TRAVERSE CITY, Mich. (AP) - Great Lakes advocates are meeting in Washington, D.C., this week to lobby for funding of environmental projects and to discuss strategies for dealing with challenges such as invasive species. More than 100 people from the eight-state region are attending the Great Lakes Commission's semiannual meeting and other activities.
They'll be visiting congressional offices in support of continuing the Great Lakes Restoration Initiative, which has spent more than $1 billion on priorities such as cleaning up polluted industrial sites and protecting wildlife habitat.
The group also will hear from John Goss, the Obama administration's point man in the fight to prevent Asian carp from invading the lakes and competing with native fish. Environmental Protection Agency chief Gina McCarthy is scheduled to speak to the group Wednesday.