Public Engagement and Great Lakes Restoration

The Great Lakes region has 43 Areas of Concern (AOCs)–areas with significant environmental degradation as a result of human activities that have caused significant beneficial use impairments. Of the 43 areas, 26 are located in the U.S., 17 in Canada, and 5 are shared by the two countries.

As of October 2022, 9 AOCs have been delisted–6 in the U.S. and 3 in Canada. Many people are involved in the delisting process, and it’s not just members of the government. Each AOC has a group of community members who provide their expertise to discussions of cleanup and their time to related volunteer activities. States have different names for these groups, but they’re often called Public Advisory Councils (PACs).

To learn more about this important form of public engagement, we spoke to activist and organizer with Sierra Club Michigan, Erma Leaphart.

Why does public engagement matter?

With billions of dollars from the Great Lakes Restoration Initiative coming into the region, it’s important for community members to be at the table to understand what’s happening and why, and to influence the work happening in their community.

For Leaphart, public engagement is core to democracy— “Every voice counts, every vote matters, and everyone is valued.” With PACs, public engagement is a mechanism for inviting all voices to be heard and to participate in decision-making that directly affects local communities. It can also serve as a learning process—hearing from a variety of people from different races, backgrounds, and professions.  

As Leaphart notes, projects, policies, and processes are improved by having diverse voices who bring different perspectives. This also allows the federal government to have a better understanding of the community where the work is being done—from where the community gathers to what they value and what their history is. This effort on the part of the government also encourages the community to trust the government’s work in their area because they can see the time and effort that is being put into understanding who they are as a full community, rather than a small fraction. Leaphart also mentioned that many PACs function very well due to their leadership, collaborative nature, and ultimate focus on the water bodies that connect the members.

Experiences with PACs

Leaphart has participated in three PACs in Michigan—two in which she acts as more of an observer, and one for her local community in which she is a full member. Her experiences with each PAC have been different and showcase the variety in which PACs operate, the diversity of memberships, and the varying approaches used. It might be surprising to hear that there isn’t one formalized structure, but the State of Michigan believes that these differences across the PACs make them true reflections of the needs and desires of the communities in which they’re located.

Leaphart also participates on Michigan’s state PAC Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion Committee. It’s a relatively new committee and they’re currently working on putting together a mission and vision. They’re also thinking a lot about recruitment—not just in terms of how they get people from marginalized communities on the committee, but also how they get them to feel welcome and want to stay.

Improving Public Engagement

According to Leaphart, improving public engagement comes down to relationships with community members. For Leaphart, she is working with a variety of frontline groups who have expressed interest in restoration work, learning more about their needs and the work that they’re currently doing, all while building trust and working out avenues for consistent communication. She’s also spreading information on AOC work—from speaking on panels about the AOC program to encouraging BIPOC community members to join their PACs. Leaphart also mentioned the importance of proper facilitation when it comes to PACs, which might include accounting for different needs and languages, as well as having accessible spaces.  

Federal and State Action

In the report, Restoring the Great Lakes: Prioritizing Communities that Have Suffered the Greatest Harms, the Healing Our Waters-Great Lakes Coalition identifies four ways in which the individuals at the federal and state levels who implement and support the Area of Concern program can do more to ensure representative community engagement. These include:

• Set standards for community representation and inclusion on Public Advisory Councils that include demographic and socioeconomic indicators.

• Hold councils accountable that fail to meet these standards.

• Enlist Public Advisory Councils earlier in the decision-making process to ensure robust community engagement to ensure projects are meeting community needs.

• Provide funding to Public Advisory Councils to implement these changes.

Project input will be most reliable when advisory councils represent—demographically and socioeconomically—the people who live in impacted communities.

Check out this website page from the EPA to learn more about PACs in your state and Areas of Concern in the Great Lakes region.