The purpose for the meeting was to assist federal, state, tribal and non-governmental agencies to refine their management of the domestic Lake Huron watershed. The U.S. EPA and Environment Canada recently initiated an effort to develop a binational process to address basin-wide environmental issues in Lake Huron. To guide the development of the Lake Huron Binational Partnership, and to ensure that domestic responsibilities are met, agencies working in the Lake Huron watershed need to better understand each other's on-going activities, coordinate actions where possible and set joint priorities for future action.

Hill made a presentation during the meeting explaining the activities of the Alpena FRO relative to Lake Huron. The meeting was attended by 45 people representing the following organizations: USGS Great Lakes Science Center, NOAA Great Lakes Research Laboratory, U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, Chippewa Ottawa Resource Authority, Michigan DNR, Huron Pines RC and D, Michigan Department of Agriculture, Great Lakes Fishery Commission, Michigan Department of Environmental Quality, Northeast Michigan Counsel of Governments and Ducks Unlimited.

Partnerships are essential for effective fisheries conservation. Participation in this meeting was critically important to the Service and its Fisheries Vision for the Future, and to the collaborative management of fish and wildlife resources. Meetings such as this are extremely beneficial for maintaining effective partnership between the listed agencies.