Ann Arbor, Mich. – Hundreds of organizations across the region will be working together to educate the public about aquatic invasive species (AIS) during the fourth annual Great Lakes AIS Landing Blitz, to be held July 1-10, 2022. Volunteers and professional inspectors will show boaters how to prevent the spread of AIS, ways to identify AIS, and how to report AIS, which are recognized as one of the most significant threats to the ecological and economic health of the Great Lakes. This annual event is sponsored by state and provincial agencies with the support of the Great Lakes Commission (GLC) and partner organizations.

“Aquatic invasive species don’t respect political boundaries, so the states and provinces must continue to work together through successful partnerships like the annual AIS Landing Blitz to prevent new invasions and reduce the damage from species already here,” said GLC Chair Todd Ambs of Wisconsin. “The GLC is proud to support this partnership to communicate directly with the public at landing sites across the basin.”

New this year, digital marketing strategies and coordinated social media outreach will help broaden the public reach of the event and continue to promote participation. Targeted audience outreach will work to ensure that as many boaters in the Great Lakes region are aware of the event and informed about how to clean, drain, dry, and disinfect their boat and gear.

For more information on the Great Lakes AIS Landing Blitz, including educational materials, location, and volunteer opportunities, visit www.glc.org/blitz.

The Great Lakes Commission, led by chair Todd L. Ambs, deputy secretary of the Wisconsin Department of Natural Resources (retired), is a binational government agency established in 1955 to protect the Great Lakes and the economies and ecosystems they support. Its membership includes leaders from the eight U.S. states and two Canadian provinces in the Great Lakes basin. The GLC recommends policies and practices to balance the use, development, and conservation of the water resources of the Great Lakes and brings the region together to work on issues that no single community, state, province, or nation can tackle alone. Learn more at www.glc.org.