The Great Lakes Regional Collaboration (GLRC) was created in 2004 by a U.S. Presidential Executive Order recognizing the Great Lakes as a national treasure and calling for the creation of a "regional collaboration of national significance."  The GLRC created unique partnerships that worked together to develop a strategic plan for the conservation of the Great Lakes ecosystem.  It built upon the goals of the Great Lakes Water Quality Agreement (GLWQA), a commitment between the U.S. and Canada to restore and maintain the chemical, physical and biological integrity of the Great Lakes basin.

In 2006, to advance the goals of the GLRC's strategic plan and the GLWQA, the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, U.S.D.A. Forest Service, National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration and Natural Resources Conservation Service partnered with the National Fish and Wildlife Foundation to pool and leverage their resources for Great Lakes habitat restoration.  The original program was called the Great Lakes Watershed Restoration Program.  In 2007, the world's leading steel company, ArcelorMittal, joined this group as the sole private partner.  The result of this unique public-private collaboration is Sustain Our Great Lakes, a bi-national program working to sustain, restore and protect fish, wildlife and habitat in the basin.

In 2009, President Obama announced a new Great Lakes Restoration Initiative (GLRI) to advance the GLRC strategies and committed $475 million in new funding toward Great Lakes restoration.  In 2010, Sustain Our Great Lakes received $6 million in GLRI funding to support projects that address priorities outlined in the GLRI Action Plan.  In 2011, Sustain Our Great Lakes receive an additional $7.4 million in GLRI grant funding, continuing the growth of the program.

By securing new partners and funding sources, Sustain Our Great Lakes has significantly increased capacity to support on-the-ground restoration and advance the goals of the GLRC strategy, GLWQA and GLRI Action Plan.  Please click here to learn more about the organizations behind this public-private partnership.