Our Work
Here’s some of the work we’re doing to ensure a healthy environment, strong economy and high quality of life for current and future generations.
Register now to join us in Toronto!
Online registration is now open for the 2026 Great Lakes Commission Annual Meeting, to be held October 6-8 in Toronto, Ontario. Registration closes at 5 p.m. Eastern on September 28. Learn more and register here!
2026 GLC Federal Priorities for the Great Lakes
The GLC released its 2026 agenda for the Great Lakes, calling for continued strategic investment in the lakes, which hold 95% of America’s fresh surface water and provide drinking water for more than 47 million people. Read our priorities and download state-specific fact sheets here.
Great Lakes Investment Tracker
The Great Lakes Investment Tracker is an interactive mapping application developed by the GLC to showcase federally-funded projects in Great Lakes states. Visit the tracker to learn more about investments in the region.
8th Annual AIS Landing Blitz
Organizations across the region came together to educate the public about aquatic invasive species (AIS) for the eighth annual Great Lakes AIS Landing Blitz, June 29 through July 12, 2026. Read more about the Landing Blitz here.
The Advisor
The April 2026 edition of the Commission’s e-newsletter, The Advisor, includes an overview of the recent GLC Semiannual Meeting and Great Lakes Day events in Washington, D.C., updates on Great Lakes Restoration Initiative funding, and Commission staff and project updates. Read more and sign up for the Advisor here.
Supporting sediment management efforts
The Great Lakes Commission is launching a new project to explore the management of sediment in the Great Lakes, and the role it plays in restoration, coastal resilience, and maritime transportation. Read more about the new project here.
Illinois law is the first in the Great Lakes region to designate industrial plastic pellets as pollution
Illinois is requiring polluters to begin reporting spills of industrial plastic pellets known as nurdles, a growing source of contamination in the Great Lakes and Mississippi River watersheds. Companies that manufacture, use or transport nurdles also must develop...
If you see this voracious fish-eating seabird in NY, report it
Sightings of double-crested cormorants, a voracious fish-scarfing seabird, have lately been on the rise in New York’s Great Lakes region, causing concern among anglers and residents of lakeshore communities. Read the full story by New York Upstate.
Lake Erie fish gather near low-oxygen zones as scientists study how climate change could reshape their habitat
Scientists found that fish in Lake Erie often congregate along the edges of low-oxygen "dead zones" rather than simply avoiding them. The discovery could help researchers better predict how climate change will alter fish habitat and fisheries across the Great Lakes....
Great Lakes states and provinces to host eighth annual Aquatic Invasive Species Landing Blitz
Ann Arbor, Michigan — Organizations across the region will come together to educate the public about aquatic invasive species (AIS) during the eighth annual Great Lakes AIS Landing Blitz, to be held June 29 through July 12, 2026. Volunteers will engage with boaters to...
The Advisor E-Newsletter: April 2026
The April 2026 edition of the Commission’s e-newsletter, The Advisor, includes an overview of the recent GLC Semiannual Meeting and Great Lakes Day events in Washington, D.C., updates on Great Lakes Restoration Initiative funding, and Commission staff and project up
Great Lakes Commission to support sediment management efforts in the Great Lakes basin
Ann Arbor, Michigan — The Great Lakes Commission (GLC) is launching a new project to explore the management of sediment in the Great Lakes, and the role it plays in restoration, coastal resilience, and maritime transportation. Over the next three years, the GLC will...
Sign up for our e-newsletter
Get the latest Great Lakes Commission news and events in your inbox!
Sign up for our e-newsletter
Get the latest Great Lakes Commission news and events in your inbox!
GREAT LAKES EVENTS
For more events, visit the
Great Lakes Calendar
Thunder Bay Maritime Festival
August 21 - August 23American Fisheries Society Annual Meeting
August 30 - September 32026 Michigan Sustainability Conference
September 9 - September 10