These two, two-page information sheets from the Great Lakes Commission are great sources of information on the Great Lakes Restoration Initiative.
President Obama has requested $475 million for EPA to lead the GLRI.
The Great Lakes Protection Fund (GLPF) funding, that was held for six months due to State budgetary issues, has been released. Through the newly released funding, LOCI staff have begun to lay the groundwork for a successful program.
LOCI was awarded a $100,000 grant from the Great Lakes Protection Fund to continue our work on the Great Lakes area. The LOCI partners, SUNY Brockport, Finger Lakes-Lake Ontario Watershed Protection Alliance (FL-LOWPA), and Center for Environmental Information (CEI) felt, from the time of the grant application, that collaboration with the GLPF would be an ideal arrangement because our goals are so similar. LOCI has a five-year track record of scientific research, broad public outreach to stakeholders including local businesses and government, and effective programs of technical assistance and re-granting to assist in fixing documented problems. Our application to the GLPF proposes carring each of these programs to the next level.
During this year, LOCI will call again on local leaders, organize an annual “Coastal Connections” conference, begin an inventory of nutrient sources, provide up-to-date and pertinent water quality data to various audiences, advocate for federal and state investments in wastewater treatment infrastructure, and work with municipal governments, of the area to identify and solve local water quality-related problems.
