Beginning July 21, 2009, the EPA will host public meetings in each of the Great Lakes states to discuss the federal government's draft action plan for restoring the Great Lakes.

Beginning July 21, 2009, the EPA will host public meetings in each of the Great Lakes states to discuss the federal government's draft action plan for restoring the Great Lakes. The goal of this federal multi-agency, multi-year initiative is to address the most urgent problems affecting the lakes, the agency said. The EPA and other federal agencies have identified five principal areas on which to focus efforts:

• Toxic substances and areas of concern
• Invasive species
• Near shore health and runoff
• Habitat and wildlife protection and restoration
• Accountability, monitoring, evaluation, communication and partnerships.
• More information is available on EPA's Web site: http://www.epa.gov/grtlakes/glri

The schedule for the meetings is:

• Tuesday, July 21, Doubletree Hotel Milwaukee City Center, Wisconsin Room, 611 W. Wisconsin Ave., Milwaukee, Wis. from 5 to 7 p.m. CDT.
• Wed., July 22, Metcalfe Federal Building, Room 331, 77 W. Jackson Blvd., Chicago, Ill. from 6 to 8 p.m. CDT. This meeting will be Webcast live at: http://epa.gov/greatlakes/live.
• Thursday, July 23, Indiana Dept. of Environmental Management Northwest Office, 8380 Louisiana St., Merrillville, Ind. from 5 to 7 p.m. CDT.
• Monday, July 27, CanalWay Center, State Boat Landing Room, 4524 E. 49th St., Cuyahoga Heights, Ohio from 6 to 8 p.m. EDT.
• Tuesday, July 28, Tom Ridge Environmental Center, Presque Isle State Park, Room 112, 301 Peninsula Drive, Erie, PA from 6 to 8 p.m. EDT.
• Wednesday, July 29, Radisson Riverside, FitzHugh Room, 120 Main St. East, Rochester, New York from 5 to 7 p.m. EDT.
• Monday, August 3, Kellogg Center Auditorium, 55 South Harrison Ave., East Lansing, Mich. from 5 to 7 p.m. EDT.
• Tuesday, August 4, EPA Mid-Continent Ecology Laboratory, Gitchee Gumee Conference Center, 6201 Congdon Blvd., Duluth, Minn. from 4 to 6 p.m. CDT.