Restoring the Great Lakes

In support of a long-range restoration plan for the Great Lakes, Michigan Sea Grant will administer two projects selected for support from the National Sea Grant College Program. The initiatives will be led by the Great Lakes Commission and the Northeast-Midwest Institute.

These important preliminary studies will lay the groundwork for future restoration planning and implementation, says Michigan Sea Grant Interim Director George Carignan.

“Restoration of the Great Lakes Basin is a hugely complex and massive undertaking involving two countries, eight states, two provinces and many native American tribes,” says Carignan. “These early studies are intended to produce a framework for restoration that will enable an orderly approach to the many tasks that must be undertaken.”

The Great Lakes Commission, in partnership with the Great Lakes Sea Grant Network, will lead an effort to develop the scientific basis for a comprehensive restoration plan for the region. The ambitious two-year initiative will research ecosystem problems and needs; assess existing restoration initiatives; conduct focus groups that build on the development of state and provincial priorities; and convene a restoration planning forum to assemble outcomes.

These efforts support the work of the Council of Great Lakes Governors, which is developing a series of restoration planning priorities at the request of the Great Lakes Congressional Task Force.

The Northeast-Midwest Institute will lead a second initiative that will explore approaches that other regions have used to launch major ecosystem restoration initiatives. The Institute will compare and contrast other initiatives in order to develop a series of lessons relevant to the Great Lakes. It will also review the legislative history of key regional, national and international efforts to develop a useful reference for legislators.

These and complementary efforts will provide Congress with a scientifically defensible restoration plan for the Great Lakes. Such a plan is expected to have significant environmental, economic and social benefits
for the Great Lakes region.