DRAFT September 2009 White House Council on Environmental Quality 

U.S. Department of Agriculture 

U.S. Department of Commerce 

U.S. Department of Health and Human Services 

U.S. Department of Homeland Security 

U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development 

U.S. Department of State 

U.S. Department of the Army 

U.S. Department of the Interior 

U.S. Department of Transportation 

U.S. Environmental Protection Agency 

Great Lakes Restoration Initiative

Action Plan 

FY2010 – FY2014 

February 21, 2010 
2 Great Lakes Restoration Initiative Action Plan 2/21/2010

Great Lakes Restoration Initiative Action Plan

Table of Contents

Executive Summary.................................................................................................................................. 3 

A National Treasure.................................................................................................................................. 6 

The Great Lakes Restoration Challenge ................................................................................................... 7 

What is “Restoration”? ............................................................................................................................. 8 

Taking On the Challenge: The Great Lakes Restoration Initiative........................................................... 9 

The Path Forward: The Action Plan ....................................................................................................... 10 

Plan Overview....................................................................................................................................... 10 

Building on Past Progress, Integrating with Current Programs............................................................ 11 

Federal Integration and Coordination ................................................................................................... 13 

Implementing the Action Plan ................................................................................................................ 13 

Tracking Progress and Using the Best Available Science .................................................................... 13 

Project Selection ................................................................................................................................... 14 

Funding and Grants Cycle .................................................................................................................... 15 

Focus Areas............................................................................................................................................. 16 

Focus Area 1: Toxic Substances and Areas of Concern ....................................................................... 17 

Problem Statement.............................................................................................................................17 

Long Term Goals ...............................................................................................................................18 

Objectives ..........................................................................................................................................19 

Measures of Progress .........................................................................................................................19 

Principal Actions to Achieve Progress ..............................................................................................20 

Focus Area 2: Invasive Species ............................................................................................................ 22 

Problem Statement.............................................................................................................................22 

Long Term Goals ...............................................................................................................................22 

Objectives ..........................................................................................................................................23 

Measures of Progress .........................................................................................................................24 

Principal Actions to Achieve Progress ..............................................................................................24 

Focus Area 3: Nearshore Health and Nonpoint Source Pollution ........................................................ 26 

Problem Statement.............................................................................................................................26 

Long Term Goals ...............................................................................................................................27 

Objectives ..........................................................................................................................................28 

Measures of Progress .........................................................................................................................29 

Principal Actions to Achieve Progress ..............................................................................................30 

Focus Area 4: Habitat and Wildlife Protection and Restoration........................................................... 31 

Problem Statement.............................................................................................................................31 

Long Term Goals ...............................................................................................................................31 

Objectives ..........................................................................................................................................31 

Measures of Progress .........................................................................................................................32 

Principal Actions to Achieve Progress ..............................................................................................33 

Focus Area 5: Accountability, Education, Monitoring, Evaluation, Communication and Partnerships 35 

Problem Statement.............................................................................................................................35 

Long Term Goals ...............................................................................................................................36 

Objectives ..........................................................................................................................................37 

Measures of Progress .........................................................................................................................38 

Principal Actions to Achieve Progress ..............................................................................................38 

Conclusion .............................................................................................................................................. 40 
3 Great Lakes Restoration Initiative Action Plan 2/21/2010

Executive Summary 

The lands and waters of the Great Lakes are like no other place. In a world where fresh surface water is 

increasingly in demand, the region contains some 20 percent of it. At a time when people are not looking as much 

to faraway places for respite, the Great Lakes offer some of the most majestic natural shorescapes on the planet to 

accommodate them. As a result, people are reconnecting to their beaches, wide-open waters, petroglyphed bluffs, 

dune ranges and tumbling tributaries like never before. Likewise, these same resources have served as the raw 

material to build some of the Earth’s most legendary cities, create jobs to support families, and contribute to the 

largest economy in the history of the world. 

Still, our expectation that the Great Lakes will continue to meet these needs has resulted in lost flora, fauna, soil, 

and air and water quality to the point where the ecosystem is showing signs of severe stress and its ability to keep 

up with these demands is in doubt. 

While in the past we have worked to minimize harm, public demand for a new standard of care is surging. That 

standard of care is that we must leave the Great Lakes better for the next generation than the condition in which 

we inherited them. We must continue to go beyond minimizing harm to proactively rehabilitating the Great Lakes. 

Only then will they be able to keep providing jobs, recreation and sanctuary. 

The Great Lakes states and the Great Lakes Basin boundary. 
4 Great Lakes Restoration Initiative Action Plan 2/21/2010

Understanding this, U.S. President Barack Obama and U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) 

Administrator Lisa Jackson, in collaboration with 15 other federal agencies, have made restoring the Great Lakes 

a national priority. Signaling a commitment beyond measure of past promises, in February 2009, President 

Obama proposed $475 million for a Great Lakes Restoration Initiative (Initiative). This Action Plan describes 

how the Initiative will be executed from 2010 through 2014. 

The Initiative is not intended to be another grand statement about the Great Lakes; it is intended to operationalize 

those statements. It builds on countless hours by elected, agency, business, public interest and other leaders, 

which resulted in the Great Lakes Regional Collaboration Strategy (GLRC Strategy). The GLRC Strategy 

provides a framework for the Action Plan, and the Action Plan is just that: an action driver. It articulates the most 

significant ecosystem problems and efforts to address them in five major focus areas: 

• Toxic Substances and Areas of Concern, including pollution prevention and cleanup of the most polluted 

areas in the Great Lakes (see pages 19-21 for Measures of Progress with specific, quantifiable targets; and 

Principal Actions) 

• Invasive Species, including efforts to institute a “zero tolerance policy” toward new invasions, including the 

establishment of self-sustaining populations of invasive species, such as Asian Carp (pages 24-26) 

• Nearshore Health and Nonpoint Source Pollution, including a targeted geographic focus on high priority 

watersheds and reducing polluted runoff from urban, suburban and, agricultural sources (pages 29-30) 

• Habitat and Wildlife Protection and Restoration, including bringing wetlands and other habitat back to 

life, and the first-ever comprehensive assessment of the entire 530,000 acres of Great Lakes coastal wetlands 

for the purpose of strategically targeting restoration and protection efforts in a science-based manner (pages 

33-35) 

• Accountability, Education, Monitoring, Evaluation, Communication and Partnerships, including the 

implementation of goal- and results-based accountability measures, learning initiatives, outreach and 

strategic partnerships (pages 38-39) 

The Action Plan identifies goals, objectives, measurable ecological targets, and specific actions for each of the 

five focus areas identified above. The Action Plan will be used by federal agencies in the development of the 

federal budget for Great Lakes restoration in fiscal years 2011 and beyond. As such, it will serve as guidance for 

collaborative restoration work with participants to advance restoration. The Action Plan will also help advance the 

Great Lakes Water Quality Agreement with Canada. 

The Initiative is not the only tool in the toolbox, however. Traditional infrastructure financing under Clean and 

Drinking Water State Revolving Funds, and Superfund cleanup enforcement, for example, represent work outside 

the Initiative’s scope. This work, however, continues to be essential to Great Lakes protection and restoration and 

EPA is working with states and tribes to ensure that these high priority activities are properly targeted whenever 

possible to help further clean-up of the Great Lakes. 

This plan also aims to build upon the significant amount of work already accomplished by states and other 

partners in protecting and restoring the Great Lakes. In addition, it tries to minimize the duplication of effort by 

focusing on high priority work that has already been identified in the many programs and strategies already in 

place around the Great Lakes Basin. This includes work under the Great Lakes Regional Collaboration Strategy, 

individual states’ Great Lakes restoration plans, and many others.
5 Great Lakes Restoration Initiative Action Plan 2/21/2010

Under the Initiative, EPA will administer funding individually and with other federal agencies. Funds will be used 

to implement priority federal projects as well as other programs undertaken by nonfederal entities that support the 

Action Plan. Funding will be provided through grants and cooperative agreements or through interagency

agreements that allow the transfer of funds to other federal agencies for subsequent use and distribution. Most 

grants will be issued competitively. Annual reports to the President, beginning in 2011, will describe

accomplishments to date, action planned for the upcoming year, and progress toward meeting ecosystem goals 

and targets. These efforts will underpin the Action Plan’s operating principles: 

1) Accountability: The Initiative is an unprecedented opportunity to heal the ecosystem. With this 

unprecedented opportunity comes unprecedented responsibility, however, for all of us to demonstrate we 

are achieving the results intended in the Action Plan. We will use transparent means of demonstrating 

how public dollars are being invested as directed by the best available science. 

2) Action: This distinguishes the Initiative from so many other efforts in the past. For the most part, we 

know the problems facing the Great Lakes. The Initiative supports our resolve to solve them. While there 

is a place for monitoring, sampling, surveying and planning under the Initiative, these activities must have 

a bias for action, that is, real on-the-ground and in-the-water project work that will breathe new life into 

the ecosystem. Projects ready to go with existing plans will receive preference over efforts that require 

extensive new planning. 

3) Urgency: Study after study shows the health of the lakes is in jeopardy. While we have been working 

heroically to hold the line over the years to prevent their further decline, we have been entrusted with 

powerful new resources to rehabilitate the lakes: leadership at the highest levels demanding action, policy 

tools, and the promise of significant financial resources. With these, there are no more reasons for delay. 

After all, the Great Lakes have endured some 150 years of abuse. Though it will take time for the 

ecosystem to respond to our actions today, there is not another minute to lose in restoring these 

magnificent waterways for tomorrow. To the extent that actions undertaken now increase the resiliency of 

the ecosystem, they will also help the Great Lakes adapt to climate change. 

This Action Plan – including the funding and other policy tools that will be used to leverage its outcomes – is 

intended to realize our goals: that the fish are safe to eat; the water is safe to drink; the beaches and waters are safe 

for swimming, surfing, boating and recreating; native species and habitats are protected and thriving; no 

community suffers disproportionately from the impacts of pollution; and the Great Lakes are a healthy place for 

people and wildlife to live. 
6 Great Lakes Restoration Initiative Action Plan 2/21/2010

A National Treasure 

Indiana Dunes National Lakeshore 

The Great Lakes – the largest group of freshwater lakes on Earth – are true wonders of the world. An important 

part of the physical landscape and cultural heritage of North America, the Great Lakes hold 95 percent of the 

United States’ surface fresh water. Shared with Canada, these “freshwater seas” boast more than 10,000 miles of 

magnificent coastline and 30,000 islands and provide drinking water, transportation, power and a wide array of 

recreational opportunities. The region’s four-season climate, uniquely influenced by the Great Lakes, supports 

boating, fishing, diving, beach enjoyment and other forms of recreation that support the region’s proud outdoor 

heritage. 

The environment of the Great Lakes region is blessed with wide swaths of forest and wilderness areas, rich 

agricultural land, hundreds of tributaries, thousands of smaller lakes, and extensive mineral deposits. The region’s 

sand dunes, coastal marshes, rocky shorelines, lakeplain prairies, savannas, forests, fens, wetlands and other 

landscapes contain features that are globally unique or best represented within the Great Lakes basin. For 

example, the world’s largest freshwater dunes line the shores of Lake Michigan. 

The region’s glacial history and the influence of the lakes themselves create unique conditions that support a 

wealth of biological diversity, including over 200 globally rare plants and animals and more than 40 species that 

are found nowhere else in the world. Rare species making their home in the Great Lakes region include the 

world’s last known population of the white catspaw pearly mussel, the copper redhorse fish and the Kirtland’s 

warbler. The Great Lakes environment supports a world-class fishery, with an estimated 180 species of native 

fish, including small- and large-mouth bass, muskellunge, northern pike, lake herring, whitefish, walleye and lake 

trout. 

If the Great Lakes region were its own nation, it would house the largest economy second only to the United 

States itself, providing transportation for raw materials and finished goods; fresh water for our industries; drinking 

water for our communities; and recreation for the basin’s more than 30 million citizens. The 4.3 million 

recreational boats registered in the eight Great Lakes states generate nearly $16 billion in spending on boats and 

boating activities in a single year. That spending directly supports 107,000 jobs, a figure that grows to nearly 

250,000 when secondary impacts are taken into consideration.
7 Great Lakes Restoration Initiative Action Plan 2/21/2010

The Great Lakes Restoration Challenge 

Pigeon River kayaking, Michigan

The Great Lakes impact our way of life, as well as all aspects of the natural environment, from weather and 

climate to wildlife and habitat. Yet for all their size and power, the Great Lakes are not as resilient as they look. In 

the past, their fragile nature was not recognized and the lakes were mistreated for economic gain, placing the 

ecosystem under tremendous stress from our activities. Today, we understand that our health and our children’s 

future depend on our collective efforts to wisely manage this complex ecosystem. 

History has shown us that the Great Lakes are highly sensitive to biological and chemical stresses. While 

restoration progress has been made through years of concerted effort and expenditures on the part of federal, state, 

tribal and local governments and other stakeholders, that progress is slowing or even reversing. The Great Lakes 

face a number of serious challenges. The most significant of these include toxic substances, invasive species, 

nonpoint source pollution and nearshore impacts, habitat and species loss, and a need for better information to 

guide decision making. 

