100-year Great Lakes Vision Plan Presented at the Wilmette Public Library

On the very cold night of November 17th, the Wilmette Public Library’s auditorium was filled when residents of many North Shore communities came to learn about Lake Michigan, the Great Lakes, and much, much more.

The watershed of the Great Lakes, St. Lawrence River, and Gulf of St. Lawrence is home to more than 50 million people. Despite hundreds of important efforts to clean and protect the Great Lakes and St. Lawrence River, none addresses the international waterways and their surrounding lands comprehensively, as a whole ecosystem.

Pete Mulvaney, Sustainability Specialist at Skidmore, Owings & Merrill LLP, shared some of the challenges facing the region today and offered principles to guide future growth and development. SOM’s 100-year Great Lakes Vision Plan, created in collaboration with the Great Lakes and St. Lawrence Cities Initiative, depicts the basin as one region defined by the watershed rather than political boundaries and illustrates a vision for the region as an international park that encompasses culturally-rich urban and rural areas.

The discussion that followed the presentation was very spirited. Attendees left with a hopeful, positive vision and some good ideas about how we can all identify with the Great Lakes Basin as our unique region of the country. Clearly, this event, sponsored by the Wilmette League of Women Voters, Go Green Wilmette and the Wilmette Public Library was very well received.