Many resources available to celebrate Michigan’s Great Lakes and fresh water assets all year long

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Many resources available to celebrate Michigan’s
Great Lakes and fresh water assets all year long

Another Great Lakes and Fresh Water Week – which was June 5-13 – has come to an end. Thank you to everyone who participated by appreciating our incredible water resources, educating others on why lakes and rivers are vital to Michigan and recreating responsibly near or on the water.

Seeing all the wonderful photos that were shared on social media was breathtaking, such as this one taken of a glorious sunset on Lake Huron near Caseville. It was also inspiring to see all the important work that lakes advocates are doing to raise awareness of the issues faced by Michigan’s bodies of fresh water. Even though the week is officially over, that doesn’t mean we should turn our focus away from our five Great Lakes and more than 11,000 other bodies of water. If you haven’t already done so, check out the Office of the Great Lakes’ Great Lakes and Fresh Water Week webpage, which has resources that you can use all year round. Just in case you missed any of the great content EGLE and the Office of the Great Lakes provided last week, here’s a rundown: EGLE Director Liesl Clark spoke of the appropriateness of the week’s themes of Appreciate, Educate and Recreate and why they are so important to all Michiganders.

Click on image to play the video.

We worked with our partners the Department of Natural Resources and the MiStem Network at the Department of Labor and Economic Opportunity to develop videos around the week's three themes.

Go on Twitter or Facebook and search for the #MiGreatLakesWeek hashtag to see all the rich content people and organizations across the state posted last week. Throughout the summer local groups are planning water cleanup events. Check this calendar listing to see if there’s one in your community. It’s never too late to volunteer with MiCorps, Adopt a Beach for cleanup, help identify and control aquatic invasive species or learn how to properly dispose of old medications. Before you head out to enjoy some of Michigan’s treasured water bodies this summer, be sure to consult our Tips to Recreate Responsibly With Water, found on the Great Lakes and Fresh Water Week website, for On the Water, In the Water and While Fishing.

Click on icons to learn how to recreate responsibly with water.

If you’re looking for something to watch or read on your phone, tablet or laptop as you relax this summer on the beach or in the backyard, here are some options:

• The 2020 State of the Great Lakes Report.
• Educational videos in our curated playlists, including EGLE Classroom, Shoreline Stewards, Building Coastal Resilience and Protecting Michigan’s Inland Lakes.
• OneWater webinar sponsored by the Southeast Michigan Council of Governments.

Let’s leverage the enthusiasm we saw last week and keep the conversation going using the #MiGreatLakesWeek hashtag until next year’s Great Lakes and Fresh Water Week.

EGLE COVID-19 RESPONSE: For details on EGLE's work during the pandemic, visit this webpage. Follow state guidelines at Michigan.gov/Coronavirus.

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