Marc Smith

The Great Northwoods is a treasure trove of natural beauty and ecological importance. At the Great Lakes Regional Center, we’re diving into the beauty of this region, celebrating and understanding the core values of the area, while also addressing the threats it faces and exploring potential solutions. Our goal? To raise awareness that inspires action to protect this wild and wildlife-rich landscape.

If you can clearly see your home from outer space, you live in a special place. Here at the Great Lakes Regional Center, we are privileged to live in a region that provides so much to enhance our quality of life. Most of all, we enjoy abundant fresh water (95% of all freshwater in North America and 20% of the worlds freshwater). If you were to dump out all five of the Great Lakes across all of North America, you would fill up the Grand Canyon and submerge the rest of the continent.

If you live in the upper Midwest, you certainly know about the negative impacts that aquatic invasive species have on our Great Lakes, the fishery and our quality of life. From undermining our ecological and economic vibrancy to threatening our outdoor recreation experiences, invasive species are a persistent and unique problem costing the U.S. billions of dollars annually. Ship-borne invasive species cost the Great Lakes region alone an every year.