This week the EPA removed New York’s Rochester Embayment Area of Concern on the shore of Lake Ontario from the list of most-contaminated sites in the Great Lakes region, drawing praise from the Healing Our Waters-Great Lakes Coalition.

To help combat tree inequity, nonprofit environmental advocacy organization Faith in Place was awarded $1.99 million by the U.S. Forest Service’s Urban and Community Forestry Program to increase urban tree canopies in the Great Lakes region. Made possible by the Inflation Reduction Act, these funds will allow Faith in Place to facilitate tree planning and workforce development projects at faith institutions and 501(c)(3) nonprofit organizations serving disadvantaged communities throughout Illinois, Indiana, and Wisconsin.

Deep in the heart of urban Chicago, a network of floating wetlands is restoring native wildlife habitats, increasing biodiversity, and encouraging recreation along the north branch of the Chicago River. Known as The Wild Mile, the interconnected islands were installed by grassroots environmental restoration organization Urban Rivers in 2017 and have since been dubbed the world’s first floating eco-park.

In 2019, Save the Dunes joined forces with the Indiana Dunes National Park and other regional partners to increase habitat connectivity and migration pathways for pollinators—some of the most important creatures in the global ecosystem.

Adding accessible ramps, boat launches, trails, and signage is helping visitors with disabilities access a culturally and environmentally significant Great Lakes destination.

Restoring the natural flow of Nanticoke Creek and removing old dams and culverts will help prevent further acid mine drainage, erosion, flooding, and waterway pollution.

Planning grant sets the stage for revitalizing one of the most polluted bodies of water in New York by restoring wetlands, protecting native species, and reducing pollutants into Lakes Erie and Ontario.

Removing an unsafe low-head dam in Indiana’s Mississinewa River leads to increased fish habitat, safer recreation, improved water quality, and increased flood prevention.