AOCs

In September, Muskegon Lake became the 8th overall U.S. AOC delisted and the 7th delisted under the GLRI. The designation comes after years of restoration and remediation work which restored more than 134 acres of habitat and 6,000 linear feet of shoreline.

The West Creek Flume Spillway Project, completed with a $7M Great Lakes Restoration Initiative grant, stabilized 6,500 linear feet of shoreline and restored fish passage.

The recent removal of the 128th Beneficial Use Impairment (BUI) marks the completion of a Great Lakes Restoration Initiative (GLRI) Action Plan III target.

Utilizing funding from GLRI, the National Park Service Rivers, Trails, and Conservation Assistance Program (RTCA) has supported the City of Duluth, Minnesota, to improve and expand park and trail spaces near historically disadvantaged neighborhoods located along the St. Louis River Estuary. The initial revitalization efforts to improve Waabizheshikana: The Marten Trail will enhance residents’ opportunities to connect back to a cultural and ecologically significant area of the waterfront. Partners are working together to preserve and enhance this trail while promoting awareness of the interconnectedness between Indigenous heritage and environmental stewardship.

The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) celebrates the completion of the first of two construction seasons at the Thomson Reservoir Remedial Action project in the St. Louis River Area of Concern.

The last remaining BUI in the Michigan AOC, the Degradation of Benthos, was removed after federal, state, and local partners determined that measures of benthic community health met established criteria.

The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency announces an updated action plan for federal agencies and their partners under the Great Lakes Restoration Initiative to restore and protect the Great Lakes over the next five years

The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency completed a Drum Removal Pilot Study in the Hubbell Processing Area of the Torch Lake Area of Concern.

The US Army Corps of Engineers builds a 700-foot-long fish passage at the City of Buffalo’s Freedom Park on Unity Island to support Emerald Shiner fish.

Funding for three ongoing cooperative agreements will support habitat restoration efforts that strengthen Great Lakes fisheries, ecosystems, and communities.