The Latest from the Coalition
On this page you can find the latest news from the Coalition, including stories of restoration successes, profiles of ongoing clean water issues, policy updates, and press releases.
House Committee Advances Great Lakes Restoration Initiative Reauthorization
This morning, the House Transportation and Infrastructure Committee advanced the American Water Stewardship Act (H.R. 6422), a legislative package that included a 5-year reauthorization of the Great Lakes Restoration Initiative (GLRI). The Healing Our Waters-Great Lakes Coalition applauds this important step in the legislative process.
“It was unconscionable”: Funding Cuts Eliminate Environmental AmeriCorps Program in Northern Ohio
Federal funding cuts have led to the termination of an AmeriCorps program in Ohio, halting six years of environmental restoration work with Tinker’s Creek Watershed Partners. The program’s wide-ranging work involved removing invasive species, expanding green infrastructure, monitoring water quality, increasing environmental resilience, educating the public, restoring habitats, maintaining trails, planting trees, managing greenhouses, and much more.
Celebrating the 2025 Great Lakes Conference
We had another successful Great Lakes Conference in 2025! Around 230 people joined us in Rochester, New York over the course of two days. We’re already planning the 2026 Great Lakes Conference and we hope you’ll join us next fall in Detroit, Michigan!
Federal Government Shutdown Threatens Great Lakes Restoration Progress and Clean Water Protections
The first federal government shutdown since 2018 threatens ongoing work to restore the Great Lakes and safeguard clean drinking water for more than 30 million people across the region and broader country. The Healing Our Waters-Great Lakes Coalition is urging federal policymakers to find a path forward that funds restoration efforts and critical clean water monitoring and protection activities.
Conservation and Community Go Hand in Hand at Cornwall Preserve
At Cornwall Preserve, a 77-acre nature preserve in Williamson, New York, recent environmental restoration projects and visitor experience improvements have illustrated the powerful relationship between conservation and community.
Budget Cuts Threaten Great Lakes Spotter Buoys Responsible for Keeping Freighters, Fishermen, and Families Safe
A buoy network managed by the Great Lakes Observing System (GLOS) across the Great Lakes collects information on wave height, approximate wind speed and direction, and water temperature. Once collected, this data not only allows for safe tourism, recreation, and shipping but also warns researchers about impacts to water quality, including toxic algal blooms that pose serious health threats to humans, pets, and wildlife. However, despite the health, safety, and environmental benefits these buoys provide, $1.6 billion in budget cuts proposed by the Trump administration could bring funding for GLOS to a halt.