Ann Arbor, Michigan – The Great Lakes Commission (GLC) today issued a request for proposals (RFP) to support in-person outreach to recreational boaters as part of the annual regional Great Lakes Aquatic Invasive Species (AIS) Landing Blitz.

The Landing Blitz is an annual event, coordinated by the GLC, that brings together Great Lakes stakeholders to talk about how to prevent the introduction and spread of AIS at boating access sites across the region and why it’s an important endeavor. Units of government (Indigenous, state or local), lake associations, conservation groups, nonprofit organizations, and institutions of higher education are invited to apply for grants for up to $10,000 to support outreach events during the 2025 Blitz period of June 30 – July 13.

The due date for grant applications is 5 p.m. Eastern on April 4, 2025. Applications will be reviewed by representatives from the eight Great Lakes states. Final decisions on funded projects are anticipated in late April. Selected projects may begin work as soon as June 1, so long as a minimum of three outreach events are planned, and at least one event occurs during the primary event dates of June 30 – July 13.

This funding is intended to expand the reach of the Blitz at water bodies and access points that have not historically been included in previous Great Lakes AIS Landing Blitz events. A general informational webinar for the RFP will be held on February 18 from 11 a.m. to noon Eastern. Registration for the webinar is available here.

For more information, please contact GLC Project Manager Theresa Gruninger at [email protected] or 734-396-6073.

The Great Lakes Commission, led by chair Mary Mertz, director of the Ohio Department of Natural Resources, 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.