The Great Lakes: Freshwater Future

Freshwater Future:


One of the biggest programs and networking organizations out there right now for the Great Lakes is called Freshwater Future. This group is very valuable to the region mainly because of the fact that they neither require or have any higher entity to consult or follow. Their main focus is on gathering people within communities across the Midwest & Great Lakes area so they can address pollution as well as conservation issues at the local levels. In some ways, The Freshwater Future network prefers to operate in a "bottom up" sort of way. After looking into their Mission and Vision statements on their website, FF (Freshwater Future) likes to promote the healthy future of our freshwater supply by the ways of state and local levels. Whether this is having FF's members at local community meetings or state hearings, members have the ability to effectively advocate their environmental positions. Gaining partnerships and opinions from many different types of communities and neighborhoods on conservation ideas is something FF thrives on. 
Freshwater Future is the only watershed-wide organization, which makes them extremely well-known across the region to freshwater advocates. Through over $2 million in grants, they have helped support dozens of projects since 1996. In a sense, I would say that FF does reward lots of voluntary action because that's what much of their work is. They can reach down to many local and community levels where bigger and more national actors cannot.

Just some of the awareness and activities that are being spread to local communities include:

-The Great Lakes Community Climate Program: This really focuses tremendously on how to incorporate climate adaptation into the work that one is already doing to properly sustain the water resources. The supporters of this initiative believe that no matter what we do to reduce greenhouse gases, it cannot be fixed in the short term. More about strategies than anything else. This according to the Freshwater Future website as well.
-Asian Carp of the IL area: This Asian Carp have been a huge problem ever since they have come from the Mississippi River area and swam up the Illinois River and into Lake Michigan. Not only can they become outrageously large, but they also reproduce quickly. Freshwater Future does have an Asian Carp Petition that can be signed electronically on their website and this can be especially easy if a membership to FF is obtained.

Overall, the Freshwater Future promotes good old fashioned community involvement and awareness of Great Lakes water quality and cleanliness. When there is a cause that they need more people to get on board with, they make it easy on their website to get involved with municipal meetings and activities around the Great Lakes region that promote that particular cause. So therefore, it seems like the actors that are most involved currently with Freshwater Future are the supporters themselves. This organization talks about how people can jump into a Great Lakes problem that's concerning to them and immediately have some sort of impact on the amount of money going towards great water quality. This networking for the future of the Great Lakes freshwater supply can really make a difference in the containment of Asian Carp as well as the preservation of our great waters.

http://freshwaterfuture.org/
This is the one of the most well organized and insightful websites I have seen yet in regards to the Great Lakes preservation.

 It sure it hard to believe that this is how big the Asian Carp can get in and around our Great Lakes. Many barriers and electric fences are being installed in the Midwest to prevent them from swimming from the Mississippi River and into our area.