Ann Arbor, Mich. – The Great Lakes Commission (GLC) announced that it will award $1.55 million in grants to reduce the runoff of sediment, nutrients, and other pollutants into the Great Lakes through the Great Lakes Sediment and Nutrient Reduction Program.

Each year, the program provides competitive grants to local, state and tribal governments and nonprofit organizations to install erosion and nutrient control practices in the Great Lakes basin. The program supports projects not typically funded by other federal cost-share programs, allowing it to fund innovative and unique approaches. The 2020 projects generally focus on three approaches: long-term sediment and nutrient management through engagement with the agricultural community, streambank restoration, and green infrastructure.

“Bringing together national, state, and local partners is key to protecting the Great Lakes and the economies they support,” said Sharon M. Jackson, chair of the Great Lakes Commission and deputy general counsel to Indiana Governor Eric Holcomb. “The Great Lakes Commission is proud to provide these grants to help organizations improve water quality in their communities.”

Funding for the Great Lakes Sediment and Nutrient Reduction Program is provided by the U.S. Department of Agriculture – Natural Resources Conservation Service under the Great Lakes Restoration Initiative (GLRI). Over the past ten years the Great Lakes Sediment and Nutrient Reduction Program has awarded 126 grants totaling more than $21 million through the GLRI.

The following grants have been awarded:

• Colonial Heritage Water Quality Stormwater Improvements, Fort Wayne City Utilities – $200,000 (Indiana)
• Michigan State University Red Cedar River Restoration Phase II, Michigan State University – $150,538 (Michigan)
• Little Net River Phosphorous Reduction Project, Carlton Soil and Water Conservation District – $200,000 (Minnesota)
• Jaycox Creek Watershed Agricultural BMPs, Center for Environmental Initiatives – $198,293 (New York)
• Euclid Beach Park Green Infrastructure (Euclid Creek Watershed), Cleveland Metroparks – $200,000 (Ohio)
• Improving Phosphorus Placement by Composting Solid Manure, The Ohio State University – $74,600 (Ohio)
• Phase 2: Targeted Phosphorus and Sediment Reduction to North Fish Creek and Chequamegon Bay, Lake Superior, Northland College – $199,726 (Wisconsin)
• Building Water Storage Capacity of the Lower Fox, Outagamie County Land Conservation – $199,268 (Wisconsin)
• Restoring Agricultural Land to Native Vegetation to Reduce Nutrient Loads in Little Menomonee and Milwaukee River Watersheds, Mequon Nature Preserve – $127,556 (Wisconsin)

More information about the projects is available at www.nutrientreduction.org.

The Great Lakes Commission, led by chair Sharon M. Jackson, Deputy General Counsel for Governor Eric J. Holcomb of Indiana, is an interstate compact agency established under the Great Lakes Basin Compact of 1955. The Commission is authorized by state and U.S. federal law and dedicated to promoting a strong economy, healthy environment and high quality of life for the Great Lakes-St. Lawrence Basin and its residents. The Commission consists of governors’ appointees, state legislators, industry and nonprofit leaders and agency officials from eight states and two provinces. Associate membership for Ontario and Québec was established through the signing of a “Declaration of Partnership.” The Commission maintains a formal Observer program involving U.S. and Canadian federal agencies, tribal authorities, binational agencies and other regional interests. The Commission office is in Ann Arbor, Michigan. Learn more at www.glc.org.

Ann Arbor, Mich. – The Great Lakes Commission announced today that it will be appointing Erika Jensen to serve as its interim executive director. Erika first joined the Commission in 2006 and currently oversees the agency’s aquatic invasive species prevention and control program. She will be the first female executive director of the Commission since it was established in 1955.

Darren Nichols announced that he will be stepping down from his current role as executive director on September 8. He will provide transition guidance to executive leadership as needed through January 2021 and will work to ensure a seamless transition for the Commission. He plans extensive travel and distance learning with his wife and three teenage sons through the next school year.

“I am so pleased to announce that Erika Jensen has been named to serve as interim executive director,” said Chair Sharon M. Jackson, Deputy General Counsel for Governor Eric J. Holcomb of Indiana. “Erika is highly regarded throughout the Great Lakes community and has spent more than 14 years with the GLC, spearheading many regional initiatives and serving in several leadership roles during this time. Erika has the ideal combination of experience with Great Lakes issues and stakeholders and fresh new ideas for the agency.”

