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LAKE MICHIGAN BASIN
The State of Michigan, Land Conservancies, and philanthropists were in the midst of developing a fundraising plan to purchase a 402 acre parcel of Lake Michigan shoreline at the mouth of the Kalamazoo River in Saugatuck Township when Aubrey McClendon, a prominent Oklahoma City energy company executive, purchased it for $39.3 million. The land is a showcase of Great Lakes landscapes and one of the last wild stretches of beach and dunes in the southern Lake Michigan -- now slated for housing and other developments. The Saugatuck Dunes Coastal Alliance is working feverishly to protect this land.


LAKE SUPERIOR AND ONTARIO BASINS
A group of housewives in Hudson, Quebec concerned about the impacts of exposure to lawn and garden pesticides on human health and the environment convinced their town council to pass a bylaw prohibiting the use of these chemicals within the municipality. Today 34 municipalities in Ontario have implemented similar by-laws and Premier Dalton McGuinty has introduced province-wide legislation to restrict the use and sale of lawn and garden pesticides.


LAKE ERIE BASIN
Once catching fire due to pollution in the river, the Cuyahoga's return to health is due to the people that advocated for it and became stewards of the river themselves. Such stewards include Friends of the Crooked River (Friends), who are hoping their efforts will stimulate the next steps toward further healing.


LAKE HURON BASIN
The Friends of Oliphant Coastal Environments are spearheading efforts to develop common sense solutions to protect sensitive coastal areas that are being damaged with beachgoers and community members. Lowering lake levels exposing more beach, newly forming dunes and wetlands combined with fast growing urban areas have resulted in an influx of kayakers, kiteboarders, windsurfers, cottagers, swimmers, walkers, naturalists, boaters, and ATVers.

We Need Your Help to Reach Our Goal of 1,000 Signatures of Great Lakes Restoration Supporters!
It's time to get your friends, family, neighbors and colleagues involved - and we made it simple. All you have to do is sign and pass along this petition urging Members of Congress to support Great Lakes programs asking them to sign it and send along to others: www.thepetitionsite.com/5/Restore-the-Great-Lakes The more it gets forwarded the more signatures we will collect!

The Great Lakes are breaking down due to the combined impacts of invasive species, sewage contamination, destruction of wetlands and other critical habitat, and other threats. Luckily, we have manageable solutions for the problems facing the Great Lakes. You can help even more by presenting this petition to your Members of Congress the week of May 26th when they are in district. Please contact Cheryl Mendoza for more information at cheryl@freshwaterfuture.org.


Our Great Lakes Voices are Being Heard in D.C. - Keep It Up!
The path most invasive species take to get into the Great Lakes, the ballast waters of ships, may be close to being shut down - and it is thanks to many of you! More







The Great Lakes Compact - Four States Down with Four to Go!
Minnesota, Illinois, Indiana and New York all ratified the Compact - way to go! But we still need the support of the remaining four Great Lakes states. More


Be A Local Champion!
Help Coordinate Wetland Monitoring In Your Area





Freshwater Future builds effective community-based citizen action to protect and restore the water quality of the Great Lakes basin. We work toward this goal by providing financial assistance, communications and networking assistance and technical assistance to citizens and grassroots watershed groups throughout the Great Lakes basin. Through these efforts we work with over 1,800 grassroots watershed groups and citizens to protect and restore the rivers, lakes and wetlands in their communities. Freshwater Future, Inc. is a non-profit, 501(c)(3) tax-exempt organization.

For more information, please contact:

info@freshwaterfuture.org
P.O. Box 2479, Petoskey, MI 49770
PH (231) 348-8200