News & Events

Boat Tour Makes a Splash in Buffalo

The City of Buffalo could not have been a better location to kickoff the Healthy Lakes, Healthy Lives Boat Tour. With the help of local elected officials like Congressman Higgins, and Healing Our Waters - Great Lakes Coalition members, we are really getting the message out about the urgent need to protect and restore the Great Lakes to benefit our economy and our way of life. What follows is a partial list of press from our stop in Buffalo. Don’t forget to sign the petition to the presidential candidates.   Read More » »

Michigan Columnist Calls on Voters to Highlight Great Lakes in 2008 Election

Syndicated columnist George Weeks this week highlighted the importance of Michigan to demand more from the 2008 presidential candidates. He writes: the key thing is for Michigan voters to stress the issue as candidates campaign here. He also mentions Michigan’s efforts to move forward on Great Lakes restoration, as well as the Healthy Lakes, Healthy Lives Boat Tour as important ways to get the candidates’ attention this summer. Click here to contact the presidential candidates about the Great Lakes.

13-City Boat Tour Kicks Off Today, Highlighting Need to Restore Great Lakes

Coalition Calls for Presidential Candidates to Stand up for Great Lakes Restoration

BUFFALO, N.Y. (June 6, 2008)—The Healing Our Waters-Great Lakes Coalition is launching a 13-city boat tour today in Buffalo, N.Y., to highlight the need to restore the Great Lakes and to urge the U.S. Congress and presidential candidates John McCain and Barack Obama to act to restore the lakes.

“The boat tour underscores the importance of the Great Lakes to millions of people and the urgent need to restore them,” said Jeff Skelding, national campaign director of the Healing Our Waters-Great Lakes Coalition, the boat tour’s sponsor. “To those seeking Read More » »

Buffalo Here We Come

The Healthy Lakes, Healthy Lives Boat Tour team are VERY excited to kick off the tour this week in Buffalo. Earth Voyager set sail from Port Huron, MI earlier this week. We’ll be blogging from Buffalo, and all the tour stops. For now, spread the word, and don’t forget to send a letter to the presidential candidates about protecting the Great Lakes!

The Day after Tomorrow: The Great Lakes in Crisis

Close your eyes and think of the worst disaster movie you’ve ever seen, OK, do you have it set in your mind’s eye? The Healing Our Waters-Great Lakes Coalition is releasing a report that shows the expected impacts of global warming on the Great Lakes – nearly 95 percent of this nation’s fresh surface water – are much more devastating than anything you could have imagined.

Great Lakes Restoration and the Threat of Global Warming makes it clear that the Great Lakes are poised to reach an irrevocable crisis Read More » »

New Report: Congress Must Deal with Global Warming—Great Lakes Impact

ANN ARBOR, MI (May 28, 2008)—The Great Lakes can lessen the impact of global warming or become global warming’s victim—it all depends on Congress, according to a new report from the Healing Our Waters®-Great Lakes Coalition. The authors urged Congress to enact a comprehensive plan to restore the health of the Great Lakes.

“Climate change is already affecting the Great Lakes, and no matter what we do now, the those impacts will increase in the future,” said Donald Scavia, Ph.D., report co-author and professor of Natural Resources and Environment at the University of Read More » »

Coalition Supports Bill to Clean Up Great Lakes Toxic Hot Spots

ANN ARBOR, MICH. (May 8, 2008) – The U.S. Senate yesterday introduced a bill to clean up Great Lakes toxic hotspots responsible for drinking water restrictions, beach closings and declines in fish and wildlife populations.

“Cleaning up toxic pollution in the Great Lakes is essential to our public health, economy and way of life,” said Jeff Skelding, national campaign director for the Healing Our Waters-Great Lakes Coalition. “We urge the U.S. Congress to pass and fund this important, efficient and successful clean-up program.”

Senators Carl Levin (D-Mich.) and George Voinovich (R-Ohio) introduced the Legacy Act of 2008 (S. 2994), whose funds go Read More » »

Coalition Applauds U.S. House for Passing Strong Invasive Species Bill

ANN ARBOR, MICH. (April 24, 2008)—The Healing Our Waters-Great Lakes Coalition today applauded Congress for passing a bill to prevent aquatic invasive species from entering the Great Lakes and other U.S. waters.

“We applaud the U.S. House of Representatives for passing a strong invasive species bill that protects our lakes, our national parks, our economy, our public health and our way of life,” said Tom Kiernan, president of the National Parks Conservation Association and co-chair of the Healing Our Waters-Great Lakes Coalition. “We urge the Senate to pass its bill and President Bush to sign into law these strong protections from Read More » »

New Analysis: Restoring Great Lakes Will Bring Major Lakeside Cities Each $200 Million to $13.3 Billion in Economic Gains

Passage of federal, state, and local legislation to fund restoration needed to realize potential gains

Ann Arbor, MI (April 16, 2008)—A new analysis finds that major Great Lakes cities will see economic gains between $200 million to $13.3 billion if the Great Lakes are restored. This report is a supplement to The Brookings Institution’s “Healthy Waters, Strong Economy” report released in November 2007 that found that Great Lakes restoration would bring the region approximately $80 to $100 billion in both short-term and long-term economic gains. This analysis shows that a significant portion of those gains would go directly to major population Read More » »

Coalition Applauds Congress for Improving Great Lakes Funding

Coalition Applauds Congress for Improving Great Lakes Funding

WASHINGTON, D.C. (March 14) – The Healing Our Waters-Great Lakes Coalition today praised the U.S. Senate for passing a budget that increases funding to essential Great Lakes programs to stop invasive species and restore fish and wildlife habitat.

“The U.S. Senate’s budget is a win for the Great Lakes and a win for the millions of people who depend on them for their jobs, health and way of life,” said Jeff Skelding, national campaign director for the Healing Our Waters-Great Lakes Coalition. “We urge Congress to appropriate the money, because the longer we wait, Read More » »