 “The Commission sincerely appreciates Darren’s significant contributions to the Commission and the Great Lakes basin,” said GLC Vice Chair Todd L. Ambs, Assistant Deputy Secretary for the Wisconsin Department of Natural Resources. “We wish him and his family the very best.”

Erika joined the Commission as a Sea Grant Fellow and has a master’s degree in environmental management from Duke University and a bachelor’s degree from Michigan State University. She currently serves as coordinator for the Great Lakes Panel on Aquatic Nuisance Species and the Invasive Mussel Collaborative and works with a variety of regional partners on projects focused on invasive species and other topics.  

The Great Lakes Commission, led by chair Sharon M. Jackson, Deputy General Counsel for Governor Eric J. Holcomb of Indiana, is an interstate compact agency established under the Great Lakes Basin Compact of 1955. The Commission is authorized by state and U.S. federal law and dedicated to promoting a strong economy, healthy environment and high quality of life for the Great Lakes-St. Lawrence Basin and its residents. The Commission consists of governors’ appointees, state legislators, industry and nonprofit leaders and agency officials from eight states and two provinces. Associate membership for Ontario and Québec was established through the signing of a “Declaration of Partnership.” The Commission maintains a formal Observer program involving U.S. and Canadian federal agencies, tribal authorities, binational agencies and other regional interests. The Commission office is in Ann Arbor, Michigan. Learn more at www.glc.org.

Great Lakes Basin – This summer hundreds of organizations will reach out virtually and in person to remind boaters and the public about the risks of spreading aquatic invasive species (AIS). The Great Lakes Commission is working with states and provinces to coordinate the second annual Great Lakes AIS Landing Blitz from June 28 to July 10 across the region.

U.S. and Canadian groups will show boaters across the Great Lakes Basin how to properly inspect and clean boats, trailers and other equipment to prevent the spread of AIS, which are recognized as one of the most significant threats to the ecological and economic health of the Great Lakes Basin. Volunteers, along with paid inspectors, are partnering with state and provincial agencies at boat launches to educate boaters on how to prevent the spread of AIS, ways to identify AIS and report an AIS discovery, and local AIS regulations.

“Partnering directly with anglers, boaters, and other community members across the Basin is critical to preventing the spread of aquatic invasive species in the Great Lakes,” said Sharon M. Jackson, chair of the Great Lakes Commission and deputy general counsel for Indiana Governor Eric Holcomb. “The more people we reach, the more people become part of the solution to protecting our lakes and rivers.”

Last year’s inaugural Great Lakes AIS Landing Blitz reached 115,000 people at 1,400 public and private boat landings across the region. This year, agencies leading the effort are expanding their online presence due to measures to limit the spread of COVID-19.

“The unusual circumstances created by COVID-19 have driven us to be more creative in how we reach people and expand our impact beyond just the Great Lakes and St. Lawrence River region,” said Martine Hébert, Québec government Delegate in Chicago and Great Lakes Commissioner. “We are committed to working with our partners and colleagues around the basin in a continued effort to keep invasive species out of the Great Lakes and St. Lawrence. We are always happy to participate in delivering a coordinated message – virtually and in person – about the importance of AIS prevention during what remains one of the busiest boating weekends of the year.”

More than 180 non-native aquatic species are established in the lakes, many of which are invasive and cause harm. Progress is being made to prevent new invasions and reduce the damage from those species already here. Despite this, the region remains vulnerable to the introduction and spread of AIS and these threats are likely to increase with changing weather patterns, including this spring’s severe storms and flooding. As boaters return to the water this summer, it is imperative that they clean, drain and dry their boat and gear, and for anglers to properly dispose of any unused bait.

For more information on the Great Lakes AIS Landing Blitz, including educational materials, location, and volunteer opportunities, visit www.glc.org/blitz.

The Great Lakes Commission, led by chair Sharon M. Jackson, Deputy General Counsel for Governor Eric J. Holcomb of Indiana, is an interstate compact agency established under the Great Lakes Basin Compact of 1955. The Commission is authorized by state and U.S. federal law and dedicated to promoting a strong economy, healthy environment and high quality of life for the Great Lakes-St. Lawrence Basin and its residents. The Commission consists of governors’ appointees, state legislators, industry and nonprofit leaders and agency officials from eight states and two provinces. Associate membership for Ontario and Québec was established through the signing of a “Declaration of Partnership.” The Commission maintains a formal Observer program involving U.S. and Canadian federal agencies, tribal authorities, binational agencies and other regional interests. The Commission office is in Ann Arbor, Michigan. Learn more at www.glc.org.

