A Nearshore Framework for the Great Lakes was drafted and was available for a sixty-day review period ending on July 12, 2016. The Nearshore Framework satisfies a commitment in the Lakewide Management Annex of the Agreement to “develop, within three years of entry into force of this Agreement, an integrated nearshore framework to be implemented collaboratively through the lakewide management process for each Great Lake.” The scope of the Framework covers the nearshore waters and embayments along the coast of the Great Lakes, the lakes’ connecting river systems and the international section of the St. Lawrence River. Building upon existing monitoring, research and reporting (and in collaboration with key governmental and non-governmental partner agencies and organizations) the Nearshore Framework will allow for a comprehensive assessment of nearshore waters that will assist in identifying management priorities. This assessment will enable locally-led collaborations of federal, state and provincial governments, tribal governments, First Nations, Métis, municipal governments, watershed management agencies, local public agencies and the public to take action to protect nearshore areas of high ecological value, protect water quality, and restore degraded areas.
Efforts to develop the Nearshore Framework for the Great Lakes are being led by the Lakewide Management Annex Subcommittee, supported by subject matter experts from Canadian and U.S federal agencies, state and provincial agencies, watershed management agencies, academia, public organizations and private contractors.
Input was accepted from May 13 to July 12, 2016.
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