It may be the end of the school year for the kids, but school is in session for leaders in the Great Lakes Region. Water School, that is, and specifically the Michigan State University Extension Water School.
The Fred A. and Barbara M. Erb Family Foundation and Michigan Sea Grant hosted a Water School Twitter chat Tuesday, June 8, 2021.
The Michigan Water School is a program to help elected and appointed officials increase their knowledge about water management and gain access to tools and resources to help impact their local economy.
Multiple leaders and organizations joined the conversation, using the chat hashtag #WaterSchoolchat, including:
| Person/Organization | Twitter Handle |
| Monique Owens Eastpointe Mayor | @MayorOwens |
| Clinton River Watershed Council | @ClintonRiverWC |
| Melissa Damaschke EFF VP Programs | @M_Damaschke |
| Jamie Konopacky EFF Great Lakes Program Officer | @JKonopacky |
| Neil Hawkins EFF President | @neilchawkins |
| Michigan Environmental Council | @MichEnvCouncil |
| Detroit Public Television Great Lakes Now | @GreatLakesNow |
| Friends of the Rouge | @RougeFriends |
| Council of the Great Lakes Region | @CGLRGreatLakes |
| International Joint Commission | @IJCsharedwaters |
| Southeast Michigan Council of Governments | @SEMCOG |
About Michigan Water School
Michigan State University (MSU) Extension Water School is a policy-neutral, fact-based program. The objective of this program is to provide local decision-makers, appointed and elected officials, and municipal staff with critical, relevant information needed to understand Michigan’s water resources, including the fundamentals of water science, in order to support sound water management decisions and increase awareness of current and future local and state water issues.
The program includes sessions on water quantity; water quality; water finance and planning; and water policy issues, and is delivered via articles, publications, and videos. Topics include:
- The Blue Economy
- Fiscal benefits of water management
- Incorporating water into local planning and placemaking
- Resources to help address water problems
- Water policy at the federal, tribal, state, and local levels
Contact Mary Bohling at bohling@msu.edu for details.
Water School is supported with funding from the Erb Family Foundation and Pure Oakland Water.
Photo by Chris Pagan on Unsplash: bulk freighter, Federal Beaufort, leaves the St. Clair River toward Lake Huron
