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The Nature Conservancy Applauds Congress Passing the Great Lakes-St. Lawrence Compact

Regional agreement passes through Congress, President to sign next

LANSING, MICHIGAN — September 23, 2008 — With the Senate’s unanimous approval of the Great Lakes-St. Lawrence Compact (S.J. Res. 45) in early August and President Bush indicating his intended support of the measure, the House today passed its version of the bill (H.R. 6577) to enact this historic agreement that will provide better protection of the world’s largest freshwater ecosystem, the Great Lakes.

 

Bete Grise on Lake Superior

Bete Grise on the Keweenaw is just one site that will be protected by the Compact.
Photo © Ron Leonetti

“Passing the Great Lakes Compact will ensure that future generations must take a balanced approach to utilizing the waters of the basin,” said Helen Taylor, state director in Michigan for The Nature Conservancy. “The Compact requires the states to adopt water conservation and management programs that will take into consideration the needs of both human and natural communities.”

The Nature Conservancy recently convened its first-ever meeting of scientists, business leaders and conservationists from around the Great Lakes basin to support and commit to its 10-Year Vision for the Great Lakes. At the close of the conference, more than 260 people promised “to assure a healthy and resilient Great Lakes ecosystem where the connection between natural systems and the quality of human life is understood and valued,” according to “A Pledge of Action, Collaboration and Support” signed at the gathering.

The organization intends to work towards this goal by protecting a network of 1 million acres of natural areas, 20 priority watersheds and 15 coastal areas within the Great Lakes basin, thereby making the Great Lakes one of the best-managed ecosystems in the world and a model for other large lakes of the world.

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The Nature Conservancy is a leading conservation organization working around the world to protect ecologically important lands and waters for nature and people. The Conservancy and its more than 1 million members have protected nearly 120 million acres worldwide. Visit The Nature Conservancy on the Web at www.nature.org.