Although releases of toxic pollutants have been reduced significantly over the last 30 years, there is a legacy of 

contamination in sediments and continuing inputs through rivers and air. Excessive levels of contaminants are still 

found in fish throughout the system. As a result, all Great Lakes states and the province of Ontario issue annual 

fish consumption advisories. Mercury and other pollutants continue to enter the Great Lakes from nearby and 

global sources through air deposition. Newly recognized chemicals of concern are also being identified as 

potential threats to the chemical integrity of the Great Lakes. Thirty toxic hotspot “Areas of Concern” (AOCs) in 

the United States are still in need of cleanup after more than 20 years; only the Oswego River has been removed 

from the AOC list. 

Aquatic and terrestrial invasive species continue to cause ecological and economic damage, and greatly

complicate efforts to restore the Great Lakes. New aquatic species of invaders have arrived at the rate of about 

one every eight months, adding to the more than 180 already established in the basin. In recent years this rate has 

slowed but the door to new arrivals has not yet been shut. Enhanced prevention and control efforts are necessary 

to stop new invasive species like Asian Carp from becoming established in the Great Lakes. 

Pollution from nonpoint sources contributes to impaired water quality and excess nutrients. Many of our coastal 

areas also suffer from sewer overflows that contaminate the water and close the beaches. 
8 Great Lakes Restoration Initiative Action Plan 2/21/2010

Habitat destruction and degradation due to development, competition from invasive species, alteration of natural 

lake level fluctuations and flow regimes, poor coastal development planning and land management, and habitat 

fragmentation have negatively impacted wildlife. This has led to altered food webs, a loss of biodiversity, and 

poorly functioning ecosystems. Yet, opportunities for the protection and restoration of critical habitat exist 

throughout the basin. 

While the Great Lakes region has been a leader for innovative science and advances in natural resource

management, there are still significant gaps in knowledge about ecological processes and key indicators of 

ecosystem health. Efforts must be strategically chosen in order to obtain the additional information needed to 

inform implementation activities, assist tracking and reporting of progress, and to identify adaptive management 

actions. The Great Lakes also face new and emerging problems such as the effects of climate change, including 

potentially changing long-term Great Lakes water levels and the timing and duration of ice cover. 

Collectively, these problems have seriously compromised the environmental health of the Great Lakes. As a 

result, there is a new sense of urgency for action to address the highest priorities for restoring and protecting the 

Great Lakes. This document outlines a strategic multi-year approach to address those urgent problems. 

What is “Restoration”? 

Sleeping Bear Dunes National Lakeshore, Michigan

Restoration is the process of assisting the recovery of an ecosystem that has been degraded, damaged or 

destroyed. For purposes of this Initiative, restoration includes ecosystem protection, enhancement, rehabilitation 

and remediation. A restored ecosystem is resilient; its chemical, physical, and biological functions and processes 

provide the requisite conditions for life. A restored ecosystem contains sustainable populations of native plant and 

animal species and their habitats. Potential threats or further damage have been eliminated or reduced as much as 

possible and the restored ecosystem is able to withstand future threats. Restoration is not the attempt to change the 

ecosystem to pre-European settlement conditions; however, a restored ecosystem does attempt to emulate those 

conditions to the extent possible under present-day chemical, physical and biological conditions. 

Restoration of degraded, damaged or destroyed water and lands is more costly than protection of resources before 

damage occurs. Therefore, this Initiative recognizes the wisdom of supporting ecological protection. Protection is 

defined as actions taken to prevent stress to ecosystems. Actions include the establishment of stewardship 
9 Great Lakes Restoration Initiative Action Plan 2/21/2010

partnerships to manage and monitor habitats and species; construction of physical barriers to prevent damage to 

sensitive areas; implementing best management practices to protect ecosystems; and, acquisition of land and 

protection agreements such as easements. The Initiative acknowledges that land acquisitions and protection 

agreements alone will not protect ecosystems from threats such as invasive species, encroaching development, or 

airborne toxic pollutants. Acquisition and protection agreements must be accompanied by appropriate stewardship 

and management actions. 

Taking On the Challenge: The Great Lakes Restoration Initiative

Nelson Point State Park, Wisconsin

When running for president, Barack Obama issued a campaign promise to protect and restore the Great Lakes. 

The pledge built upon a May 2004 Executive Order that created the Great Lakes Interagency Task Force to 

coordinate federal restoration efforts. In 2005, some 1,500 stakeholders created the Great Lakes Regional 

Collaboration Strategy (GLRC Strategy) that outlines challenges facing the lakes, a framework for restoration and 

protection, and a common set of recommended solutions across eight priority issue areas: 

• Aquatic Invasive Species 

• Habitat/Species 

• Coastal Health 

• Areas of Concern (AOCs)/Sediments 

• Nonpoint Source 

• Toxic Pollutants 

• Indicators and Information 

• Sustainable Development1

Released in May 2009, the President’s FY 2010 budget included $475 million for a new Great Lakes Restoration 

Initiative (Initiative), strategically targeting programs and projects to address the most significant problems in the 

 

1 The Initiative collapses these eight focus areas into five. A ninth focus area, concerning water quantity issues, was excluded from the 

GLRC Strategy because it was being addressed through a separate process: the Great Lakes-St. Lawrence River Basin Water Resources 

Compact. The Sustainable Development area also identified water infrastructure needs in the Basin. Infrastructure needs are not being 

addressed by GLRI but through increased funding for the State Revolving Funds through EPA’s Regional offices.
10 Great Lakes Restoration Initiative Action Plan 2/21/2010

Great Lakes ecosystem to demonstrate measurable results. EPA, in concert with its federal partners on the Task 

Force and other stakeholders, is leading the development and implementation of this Initiative and will administer 

the funding. Building upon the extensive planning and collaboration that was done by the Task Force and a wide 

variety of stakeholders and non-governmental partners in development of the GLRC Strategy, the Task Force 

developed a plan for FY 2010.2

The Initiative presents an unprecedented opportunity to systematically tackle the environmental challenges that 

have persisted for decades. In July and August 2009, EPA held a series of public meetings with agencies and 

stakeholders in the Great Lakes states to get public feedback on the highest priority issues in each focus area, both 

basinwide and locally, and to get suggestions for how to address these issues to maximize results under the 

Initiative. This Action Plan incorporates those basinwide and local priorities into a five year time frame for action. 

Federal agencies began implementing that FY 2010 plan following Congressional appropriation of the President’s 

$475 million request.3

The Path Forward: The Action Plan 

Lake Superior wave 

Plan Overview 

This Great Lakes Restoration Action Plan (Action Plan) outlines methods and actions to advance implementation 

of the Initiative through FY 2014 and will help protect and restore the chemical, physical and biological integrity 

of the Great Lakes Basin ecosystem. 

Five principal focus areas have been identified which encompass the most significant environmental problems in 

the Great Lakes (other than water infrastructure) for which urgent action is required. These include4

: 

• Toxic Substances and Areas of Concern 

• Invasive Species 

• Nearshore Health and Nonpoint Source Pollution 

• Habitat and Wildlife Protection and Restoration 

• Accountability, Education, Monitoring, Evaluation, Communication and Partnerships 

 

2 The FY 2010 plan, together with documents describing Agency actions therein and the programs and projects to carry it out, are posted to 

http://www.epa.gov/glnpo/glri/index.html. 

3

 Objectives and targets in this plan are premised on an assumption that $300 million will be appropriated in FY 2011, and $475 million in 

subsequent years. 

4

 Regional goals for water and sewer infrastructure improvements, which are supported by funding under the Clean or Drinking Water 

State Revolving Fund programs, are being addressed through those and other processes and are not part of this Action Plan.
11 Great Lakes Restoration Initiative Action Plan 2/21/2010

Each focus area in this Action Plan includes a problem statement, goals, objectives, measures of progress and 

targets, and the principal actions in support of the objectives. On an annual basis, federal agencies are expected to 

identify the specific actions they will take to implement the Action Plan. Federal agencies also will minimize 

overhead in carrying out the Action Plan and, to the extent feasible, will use existing staff. EPA will assure that 

the Action Plan’s goals, objectives, and targets are aligned with those of Great Lakes state, municipal and tribal 

governments. 

Within the five focus areas, the Action Plan will address the highest priority projects. It is the intent of the 

Initiative’s federal agencies to target efforts and funds to these projects in a way that maximizes results. Targeted, 

cooperative efforts are necessary to ensure meaningful progress on many of the complex and costly issues that 

have plagued the Great Lakes for decades. Some issues exist basinwide (e.g., invasive species, nonpoint source 

pollution,) and require broad, expansive action, while others are more localized (e.g., Areas of Concern, habitat) 

and will have site-specific remedies. 

In each focus area there are efforts which will be given special attention. 

• In the focus area of Toxic Substances and Areas of Concern, efforts will be targeted to remediate 

contaminated sediments and to address other major pollution sources in order to restore and delist the

most polluted sites in the Great Lakes basin. 

• In the focus area of Invasive Species, efforts will be targeted to institute a “zero tolerance policy” as a 

long term goal toward new invasions, including the development of ballast water technology, an early 

detection surveillance program, and a rapid response capability to address threats from new invasive 

species such as Asian Carp. 

• In the focus area of Nearshore Health and Nonpoint Source Pollution, efforts will be targeted 

geographically to focus on watersheds of extreme ecological sensitivity (such as the Green Bay/Fox 

River, Genesee River, Maumee River, St. Louis River, and Saginaw River, places where environmental 

problems and their solutions have been clearly identified). 

• Efforts will target implementation of lakewide biodiversity conservation blueprints and restoration of

important species such as the Lake Sturgeon and the Piping Plover. 

• In the focus area of Accountability, Education, Monitoring, Evaluation, Communication and Partnerships, 

efforts will include implementation priority Lakewide Management Plan projects for restoring the lakes, 

as well as establishment of quality goals and results-based accountability measures, learning initiatives, 

outreach and strategic partnerships. 

Detailed information about these efforts is included in the focus area descriptions which follow in a subsequent 

section of this Action Plan. 

Building on Past Progress, Integrating with Current Programs 

This Action Plan includes many elements of the Strategy and draws upon the ecological priorities, goals and 

objectives of numerous pre-existing issue or area-specific plans and programs that have been developed by 

federal, state, tribal, local and non-governmental stakeholders, such as:

• Plans under the Great Lakes Water Quality Agreement, including Lakewide Management Plans and 

Remedial Action Plans for Areas of Concern 

• Comprehensive Management Plan for St. Clair River and Lake St. Clair 

• Great Lakes Binational Toxic Strategy 

• State Wildlife Action Plans 

• U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service (FWS) National Fish Habitat Action Plan 
12 Great Lakes Restoration Initiative Action Plan 2/21/2010

• A Joint Strategic Plan for Management of Great Lakes Fisheries 

• Plans under the U.S. - Canada Convention on Great Lakes Fisheries 

• Partners in Flight North American Land Conservation Plans 

• North American Waterbird Conservation Plan 

• North American Waterfowl Management Plan 

• U.S. Shorebird Conservation Plan 

• Great Lakes Coastal Wetland Monitoring Plan 

• Great Lakes Fishery Plan 

• Endangered Species Recovery Plans 

• Coastal Management Plans under the Coastal Zone Management Act 

• Plans under the Coastal and Estuarine Land Conservation Program 

• Source Water Protection Plans 

• Tribal-Federal Environmental Agreements 

Boats along Lake Huron

This Action Plan takes a step toward integrating and aligning these and other plans, including individual states’ 

Great Lakes restoration plans. Our goal is to minimize the duplication of effort while using the Initiative to do 

high priority work that has already been identified or that may be incomplete, under other programs. As such, the 

Action Plan represents our best attempt to capture the broad consensus of the Great Lakes community’s collective 

commitment to advance Great Lakes protection and restoration. This broad consensus is the result of years of 

planning finally capped by 18 meetings in summer 2009 with representatives of states, tribes, cities and other 

stakeholders. We expect that these representatives and others will be able to continue providing input to federal 

agencies for implementation of priority Great Lakes actions by participating in these and other ongoing planning 

efforts. The Great Lakes Restoration Initiative will also support the National Policy and Implementation Plan 

being developed in response to the President’s memorandum on a “National Policy for the Oceans, Our Coasts, 

and the Great Lakes.” 

In addition to new federal funding through GLRI, the Initiative will rely on partnerships to leverage and harness a 

wider set of resources for the protection and restoration of the Great Lakes. In many instances, the most effective 

solutions to the challenges facing the Great Lakes will require effective use of non-GLRI baseline federal funding, 

federal regulatory or other policy tools, and the significant regulatory and policy tools and resources of states, 

tribes, and other non-federal partners. These efforts, summarized below, are complementary to GLRI efforts. 
13 Great Lakes Restoration Initiative Action Plan 2/21/2010

• Non-GLRI baseline federal funding. For example, construction of water infrastructure for treatment and 

conveyance of drinking water and wastewater. 

• Federal regulatory or other policy tools. For example, national rulemakings and permitting that reduce 

the risk of future invasions of ANS; permitting activities under the Clean Water Act; or regulatory means 

to reduce atmospheric mercury deposition to the Great Lakes. 

• Tools and resources of non-federal partners. For example, stewardship of properties by a state, tribe or 

non-governmental organization for the purpose of enhancing habitat protection or connectivity; or 

implementation of source water protection plans for drinking water treatment facilities with intakes that 

draw from surface or groundwater within the Great Lakes basin. 

