by Sarah Coomber
MADISON, Wis. (10/13/97) – Gov. Tommy G. Thompson has proclaimed Wednesday, Oct. 15, "Sea Grant College Day" in the State of Wisconsin in recognition of the University of Wisconsin’s 25th anniversary as a National Sea Grant College.
"I
congratulate the University of Wisconsin for the resounding success of its Sea Grant
College Program," Thompson said in his proclamation, "and for Sea Grant’s
25 years of statewide leadership in bringing the vast, high-quality academic resources of
the State of Wisconsin to bear on the many Great Lakes-related issues and opportunities
facing the people of Wisconsin and the entire Great Lakes region."
The federally and state-funded UW program is part of a national network of 29 university-based Sea Grant programs dedicated to the protection and sustainable use of the United States’ coastal, ocean and Great Lakes resources. The University of Wisconsin Sea Grant Institute in Madison administers the Wisconsin program.
The goals of the Sea Grant program in Wisconsin are to increase the understanding of the Great Lakes system and promote the protection, sustainable development and wise stewardship of Great Lakes resources, according to UW Sea Grant Institute Director Anders W. Andren. Each year, more than 150 Wisconsin faculty, staff and students participate in some three dozen Sea Grant-sponsored research, outreach and education projects at various University of Wisconsin System campuses and at the state’s private colleges and universities. Total funding for the program currently stands at about $3 million a year, Andren said.
Over the last 25 years, UW Sea Grant has focused on addressing pollution
problems, determining the human health risks of toxic contaminants in fish, improving
scuba diving safety, reducing property losses caused by coastal flooding and shore
erosion, improving fisheries management, assisting with freshwater aquaculture
development, finding better ways to process and preserve seafood, and, most recently,
responding to zebra mussels and other exotic species.
"We are pleased with the success of the Wisconsin program and our many accomplishments over the last 25 years," Andren said. "We are also grateful to Congress and the State of Wisconsin for their continuous strong support for the Sea Grant program."
In October 1972, then-U.S. Secretary of Commerce Peter G. Peterson designated the University of Wisconsin a Sea Grant College for its "sustained excellence in research, education and public service dedicated to wise use of America’s marine resources."
The University of Wisconsin Sea Grant College Program is internationally recognized for its contribution to leading-edge research. Sea Grant-supported scientists and staff are regularly called upon to provide objective technical advice to federal agencies and laboratories, including the U.S.-Canadian International Joint Commission, Great Lakes Fisheries Commission, U.S. Environmental Protection Agency and North Central Regional Aquaculture Center, among others.
Created in 1966, Sea Grant is a national network of 29 university-based programs of research, outreach and education dedicated to the protection and sustainable use of the United States' coastal, ocean and Great Lakes resources. The National Sea Grant Network is a partnership of participating coastal states, private industry and the National Sea Grant College Program , National Oceanic & Atmospheric Administration , U.S. Department of Commerce . The University of Wisconsin Sea Grant College Program is administered by the Sea Grant Institute on the UW-Madison campus in Madison, Wisconsin.
Created and posted 10/14/97 by S. Wittman
All contents copyright 1997 University of Wisconsin Sea Grant Institute
http://www.seagrant.wisc.edu/25years/news.htm
