Great Lakes Restoration Initiative's impact
The Great Lakes Restoration Initiative is a driver for environmental action in the Great Lakes Basin, building upon strategic recommendations presented in the Great Lakes Regional Collaboration Strategy of 2005. The initiative is a collaborative effort of the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency and 15 other federal agencies, including the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, to address the most significant environmental concerns of the Great Lakes. The importance of the Great Lakes is evident when we look at the numbers:
- 35 million people in the Great Lakes Basin rely on this important resource for drinking water, transportation, power and recreational opportunities.
- 10,000 miles of coastline (more than 4,500 miles in the U.S.) and 30,000 islands.
- 95% of surface water in the U.S. and the largest group of freshwater lakes on Earth.
Initiative funding has enabled the Service and our partners to:
- Restore, protect, and enhance more than 80,000 acres of coastal wetland and other habitats.
- Reopen more than 1,000 miles of Great Lakes tributaries.
- Implement projects on more than 11,500 acres of land and water to help control .
Focus areas
The Great Lakes Restoration Initiative is a collaborative effort to address the most significant environmental concerns of the Great Lakes. Through an agreement with the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service has allocated funding for projects in the following focus areas:
Toxic Substances and Areas of Concern
The areas of the Great Lakes Basin most severely impacted by toxic substances and pollutants are known as Areas of Concern. We work to restore and protect aquatic ecosystems from the threat of persistent pollutants.
Invasive Species
More than 180 non-native species are established in the Great Lakes and the most invasive spread rapidly ultimately degrading habitat, out-competing native species and disrupting food webs. Service activities are working to control and eradicate harmful, non-native species.
Habitat and Wildlife Protection and Restoration
A multitude of threats are affecting the health of the Great Lakes habitats and native wildlife. Service projects work to identify, restore and protect important habitat for the area’s fish and wildlife.
Nonpoint Source Pollution Impacts on Nearshore Health
This work, delivered in partnership with the National Fish and Wildlife Foundation, supports projects aimed at reducing environmental impacts from contaminated stormwater runoff into bays and estuaries of the Great Lakes.
Foundations for Future Restoration Actions
Our agency takes a science-based adaptive management approach to new and ongoing projects. We also educate the next generation about the importance of the Great Lakes to fish, wildlife, plants and people.
