to protect and restore the
Great Lakes by addressing such issues as reclaiming sensitive coastal
wetlands and other critical habitat, stopping the introduction of invasive
species, eliminating toxic pollution that contaminates fish, reducing
polluted runoff, ending beach closings, and cleaning up contaminated sediments.
The announcement comes a day before federal, state, local, and tribal
leaders are joined by civic, business and conservation leaders in Traverse
City, Michigan, to craft a comprehensive Great Lakes restoration plan. The
meeting is part of the Great Lakes Regional Collaboration, the U.S.
Environmental Protection Agency-led process charged by President Bush with
developing a plan to restore the Great Lakes.
"The federal process has made some progress, but the jury's still out on
whether it will succeed in crafting an effective restoration plan for the
Great Lakes," said Buchsbaum. "Unless it combines a comprehensive vision
with on-the-ground, fundable projects, then it may turn out to be yet
another plan that ends up sitting on a shelf gathering dust. Our coalition
is working hard to make sure that this time, there's a plan that results in
the action and funding the Great Lakes and our region need."
The drive for the Healing Our Waters - Great Lakes coalition began in May
2004, at the Great Lakes Healing Our Waters conference, sponsored by Peter
M. Wege and the Wege Foundation at Steelcase University in Grand Rapids,
Michgan. Following that meeting, Wege and his foundation pledged $5 million
over five years to the National Wildlife Federation and National Parks
Conservation Association to lead a broad coalition to make Great Lakes
restoration a reality.
The coalition includes 55 national, regional, state and local organizations
that seek to inspire federal and state initiatives to protect and improve
the health of the Great Lakes. The coalition, led by NWF and NPCA, will be
guided by a steering committee comprised of regional and national
organizations and two state organizations. Steering committee members
include representatives from Alliance for the Great Lakes (formerly the
Lake Michigan Federation), American Rivers, Ducks Unlimited, Great Lakes
United, The Nature Conservancy, Ohio Environmental Council, Sierra Club,
Tip of the Mitt Watershed Council, Trout Unlimited, University of
Michigan's School of Natural Resources, U.S. Public Interest Research
Group, and Wisconsin Wildlife Federation.
Coalition and steering committee members are deeply involved in the Great
Lakes restoration planning meetings convened by U.S. Environmental
Protection Agency in Traverse City this week. These organizations are
available to provide updates on the different issue areas being addressed
by the planning process. Contact information for each organization is
available from NWF.
To date, efforts to restore the Great Lakes have lacked coordination and
funding, according to a 2003 report by the Government Accountability
Office. Over the years many piecemeal restoration plans have been drafted,
yet few have been implemented.
The Great Lakes comprise almost 20 percent of the world's surface fresh
water and supply drinking water to more than 40 million U.S. and Canadian
residents. They are home to eight national parks. The Great Lakes also
support a diversity of wildlife, including a world-class fishery, maritime
trade, industry, and agriculture.
Immediate Release: April 27, 2005
Contact: Jordan Lubetkin, NWF - (734) 904-1589; lubetkin@nwf.org
Andy Buchsbaum, NWF - (734) 717-3665;
buchsbaum@nwf.org
Andrea Keller Helsel, NPCA - (202) 454-3332; akeller@npca.org