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.
Thanks for joining us in D.C.!
Thank you for joining us for the 2026 Great Lakes Commission Semiannual Meeting and Great Lakes Day, held March 3-5 in Washington, D.C. Read more about the meeting 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.
New RFPs: AIS Landing Blitz, GLSNRP
The GLC recently released two requests for proposals (RFPs): Learn more about the Great Lakes AIS Landing Blitz RFP, and the Great Lakes Sediment and Nutrient Reduction Program RFP, on our news page.
The Advisor
The January 2026 edition of the Commission’s e-newsletter, The Advisor, includes an update on U.S. federal Great Lakes appropriations, news about our upcoming work to study the economic impacts of the Great Lakes Restoration Initiative, and more.
New Great Lakes water use report
The 2024 Annual Report of the Great Lakes Regional Water Use Database shows that water withdrawals in the basin remained stable, with the vast majority of withdrawn water returned to the Great Lakes St. Lawrence River Basin. Read more here.
Great Lakes water funding faces a critical year in Congress
This year marked the 20th anniversary of Great Lakes Day, an annual convening of environmentalists, policy experts, scientists, and small business owners on Capitol Hill. A top priority this year is the reauthorization of the federal Great Lakes Restoration Initiative...
Ontario’s $20-million plan to merge 36 conservation authorities into nine
The Ford government of Ontario is moving ahead with its plan to merge 36 conservation authorities into nine—two more than originally proposed—and it has created an agency with a $20-million budget to see it through. Notably, the Lake Erie Regional Conservation...
‘Emergency under control’: 1 million gallons of sewage leak into Olcott Harbor
According to local officials, a sewage leak in Olcott, New York, is now under control after more than 1 million gallons of raw, untreated sewage leaked into the Olcott Harbor. For six days, sewage had poured into the Eighteen Mile Creek in Olcott, just feet from where...
Request for Proposals: Phragmites Adaptive Management Framework Small Grants
Ann Arbor, Michigan — The Great Lakes Commission today issued a request for proposals to advance the regional fight against invasive Phragmites, one of the most aggressive plant species invading North America. Invasive Phragmites is already well established in the...
Regional organizations release 2026 joint priorities for the Great Lakes
Washington, D.C. – A binational coalition of regional agencies, Indigenous Nations, legislators, local communities, and business, maritime and environmental groups today released shared priorities for restoring the Great Lakes and supporting the region’s economy....
Great Lakes Commission releases 2026 agenda for the Great Lakes basin
Ann Arbor, Michigan — The Great Lakes Commission (GLC) today released its 2026 agenda for the Great Lakes. The binational government agency calls for continued strategic investment in the lakes, which hold 95% of America’s fresh surface water and provide drinking...
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GREAT LAKES EVENTS
For more events, visit the
Great Lakes Calendar
Ohio Nature-Based Shoreline Training
March 18 - March 192026 Lake Committee Meetings
March 23 - March 27IJC Public Input Webinar: Perspectives on Restoration in Great Lakes Communities
March 24