[Congressional Record Volume 162, Number 55 (Tuesday, April 12, 2016)]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Page E407]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]





        HONORING THE 50TH ANNIVERSARY OF THE GREAT LAKES CENTER

                                 ______
                                 

                           HON. BRIAN HIGGINS

                              of new york

                    in the house of representatives

                        Tuesday, April 12, 2016

  Mr. HIGGINS. Mr. Speaker, today I rise to recognize and honor the 
50th anniversary of the Great Lakes Center (GLC). For more than half a 
century, the Great Lakes Center has worked to improve the quality of 
the environment by providing the best possible science to decision 
makers concerned with the health and sustainability of our freshwater 
resources, with a primary focus on the Great Lakes and their 
watersheds.
   The Center was established in 1966 when Howard Sengbush formed the 
Great Lakes Laboratory. The Great Lakes Center's field station is 
located on SUNY Buffalo State's waterfront campus along the Black Rock 
Channel. It is a multidisciplinary research, education, and service 
institute focused on advancing our knowledge and understanding of the 
largest body of freshwater on Earth.
   The Great Lakes Center is the only institution within the SUNY 
system with a research field station physically situated along the 
water. The Center maintains a large fleet of research vessels dedicated 
to specific types of research and educational functions.
   Over the last eight years under the Direction of Sasha Karatayev, 
the GLC saw sustained activity and productivity: over 80 research 
papers published, 240 presentations given at various state, national, 
and international meetings and 35 funded projects totaling over 14 
million dollars. This living laboratory dedicated to the investigation 
of the ecology of the Great Lakes and its tributaries is staffed by 
research scientists, educators, technicians and professors with the 
Biology department. The Center provides opportunities to obtain Masters 
of Arts and Masters of Science degrees in Great Lakes Ecosystem 
Science.
   The Great Lakes ecosystem is complex, dynamic, and fragile. The work 
conducted at the GLC informs policy makers, educators, community 
leaders, and environmentalists--and contributes toward effective 
stewardship and decision-making. As part of the Great Lakes Observing 
System, the GLC operates the only operating observation buoy in eastern 
Lake Erie. The GLC continuously works to reverse the damage of decades 
of abuse neglect of the Great Lakes. The Center continues to explore 
opportunities to expand its educational programs within the regional 
community.
   In February of this year, I was proud to speak on the House Floor 
during Great Lakes Day to demonstrate the importance of Congress to 
continue to fund the Great Lakes Restoration Initiative (GLRI). Since 
the creation of the Great Lakes Restoration Initiative in 2010, nearly 
$1.6 billion has been invested in projects to clean up the Great Lakes, 
the world's largest freshwater system. Locally, the Great Lakes 
Restoration Initiative supports a number of initiatives including the 
restoration of the Buffalo River.
   Mr. Speaker, thank you for allowing me this opportunity to once 
again speak about the Great Lakes with pride in this visionary, vitally 
important and internationally renowned center whose home base is my 
alma mater, Buffalo State College as its Gold Anniversary will be 
celebrated on April 15, 2016. Congratulations and deepest appreciation 
to all those who contributed to the past and present of this Center as 
the preservation, protection and promotion of the Great Lakes is of 
immeasurable importance to our future.

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