The Conservancy Praises State Senate and Assembly for Bipartisan Approval of the Great Lakes Compact

Agreement Will Protect the Region’s Ecology, Economy and Quality of Life

MADISON, Wis. — May 15, 2008 — The Nature Conservancy applauded the Wisconsin State Senate and Assembly today for their endorsement of the Great Lakes Compact. If ratified by all Great Lakes states and Congress, the Compact will help conserve water quantity and preserve water quality by ensuring long-term protection and management of Great Lakes water.

“The Nature Conservancy is pleased that Wisconsin’s lawmakers have joined other states in approving the Great Lakes Compact,” said Mary Jean Huston, State Director for the Conservancy in Wisconsin. “This agreement shows that our Governor and a bipartisan majority of our elected officials understand that consistent rules and land conservation tools applied throughout the Great Lakes will protect our drinking water, keep our beaches clean, conserve important habitat and provide exceptional outdoor opportunities.”

The Great Lakes Compact passed both houses on Wednesday, the State Senate with a 32-1 vote, and was approved by the State Assembly 96-1.

“Lasting conservation of this globally significant region will only be achieved by working with everyone that has a stake in the long-term ecological health of the Great Lakes. No single entity, whether governmental or private, can achieve conservation success alone in the region,” said Huston.

The Compact now requires the Governor’s signature for final approval. To date, the Compact has been approved in five of the eight Great Lakes states.

The Nature Conservancy is a leading conservation organization working around the world to protect ecologically important lands and waters for nature and people. In Wisconsin, the Conservancy has helped conserve more than 140,000 acres since 1960. The Conservancy has more than 21,000 members in Wisconsin and offices in Madison, Baraboo, East Troy, Minocqua and Sturgeon Bay. To date, the Conservancy and its more than one million members have been responsible for the protection of more than 15 million acres in the United States and have helped preserve more than 102 million acres in Latin America, the Caribbean, Asia and the Pacific. Visit The Nature Conservancy on the Web at nature.org/wisconsin.