Preserving Our Environment through the Marquette Plan
Preserving Our Environment through the Marquette Plan
The Marquette Plan
Pete initiated the Marquette Plan to see Northwest Indiana’s Lake Michigan shoreline become the amenity that it should be for the people of Northwest Indiana. It is a regional effort—involving the cities of Whiting, Hammond, East Chicago, Gary, and Portage—to utilize public-private agreements to invest in lakefront projects designed to lay the economic foundation upon which future generations can build and thrive.
The Marquette Plan is guided by three principles. First, 75 percent of the lakeshore should be available for free, open, public use. Second, land directly on the lakefront should have a minimum setback of 200 feet from the lake. Third, there should be a continuous biking and walking trail covering the scope of the plan, for all Northwest Indiana residents to enjoy.
Pete has lived his entire life in the environs of Lake Michigan. Stretching for over 750 miles from east to west, the Lakes account for a jaw-dropping 90 percent of the United States’ and 20 percent of the world’s surface fresh water—an amount made even more astounding given the fact that three out of four people on this planet wake up each day with the mission to find clean water.
The Indiana Dunes National Lakeshore is an incredible national treasure of 15,000 pristine acres along the south shore of Lake Michigan in the midst of an urban environment is one of the most biodiverse areas in the United States. The dunes, oak savannas, swamps, bogs, marshes, prairies, rivers, and forests of the Lakeshore are home to over 1,100 species of vascular plants, over 350 species of birds, and dozens of species of mammals, reptiles, amphibians, fish, and insects.
Pete believes that it is essential that federal, state, local, and tribal leaders continue to work together to commit the resources and develop a highly effective statutory framework to ensure the vitality of the lakes and their abundance of fresh water. That is why Pete advocates for valuable federal programs such as the Great Lakes Restoration Initiative (GLRI), the Clean Water and Drinking Water State Revolving Funds, and the Brownfield’s Cleanup program. Pete is also an active member of the Great Lakes Taskforce.