The Great Lakes Coastal Assembly relies on workgroups to implement on-going Assembly initiatives and priorities. Workgroup membership is voluntary and open to all members of the Assembly, as well as others who have an interest and expertise in the workgroup’s efforts. Joining a workgroup is a great way to familiarize yourself with the Assembly, build your professional network, and collaborate on meaningful Great Lakes initiatives.

​Great Lakes Coastal Wetland Conservation Framework

To date, the Assembly’s focus has largely been on coastal wetlands, yet fundamental questions about the health, extent, and conservation status of these critical ecosystems remain. This workgroup aims to 1) establish existing baseline extent and condition of Great Lakes coastal wetlands; 2) determine the extent, condition and representation of coastal wetlands needed to help achieve healthy Great Lakes and coastal communities; and 3) identify where to focus coastal wetland efforts to achieve conservation targets, allow progress tracking, and strengthen adaptive management. 

Core Team: Liz Berg, Jessica Collier, Jenny Wong, Benjamin Frey (U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service) and Cherie Hagen (Wisconsin Dept. of Natural Resources)

Framework Fact Sheet

Photo: ​Lake Erie (Great Lakes CoastWatch, NOAA)

Saginaw Bay – Western Lake Erie Coastal Wetland Blueprint

This collaborative process began in 2016 as the Saginaw Bay to Western Lake Erie Coastal Wetland Landscape Conservation Design (now referred to as a Blueprint). This workgroup continues the Blueprint planning process, which integrates environmental, economic, social, and other priorities to develop a shared vision and framework that helps land managers make informed and coordinated conservation decisions, with the ultimate goal of delivering tangible improvements to wetland quantity and quality in this pilot geography. 

Core Team: Jenny Wong, Ben Frey, Jim Hazelman, Jess Collier, & Liz Berg (U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service)

Great Lakes Islands Conservation

The Great Lakes Islands Conservation workgroup shines a spotlight on the region’s tens of thousands of inhabited and uninhabited islands, their biodiversity and endemism, and their particular conservation needs, challenges, and opportunities.  

Co-Chairs: Matt Preisser (Michigan Department of Environment, Great Lakes, and Energy) and Jessica Collier (U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service)

Islands Workgroup Prospectus

Photo: Glacial grooves on Kelleys Island, western Lake Erie (Eric Ellis)

Outreach

To raise awareness and understanding of the Assembly, the Outreach workgroup convened in early 2021 to gauge internal communications needs and external familiarity. This workgroup is spearheading the development of a website, has completed a factsheet, and over time intends to elevate the Assembly’s profile in a number of ways, which may include supporting members’ outreach efforts by providing slides and talking points about the Assembly .and hosting a webinar series. 
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Co-Chairs: Liz Berg (U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service) and Erica Clites (Michigan Sea Grant)

Photo: ​Common milkweed growing along Lake Michigan (Courtney Celley, USFWS)

​Blue Accounting (Inactive) 

This workgroup was formed to advise the development of Coastal Wetlands goals and metrics for Blue Accounting, an online information service which was being led by The Nature Conservancy and the Great Lakes Commission. These metrics were crafted to support the Assembly’s tracking of progress toward protection and restoration of Great Lakes coastal wetlands. Some of this foundational work is now helping to inform the progress of the Great Lakes Coastal Wetland Conservation Framework. Currently, the metrics and dashboards developed by the workgroup during the pilot phase are publicly accessible through Blue Accounting’s Coastal Wetland issue pages. The Great Lakes Commission has paused further development of coastal wetland information as it determines which issues will be prioritized for further build-out on the platform.