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 Air and Land Air Quality Coastal Zone Ecosystem Management Habitat Islands Land Use Sustainable Development Wetlands Water BeachCast Conservation Levels and Hydrology Quality Quantity and Use Rivers and Lakes Watersheds Flora and Fauna Biodiversity Endangered Species Forests Invasive Species Invasive Mapping People Plants Wildlife Pollution Air Toxics Areas of Concern Human Health Pollution Prevention Soil Erosion Toxic Contamination References Agencies & Organizations Environmental Justice Laws and Policy Sanctuaries and Reserves Research Weather and Climate Lake Conditions Lake Erie Lake Huron Lake Michigan Lake Ontario Lake Superior Also: Lake St. Clair
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Environment of the Great Lakes Region What's New | Overview | General Resources | Agencies & Organizations | Discuss 
What's New American Wetlands Month U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (5/2) This May will mark the 18th anniversary of American Wetlands Month, a time when EPA and its partners celebrate the vital importance of wetlands to the Nation's ecological, economic, and social health. It is also a great opportunity to discover and teach others about the important role that wetlands play in our environment and the significant benefits they provide. Earth Day Earth Day Network (EDN) (4/22) EDN seeks to grow and diversify the environmental movement worldwide, and to mobilize it as the most effective vehicle for promoting a healthy, sustainable planet. EDN pursues these goals through education, politics, events, and consumer activism. Find Earth Day events near you. Michigan Wildlife Conservancy (4/21) The Michigan Wildlife Conservancy provides the technical and financial assistance that landowners and managers need to restore and maintain wildlife habitat on their own land. National Park Week National Park Service (4/18) National Park Week (April 19-27, 2008) is an annual Presidentially proclaimed week for celebration and recognition of Your National Parks. Your National Parks are living examples of the best this Nation has to offer - our magnificent natural landscapes and our varied yet interrelated heritage. Schedule of Park Week Events. National Environmental Education Week (EE Week) (4/15) EE Week, April 13-19, is the largest organized environmental education event in the United States. It increases the educational impact of Earth Day by creating a full week of educational preparation, learning, and activities in K-12 classrooms, nature centers, zoos, museums, and aquariums. Midwest Lakes Policy Center (4/11) The Midwest Lakes Policy Center strives to reinvent a new decision-making process which ensures fair, informed and open public participation; from Waterfront Landowners, Sailors, Local Businesses and Farmers. We all need to be involved.
Overview The environment of the Great Lakes region is blessed with huge forests and wilderness areas, rich agricultural land, hundreds of tributaries and thousands of smaller lakes, and extensive mineral deposits. The region's glacial history and the tremendous influence of the lakes themselves create unique conditions that support a wealth of biological diversity, including more than 130 rare species and ecosystems. The environment supports a world-class fishery and a variety of wildlife, such as white-tailed deer, beaver, muskrat, weasel, fox, black bear, bobcat, moose and other furbearing animals. Bird populations thrive on the various terrains, some migrating south in the winter, others making permanent homes. An estimated 180 species of fish are native to the Great Lakes, including small- and large-mouth bass, muskellunge, northern pike, lake herring, whitefish, walleye and lake trout. 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 region's sand dunes, coastal marshes, rocky shorelines, lakeplain prairies, savannas, forests, fens, wetlands and other landscapes contain features that are either unique or best represented withink the Great Lakes basin. For example, the world's largest freshwater dunes line the shores of Lake Michigan. Over the course of history, many types of pollution have inflicted and been reduced in the region, yet significant challenges remain. These range from threats to divert water out of the Great Lakes basin to the introduction of nonindigenous invasive species and airborne toxics into the basin. Protection of water quality and sustainable development remain long-term goals.
General Resources Great Lakes Atlas U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) This Environmental Atlas and Resource Book is an excellent resource on the Great Lakes, including physical characteristics, natural processes, people, concerns, joint management and new directions (mirrored on Environment Canada's site). Great Lakes Radio Consortium The Great Lakes Radio Consortium produces environmentally focused radio features and news featured on more than 100 public radio stations around the Great Lakes region and several national radio programs. Illinois Natural Resources Information Network Illinois Department of Natural Resources (DNR) Provides natural resource-related information to the citizens of Illinois so that individuals and groups can make informed decisions about natural resource management and policy. Science & The Environment Bulletin Environment Canada This bimonthly publication provides information on leading-edge environmental science and technology. Includes collections on habitat, pollution, species at risk, water and related topics. Software for Environmental Awareness United States Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency Region 5 and Purdue University produce free interactive software programs on environmental topics. Summary of Environmental Law in North America Commission for Environmental Cooperation (CEC) The CEC created this summary to improve public access to the environmental law of the three parties to the North American Free Trade Agreement; i.e., Canada, Mexico and the United States. Visualizing the Great Lakes U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), Great Lakes National Program Office (GLNPO) GLNPO has an extensive collection of images from around the Great Lakes that is available for you to use.
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