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Stewarding the Great Lakes
Stewarding the Great Lakes
The Great Lakes are known for their beauty and the wealth of resources within and around them. The combined lakes contain the largest supply of fresh water on earth; 20% or one fifth of the earth's total fresh water, with more than 3,000 miles of shoreline, the Great Lakes not only form Michigan's geography, but also shape our economy, society, and environment.
The Great Lakes face threats including invasive species, urban and rural runoff, historical as well as new sources of contamination, and changes in climate. You can help protect our Great Lakes and all of Michigan’s rivers, lakes and streams and even groundwater! Ensuring the health of our water resources for generations to come depends on stewardship and education about water. Just like every drop of water matters, every effort does, too!
Become a water steward and Great Lakes champion!
Celebrating Great Lakes and Fresh Water Week
Each year, Michigan proclaims a week (most recently June 1-9, 2024) to raise awareness of the Great Lakes and Michigan’s inland waterways and groundwater. It’s a time to reflect on the importance of these water bodies and their immeasurable value to wellness for people and nature throughout the state. Michigan is known around the world for this unique resource, which people can help preserve in the face of climate change and other challenges.
By raising awareness, we will inspire people to protect and be champions of the Great Lakes and fresh water year round. Our call to action is for residents around the state to learn about, enjoy, appreciate, and safeguard this vital resource for current and future generations.
Will you paddle along a water trail or join an Adopt-a-Beach team for a local cleanup? Maybe you can collect plastics as you stroll along the shore, or clear litter from storm catch basins in your neighborhood. How will you make the water-wellness connection and protect Michigan’s Great Lakes and fresh water?
You can also learn about water-wellness connections through our webinars featuring a tribal perspective on the importance and history of Nibi (water) and Manoomin (wild rice) in the Great Lakes region, or the links between improved mental health and access to nature and water resources and the ways Michigan is working to expand access to these resources for people of all abilities.
Enjoying a water-wellness moment? Share your photos, actions, and stories on social media with #MiGreatLakesWeek.
Make an Impact
Tips to Recreate Responsibly with Water
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In the water
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On the water
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While fishing
Learn about our Great Lakes
The Great Lakes basin is a 295,200 square mile area within which all surface area drains into the Great Lakes. It includes parts of Illinois, Indiana, Michigan, Minnesota, New York, Ohio, Pennsylvania, Wisconsin, Ontario, and Quebec. All together, the Great Lakes contain the 9,402 miles of shoreline and 94,710 total square miles of surface area (about the size of Texas).
✨ Kids Corner ✨
- Learn about all the ways water is part of our lives by visiting the Michigan Water Stewardship website.
- Explore how watersheds function with this short EGLE Classroom video
- Wetlands, nature's underrated heroes, are explained in this short EGLE video
- Visit Great Lakes Now's educational resources and videos.
- Fresh, clean, available water is precious – Find out the relative amount of water on Earth that is clean, available, and safe to drink with NOAA’s “A Drop in Your Hand” activity.
- Follow two raindrops, Professor Dew and Droplette, through their adventures in the water cycle at The Water Story – MI Water Stewardship.
- Learn about the Great Lakes with Michigan Sea Grant’s H.O.M.E.S. at Home webinar series.
- Build your own watershed model to learn how water flows across the landscape and how runoff can affect water quality.
- Be a Great Lakes Champion by nabbing the aquatic invaders in this interactive game.
- Learn more about your watershed—what it is, why it’s important, and what you can do to help protect it – as you complete the Watershed Sleuth Challenge. See if you can earn your Watershed Hero badge!
- Try your hand at EPA’s Nonpoint Source Pollution Watershed Word Search.
- Join Darby the Duck in fighting water pollution
- Celebrate catching your first fish (or a really big fish) on Free Fishing Weekend with a special First Fish or Big Fish Certificate from Michigan DNR.
- Learn to identify 10 different families of fish using fins, tails, and scales.
- Explore teacher resources on how EGLE protects Michigan’s resources, including water, at EGLE classroom.
From Students to Stewards Initiative
The From Students to Stewards initiative teaches elementary through high school students about the Great Lakes, Michigan watersheds, and the impact people have on water resources across the state. Michigan school districts can participate in pilot grant opportunities to integrate water literacy principles and place-based education into school curricula and their continuous improvement plans. The program includes a tool kit and roadmap that other schools can use to develop their own Great Lakes-based curricula to cultivate the next generation of water stewards, leaders, and decision-makers. This initiative is a multi-agency collaboration among EGLE’s Office of the Great Lakes, the Michigan Department of Labor and Economic Opportunity's MiSTEM Network, and the Michigan Department of Education.
Other resources
Educational videos
Playlist: Building Coastal Resilience
Our lakes define us. Michigan is the steward of over two thirds of the Great Lakes coastline – we are truly the Great Lakes State! Take the next step to coastal resilience and learn how to develop resilient master plans and policies that best fit your coastal community.
Playlist: Learn more with EGLE Classroom
Watch a playlist of short educational videos about various topics.
Playlist: Great Lakes and Fresh Water Week
Learn about what EGLE's doing for Great Lakes and Fresh Water Week through this video playlist.
Playlist: Protecting Michigan Inland Lakes Tutorials
Learn how to protect Michigan inland lakes.
Playlist: MI Shoreland Stewards
The Shoreland Stewards Program was created to recognize inland lake property owners who are maintaining their property in a way that reduces negative impacts that development can have on inland lakes to ensure healthy lakes for future generations for both people and fish and wildlife.