On 18 May 04, President Bush signed Executive Order (EO) 13340. The EO established the Great Lakes Interagency Task Force, composed of Secretaries from the Departments of State, Army, Agriculture, Commerce, HUD, Homeland Security, Interior, Transportation, the ministrator of the EPA and the Chairman of the Council on Environmental Quality.

In March 2006 Mr. John P. Woodley, Jr., the Assistant Secretary of the Army for Civil Works announced the selection of the Great Lakes Habitat Initiative as the largest of five projects to be funded for analyses of complex water resources issues within large, multijurdictional watersheds. The Great Lakes Habitat Initiative is a 2-year, $1 million project will develop an implementation plan for the protection and restoration of wetlands and aquatic habitat that builds upon the recommendations of the Strategy of the Great Lakes Regional Collaboration.

Great Lakes Regional Collaboration

Over 1,500 people from eight states participated in a one-year effort that culminated on December 12, 2005 with the release of the Strategy for the Protection and Restoration of the Great Lakes. Representing state, local tribal and federal agencies, along with industry, business, and civic groups, these stakeholders joined to form the Great Lakes Regional Collaboration. This Collaboration developed a Strategy that focused on eight priority issues identified by the Great Lakes Governors and Mayors.

Purpose of the Great Lakes Habitat Initiative

This Initiative will identify site-specific actions that can be implemented under existing funding programs to protect and restore wetlands and aquatic habitat in the Great Lakes region. This project will bridge the gap between the regional needs identified in the Strategy of the Regional Collaboration and the programs that provide funding for “on-theground” actions.

Products

The GLHI is developing four main products to support identification and implementation of high-value habitat projects in the region including: Funding Program Database, Project Database, Project Attribute Lexicon, and an Implementation Plan.

• The Funding Program Database provides a compilation of information about existing funding programs. This includes program requirements and recent funding history that may be used to plan, design, construct, and manage site-specific projects or actions to protect and restore wetlands and aquatic habitat in the Great Lakes region.
  
  
• The Project Database is an inventory of place-based projects to protect and restore coastal wetlands and aquatic habitat in the Great Lakes that have been proposed for funding, but not yet implemented. The database currently has 188 project entries and is an active repository of project information where new projects can be entered or project updates can be made. Projects entered in the database by June 30, 2007 will be included for consideration in the GLHI Implementation Plan; however, ongoing submissions are highly encouraged to assist Federal agencies in assessing the regions habitat protection and restoration needs on a continuing basis.
  
  
• The Project Attribute Lexicon is an analysis of performance metrics that will be used to compare projects and features based on their ecological, social, and economic value or benefits. The value and benefits support the organizational criteria of the Great Lakes Regional Collaboration Strategy and are criteria that organizations commonly use to design projects and prioritize investments.
  
  
• Lastly, the Implementation Plan will include an analysis of potential projects, consideration of performance metrics, and cross linkages to suitable funding programs. The Implementation Plan will also identify how the project supports the Great Lakes Regional Collaboration Strategy, Federal funding requirements (if any), acres of wetlands restored or protected, and the phase of the project (conceptual, planning, design, construction).
  

Project Identification Goals

Identify high quality, site-specific projects for habitat protection and restoration that are able to be implemented through existing governmental and nongovernmental funding programs. Include several projects identified by GLHI in USACE Budget Request for FY2009 and FY2010.

Project Database Description

Please click on the link to add your project (s) to the Great Lakes Habitat database. This is your opportunity to provide the GLRC and GLHI project team with information on your project.

When complete, this database provides the GLHI with information on site-specific actions that can be implemented under existing funding authorities to protect and restore wetlands and aquatic habitat in the Great Lakes Region. The information collected in this database will be shared and used by numerous collaboration and project partners. This is your opportunity to highlight your efforts in supporting the goals of the Great Lakes Regional Collaboration.

Additional information regarding the project database is available in the FAQs.

Partners

The Corps of Engineers has invited senior managers from eleven agencies and organizations representing federal, state, tribal, and city governments and nongovernmental organizations to participate on the Steering Committee for this Initiative.

These agencies and organizations have also been invited to participate on the project delivery team responsible for execution of the project. This Initiative will be coordinated with other members and observers of the Regional Collaboration through periodic briefings at meetings of existing Great Lakes regional organizations.

GLHI project partners include:

• USEPA, Great Lakes National Program Office

• USGS, U.S. Department of the Interior

• Great Lakes and St. Lawrence Cities Initiative

• Ducks Unlimited, Inc.

• Council of Great Lakes Governors

• Wisconsin Department of Natural Resources

• Great Lakes Commission

• Great Lakes Fishery Commission

• The Nature Conservancy

• U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, Great Lakes and Ohio River Division

• U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, Buffalo District

• U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, Chicago District

• U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, Detroit District

• Great Lakes Indian Fish and Wildlife Commission

• U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service

• Natural Resources Conservation Service
  

Upcoming Events

TBD

Links

Great Lakes Regional Collaboration

Great lakes Interagency Task Force

Documents for Download

Poster | Project Fact Sheet | Charter | Brochure | Project Management Plan | FAQs | Congressional Staffer Briefing | GLHI Final Report (9/5/08)

USACE Project Fact Sheets and Maps