What's at Stake?

The Growing Problem

Land use is negatively impacting the Great Lakes, driven by decades of intensive agriculture and urbanization throughout the region. Excess nutrients – primarily nitrogen and phosphorus — flow downstream through Great Lakes tributaries like the St. Louis, Saginaw and Maumee rivers causing algae growth, unsafe water for swimming and drinking, and degraded habitat for fish and wildlife.

In 2014, the residents of Toledo, Ohio, were unable to drink their tap water due to a harmful algal bloom that infiltrated the city’s water supply.

  • Water Quality

    Water remembers what happens on the land. Forests, grasslands and wetlands act as a sponge, keeping soil in place and allowing rain to soak in and recharge groundwater.

    Greater Lakes Promise uses state-of-the-art watershed modeling to identify and prioritize key lands in the region for permanent protection. This includes existing forests and prairies, along with marginal croplands that can be re-planted with perennial (year-round) vegetation in order to protect water quality.

    Results of this work include less runoff, less algal growth (up to 500 pounds less algae for every land acre protected!) and cleaner water for drinking, swimming and recreation.

  • Habitat

    The Great Lakes is home to a wide array of plants and animals that depend on land conservation efforts to protect and restore critical habitat.

    From moose to monarchs, walleye to waterfowl, Greater Lakes Promise helps to ensure an abundance of healthy habitat for species to thrive in the region.

  • Recreation

    Clean water and healthy lands are vital to all the things we love to do here in the Great Lakes region. We hunt and fish. We boat and paddle. We swim these lakes and hike these trails. We watch for the bloom of summer wildflowers and listen for the call of migrating warblers.

    This is our legacy to protect and pay forward to future generations. This is our responsibility, and now is the time to act.

Connect with us.

Are you interested in collaborating with Greater Lakes Promise? Contact us to discuss opportunities. We would love to hear from you.

Clean water.

Healthy habitat.

Safe drinking water.

Better fishing!

Less algae.

More waterfowl.

Safe swimming.

Plants for pollinators.

Flood protection.

Clean water. Healthy habitat. Safe drinking water. Better fishing! Less algae. More waterfowl. Safe swimming. Plants for pollinators. Flood protection.