Birds in This Story
Piping Plover
Latin: Charadrius melodus
This March, Audubon Great Lakes conservation leaders met with members of Congress to push for federal investments that protect and restore the Great Lakes—one of the most vital ecosystems in North America.
Members of the Audubon Great Lakes team joined Audubon offices from across the country in Washington, D.C. to meet with over 100 Congressional offices to advocate for crucial conservation investments needed to protect birds. Team members included Audubon Great Lakes Executive Director, Michelle Parker and Great Lakes Commission Observer; Marnie Urso, Senior Policy Director and board member of Healthing Our Waters; Mitch Greenberg, Government Affairs Associate and Brian Vigue, Policy Director, Water.
During the vistit Michelle Parker joined the 2025 Great Lakes Commission Semiannual Meeting where Great Lakes stakeholders convened to share perspectives on important Great Lakes issues. Staff also joined Great Lakes Day, organized by the Healing Our Waters Coalition, which brought together a binational coalition of regional agencies, legislators, local communities, tribes and business, maritime and environmental groups to advocate for the continued protection of the Great Lakes .
Conservation is one of the most powerful tools we have to protect biodiversity, build climate resilience, and support healthier communities. Across the Great Lakes region, investments in restoring wetlands, protecting habitats, and improving water quality are delivering measurable benefits—not just for birds, but for people too. These nature-based solutions are helping address some of our most urgent environmental challenges, from climate change and flooding to pollution and habitat loss.
Our message to lawmakers was clear: investing in conservation and the Great Lakes is a triple win—for birds, for communities, and for our natural resources. The region provides critical habitat for more than 350 bird species throughout their annual life cycles and supplies drinking water for over 40 million people. But climate change, pollution, and habitat degradation continue to threaten this essential resource.
At the heart of our advocacy was support for the Great Lakes Restoration Initiative (GLRI), a bipartisan program that has invested more than $4 billion since 2010 to clean up toxic pollution, combat invasive species, restore fish and wildlife habitat, and reduce harmful runoff. Funding for this program will run out if Congress does not pass a reauthorization bill by the end of this year.
Since it launched, the GLRI has funded more than 7,500 projects to revitalize our region – including the work Audubon Great Lakes is doing with partners to protect vulnerable shorebirds like Great Lakes Piping Plovers and threatened and endangered marsh birds like the Black Tern. These projects don’t just improve environmental health, they also boost local economies, support outdoor recreation, create jobs and build more climate-resilient communities.
Since 1970, North America has lost three billion birds due to habitat loss and climate change, and the challenges facing birds today demand proactive, cost-effective policies to prevent further declines. Audubon is committed to bending the curve on migratory bird loss by supporting science based, bipartisan solutions that address biodiversity loss and climate change. Wetland restoration, an important focus of GLRI, plays a critical role in reducing flooding, improving water quality, and providing essential habitat for birds like the Marsh Wren and Black Tern.
While in DC, Audubon Great Lakes staff shared local stories and science-driven solutions with decision-makers, emphasizing how GLRI delivers tangible, community-level benefits.
“Restoration of the Great Lakes is one of our nation’s most effective conservation success stories,” said Marnie Urso “Through science-based solutions and strong partnerships, we’ve seen how these investments benefit both wildlife and people. But the work isn’t done.”
“GLRI projects are on the ground in the places our communities live, work, and play,” said Michelle Parker, Executive Director of Audubon Great Lakes. “We see former industrial sites transformed into green spaces, wetlands rebuilt to help mitigate flooding, and bird habitats rebounding—all while supporting local jobs and strengthening climate resilience. This is the kind of investment that delivers real impact.”
By working alongside community partners, Indigenous leaders, and local officials, Audubon Great Lakes continues to champion policies that support wetland restoration and climate resilience—solutions that are essential to ensuring the health of the Great Lakes for generations to come.
Take Action to Support Federal Funding of Great Lakes Restoration
Never has it been more critical for all of us to share stories and inspire policymakers to invest in resources that birds rely on.
Encourage Congress to fully fund the GLRI, by passing the bill to reauthorize it this year and explore how GLRI is supporting Audubon Great Lakes' and partners' work across the region to protect vulnerable birds, and their surrounding communities.
You can learn more about how Audubon Great Lakes is working to keep the Great Lakes Great for birds that need it most thanks to GLRI funding here.
