Summit to examine issues confronting Great Lakes

Various concerns impacting the Great Lakes region will be the focus when government officials, researchers and community leaders from the U.S. and Canada convene at “Untrouble the Waters,” a summit organized by The Freshwater Lab at the University of Illinois at Chicago.

WHEN:

May 10 – 11
9 a.m. – 5 p.m.

WHERE:

UIC Student Center East
750 S. Halsted St.

DETAILS:

The Freshwater Lab, a UIC-based think tank on water issues, will present “Untrouble the Waters,” which features a diverse set of speakers, panelists and advocates who represent communities whose health, lives and livelihood are dependent upon the Great Lakes.

Panels and working groups will address critical issues impacting the Great Lakes region, such as lead poisoning, oil pipelines, budget cuts, clean water access and environmental protection.

In addition to a panel of Great Lakes mayors and leaders, the summit will draw on advocates from across race, class and gender lines. Speakers include Maude Barlow, national chairperson for the Council of Canadians; Denise Abdul-Rahman, environmental climate justice chair for NAACP Indiana; Robert Blanchard, chairman of The Bad River Band of Lake Superior Chippewa Tribal Council; Paula Hicks-Hudson, Mayor of Toledo; and advocates from several nonprofit organizations.

Day two of the summit will be devoted to working group sessions, which will allow attendees to identify and plan new initiatives that benefit communities and watersheds.

Admission is free and open to the public. Advance registration is encouraged. For more information, call (312) 996-6352.

The summit is supported by the McDougal Family Foundation, the Mott Foundation and the Alliance for the Great Lakes.