Become a water leader today
You need water, but water also needs you.
We are all connected to water. Our actions around water stewardship have a ripple effect that expands across our communities, across oceans and even over generations. We all play an integral part in creating healthy waters, healthy communities and a healthier future. A shared responsibility.
Becoming a water leader means that you connect with your water, collect data, share information, and restore our Lakes, rivers, and coasts by collaborating for a healthier future.
Learn more
The first step to exploring the Great Lakes is learning more about them. Embark on a virtual journey through the Great Lakes, exploring scientific discoveries, cultural connections, and personal narratives and get outside and explore!
Tips:
Touch the water
The next step is to physically connect with the waters near you. Get outside and connect with the Great Lakes using platforms that help connect you with nearby waters, activities, and destinations throughout the Great Lakes St Lawrence Region.
Tips:
Share your story
Somewhere, some water body is a part of your story, and for millions of people, those water bodies are our Great Lakes.
Watermark empowers people to share these personal stories – through written accounts, poetry, music, or art – creating a vibrant online tapestry. These narratives reveal diverse perspectives, historical observations, and valuable data for project partners, informing future community-based science initiatives.
Over 2000 people have shared Watermarks in the Great Lakes, add yours today!
Report pollution
Science and management in the Great Lakes relies on on-the-ground observations and reporting from concerned community members and community groups. You are the eyes at the waters’ edge! Tell us what you’re seeing!
Swim Drink Fish and partners have been crowd-sourcing user reports of pollution and coastal conditions from around the Great Lakes for years. Our tools are free, easy to use, and help you report pollution, shoreline erosion, algal blooms, aesthetic quality and more!
Tips:
Start a Clean Water “Hub”
For communities wanting to address specific concerns, resources are not always readily available.
We provide resources that can guide emerging or existing community groups in creating new monitoring initiatives to focus on issues of local concern including a comprehensive “how-to” toolkit equipped with standardized protocols, monitoring guides, and even fundraising tools.
These resources empower communities to launch their own initiatives, adding valuable data points to the basin-wide network while tackling issues specific to their local environment.
Make a difference
We help to equip local groups and individuals with tools to champion and implement projects that measurably improve on Great Lakes priorities.
Help existing initiatives grow by implementing their programs in your own communities and lending your support.
Tips: