Support Jill as She Paddles for Clean Water!
For over 25 years, Freshwater Future’s Executive Director has been passionately working to protect safe, clean water resources from source to tap in the Great Lakes Region. Now, you have a wonderful chance to make a real difference by donating to Jill’s Walk, Paddle, and Roll Challenge as she canoes 5 miles on Muskegon Lake! Until September, Jill, along with staff, board members, and community partners, will be engaging in fun activities across the Great Lakes to raise funds and spread awareness. Please consider making a donation — every dollar you give makes a lasting impact on the health of our precious freshwater and the communities that we depend on and love! Click HERE to donate now.
Watch #WeAreLakeErie Reel Featuring Jill Ryan
Take a moment to watch Jill’s video reel about Lake Erie and harmful algal blooms, created by our partner Midstory. August is #WeAreLakeErie month—let’s celebrate together! Share your favorite Lake Erie photos and memories with the hashtag #WeAreLakeErie and be part of the fun. Watch here on Instagram or Facebook!
Coming Soon: Fall Grant Cycle for Advocacy Projects
Local community organizations – get ready for our Fall Project Grant cycle! Grants of up to $5000 are available for your group’s water advocacy projects. Registration is now open for the Q&A Webinar on Wednesday September 3rd at 12 pm ET. If you cannot attend, the recording will be sent out afterwards to all registrants and will also be posted online. Learn more from this Request for Proposals flyer and by visiting our Grant Programs web page. The deadline for grant applications is Tuesday September 30th. Contact Alana at Alana@freshwaterfuture.org with any questions.
Take Actions: Together, Our Voices Make a Difference
New! Tell Michigan’s EGLE to Deny the Line 5 Tunnel Permit – Deadline Aug 29
The State of Michigan’s Department of Environment, Great Lakes, and Energy is accepting public comment on a Canadian fossil fuel company’s permit applications to build the Line 5 tunnel under the Straits of Mackinac. The Company plans on replacing the current underwater and high-risk 72-year-old crude oil pipelines with a 4.3-mile tunnel drilled through the fragile rock bed underneath the Straits. Transporting fossil fuels in this manner, where Lakes Michigan and Huron meet, threatens the drinking water for over 40 million people, harming fisheries, and endangering the world’s largest source of surface freshwater. Send a quick message now and tell EGLE Director Phil Roos and Governor Whitmer to deny all permits for Line 5 and protect our Great Lakes!
Support Improved Equity in the Michigan Water Fund – Deadline Friday, August 29
The Michigan State Revolving Fund program provides loans and grants to help communities keep water safe, clean, and affordable. To ensure these dollars reach the communities most in need, improved definitions of overburdened communities are needed that focus on measures of poverty rather than household income or property values. Every three years, the public can urge the Michigan Department of Environment, Great Lakes, and Energy to make improvements, and the comment period is now open! Submit a written comment with our quick form by August 29th!
Speak Out Against Another Proposed Taxpayer Handout to the Copperwood Mine
Recently, Freshwater Future asked you to send Michigan lawmakers a message to deny taxpayer funds to the foreign mining company (your support is still needed!). Now we are asking you to send messages opposing a similar grant at the federal level. The company is looking for start-up costs at both the state and federal levels to open a copper mine immediately next to one of the most cherished parks in the nation, Porcupine Mountains State Park. Congress will soon make funding decisions – Please use your voice today to protect nearby Lake Superior and the State Park from air, noise, light, and toxic pollution.
Canadian Government Agency’s Focus on Invasive Species Prevention
While we often hear about the Brandon Road project in Illinois to prevent invasive carp from entering Lake Michigan, these efforts are occurring elsewhere, too. Across the Great Lakes, agencies are working to prevent their entry. There are currently four carp species of concern – bighead, silver, black and grass – with bighead and silver posing the greatest threat. These fast-growing fish, originally from Asia, cannot be allowed to reproduce in the Great Lakes, as it would cause irreversible damage to the ecosystem and economy. Canadian staff of the Department of Fisheries and Oceans work in Ontario’s Grand River to not only trap and kill grass carp, but also to document the Lake Erie ecosystem before these fish begin to breed in Canadian Rivers. Last year, evidence of grass carp breeding was discovered in Lake Erie’s basin, putting one of Ontario’s largest river systems at risk.
