Rotary Club of Grosse Pointe President Bill Scott welcomed Patty Birkholz, Director of the Office of the Great Lakes, as the guest speaker at the weekly Rotary  meeting and luncheon Monday, June 4, at the Grosse Pointe War Memorial.

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She was introduced by Rotary John Conway. Birkholz was appointed by Gov. Rick Snyder in January 2011. Previously, she completed two terms in the Michigan Senate and three terms in the Michigan House of Representatives. She was chair of the Senate Natural Resources and Environmental Affairs Committee where she provided leadership on a variety of key Great Lakes issues, including the adoption of the Great Lakes Water Compact, passage of state regulations for water withdrawal, and ballast water regulations. In her new position as Director of the Office of the Great Lakes, Birkholz has continued to champion the lakes through a broad range of activities. She is spearheading an effort by the Great Lakes states and provinces to develop a unified regional approach to battling invasive species and is a key force in efforts to prevent Asian carp from invading the Great Lakes, which, she said, would be horrendous to the lakes, the environment, the tourism industry and life-threatening to boaters.

Photo by John Minnis