The Great Lakes Commission today issued a request for proposals (RFP)  to support in-person outreach and voluntary watercraft inspections in coordination with the annual regional Great Lakes Aquatic Invasive Species (AIS) Landing Blitz. This funding is intended to support partner activities with a specific focus on expanding access and event coverage to water bodies and access points that have not historically been included as participants in previous Great Lakes AIS Landing Blitz events. Tribal or U.S.-based local units of government, lake associations/watershed protection groups, non-profit 501(c)(3) organizations, universities/colleges, conservation groups are eligible to apply for the grants, which expected to range from $4,000 and $10,000.

The Great Lakes AIS Landing Blitz is an annual event that brings together state agencies and local volunteer partners to visit public and private boating access sites to deliver messaging about preventing the introduction and spread of AIS from the movement of watercraft and equipment between water bodies. The Great Lakes Commission coordinates the Landing Blitz in partnership with state and provincial agencies and Sea Grant program staff.

Applications are due April 21, 2023 and project activities are expected to take place at least from June 30 – July 9, 2023. Please contact Ceci Weibert at cweibert@glc.org with any questions.

The Great Lakes Commission, led by chair Todd L. Ambs, deputy secretary of the Wisconsin Department of Natural Resources (retired), is a binational government agency established in 1955 to protect the Great Lakes and the economies and ecosystems they support. Its membership includes leaders from the eight U.S. states and two Canadian provinces in the Great Lakes basin. The GLC recommends policies and practices to balance the use, development, and conservation of the water resources of the Great Lakes and brings the region together to work on issues that no single community, state, province, or nation can tackle alone. Learn more at www.glc.org.

ANN ARBOR, MI – In advance of Great Lakes Day this week, a binational coalition of regional agencies, Indigenous nations, legislators, local communities, and business, maritime and environmental groups today released shared priorities for restoring the Great Lakes and supporting the region’s economy. Great Lakes Day is an annual event that brings together regional leaders and members of Congress who play a critical role in shaping Great Lakes policies. Great Lakes Day will be held in-person in Washington, D.C. for the first time since March 2020.

“Restoring and protecting the Great Lakes is an enduring, bipartisan priority for the nation and for Great Lakes basin communities,” the priorities read. “Support of these priorities will accelerate progress, foster equity, build resilience, and ensure the Great Lakes are a source of drinking water, an environmental treasure, and an economic engine for North America.”

The agenda urges Congress and the Biden administration to: appropriate no less than $425 million for the Great Lakes Restoration Initiative (GLRI) in FY 2024, in addition to the supplemental investment through the infrastructure legislation; ensure water infrastructure investments tackle historic inequities; enhance the Great Lakes’ resiliency to the impacts of a changing climate; develop coordinated regional science plans; strengthen Great Lakes ports and the maritime transportation system; support federal actions to address harmful algal blooms; and protect the Great Lakes basin from invasive carp and other aquatic invasive species.

The priorities 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, Great Lakes Metro Chambers Coalition, American Great Lakes Ports Association, Great Lakes-St. Lawrence Legislative Caucus, Great Lakes Business Network, and Lake Carriers’ Association.

The Great Lakes Commission, led by chair Todd L. Ambs, deputy secretary of the Wisconsin Department of Natural Resources (retired), is a binational government agency established in 1955 to protect the Great Lakes and the economies and ecosystems they support. Its membership includes leaders from the eight U.S. states and two Canadian provinces in the Great Lakes basin. The GLC recommends policies and practices to balance the use, development, and conservation of the water resources of the Great Lakes and brings the region together to work on issues that no single community, state, province, or nation can tackle alone. Learn more at www.glc.org.

ANN ARBOR, MI – The Great Lakes Commission (GLC) today released its 2023 federal priorities, urging the Biden administration and Congress to invest in projects and programs that will foster a more resilient Great Lakes region, increase economic opportunity, and equitably improve the health of important ecosystems throughout the Great Lakes basin. The priorities are being shared in advance of Great Lakes Day, an annual event that brings together regional leaders and members of Congress who play a critical role in shaping Great Lakes policies. Great Lakes Day will be held in-person in Washington, D.C. for the first time since March 2020.

“The Great Lakes Commission is grateful that our federal partners understand the incredible importance of the Great Lakes to our nation,” said GLC Chair Todd L. Ambs of Wisconsin. “We look forward to meeting once again in D.C. to celebrate the lakes and call for ongoing investment to strengthen the economic and environmental health of the basin.”

In FY 2024, the GLC urges Congress and the Biden administration to: fully fund the Great Lakes Restoration Initiative; comprehensively address the causes of harmful algal blooms; strengthen the Great Lakes Navigation System; build a resilient Great Lakes basin; protect against invasive species; ensure equitable access to clean and safe water; and support integrated binational science and data collection. The GLC also encourages Congress to enact a new, five-year Farm Bill that builds upon policies that promote agricultural growth, sustainability, resilience, and conservation; and provide dedicated, sustainable funding to the GLC to enhance regional collaboration between the states and the federal government.

The GLC will meet with members of Congress and the federal government throughout the week to discuss these priorities. The GLC organizes Great Lakes Day annually to bring together the states, members of Congress and the federal government to raise awareness of Great Lakes issues. For more information on the GLC and its work, visit www.glc.org.

The Great Lakes Commission, led by chair Todd L. Ambs, deputy secretary of the Wisconsin Department of Natural Resources (retired), is a binational government agency established in 1955 to protect the Great Lakes and the economies and ecosystems they support. Its membership includes leaders from the eight U.S. states and two Canadian provinces in the Great Lakes basin. The GLC recommends policies and practices to balance the use, development, and conservation of the water resources of the Great Lakes and brings the region together to work on issues that no single community, state, province, or nation can tackle alone. Learn more at www.glc.org.