Bob Kavetsky (East Lansing Field Office) participated in the Joint Conference sessions of the State of Lake Michigan, Lake Michigan Monitoring Coordinating Council, International Joint Commision Water Quality Agreement Review and Lake Michigan Lakewide Management Plan Technical Coordinating Committee November 1-3, 2005 at Green Bay, Wis. 

The Coastal Program-Great Lakes was the topic of his oral presentations to a large proportion of the 250 attendees at this Conference.   Numerous audience members were updated by the presentations and took application information. Many are expected to apply to become partners in the Coastal Program-Great Lakes. 

The Conference Program and abstracts are available at: www.aqua.wisc.edu/solm . With its non-regulatory partnership approach, the Coastal Program-Great Lakes has played a key role in funding 100 projects in its first six years, which were associated with coastal habitats of Lake Superior, Lake Michigan, Lake Huron, the Detroit River, Lake Erie, Lake Ontario and the St. Lawrence River. 

These Cooperative Projects have benefited coastal ecosystems by conserving fish, wildlife, plants, and their habitats in coastal lands, including islands, and waters; restored or protected more than 2,764 acres of coastal fish and wildlife habitat; restored or enhanced approximately 100 miles of riparian and instream habitat; removed six fish passage barriers in Great Lakes tributaries, as well as numerous other coastal-related projects.

We welcome applications until January 31, 2006 for this grant cycle and application information is available at: www.fws.gov/midwest/greatlakes/Apply.htm .