GLEN at a Glance
GLEN works to empower public constituencies across the Great Lakes and St. Lawrence Basins to drive transformational strategies and actions that will restore and safeguard the health and resilience of the Great Lakes and St. Lawrence ecoregions. We seek to become a transboundary advocate, an ecoregional community “think tank,” a constituency builder, and a knowledge network and wisdom keeper. Our actions will include policy analysis and critique, galvanizing public input, oversight of and participation in public agencies, as well as workshops, webinars, and resources to support regional collaboration among established leaders and new constituents.
How we approach our work
Our work aims to...
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Serve the Great Lakes and St. Lawrence River basins
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Embrace ecological health, integrity, and resiliency as an overarching goal and intended outcomes
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Focus on levers that shift toward transformation (regionally and globally) as opposed to incremental actions to address symptoms
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Respect Indigenous rights, knowledge, and approaches, and develop partnerships with Indigenous peoples on shared priorities
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Adopt values of shared responsibility, respect and celebration of the Great Lakes and St. Lawrence
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Lead with the ecological (including human) strategic goals/actions; follow with the appropriate institutional actions
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Leverage existing or available resources
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Enhance relationship-building by
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Being responsive to the needs of disadvantaged and under-represented people and creating opportunities for expanded representation
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Embracing justice, equity, diversity, inclusion, and belonging across our strategies
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Engaging community groups where there is alignment and mutual interest
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Respecting the unique work and challenges of allied organizations, and developing partnerships as appropriate
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Welcoming, sharing, and learning from youth
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Listening and learning; collaborating and catalyzing
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What's an Ecoregion?
Ecoregions..."represent the natural boundaries on Earth with each area representing land that contains distinct geography and natural communities that distinguish it from neighboring ecoregions." (gislounge.com)
The terrestrial (land-based) ecoregions in the Great Lakes basin (watershed) include the Northern Forests and the Easterm Temperate Forests.
The U.S. National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration describes the Great Lakes ecoregion by the Great Lakes and their watershed:
“Today, the Great Lakes ecoregion contains a variety of habitats, including aquatic, forest, marsh, wetland, and dune ecosystems. Widely varying climate, soils, and topography support more than 3,500 species of plants and animals."
Why the Ecoregion Focus?
We chose "ecoregion" for our network's focus because it represents the ecological boundaries of the broader Great Lakes system, spanning the U.S.-Canada border, and embracing the Indigenous sovereign nations and tribes that call the Great Lakes region home.
We also chose "ecoregion," because it aligns with the aspirations of the Great Lakes Water Quality Agreement to safeguard Great Lakes water quality through sustaining and restoring the integrity of the region’s chemical, physical and biological systems
Meet Our Board
John Jackson
Chair
John has been a Great Lakes-St. Lawerence River basin-wide activist for the past 40 years. He was a co-founder of the transboundary groups Great Lakes United in 1983, and the Great Lakes Ecoregion Network in 2021. John lives in Kitchener, Ontario.
Rupert Kindersley
Treasurer
Rupert Kindersley serves as executive director of the Georgian Bay Association. At GBA Rupert has worked extensively on the Great Lakes Water Quality Agreement, water quality/levels issues, local planning matters, coastal protection and most of the other areas that GLEN is focusing on. He is based in Georgian Bay and Toronto.
Stéphane Gingras
Board Member
Géographe, géomorphologue, maître Es-Science et militant écologiste depuis 40 ans au Québec et dans le monde Géographe et géomorphologue, a obtenu son baccalauréat en géographie physique de l’Université du Québec à Trois Rivières (UQTR) et sa maitrise en géographie et science de l’environnement de l’Université du Québec à Montréal (UQAM) en 2001. Depuis 2014, il est chargé de projet pour le Groupe Ambioterra. De la gestion des projets, de la géomatique, ainsi que des communications… son véritable titre est « Responsable de la protection de la biodiversité » !
Geographer with a specialisation in geomorphology, M. Gingras has a bachelor degree in physical geography and a master degree in geography and environmental science from the university of Quebec in Montreal. Since 2014, M. Gingras work as a Biodiversity protection officer for the organisation Ambioterra. He is responsible for managing the tree nursery (pépinière régionale du Suroit) and the plantations. He is also supervising the plantation team, and work on overarching policy issues in regards to biodiversity protection.
Pat Lupo
Board Member
Pat Lupo, OSB, is the Environmental Program Director at the Inner City Neighborhood Arthouse and has been involved in environmental and conservation issues and teaching for over 50 years. As a Benedictine Sister in Erie PA and in the 1990’s, Pat’s emerging awareness of the connections between environmental and justice issues led her to the education of teachers and students and to a personal commitment to serve on local, state, national and bi-national boards. Currently Pat serves on GLEN, PLEWA – the Pennsylvania Lake Erie Watershed Association, the City of Erie Environmental Advisory Council and the Benedictine Sisters: Care for the Earth and Prophet of Peace Committees.
Jane Elder
Vice Chair
Jane Elder is the author of "Wilderness, Water & Rust: A Journey Toward Great Lakes Resilience." A lifelong advocate for Great Lakes protection, Jane founded the Sierra Club’s Great Lakes Program, headed the Biodiversity Project for ten years, and led the Wisconsin Academy of Sciences, Arts & Letters for ten years, expanding its water and climate initiatives. She is based in Madison, Wisconsin.
