Celebrate the Past, Shape the Future: Our 50th Anniversary

It’s a big year for the Alliance as we mark our 50th anniversary.

From a tiny but influential startup called the Lake Michigan Federation, the Alliance for the Great Lakes has grown into a leading voice for the protection of the Great Lakes and for all the ways that people and wildlife are dependent on them.

While we have much to be proud of, nostalgia can blind us to fresh opportunities for growing the Great Lakes movement and stifle innovation. So, as we celebrate, we also ask “What’s next, and how can we do better?”

To help answer that question, we commissioned author and journalist Kari Lydersen to look at the Great Lakes and clean water issues that have shaped our region. The stories and in-depth interviews she gathered challenge us to look forward to a Great Lakes movement that’s ready to ensure our lakes are safe, clean, and accessible to all.

Fifty Years of Great Lakes Protection

Our President & CEO Joel Brammeier reflects on the past and looks to the future.

Toxic Contamination Past and Present: Creating a Legacy

We’re making progress on cleaning up the toxic legacy of the past, when the Great Lakes fueled the industrial heartland. But new threats are emerging, calling for new solutions.

Pollution from Point Source to Nonpoint Source

A half-century ago, legislation began to reduce dumping by heavy industry into the Great Lakes. Sewage is another prime source of point source pollution, one we are still tackling. Now nonpoint source pollution — runoff from fields, livestock operations and cities — is the most troubling.

Invasive Species in the Great Lakes: Major Victories Achieved, but Eternal Vigilance Needed

From the primordial sea lamprey to the tiny zebra mussel to the dreaded Asian carp, protecting the lakes from invasive species is a never-ending challenge. But much progress has been made.

The Great Lakes Compact and Climate Change

An epic decade-long effort to keep Great Lakes water in the basin provides inspiration, and crucial protection, as we face an even larger challenge: climate change.

Community Partnerships, Listening and Learning: A Driving Force

“The Alliance is listening to communities and then integrating what we’ve heard into our water priorities. And we do more than listening. We are now actively supporting the communities that we engaged by advocating for legislation that addresses the issues that they identified.”