in Minnesota
From 2009 through 2020, the Great Lakes Restoration Initiative has invested over $115 million in more than 325 projects in Minnesota to restore habitat, fight invasive species, clean up toxic pollution, and reduce polluted runoff. Steel walls that line working rivers in Duluth are being converted into natural shoreline, allowing fish and wildlife to return. Cleaned up waterways like the St. Louis River are inviting once more to folks for kayaking, canoeing, and fishing.
Let your members of congress know they should take action to protect the Great Lakes! Contact your senators and representative and tell them:
- The Great Lakes are our most important source of fresh water, providing drinking water to 30 million people. We must continue our efforts to clean and restore them.
- Although we have made progress the lakes still face serious threats.
- We can’t afford to stop now. These projects to clean up our lakes will only get harder and more expensive the longer we wait.

Northern Minnesota River has Stronger Riverbanks, Less Erosion
Installing fallen trees, re-establishing flood plains, and planting new trees along Minnesota’s Flute Reed River helped stabilize the river, reduce sedimentation, and provide habitat for fish and wildlife.