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Habitats and Species

The health of Great Lakes habitats and wildlife depends upon the protection and restoration of ecosystems. Fully resilient ecosystems buffer the impacts of potential problems such as climate change. A multitude of threats—among which is competition from invasive species—affect the health of Great Lakes habitats and wildlife and have led to an altered food web, loss of biodiversity, and, in places, poorly functioning ecosystems. As part of the GLRI, the USGS is working with others to support the protection and restoration of critical elements of the Great Lakes ecosystem by providing the science to restore native fishes in Great Lakes, restore coastal wetlands in the Ottawa National Wildlife Refuge and adjacent Lake Erie, develop breakthroughs in the prediction and prevention of botulism outbreaks that affect fish and fish-eating birds, and survey food-web interactions within all five Great Lakes.

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Filter Total Items: 14
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Lake Michigan Bloater

Aquatic Native Species and Habitat Restoration

During the first five years of the Great Lakes Restoration Initiative, federal agencies and their partners worked to maintain, restore and enhance populations of native fish and wildlife species. The following actions were taken to conserve native species that were once broadly distributed across the lakes: Assisting with the delisting of the federally endangered Lake Erie water snake; Improving...
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Aquatic Native Species and Habitat Restoration

During the first five years of the Great Lakes Restoration Initiative, federal agencies and their partners worked to maintain, restore and enhance populations of native fish and wildlife species. The following actions were taken to conserve native species that were once broadly distributed across the lakes: Assisting with the delisting of the federally endangered Lake Erie water snake; Improving...
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Habitat Savanna

Terrestrial Native Species and Habitat Restoration

During the first five years of the Great Lakes Restoration Initiative, federal agencies and their partners worked to maintain, restore and enhance populations of native species. The following actions were taken to improve conditions for the endangered and threatened species: bog turtle, Canada lynx, copperbelly water snake, Eastern Massasauga rattlesnake, Hines emerald dragonfly, Karner blue...
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Terrestrial Native Species and Habitat Restoration

During the first five years of the Great Lakes Restoration Initiative, federal agencies and their partners worked to maintain, restore and enhance populations of native species. The following actions were taken to improve conditions for the endangered and threatened species: bog turtle, Canada lynx, copperbelly water snake, Eastern Massasauga rattlesnake, Hines emerald dragonfly, Karner blue...
Learn More