Albany, NY - May 12, 2016 - The New York State Department of Environmental conservation (DEC) and New York Sea Grant have launched the "New York's Great Lakes" website that will serve as an information clearinghouse and portal through which users can access specific resources related to grant funding, research projects, and the priorities of New York's Great Lakes Action Agenda.
Information categories on the New York's Great Lakes website include: About NY's Great Lakes, Coastal Processes, Education, Energy, Fisheries, Funding Opportunities, Great Lakes Action Agenda, Great Lakes Communities, Invasive Species, Natural Ecosystem and Habitat, Recreation and Tourism, and Water Quality.
The "Contact Us" feature on the site allows users to submit comments and questions to Great Lakes Watershed Coordinators designated by the NYSDEC. Users may also subscribe to the NY Great Lakes Basin listserv for news, funding opportunity notices, and events.
DEC Acting Commissioner Basil Seggos said, "The new Great Lakes clearinghouse website brings us one step closer to addressing the information management and public outreach to diverse audiences across the state. It's also a useful tool in informing the public about New York's Interim Great Lakes Action Agenda."
"This comprehensive web-based resource spotlights the importance of New York's Great Lakes region, the coastal environment, and associated recreational and economic opportunities. This new website is a go-to resource for anyone wanting to learn more about the value and vitality of New York's Great Lakes region," said New York Sea Grant Associate Director Katherine E. Bunting-Howarth.
"This website is designed as the launching point for audiences of all backgrounds, from environmental researchers and agency personnel to teachers and students interested in New York's Great Lakes information," said New York's Great Lakes website project leader Brittney Rogers, based at the New York Sea Grant satellite office at Wayne County Cooperative Extension, Newark, NY.
As an example of the types of information and resources available through the new site, the Great Lakes Communities portal provides links to:
- the New York Sea Grant Coastal Community Development Program,
- the Great Lakes Coastal Resilience Planning Guide published by the NOAA Digital Coast Partnership,
- National Weather Service Marine Forecasts, and
- the New York State Department of State Office of Planning & Development Geographic Information Gateway.
Personnel with environmental agencies and organizations statewide helped test the website for user-friendliness and provided resources.
This website was developed by New York Sea Grant with funding from the Environmental Protection Fund, in support of the Ocean and Great Lakes Ecosystem Conservation Act of 2006. This website supports the goals of an Interim NYS Great Lakes Action Agenda, a plan for applying ecosystem-based management to complex environmental problems in order to conserve, protect and enhance our irreplaceable Great Lakes natural resources.