A bi-national group of government and non-government conservation organizations is inviting public participation as it develops a plan to identify and conserve biodiversity in the islands of the Great Lakes.
Island owners, managers, policymakers and interested citizens are invited to attend any of the Great Lakes islands workshops to hear the latest information about the islands and review draft documents.
Dates and locations of workshops are:
July 28: Traverse City, Mich. (Lake Michigan)
July 31: Thunder Bay, Ont. (Lake Superior)
August 3: Grosse Ile, Mich. (Detroit River)
August 21: Clayton, N.Y. (St. Lawrence River)
Workshop details, including times and places, are available online at http://www.greatlakesislands.org. There is no cost to attend. Up to ten $50 honorariums per workshop are available to support the travel expenses of members of nongovernment organizations, tribes and First Nations involved and interested in the islands. An application is available on the Web site and at each workshop.
The workshops are part of a three-year Canada-U.S. project funded by the U.S. EPA’s Great Lakes National Program Office to create a Framework for the Binational Conservation of Great Lakes Islands. Project team members are from the Northeast-Midwest Institute, U.S. Fish & Wildlife Service, The Nature Conservancy-Great Lakes Program, Nature Conservancy of Canada, and the University of Minnesota.
Each workshop will include:
An open house to view maps and other materials
A PowerPoint presentation with the latest information about the islands
A question-and-answer period
Informal discussions and networking
Workshop handouts are currently available online at http://www.greatlakesislands.org, and the PowerPoints and extensive Framework Report will be available soon for review and comment regardless of your ability to attend a workshop. Check this Web site frequently for updates, or email info@greatlakesislands.org for more information.
The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service is the principal Federal agency responsible for conserving, protecting and enhancing fish, wildlife and plants and their habitats for the continuing benefit of the American people. The Service manages the 95-million-acre National Wildlife Refuge System, which encompasses 545 national wildlife refuges, thousands of small wetlands and other special management areas. It also operates 69 national fish hatcheries, 64 fishery resources offices and 81 ecological services field stations. The agency enforces federal wildlife laws, administers the Endangered Species Act, manages migratory bird populations, restores nationally significant fisheries, conserves and restores wildlife habitat such as wetlands, and helps foreign and Native American tribal governments with their conservation efforts. It also oversees the Federal Assistance program, which distributes hundreds of millions of dollars in excise taxes on fishing and hunting equipment to state fish and wildlife agencies.
