There are many well-intentioned programs, both public and private, that address some aspect of cleaning up the Lake Ontario shoreline. LOCI believes that New York State needs an over-arching program to harness the collective capability of these programs. From the Action Agenda, we propose that this program, outlined below, focus on four issues. This effort is critical to the economic and environmental revitalization of the Lake Ontario Basin.
1. Education and Awareness will promote better understanding and appreciation of the issues facing the Lake Ontario Basin in order to encourage greater public participation, individual responsibility, and action for protecting these resources.
2. Capability Building is geared towards providing local communities with understanding and technical assistance to allow them to document their individual community contributions to water quality impairment and how to fix it.
3. Research must be conducted to better understand the extent and nature of the impairments to ensure remediation is done cost-effectively.
4. Implementation of selected, cost-effective capital projects and best management practices is the final step.