GLIN

News Ann Arbor, Mich. – The Great Lakes Commission (GLC) is pleased to announce the hiring of Darren Nichols, formerly of the Columbia River Gorge Commission, as its new executive director. Nichols, who most recently served as associate director for the William D. Ruckelshaus Center in Seattle, will oversee the GLC’s work on regional programs and advocacy, as well as day-to-day operations. “We are so excited to welcome Darren Nichols to the Great Lakes Commission as our new executive director,” said GLC Chair John Linc Stine, commissioner of the Minnesota Pollution Control Agency. “As the former leader of an interstate compact agency, he brings a strong background in building strategic partnerships and addressing high-profile public policy issues. We are looking forward to his fresh perspective on managing Great Lakes issues and believe he will be an outstanding leader in balancing economic and environmental interests on behalf of our member states and provinces.” “I am thrilled to work with the Commission and all of our constituents, communities and partners in the Great Lakes-St. Lawrence River basin.” Nichols said. “Together we have an opportunity to reinvigorate our shared mission – to protect these world-class resources and build a vibrant economic future.” As executive director of the Columbia River Gorge Commission, Nichols managed a regional, bistate agency governed by a thirteen-member commission. He convened Oregon and Washington governors’ offices, local and state officials, tribal leaders, railroads, environmental advocates, scientists, property owners, business leaders, and other interests to address complex public policy issues, including fossil fuel transport, climate change, forest health, urban growth management, and regional economic development. Nichols developed and led multi-agency, multi-disciplinary partnerships to address regional challenges. Nichols earned a bachelor’s degree in business economics from Willamette University and a master’s degree in urban and regional planning from Portland State University. He also earned a J.D. from Lewis & Clark Law School with a focus on environmental, natural resources, and energy law. Nichols, who will officially begin his duties in mid-April, is the GLC’s sixth executive director since it was established in 1955 by the Great Lakes states to coordinate management of the water resources of the Great Lakes basin and to represent the states’ interests on Great Lakes matters before the federal government. The GLC promotes the concept that a healthy environment and prosperous economy should be mutually dependent, not exclusive, goals. With appointees from the eight Great Lakes states and two Canadian provinces, the GLC advocates for legislation and programs to benefit the lakes. Nichols succeeds Tim Eder, who left the GLC in 2017 to manage a grantmaking portfolio at the Charles Stewart Mott Foundation that focuses on addressing freshwater challenges, particularly those in the Great Lakes basin. ← Previous news release The Great Lakes Commission, led by chairman John Linc Stine, commissioner of the Minnesota Pollution Control Agency, is an interstate compact agency established under state and U.S. federal law and dedicated to promoting a strong economy, healthy environment and high quality of life for the Great Lakes-St. Lawrence region and its residents. The Commission consists of governors’ appointees, state legislators, and agency officials from its eight member states. Associate membership for Ontario and Québec was established through the signing of a “Declaration of Partnership.” The Commission maintains a formal Observer program involving U.S. and Canadian federal agencies, tribal authorities, binational agencies and other regional interests. The Commission offices are located in Ann Arbor, Michigan. Learn more at www.glc.org. Contact For questions or media inquiries, please contact Beth Wanamaker, [email protected]. Recent GLC News Great Lakes Commission names Darren Nichols new executive director Great Lakes Commission calls for full funding of GLRI; reaffirms commitment to NAFTA and U.S.-Canada trade Coalition of states, cities, tribes, business, industry and conservation organizations release joint priorities for the Great Lakes Great Lakes Commission releases new framework to improve Western Lake Erie through investments in water quality credits Upcoming GLC Events 2018 Great Lakes Commission Annual Meeting October 2 - October 3 View GLC Calendar > View the full article

All of the vessels leaving their winter berths locally will load iron ore for delivery to steel mills on the lower Great Lakes, said a Duluth Seaway Port Authority news release on Monday. Read the full story by the Duluth News Tribune. View the full article

Duluth, Minnesota’s bounty of urban streams have been hard-hit by development, pollution and other human impacts, according to a report released Monday by the Minnesota Pollution Control Agency. Read the full story by the Duluth News Tribune. View the full article

The effort aims to remove 44,000 cubic yards of contaminated soil and sediments from Muskegon Lake and nearby wetlands. Read and view the full story by WZZM-TV-Grand Rapids, MI. View the full article

The giant Chinese manufacturing company Foxconn is proposing a new plant just west of Racine, Wisconsin. But its request to withdraw 7 million gallons of water a day from Lake Michigan is being called a violation of the Great Lakes Compact. Read and view the full story by WTTW-TV-Chicago, IL. View the full article

