Basic Organization Information
ALLIANCE FOR THE GREAT LAKES
- Physical Address:
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Chicago, IL
60602
- EIN:
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23-7104524
- Web URL:
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www.greatlakes.org
- NTEE Category:
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C Environmental Quality Protection, Beautification
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C01 Alliance/Advocacy Organizations
- Year Founded:
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1971
- Ruling Year:
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1971
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Mission Statement
<p> </p><p>Our mission at the
Alliance for the Great Lakes is to conserve and restore the world's largest
freshwater resource using policy, education and local efforts, ensuring a
healthy Great Lakes and clean water for generations of people and wildlife.</p><p> </p>
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Impact Summary from the Nonprofit
<p><strong>Public
policy, education and local efforts are just some of the ways we've been caring
for the Great Lakes since 1970. Highlights of some of our most recent successes
include:</strong></p>
<p> </p><ul><li>Released groundbreaking report calling for permanent
separation of the Great Lakes and Mississippi River basins to prevent
inter-basin transfer of Asian carp and other invasive species. </li><li>Helped shepherd historic Great Lakes-St. Lawrence River Basin Water Resources
Compact through Great Lakes state legislatures and U.S. Congress.</li><li>Engaged some 10,000 volunteers in six states in our Adopt-a-Beach™ Program,
which includes litter removal and monitoring as well as beach health
assessment.</li><li>Received the American Bar Association’s Distinguished Achievement Award in
Environmental Law and Policy, the first not-for-profit citizen’s group to win
the award. </li><li>With government agency partners, mobilized 100,000 signatures to prevent oil
giant BP from increasing water pollution at its Whiting, Ind. refinery.</li><li>Our educational program, <em>Great Lakes in My
World,</em> is an educator resource for grades K-8 that addresses Common
Core and Great Lakes state learning standards. The curriculum's 80-activity
educational kit also includes 66 full-color Great Lakes Creatures information
cards and an accompanying disc with supplemental materials and resources. More
than 1,125 educators have used the curriculum, reaching more than 25,000
students each year.</li></ul><p> </p><p> </p>
Revenue and Expenses
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Balance Sheet
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Leadership
Mr. Joel Brammeier
Term:
Since
Jan
2010
Profile:
<p >Joel Brammeier is president and CEO of the Alliance for the Great Lakes. He oversees a staff of 22 professionals and more than 10,000 volunteers dedicated to protecting and restoring clean water, educating citizens and youth and building a sustainable future for the Great Lakes. Joel has developed laws and regulations to prevent invasive species in several Great Lakes states and published a first-of-its kind report describing options for permanent separation of the Great Lakes from the Mississippi River. He also advises the state governors and provincial premiers on regional implementation of the Great Lakes Water Resources Compact. Prior to his work at the Alliance, Joel worked for the American Medical Association. He received his master's degree from the University of Michigan's School of Natural Resources & Environment and his bachelor's degree from Valparaiso University.</p>
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Program:
Water Quality
- Budget:
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--
- Category:
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Environment
- Population Served:
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General Public/Unspecified
Program Description:
<p >In our efforts to improve water quality, the Alliance completed and published an extensive report in March 2010 outlining the effects of pharmaceutical pollution and recommendations for addressing this threat. This report, online at <a href="http://www.greatlakes.org/Document.Doc?id=810">http://www.greatlakes.org/Document.Doc?id=810</a>, helped raise the profile of the dangers of pharmaceutical pollution in the Great Lakes. At the same time it provides a framework for use by partners throughout the region in beginning to address pharmaceutical pollution—pushing for new source reduction rather than less efficient drug take-back programs. This will have lasting impacts both on emerging contaminants but also on traditional threats to water quality throughout the region. Already, the Product Stewardship Initiative (PSI), a national partner, asked the Alliance to present the<br />report on a conference call with hundreds of government representatives and not-for-profits working to address pharmaceutical pollution. To follow up on the report and build further momentum, the Alliance held a Summit meeting in Chicago, IL involving 15 people with backgrounds ranging from government to health care to wastewater<br />treatment personnel in August. Participants at the meeting agreed on several strategies for source reduction including education, regulations and voucher programs. <br /></p><br /><br />
