Thunder Bay, Duluth, Milwaukee, Chicago, Detroit, Toledo, Cleveland, Buffalo, Toronto, Rochester!

Great cities that border on the Great Lakes.

These cities benefit from their proximity to the Lakes and conversely, have a tremendous impact on the bodies of water they border.

As water continues to be a major story while we move well into the 21st century, which city will lead the way by putting a spotlight on water issues and by taking action with good management practices?

It may be too soon to tell but how about Milwaukee?

That's right, the beer capital and home of Harley-Davidson is doing more than carving out a niche, it's threatening to be the regional leader.

Here's what I mean.

At President Obama's request, Congress seems about to put somewhere between $400 and $475 million into Great Lakes restoration for the year beginning October 1. If it happens, it will be a monumental increase in the federal commitment to the Lakes, a signal of hope for our freshwaters, and a triumph for a president from a Great Lakes state.

So what are the eight Great Lakes states doing to boost their own spending on the Great Lakes to demonstrate their commitment?  It's not clear -- but it's time for them to step up and say what they will, or won't do.

Last week brought the conclusion to the fifth annual Great Lakes Forever photography contest. This program, sponsored by Budweiser, has been tremendously successful and is growing more popular every year. In two categories, professional and amateur, this year we almost tripled the number of participants: 224 photographers in total submitted over 550 photographs.

Why is it that the concept of the public many times connotes something negative or, less than?

Here's what I mean.

Chicago is a city with reasonable public transportation and I use it often. But many times when you tell people that you get a certain look that says, oh, don't you have a car?  Or, as I was once told, the only thing wrong with public transportation is that it's used by the public.

In an attempt to mimic roughly Twitter's 140-character post limit, I offer a few thoughts on current Great Lakes matters:

* It's too bad a bill (thanks, State Rep. Dan Scripps) affirming that the waters of the Great Lakes and tributaries are public is even necessary in Michigan. Will any other Lakes states see similar bills?

* Best wishes to attendees at this week's HOW conference in Duluth. It's my hope some original, slightly dissonant citizen voices are heard, enriching the debate.

Great Lakes art has been on my mind a lot since I started work on the Town Hall. I've watched and reviewed two films on the Lakes and talked with several fiction writers and poets whose work is inspired by the Lakes. And for the past three months I've managed the Great Lakes Forever photo contest. As the staff in our office sorted through hundreds of beautiful shots of the Lakes, I thought about how important and powerful art can be as a tool for conservation.