June 26 conference will focus on reducing harmful algal blooms in western Lake Erie

Media from Michigan and Ohio or interested in Great Lakes issues are invited to attend and cover Michigan’s second State of the Western Lake Erie Basin Conference, focused on advancements and priorities in the Western Lake Erie Basin (WLEB), particularly related to reducing harmful algal blooms (HABs). 

• What: 2025 State of the Western Lake Erie Basin Conference 
• When: 10 a.m.-4 p.m. Thursday, June 26, 2025
• Where: Adrian Tobias Center, Adrian College, Adrian, Michigan
• Who: Presented by the Michigan Department of Agriculture and Rural Development (MDARD); Michigan Department of Environment, Great Lakes and Energy (EGLE); Michigan Department of Natural Resources (DNR); and the University of Michigan Water Center.
• Why: Learn about innovative work and regional progress toward goals to keep the lake free of nutrients that feed the runaway growth of harmful algae. Connect audiences with vital activity happening throughout the WLEB. 
• How: Contact Alana Berthold, BertholdA@Michigan.gov, for information on media registration. 

EGLE Director Phil Roos, MDARD Director Tim Boring, and DNR Senior Great Lakes Wetlands Advisor Steve Chadwick will address the conference and may be available on request for media interviews on the subject. 

Also speaking and presenting are leaders and representatives from Ducks Unlimited, the Michigan State University Institute of Water Research and Department of Fisheries and Wildlife, the University of Michigan Water Center and School for Environment and Sustainability, the University of Maryland Center for Environmental Science, The Nature Conservancy, The Ohio State University, and the University of Wisconsin-Madison. 

Domestic Action Plan updated 

The conference follows last month’s release of Michigan’s updated Domestic Action Plan (DAP) for combatting HABs in western Lake Erie. The DAP contains measures to reduce phosphorus runoff into the WLEB by a sustained 40% from 2008 levels.  

Phosphorus is an essential nutrient for growing crops in the WLEB, but it can enter waterways during rains or floods and ultimately enters Lake Erie and causes algal blooms each summer. 

MDARD, EGLE, and the DNR review and revise the DAP every five years based on progress and changing needs. 

Key strategies include continued work with WLEB communities to tighten sewage treatment facility permits; a new Soil Health Investment Program in partnership with conservation districts in Hillsdale, Lenawee, Monroe, and Washtenaw counties; partnerships for agricultural conservation; regenerative agriculture principles and practices; expanded water quality monitoring; online modeling through the Great Lakes Watershed Management System; formation of the WLEB Community Advisory Group; and work by the DNR, conservation group Ducks Unlimited, and partners to restore more than 300 acres of wetlands in the Stony Creek and South Branch River Raisin watersheds. 

For more information on what Michigan is doing in the Western Lake Erie Basin or to view the DAP update, visit Michigan.gov/MDARD-WLEB.