Holding 20 percent of the world’s surface fresh water, the Great Lakes and their surrounding habitat provide breeding grounds and migratory stopover for more than 350 bird species traveling along the Mississippi and Atlantic flyways. More than half of all the Great Lakes’ original coastal wetlands have disappeared, which is a growing problem for millions of birds. Act now to help restore habitat for the birds across the hemisphere that depend on the Great Lakes.
Since 2010, a federal program called the Great Lakes Restoration Initiative has funded more than 8,000 projects across the region—including Audubon’s work with partners to restore and conserve more than 10,000 acres of wetland habitat for vulnerable marsh birds.
These projects help to restore essential habitat, improve water quality, and recover species—including the endangered Great Lakes Piping Plover, which reached a record-high 88 breeding pairs last season.
This important restoration takes a dedicated team of scientists, researchers, and conservationists to find the solutions that work for birds. And the payoff is worth it. When birds have the places they need, they thrive and so do our communities.
The Great Lakes Restoration Initiative is a popular, bipartisan program because it works. But without Congressional action, the program will expire in September. Congress needs to pass legislation to continue protecting this globally significant ecosystem for cleaner water, healthier ecosystems, and more resilient Great Lakes communities.