Both developers and opponents of the proposed mine near the mouth of the Menominee River in Michigan’s Upper Peninsula had guarded reaction to a U.S. Environmental Protection Agency objection earlier this month to the issuance of the mine’s wetlands permit by the state of Michigan. Read the full story in the Green Bay Press Gazette. View the full article

In a new program this year, 32 Ohio state parks like Maumee Bay are unlatching the leashes. For a limited time your pooch can roam freely on the beach. But there’s more to it than you might think. Read the full story by WTVG-TV-Toledo, OH. View the full article

A combination of strong winds mixed with already high water levels have forced the Essex Region Conservation Authority (ERCA) to issue a flood watch for several areas of Windsor-Essex in Ontario. Read the full story by CBC news. View the full article

The grand ships of the Great Lakes fleet will be making their way to open water starting Friday, according to the Fincantieri Bay Shipbuilding updated departure schedule. Read the full story by the Green Bay Press Gazette. View the full article

Crews from both the U.S. Coast Guard Great Lakes and U.S. Coast Guard Air Station Traverse City have been busy preparing for the opening of the Soo Locks in northern Michigan. Read the full story by WGTU-TV-Traverse City, MI. View the full article

Michigan shipwreck hunters have found the remains of a schooner that sank in Lake Michigan in 1873 during a storm. Read the full story by the Detroit Free Press. View the full article

Broad is the road that leads to destruction, and the chunk of asphalt left on purpose in the forest is a jarring reminder of the path that almost led to the end of the national park that juts out into Lake Erie and turns 100 in May. Read the full story by the Windsor Star. View the full article

U.S. Rep. Fred Upton (R-St. Joseph, MI) and 60 colleagues are calling on Congress to fully fund the Great Lakes Restoration Initiative that they say is needed to protect this major source of fresh water for the country and the world. Read the full story by the Herald Palladium. View the full article

The Great Lakes Restoration Initiative and the Sea Grant program — though vastly different in scale — have now been targeted twice in the Trump administration’s annual budget proposals. In Michigan, stakeholders continue to make the environmental and economic case to preserve the funding. Read the full story by MiBiz.com. View the full article

Two species of trout in Lake Superior have been interbreeding – now that’s threatening previous efforts to help the wild rainbow trout population recover, according to the Minnesota DNR. The department’s latest genetics study revealed that when the two varieties mix, fewer young trout survive. Read the full story by Minnesota Public Radio. View the full article

Wisconsin Gov. Scott Walker was met by dozens of residents demonstrating their support for the former proposed Lake Michigan National Marine Sanctuary when he showed up to the Lighthouse Inn Sunday as a guest to the Lincoln Day Dinner for the Manitowoc County Republican Party. Read the full story by the Herald Times Reporter. View the full article

A new Indiana law will require companies that dredge sand along the state’s Lake Michigan shoreline to use it to replenish eroded beaches. Read the full story by the Associated Press. View the full article

Fifteen people from Sarnia, Ontario, are assisting with a pilot project to determine just how much plastic is polluting the water of Lake Huron and Georgian Bay. Read the full story by the Sarnia Journal. View the full article

With opening day for the Soo Locks set for March 25, workers late last week refilled the Poe Lock – the one reserved for the heftiest ships traveling through the St. Marys River on their journeys between Lake Superior and Lake Huron. Read the full story by MLive. View the full article

A group of Lake Erie divers announced the discovery of the Margaret Olwill, a steam barge that sank in 1912 off the coast of Lorain, Ohio. Read the full story by Great Lakes Today. View the full article

Demonstrating a shift in attitude toward public access to the Great Lakes, the city of Euclid, Ohio, recently got 100-odd homeowners to voluntarily give up their private lakefront properties in order to build a multi-purpose trail for the public. Read the full story by Next City. View the full article

Despite a new $1 billion flood-control reservoir in Chicago more than 20 times bigger than Soldier Field, rain and melting snow swamped the largest section of the Deep Tunnel project in less than a day last month. Read the full story by the Chicago Tribune. View the full article

“Like many of our native fish species, emerald shiners experienced a resurgence in numbers after the collapse of alewives back in 2003,” said Jim Baker, fisheries unit manager for the Michigan’s Department of Natural Resources. Read the full story by the Times Herald. View the full article

Steven McNevin, operations supervisor for the Lake Ontario Management Unit said the prediction that Belleville and the Bay of Quinte, Ontario will retain its title of “walleye capital” is based on extensive research over many months. Read the full story by the Intelligencer. View the full article

Toledo officials are finding out that setting up a regional water system might turn out to be a hard sell, after all. Read the full story by the Toledo Blade. View the full article