PRESS RELEASE

December 1, 2007

CONGRESSWOMAN SLAUGHTER RECEIVES 2007 "GREAT LAKER" AWARD

Great Lakes Advocates Call for State and Federal Action to Protect & Restore New york's Water at 2nd Annual Great Lakes Conference

(NIAGARA, NY) –  In recognition for her tireless efforts to protect and restore the Great Lakes, the Healing Our Waters – Great Lakes Coalition honored Congresswoman Louise Slaughter (D-28) with its 2007 “Great Laker” Award. Conservation groups from across the state praised Congresswoman Slaughter for her strong commitment to the Great Lakes at their second annual conference: Protecting New York’s Northern Coast: Stopping Species Invasion & Coastal Degradation. 

The Great Lakes are essential to the economic and cultural identity of our region, and 42 million people depend on the Great Lakes for their drinking water. Congresswoman Slaughter, serving as Co-chair of the Great Lakes Congressional Caucus, has played a key role in advancing policies that will provide increased resources to states and municipalities to improve the water quality and the ecosystem health of the Great Lakes. She has also been a strong voice for implementation of the Great Lakes Regional Collaboration Strategy and instrumental in organizing her counterparts across the basin to support this important restoration blueprint. 

The second annual New York Healing Our Waters conference brought together Great Lakes advocates and conservation organizations from across the state to build support for measures to combat aquatic invasive species introductions and sewage contamination, and rally support for immediate passage of the Great Lakes-St. Lawrence River Basin Water Resources Compact. In addition, local elected officials and civic organizations presented local efforts to protect the Niagara River. 

“Audubon New York applauds Congresswoman Slaughter for her leadership and strong commitment to the protection of the Great Lakes ecosystem,” said Albert E. Caccese, Executive Director of Audubon New York, the state program of the National Audubon Society representing 28 chapters and 50,000 members in New York State alone. “Thanks to her efforts, Congress has begun to pay greater attention to the needs of this amazing resource that contains twenty percent of the world’s freshwater, and we look forward to working with her as she continues to be a champion for the restoration of the Great Lakes.” 

“Congresswoman Slaughter is a true Great Lakes champion,” said Dereth Glance, Executive Program Director of Citizens Campaign for the Environment. “Congresswoman Slaughter’s tireless efforts to protect the drinking water, recreational opportunities, and economic backbone of the Upstate economy benefits all New Yorkers and our nation,” added Glance.

“We thank Congresswoman Slaughter for her tireless efforts on behalf of the Great Lakes and look forward to working with her in the future, especially to advance the Great Lakes Compact when it is introduced in Congress,” said Katherine Nadeau Water & Natural Resources Program Associate with Environmental Advocates of New York. “Until the New York State Legislature passes the Compact and sends it to Congress for ratification, we cannot be sure that we will have any say in how Great Lakes water is managed. The Congresswoman’s demonstrated support on these critical issues has been key in advancing the Great Lakes agenda.”

“We applaud Rep. Slaughter for her leadership and encourage those seeking the White House in 2008 to also stand up for the Great Lakes, our economy and way of life,” said Jeff Skelding, national campaign director for the Healing Our Waters-Great Lakes Coalition. “We’re looking for a president who will not stand by as the health of the Great Lakes deteriorates. Leadership means one thing: fully funding restoration now, because the longer we wait, the problems get worse and more costly.”

The Healing Our Waters-Great Lakes Coalition every year presents Great Laker Awards to citizen, civic, business, and media leaders, as well as public officials, who are exemplary in their pursuit of restoring the health of the Great Lakes and raising awareness about the serious threats to the lakes. Past recipients have included former New York Gov. George Pataki.

As the health of the Great Lakes is seriously threatened by problems such as untreated sewage and invasive species, New York State members of the Healing Our Waters – Great Lakes Coalition host this annual conference to rally participants around the implementation of the Great Lakes Regional Collaboration Strategy. This comprehensive plan calls for the modernization of sewage treatment, the clean-up polluted harbors, restoration of wetlands, and prevention of unwanted, new species from invading the lakes. Each of these steps is essential if the region is to restore the lakes and safeguard our Great Lakes way of life for future generations.  The longer the region waits to address these issues, the more costly the solutions become. 

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Environmental Advocates of New York is the state’s government watchdog, holding lawmakers and agencies accountable for implementing policy that protects natural resources and safeguards public health. Environmental Advocates works alone and in coalitions, and has more than 7,000 individual and 130 organizational members. The 501(c)(3) is also the New York affiliate of the National Wildlife Federation. For more information call 518.462.5526 or visit www.eany.org.