Great Lakes Town Hall Launched:
New Site Seeks Dialogue and Engagement
from 42 Million Residents
By Jeffrey Potter, Biodiversity Project
Imagine what it would be like
if you could gather everyone
concerned about the future of
the Great Lakes into one
room. You’d not only need a
really big room, you’d also be
certain to hear a lot of diverse
opinions. Yet this was the
vision of the Madison,
Wisconsin-based Biodiversity
Project who announced their
online Great Lakes Town Hall
this week.
The Great Lakes Town Hall is a
Web-based resource that
seeks to provide a forum for
the rich diversity of residents
of the Great Lakes region. Together, the
eight Great Lakes states and two Canadian
provinces are home to more than 42
million people. The Great Lakes are at the
heart of this community and Biodiversity
Project’s new interactive Web site,
www.greatlakestownhall.org, was
designed to connect the many voices,
opinions, ideas and experiences that shape
our regional identity.
Biodiversity Project is launching the Great
Lakes Town Hall as governments and
citizens across the region debate major
new proposals to promote water
conservation and ban water exports, and
provide billions of dollars in new public
funds for restoring the health of the
ecosystem. It also comes at a time when
the lakes are under renewed threat from
invasive species, sewage overflows, habitat
loss, chemical pollutants, climate change
and other problems.
“The Lakes are both magnificent and
vulnerable,” said Jeffrey Potter, Biodiversity
Project’s Director of Communications. “It’s
more important than ever to engage our
community in the future of our Great
Lakes,” he added.
According to Potter, the Web was the most
logical meeting place for a population
living in an area roughly the size of France.
“The size of the Great Lakes region
makes it difficult to assemble citizens
for meetings and action that could
protect these treasures,” said Potter.
“One way to span the great distances
among communities is with electronic
communication.”
Noted author and Great Lakes expert,
David Dempsey, who served as an
advisor to Michigan Governor Blanchard’s
administration and was appointed by Bill
Clinton to the Great Lakes Fisheries
Commission, is co-moderator of the Great
Lakes Town Hall. Dempsey noted that,
“Without leaving your home or business,you can join thousands of residents
across the Great Lakes Basin and
beyond to participate in the Town Hall
community, creating and amplifying the
public voice on Great Lakes protection
and policy.”
The Great Lakes Town Hall includes a
variety of resources, opportunities for
interactive discussions, networking, and
more. The site also includes lighter fare
in its “Celebrate the Lakes” sections,
including Great Lakes arts news, photos,
tourism suggestions, and more.
Paige Wilder, manager for the Great
Lakes Town Hall, explained the guest
speaker role like this, “Each week we
invite grassroots activists, artists,
officials, physicians, parents, young
people and others to offer insightful
commentary on their Great Lakes
experiences and views. Of course, we
also invite site visitors to comment on
their thoughts.
“We’re just getting started,” noted
Potter who expects to build the audience
over the next year. The site seeks
inclusive engagement by valuing every
voice, by promoting the site beyond
traditional political circles, and by
inviting anyone who has a stake in
the Lakes from hunters and
environmentalists, to conservatives
and liberals, and First Nations,
Canadians and U.S. Americans, to
share their views.
Biodiversity Project hopes that their
Web-based town hall will help
Canadian and U.S. residents and
grassroots groups showcase their
achievements, broadcast their
views, connect with each other, and
reach the decision-makers whom
they seek to educate on Great Lakes
matters. “The best town hall
traditions are inclusive and facilitate
the expression of all perspectives,”
concluded Potter. “Our only
agenda is increasing public
engagement in the future of our
remarkable, yet vulnerable, Great Lakes.”
The Great Lakes Town Hall is funded by a
grant from the Great Lakes Aquatic
Habitat Network & Fund. Dave Dempsey,
serves as Town Hall co-moderator,
inviting guest speakers, introducing the
weekly featured issue, and otherwise
facilitating discussion and information
exchange between participants. The
site is managed by Paige Wilder, Great
Lakes Forever Program Assistant, with
technical assistance from Tamara
Tsurkan. Jeffrey Potter, Director of
Communications Programs, oversees
the project and contributes content as
needed.
If you’re interested in visiting the Great
Lakes Town Hall, simply log onto
www.greatlakestownhall.org on the
internet.
For more information:
Jeffrey Potter, Biodiversity Project
jpotter@biodiverse.org
Disclaimer:
The interpretations and conclusions presented in this newsletter represent the opinions of the individual authors. They in no way represent the views of the Tip of the Mitt Watershed Council, the C.S. Mott Foundation, subscribers, donors, or any organization mentioned in this publication.
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