Federal Integration and Coordination 

The primary means for ensuring that the Action Plan is developed and implemented in an integrated manner is the 

Great Lakes Interagency Task Force, chaired by EPA.

Created by presidential Executive Order in 2004, the Interagency Task Force (Task Force), through the efforts of 

the Regional Working Group (RWG), coordinates federal Great Lakes efforts, including some 140 federal 

programs that address Great Lakes issues. The Task Force includes 11 of the agency and cabinet organizations 

which manage those programs: EPA, State, Interior, Agriculture, Commerce, Housing and Urban Development, 

Transportation, Homeland Security, Army, Council on Environmental Quality, and Health and Human Services. 

Implementing the Action Plan 

Though a national treasure of magnificent grandeur, we know the Great Lakes are still vulnerable to misuse and 

exploitation. Degradation of the lakes and their supporting ecosystem happened over the course of more than a 

century. Even with nature’s resiliency, discernable widespread improvements will likely also take time. The 

goals, objectives, measures of progress and other efforts identified in this Action Plan will help ensure 

quantifiable annual outputs are in place that will lead to long-term restoration outcomes, even if such outcomes 

will not be immediately measurable on an ecosystem scale. 

Tracking Progress and Using the Best Available Science 

The Task Force will implement an accountability system to routinely track, measure and report progress pursuant 

to the Action Plan. Recipients of Initiative funding will be required to provide routine progress reports, at least 

semi-annually, on their individual projects as well as progress toward the goals, objectives, and measures of the 

Initiative. EPA will collect that information and report on overall progress toward attaining the goals and 

objectives of the Action Plan. EPA will work with the Task Force to identify, adapt and modify activities in future 

years based on performance and newly identified needs. These will be included in the development of funding 

plans for subsequent years. 

Beginning in March, 2010, EPA will provide annual reports that provide funding allocations by federal agency 

and that identify any adjustments from annual requests. In addition, starting in 2011, EPA will work with its Task 

Force partners to provide an Annual Report to the President on accomplishments in achieving the Action Plan’s 

outcomes and measures. The report will also compare funding allocations among participating agencies from 

fiscal year to fiscal year. 

Scientific integrity at all levels is critical to the success of Great Lakes restoration. Therefore, the Initiative will 

use the best available science to prioritize and implement actions, as well as to track progress. To do this, EPA 

and the Task Force will take all appropriate steps so that the Action Plan and its programs and projects optimize 
14 Great Lakes Restoration Initiative Action Plan 2/21/2010

the likelihood of successful restoration at relevant scales. This will include engaging an independent scientific 

review panel to review the scientific credibility of the Action Plan so that the best available science guides efforts 

to restore the Great Lakes. Some of the distinct programs and projects in this Plan may also require a more 

specific peer review. These scientific reviews will be scaled as necessary to establish the scientific justification 

and credibility for the Action Plan’s goals, objectives, and measures and actions The GLRI will also ensure that 

the rate of progress is scientifically validated, and scientific research will guide any revisions to restoration 

priorities as well as enable the Initiative to adapt and modify activities when necessary. 

Flowing stream near the Chicago River 

Project Selection 

The following criteria and principles will guide selection of programs5 and projects pursuant to this Action Plan. 

All agencies and prospective grant applicants should consult the respective Requests for Proposals (RFPs) issued 

each year to solicit grant proposals, as project selection criteria and principles may change from year to year. 

• Ability to strategically achieve measurable environmental outcomes linked to the highest priority issues 

• Ability to advance applicable ecological priorities of existing plans, such as Lakewide Management 

Plans, Remedial Action Plans for Areas of Concern, as well as other relevant national and regional 

coordinated strategic planning efforts, as mentioned above 

• Feasibility of prompt implementation, including a bias for projects that are both ready-to-go and will have 

results soon (however, some funding will be used for planning and design to ensure cost effective 

implementation and for monitoring, particularly where it is needed to establish baseline conditions and/or 

to better understand environmental problems to inform implementation actions) 

• Observable local impacts, especially for projects at the “field” level

• Strong bias for interagency/inter-organizational coordination and collaboration

• Support new work, or enhance (but do not replace) existing Great Lakes baseline activities 

• Public support 

• Ability to leverage non-federal resources 

• Promotion of long-term societal, economic, and environmental sustainability 

• Minimization of transaction costs 

 

5

 Note that these funds will not be directed toward water infrastructure programs that are addressed under the Clean Water or Drinking 

Water State Revolving Fund program. 
15 Great Lakes Restoration Initiative Action Plan 2/21/2010

Projects and activities must also meet standards for: 

• best available science 

• experience, ability, and authority of the funding recipient to properly perform the work; 

• reasonableness of project costs; and 

• measuring progress and success. 

The Great Lakes Interagency Task Force used the criteria above to develop the focus areas of the Initiative, 

evaluate programs and projects, and create provisional funding allocations. 

Work within each focus area will be accomplished through federal interagency cooperation, and by working 

closely with states, tribes, local government, academia, NGOs, and other stakeholders in the Great Lakes basin, as 

well as Canadian representatives. As this Action Plan encompasses numerous national and regional coordinated 

strategic planning efforts and their associated plans, participating agencies must assure that they continue to 

support their existing base program activities in the Great Lakes and that added Initiative support will not be used 

to supplant their existing base funding. As a starting point for identifying their base funding, agencies have been 

asked to use the 2009 Office of Management and Budget’s Great Lakes Restoration Initiative Crosscut Budget 

Report to Congress. Final funding allocations are dependent upon actual appropriations. 

Funding and Grants Cycle 

Through this Action Plan and collaboration among EPA and the other agencies on the Great Lakes Interagency 

Task Force, and with input from Great Lakes stakeholders, the distribution of funds will be directed to maximize 

Great Lakes restoration and protection. Resources will be directed to the most significant issues and opportunities. 

To be positioned to fund projects through grants6 as soon as possible after an annual appropriation is made, EPA 

will collaborate with the Interagency Task Force to do as much up-front work as possible, including issuance of a 

RFP as soon as possible each fiscal year. The planning process assumes that an appropriation for grant funding for 

states, tribes, local governments, and other organizations can be available early in each fiscal year.

Most EPA grants will be issued competitively pursuant to RFPs addressing the five focus areas.7

 These 

expressions of needed work are included in numerous issue-based and geographically focused plans as referenced 

above. Should significant problems and issues need to be addressed outside of the five focus areas, a competitive 

grant program would be used to fill gaps, cut across or overlap focus areas, address unanticipated areas, or 

facilitate innovation. Important criteria for grant selection will include a demonstration of the ability to commence 

work expeditiously to connect the project to Great Lakes priorities. 

Following annual appropriations, EPA will act upon expert recommendations and will select proposals and issue 

grants for EPA programs. Upon routine implementation of the Initiative, EPA believes that if it were to receive an 

appropriation by October 1 of a given fiscal year, the first grants could be issued early in the new calendar year, 

with others issued in the course of the year. One or more additional RFPs would be issued as needed throughout 

the year. 

Several other members of the Interagency Task Force are also expected to select proposals, issue grants, and 

provide other assistance with funding from the Initiative. Each agency would provide assistance following its own 

applicable procedures, but would require special Initiative reporting provisions that will be outlined in the 

Interagency Agreement. EPA would be given the opportunity to review other agencies’ Requests for Proposals 

 

6

 The term “grants,” as used in this document, includes both grants and cooperative agreements.

7

 As in previous years, some noncompetitive funding will be made available to states and tribes to ensure the capacity to participate in 

ongoing work to implement Lakewide Management Plans and Remedial Action Plans for Areas of Concern. 
16 Great Lakes Restoration Initiative Action Plan 2/21/2010

(RFPs) and proposed project selections. Likewise, EPA would share its RFPs and proposed project selections to 

avoid duplication. To assist stakeholders in finding assistance opportunities pursuant to the Initiative in a single 

location, EPA developed and will periodically update the Task Force’s Funding Guide. Grant issuing agencies 

will ensure that appropriate results and accountability information is incorporated into public reports and provided 

to oversight groups. 

Focus Areas 

Indiana Dunes National Lakeshore 

The following describes the five focus areas around which significant ecological stresses and efforts to address 

those stresses will be organized: 

• Toxic Substances and Areas of Concern 

• Invasive Species 

• Nearshore Health and Nonpoint Source Pollution 

• Habitat and Wildlife Protection and Restoration 

• Accountability, Education, Monitoring, Evaluation, Communication and Partnerships 

Each focus area includes subsections that provide a problem statement to describe stresses, long-term goals8

 for 

addressing those stresses, objectives, measures of progress to ensure efforts are on track for implementing longterm goals and principal actions to achieve that progress. This section is also helpful to prospective grantees and 

others who might receive Initiative funds to ensure what they plan to propose is in keeping with overall Initiative 

efforts. 

Some priorities cut across focus areas. For example, the Task Force will “geographically target” activities, such 

that federal, state and other stakeholders can leverage efforts to restore areas that are highly degraded and of high 

ecological importance in the Great Lakes. Geographic targeting across the focus areas is expected at places such 

as the Genesee River, Green Bay/Fox River, Maumee River, St. Louis River, and Saginaw River watersheds. 

Another cross-cutting priority will be environmental justice and work to reduce disproportionate ecological 

impacts. Environmental justice, as a priority, will be handled under some of the individual focus areas (e.g., 

 

8

 Some long-term goals may not be achieved within the time span of this action plan.
17 Great Lakes Restoration Initiative Action Plan 2/21/2010

cleanups in Areas of Concern, which may correspond to areas of potential environmental justice concern). While 

we do not anticipate creating a separate funding source for work in this area, special consideration will be given to 

efforts that address these important priorities. 

Similarly, projected impacts of climate change on the Great Lakes have implications across all focus areas. 

Climate change impacts and the needs of the Great Lakes community to adapt to those impacts will be assessed 

and addressed by GLRI projects and programs where appropriate. To the extent that actions undertaken as part of 

this Initiative increase ecosystem resiliency, they will also help the Great Lakes ecosystem adapt to climate 

change. 

Focus Area 1: Toxic Substances and Areas of Concern

Problem Statement 

Although many point sources of pollution 

– discharges from discernible, often endof-pipe conduits – have been reduced, 

legacy contamination remains. “Legacy 

contamination” is pollutants largely left 

over from past practices, but that continue 

to recirculate through the ecosystem. Such 

legacy pollutants, often persistent toxic 

substances (PTS), such as mercury and 

polychlorinated biphenyls (PCBs), 

continue to be present at levels above 

those considered safe for humans and 

wildlife, warranting fish consumption 

advisories in the Great Lakes, connecting 

channels, and Midwestern and New York 

interior lakes. 

Urban communities living in or near these 

areas and indigenous communities that 

still live off the land in the basin are 

particularly at risk from disparate impacts 

on health from pollution in these areas, 

and from consuming contaminated fish. 

Continuing sources of persistent toxic 

substances include releases from 

contaminated sediments; industrial and municipal point sources; nonpoint sources including atmospheric

deposition, agricultural and urban runoff, and contaminated groundwater; and cycling of the chemicals within the 

lakes. 

Efforts to restore degraded conditions in the 30 U.S. Great Lakes Areas of Concern (AOCs) are underway using a 

variety of funding sources including those under the Great Lakes Legacy Act, Superfund and other tools, but 

much more needs to be done, including the remediation of an estimated 43 million cubic yards of contaminated 

sediments, which are the main cause of beneficial use impairments in the majority of the AOCs.

In addition to the well-known toxicants like mercury, PCBs, and banned pesticides, there are chemicals of 

emerging concern that have been detected in the Great Lakes over the past several years, which may pose threats 

to the ecosystem. Some such chemicals may include flame retardants, surfactants, pharmaceuticals and personal 

care product constituents. 

Action Illustration: 

Electronic Waste and Unwanted Medicines 

During the 2008 Earth Week Campaign U.S. EPA held an 

electronic and unwanted medicines waste collection campaign 

with the goal of collecting 1 million pounds of e-waste and one 

million pills of expired and unused medicines in the Great 

Lakes basin. Approximately $500,000 in grants was awarded to 

states, tribes, and local governments. Over 100 entities 

participated in the week-long campaign across the basin. The 

campaign goals were far exceeded with approximately 5 million 

pounds of electronic waste and 5 million pills collected. With 

funding and support from the GLRI, over the next two years, 

we anticipate broad participation in similar collection events 

throughout the Great Lakes basin, resulting in at least 20 

million pounds of electronic waste and 20 million pills of 

unwanted medicines collected and kept safely out of the Great 

Lakes environment. Beyond the collection events, the principal 

goals in this effort include raising awareness in Great Lakes 

communities regarding the importance of safe disposal of 

electronic waste and unwanted medicines, and continuing to 

cultivate the development of ongoing and sustainable 

hazardous waste collection programs within the Great Lakes 

basin, as well as making communities and businesses aware of 

existing collection programs. 
18 Great Lakes Restoration Initiative Action Plan 2/21/2010

Beyond protecting human and ecosystem health related to fish consumption, activities in this focus area that 

address current and new pollution threats can also help protect drinking water sources. 

Long Term Goals

• Goal 1: Areas of Concern are cleaned up, restoring the areas and removing the beneficial use impairments. 

• Goal 2: The release of toxic substances in toxic amounts is prevented and the release of any or all persistent 

toxic substances (PTS) to the Great Lakes basin ecosystem is virtually eliminated. 

