The Alliance for the Great Lakes, the Healing Our Waters-Great Lakes Coalition, and other Great Lakes organizations are urgently calling for construction to resume on the Brandon Road Interbasin Project, a critical set of barriers and deterrents to stop damaging invasive carp from entering the Great Lakes via a chokepoint in the Illinois River.

Lake Erie isn’t just Ohio’s Great Lake, it’s an economic engine for the state, with Ohio now home to one of the largest charter fishing fleets in the region. With about 945 captains, Ohio’s charter boat industry generates an estimated $14.6 million annually through fishing trips, pleasure cruises, and other excursions that encourage Ohioans and visitors alike to connect with one of the state’s greatest natural and economic assets.

Elevated levels of mercury in Minnesota’s fish populations have led to fish consumption advisories. The contamination comes as a result of the environmental mismanagement of local mining operations, which are a significant source of mercury contamination statewide.

For the first time in over a century, lake sturgeon have returned to Ozaukee County, Wisconsin. Earlier this spring, the Wisconsin Department of Natural Resources identified a three-year-old male lake sturgeon traveling through the Mequon-Thiensville Fishway, the farthest north a lake sturgeon has been spotted since these prehistoric fish disappeared from the Milwaukee River in the late 1800s.

The Healing Our Waters-Great Lakes Coalition responded to the House Appropriations Committee release of its Fiscal Year 2027 Interior, Environment, and Related Agencies, expressing deep concern over the continued erosion of federal investments in water infrastructure while acknowledging continued bipartisan support for Great Lakes restoration programs.

The Healing Our Waters-Great Lakes Coalition and over 101 of our member organizations urged House appropriations subcommittees to support robust funding for Great Lakes restoration and clean water priorities in their Fiscal Year 2027 appropriations bills.

The Healing Our Waters-Great Lakes Coalition applauds the Senate Environment and Public Works Committee for convening today's hearing on restoration efforts in the Great Lakes region.

By cleaning up their most degraded areas, Milwaukee, Detroit, and Buffalo have created thriving lakeshore business districts, helped people reconnect with nature, and laid the groundwork for population growth into the future. Learn more about how they’re contributing to the Great Lakes region’s “blue economy.”