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.
Save the date for Great Lakes Day
Save the date for Great Lakes Day 2026, to be held March 5 in Washington, D.C.! For more details please visit the event web page. We look forward to seeing you in D.C.!
2024 Great Lakes Commission Annual Report
The 2024 Great Lakes Commission Annual Report is now available online! The GLC’s Annual Report includes highlights and key accomplishments under Chair Mary Mertz of Ohio, and Executive Director Erika Jensen.
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Lakes Regional Water Use Database shows that water withdrawals in the basin remained stable, with the vast majority of withdrawn water returned to the Great Lakes St. Lawrence River Basin.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.
Thank you!
Thank you for joining us for the 2025 Great Lakes Commission 70th Anniversary Annual Meeting, held October 28-30 in Duluth, Minnesota! Read more about the meeting here.
The Advisor
The October 2025 edition of the Commission’s e-newsletter, The Advisor, includes final registration information for the 2025 GLC Annual Meeting in Duluth and a recap of several recent program accomplishments.
Great Lakes Investment Tracker
The new Great Lakes Investment Tracker is an interactive mapping application developed by the Great Lakes Commission to showcase federally-funded projects in Great Lakes states.
Scientists race to protect Lake Superior from invasive mussels
There is growing fear that Lake Superior's window of avoiding a full takeover by invasive mussels may be closing. Efforts are underway to remove mussels where possible, and better understand how vulnerable the last of the Great Lakes to avoid a broader invasion has...
Cost controls, clean energy needed as data centers surge, report says
As the influx of data centers becomes Wisconsin's leading energy issue, a new report warns that without stronger consumer protections and clean energy policies, carbon emissions and costs to ratepayers could rise. Read the full story by the Milwaukee Journal...
Lawmakers fear Ohio EPA’s proposed data center permit could harm Lake Erie
Two Republican legislators from northern Ohio are urging Ohio EPA to decline to approve a new general discharge permit for all data centers going forward, arguing that it would exclude Lake Erie from protections being given to other bodies of water deemed to have...
The Advisor E-Newsletter: January 2026
The January 2026 edition of the Commission’s e-newsletter, The Advisor, includes a save the date for Great Lakes Day and the GLC Semiannual Meeting; an update on U.S. federal Great Lakes appropriations; and news about our upcoming work to study the economic impacts of...
Season’s Greetings from the Great Lakes Commission!
Season’s greetings from the staff of the Great Lakes Commission!
New Great Lakes water use report demonstrates shared stewardship of the world’s largest freshwater system
Ann Arbor, Michigan/Chicago, Illinois — A report released today on Great Lakes water use demonstrates the region’s ongoing commitment to coordinated, science-based management of the world’s largest freshwater system. The 2024 Annual Report of the Great Lakes Regional...
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GREAT LAKES EVENTS
For more events, visit the
Great Lakes Calendar
Rouge River Stonefly Search
January 24Great Lakes Public Forum under the Great Lakes Water Quality Agreement
February 4 - February 5Great Lakes Public Forum – Clean Water through Cooperative Partnerships
February 4 - February 5