The Great Lakes are the heart of our community. They don't just sustain the ecosystems we all rely on for life, they define this part of the world and make it special. Therefore, it's natural that we're invested in their future. So, if you're interested in learning more about this place we all call home, you've come to the right place.
Healing Our Waters Gary Wilson (Chicago, Illinois)
The Healing Our Waters (HOW) coalition’s 4th annual conference is in Milwaukee this week. HOW is the collaboration of groups formed to work for the $20 billion Great Lakes Restoration package that has been floating since the presidential election in 2004.
The $20 billion turned out to be an illusion and in fact, federal budgets for the Lakes have been cut. HOW worked with the politicos for its first two years hoping that Washington would come through with at least a $300 million down payment. But it didn’t and in 2006 the coalition finally realized that nothing was going to happen until a new administration arrives in Washington.
Jeff Skelding, HOW Campaign Director, says the conference theme will be working with the next President.
“The goal of the HOW conference is to set the stage for the next President to stand up for the Great Lakes and fully fund $20 billion over five years to restore the Lakes. Every day we wait the problems get worse and more costly,” says Skelding.
HOW is comprised of 100 organizations led by the National Wildlife Federation followed by its close relative, the Alliance for the Great Lakes.
As an individual, I have attended every HOW conference and have found them to be informative. I leave with hope (but not necessarily optimism) and feel energized. This coalition works tirelessly for the Great Lakes and despite minimal results to date, it shows no signs of slowing down.
Politically Connected
A cornerstone of its work has been cultivating relationships with politicians – legislators, mayors, and governors – difficult but necessary work. Good political relationships exist but most of the results relate to legislators putting out a lot of spin at press conferences. HOW seems to be in this for the long term though and that’s what it takes when dealing with government officials.
HOW does a good job of “managing up” and appears to be quite aligned with the political establishment...
...But What About Citizens
While my opinion of the conference culture isn’t terribly important, I many times feel like an outsider and I’ve talked with others who felt the same way. Officially, the event is open to anyone who wants to attend. The reality though is that it feels like an insider’s game.
Re: Healing Our Waters Change - but not in Washington . . . Jeffrey Potter (Madison, WI)
Gary, thanks for this thoughtful, personal post.
I share your concern about how things are going in the Great Lakes community. While the enviromental movement started as a grassroots "not in my community" effort, the past few decades have seen leadership in the movement emphasize a typical Washington DC-based strategy.
While these tactics have led to some success on other issues, the record on the Great Lakes is not particularly inspiring. Social movements in the U.S. have come full circle since populism of the 1960's. While "feet on the ground" protests still carry some merit, the new populism is Web and cell-phone based. Local activism has become increasingly sophisticated through the use of technology - the Obama campaign has demonstrated this.
Until the environmental and Great Lakes movements embrace the "local" and have a balanced strategy that invests significant dollars at the community level (as well as in Washington DC) things aren't likely to change. Regardless of how you feel about the candidate, isn't that the "Obama" message? Change starts at home - not in Washington.
05:52 am 09/08/2008
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Note: The opinions expressed in the Great Lakes Town Hall are those of Town Hall participants and do not necessarily reflect the positions of Biodiversity Project or any participant's institution.
The Great Lakes are the heart of our community. They don't just sustain the ecosystems we all rely on for life, they define this part of the world and make it special. Therefore, it's natural that we're invested in their future. So, if you're interested in learning more about this place we all call home, you've come to the right place.
