Making Waves
June 5, 2017
In this edition of Making Waves:
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Join us for the 2017 Annual Member Meeting and Conference this June 14 - 16, 2017 in Montreal, Quebec to explore how strategic partnerships advance Great Lakes and St. Lawrence protection and restoration, and benefit municipalities. Confirmed speakers include Deputy Mayor Jarkko Virtanen of Turku, Finland, Mayor Frank Klipsch of Davenport, Iowa, Mr. Frank Ettawageshik of the United Tribes of Michigan, and Dr. Pierre B é land, researcher and writer.  Panel discussions will cover Indigenous-municipal partnerships to advance water management, city to city partnerships to encourage municipal leadership, an exploration into public private partnerships, intergovernmental collaboration to protect water resources, and strategic partnerships to advance action on climate change. To register, visit 
Nicolet
U.S. Federal Budget Update
President Donald Trump released his proposed fiscal year 2018 federal budget, which eliminated the $300 Million Great Lakes Restoration Initiative (GLRI), critical federal investment in on-the-ground restoration work, and deeply cut the budgets of federal agencies with oversight of Great Lakes management, like the US EPA.  The Cities Initiative is reaching out to the bipartisan Great Lakes Taskforce and Congressional appropriators to encourage continued investment in GLRI.  We are also planning a special session at our 2017 Annual Meeting in Montreal on June 15, 2017 to highlight the positive results of GLRI investment in a few of our member municipalities.  

GI
Green Infrastructure Grants Available for Small Communities
The Great Lakes Commission (GLC) is pleased to announce the request for proposals (RFP) for the Great Lakes Emerging Champions Mini-Grant Program. The Mini-Grant Program will provide funding to help small and medium sized communities improve water quality, manage stormwater, and enhance community well-being. Grants of up to $20,000 USD will support green infrastructure (GI) implementation in U.S. or Canadian municipalities with fewer than 500,000 people. Eligible projects include GI pilot installations, removing institutional or policy barriers, educational programming, developing partnerships with other agencies, or community GI planning efforts. For more information and to apply, click here. Informational webinars will take place on June 13 and July 10.


EarlyBird
Helping Great Lakes Communities Plan for Changing Water Levels and Increased Storminess
A multi-disciplinary team of researchers from the University of Michigan, Michigan Technological University, and Land Information Access Association, in collaboration with several of Michigan's Great Lakes coastal communities, has developed a range of scenario-based planning methods to help Great Lakes coastal communities make more prudent land use management decisions for their coastal shorelands in the face of unpredictably fluctuating water levels and increasing storminess.  While the Great Lake are not tidal, their water levels fluctuate over long periods of time, posing unique challenges for land use planning.  The Resilient Great Lakes Coast approach provides municipalities with scenarios of various water levels and storminess along with risks and benefits of development, as well as corresponding management options.  To learn more, visit  http://resilientgreatlakescoast.org/ .  

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US Great Lakes Research Institute Funded
The University of Michigan has been awarded a five-year, $20 million grant from the federal government to form a research institute focused on sustainable management of the Great Lakes.  The Cooperative Institute for Great Lakes Research, which will be hosted by the University of Michigan and funded by the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, represents a partnership between nine universities across the Great Lakes region, as well as multiple nongovernmental organizations and private businesses.  The Institute will research topics including weather and climate, invasive species, harmful algal blooms, and protection of ecosystem services.  The Institute is one of 16 NOAA Cooperative Institutes across the country, involving 42 universities and research institutions in 23 states and the District of Columbia.  The research program includes private-sector partnerships with environmental consulting firms, technology development companies, Great Lakes industries and nongovernmental organizations that will help accelerate the transition of scientific research into applications. To learn more, visit  https://ciglr.seas.umich.edu/ .  

eventswebinars
Events & Webinars
Great Lakes & St. Lawrence Cities Initaitive 2017 Annual Meeting & Conference
Join Cities Initiative in Montreal for the 2017 Annual Meeting and Conference in Motnreal, Quebec to explore the role of strategic partnerships in local environmental management. 


June 14-16, 2017
Montreal, QC
Click here for more information and to register.
Crude Move Symposium Oil Transportation Infrastructure, Economics, Risk, Hazards and Lessons Learned
Hosted by the Sea Grant Network, Great Lakes Commission and International Joint Commission, a meeting on the complexity of crude oil movement in the Great Lakes-St. Lawrence River Basin and other critical northern watersheds.



June 8-9, 2017
Cleveland, OH
Click here for information and to register.

Reminders
Reminders
LAST CHANCE: Register for the Annual Meeting
Registration is now open for the Cities Initiative 2017 Annual Meeting, to be held June 14-16, 2017 in Montréal, Québec.  Please visit our website  to register and for more information. 
All Hands on Deck
Join the movement to raise awareness for the Great Lakes.  All Hands on Deck, a citizen, grassroots effort, will take place on July 3 at 10am EDT, at shorelines in every community around the lakes, on land and in the water.  People will link hands on the beach and link boats on the water along the shorelines of the Great Lakes in every state and in Canada.  To learn more, please click here.

Membership 
Please join the 130 Great Lakes and St. Lawrence Cities Initiative members in protecting and restoring the Great Lakes and St. Lawrence River by clicking here for a membership application. If you are already a member, please encourage your neighboring communities to join, and be sure to renew your membership when you receive your notice.  

If your municipality would like to share news with the Cities Initiative, please email information to Melissa Soline at melissa.soline@glslcities.org