The Great Lakes and St. Lawrence River Basin comprises the world’s largest source of surface freshwater—providing 20% of the entire world’s freshwater supply. Following repeated mismanagement and overuse of this life-sustaining resource, a passionate team of lawmakers, advisors, and activists joined together to produce a hallmark document in environmental policy.

Passed in 2008, the Great Lakes-St. Lawrence River Basin Resource Compact codified the responsible and sustainable management of basin waters into law. The agreement mandates states and Canadian provinces surrounding the basin to collaborate on future protection and withdrawal negotiations. It also bans diversions with limited exceptions and provides guidelines and negotiation resources for navigating these exceptions.

A landmark example of collaborative, conservation-based water management policy, the compact has established itself as a strong protector of the Great Lakes through concentrated research, oversight, and program development. Fifteen years after its initial passing, a team of leaders from the original negotiations convened for a lively conversation organized by the School for Environment and Sustainability (SEAS), cosponsored by the Graham Sustainability Institute, and moderated by environmental reporter Peter Annin and Michigan Law Professor Andy Buchsbaum.

SEAS Professor Drew Gronewold provided opening remarks, noting the importance of learning about the history of the compact to inform the future.

“It is absolutely critical, I believe, that students and scientists know about and understand the history of the compact and how it was born,” Gronewold said. “Over the last several months and years, the question of whether or not the compact will stand the test of time has been raised. I believe students and scientists need to be able to develop their own answer to that question over the next 10 to 20 years.

Gronewold then invited Frank Ettawageshik, Executive Director of the United Tribes of Michigan, to the stage to discuss his experience advocating for Native American inclusion in natural resource policy development.

Historically, native tribes like Ettawageshik’s Little Traverse Bay Bands of Odawa Indians were not included in conversations about protecting the bodies of water they utilized. In 2004, a coalition led by Ettawageshik published the Tribal and First Nations Great Lakes Water Accord, a document demanding Native voices be heard in future negotiations.

A few years after the accord’s publication, Native American leaders like Ettawageshik were included in the negotiations of the compact. Ettawageshik said the Native perspective on natural resources has made a positive impact on relevant climate negotiations.

“We think of earth, fire, wind, and water. And these are all the elements that make up our world and our life and how we react with each other,” he stated. “But they’re not things that we own, rather we live with. The Great Lakes are essential water, but we don’t own them. We live with them. This is the worldview we had to bring to the negotiation of the compact.”

U.S. Representative Debbie Dingell then took to the stage to express her appreciation for both the compact and the Great Lakes. She said the compact represents a major success in government and citizen collaboration to protect critical resources.

“The compact is a testament to what is possible when we work together binationally and at every level of government to manage these waters responsibly,” Dingell said. “The compact recognizes that through sustainability, we can foster economic growth and development while supporting those crucial conservation measures. And it recognizes the critical importance of public involvement in the management of our natural resources and incorporating the voices of impacted communities.”

She then invited moderator Peter Annin, along with numerous voices from the original negotiations, to the stage. Among these was SEAS Academic and Research Program Officer Jon Allan, who served as an advisor during the compact’s development.

Allan said the compact marked a shift in environmental policy from determining who was allowed to use water to working to directly and completely protect water sources.

“The real ‘why’ piece of this was the conservation-based standard. It’s not a standard based on whether we like the entity that was taking water or not,” he said. “The standard was around the protection of natural resources, giving natural resources a right to exist in the state. Things started to rally around the notion that it’s not about this use or that use. Nature doesn’t care what you use it for. It cares about whether you’re looking to protect it.”

Throughout the negotiation process, involved policymakers attended over 500 meetings and produced nearly 100 drafts of the compact. One of these, former Water Administrator at the Wisconsin Department of Natural Resources Todd Ames, said the difficult journey of getting the compact passed should serve as a reminder that hard work is always worthwhile.

“[The compact] was an amazing effort and incredible undertaking that taught me a lot I took with me for my whole career,” Ames said. “It reminds you the old adage really is true: If it was easy, somebody would have already done it. For those of you starting out in your career, you will have points where you have to decide: Are you all in or not? It’s not going to be easy. It’s going to take a hell of a long time and a lot of work. But you will get there.”

To conclude the conversation, SEAS Director of Climate Action Engagement Liesl Clark noted the importance of emulating the compact’s conservation mission in the future.

“We celebrate the accomplishments of the past and the present while we manage the future, even if that future is uncertain,” she said. “We know that the root of the compact is to maintain the integrity of the great system and we all must continue to pledge ourselves to this outcome."