• Goal 3: Exposure to toxic substances from historically contaminated sources is significantly reduced through 

source reduction and other exposure reduction methods. 

• Goal 4: Environmental levels of toxic chemicals are reduced to the point that all restrictions on the 

consumption of Great Lakes fish can be lifted. 

• Goal 5: The health and integrity of wildlife populations and habitat are protected from adverse chemical and 

biological effects associated with the presence of toxic substances in the Great Lake Basin. 
19 Great Lakes Restoration Initiative Action Plan 2/21/2010

Objectives

• By 2014, delist five Areas of Concern. 

• By 2014, 46 Beneficial Use 

Impairments (BUIs) will be removed in 

Areas of Concern. 

• By 2011, 15 million pounds of 

electronic waste and 15 million pills of 

unwanted medicines will be collected or 

their release will have been prevented. 

• By 2014, 45 million pounds e-waste, 45 

million pills of unwanted medicines, 

and 4.5 million pounds of household 

hazardous waste in the Great Lakes 

basin will have been collected or their 

release will have been prevented. 

• By 2014, 9.4 million cubic yards of 

contaminated sediments will be 

remediated. 

• Through 2014, an annual average of up 

to 5% annual decline will be maintained 

or improved for the trend (year 2000 

and on) in average concentrations of 

PCBs in whole lake trout and walleye 

samples. 

Measures of Progress 

The Great Lakes Restoration Initiative will significantly accelerate pollution prevention and reduction in the Great 

Lakes ecosystem. The measures by which progress will be evaluated in this focus area are: 

Measure Baseline/ 

Universe9

2010 

Target 

2011 

Target 

2012 

Target 

2013 

Target 

2014 

Cumulative 

Target 

1. Number of Areas of Concern 

in the Great Lakes where all 

management actions necessary 

for delisting have been 

implemented (cumulative). 

Baseline: 1 AOC 

Universe: 31 AOCs 

1 AOC (no 

change) 

1AOC 3AOCs 4 AOCs 5 AOCs 

2. AOC BUIs removed 

(cumulative).10

Baseline: 11 BUIs 

Universe: 261BUIs 

20 BUIs 26 BUIs 31 BUIs 41 BUIs 46 BUIs 

3. BUI delisting project starts 

at AOCs (cumulative).11

Baseline/Universe: 

30 national and binational AOCs 

Universe: 261BUIs 

60 projects 80 projects 110 projects 140 projects 170 projects 

 

9

Baseline represents the starting point for the measure. Universe represents all that is likely possible to protect, restore, enhance, etc.

10 This is an existing measure under the Government Performance Results Act.

11 These projects represent on-the-ground actions that are being implemented in order to remove BUIs. For example, sediment removals, 

Superfund cleanups, habitat projects and others.

Action Illustration: 

Cleaning Up Areas of Concern 

Thirty of the originally identified 31 toxic hotspot “Areas of 

Concern” (AOCs) have been on official lists for cleanup for 

more than 20 years. In all that time, only the Oswego River 

AOC has been delisted and only the Presque Isle AOC has 

attained a “recovery” status. In both cases, local governments 

implemented pollution control programs and a strong local 

citizenry developed community-based volunteer programs to 

assess, monitor and improve environmental conditions. 

AOC cleanup is complex for several reasons - due to the 

nature of jurisdictional issues among multiple levels of 

government, the complexity of the many environmental 

programs that are being brought to the task, and the immensity 

of the environmental issues being faced. For example, prior 

analyses have placed the costs for sediment clean-up alone 

across all AOCs in the Great Lakes basin on an order of $1 – 4 

billion. In addition to sediment cleanups, AOCs face other 

costly and intractable environmental problems, such as 

agricultural and urban nonpoint source pollution, combined 

sewer overflows and other manifestations of aging water 

infrastructure, wetlands loss, and others. Solutions to these 

problems often require decades of work, all the time 

coordinating among multiple partners and authorities to 

harness and synchronize the significant resources that are 

necessary over several years. 
20 Great Lakes Restoration Initiative Action Plan 2/21/2010

Measure Baseline/ 

Universe12

2010 

Target

2011 

Target

2012 

Target

2013 

Target

2014 

Cumulative 

Target

4. Cubic yards (in millions) of 

contaminated sediment 

remediated in the Great Lakes 

(cumulative).13 

Baseline: 5.5 

million cubic yards 

(2007 ) 

Universe: 46 

million cubic yards 

6.3 million 

cubic yards 

7.0 million 

cubic yards 

7.2 million 

cubic yards 

8.6 million 

cubic yards 

9.4 million 

cubic yards 

5. Pollution (in pounds) 

collected through prevention 

and waste minimization 

projects in the Great Lakes 

basin (cumulative). 

Baseline: 0 10 million 

pounds 

15 million 

pounds 

25 million 

pounds 

35 million 

pounds 

45 million 

pounds 

6. Cumulative percentage 

decline for the long term trend 

in average concentrations of 

PCBs in Great Lakes fish.14

Baseline: (2000) 

0% 

34% 37% 40% 43% 46% 

Principal Actions to Achieve 

Progress 

New actions for FY 2010 to 2014 to protect 

the Great Lakes from toxic substances, clean 

up sediments and restore Areas of Concern 

include: 

• Restore Areas of Concern/Remediate 

Contaminated Sediments – Accelerate 

the rate of sediment cleanup in AOCs 

throughout the Great Lakes basin 

through programs such as the Great 

Lakes Legacy Act, Water Resources 

Development Act, Natural Resource 

Damage Assessment, and Superfund. 

Restore and delist AOCs through 

strategic actions identified in Remedial 

Action Plans to restore individual 

beneficial uses. EPA will develop an 

enhanced management structure and 

ultimately increase our effectiveness in 

managing sediment remediation in 

AOCs. As other sediment sites may be 

identified, we will explore opportunities 

and authorities to address remediation at 

those sites. 

 

12 Baseline represents the starting point for the measure. Universe represents all that is likely possible to protect, restore, enhance, etc.

13 This is an existing measure under the Government Performance Results Act.

14 The annual decline is 5% per year. This is based on an existing measure under the Government Performance Results Act. In FY 2010, 

2008 data is compared to 2000; in FY 2011, 2009 data is compared to 2000; and so forth. PCBs are one indicator for a broader suite of 

persistent toxic substances and one of a number being tracked.

Action Illustration: 

Contaminated Sediment Clean-up Can Also Provide 

Benefits to Environmental Justice Areas 

Contaminated sediment is a significant source of fish 

contamination, which can disproportionately impact women of 

childbearing years, subsistence anglers and communities in 

areas of Environmental Justice concern. In 2009, the U.S. EPA 

Great Lakes National Program Office, Wisconsin Department 

of Natural Resources and other partners conducted a Great 

Lakes Legacy Act clean-up of heavily contaminated sediments 

in a section of Milwaukee’s Kinnickinnic River. The project 

removed around 167,000 cubic yards of sediment 

contaminated with PCBs and polycyclic aromatic 

hydrocarbons, which were available to resident fish and had 

worked their way downstream to Lake Michigan, causing 

environmental harm and impeding commercial and recreational 

navigation. This project was in a section of the City of 

Milwaukee considered to be an area of potential Environmental 

Justice concern. Although the project was not carried out as an 

Environmental Justice project, nor was it in response to specific 

Environmental Justice concerns, the clean-up resulted in 

improved environmental health for the area, and it received 

support from local environmental groups and community health 

advocates. The clean-up also spurred economic revitalization 

efforts in this urban river community. Yet another benefit was 

that the clean-up provided job training opportunities to 

disadvantaged youth. 
21 Great Lakes Restoration Initiative Action Plan 2/21/2010

• Strategic Pollution Prevention and Reduction Projects – Prevent toxic and potentially toxic pollutants from 

entering the Great Lakes through a variety of new strategic actions, working closely with state, tribal and local 

governments. Initiate toxic reduction activities targeting mercury in emissions, products and waste, and 

expand Clean Sweep, and other collection programs and prevention practices to promote the safe disposal and 

elimination of pesticides, pharmaceuticals and other waste stream pollutants that can cause impairments. 

• Protect Human Health through Safer Fish Consumption – Increase protection of Great Lakes fish consumers 

from harmful chemicals such as mercury and PCBs, with sound and sensible advice provided through 

enhanced and expanded state and tribal fish advisory programs. Work closely with the Great Lakes medical 

and health communities to educate the general public regarding the benefits and risks of Great Lakes fish 

consumption.

• Measuring Progress and Assessing New Toxic Threats – Measure progress in cleaning up toxics in the Great 

Lakes environment through comprehensive monitoring and assessment. Coordinate with efforts to update the 

Toxic Substances Control Act to ensure national programs take into account threats developing in the Great 

Lakes. Identify significant sources and impacts of new toxics to the Great Lakes ecosystem through robust 

surveillance as well as laboratory and field studies, in order to devise and implement effective control 

strategies. 

Action Illustration: 

Beneficial Use Impairments 

AOC cleanup actions are directed toward restoring beneficial uses that have been impaired. A Beneficial Use 

Impairment (BUI) is defined in the Great Lakes Water Quality Agreement with Canada as “a change in the

chemical, physical or biological integrity of the Great Lakes System sufficient to cause any of the following: 

1. restrictions on fish and wildlife consumption; 

2. tainting of fish and wildlife flavor; 

3. degradation of fish wildlife populations; 

4. fish tumors or other deformities; 

5. bird or animal deformities or reproduction problems; 

6. degradation of benthos; 

7. restrictions on dredging activities; 

8. eutrophication or undesirable algae; 

9. restrictions on drinking water consumption, or taste and odor problems; 

10. beach closings; 

11. degradation of aesthetics; 

12. added costs to agriculture or industry; 

13. degradation of phytoplankton and zooplankton populations; 

14. and loss of fish and wildlife habitat.” 

EPA cooperates with states to ensure actions are taken to address the BUIs in each AOC. When monitoring 

data shows a beneficial use is no longer impaired, the state and EPA can delist that BUI. When data shows all 

identified beneficial use impairments have been eliminated, then EPA can submit a proposal to the 

International Joint Commission (IJC) for removing the designation of AOC in its entirety from the area. If the 

IJC concurs that all BUIs have been restored, the parties, public and IJC can agree to delist the AOC as a 

whole. 
22 Great Lakes Restoration Initiative Action Plan 2/21/2010

Sea lamprey. Photo: by Dave Brenner, 

courtesy of Michigan Sea Grant. 

Focus Area 2: Invasive Species 

Problem Statement 

Progress toward restoring the Great Lakes has been significantly 

undermined by the effects of non-native aquatic, wetland, and 

terrestrial invasive species. More than 180 aquatic nuisance 

species (ANS) now exist in the Great Lakes. The most invasive of 

these, including the well known zebra mussel, reproduce and 

spread, ultimately degrading habitat, out-competing native species, 

and short-circuiting food webs. 

Prevention is the most cost-effective approach to dealing with 

organisms that have not yet arrived and could potentially threaten 

the lakes. New invasive species can be introduced into the Great 

Lakes region through various pathways, including commercial 

shipping, canals and waterways, trade of live organisms, and 

activities of recreational and resource users. Once invasive species 

establish a foothold in the Great Lakes, they are virtually 

impossible to eradicate; however, invasive species still need to be 

controlled to maintain the health of the Great Lakes ecosystem. 

Given that commercial shipping is a proven vector for invasive 

species transfer, advancing the development and use of ballast 

water treatment systems that are protective of fresh water is a 

high priority. Promising technology and innovative management 

practices that can significantly reduce the cost of control are 

under development. Control efforts will be accelerated in order to 

prevent the further spread of the organisms to inland lakes, the 

Mississippi River watershed, and beyond. 

Long Term Goals

• Goal 1: The introduction of new invasive species to the Great 

Lakes basin ecosystem is eliminated, reflecting a “zero 

tolerance policy” toward invasives. 

• Goal 2: The risk of introduction of species, which are 

imported for various uses, into the Great Lakes is minimized. 

• Goal 3: The spread of invasive species, by means of

recreational activities, connecting waterways, and other 

vectors, beyond their current range is prevented. 

• Goal 4: A comprehensive program for detection and tracking 

newly identified invasive species in the Great Lakes is 

developed and provides up-to-date critical information 

needed by decision makers for evaluating potential rapid 

response actions. 

• Goal 5: An effective, efficient and environmentally sound program of integrated pest management for 

invasive species is developed and implemented, including program functions of containment, eradication, 

control and mitigation.

Action Illustration: 

Managing ANS already in the Great 

Lakes 

While efforts to date have been unable 

to eradicate the sea lamprey from the 

Great Lakes, an ongoing program 

coordinated by the Great Lakes Fishery 

Commission has been able to control 

their populations. In 2007, the Sea 

Lamprey Control Program focused on 

nearly 50 streams in the basin, using a 

lampricide to eliminate over 5.5 million 

larval sea lampreys. Each parasitic 

phase sea lamprey has the capability of 

killing upwards of 40 pounds of lake 

trout during its year in the lakes. The 

successful control program continues to 

ensure sport fish rehabilitation and 

protects a fishery valued at over $7 

billion in annual direct and indirect 

benefits.
23 Great Lakes Restoration Initiative Action Plan 2/21/2010

Objectives

• By 2011, eight state ANS management plans will be established or revised to include rapid response 

capabilities. By 2014, eight state-based, multi-agency rapid response plans will be implemented and 22 mock 

exercises to practice responses carried out under those plans and/or actual response actions will be completed. 

