A ship travels near Sault Ste. Marie. Credit: ghannen/Pixabay

LANSING – The Great Lakes contain about 20% of the world’s freshwater, but abundance doesn’t always mean security for the communities that depend on them.

The lakes provide recreation, food and drinking water for nearby communities, yet these resources face growing threats.

Climate change, invasive species and other human-driven pressures are among the leading causes of declining freshwater health in the Great Lakes, the National Wildlife Federation reports.

The Department of Environment, Great Lakes and Energy’s 2025 State of the Great Lakes report emphasizes that while the lakes are vital to the economy and surrounding communities surrounding, they remain vulnerable.

A recent study in the Journal of Great Lakes Research surveyed community perspectives on challenges and opportunities that freshwater ecosystems present among residents of Sault Ste. Marie, located at the outflow of Lake Superior along the St. Marys River.

Researchers collected 168 responses from residents on both the U.S. and Canadian sides of the river. Nearly 70% of participants indicated that their relationship with water is very important.

Nonprofit organizations like Alliance for the Great Lakes emphasize that greater community involvement may be the key to protecting them.

The study found that two-thirds of participants were not familiar with the term “blue economy” before completing the survey, suggesting a need for greater community engagement.

Blue economy refers to the sustainable use of freshwater resources for economic growth, environmental health and improved livelihoods.

Study author Kamran Abbasov, a researcher at Algoma University in Sault Ste. Marie, Ontario, said most participants were not aware of concepts like the blue economy or how much of an impact humans have on the Great Lakes.

He emphasized the importance of education surrounding the Great Lakes’ health.

“That’s what education and awareness is about. We need to understand how much of an impact we have,” Abbasov said.

The Great Lakes serve as a source of drinking water for 40 million people across the U.S. and Canada and directly generate more than 1.5 million jobs, according to the Great Lakes Commission.

Abbasov said that while many communities surrounding the Great Lakes want to get involved with the protection of freshwater, they often feel unfamiliar with relevant scientific concepts.

“That’s the key takeaway — whenever there’s this engagement and outreach it usually has to be simple and informal so people aren’t overwhelmed or feel like they aren’t qualified enough to contribute,” he said.

Volunteer work is a key way residents can become directly involved with the protection of freshwater ecosystems.

The Michigan Clean Water Corps (MiCorps) was created under the direction of the state Department of Environment, Great Lakes and Energy in partnership with the Huron River Watershed Council and the Michigan Lakes and Streams Association to train volunteers to collect data on the health of lakes and streams.

Volunteers collect water quality samples and monitor invasive species, among other activities, in more than 300 lakes and on hundreds of stream locations across the state.

Jo Latimore, the director of MiCorps, said more communities are viewing the Great Lakes as an important asset.

Understanding why and how communities across the Great Lakes can protect them is key, said Latimore, a senior outreach specialist at Michigan State University Extension.

“One of the motivations behind volunteer monitoring isn’t just the collection of the data — although that’s incredibly valuable. It also results in hundreds of Michigan residents better understanding the connection between the land and the water and better understanding the health of their local waterways,” Latimore said.

For many Great Lakes communities, involvement in such programs provides an opportunity to turn concern about freshwater health into meaningful action, according to the Environmental Protection Agency’s Great Lakes Restoration Initiative.

Educating residents about their impact on local waterways, as well as the economic benefits they provide, may encourage even greater involvement.

Greater community engagement can serve as a catalyst for freshwater policy changes at the state level, according to the EPA’s Public Participation Guide. If more residents show involvement, policymakers may be more likely to respond.

“The more we embrace that water, wherever we’re at in Michigan or in the Great Lakes, I think it will result in positive impacts for those systems,” Latimore said.