Alliance for the Great Lakes
In 1970 citizens stood on the lakeshore and issued a powerful proclamation: "We don't have to wait for governments or anyone else to protect Lake Michigan. We can take steps together to restore the lake we love." Thus, the original Lake Michigan Federation was formed.
Thirty-five years later, in 2005, the organization crossed another threshold. Seeing that decisions made by elected officials in other parts of the Great Lakes basin affected Lake Michigan, and vice versa, the organization changed its name to the Alliance for the Great Lakes.
The Alliance is picking up where the Federation left off, continuing to work on basin-wide policies, working in partnership with other organizations, and mobilizing local efforts on behalf of the Great Lakes. The Federation, meanwhile, remains a project of the Alliance, focusing on issues of particular concern to the largest lake within U.S. borders.
Confronting Climate Change in the Great Lakes Region: Impacts on Our Communities and Ecosystems (2003)
This is a comprehensive report released by the Union of Concerned Scientists and the Ecological Society of America, and written by leading university and government scientists in the Great Lakes region. This report examines the potential impacts of climate change upon the various ecosystems of this diverse and rich region. A Michigan Summary is also available.
Council of Great Lakes Governors
The Council has one simple mission: To encourage and facilitate environmentally responsible economic growth through a cooperative effort between the public and private sectors among the eight Great Lakes States and with Ontario and Québec. Through the Council, Governors work collectively to ensure that the entire Great Lakes region is both economically sound and environmentally conscious in addressing today's problems and tomorrow's challenges.
Great Lakes : An Environmental Atlas and Resource Book
Print edition available : http://catalog.lib.msu.edu/record=b3111284a
Great Lakes Coast Watch (NOAA)
Great Lakes Commission
The Great Lakes Commission is a binational agency that promotes the orderly, integrated and comprehensive development, use and conservation of the water and related natural resources of the Great Lakes basin and St. Lawrence River. Its members include the eight Great Lakes states with associate member status for the Canadian provinces of Ontario and Québec. Each jurisdiction appoints a delegation of three to five members comprised of senior agency officials, legislators and/or appointees of the governor or premier.
Great Lakes Echo : Great Lakes Echo provides links to current news articles on environmental topics published across Michigan. Also provides a tool to create custom RSS feeds based on geographic area (in Michigan) as well as topic. Courtesy of the MSU Knight Center for Environmental Journalism.
Great Lakes Environmental Law Center : The Great Lakes Environmental Law Center was founded to protect the world’s greatest freshwater resource and the communities that depend upon it. Based in Detroit, the Great Lakes Environmental Law Center has a board and staff of dedicated and innovative environmental attorneys to address our most pressing environmental challenges. The Great Lakes Environmental Law Center was also founded on the idea that law students can and must play a significant role in shaping the future of environmental law. In all of our work, law students are one of the Great Lakes Environmental Law Center’s most valuable resources.
Great Lakes Fishery Commission : Established by the Convention on Great Lakes Fisheries between Canada and the United States in 1955. The Commission has two major responsibilities:
(1) To develop coordinated programs of research on the Great Lakes, and, on the basis of the findings, to recommend measures which will permit the maximum sustained productivity of stocks of fish of common concern; and
(2) To formulate and implement a program to eradicate or minimize sea lamprey populations in the Great Lakes.
Great Lakes Information Network
Great Lakes Information Network
Enviro-Mich E-Mail Archive
http://www.great-lakes.net/lists/enviro-mich/
Greening of the Great Lakes : Michigan State University and News/Talk 760 WJR radio have launched a Web site called Greening of the Great Lakes. The goal of the Web site is to provide information and insight into the organizations committed to making the Great Lakes region a leader in environmental practices. It's designed to be an online resource for anyone interested in learning about the Great Lakes region, related environmental issues and ways that they can protect the environment.
International Joint Commission
Preparing for A Changing Climate: The Potential Consequences of Climate Variability and Change in the Great Lakes Region (2000)
This report summarizes the methods, findings, and recommendations from the Great Lakes Regional Assessment Team regarding the potential impacts of future climate change and variability in the Great Lakes region.
