News from New York State Department of Environmental Conservation

For more information contact: Yancey Roy, 518-402-8000, Lauren Rivera, 518-474-4752

Media Advisory

ALBANY, NY (09/18/2007; 1428)(readMedia)-- Against a backdrop of record beach closures across the country and continued pressure on fisheries and coasts, New York officials will convene the first gathering of a panel that aims to shift the state’s approach to oceans and Great Lakes conservation.

The New York Ocean and Great Lakes Ecosystem Conservation Council will meet at 10 a.m. Wednesday in the Blue Room of the State Capitol.

Environmental Conservation Commissioner Pete Grannis, chairman of the council, and Secretary of State Lorraine Cortes-Vazquez will kickoff a process that will produce a report to the Governor and State Legislature on how to develop practices that move away from the typical method of managing one species at a time, one issue at a time.

The featured speaker at the inaugural meeting is Leon Panetta, a former congressman, former White House Chief of Staff and current co-chair of the Joint Ocean Commission Initiative.

Other agencies represented will be: Agriculture and Markets; Empire State Development; General Services; Parks, Recreation and Historic Preservation; Transportation; NYS Energy and Research Development Authority; and the State University of New York.

Participants will be available for interviews.