Great Lakes Basin – In a historic agreement, Blue Accounting has partnered with the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service to better track investments in restoring and protecting Great Lakes coastal wetlands. The Service has agreed to share its Habitat Information Tracking System (HabITS) database for publication in a public platform, substantially increasing the number of coastal wetland projects tracked on www.blueaccounting.org.

With this agreement, Blue Accounting will incorporate the two largest sources of coastal wetland project data in the Great Lakes Basin: the HaBITS database and Great Lakes Restoration Database, which tracks projects funded under the Great Lakes Restoration Initiative. Blue Accounting will soon be able to connect information on the vast majority of U.S. coastal wetland investments in the Great Lakes Basin initiated since 2010.

“The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service is committed to collaborative approaches for fish and wildlife conservation across the Great Lakes Basin,” said Charlie Wooley, Regional Director for the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service’s Great Lakes Region. “The principles of being collaborative, outcome-driven, data and science-informed, and adaptive are shared between the Service and the Blue Accounting Initiative. We are proud to have supported and participated with Blue Accounting since its inception as a means to join with other agencies to develop shared objectives and track progress toward goals. This agreement will allow for better tracking of the region’s progress toward restoring and protecting critical Great Lakes coastal wetlands.”

“Coastal wetlands protect our communities from floods, provide habitat for fish and wildlife, filter our water, and serve as economic drivers for the Great Lakes states and provinces,” said Sharon M. Jackson, chair of the Great Lakes Commission and deputy general counsel to Indiana Governor Eric Holcomb. “We are excited to partner with the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service to expand the investments in wetlands that Blue Accounting is tracking, in order to make sure we are best protecting, restoring and utilizing this invaluable resource.”

The Blue Accounting coastal wetland team, led by The Nature Conservancy, works with a regional partnership of state, federal, tribal, nongovernmental and academic organizations to report on investments in Great Lakes Coastal Wetlands.  This regional partnership, called the Great Lakes Coastal Assembly, is co-chaired by the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service and Wisconsin Department of Natural Resources and has identified a collective vision and goals for coastal wetlands. This vision and goals act like a roadmap ensuring our collective actions create healthy coastal wetlands supporting fish, wildlife, plants, and people. The USFWS data provided through this agreement will help track investment and progress toward meeting these shared coastal wetland goals.

Through Blue Accounting, key experts and stakeholders track progress toward shared goals for the Great Lakes, helping decision-makers improve how they are protected and restored. The Great Lakes Commission leads Blue Accounting in partnership with dozens of federal, state, provincial, local and private sector organizations. Blue Accounting receives funding support from the Charles Stewart Mott Foundation, the Fred A. and Barbara M. Erb Family Foundation, the Joyce Foundation, and the Herbert H. and Grace A. Dow Foundation.

The Great Lakes Commission, led by chair Sharon M. Jackson, Deputy General Counsel for Governor Eric J. Holcomb of Indiana, is an interstate compact agency established under the Great Lakes Basin Compact of 1955. The Commission is authorized by state and U.S. federal law and dedicated to promoting a strong economy, healthy environment and high quality of life for the Great Lakes-St. Lawrence Basin and its residents. The Commission consists of governors’ appointees, state legislators, industry and nonprofit leaders and agency officials from eight states and two provinces. Associate membership for Ontario and Québec was established through the signing of a “Declaration of Partnership.” The Commission maintains a formal Observer program involving U.S. and Canadian federal agencies, tribal authorities, binational agencies and other regional interests. The Commission office is in Ann Arbor, Michigan. Learn more at www.glc.org.

GREAT LAKES BASIN – In a letter sent today, organizations representing the Great Lakes states, tribes, binational agencies, state legislators, municipalities, conservation organizations, labor, businesses, and ports joined their voices in urging Congress to include critical Great Lakes investments in legislation to stimulate economic recovery from the coronavirus pandemic.

