A Strategic Plan for the Great Lakes Commission

Resource Management and Environmental Quality programs
Note: Since the creation of this document, the Resource Management and Environmental Quality program has been split into the seperate Resource Management and Environmental Quality programs.

Our goal: To promote the informed use, management and protection of the water, land, air, and related natural resources of the Great Lakes-St. Lawrence system.

Objective #1 of 6
Interjurisdictional coordination and consistency in the development and implementation of laws, programs, and policies addressing resource management and environmental protection issues.

• Provide a forum by which member jurisdictions can jointly identify and address resource management and environmental needs in a consistent and coordinated manner.
  
• Assist members in meeting their respective commitments under systemwide agreements, programs, and policies.


• Initiate or otherwise support programs and projects that feature a multijurisdictional ecosystem approach to resource management and environmental protection issues.


• Provide leadership in the development of multijurisdictional treaties, compacts, agreements, or other mechanisms that emphasize a systemwide approach to resource management and environmental protection.


• Participate in cooperative agreements with federal, state, provincial and regional agencies working on resource management and environmental protection projects.

Objective #2 of 6
The provision of scientific, technical and policy advice to member jurisdictions and the larger Great Lakes-St. Lawrence community on issues of common interest.

• Collect, analyze and interpret baseline data and information on natural resources and environmental conditions for use by Great Lakes-St. Lawrence researchers, managers, and policymakers.


• Conduct scientific and policy studies yielding application-oriented findings and recommendations.


• Establish and maintain procedures for multijurisdictional deliberation and decisionmaking on issues of water quantity and quality, land use, air quality, and related matters.


• Promote science-based decisionmaking through strong, federally funded research programs; better linkages between the science, policy, and management communities; the application of research results; and periodic assessment of research needs.

Objective #3 of 6
The informed use, management, and protection of the water resources of the Great Lakes-St. Lawrence basin through state and provincial leadership.

• Maintain and enhance a regional water use database to provide policymakers and managers with accurate and comprehensive data and information on water withdrawals, diversions and consumptive uses in the Great Lakes-St. Lawrence basin.


• Promote the development and operation of a water resources decision support system that provides a scientifically sound and legally defensible mechanism for water quantity management decisions with state and provincial leadership.

Objective #4 of 6
The improvement and protection of Great Lakes-St. Lawrence water quality through programs and projects that address multiple pollutant sources and pathways.

• Improve water quality and encourage responsible land-use practices by administering demonstration and technical assistance grants and initiating information/education activities that address soil erosion and sedimentation.


• Protect the Great Lakes-St. Lawrence system from oil and hazardous materials spills by supporting prevention and response planning initiatives.


• Advance cleanup efforts in the Great Lakes-St. Lawrence system by providing technical, communication, and coordination support to the Areas of Concern (AOCs)and Lakewide Management Plan (LaMPs) programs.

Objective #5 of 6
Healthy aquatic ecosystems where new introductions of nonindigenous aquatic nuisance species are prevented and adverse ecological and economic impacts of species already present are minimized.

• Promote application-oriented research in the areas of biology and life history, control and mitigation of ecosystem effects, prevention of introductions, socioeconomic considerations and analysis, and spread of aquatic nuisance species populations.


• Develop, implement, and/or promote environmentally responsible and economically sound laws, policies, programs, and practices that address biological pollution by preventing the introduction and limiting the spread of such species.


• Ensure an effective, systemwide approach to prevention and control through interjurisdictional coordination and consistency.

Objective #6 of 6
A well-informed and active public that contributes to the timely development and aggressive implementation of sound resource management and environmental protection programs.

• Develop and implement information/education strategies to promote awareness of, and a response to, issue-specific problems and needs.


• Promote local, watershed-based solutions to systemwide issues (e.g., nonpoint source pollution, water conservation and land-use planning).