Dan Robinson
Secretary
Dan founded the Great Lakes Spirituality Project and serves as its Executive Director. The Project's mission is to "further develop a spirituality of the Lakes that values and protects the Great Lakes Basin and the life that depends on these waters." (see more at glsp.com) The father of three and grandfather of three, Dan also serves as a Pastor in St. Joseph, MI.
Robin McClellan
Board Member
Robin McClellan is a retired adjunct professor in the Canino School of Engineering Technology at SUNY Canton. He is also a member of the Remedial Action Committee for the Massena/Cornwall/Akwesasne Area of Concern on the St. Lawrence River. He has worked on toxic pollution in New York State and the Great Lakes Basin since 1985, serving on the boards of NYS Citizens’ Environmental Coalition and Great Lakes United. He is currently focused on land use planning at the municipal and county levels and energy policy. He lives in Stockholm, NY, in the St. Lawrence River watershed.
Issue Team Leaders
John Jackson
GLWQA Team
For the past forty years, John has focused on working with groups throughout the Great Lakes-St. Lawrence River basin to help shape the transboundary GLWQA and its implementation. Here, John is seen introducing the hour-long presentation by ten ENGO activists at the International Joint Commission's biennial meeting in Traverse City, Michigan, in 1991. Each speaker described the maladies of the Great Lakes and their inhabitants, and presented prescriptions and cures for the Lakes. John was a member of the IJC's Great Lakes Water Quality Board for 10 years.
Barry Boyer
Agricultural Policy Team
Barry Boyer is Vice Chair of the Agricultural Policy Issue Team. He is a retired Law Professor from the State University of New York at Buffalo, where he taught courses in Environmental Law and Regulation. Boyer has served on several Great Lakes advisory committees, including the Buffalo and Niagara River RAP teams and the Lake Erie Forum, as well as being a founding member and past President of Buffalo Niagara Waterkeeper.
Derek Coronado
Toxics and Radionuclides Team
Derek has worked on Great Lakes environmental issues for more than 30 years. Currently, he is the Coordinator of the Citizens Environment Alliance, based in Windsor, ON. Derek holds a couple of degrees in Political Science, although he can’t remember what he did with his diplomas.
Margaret Wooster
Physical Integrity Team
Margaret is a watershed planner and writer on issues and wonders related to water in its natural habitat. She has a PhD in English and a Masters Degree in urban planning. She was a founding member of the Friends of the Buffalo River, now Buffalo Niagara Waterkeeper, and served from 1996 to 2003 as Executive Director of Great Lakes United, a bi-national coalition dedicated to conserving the Great Lakes-St. Lawrence River ecosystem. She is currently a board member of the Western New York Environmental Alliance and an “Ally of the Tonawanda Seneca Nation” working to stop an industrial project called STAMP that will damage not only the Seneca territory but also the quality of the several thousand acres of “protected” wildlife refuges that surround it.
Margaret is the author of two books: Living Waters: Reading the Rivers of the Lower Great Lakes, and Meander: Making Room for Rivers both published by SUNY Press.
Jane Elder
Climate Team
Jane Elder is the author of "Wilderness, Water & Rust: A Journey Toward Great Lakes Resilience." A lifelong advocate for Great Lakes protection, Jane founded the Sierra Club’s Great Lakes Program, headed the Biodiversity Project for ten years, and led the Wisconsin Academy of Sciences, Arts & Letters for ten years, expanding its water and climate initiatives. She is based in Madison, Wisconsin.
Don Ciparis
Agricultural Policy Team
Farming near Lake Erie since 1982, I have represented grain producers in my community for 30 years on Provincial Boards, leading to my serving on the Provincial Council then as the President of the National Farmers Union of Ontario, an accredited farm organization with a considerable environmental consciousness. Having served as a Forestry Technician on a seasonal basis for a local Conservation Authority, an opportunity presented itself to further represent Ontario agriculture by way of involvement with the bi-national Lake Erie Public Forum, which was tasked with providing input into the Management Plan for the Lake, as mandated by the International Joint Commission. As Chairman of the GLEN Agriculture & Nutrient Committee, I bring to committee members a keen interest in Great Lakes basin agriculture, climate and water/air/soil quality for the benefit of current and the next generation of basin farmers.
Stéphane Gingras
Biodiversity and Habitat Team
Géographe, géomorphologue, maître Es-Science et militant écologiste depuis 40 ans au Québec et dans le monde Géographe et géomorphologue, a obtenu son baccalauréat en géographie physique de l’Université du Québec à Trois Rivières (UQTR) et sa maitrise en géographie et science de l’environnement de l’Université du Québec à Montréal (UQAM) en 2001. Depuis 2014, il est chargé de projet pour le Groupe Ambioterra. De la gestion des projets, de la géomatique, ainsi que des communications… son véritable titre est « Responsable de la protection de la biodiversité » !
Geographer with a specialisation in geomorphology, M. Gingras has a bachelor degree in physical geography and a master degree in geography and environmental science from the university of Quebec in Montreal. Since 2014, M. Gingras work as a Biodiversity protection officer for the organisation Ambioterra. He is responsible for managing the tree nursery (pépinière régionale du Suroit) and the plantations. He is also supervising the plantation team, and work on overarching policy issues in regards to biodiversity protection.