Conference Proceedings: Actions Toward a Sustainable Great Lakes

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In May of 2004, over 200 policymakers, opinion leaders and stakeholders throughout the binational Great Lakes-St. Lawrence region convened for a common purpose: to move the notion of “sustainability” from concept to application. Through plenary sessions, breakout groups, social events and hallway conversations, a philosophy emerged to guide restoration, protection and sustainable use efforts. This philosophy recognizes our responsibility to ensure that future generations have access to a well-managed, quality resource that will meet long term needs for a clean environment, a prosperous economy, and a high quality of life.

Twenty-seven agencies and organizations served as partners, collectively contributing to conference design, conduct, speaker selection, publicity and session summaries. (See appendix for listing.)

Conference outcomes will be of interest to all with a role or responsibility in the restoration, protection and sustainable use of our great resource. In particular, they will be relevant to the many priority setting and strategy development efforts underway at the agency, jurisdictional, regional, national and binational levels at this time.

The Great Lakes Commission, chaired by Lt. Gov. John Cherry (Mich.), is a nonpartisan, binational compact agency established under state and U.S. federal law and dedicated to promoting a strong economy, healthy environment and high quality of life for the Great Lakes-St. Lawrence region and its residents. The Commission consists of governors' appointees, state legislators, and agency officials from its eight member states. Associate membership for Ontario and Québec was established through the signing of a "Declaration of Partnership." The Commission maintains a formal Observer program involving U.S. and Canadian federal agencies, tribal authorities, binational agencies and other regional interests. The Commission offices are located in Ann Arbor, Michigan.