Restoring the Great Lakes: Success Stories from the 2013 Field Season

Another field season has arrived, marking the fourth year that the Great Lakes Restoration Initiative has enhanced priority research and restoration in the Great Lakes Basin. Core to our mission, the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service takes great pride in working with others. In what continues to be a challenging economic climate, the Great Lakes Restoration Initiative allows us to continue to build and support important partnerships that benefit the Great Lakes and the surrounding region.

This year the Service received over $40.5 million through an interagency agreement with the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency to reduce toxic substances, restore critical habitat, protect wildlife and prevent the movement of invasive species invasive species
An invasive species is any plant or animal that has spread or been introduced into a new area where they are, or could, cause harm to the environment, economy, or human, animal, or plant health. Their unwelcome presence can destroy ecosystems and cost millions of dollars.

Learn more about invasive species into and throughout the Great Lakes. Our total GLRI funding from the past four years now exceeds $190 million. In this edition of Restoring the Great Lakes, many of our stories recognize that it is with the help of our valued partners that the reach of these dollars is being extended and transformed into meaningful on-the-ground projects.

As always, we are excited to share with you a sampling of our GLRI project accomplishments in the Midwest and Northeast Regions. We challenge the readers of this year’s booklet to think about these stories in a larger context. Our work and the work of our partners over the past few years have contributed to what is quickly becoming the largest Great Lakes restoration effort in our lifetime. More than simply a funding mechanism, the Great Lakes Restoration Initiative has jumpstarted a legacy of Great Lakes stewardship.

If seeing nesting migratory birds or pulling a lake trout out of the water gives you a thrill, you might be surprised to learn about the role of the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service and Great Lakes Restoration Initiative in safeguarding these natural resources for your enjoyment. We invite you out to our national wildlife refuges and national fish hatcheries to learn more not only about our work with the fish and wildlife of the Great Lakes, but also the people who depend on the Great Lakes as a source of income and way of life. We are already anticipating our 2014 field season and we look forward to sharing our ongoing Great Lakes Restoration Initiative accomplishments.