About the Great Lakes Restoration Initiative

2013 marks the fourth year that the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service has been a proud federal partner with the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency in the implementation the Great Lakes Restoration Initiative (GLRI).

Comprised of more than 10,000 miles of coastline and 30,000 islands, the Great Lakes provide drinking water, transportation, power and recreational opportunities to the 30 million citizens who call the Great Lakes basin "home." As the largest group of fresh water lakes on Earth, the Great Lakes hold 95 percent of the United States' surface fresh water. An important economic resource, the Great Lakes also provide over 1.5 million jobs and $62 billion (1.9 MB PDF) in wages to American citizens.

Years of environmental degradation has left the Great Lakes in need of immediate on-the-ground action to save this precious resource for generations to come. GLRI is a driver for environmental action in the Great Lakes and represents a collaborative effort on behalf of the U.S. EPA and 15 other federal agencies to address the most significant environmental problems in the Great Lakes.

The GLRI Action Plan identifies five major focus areas to serve as a guide for collaborative restoration work. The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service has current projects in the following three focus areas:

Toxic Substances and Areas of Concern, including pollution prevention and cleanup of the most polluted areas in the Great Lakes. 

Invasive Species, including efforts to institute a “zero tolerance policy” toward new invasions, including the establishment of self-sustaining populations of invasive species, such as Asian Carp.

Habitat and Wildlife Protection and Restoration, including bringing wetlands and other habitat back to life, and the first-ever comprehensive assessment of the entire 530,000 acres of Great Lakes coastal wetlands for the purpose of strategically targeting restoration and protection efforts in a science-based manner. 

The History of the Great Lakes Restoration Initiative

May 2004

The Great Lakes Interagency Task Force is created by Executive Order 13340 to promote a regional collaborative effort to restore ecosystem health in the Great Lakes.

December 2005

Following the creation of the Great Lakes Interagency Task Force, a Great Lakes Regional Collaboration Strategy is developed. It outlines strategic recommendations for the restoration of the Great Lakes ecosystem generated by more than 1,500 people from diverse backgrounds.

May 2009

Building upon the work presented in the Great Lakes Regional Collaboration Strategy, President Obama's FY 2010 budget allocates $475 million for the Great Lakes Restoration Initiative. This money is intended to target the most significant environmental problems impacting the Great Lakes' ecosystem.

June 2009

President Obama's memorandum, National Policy for the Oceans, Our Coasts, and the Great Lakes, presents a vision for future Great Lakes national policy and management.

February 2010

Funds are dispersed and the USFWS receives $65 million through an interagency agreement with the Environmental Protection Agency to aid in the GLRI implementation efforts. The GLRI Action Plan is released.

2013

Over the past four field seasons the Service has received over $190 million in GLRI funding to support priority research and restoration in the Great Lakes Basin.