Ecosystem Charter for the Great Lakes-St. Lawrence Basin
Letter of Presentation

May 15, 1995

Dear GLIN User:
I am pleased to present the Ecosystem Charter for the Great Lakes-St. Lawrence Basin. The Charter sets forth a shared vision for the Great Lakes-St. Lawrence Basin and a series of commonly held principles, findings and related action items to guide ecosystem management in the Great Lakes-St. Lawrence Basin.

As director of the Indiana Department of Natural Resources and chair of the Great Lakes Commission, I personally find it of value in my own activities. I trust you will also find it valuable for information/education, coordination and advocacy purposes.

The Charter's principles were drawn initially from a review of over 60 treaties, laws, policies and other agreements in the Great Lakes-St. Lawrence Basin and beyond. Preparation of the document was spearheaded by a drafting committee comprised of representatives from various public and non-governmental entities throughout the Basin. Charter language was refined through an inclusive process, including two basinwide public comment periods, numerous state roundtables, workshops and presentations. During this process, hundreds of comments were received and incorporated into the final Charter.

How can you use and benefit from the Ecosystem Charter? As stated in the Charter's Preamble, the Charter has three primary uses from which any and all signatories can benefit. First, it is a tool for promoting and periodically assessing efforts to implement the ecosystem approach. Second, it is a tool for information and education, offering a vision for the Great Lakes-St. Lawrence Basin and a means to achieve it. Finally, it is a tool for advocating the interests of the Basin Ecosystem by providing a statement of unity, which acknowledges that all partners in the collective management effort -- despite their differences -- subscribe to a single set of fundamental principles.

By design, the Ecosystem Charter belongs to the entire community of interests that subscribes to its principles. Currently, more than 130 agencies, organizations and jurisdictions have endorsed the Charter, including local, state, regional and federal agencies; tribal authorities; citizen-based environmental and conservation groups; business and industry interests; universities; research institutions and others. These are listed in the Charter addendum. If your agency or organization has not already done so, you are encouraged to join with the many others in endorsing the Charter by completing and returning the online Signatory Response Form at your earliest convenience. Your agency/organization name and associated statement will be added as the addendum is updated.

In presenting the Charter to you, I emphasize that it is a "living document;" it will be reviewed and updated over time. If you wish to participate in future efforts to review/revise the Charter, this can also be indicated on the Signatory Response Form. Should you have any questions or desire additional copies (no charge) of the Charter, please contact Dr. Michael J. Donahue at mdonahue@glc.org or Victoria Pebbles at vpebbles@glc.org at 734-665-9135.

I look forward to working with you in pursuit of an ecosystem approach to management in the Great Lakes-St. Lawrence Basin.

Sincerely,
Patrick R. Ralston
Former Chairman, Great Lakes Commission