Great Lakes Restoration

As the largest group of freshwater lakes on Earth, the Great Lakes hold 95% of the United States’ surface fresh water. With strong bipartisan support and a proven record of success, the Great Lakes Restoration Initiative is creating jobs, revitalizing communities, and supporting local economies across the eight-state Great Lakes region. Fishing, hunting and wildlife watching in the Great Lakes generate almost $18 billion in annual revenue. Communities are benefiting from economic recovery and re-investment of GLRI work. A 2018 University of Michigan study found that the investments in the region will have long-term impacts. For every dollar spent under GLRI, the program is projected to generate more than three dollars in additional economic activity. GLRI funding has enabled the Service and our partners to restore, protect, and enhance more than 80,000 acres of coastal wetland and other habitats; reopen more than 1,000 miles of Great Lakes tributaries; and implement projects on more than 11,500 acres of land and water to help control invasive species.