Great Lakes

The Great Lakes are a global treasure, representing 20 percent of the Earth's freshwater, and providing freshwater for 33 million  people in the Great Lakes region. Among the most fragile ecosystems on the planet, these vast lakes are experiencing a dramatic decline in water quality and an invasion of exotic species that threaten their future and the future of the fish, wildlife, and people that depend upon them. They are also home to such storied national parks as Isle Royale, Sleeping Bear Dunes National Lakeshore, and Apostle Islands.

With the support of Peter Wege of the Wege Foundation, NPCA and the National Wildlife Federation will serve as inaugural co-chairs of a Great Lakes Coalition to build public support nationally to restore America’s greatest freshwater resource, the Great Lakes. The Great Lakes Coalition will be a broad-based network of national, regional and state organizations dedicated to Great Lakes restoration. It will include a technical advisory committee comprised of scientists, business leaders, economists and other experts.

“The Great Lakes are national treasures,” said NPCA President Tom Kiernan, “and we will build a national coalition of concerned Americans to restore and protect them.”

Among the largest private foundation grants ever for Great Lakes protection, the $5 million, five-year Wege Foundation  grant follows the historic “Healing Our Waters” summit of May 2004, which set forth an agenda for federal government action and funding to restore the Great Lakes.

“No single foundation, no single organization, no single person will restore the Great Lakes by working alone,” said Peter Wege. “It will take close partnerships among all who care for the Lakes, including government and elected officials.”

Visit the Healing Our Waters web site for more information.