Communications and Internet Technology program
Project Updates: Spring 2007

1. 2006 Annual Report
   The 2006 Great Lakes Commission Annual Report was released in February. The 20-page publication includes an overview of Commission projects and key regional initiatives during the year, and features messages from Michigan Lt. Gov. John Cherry Jr., Commission chair, and Tim Eder, executive director. The publication includes individual sections focusing on how the Commission’s work in 2006 helped advance each of the four goals set forth in its new strategic plan and is illustrated throughout with relevant quotations offered by Great Lakes dignitaries. The report also includes FY2006 financial data, lists of Board members, Commissioners, Observers, funders and staff; and descriptions of each of the Commission’s six program areas. Contact: Kirk Haverkamp, kirkh@glc.org.

2. Media Advisories
   The Commission periodically conducts media events or issues press releases and news commentaries to raise awareness of Great Lakes issues and developments, both among the Great Lakes policy, management and research communities and the public at large.

   In fall 2006, the Commission worked with the office of U.S. Rep. Marcy Kaptur (Ohio) to host a media event drawing attention to water quality issues in the Great Lakes basin and efforts to address them by Commission’s Great Lakes Basin Program for Soil Erosion and Sediment Control. Preparations are now underway for another event to announce the release of the Commission’s recreational boating study, timed to coincide with the start of the boating season. Media advisories issued in recent months have included the announcement of the election of Michigan Lt. Gov. John Cherry Jr. and Illinois Lt. Gov. Pat Quinn as chair and vice chair of the Great Lakes Commission; calls for legislation to stop invasive species and other elements of the Commission’s near-term legislative priorities; calls for the enactment of the Great Lakes Asian Carp Barrier Act (S. 336 and H.R. 553); and the announcement of a study to assess municipal investments in Great Lakes restoration. Contact: Kirk Haverkamp, kirkh@glc.org.

3. E-newsletter
   The Commission unveiled a new communications tool, an e-mail newsletter, in January to help keep Commissioners and others informed on Commission activities. The service, Great Lakes Commission News Briefs, offers a short summary of Commission news each month. The bulletins feature updates on Commission activities, policy and advocacy developments and upcoming events, as well as an overview of a featured project. The e-newsletter is sent out at mid-month to all Commissioners and Observers, as well as to a broader readership via the Great Lakes Information Network (GLIN). For the current edition and links to archives, see www.glc.org/email. Contact: Kirk Haverkamp, kirkh@glc.org.

4. Legislative Priorities tracking project
   To advance the goals and objectives of the Great Lakes Regional Collaboration (GLRC) Strategy to Restore and Protect the Great Lakes, the Great Lakes Commission has initiated development of a web-based tool to provide up-todate information on Great Lakes legislative priorities. The project will help increase support for Great Lakes protection and restoration by providing restoration advocates with easy access to current information regarding federal legislation and funding for restoration through a web portal as part of the Great Lakes Information Network. A prototype of the project, developed by Commission staff, has been demonstrated, reviewed and critiqued by potential users and received broad support from leaders in the Great Lakes region and Washington. Funding is being sought to support implementation of the database. This project will help engage a wide array of audiences in the legislative process, informing, educating, and building stewardship for the Great Lakes. Contact: Christine Manninen, manninen@glc.org.

5. Communications Support for the Great Lakes Observing System (GLOS)
   A new GLOS brochure was printed in April 2007 and is now being broadly distributed to partners throughout the region. Recent updates to the Great Lakes Observing System (GLOS) web site include the dynamic rotation of images and captions to the home page, the development of a password-protected Board Room and listserv archive, new events calendar, and new pages to showcase current conditions on the lakes. As the lone freshwater component of International Ocean Observing System (IOOS), GLOS is paving the way for improved water management and data exchange across the international Great Lakes region. GLOS will provide critical real-time data for member states and provinces and multiple users, including resource managers, researchers, educators, homeland security interests, the commercial shipping industry and the recreational boating community, among others. GLOS data will be served through the GLIN interface to maximize its visibility. Commission staff is working closely with the Great Lakes Sea Grant Network to further GLOS outreach and education efforts. For more information, visit www.glos.us or contact: Christine Manninen, manninen@glc.org.

