Stop, pause, and celebrate our Great Lakes!

SEMCOG Environmental Planner Devan Rostorfer shows off some of the progress made in Southeast Michigan with the help of the Great Lakes Restoration Initiative.

In this busy world where we bounce from one activity to another, we often forget something really important – that we need to…

Stop. Pause. And celebrate our successes!

Kudos to the Alliance of Rouge Communities for doing just that on October 21 at The Henry Ford in Dearborn. This event, which SEMCOG proudly supported, celebrated environmental restoration projects implemented in Southeast Michigan and funded through the Great Lakes Restoration Initiative (GLRI). GLRI accelerates efforts to protect and restore the largest system of fresh surface water on the planet and an invaluable asset of our region – the Great Lakes.

It was gratifying to pause and reflect on the success stories across Southeast Michigan watersheds since 2013, such as restoring critical Great Lakes marshes, removing toxins from sediment in rivers and lakes, and managing invasive species which have significant economic and ecological impacts in Southeast Michigan.

While it was great to take a morning to focus on this success, Senator Debbie Stabenow, as well as Representatives Debbie Dingell and Sander Levin, encouraged us to use our momentum to remain diligent about restoring the Great Lakes. They are working hard to pass the Water Resources Development Act (WRDA) this fall, which includes a five-year authorization of GLRI at $300 million per year. Both the Senate and House versions of the WRDA bill include these funds. The next step is for a Conference Committee to move WRDA forward in the next month.

We encourage and thank our congressional delegation for their efforts to get this important funding passed this year!