• Six technologies that prevent the introduction of invasive species and four technologies that either contain or 

control invasive species will be developed or refined and piloted by 2011. Ten technologies that prevent the 

introduction of invasive species and five 

technologies that either contain or control 

invasive species will be developed or refined and 

piloted by 2014. 

• By 2011, methodology and protocols will be 

piloted for the coordinated monitoring 

methodology and shared protocols for basinwide 

invasive species surveillance. By 2014, a 

basinwide surveillance program with shared 

sampling protocols and methodologies to provide 

early detection of non-native species will be 

operational. 

• By 2014, a 40 percent reduction in the yearly 

average rate of invasive species newly detected in 

the Great Lakes ecosystem will be achieved, 

compared to the period 2000-2009. 

• By 2014, invasive species populations within the 

Great Lakes Ecosystem will have been controlled and reduced, as measured in populations controlled to a 

target level in 6,500 acres of managed area and by removing 5,000 pounds of invasive species from the Great 

Lakes ecosystem. 

Action Illustration: 

Early Detection and Rapid Response 

In summer 2008, a mock rapid response exercise 

for aquatic invasive species was conducted in the 

Pennsylvania waters of Lake Erie. Local, state and 

federal partners responded to a simulated report of

a Snakehead fish by a member of a local fishing 

club. This mock exercise allowed agencies to test 

the effectiveness and further refine their multijurisdictional rapid response plan. This work will be 

greatly expanded to all the Great Lakes to enhance 

coordination between management agencies. A 

basinwide surveillance program will also be 

established by natural resource management and 

environmental protection agencies. 
24 Great Lakes Restoration Initiative Action Plan 2/21/2010

• By 2014, approximately 10 million recreation and resource users will be educated on best practices that 

prevent the introduction and spread of invasive species. 

Measures of Progress 

The Initiative will significantly advance efforts to prevent new introductions of invasive species in the Great 

Lakes basin and to stop the further spread of invasive species in the Great Lakes basin.15 Great Lakes Interagency 

Task Force agencies will work to further develop the initial set of measures by which progress will be evaluated 

in this focus area. While the Great Lakes community has pioneered many approaches to address invasive species, 

governmental programs and local efforts are still evolving to meet this threat. The GLRI will build upon and 

expand these programs, adapting our management approaches as we learn from our efforts. The measures by 

which progress will be evaluated in this focus area are: 

Measure Baseline/ 

Universe 

2010 Target 2011 Target 2012 Target 2013 Target 2014 Target 

1. Rate of nonnative 

species newly detected 

in the Great Lakes 

ecosystem. 

Baseline: 1.3 

species per year 

Universe: 181 

species 

1.3 species per 

year 

1.1 species per 

year 

1.0 species per 

year 

1.0 species per 

year 

0.9 species per 

year 

2. Acres managed for 

populations of invasive 

species controlled to a 

target level. 

(cumulative) 

Baseline: 0 acres 1,000 acres 1,500 acres 3,000 acres 4.500 acres 6,500 acres 

3. Number multiagency plans 

established, mock 

exercises to practice 

rapid responses carried 

out under those plans, 

and/or actual rapid 

response actions 

(cumulative). 

Baseline: 0 rapid 

response 

exercises/actions 

4 rapid 

response 

exercises/ 

actions; and 

8 plans 

established 

7 rapid 

response 

exercises/ 

actions 

12 rapid 

response 

exercises/ 

actions 

17 rapid 

response 

exercises/ 

actions 

22 rapid 

response 

exercises/ 

actions 

4. Number of 

recreation and resource 

users contacted on best 

practices that prevent 

the introduction and 

spread of invasive 

species. (cumulative) 

Baseline: 0 users 1,000,000 

users 

1,750,000 

users 

4,750,000 

users 

7,250,000 

users 

9,750,000 users 

Principal Actions to Achieve Progress 

Principal actions for FY 2010 to 2014 to prevent new introductions of ANS in the Great Lakes basin and stop the 

further spread of ANS include: 

• Develop Ballast Water Treatment that Protects Freshwater Ecosystems – Develop a coordinated approach to 

the development of ballast water treatment suitable for freshwater ecosystems, though the use of laboratory, 

land-based and/or ship-board testing, and verification of treatment technologies in coordination with the 

maritime industry. Support work to reduce ship-mediated introductions through hull and anchor chain fouling. 

 

15 While the regulatory tools of various agencies will also help advance these efforts, they are not currently a focus of this 

plan. 
25 Great Lakes Restoration Initiative Action Plan 2/21/2010

Silver Carp on the Illinois River. 

Photo: U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service. 

• Implement Early Actions to Address Water Pathways 

Vectors – Identify key waterways that could introduce 

ANS to the Great Lakes and implement actions such as 

ecological separation to reduce this risk. Existing canals 

and extreme storm events can form hydrological 

connections that may introduce invasive species into the 

Great Lakes. Models and analysis of hydrological 

connections under different weather conditions are 

needed to identify and minimize risks of these 

connections. 

• Prevention by Broad Stakeholder Outreach and 

Education – Promote actions, including coordinated 

education and outreach, which will prevent the 

introduction and spread of invasive species through

recreational uses such as hunting, fishing and recreational 

boating. 

• Develop and Demonstrate Innovative Control Technology – Promote the development and use of new control 

technologies, including biological control methods, which will significantly reduce the cost and/or increase 

the effectiveness of invasive species control measures. 

• Support States’ Role in Invasive Species Prevention and Control – Support the development and on-theground implementation of ANS Management Plans for each of the Great Lakes states. 

• Control Key Invasive Species and Investigate Causal Mechanisms by which ANS impact Native Species – 

Develop a better understanding and models of ecosystem interactions and management options for 

minimizing the impact of ANS, including new treatment or control methods. 

Action Illustration: 

Asian Carp: Using the GLRI to respond to ecological threats

The innovative use of environmental DNA (eDNA) sampling has revealed that Asian carp are likely within

the Chicago Area Waterway System but at levels lower than may be detected using traditional sampling 

methods. This recent discovery mobilized governmental agencies to undertake a rapid response action in

December 2009 to prevent the further migration of Asian Carp while repairs were made to an Electrical 

Barrier in the waterway. Subsequent eDNA analyses revealed that carp may be near the O’Brian Lock, 

Wilmette Lock, and Calumet Harbor, within the Great Lakes basin.

Great Lakes environmental protection and natural resource agencies have formed an Asian Carp 

Regional Coordinating Committee to respond to information as it becomes available. Their coordinated 

approach is described in the Asian Carp Control Strategy Framework. GLRI funding is helping to 

implement actions described in that Framework, including: 

• U.S. Army Corps of Engineers installation of structures at the electric barrier site to reduce the risk of 

bypass during high water events, 

• U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service and Illinois Department of Natural Resource efforts to detect and 

remove Asian Carp from the system, and 

• U.S. Geological Survey efforts to develop innovative control technologies. 

Agencies will continue to adapt their management strategies as new information becomes available. 

GLRI funding will continue to support these adaptive management efforts. 
26 Great Lakes Restoration Initiative Action Plan 2/21/2010

• Establish Early Detection and Rapid Response Capability – Work with government agencies to initiate 

surveillance activities to detect new ANS and establish the capacity, methods and contingency plans for a 

rapid response. Joint planning will allow the mobilization of shared resources to create the best opportunity 

for eradicating species before they become established. 

No effort to pursue these goals in the Great Lakes can ignore the rapidly changing situation involving Asian Carp. 

The migration of Asian Carp through the Chicago Area Waterway System is the most recent and most acute ANS 

threat facing the Great Lakes today. This species has wreaked permanent havoc on the Mississippi River Basin, 

where the fish’s rapid expansion of population and range has overwhelmed the river ecosystem by consuming 

plankton, a vital part of the food chain. As large populations of Asian carp have become established, the 

cumulative effects of these species have reduced food for native fishes, caused risks to human safety, and created 

impacts to regional economies that rely on fishing and boating. 

The fish is now threatening similar damage to the ecosystem of the Great Lakes, as well as significant economic 

damage to the Great Lakes sport fishing industry. The Great Lakes community faces an urgency to prevent this 

threat from materializing. 

An inter-governmental Regional Coordinating Committee has been established to oversee the implementation of 

an Asian Carp Control Strategy Framework, which is a cooperative effort by local, state, provincial, federal and 

even binational entities. The Framework is intended to provide direction for implementation efforts to prevent the 

establishment of ANS from migrating through artificially-connecting waterways that exist in the Chicago area, as 

well as other parts of the Great Lakes watershed, and if already in the basin, to work to implement efforts that 

might prevent further migration into the system. 

The federal partners are working quickly to incorporate Carp and other ANS control efforts into the Initiative. 

This work pursues the objectives and measures of progress described in this section. 

Focus Area 3: Nearshore Health and Nonpoint Source Pollution 

Problem Statement 

Nearshore and open waters provide drinking water 

for municipalities and habitat for numerous species

of birds, fish and other aquatic life. This is the area in 

which most residents and visitors experience the 

Great Lakes through swimming, boating and other 

forms of recreation. Nearshore water quality has 

become degraded, as evidenced by eutrophication.16

The environmental stressors causing these problems 

include excessive nutrient loadings from both point

and nonpoint sources; bacteria and other pathogens 

responsible for outbreaks of botulism and beach 

closures; development and shoreline hardening that 

disrupt habitat and alter nutrient and contaminant 

runoff; and agricultural practices, which increase 

nutrient and sediment loadings. Additional shoreline 

 

16 The process by which a water body is enriched by nutrients such as phosphorus, resulting in excessive growth of algae, depletion of 

dissolved oxygen, and other impacts, including beach closings. In the nearshore zones of the Great Lakes, eutrophication has sometimes 

been manifested by harmful algal blooms; the green algae Cladophora washing ashore to make unsightly, odiferous rotting mats on 

beaches; and avian botulism.

Indiana Dunes National Lakeshore along Lake Michigan. Photo: Tom Gill. 
27 Great Lakes Restoration Initiative Action Plan 2/21/2010

stresses can be traced to failing septic systems, grey water pipes (pipes containing non-hazardous household 

substances like soap), inadequate pump-out stations for recreational boats, and even invasive species.

Nonpoint sources are now the 

primary contributors of many 

pollutants to the lakes and their 

tributaries. Although some nonpoint 

sources act on a whole-basin scale 

(e.g., atmospheric deposition of toxic 

substances), many smaller scale 

sources contribute to degraded water 

quality in Great Lakes tributaries and 

nearshore waters. Sediment is a 

significant nonpoint pollution 

problem facing our lakes, rivers and 

streams. When soil gets washed into 

our waterways, it can smother fish 

habitats and also can carry pollutants 

that threaten water quality. The 

complexity of pollutants and their 

presence in soil, water and air make 

pollution abatement for nonpoint 

sources particularly difficult to 

address. Control strategies to date 

have been inadequate to deliver the degree of stream and lake restoration necessary for the protection and 

maintenance of the Great Lakes. However, implementation of agricultural, urban stormwater and other watershed 

best management practices can have multiple benefits, including simultaneous reductions in runoff of soils, 

nutrients and pesticides, as well as protection of drinking water sources. 

Long Term Goals

• Goal 1: Nearshore aquatic communities consist of healthy, self-sustaining plant and animal populations

dominated by native and naturalized species. 

• Goal 2: Land use, recreation and economic activities are managed to ensure that nearshore aquatic, wetland 

and upland habitats will sustain the health and function of natural communities. 

• Goal 3: The presence of bacteria, viruses, pathogens, nuisance growths of plants or animals, objectionable 

taste or odors, or other risks to human health are reduced to levels in which water quality standards are met 

and beneficial uses attained to protect human use and enjoyment of the nearshore areas. 

• Goal 4: High quality bathing beach opportunities are maintained by eliminating impairments from bacterial, 

algal and chemical contamination; effective monitoring for pathogens; effective modeling of environmental 

conditions, where appropriate; and timely communications to the public about beach health and daily 

swimming conditions. 

• Goal 5: A significant reduction in soil erosion and the loading of sediments, nutrients and pollutants into 

tributaries is achieved through greater implementation of practices that conserve soil and slow overland flow 

in agriculture, forestry and urban areas. 

• Goal 6: High quality, timely and relevant information about the nearshore areas is readily available to assess 

progress and to inform enlightened decision making.

What is the “Nearshore”?

The aquatic nearshore can be considered to begin at the shoreline and extend 

offshore to the depth at which the warm surface waters typically reach the 

bottom in early fall, generally 20m - 30m deep, and terrestrial nearshore areas 

range from narrow beaches to inland features influenced by Great Lakes 

processes. 
28 Great Lakes Restoration Initiative Action Plan 2/21/2010

Source: U.S. Army Corps of Engineers. 

Objectives

• By 2010, EPA will compile 

and map the highest priority 

watersheds for 

implementation of targeted 

nonpoint source pollution 

control measures. 

• By 2014, remediation, 

restoration and conservation 

actions in at least one targeted 

watershed in each Great Lake 

basin will control erosion, 

reduce nutrient runoff from 

urban and agricultural 

sources, and improve habitat 

to protect nearshore aquatic 

resources. 

• By 2014, a baseline will be 

established for total 

suspended solids loadings 

from targeted tributaries. 