6. Great Lakes Regional Research Information Network
   The Commission is partnering with the Great Lakes Sea Grant Network in developing a binational regional network in the Great Lakes, the Great Lakes Regional Research Information Network (GLRRIN). GLRRIN will coordinate, foster collaboration and enhance cooperation on research, education and outreach and improve our ability to manage the Great Lakes ecosystem. GLRRIN will support and assist with the implementation of a research coordination strategy currently under development by the IJC’s Council of Great Lakes Research Managers. The Commission – through the Great Lakes Information Network (GLIN) – will host the GLRRIN web site and its various searchable databases of researchers and organizations. GLIN is also hosting email lists for the GLRRIN steering committee and all individual lake teams within the network. Contact: Christine Manninen, manninen@glc.org.

7. 2007 Carol A. Ratza Memorial Scholarship winner
   Laura Valdmanis, a freshman at Hobart and William Smith College in Geneva, N.Y., is the recipient of the 2007 Carol A. Ratza Memorial Scholarship. A native of Prior Lake, Minn., Valdmanis is pursuing a double major in earth science and mathematics. She is cited as a role model by her fellow students and community members because of her knowledge, dedication and enthusiasm, especially pertaining to political, cultural and environmental causes.

   The $1,000 award is in memory of Carol Ratza, who directed the Communications Program at the Great Lakes Commission from 1986-1997. For more information, visit www.glc.org/about/scholarships/scholar.html or contact Christine Manninen, manninen@glc.org.

8. GLIN updates: New coastal management pages
   The Commission is continually working on updates for the Great Lakes Information Network. Currently, work is being done to expand and enhance the section concerning coastal zone management. Updates will include an interactive map showing the area each state includes under the individual coastal management plans, a coastal calendar to share related events, a ‘coast’ email list to improve communications and a more indepth “Coastal Issues” page to facilitate greater learning on related issues. The Commission is also planning a complete GLIN redesign in the next 9-12 months. Planning will consider user needs, aesthetics, usability and site navigation, and enhanced GIS/mapping functions. Contact: Christine Manninen, manninen@glc.org.

9. Indiana Department of Environmental Management: May 2007 Site of the Month on GLIN
   www.in.gov/idem/
   Each month on the Great Lakes Information Network (GLIN), the Commission highlights the wealth of information available on the web site of one active GLIN partner. These partners work closely with the GLIN Project Team to ensure that their information is cross-linked and fully integrated into the regional network. Other sites featured on GLIN in the past six months include:

   • The Great Lakes Wiki (www.greatlakeswiki.org)
   • Lake Superior Conservancy and Watershed Council (www.lscwc.org)
   • Inland Seas Education Association (www.schoolship.org)
   • Great Lakes and St. Lawrence Cities Initiative (www.glslcities.org)
   • St. Lawrence River Institute of Environmental Sciences (www.riverinstitute.com)
   • Stop the Mudness (www.stopthemudness.net)

   To nominate a site for this award, please see www.glin.net/news/sitemont.html

10. New grant to demonstrate geo-enabled tools for the Great Lakes
    The Commission recently received funding from the USGS National Spatial Data Infrastructure Cooperative Agreements Program (NSDI CAP) to produce a demonstration of integrated, geo-enabled decision-making and its potential benefit for Great Lakes resource managers. Possible applications could benefit rapid response planning for invasive species, habitat restoration for native fish communities and coastal land use planning, among others. The one-year project will commence in July 2007 and include three to five small demonstration projects, which will be showcased on GLIN and among practitioners and decision-makers who will benefit from the tools. Contact: Pete Giencke, pgiencke@glc.org.