News by Year

Small Bird, Big Comeback: Great Lakes Piping Plovers Reach Record Numbers for the Second Year in a Row

The Great Lakes Restoration Initiative is helping guide the federally endangered piping plover on the path to recovery. 2025 saw the highest number of nesting pairs since the species was first listed in 1986.

July 28, 2025

Taking Stock of Our Progress for Lake Trout

U.S. Fish and Wildlife Services and a network of partners, using funding provided through the Great Lakes Restoration Initiative, have helped this once-devasted fishery make a stunning recovery.

July 24, 2025

EPA’s 2025 Lake Michigan Benthic Survey Underway

Scientist aboard EPA’s largest research vessel, the R/V Lake Guardian, are collecting benthic samples in Lake Michigan to monitor the abundance and spread of invasive quagga mussels.

July 18, 2025

Clean Waters Ahead: Inside Filter Testing at University of Wisconsin-Superior’s Great Waters Research Collaborative

Filter testing at Great Waters Research Collaborative land-based facility leads to design improvements for shipboard filters.

July 18, 2025

EPA Selects Four Recipients to Receive $3.7 Million in Grants to Assist Farmers with Nutrient Management in the Western Lake Erie Basin

The Nature Conservancy, Ohio Department of Agriculture, Lenawee County Soil and Water Conservation District, and Regents of the University of Michigan will receive $3,712,124 in grants funded under the Great Lakes Restoration Initiative. By providing technical assistance and outreach to farmers, these organizations will help reduce the amount of nutrient runoff entering Lake Erie resulting in harmful algal blooms.

July 1, 2025

Habitat Restoration in the Great Lakes: By the Numbers

NOAA habitat restoration projects in the Great Lakes basin have strengthened fisheries and ecosystems, benefited local economies as well as, supported resilient communities. NOAA has worked through the Great Lakes Restoration Initiative for 15 years to restore habitat through 98 high priority projects and have consequently restored over 5,180 acres of habitat and reopened more than 520 miles of rivers and streams for fish and wildlife populations. 

June 24, 2025

Restoring Habitat for Great Lakes Fisheries on New York’s Salmon River

NOAA supports efforts to restore habitat and prevent erosion on the Salmon River in New York, a popular recreational fishing destination. Erosion, sedimentation, and changes to the water flow of the Salmon River have contributed to habitat degradation and threatened the health of the river’s fish population. NOAA provided $390,000 in Great Lakes Restoration Initiative funding to remove an abandoned railroad trestle bridge which was causing sediment buildup and erosion of the river’s streambank. 

May 20, 2025

Revitalizing the Detroit River Ecosystem for Great Lakes Fisheries

NOAA, with help from partners across the Great Lakes Basin, is transforming the Detroit River to create important spawning and nursery habitat for native fish like the walleye, lake sturgeon, northern pike, and smallmouth bass. These restoration initiatives are improving the health of the river and making progress towards removing the Detroit River from the list of areas of concern. 

May 20, 2025

USGS Publishes Updated Interactive Water Quality Dashboard for Great Lakes Tributaries

The updated Interactive Water Quality Dashboard includes data through 2023 and adds chloride to the existing database of water quality variables.

May 5, 2025

Identifying the Great Lakes top ten most impactful aquatic invaders

The Great Lakes are one of the most unique freshwater ecosystems in the world – but are also heavily threatened by biological invaders. Aquatic invasive and nuisance species are the plants and animals from other regions of the globe that accidentally get brought to the Great Lakes, potentially destroying the local ecosystem. Many species pose a significant threat to the Great Lakes environment and economy, from sea lamprey that devastate prized fisheries, zebra mussels that encrust underwater infrastructure, and aquatic weeds that entangle boat motors and swimmers alike.

April 21, 2025