• By 2014, a measurable decrease will be achieved in soluble phosphorus loading from 2008 levels in targeted 

tributaries. 

• By 2014, the causes of nutrient-related nearshore biological impairments will be better understood, and 

following local or watershed remedial actions, the number and severity of incidences of harmful algal blooms 

(HABs), avian botulism, and/or excessive 

Cladophora growth will be significantly 

reduced from 2008 levels. 

• By 2014, a comprehensive nearshore 

monitoring program will have been 

established and implemented, including a 

publicly accessible reporting system, based 

on a suite of environmental indicators. 

• By 2014, 50 percent of high priority17 Great 

Lakes beaches will have been assessed using 

a standardized sanitary survey tool to 

identify sources of contamination. 

• By 2014, 20 percent of high priority Great 

Lakes beaches will have begun to implement 

measures to control, manage or remediate 

pollution sources identified through the use 

of sanitary surveys. 

• By 2014, rapid testing or predictive modeling methods (to improve the accuracy of decisions on beach 

postings to better protect public health) will be employed at 33 percent of high priority beaches. 

 

17 Beaches that the states identify as most frequently used and/or that have the highest risk. In 2008, there were 356 high 

priority beaches out of a total of 1,411 total beaches in the U.S. Great Lakes. 

Action Illustration: 

Targeted Geographic Initiatives 

Because some Great Lakes subwatersheds show severe 

signs of stress, targeted geographical areas will receive 

focused efforts toward restoration activities, e.g., 

agricultural best management practices. Watersheds for 

the Genesee River, Grand Calumet River and Harbor, 

Green Bay/Fox River, Maumee River, St. Louis River, and 

Saginaw River, for example, are places where long term 

environmental problems have been clearly identified, and 

they are expected to be among those targeted for Initiative 

efforts. Watersheds associated with other AOCs may also 

be targeted to demonstrate more immediate results of 

actions to restore beneficial use impairments.
29 Great Lakes Restoration Initiative Action Plan 2/21/2010

• By 2014, the area of agricultural lands in conservation and/or utilizing conservation tillage practices will 

increase by 50 percent over 2008 levels. 

Measures of Progress 

The Initiative will significantly improve the health of Great Lakes nearshore areas and will advance the reduction 

of nonpoint source pollution to levels that do not impair nearshore waters. The measures by which progress will 

be evaluated in this focus area are: 

 

18 Metric tons per year. Total phosphorus will also be measured. Targeted watersheds will receive focused efforts toward restoration 

activities, e.g., agricultural best management practices. 

19 **Calculations in progress, to be delivered 2010. 

20 Data for Genesee River are from 2006 and 2007 only.

21 Biological responses to nutrients loadings are also dependent on other factors such as water temperature, timing and intensity of 

precipitation, and hydrologic features. Year-to-year variability in these features may mask local improvements in nutrients management. 

Satellite imagery may provide data for days during which HABs are reported by shoreline observers or boaters. 

22 This metric will be added to national surveys for beach managers for 2010. Nuisance algae can include Cladophora, HABs or other 

species, all of which are believed to be aggravated by elevated levels of phosphorus in the water.

23 USACE dredges the federal shipping channel at Toledo Harbor each year. This area receives the highest rate of sedimentation in the Great 

Lakes, coming from the Maumee River watershed. Even small improvements in the rate of sedimentation here would reflect considerable 

efforts in the watershed to reduce erosion and farm runoff. Alternately, USACE conducts bathymetric surveys of commercial harbors each 

year, from which the volume of new fluvial sediment can be calculated for targeted watersheds. Because USACE does not dredge every 

location of every harbor each year, the estimated accumulation from a designated area over time will reflect the relative amount of sediments 

deposited from the tributary. This approach is currently in development. 

Measure Baseline/ 

Universe 

2010 Target 2011 Target 2012 Target 2013 Target 2014 Target 

1. Five year average annual 

loadings of soluble reactive 

phosphorus18 from 

tributaries draining targeted 

watersheds. 

Baseline: 2003-7 

Fox River: 212 

Saginaw R: 133 

Maumee R: 623 

St. Louis R: **19

Genesee R:8520

0% reduction 

Fox: 212 

Saginaw: 133 

Maumee: 623 

St. Louis: ** 

Genesee: 85 

0.5% 

Fox: 211 

Saginaw: 131 

Maumee: 617 

St. Louis: ** 

Genesee: 85 

1.5% 

Fox: 209 

Saginaw: 130 

Maumee: 611 

St. Louis: ** 

Genesee: 84 

2.5% 

Fox: 207 

Saginaw: 129 

Maumee: 604 

St. Louis: ** 

Genesee: 83 

4.5% 

Fox: 202 

Saginaw: 126 

Maumee: 592 

St. Louis: ** 

Genesee: 81 

2. Percentage of beaches 

meeting bacteria standards 

95% or more of beach days. 

Baseline: 86% 

(2006) 

Universe: 100% 

86% 87% 87% 88% 89% 

3. Extent (sq. miles) of Great 

Lakes Harmful Algal 

Blooms.*21

Baseline: 2008 

estimate TBD 

0% reduction 4% reduction 7% reduction 8% reduction 12% reduction 

4. Annual number of days 

U.S. Great Lakes beaches 

are closed or posted due to 

nuisance algae.22

Baseline: 200 

beach days 

(estimate) 

0% 

improvement: 

200 days 

4% 

improvement: 

192 days 

7% 

improvement: 

186 days 

8% 

improvement: 

184 days 

12% 

improvement: 

176 days 

5. Annual volume of 

sediment deposition in 

defined harbor areas in 

targeted watersheds (cu 

yards).23

Baseline: 2008 

Toledo Harbor: 1 

million cubic 

yards 

0% 

improvement: 

1 million 

cubic yards 

1% 

improvement: 

0.99 million 

cubic yards 

1% 

improvement: 

0.99 million 

cubic yards 

2% 

improvement: 

0.98 million 

cubic yards 

2.5% 

improvement: 

0.975 million 

cubic yards 
30 Great Lakes Restoration Initiative Action Plan 2/21/2010

Principal Actions to Achieve Progress 

The principal actions to improve the health of nearshore areas and reduce nonpoint source pollution to levels that 

do not impair nearshore Great Lakes waters include:

• Targeting Watershed Plan Implementation - Significant progress has been made nationally and in the Great 

Lakes basin in addressing soil erosion and in reducing nutrient or other contaminant loads to tributaries to the 

Great Lakes through the existing state and federal programs. Water quality problems still exist, however, with 

loadings of sediment and nutrients still unacceptably high in a number of areas and degraded watershed

conditions linked to impaired nearshore biological communities. This results in increased costs for navigation 

dredging of harbors, and in localized environmental problems such as mats of rotting algae on swimming

beaches and along the shore. Initiative efforts in this area will address high priority watersheds, performing 

scientific analyses to strategically target where on-the-ground actions can be most effective, and providing 

supplemental funding to implement those actions. Innovative actions may include green infrastructure, lowimpact development solutions, and containment of wastes from confined animal feedlot operations. This will 

involve close collaboration between state programs, Great Lakes tribal governments, the U.S. Department of 

Agriculture’s Natural Resources Conservation Service and U.S. Forest Service; the U.S. Army Corps of 

Engineers; Department of Interior’s U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service and U.S. Geological Survey; and EPA. 

• Identify sources and reduce loadings of nutrients and soil erosion - These activities will contribute to the 

reduction or elimination of the number and severity of incidences of ecosystem disruptions, including 

Cladophora, HABs, botulism and other issues associated with eutrophication. Activities will include: 

applying research and modeling to identify the most effective actions to prevent incidences of Cladophora, 

HABs and botulism; enhancing or implementing watershed practices to reduce export of nutrients and soils to 

the nearshore waters; and establishing and implementing total maximum daily loads (TMDLs) for 

phosphorus, scaled from river reaches to watersheds. 

• Improve Public Health Protection at Beaches - Humans are put at risk when exposed to pathogenic bacteria. 

These activities will reduce risk to human health at swimming beaches by reducing the abundance of 

pathogenic organisms to levels below established criteria, increasing the effectiveness of monitoring for 

pathogens, modeling environmental conditions likely to result in elevated levels of bacteria, or enhancing 

communications to the public about daily swimming conditions. 

• Generate Critical Information for Protecting Nearshore Health - The nearshore environment of the Great 

Lakes is highly varied, including relatively unspoiled shorelines, highly urbanized reaches, tributary mouths, 

bays, wetlands and other environmental features. These activities will promote the collection of data about 

nearshore conditions and stresses, the assessment of information and management implications, or the 

dissemination of information to all potential users in the Great Lakes community. 

 

24 This measure reflects annual (not cumulative) implementation of conservation practices (from the Environmental Quality Incentives 

Program and Conservation Technical Assistance program) that will contribute to long term improvements of the listed outcomes.

Measure Baseline/ 

Universe

2010 Target 2011 Target 2012 Target 2013 Target 2014 Target

6. Acres in Great Lakes 

watershed with USDA 

conservation practices 

implemented to reduce 

erosion, nutrients and/or 

pesticide loading under 

Farm Bill Programs.24

Baseline: 

165,000 acres 

2% increase 

168,300 acres 

10% increase 

181,500 acres 

25% increase 

206,250 acres 

40% increase 

231,000 acres 

50% increase 

247,500 acres 
31 Great Lakes Restoration Initiative Action Plan 2/21/2010

Focus Area 4: Habitat and Wildlife Protection and Restoration 

Problem Statement 

The health of Great Lakes habitats and wildlife depends upon the protection and restoration of ecosystems: the 

Great Lakes, the coastline, wetlands, rivers, connecting channels and watersheds. Humans benefit from healthy 

ecosystems. Healthy Great Lakes, for example, provide us with clean drinking water; rare wildlife populate a 

variety of unique coastal habitats; wetlands help control floodwaters; rivers transport sediments, nutrients and 

organic materials throughout the watershed; forests provide oxygen while reducing erosion and sedimentation; 

and, upland habitats produce topsoil and habitats for pollinators and bio-control agents. Fully resilient ecosystems 

buffer the impacts of potential problems such as climate change. 

A multitude of threats affect the health of 

Great Lakes habitats and wildlife. Habitat 

destruction and degradation due to 

development; competition from invasive 

species; the alteration of natural lake level 

fluctuations due to artificial lake level 

management and flow regimes from dams, 

drain tiles, ditches, and other control 

structures; toxic compounds from urban 

development, poor land management practices 

and non-point sources; and, habitat 

fragmentation have impacted habitat and 

wildlife. This has led to an altered food web, a 

loss of biodiversity, and poorly functioning 

ecosystems. Many opportunities exist to protect and restore critical elements of the Great Lakes ecosystem even 

as we strive to improve our understanding of emerging issues and their impacts. 

Long Term Goals 

• Goal 1: Protection and restoration of Great Lakes aquatic and terrestrial habitats, including physical, 

chemical, and biological processes and ecosystem functions, maintain or improve the conditions of native fish 

and wildlife. 

• Goal 2: Critical management activities (such as stocking native fish and other aquatic species, restoring access 

of migratory fish species at fish passage barriers, and identifying and addressing diseases) protect and 

conserve important fish and wildlife populations. 

• Goal 3: Sound decision making is facilitated by accessible, site specific and landscape-scale baseline status 

and trend information about fish and wildlife resources and their habitats. 

• Goal 4: High priority actions identified in strategic plans (such as state and federal species management, 

restoration and recovery plans, Lakewide Management Plans, Remedial Action Plans, and others) are 

implemented, lead to the achievement of plan goals, and reduce the loss of fish and wildlife and their habitats. 

• Goal 5: Development activities are planned and implemented in ways that are sensitive to environmental

considerations and compatible with fish and wildlife and their habitats. 

Objectives

• By 2014, 4,500 miles of Great Lakes rivers and tributaries will be reopened and 450 barriers to fish passage 

will be removed or bypassed. 

Menominee River lake sturgeon, Wisconsin. Photo: U.S. Fish & Wildlife Service 

Green Bay.
32 Great Lakes Restoration Initiative Action Plan 2/21/2010

• By 2014, 82% of recovery actions for federally listed priority species will be implemented. 

• By 2014, 53 percent of populations of native aquatic non-threatened and endangered species are self 

sustaining. 

• By 2014, 97,500 acres of wetlands, wetland-associated uplands, and high priority coastal, upland, urban, and 

island habitats will be protected, restored or enhanced. 

• By 2014, 100 percent of U.S. coastal wetlands in the Great Lakes basin will be assessed. 

• By 2014, 30 habitat-related beneficial use impairments will be delisted across the Areas of Concern. 

Measures of Progress 

The Initiative will significantly accelerate Great Lakes habitat and wildlife protection. The measures by which 

progress will be evaluated in this focus area are: 

Action Illustration: 

Lake Sturgeon Recovery 

A resident of the Great Lakes for 10,000 years, the prehistoric lake sturgeon (Acipenser fulvescens) is more than 

a holdover from the distant past—it is a barometer of the health and diversity of the entire Great Lakes 

ecosystem. The largest fish in the Great Lakes, sturgeon can grow to be eight feet long and weigh more than 200 

pounds. Remaining populations represent only a fraction of their former numbers and are now protected in most 

waters of the Great Lakes. Only 5 rivers basin-wide have an annual spawning run of 200 or more adults and only 

one river exceeds the minimal viable population spawning run target of 350 adults. Major contributors to the 

sturgeon’s decline are historical over-harvesting and habitat loss resulting from the damming of tributary waters, 

siltation resulting from deforestation, poor agricultural practices and dredging. Pollution from nutrients and 

contaminants have also reduced water quality and hindered reproductive success. The sturgeon's late maturity 

and infrequent spawning has also contributed to its limited recovery. 

