News and Updates

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

New Dashboard for Collaborative Great Lakes Benthic Habitat Mapping Project

The release of a new tool depicting bathymetric data and benthic habitat mapping for the Great Lakes Basin is released by NOAA’s Office for Coastal Management.

April 21, 2025

Conservation Trailblazers: Amplifying Water Quality Benefits Through Stacking Practices

As a member of the Door-Kewaunee Demonstration Farms Network and Peninsula Pride Farms, Lee Kinnard of Kinnard Farms partnered with the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) Natural Resources Conservation Service (NRCS) and the U.S. Geological Survey (USGS) to be one of the first farmers in the nation to have a denitrifying bioreactor and a phosphorus removal system built in-line on the same tile system within a field.

April 3, 2025

Environmental DNA helps detect new Great Lakes invasive species

Using eDNA to detect new Great Lakes invasive species.

April 2, 2025

Invasive Species Control and Wetland Restoration at Four Mile Creek State Park, New York

The New York State Office of Parks, Recreation and Historic Preservation lead a project funded through the Great Lakes Restoration Initiative to control invasive species and enhance wetland restoration at the mouth of the Four Mile Creek.

April 1, 2025

Great Lakes Restoration Initiative Achieves its Action Plan III Target with Monumental Remediation Efforts

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

March 31, 2025