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Program:
Ecosystem Integrity
- Budget:
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--
- Category:
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Environment
- Population Served:
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General Public/Unspecified
Program Description:
<p >Within our ecosystem integrity program, the Alliance has spent<br />significant time working to keep Asian carp out—landing us in <em>New York Times</em><em>, USA Today, Chicago Tribune, Detroit Free Press</em>, and a spot on <em>CBS Evening News with Katie Couric. </em>In recognition of our expertise, Joel Brammeier, president, was asked to testify at a US congressional hearing on the threat carp poses to the Great Lakes in February 2010. <br /></p><p >With encouragement from the Alliance, Great Lakes senators, including<br />Senator Durbin of Illinois, requested legislation requiring the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers to describe how to hydrologically separate the Great Lakes from the Mississippi River. We are happy to report there is now pending legislation in both the House and Senate to fast track a federal study of how to achieve separation within 18 months. The Alliance co-hosted an educational issue briefing for Congressional staff on the topic of separation on September 30th, 2010.<br /></p><p align="left">Beyond, Asian carp, the Alliance completed the most comprehensive survey of glacial ravine habitats in northern Cook and Lake Counties<br />ever. The resulting report and set of maps is being used by multiple north shore communities as a basis for developing water quality and terrestrial improvement projects in ravines. Already two of these communities received $988,900 in federal dollars to restore 2,000 feet of ravines using this work, and we are seeking to significantly expand the survey tool in 2011. </p><br /><br />
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Program:
Water Conservation
- Budget:
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--
- Category:
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Environment
- Population Served:
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General Public/Unspecified
Program Description:
<p >At the same time the Alliance has been working to ensure that we have a strong <em>Great Lakes Compact</em>, the historic new law that bans the diversion of Great Lake water with limited exceptions and sets responsible standards for water use and conservation. Toward that end, the one diversion request under this compact follows the letter of the law—thanks in a large part to the hard-work and diligence of the Alliance. The Alliance also wrote “Model State Water Conservation Policy” and the “Model Public Water Supply Conservation Plan,” which will be used by both the Alliance and our partners in helping to both<br />evaluate and improve state conservation programs that must be completed by December 2010. </p><br /><br />
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Citizen and Youth Engagement
- Budget:
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--
- Category:
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Environment
- Population Served:
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General Public/Unspecified
Program Description:
<p >Within our efforts to engage public stewards the Adopt-a-Beach™<br />program recruits and manages 9,000 volunteers last year in Illinois,<br />Indiana, Wisconsin, Michigan and Ohio. These volunteers both cleaned up and monitored 245 beach sites – removing dangerous debris and providing valuable water quality data. This data collected is used by the Alliance and our volunteers to encourage coastal health improvement projects. In Illinois alone, we monitor and clean up 65 beaches with the help of 3,200 volunteers. Through the Adopt-a-Beach™ Program, the Alliance is working with the Chicago Park District (CPD) and the Chicago Department of Environment to participate in two beach projects funded through the Great Lakes Restoration Initiative that will improve the health of beaches for Chicago residents. <br /></p><p >To help our volunteers engage beyond Adopt-a-Beach, the Alliance has<br />launched the new Great Lakes Action Center(<a href="https://mail.greatlakes.org/exchweb/bin/redir.asp?URL=http://takeaction.greatlakes.org/site/PageServer?pagename=Advocacy_Home" target="_blank">http://takeaction.greatlakes.org/site/PageServer?pagename=Advocacy_Home</a>). In the three months it has been up and running, 1,450 people have signed a petition, contacted a legislator or contacted the Environmental Protection Agency in response to a call to action by the Alliance. All told these individuals took 3,263<br />actions. We continue to build our presence on Facebook (1,830 fans) and Twitter (1,310). </p><br /><br />
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Evidence of Impact
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