Minnesota Lt. Gov. Yvonne Prettner Solon is in Washington D.C. this week representing the state at a Great Lakes Commission meeting.
The commission, made up of eight states (with two Canadian provinces as associate members), promotes development and conservation of the water in the Great Lakes system, which includes Lake Superior (in case anyone's forgotten "HOMES," the word to remember the five: Huron, Ontario, Michigan, Erie and Superior).
The commission continues to promote the Great Lakes Restoration Initiative, a major effort to clean up and protect the lakes.
While at the meetings, Prettner Solon's office says she'll:
[U]pdate Great Lakes advocates on important progress being made in Minnesota to protect Lake Superior coastland and watersheds, improve water quality in Lake Superior and its tributaries, enhance wildlife habitat, and properly monitor beaches for preventable exposure to disease-carrying bacteria.
Another topic to be discussed: letting others know of progress in cleaning up the St. Louis River as it flows into Lake Superior. Twenty-six years ago, the St. Louis River was listed as one of "43 Great Lakes Areas of Concern due to significant pollution and habitat challenges," but great progress has been made in cleaning it up.
"If we continue our commitment to those efforts, the river can and will be delisted from the Area of Concern List within the next 10 to 15 years," Prettner Solon said in a statement.
The eight states making up the commission are Illinois, Indiana, Michigan, Minnesota, New York, Ohio, Pennsylvania and Wisconsin. Canadian provinces that are associate members are Ontario and Quebec.