The northeast-midwest region is blessed with some of the most magnificent – and most fragile – ecosystems in the world. Key to maintaining these ecosystems is protecting their life blood; the freshwater and brackish water watersheds that run through them. Most of these watersheds include multiple states and are not easily managed by state authority. The Institute serves as bridge between stakeholders in these watersheds – farmers, boaters, shippers, municipalities, the fishing industry, state governors – and the federal legislators best positioned to help provide the necessary protections. In doing so the Institute works with task forces of the Northeast-Midwest Congressional and Senate Coalitions created specifically to protect: the Great Lakes, the Chesapeake Bay, the Delaware River, and the upper Mississippi River. We also consult regularly with the Administration and its federal agencies and a host of non-governmental organizations.

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