On October 12, President Bush signed the Great Lakes Fish and Wildlife Restoration Act of 2006 (S. 2430) into law, reports the Wildlife Management Institute. The bill was cosponsored in the Senate by Mike Dewine (OH) and Carl Levin (MI) and in the House by Dale Kildee (MI) and Mark Kirk (IL). As reported in the August issue of this newsletter, S. 2430 doubles the existing authorization for fish and wildlife management activities in the Great Lakes states from $8 million to $16 million. Actual funding levels will be determined by Congress later this year.

The measure was first enacted in 1990 and reauthorized in 1998. The 2006 reauthorization places new emphasis on terrestrial wildlife projects, whereas the previous Acts were primarily devoted to fisheries. For example, the current bill shifts responsibility for coordinating selection of grant proposals from the Council of Lake Committees (comprised of fisheries heads of state wildlife agencies that border the Great Lakes and representatives from the tribal groups that have management authority via treaties) to the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service (Service), and it specifies that at least one of the members of the new grant-selection committee must have wildlife expertise. This likely will result in more balanced funding between terrestrial and aquatic projects.

S. 2430 also reauthorizes the existing state and tribal grant program and provides new authority for the Service to undertake regional restoration projects. In addition, it directs the Service to create and maintain a website to document actions taken as a result of the Act. Reauthorization of this program was one of the recommendations in the Great Lakes Regional Collaboration Strategy Report, which was prepared by a partnership of officials from federal, state and local governments, tribes, and other stakeholders in the region.

For additional information on the Great Lakes Fish and Wildlife Restoration Act reauthorization and the Great Lakes restoration and protection strategy, contact Jane West, U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, Region 3, at jane_west@fws.gov.