Over 40 partnerships have been operating throughout the Great Lakes to conserve, protect, and enhance lake 

sturgeon populations through numerous cooperative efforts. Great Lakes Restoration Initiative funding will now 

accelerate sturgeon rehabilitation in the basin through on-the-ground habitat enhancement and restoration 

projects, such as restoring fish passage to historical spawning areas, as well as supporting the rearing, stocking, 

and assessment of sturgeon populations. Initiative funding will also support a coordinated, multi-agency 

investigation of environmental contaminants in sturgeon and will improve evaluation and prioritization of habitat 

restoration projects. 

Of the 26 tributaries that support sturgeon in the Great Lakes, 16 of these will benefit from either initiation of 

stream-side rearing facilities to enhance recruitment or habitat enhancement through the GLRI. As a result of 

enhanced sturgeon management and rehabilitation efforts through the GLRI, a basin-wide total of 25,000

fingerling lake sturgeon will be stocked to enhance existing small but remnant populations. A boosted stocking 

effort through FY2014 is expected to promote lake sturgeon spawning success and will promote populations 

toward self-sustaining levels. Habitat assessment and enhancement projects will be implemented on 20 existing 

sturgeon streams, and fish passage will be provided on 2 barriers that limit sturgeon access to upstream habitat. 

Improvements to the health of lake sturgeon will be captured in the fifth measure of progress below: “Percent of 

populations of native aquatic non-threatened and endangered species self sustaining in the wild.” 
33 Great Lakes Restoration Initiative Action Plan 2/21/2010

Measure25 Baseline/ Universe 2010 Target 2011 Target 2012 

Target 

2013 

Target 

2014 Target 

1. Miles of rivers 

reopened for fish 

passage. 

Baseline: 0 

Universe: 20,000 miles 

1,000 miles 1,500 miles 2,500 miles 3,500 miles 4,500 miles 

2. Number of fish 

passage barriers 

removed or 

bypassed. 

Baseline: 0 

Universe: 5,000 barriers 

100 barriers 150 barriers 250 barriers 350 barriers 450 barriers 

3. Number of 

species delisted due 

to recovery 

Baseline (2009): 0 

species 

Universe: 28 listed 

species-Great Lakes 

0 126 1 1 2 

4. Percent of 

recovery actions 

implemented for 

priority listed species

Baseline (2009): 0 

Universe: 414 recovery 

actions27

16% 

68/414 

33% 

138/414 

51% 

211/414 

67% 

277/414 

82% 

338/414 

5. % of populations 

of native aquatic 

non-threatened and 

endangered species 

self-sustaining in 

the wild. 

Baseline (2009): 27% 

39/147 populations28

Universe: 147 

populations 

33% 

48/147 

populations 

35% 

52/147 

populations 

41% 

60/147 

populations 

47% 

69/147 

populations 

53% 

78/147 

populations 

6. Number of acres 

of wetlands and 

wetland-associated 

uplands protected, 

restored and 

enhanced. 

Baseline: 0 

Universe: 550,000 acres 

5,000 acres 7,500 acres 12,500 acres 17,500 acres 22,500 acres 

7. Number of acres 

of coastal, upland, 

and island habitats 

protected, restored 

and enhanced. 

Baseline: 0 

Universe: 1,000,000 

acres 

15,000 acres 20,000 acres 35,000 acres 50,000 acres 75,000 acres 

8. % of U.S. coastal 

Great Lakes 

wetlands assessed. 

Baseline: 0 

Universe: 100% 

20% 40% 60% 80% 100% 

9. Number of habitatrelated BUIs 

removed from the 27 

U.S. AOCs so 

impaired29. 

Baseline: 4 

Universe: 75 so 

impaired 

9 BUIs 

removed 

12 BUIs 

removed 

18 BUIs 

removed 

24 BUIs 

removed 

30 BUIs 

removed 

Principal Actions to Achieve Progress 

The principal FY 2010-2014 actions to protect and restore habitat and wildlife include the following. Agencies 

will work together with states, tribes, municipalities, non-governmental organizations and industry to: 

 

25 Out year targets for these measures are cumulative. The Universe represents all that is likely possible to protect, restore, enhance; 

baseline represents the number of acres etc. that are already protected, restored, enhanced. All measures of progress included here are 

interim figures until final baselines are established.

26 Lake Erie Watersnake 2011, Pitcher’s thistle 2014.

27 Numerator: # recovery actions implemented for Great Lakes priority listed species. Denominator: Total recovery actions for Great Lakes 

priority listed species, as defined in species recovery plans. Note that many recovery actions are implemented annually (i.e., update 

landowner records, monitor current populations, evaluate threats, etc.). Recovery actions are implemented until the threshold for action 

“completion” is met, as defined in each species recovery plan.

28 Numerator: # of populations of native aquatic non-T&E and non-candidate species that are self-sustaining in the wild. Denominator: 

total # of native aquatic non-T&E and non-candidate populations.

29 Also captured under Measure 2, Focus Area 1.
34 Great Lakes Restoration Initiative Action Plan 2/21/2010

• Improve Aquatic Ecosystem Resiliency – Protect and restore aquatic habitats for fish and wildlife populations 

by reconnecting habitats through corridors to enhance biological diversity, reducing sediment and nutrient 

inputs, restoring natural hydrological processes, improving water quality, restoring ecosystem services, and 

increasing populations of native fish and wildlife through coordinated management actions. 

• Maintain, Improve or Enhance the 

Populations of Native Species - 

Implement restoration actions 

identified in species recovery and 

management plans; quantify habitat 

needs for depleted migratory bird 

species; propagate lake trout, coaster 

brook trout, lake sturgeon and other 

similar fingerlings for suppressed fish 

populations, assessing fish 

populations; and protect and restore 

culturally significant species. 

• Enhance Wetlands, WetlandAssociated Uplands, and 

High Priority Coastal, 

Upland and Island 

Habitats – Protect, 

restore, or enhance 

habitats by acquiring 

properties that are 

important to sustain fish 

and wildlife populations, 

restoring natural 

hydrological regimes, 

improving water quality, 

and restoring the 

chemical, physical, and 

biological integrity of 

ecosystems in each 

Great Lake basin. 

• Identify, Inventory, and 

Track Progress on Great 

Lakes Habitats, 

Including Coastal 

Wetlands Restoration – 

Assess progress toward 

restoring Great Lakes 

habitats by establishing 

baseline conditions and 

tracking trends; highlight 

the importance of coastal 

wetland conservation 

and restoration by 

implementing a longterm coastal wetland 

monitoring program and 

enhancing the National 

Action Illustration: 

Great Lakes Piping Plover Recovery 

The Great Lakes population of piping plover (Charadrius melodus) is one of the 

region’s most critically endangered species. As a result of long-term 

management and protection activities, reproductive success has improved, 

total population numbers have increased, and breeding pairs have increased 

from 17 in 1986 to 71 in 2009. However, the piping plover remains extremely 

vulnerable to extinction from threats including breeding site disturbances, 

habitat loss due to shoreline development and recreational use, adult mortality 

from predation and disease, and environmental events such as severe weather 

and oil spills. The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service currently leads a multistate, 

binational recovery program that includes partners from other federal and state 

resource agencies, non-profit organizations, universities, zoos and volunteers. 

Funding through the GLRI will effectively boost partner participation with 

recovery efforts, as well as support the following goals over the next five years: 

• Identify, protect and monitor each breeding area with a goal of increasing 

population levels approximately 15 percent, while sustaining wild 

reproductive success levels at 1.5 or more fledged chicks per adult pair. 

• Implement population augmentation strategies including a salvage captive 

rearing program for abandoned eggs and chicks to increase overall 

reproductive success to greater than 1.7 fledged chicks per adult pair. 

• Develop and implement an adaptive approach to predator management in 

an effort to sustain adult survival rates of 75 percent or greater. 

• Conduct invasive species control efforts at 8-10 sites over a five year period 

to improve/preserve piping plover breeding habitat. 

• Work with other agencies and non-profit organizations to secure 

conservation easements on three to four important piping plover breeding 

sites on private land. 

• Support scientific research on plover ecology, population demographics and 

genetics. 

Improvements to the health of piping plover populations will be tracked through 

recovery actions implemented (see measure four).These efforts will 

significantly improve the chances for long-term recovery of the piping plover in 

the Great Lakes. 

Piping plover. Photo: Alice Van Zoeren. 
35 Great Lakes Restoration Initiative Action Plan 2/21/2010

Wetlands Inventory. 

• Restore Habitat Functioning in Areas of Concern – Improve habitats in degraded urban environments and 

Areas of Concern where beneficial use impairments limit ecosystem functioning by restoring habitats for 

native species populations and removing or isolating contaminants. 

Focus Area 5: Accountability, Education, Monitoring, Evaluation, 

Communication and Partnerships 

Problem Statement 

The Action Plan requires 

additional oversight, 

monitoring, assessment, and 

coordination to succeed. 

Although the initiative benefits 

greatly from the years of 

scientific effort in the Great 

Lakes, there are still gaps in 

efforts to measure and monitor 

key indicators of overall 

ecosystem function, to evaluate 

restoration progress, and to 

provide the information 

decision makers need. 

This information needs to be 

based on best available science, 

and compiled and 

communicated consistently to 

decision makers to allow them to 

assess ecosystem conditions and to 

track restoration progress. Efforts under the Initiative will establish the foundation for routine and consistent 

comprehensive ecosystem assessments. A comprehensive and efficient accountability system and well-defined 

metrics must be established to track progress under this Action Plan. This system needs to track progress of 

individual grant recipients and partner-led initiatives, as well as overall progress in meeting the short- and longterm goals and objectives of the Initiative as a whole. 

This focus area is the necessary backbone for success in the others. There are gaps in knowledge and an 

inadequate understanding of complex and emerging issues such as nearshore dynamics and climate change 

impacts. This means new investment is needed, particularly in the first year of the GLRI, to set up the systems and 

tools necessary to understand, coordinate, teach, direct progress and capture results. Once these systems and tools 

are developed and in use, we anticipate that this focus area will decrease in significance as implementation 

increases in the other focus areas. 

Outreach and education are also crucial in the effort to restore the Great Lakes. If the change we seek is to leave 

the Great Lakes better for the next generation than the condition in which we inherited them, then we must 

educate upcoming decision makers so tomorrow they are capable of learning from and extending today’s 

restoration efforts. The growth of service learning programs is an encouraging sign that school systems are 

placing an increasing value on stewardship of and hands-on learning about the Great Lakes. A handful of Great 

Lakes curricula exist that satisfy state and other relevant learning standards, yet these rarely find their way into 

core education objectives for Great Lakes schools. We must continue to reach traditional classroom teachers and 

The R/V Lake Guardian. Photo: U.S. EPA Great Lakes National Program Office. 
36 Great Lakes Restoration Initiative Action Plan 2/21/2010

nature centers, but also reach non-traditional education outlets such as homeschoolers, national lakeshore and 

state park visitor centers, zoos, aquariums, and museums. Moreover, while there will always be some demand for 

the development of new curricula, alarmingly few resources are available today by the funding community for 

executing existing high-quality education specifically centered on the concept and practice of Great Lakes 

“restoration” that can show demonstrable results. 

Additionally, current education efforts often lack 

coordination, duplicate efforts and fail to move the 

Great Lakes education community toward 

collaborative best practices supportive of Great 

Lakes restoration. Support is especially lacking for 

the sustained implementation of existing highquality standardized curricula through, for example, 

teacher training, funding for field trips, support for 

teachers’ professional development opportunities 

and efforts focused on underserved communities, 

among other activities. 

The Great Lakes span many different government 

jurisdictions along with their regulatory agencies 

and authorities: two countries, eight U.S. states, two 

Canadian provinces, 83 U.S. counties, thousands of 

cities and towns, 33 U.S. tribal governments and 

more than 60 recognized First Nations in Canada. 

Through the 1909 Boundary Waters Treaty with 

Canada, the related Great Lakes Water Quality 

Agreement, and a host of other institutional 

arrangements, this region has a long history of 

governments at all levels working in partnership to

protect and restore the Great Lakes. Federal 

coordination efforts have been greatly improved 

through efforts of the Great Lakes Interagency Task

Force and its Regional Working Group. Binational 

efforts continue with help from the International 

Joint Commission, and through the Binational 

Executive Committee, which coordinates binational 

implementation of the provisions of the Great Lakes

Water Quality Agreement. These partnerships must 

continue and be further strengthened to address the

complex issues faced by the Great Lakes. 

Long Term Goals

• Goal 1: A cooperative monitoring and observing 

system provides a comprehensive assessment of 

the Great Lakes ecosystem. 

