Great Lakes Report finds partnerships aplenty

Annual Michigan State of the 

Multiple agencies and organizations come together to share progress and challenges in Michigan waters

LANSING, Michigan —Today, the Michigan Department of Environment, Great Lakes, and Energy (EGLE) released the 2024 Michigan State of the Great Lakes Report. The report explores major accomplishments, issues, initiatives, and challenges related to the health and sustainability of our Great Lakes—the world’s greatest surface freshwater system. Partner is a word you’ll find more than 50 times in the new report. In 15 articles over more than 30 pages, the magazine-style annual report touches again and again on how individuals, communities, organizations, universities, tribes, and governments unite around the ecology and economy of Michigan’s Great Lakes. The report also includes introductory reflections by Governor Gretchen Whitmer and EGLE Director Phil Roos.

“Living in a state surrounded by 21% of the world’s fresh surface water, every Michigander has a unique responsibility to steward and protect our water resources, both Great and small,” Roos said of the report. “Our waters are central to our heritage, key to our economy, and are a critical natural resource. The 2024 State of the Great Lakes Report highlights the challenges these resources face and the importance of collective action to protect them. I hope it will inspire continued action as we head into a new year.”

By statute, EGLE’s Office of the Great Lakes (OGL) prepares and submits the report each calendar year to the state Legislature on behalf of the Governor. In addition to being delivered to state legislators, the 2024 report is posted online along with recent years’ editions.

The Great Lakes hold 21% of the world’s fresh surface water and provide drinking water for more than 30 million people in the U.S. and Canada. A Michigan Sea Grant study of 2018 data found that the lakes supported more than 1.3 million jobs generating $82 billion in wages annually – equivalent to more than $100 million in 2024.

This annual report calls us as Michiganders to reflect on stewardship of our water wonderland,” said EGLE Great Lakes Senior Advisor and Strategist Emily Finnell. “I believe every reader will find cause for celebration along with motivation to do even better.”

Finnell wrote in the report about highlights of OGL action and funding priorities including a green maritime economy; groundwater data; environmental justice, equity, and inclusion; and pollution from plastics and microplastics.

The report highlights activities related to every Great Lake bordering Michigan and specific regions from the Detroit area to Benton Harbor to northern Michigan rivers and streams and everywhere in between. Topics and sectors covered include agriculture, shipping, recreation, education, science, infrastructure, invasive species, conservation, funding, and more.

Leaders and staff from a wide range of Great Lakes and environmental organizations and agencies authored articles for the report: the City of Benton Harbor; EGLE; Friends of the Detroit River; the Michigan departments of Agriculture and Rural Development, Labor and Economic Opportunity, and Natural Resources; Michigan State University and the MSU Extension; the Nature Conservancy; the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service; and the University of Michigan Water Center.

Here’s a cover-to-cover list of topics covered:

• OGL achievements and plans: The office within EGLE is approaching its 40th year with a strong resume and a long to-do list.
• Researching and monitoring the Great Lakes: EGLE’s Great Lakes coordinators report on a year of science in and around lakes Superior, Michigan, Huron, and Erie.
• Remediating Detroit River sediment: Cleaning up 100-plus years of pollution in one of Michigan’s designated Areas of Concern is a team effort.
• Guarding against invasive carp: An interstate agreement will accelerate work on an essential barrier to the fishes’ spread into the Great Lakes.
• Bringing back Arctic grayling and lake whitefish: Two iconic Great Lakes species could soon resume spawning runs in Michigan rivers.
• Combating Lake Erie’s harmful algal blooms: A Domestic Action Plan Team is working to reduce phosphorus concentrations and nutrient loading in the Western Lake Erie Basin.
• Advancing the “blue-green economy”: A Michigan Maritime Strategy focused on clean energy will lead the way to economic and environmental benefits.
• Embracing Michigan the Beautiful: Partners are uniting to conserve, connect, and restore 30% of the state’s waters and lands by 2030.
• Progress restoring Benton Harbor’s Ox Creek: Community involvement continues to drive action on a top regional priority in West Michigan.
• Protecting vital coastal wetlands: A new blueprint tool will soon guide conservation planning from Saginaw Bay to the Lake Erie Basin.
• Managing stormwater amid climate change: New approaches can bring costly but necessary infrastructure upgrades within reach.
• Providing support for failing septic systems: A loan program is now available to help homeowners meet the high costs of repair or replacement.
• Supporting water efficiency and conservation: New projects are exploring best practices in agriculture and beyond.
• Reaching K-12 students: The state’s From Students to Stewards initiative is expanding with learning based on places, problems, and projects.
• Connecting water with wellness: Research shows how access to healthy waters can improve people’s mental and physical well-being.

About EGLE’s Office of the Great Lakes: The OGL develops policy and implements strategic programs to protect, restore, and sustain the Great Lakes watershed. The office collaborates with partner organizations to support sustainable water use and development of Great Lakes maritime resources; support vibrant and resilient communities; foster water stewardship; and advance science, research, and policy to solve the next generation of water challenges. Its mission is to ensure a healthy environment, strong water-focused blue economy, and high quality of life for Michiganders.