Resolution: Binational Lake St. Clair Management Initiative
Adopted on October 16, 2000

Whereas, Lake St. Clair is a vitally important resource that provides substantial ecological, recreational and commercial benefits to the U.S. and Canada; and

Whereas, Lake St. Clair is heavily used for recreational boating and angling, commercial navigation, drinking water, and many other purposes;

Whereas, the Lake St. Clair watershed includes important fish and wildlife habitat and has been identified as a Biodiversity Investment Area through the State of the Lakes Ecosystem Conference process; and

Whereas, Lake St. Clair has suffered from numerous human-related impacts, including nonpoint source pollution, combined and sanitary sewer overflows, beach closures, shoreline modifications, industrial discharges, contaminated sediments, and exotic species introductions; and

Whereas, continued population growth and development within the Lake St. Clair watershed is resulting in a corresponding increase in the intensity of associated stresses and environmental impacts; and

Whereas, a strong commitment to the restoration and protection of the environmental quality of Lake St. Clair is evidenced by an impressive array of local initiatives such as the Macomb County Water Quality Board, the St. Clair County Blue Water Task Force on Water Quality, and the St. Clair Channel Keeper organization; and

Whereas, Lake St. Clair lacks a unified and comprehensive management structure designed specifically to assess and coordinate binational efforts to protect, restore and enhance the lake and its watershed; and

Whereas, the consensus of the more than 230 participants in the 1999 conference Lake St. Clair: Its Current State and Future Prospects, was to establish a management framework for the lake to elevate its profile, focus attention on lakewide priorities, and leverage resources to address them.

Therefore, Be It Resolved, that the Great Lakes Commission applauds the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, Environment Canada, the Ontario Ministry of the Environment and the Michigan Department of Environmental Quality for their decision to address Lake St. Clair problems within the existing Four Party Agreement encompassing the Lake Huron to Lake Erie corridor; and

Be It Further Resolved, that the Great Lakes Commission endorses the development of a binational Lake St. Clair Management Initiative within the Four Party Agreement to focus attention on, and cultivate local leadership for the Lake St. Clair watershed; and

Be it Finally Resolved, that the Great Lakes Commission will collaborate with its U.S., Canadian and First Nations/tribal partners to establish a Lake St. Clair Management Initiative that has a locally-driven, binational orientation that builds on and strengthens existing activities.

Adopted by the unanimous action of the eight member states of the Great Lakes Commission at the 2000 Annual Meeting, Hamilton, Ontario, October 16, 2000. Contact Commission President/CEO Michael J. Donahue at mdonahue@glc.org for more information.