Great Lakes Links
New- Great Lakes Regional Collaboration
In May 2004, President Bush signed an Presidential Executive Order recognizing
the Great Lakes as a national treasure, calling for the creation of a "Regional
Collaboration of National Significance," and a cabinet-level interagency
Task Force. The Great
Lakes Regional Collaboration brings together a federal Task Force,
the Great Lakes states, local communities, Tribes, regional bodies,
and other interests in the Great Lakes region. The Great Lakes Framework
calls for these parties to, within one year, design a strategy to
restore and protect the Great Lakes now and into the future.
Great Lakes Interagency Task Force
The
Great Lakes
Interagency Task Force brings together ten U.S. Cabinet
and Agency heads to coordinate restoration
of the
Great Lakes.
Created by an Executive Order from President
Bush on May 18, 2004, the Task Force will focus on outcomes like cleaner water
and sustainable fisheries, and target measurable results. Together, the ten
agencies administer more than 140 federal programs that fund and manage restoration
efforts.
Government Accountability Office
(GAO) Reports on the Great Lakes
New -Environmental
Indicators: Better Coordination is Needed to Develop Environmental Indicator
Sets That Inform Decisions - November 17, 2004
(GAO-05-52)
Great
Lakes - Organizational Leadership and Restoration Goals Need to be Better
Defined for Monitoring Restoration Progress - September 28, 2004
(GAO-04-1024)
Great Lakes - A Comprehensive Strategy and Monitoring System Are Needed
to Achieve Restoration Goals - May 21, 2004 (GAO-04-782T)
Great Lakes - A Coordinated Strategic Plan and Monitoring System Are Needed
to Achieve Restoration Goals - July 16, 2003 (GAO-03-999T)
Invasive Species - Federal Efforts and State Perspectives on Challenges
and National Leadership - June 17, 2003 (GAO-03-916T)
Great Lakes - An Overall Strategy and Indicators for Measuring Progress
Are Needed to Better Achieve Restoration Goals - April 20, 2003 (GAO-03-515)
Invasive Species - Clearer Focus and Greater Commitment Needed to Effectively
Manage the Problem - October 22, 2002 (GAO-03-1)
Great
Lakes - EPA Needs to Define Organizational Responsibilities Better for
Effective Oversight and Cleanup of Contaminated Areas
- May 17, 2002 (GAO-02-563)
Midwest Natural Resources Group
The Midwest Natural Resources Group is an ongoing partnership bringing focus and excellence to federal
activities supporting the vitality and sustainability of natural resources and the environment. Working together,
the agencies represented by this group are committed to bringing results to the American public in the communities,
towns, and farms of the Midwest.
State of the Lakes Ecosystem Conferences (SOLEC)
The State of the Lakes Ecosystem Conferences
(SOLEC) are
hosted by the U. S. Environmental Protection Agency and Environment Canada
on behalf
of the two Countries every two years in response to the binational Great Lakes
Water Quality Agreement.
The conferences are intended to provide a forum for exchange of information on
the ecological condition of the Great Lakes and surrounding lands. A major
purpose of this is to reach a large audience of people in the government
(at all levels), corporate and not-for-profit sectors who make decisions that
affect the lakes. Other conferences and fora are expected to meet the need
for exchange of research results and for large gatherings of the general public.
Great Lakes Strategy
 The Great
Lakes Strategy 2002 was
created by the U.S. Policy Committee - a forum of senior-level
representatives from the Federal, State, and Tribal agencies responsible for
environmental and natural
resources management of the Great Lakes to help coordinate and streamline
efforts of the many governmental partners involved with protecting the Great
Lakes.
The Strategy focuses on multi-Lake
and basin-wide environmental issues and establishes common goals that the governmental
partners
will work toward.
U.S. EPA Great Lakes National Program Office
The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (U.S. EPA) Great
Lakes National Program Office
oversees and helps all Great Lakes stakeholders work together in an
integrated, ecosystem approach to protect, maintain, and restore the
chemical, biological,
and physical integrity of the Great Lakes.
Great Lakes Information Network
The Great Lakes Information Network
(GLIN) is a partnership that provides one place online for people
to find information relating to the binational Great Lakes-St. Lawrence
region of North America. GLIN offers a wealth of data and information
about the regionís environment, economy, tourism, education and more.
Thanks to its strong network of state, provincial, federal and regional
partner agencies and organizations, GLIN has become a necessary component
of informed decisionmaking, and a trusted and reliable source of information
for those who live, work or have an interest in the Great Lakes region.
Great Lakes Commission
 The
Great Lakes Commission
is a binational public agency dedicated to the use, management and protection
of the water, land and other natural resources of the Great Lakes-St.
Lawrence system. In partnership with the eight Great Lakes states and
provinces of Ontario and Québec, the Commission applies sustainable
development principles in addressing issues of resource management, environmental
protection, transportation and sustainable development. The Commission
provides accurate and objective information on public policy issues;
an
effective forum for developing and coordinating public policy; and a
unified, systemwide voice to advocate member interests.
International
Joint Commission
 The
International Joint Commission was created
by Canada and the United States because t each country is affected by
the other's actions in lake and river systems along the border. The two
countries cooperate to manage these waters wisely and to protect them
for the benefit of today's citizens and future generations.
U.S. Geological Survey - Great Lakes / St. Lawrence Region
 The
U.S. Geological Survey's Great Lakes / St. Lawrence Region web site
is dedicated to communicating information on USGS research and monitoring
programs in the Great Lakes-St. Lawrence Region.
Northeast-Midwest Institute  The Northeast-Midwest Institute is a Washington-based, private, non-profit,
and non-partisan research organization dedicated to economic vitality,
environmental quality, and regional equity for Northeast and Midwest
states.
U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service - Ecosystem Conservation in
Region 3
 The Ecosystem
Conservation in
Region 3 web site is Region 3's Ecosystem Conservation
Home Page. The site was developed to help put ecosystem conservation
into practice in the Great Lakes - Big Rivers Region.
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