Great Lakes beaches are among the places most heavily used by people and the most expensive to protect. Today, green-colored water tinged from algal blooms and shoreline covered with sharp zebra mussel shells keep tourists away from the world’s largest freshwater system. So, is it safe to go the beach this summer? And what’s being done to restore and maintain this global treasure?
Where is The Nature Conservancy working to protect our coastal systems? Explore this interactive map to learn.
Which coastal areas does The Nature Conservancy protect?
Ancient sand dunes from the shores of post-glacial Lake Nipissing created a mosaic of botanical communities on this 1,449-acre preserve.
Great Egret Marsh Preserve consists of more than 150 acres of marsh and surrounding upland in Ottawa County, Ohio.
Waters from the Mink River and Lake Michigan combine to form this freshwater estuary. Visitors will enjoy a habitat almost identical to that seen by Potawotami Indians, who lived here more than 100 years ago.
Point Betsie is a dynamic mosaic of shifting sand dunes, interdunal wetlands, boreal forest and sandy Lake Michigan beaches.
A paradise for a multitude of wildflowers and neotropical migrating birds, Grass Bay Preserve extends along two miles of stunning Lake Huron shoreline.
Kangaroo Lake is a large, shallow lake surrounded by marshes, lowland forests and rocky outcrops. The beautiful natural shoreline makes the preserve a picturesque spot for hiking, canoeing or bird watching.