“We urge you to invest in the Great Lakes to help our region and nation recover from the devastating coronavirus pandemic,” the letter reads. “Funding can be administered quickly through existing programs and swiftly generate job growth and new economic activity across the eight-state Great Lakes Basin. Environmental improvements, including ensuring safe drinking water for over 40 million people, will accelerate community recovery and revitalize the Great Lakes Basin economy while fueling the national economic recovery.”

Investments would modernize outdated water infrastructure to protect drinking water and public health; help communities respond to high lake levels and climate impacts; strengthen the Great Lakes navigation system; and accelerate funding for the Great Lakes Restoration Initiative to implement ready to launch cleanup projects that will spur economic development in coastal communities, while sustaining efforts to block the introduction of Asian carp and implement agricultural conservation practices to prevent harmful algal blooms.

These investments are endorsed by the Great Lakes Commission, Great Lakes Fishery Commission, Healing Our Waters-Great Lakes Coalition, Great Lakes and St. Lawrence Cities Initiative, Chippewa Ottawa Resource Authority, American Great Lakes Ports Association, Great Lakes Metro Chambers Coalition,  Great Lakes-St. Lawrence Legislative Caucus and BlueGreen Alliance. They reflect broader priorities for investing in the Great Lakes as an economic powerhouse and natural treasure that were released by the groups earlier this year. 

The Great Lakes Commission, led by chair Sharon M. Jackson, Deputy General Counsel for Governor Eric J. Holcomb of Indiana, is an interstate compact agency established under the Great Lakes Basin Compact of 1955. The Commission is authorized by state and U.S. federal law and dedicated to promoting a strong economy, healthy environment and high quality of life for the Great Lakes-St. Lawrence Basin and its residents. The Commission consists of governors’ appointees, state legislators, industry and nonprofit leaders and agency officials from eight states and two provinces. Associate membership for Ontario and Québec was established through the signing of a “Declaration of Partnership.” The Commission maintains a formal Observer program involving U.S. and Canadian federal agencies, tribal authorities, binational agencies and other regional interests. The Commission office is in Ann Arbor, Michigan. Learn more at www.glc.org.

Ann Arbor, Mich. – In a letter sent yesterday, the Great Lakes Commission called on Congressional appropriators to include critical Great Lakes investments in any economic stimulus response to the coronavirus pandemic. The investments include modernizing outdated water infrastructure to protect drinking water and public health, fully funding the Great Lakes Restoration Initiative to clean up pollution across the region and supporting programs that help prevent harmful algal blooms and bolster producers and the Basin’s farm economy. 

“With nearly one-third of U.S. and Canadian economies centered around the Great Lakes Basin, revitalizing the Great Lakes economy will accelerate and stabilize our national recovery,” the letter reads. “Congress has been a vital partner in efforts to maximize the Great Lakes as an environmental and economic asset for the region, the nation and North America. These investments will address important priorities while quickly stimulating economic activity in hard-hit communities.”  

The investments reflect longstanding Great Lakes Commission priorities for strengthening the economic and environmental health of the eight-state region. They are aligned with the Commission’s Great Lakes 2020: Vision for a Healthy and Resilient Great Lakes Basin.  

The Great Lakes Commission convenes the states and provinces—Illinois, Indiana, Michigan, Minnesota, New York, Ohio, Ontario, Pennsylvania, Québec and Wisconsin—to speak collectively for a healthy, vibrant Great Lakes Basin. Established by the Great Lakes Basin Compact and authorized by Congress, the Commission promotes, plans for, and invests in the use, development and conservation of the Great Lakes Basin.  

The Great Lakes Commission, led by chair Sharon M. Jackson, Deputy General Counsel for Governor Eric J. Holcomb of Indiana, is an interstate compact agency established under the Great Lakes Basin Compact of 1955. The Commission is authorized by state and U.S. federal law and dedicated to promoting a strong economy, healthy environment and high quality of life for the Great Lakes-St. Lawrence Basin and its residents. The Commission consists of governors’ appointees, state legislators, industry and nonprofit leaders and agency officials from eight states and two provinces. Associate membership for Ontario and Québec was established through the signing of a “Declaration of Partnership.” The Commission maintains a formal Observer program involving U.S. and Canadian federal agencies, tribal authorities, binational agencies and other regional interests. The Commission office is in Ann Arbor, Michigan. Learn more at www.glc.org.