I scour the Internet for news and information about the Great Lakes to pass on to my readers, and it's very rare to come across a major article in the national press that treats our region in depth and with the respect it deserves. So I was delighted to find this article in USA Today: Great Lakes see a future beyond industry.
The article looks at the economic and environmental challenges facing the Great Lakes region, using the city of Waukegon, Illinois, as a case study. It touches base on many of the issues I've addressed in this blog, including the BP controversy, the role of Great Lakes shipping in spreading invasive species, development of the Denison property in Saugatuck, Michigan, the recent Water Resources Development Act, and adoption of the Great Lakes Compact.
Most importantly, the article gives national exposure to our regional concerns:
People who love the Great Lakes complain that they are the nation's neglected treasure, ignored in Congress and overshadowed by the East and West coasts. The Florida Everglades, for example, are a sensitive subject in the region.
"The Everglades are a wonderful place, but it's a minor ecosystem compared to the Great Lakes," says Wisconsin Gov. Jim Doyle. "Yet the federal government stepped in to help the state of Florida. The Great Lakes need the same kind of national attention."