The Lakewide Management Plans (LaMPs) within the Great Lakes region are examples of broad-scale, collaborative resource-management efforts that require a sound ecosystems approach. Yet, the LaMP process is lacking a holistic framework that allows these individual actions to be planned and understood within the broader context of the Great Lakes ecosystem. To help this issue, a conceptual framework for Lake Michigan Coastal/Nearshore Ecosystems was developed to address for major LaMP goals; Can we drink the water?, Can we eat the fish?, Can we swim in the water?, Are all habitats healthy, naturally diverse, and sufficient to sustain viable biological communities?
