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Great Lakes Restoration Gets the Attention of CongressThe Nature Conservancy supports concern for protecting the Great Lakes Ecoregion CHICAGO, IL — The Nature Conservancy is encouraged by ongoing Congressional interest in a comprehensive and coordinated restoration of the Great Lakes watershed -- reinforcing the knowledge that the lakes are key to the health of United States (U.S.) and Canadian populations and to economic growth. "We appreciate and support the interest that Congressional leaders are taking in protecting this valuable natural resource. The Great Lakes are a resource for millions of people and are critical to the economic and ecological sustainability of the Great Lakes states, the region, and the two countries," said John Andersen, director of the Conservancy's Great Lakes Program. The Conservancy is a science-based conservation organization that directs its work using ecoregion plans, plans that identify priority areas. "We will need to have a coordinated plan, which incorporates mutually acceptable priorities, to restore the natural systems that support these lakes and the entire ecosystem. Public support will be essential for success," Andersen said. Ongoing threats to the Great Lakes watershed come from extensive urban development, invasive species, altered water flows, and incompatible agricultural uses. The Great Lakes hold one-fifth of the world's fresh surface water and provides drinking water to 40 million people in the U.S. and Canada. A successful Great Lakes restoration program would need to address key issues such as protecting the river corridors of major tributaries, coastal wetland restoration, control and prevention of aquatic invasive species, and a plan for future sustainable water use. “Working together and sharing valuable resources and knowledge will help us to protect our natural resources. It’s the region’s natural biodiversity that forms the foundation of our ecology and our economy,” Andersen said. In Illinois, the key issue that needs to be addressed is the exchange of species, especially invasive species, between the Great Lakes watershed and the Illinois River watershed. Additional shared concerns include the loss and fragmentation of habitat, and the impaired water quality involving sedimentation that results from incompatible agricultural practices and extensive development, according to Bruce Boyd, state director of The Nature Conservancy in Illinois. “The health of the Great Lakes watershed impacts the health of our rivers, our water sources, our cities, our businesses, and our quality of life in these Great Lakes states,” Boyd said. “The threats that impact the Great Lakes watershed impacts the rest of Illinois through our rivers.” Boyd thanked U.S. Senator Dick Durbin, and Representatives Rahm Emanuel and Mark Kirk for their continued support of conservation efforts on behalf of the Great Lakes and the State of Illinois. Durbin is a co-sponsor of bi-partisan legislation introduced Monday in the Senate that would authorize the spending of $6 billion over ten years in the eight Great Lakes states. The bill includes an Advisory Board that names The Nature Conservancy as an Observer, one of eight representatives of environmental organizations. Emanuel and Kirk introduced bi-partisan legislation Monday in the House that would authorize $4 billion over five years in Great Lakes states and includes plans for a multi-stakeholder Advisory Board “The Congressional leaders from Illinois have a history of understanding the importance and complexity of conservation and environmental issues, including the benefits that a healthy environment brings to the people and economics of the state of Illinois,” Boyd said.
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