• Goal 2: The necessary technology and 

programmatic infrastructure supports 

monitoring and reporting, including Great Lakes 

Restoration Initiative project deliverables by all 

agencies and participating stakeholders. Data 

and information are provided in reports that are 

Action Illustration: 

Comprehensive Great Lakes Coastal 

Assessment 

The nearshore environment of the Great Lakes is 

highly varied, including relatively unspoiled 

shorelines, highly urbanized reaches, tributary 

mouths, embayments, wetlands and other 

environmental features. Regular, comprehensive 

monitoring has been difficult because there are over 

10,000 miles of Great Lakes shoreline and effective

technologies have only recently been developed. 

This complexity has inhibited the ability to track 

issues impacting human and ecological health and 

requires new approaches to monitoring that can 

take advantage of new technological tools. In 

keeping with national efforts to provide statistically 

valid assessments of water resources, a nearshore 

monitoring program in the Great Lakes will be 

implemented, which builds on ongoing long-term 

efforts and initiates new efforts focused on poorly

characterized areas or elements. The nearshore 

monitoring program will provide the necessary 

scientific basis to assess the physical, chemical and 

biological integrity of the nearshore environment and 

to target restoration and protection efforts. The 

assessment will establish baseline conditions of 

environmental quality and variability of the 

nearshore waters, bottom substrate and biota. 

The nearshore monitoring program will utilize a 

probability-based design for site selection, as well 

as for shipboard surveys targeted for specific 

purposes. It will also utilize remote sensing and 

other observing tools to help monitor the coastal 

areas. The program will include rivers that flow 

directly into the Great Lakes and drain watersheds 

greater than 250 square miles. River monitoring will 

allow calculation of seasonal and annual loadings 

from the watersheds to the Great Lakes. 

EPA’s National Coastal Condition Assessment will 

provide the basis for the initial effort by supplying a 

framework to which additional monitoring can be 

added. The additional monitoring will be an 

expansion of sites in the open waters, nearshore 

areas, and rivers using a probabilistic sampling 

design which allows statements on the overall 

quality of the Great Lakes coasts and also of the 

nearshore areas of individual lakes. 
37 Great Lakes Restoration Initiative Action Plan 2/21/2010

public friendly, timely and available on the Internet. Reports present integrated and scaled data from

watersheds to lakes to Great Lakes basinwide. 

• Goal 3: Increase outreach and education for the Great Lakes, and provide ongoing K-12 education for 

students to understand the benefits and ecosystem functions of the Great Lakes so they are able to make 

decisions to ensure that restoration investments are enhanced over time. 

• Goal 4: Expand the range of opportunities for Great Lakes stakeholders and citizens to provide input to the 

governments and participate in Great Lakes issues and concerns. 

• Goal 5: Work under the goals and objectives of the Great Lakes Water Quality Agreement is coordinated 

between the U.S. and Canada through Lakewide Management Plans (LaMP) and other binational processes, 

programs, and plans. 

Objectives

• By 2011, opportunities for collaboration, planning, data accessibility and accountability will be increased 

through the expanded use of internet-based technology. 

• By 2011, an Accountability System will be developed and implemented for the Initiative. The system will 

integrate and make transparent strategic planning, budgeting and results monitoring. 

• By 2011, a satellite remote sensing program will be implemented to assess Great Lakes productivity and

biological (e.g., algal bloom) events. 

• By 2011, outreach and education efforts are increased, including identifying and revising existing curricula to 

incorporate sustainable education needs for the Great Lakes that meet state and other relevant learning 

standards. 

• By 2011, a refined suite of science-based indicators 

for development of a comprehensive assessment of 

Great Lakes ecosystem health will be identified, 

monitoring programs for those indicators will begin

to be implemented, and restoration and protection 

actions tied to those assessments and programs 

assured. 

• By 2011, social media access opportunities for 

basinwide public involvement in the Initiative will

be in place. 

• By 2012, education efforts under existing curricula

that meet state and other relevant learning standards 

will be coordinated across states, and a system for

tracking student and teacher outreach (quantitatively 

and qualitatively) for their use. 

• By 2012, improved coordination with Canada will 

take place for programs under the Great Lakes 

Water Quality Agreement, particularly under the LaMPs, which will result in the achievement of 5-10 priority 

LaMP goals and actions. 

• By 2014, a statistically valid and comprehensive assessment, using a probability-based design, of Great Lakes 

water resources, will be established. The system will integrate shipboard monitoring, remote sensing, 

automated sampling, and other monitoring or observing efforts. By 2016, the system will be in place for all of 

the Great Lakes and capable of providing a scientifically justifiable assessment of Great Lakes water 

resources. 

Action Illustration: 

What is a LaMP? 

A Lakewide Management Plan, or “LaMP,” is a 

plan of action to assess, restore, protect and 

monitor the ecosystem health of a Great Lake. It is

used to coordinate the work of all the 

governmental and non-government partners 

working to improve a Lake’s ecosystem. A public 

consultation process helps include attention to 

public concerns. Priority projects, such as 

sampling tributaries for chemicals, developing 

watershed plans, restoring habitats, conducting 

hazardous waste collections, and many others, are 

implemented in pursuit of LaMP goals and 

objectives. Many such projects are complex and 

time consuming, involving many partners and 

logistical concerns. 
38 Great Lakes Restoration Initiative Action Plan 2/21/2010

Deployment of towed sensor array on U.S. EPA research vessel. Photo: U.S. EPA 

Great Lakes National Program Office.

• By 2014, timely data and information will be provided to decision makers at multiple scales within a 

framework of established baselines, targets, indicators of progress, and monitoring. 

Measures of Progress 

The Initiative will significantly improve collaborative Great Lakes decision making, transparency, and

accountability for Great Lakes information. Representatives of the federal agencies below will work together to 

determine which existing agency inventory and monitoring data can be used to establish baselines for the various 

performance goals and to identify needed additional research and monitoring, outreach, and implementation. The 

measures by which progress will be evaluated in this focus area are:

Measure Baseline/ 

Universe 

2010 

Target 

2011 

Target 

2012 Target 2013 Target 2014 Target 

1. Improvement in the overall aquatic 

ecosystem health of the Great Lakes 

using the Great Lakes 40-point 

scale.30

Baseline: 

20 points 

Universe: 

40 points 

23 points 23.4 points 23.9 points 24.3 points 24.7 points 

2. Number of priority LaMP projects 

that are completed. 

Baseline: 0 

projects 

10 projects 12 projects 15 projects 18 projects 20 projects 

3. Number of educational institutions 

incorporating new or existing Great 

Lakes protection and stewardship 

criteria into their broader environment 

education curricula.31

Baseline: 0 0 institutions 2 institutions 6 institutions 10 institutions 16 institutions 

Principal Actions to Achieve 

Progress 

The principal actions for FY 2010 to 2014 to 

achieve significant, measurable objectives 

include: 

• Develop Great Lakes Restoration 

Accountability System – Develop and 

implement a transparent accountability 

system for the Great Lakes Restoration 

Initiative, including easy access to 

information and linkages to planning, 

budgeting, and results. With our new 

accountability system, partner agencies will 

report quality controlled information 

regularly on Initiative progress in meeting the 

objectives and targets of this Action Plan. 

 

30 This is an existing measure under the Government Performance and Results Act. The Great Lakes Index uses select Great Lakes 

ecosystem indicators (i.e., coastal wetlands, phosphorus concentrations, AOC sediment contamination, benthic health, fish tissue 

contamination, beach closures, drinking water quality, and air toxics deposition) and is based on a 1 to 5 rating system for each indicator, 

where 1 is poor and 5 is good. Improvements in the index and measures would indicate that fewer toxics are entering the food chain; 

ecosystem and human health is better protected; fish are safer to eat; water is safer to drink; and beaches are safer for swimming. 

31 Educational institutions include: state departments of education, primary and secondary school districts, colleges, universities, zoos, 

aquaria, museums, and nature/resource centers. Curricula will meet relevant official standards. 
39 Great Lakes Restoration Initiative Action Plan 2/21/2010

Progress will also be reported with and through the LaMPs on the Great Lakes as a whole, as well as on each 

of the Lakes and Connecting Channels, and public forums will be harnessed to assist with the transfer and 

dissemination of information to the public.

• Measure and Evaluate the Health of the Great Lakes Ecosystem using the best available science – Enhance 

existing programs that measure and assess the physical, biological, and chemical integrity of the Great Lakes, 

including the Connecting Channels. Develop and implement a statistically valid assessment, using a 

probability-based design, of Great Lakes water resources, coinciding with intensive cooperative science and 

monitoring efforts for the Lakes. Implement strategic components relevant for Great Lakes decision making 

of the U.S. contribution to the Integrated Earth Observation System and the Integrated Ocean Observing

System as part of the Global Earth Observing System of Systems. Develop a coordinated federal approach to 

address on the key scientific priorities needed to fully assess the impacts climate change may have on the 

health of the Great Lakes ecosystem and better manage those impacts. Promote the development and 

implementation of science-based indicators that will better assess and provide a better measure of 

accountability of actions to improve the health of the Great Lakes ecosystem. 

• Support Great Lakes restoration education – Develop coordination mechanism(s) for Great Lakes restoration 

education efforts that meet state and other relevant learning standards. Identify the suite of participating 

educators and facilities (e.g., formal classroom teachers, homeschoolers, public and private community

service learning programs, non-traditional education outlets such as nature centers, national lakeshore visitor 

centers, zoos, aquariums, museums, and urban community centers, etc.). The number of educators who 

participate in teacher trainings and, as a result the number of participating students, is increasing. These trends 

should be made to translate into more institutions incorporating Great Lakes lessons into their curricula. 

Ensure metrics are included the Great Lakes Restoration Accountability System. 

• Enhance Partnerships – Enhance coordination and collaboration among Great Lakes partners to help ensure 

that actions, projects and programs under the Great Lakes Restoration Initiative are efficient, effective and in 

furtherance of the U.S. - Canada Great Lakes Water Quality Agreement. Partnerships will be advanced and 

resources and capabilities leveraged through existing collaborative efforts such as the U.S. - Canada 

Binational Executive Committee, the State of the Lakes Ecosystem Conference, the U.S. - Canada Great 

Lakes Binational Toxics Strategy, Lakewide Management Plans, Four Agency Agreements, the Coordinated 

Science Monitoring Initiative, and Great Lakes Fisheries management. This principal action will also stress 

building ownership and a sense of joint responsibility among agencies, institutions and the public across the 

Great Lakes basin. Partners and stakeholders will be encouraged to suggest refinements to the Initiative, to 

monitor and judge progress, and to help adjust objectives and actions as progress is made. Existing 

mechanisms, such as the U.S. Policy Committee, will be used and new ones developed, if needed, to enable 

that participation. 
40 Great Lakes Restoration Initiative Action Plan 2/21/2010

Conclusion 

If we care for the Great Lakes, they will continue to care for us – economically, ecologically and socially. Study 

after study, however, shows a Great Lakes in peril. These studies point the way to how we can work to make the 

ecosystem more resilient over time by reducing toxic pollution and cleaning up Areas of Concern, instituting a 

zero tolerance policy toward aquatic nuisance species, rehabilitating fish and wildlife habitat, shielding nearshore 

health from polluted “nonpoint source” runoff, and enhancing these efforts through proper accountability 

mechanisms, education and other measures. By declaring Great Lakes restoration a national priority with the 

proposal for significant new resources to address these issues, President Barack Obama is encouraging federal, 

state, municipal, tribal and civic representatives – all of us – to unify for leaving the Great Lakes better for the 

next generation.

Pictured Rocks National Lakeshore, Michigan 
41 Great Lakes Restoration Initiative Action Plan 2/21/2010

Acronyms 

ANS Aquatic Nuisance Species

AOC Area of Concern

BUI Beneficial Use Impairment

EPA U.S. Environmental Protection Agency

GLRC Great Lakes Regional Collaboration

GLRI Great Lakes Restoration Initiative

GPRA Government Performance and Results Act

HAB Harmful Algal Bloom

LaMP Lakewide Management Plan

RFP Request for Proposals

SRF State Revolving Fund

Photo Credits 

Cover/Page 1: Satellite imagery of the Great Lakes, © National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA).

Page 6: Indiana Dunes National Lakeshore, Porter, Indiana, © Tom Gill.

Page 7: Pigeon River kayaking, Gaylord, Michigan, © Rich Evenhouse. 

Page 8: Sleeping Bear Dunes National Lakeshore, Empire, Michigan, © dailyinvention/flickr. 

Page 9: Nelson Point State Park, Door County, Wisconsin, © James Jordan. 

Page 10: Lake Superior wave, © Jerry Bielicki. 

Page 12: Boats along Lake Huron, © John Menard. 

Page 14: Flowing stream near the Chicago River, Illinois, © James Jordan. 

Page 16: Indiana Dunes National Lakeshore, Porter, Indiana, © Tom Gill. 

Page 22: Sea lamprey, © Dave Brenner, courtesy of Michigan Sea Grant. 

Page 25: Silver Carp - Illinois River, © U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service. 

Page 26: Indiana Dunes National Lakeshore, Porter, Indiana, © Tom Gill.

Page 31: Menominee River lake sturgeon, Wisconsin, © U.S. Fish & Wildlife Service Green Bay.

Page 34: Piping plover, © Alice Van Zoeren. 

Page 35: The R/V Lake Guardian, © U.S. EPA Great Lakes National Program Office. 

Page 38: Deployment of towed sensor array on U.S. EPA research vessel. © U.S. EPA Great Lakes National 

Program Office. 

Page 40: Pictured Rocks National Lakeshore, Munising, Michigan, © mtsn/flickr.