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EFFORTS TO
RESTORE THE GREAT LAKES STALLED
In 2005,
business, government, Tribal, and advocacy leaders came together in
an historic and unprecedented process, with the common goal of
restoring the Great Lakes*one of the natural wonders of the world and
a resource that millions of people rely on for their jobs, health and
quality of life. The result of that process was the Great Lakes
Regional Collaboration Strategy to Restore and Protect the Great Lakes, an action plan that contained a
bold vision, one of clean beaches, thriving sport fisheries and
vibrant communities. It was something that could only be accomplished
by thinking beyond the failed piecemeal efforts of past efforts and
toward a vision of comprehensive restoration, from stopping sewage
overflows and new invasive species introductions to cleaning up the
most seriously contaminated harbors and restoring lost wetlands and
other wildlife habitat.
The plan was
bold because it had to be. The
Great Lakes, scientists warned, were
breaking down due to the suite of threats facing the lakes, and time
was running out. The lakes faced irreversible changes unless action
was taken to help heal the lakes. The comprehensive strategy put
forward by this diverse set of stakeholders sought to do just that:
change the equation for the lakes by standing up for them.
Nearly two
years after its release, the Great Lakes Regional Collaboration
(GLRC) Strategy to Restore and Protect the Great Lakes remains a
touchstone for guiding the efforts of thousands in the region
committed to restoring the health of the Great
Lakes. The one-hundred plus member strong Healing Our
Waters** Great Lakes (HOW) Coalition has been an active part of the
GLRC since its inception. Members of the HOW Coalition served on all
eight of the issue area strategy teams during the development of the
Strategy, and the coalition is the leading voice for restoring the
health of the Great Lakes so our children can enjoy them as we have.
In short, the
Great Lakes Regional Collaboration served as a rallying point two
years ago, but that rally has fallen short. This is not acceptable
for the thousands of citizens who participated in this historic
process; and it is not acceptable for the millions of people who rely
on the Great Lakes for their jobs,
health and quality of life. The GLRC needs to be jump-started with a
strong commitment to action that is commensurate with the job at
hand.
HOW Coalition
Recommendations:
1. EPA must re-engage the region by
holding a series of public GLRC Strategy Implementation Working
Sessions.
2. Congress must hold EPA accountable
for its lack of leadership by convening oversight hearings on the
implementation of the GLRC.
3. Congress must pass and fund the
Great Lakes Collaboration Implementation Act.
EPA is taking
comments online at http://www.glrc.us/feedback/feedback.html.
WETLANDS AT
HEART OF DEBATE
-Snip,
“Wetlands at heart of debate”, Traverse City Record Eagle (09/30/07)
A
federally mandated wetlands restoration plan -- and whether utility
lines should be buried beneath those wetlands -- drive the lengthy,
contentious debate on an Elk Rapids housing development.
http://www.record-eagle.com/archivesearch/local_story_273091524.html
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