Ten Threats to the Great Lakes
http://www.environmentreport.org//
In an effort to rank, in the order of importance, the ten major environmental issues facing the Great Lakes, the staff at the The Great Lakes Radio Consortium asked 28 stakeholders in the Great Lakes basin to rank the major issues affecting the Great Lakes. The GLRC then sent out a team of reporters throughout the region to explore these issues in-depth. The result of their efforts will be broadcast on public radio stations beginning on October 10th, 2005. This series is made possible in part by the Joyce Foundation and the Healing Our Waters Campaign. Courtesy of the Environment Report. News releases -- which can be located by typing ten threats in the search box -- include:
TEN THREATS: BOTTLED WATER DIVERSION DEBATE Producer: Lester Graham Release Date: December 19, 2005 TEN THREATS: DEMAND FOR DRINKING WATER INCREASING Producer: Christina Shockley Release Date: December 19, 2005 TEN THREATS: SOUTHWEST AFTER GREAT LAKES WATER? Producer: Mark Brush Release Date: December 19, 2005 TEN THREATS: BACTERIA HITS THE BEACHES Producer: Shawn Allee Release Date: December 12, 2005 TEN THREATS: FARMERS WASTING WATER? Producer: Erin Toner Release Date: December 12, 2005 TEN THREATS: BOTULISM KILLS BEACH BIRDS Producer: Lester Graham Release Date: December 12, 2005 TEN THREATS: AIR POLLUTION INTO WATER POLLUTION Producer: Lester Graham Release Date: December 5, 2005 TEN THREATS: MERCURY AND HEALTH PROBLEMS Producer: Julie Halpert Release Date: December 5, 2005 TEN THREATS: SAVING AN ANCIENT FISH Producer: Celeste Headlee Release Date: December 5, 2005 TEN THREATS: THE AMERICAN EEL Producer: David Sommerstein Release Date: November 28, 2005 TEN THREATS: BREAK IN THE FOOD CHAIN? Producer: Lester Graham Release Date: November 28, 2005 TEN THREATS: COASTER BROOK TROUT Producer: Chris McCarus Release Date: November 28, 2005 TEN THREATS: POLLUTION HOT SPOTS Producer: Michael Leland Release Date: November 21, 2005 TEN THREATS: CHEMICAL VALLEY SPILLS Producer: Rick Pluta Release Date: November 21, 2005 TEN THREATS: SEWAGE IN THE LAKES Producer: Mark Brush Release Date: November 21, 2005 TEN THREATS: LURING THE LAMPREY Producer: Stephanie Hemphill Release Date: November 14, 2005 TEN THREATS: CANALS PAST AND PRESENT Producer: Lester Graham Release Date: November 14, 2005 TEN THREATS: EXPANDING THE SEAWAY Producer: David Sommerstein Release Date: November 14, 2005 TEN THREATS: COASTAL DEVELOPMENT PRESSURES Producer: Peter Payette Release Date: November 7, 2005 TEN THREATS: CONCRETE SHORES Producer: Lynette Kalsnes Release Date: November 7, 2005 TEN THREATS: PROTECTING CRUMBLING SHORELINES Producer: Shawn Allee Release Date: November 7, 2005 TEN THREATS: WETLANDS - WHERE LIFE BEGINS Producer: Chris McCarus Release Date: October 31, 2005 TEN THREATS: SAVING WETLAND REMNANTS Producer: Julie Grant Release Date: October 31, 2005 TEN THREATS: FARMLAND TO WETLANDS Producer: Mark Brush Release Date: October 31, 2005 TEN THREATS: GREEN LAWNS, DEAD LAKES Producer: Sarah Hulett Release Date: October 24, 2005 TEN THREATS: DEAD ZONES IN THE LAKES Producer: Lester Graham Release Date: October 24, 2005 TEN THREATS: RETHINKING URBAN RUNOFF Producer: Shawn Allee Release Date: October 24, 2005 TEN THREATS: CLOSING A DOOR Producer: Lester Graham Release Date: October 17, 2005 TEN THREATS: THE EARLIEST INVADER Producer: David Sommerstein Release Date: October 17, 2005 TEN THREATS: THE BELOVED INVADER Producer: Peter Payette Release Date: October 17, 2005 TEN THREATS: HIDDEN COSTS OF INVASIVES Producer: Lester Graham Release Date: October 10, 2005 TEN THREATS: NATIVES BITE BACK Producer: Rebecca Williams Release Date: October 10, 2005 TEN THREATS: PREDICTING NEW INVADERS Producer: Zach Peterson Release Date: October 10, 2005
U.S. Environmental Protection Agency
Great Lakes Office
U.S. Environmental Protection Agency
Great Lakes Office
http://www.epa.gov/glnpo/
The Great Lakes - Superior, Michigan, Huron, Erie, and Ontario - form the largest surface freshwater system on the Earth. More than 30 million people live in the Great Lakes basin, and the daily activities of these people, from the water consumed to the waste returned, directly affects the Great Lakes environment.
Waterlife [Flash Player] : A beautiful and dramatic website, Waterlife, addresses the dire state of the Great Lakes. Created by the National Film Board of Canada the site has high quality images, a rousing soundtrack, and different narrators. Visitors can choose to discover what part of life water affects from a menu on the left hand side of the page, and in this case, there are many. "Water is..." sits at the top of the left hand side menu, and below it are the almost two dozen topics related to water which can be selected. Rolling the cursor over the slightly transparent list of topics increases their visibility. Some of the topics include "evaporating", "waste", "chemicals", "shipping", "invasive species" and "political". Choose any of the topics, and eerie music accompanies the educational and sobering text that floats and moves about the chosen topic. In some cases, a narrator explains a bit more about the topic and the visitor can still click through the other text presented on the screen.
