Healthy lakes and healthy people
go hand in hand

What We Do

The Healing Our Waters-Great Lakes Coalition’s mission is to secure a sustainable Great Lakes restoration plan and the federal funding to implement it. To date, federal investments have produced results, but serious threats remain, and our job is not done until we’ve put an end to drinking water restrictions, fish consumption advisories, and beach closures. Further, data from the EPA says that some communities—especially low-income, Black, Latino, and Indigenous communities—are more likely to be dealing with serious health threats from pollution. We are working to ensure that the communities that have been harmed the most by pollution are prioritized when it comes to cleanup, and that the people who live in those communities have a voice in the solutions.

To achieve our goals, the Coalition convenes our members, partners, and allies to discuss regional clean water priorities, provides tools, resources, and trainings on these issues, and brings together Great Lakes advocates at several events throughout the year, including Great Lakes Day in Washington, D.C., to educate and inform public officials, and an annual Great Lakes Restoration Conference.

 

In Washington, D.C.

The Coalition maintains an active presence in Washington, D.C., to help educate elected officials about the importance of Great Lakes restoration investments, and uplift policies that benefit the ecosystem, wildlife, and people. In 2023, the Coalition is watching and advocating for the following federal priorities:

  • invest in Great Lakes restoration: fully fund and reauthorize key restoration programs, which can also address impacts from our changing climate through nature-based infrastructure and habitat improvement projects, helping reduce flooding and other serious threats.

  • restore and strengthen clean water protections: address legacy pollutants, contaminants like lead and PFAS, aging infrastructure overwhelmed by the effects of climate change, and rollbacks to federal regulations that have weakened clean water protections.

  • invest in water infrastructure: back up the passage of the Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act with clear support for full funding and equitable implementation of key programs, prioritizing communities that have historically borne the brunt of pollution and environmental harm - low-income communities, Black people, Indigenous Peoples, and People of Color. 

  • support comprehensive action on climate: pass comprehensive climate change legislation, investing in climate action, public health, and community resilience.

For more information, contact the coalition’s policy director, Chad Lord, at clord@npca.org.

 

In Your State

The Coalition works with conservation leaders in states around the Great Lakes region to advance our goal to secure federal funding to restore and protect the lakes. Our partners in the states of Minnesota, Wisconsin, Illinois, Indiana, Michigan, Ohio, Pennsylvania, and New York are the backbone of our restoration advocacy. Our state leaders visit members of Congress both in Washington, D.C., and in district offices to talk about the importance of the Great Lakes to our drinking water, jobs, health, and way of life.

Minnesota State Lead:
Minnesota Environmental Partnership – Andrew Slade

Wisconsin State Leads:
Milwaukee Water Commons – Joe Fitzgerald
Clean Wisconsin – Erik Kanter

Michigan State Leads:
Sierra Club – Erma Leaphart
Michigan League of Conservation Voters – Bentley Johnson

Ohio State Leads:
Ohio Environmental Council – Melanie Houston
Junction Coalition – Alicia Smith

New York State Leads:
Citizens Campaign for the Environment – Brian Smith
National Audubon Society – Erin McGrath

 

Work with Media

Since 2004, the Healing Our Waters-Great Lakes Coalition has been telling the story of the Great Lakes and restoration. We harness the collective power of more than 180 groups representing millions of people, whose common goal is to restore and protect the Great Lakes. The Coalition is a leading voice for Great Lakes restoration and protection in Washington, D.C., and in the Great Lakes states of Illinois, Indiana, Michigan, Minnesota, New York, Ohio, Pennsylvania, and Wisconsin.

Please contact our communications staff to arrange an interview with Coalition staff or Coalition partners.

Jordan Lubetkin
Communications Director
734-887-7109
Lubetkin@nwf.org

Lindsey Bacigal
Communications Coordinator
734-887-7113
BacigalL@nwf.org

You can also stay informed about the latest developments in the effort to restore the Great Lakes by checking out our resources page. There you’ll find all our press releases, reports, letters to the U.S. Congress, and more! Follow @HealthyLakes on Twitter, LinkedIn, and Facebook and help spread the word on efforts to protect and restore the Great Lakes.