Great Lakes Commission News Briefs
A summary of issues, activities and events
at the Great Lakes Commission 		August 23, 2012

Register by Sept. 7 for GLC Annual Meeting in Cleveland
Registrations are now being accepted online for the Great Lakes Commission 2012 Annual Meeting to be held Sept. 10-11 at the Renaissance Cleveland Hotel. This year’s meeting will again kick off Great Lakes Week and will feature a special joint session with the International Joint Commission (IJC) focused on nutrient loading and harmful algal blooms in the western Lake Erie basin. The full agenda and registration details can be accessed at www.glc.org/meeting.

Special note on lodging for meeting attendees: The Great Lakes Commission room block at the Renaissance Cleveland Hotel has been filled. The following are nearby hotels which may have availability. These hotels are all within a few blocks of the Renaissance Cleveland Hotel.

  • Hyatt at the Arcade, 420 E. Superior, 216-575-1234
  • Cleveland Marriott Downtown, 127 Public Square, 216-696-9200
  • Ritz Carlton, 1515 W. Third St., 216-623-1300
  • Holiday Inn Express, 629 Euclid Ave., 216-443-1000

Further information on Great Lakes Week events can be found at www.glweek.org.

Next phase of Chicago waterways ecological separation project
The Commission and the Great Lakes and St. Lawrence Cities Initiative have launched the next phase of their project to advance separation of the Great Lakes and Mississippi River watersheds in the Chicago area to prevent the movement of Asian carp and other aquatic invasive species (AIS). The first phase, summarized in the report Restoring the Natural Divide (see www.glc.org/caws), identified three options for separating the two watersheds while maintaining the Chicago waterway system’s uses for flood management, wastewater treatment and maritime transportation. The next phase will investigate potential interim measures to prevent the movement of Asian carp and other AIS into the Great Lakes while a permanent separation option is developed and implemented. The project will also develop a strategy for funding separation and further define the economic benefits from modernizing the Chicago area waterway system and re-establishing the natural divide between the Great Lakes and Mississippi River watersheds.

Contact: Tim Eder, 734-971-9135, teder@glc.org.


PA DEP Secretary Krancer to address Great Lakes Wind Collaborative
The Great Lakes Wind Collaborative will hold its 5th Annual Meeting Sept. 25 and 26 in Erie, Pa. Pennsylvania Department of Environmental Protection Secretary Michael Krancer will provide a keynote address on the morning of the 25th. Key topics on this year’s program include regional wind economy and supply chain, including release of a new study looking at the jobs and economic development potential of offshore wind in the Great Lakes; and an update on implementation of the federal State Memorandum of Understanding for offshore wind in the Great Lakes that was signed earlier this year. The meeting will also include sessions that address current political, economic, and technology forces shaping the U.S. wind industry; latest wind developments related to wildlife, birds and fisheries; and new collaborations in regional GIS mapping of Great Lakes offshore winds. To register for the meeting, visit www.glc.org/energy/wind/conf2012.html. The Great Lakes Offshore Wind Energy Consortium, established under the federal-state offshore wind MOU, is scheduled to meet Sept. 24, the day before the GLWC Annual Meeting.

Contact: Victoria Pebbles, 734-971-9135, vpebbles@glc.org.


Michigan Tech opens new Great Lakes Research Center
On Aug. 2, Commissioner Patty Birkholz (MI) and GLC Communications Director Christine Manninen participated in the official dedication of the Great Lakes Research Center at Michigan Technological University in Houghton. The three-story, 50,000-square-foot center has three distinct areas: a boathouse for the university’s three research vessels and environmental monitoring buoy network, a complex of research laboratories, and a public area that includes conference facilities and space for K-12 education. Seventy-four percent of the funding for the $25.3 million facility was provided by the State of Michigan, with the remaining 26 percent, or $6.6 million, provided by donors and the university. An ideal space for scientists studying freshwater systems, the center will be co-directed by Guy Meadows, director of Great Lakes initiatives, and Mike Abbott, director of operations. For more information, visit greatlakes.mtu.edu


Upcoming Events


Great Lakes Commission
2805 S. Industrial Hwy, Suite 100   Ann Arbor, MI 48104-6791   734-971-9135   www.glc.org
A News Briefs archive can be found at www.glc.org/email/archive