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 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.”

Great Lakes Coalition to urge members of Congress to continue their support for federal investments to protect the drinking water, public health, jobs, and quality of life for the millions of people in the eight-state region of Illinois, Indiana, Michigan, Minnesota, New York, Ohio, Pennsylvania, and Wisconsin. 

Materials from Great Lakes Day 2026

The House has passed a three-bill funding package that includes funding for the Department of Interior, the Environmental Protection Agency, the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, and the Army Corps of Engineers for Fiscal Year 2026. Great Lakes and clean water programs largely maintained funding levels, with modest increases in several areas.

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.