'Continue Great Lakes Restoration Initiative,' Advocates Urge in New Paper

Federal Great Lakes restoration efforts are working and should continue, Great Lakes supporters urged in a report released yesterday by Northland College's Burke Center for Freshwater Innovation in Ashland, Wis. The paper stems from a meeting in late September with various Great Lakes stakeholders, including conservation organizations, state and federal government agencies, cities and tribes.The Great Lakes Restoration Initiative—a program to clean up toxic pollution, fight invasive species, reduce runoff from cities and farms, and restore fish and wildlife habitat—is working and needs to continue, according to the report.“These recommendations underscore widespread support for the next president to maintain federal Great Lakes restoration efforts that impact the drinking water of more than 30 million people,” said Todd Ambs, campaign director for the Healing Our Waters-Great Lakes Coalition, who served on the committee which drafted the paper. “It would be difficult to find another federal initiative that attracts such strong, bi-partisan support as the Great Lakes Restoration Initiative. We’re excited that both the Hillary Clinton and Donald Trump campaigns pledged to support the Great Lakes Restoration Initiative at our annual conference. We look forward to holding them to their word and working with whomever wins the election to keep federal Great Lakes restoration efforts on track to protect our drinking water, health, economy, and way of life.”The recommendations are in line with the Healing Our Waters-Great Lakes Coalition’s priorities to ensure the federal government continues to make Great Lakes restoration and protection a national priority.