The Nature Conservancy in Wisconsin Praises State Senate for Bipartisan Approval of the Great Lakes Compact

Agreement Will Protect the Region’s Ecology, Economy and Quality of Life

MADISON, Wis.—March 7, 2008—The Nature Conservancy applauded the Wisconsin State Senate today for its endorsement of the Great Lakes Compact. If ratified by all Great Lakes states and Congress, the Compact will help conserve water quantity and preserve water quality by ensuring long-term protection and management of Great Lakes water.

“The Great Lakes are an exceptional natural resource,” said Mary Jean Huston, director of The Nature Conservancy in Wisconsin. “They hold 95 percent of North America’s freshwater, providing drinking water to 26 million people in the U.S. and Canada. They’re also home to one-fifth of all fish species found on the continent.

The Nature Conservancy served as an advisor to governors of Great Lakes states as a member of the Water Management Working Group during the creation of the Compact. The Nature Conservancy focused on the conservation of biodiversity in watersheds within the Great Lakes Basin.

“Because they are interconnected, what happens in Lake Ontario, Lake Erie, or Lake Huron affects Lake Superior and Lake Michigan,” said Huston. “That’s why we’re so pleased that the Wisconsin Senate has approved the Compact. It shows that our elected officials understand that consistent rules applied throughout the Great Lakes will protect our drinking water, keep our beaches clean and grow our economy.”

The Compact passed with overwhelming support from Senators across the state with a vote of 26-6. The Compact now requires passage in the State Assembly before it reaches the Governor’s desk for final approval. To date, the Compact has been approved in three of the eight Great Lakes states.

The Nature Conservancy is the leading conservation organization working to protect the most ecologically important lands and waters around the world for nature and people. In Wisconsin, the Conservancy has helped conserve more than 140,000 acres since 1960. The Conservancy has more than 21,000 members in Wisconsin and offices in Madison, Baraboo, East Troy, Minocqua and Sturgeon Bay. Nationally and internationally, the Conservancy and its more than one million members have been responsible for the protection of more than 15 million acres in the United States and have helped preserve more than 102 million acres in Latin America, the Caribbean, Asia and the Pacific. On the Web at nature.org/wisconsin.