We're All at Home on the Great Lakes
The Great Lakes are among the world's most precious natural resources. If you live in the Great Lakes basin, you're one of the 40 million people in the United States and Canada who depend on the lakes for drinking water, employment and recreation. More than 3,500 plant and animal species — some found nowhere else on the planet — also call the Great Lakes home.
Shedd Aquarium is committed to protecting the Great Lakes for the people and wildlife that rely on them. The stakes are high. Our Great Lakes Program focuses on significant environmental issues that affect the wildlife and people in the Great Lakes region — from algae to spruce and minnows to moose.
Contact our Great Lakes team.
Join a Great Lakes Action Day
Join our Great Lakes Action Days and give back to the wild places in your backyard.
Become a conservation partner
Contact our Great Lakes team to find out more!
You can also help the Great Lakes by donating to Shedd Aquarium's annual fund. Donations to Shedd support animal care, education programs, community access, sustainability practices and conservation initiatives. Become a partner in all that Shedd does—please give now.
What's going on in our Great Lakes neighborhood
Invasive species like these sea lampreys threaten the Great Lakes' ecology and economy. More than 180 non-native species have become established in the Great Lakes. You can meet some of these invaders — along with many native species — in our At Home on the Great Lakes exhibit. Or get the scoop from our Great Lakes researchers.
Asian carp can eat up to 20 percent of their weight in microscopic plankton a day. Visit our Asian carp page to learn why Asian carp are one of the biggest challenges facing the Great Lakes today.
The Great Lakes are home to 36 million people and 3,500 plant and animal species. And they contain 20 percent of the world's surface fresh water. But this invaluable resource is under threat; watch these videos to learn more about the high stakes of the Great Lakes and the threat of Asian carp.
In 2017, more than 2,500 volunteers and Shedd staff members collected 5,1144 pounds of trash from local beaches during Great Lakes Action Days! You can make a difference too—join us for Great Lakes Action Days in 2018 and help restore Lake Michigan's southern shoreline for wildlife and for you, too.
Conservator Partners
The Great Lakes Program is generously supported by:
Illinois Department of Natural Resources, Coastal Management Program
United States Department of Agriculture, Forest Service
Illinois Department of Natural Resources, State Wildlife Grant
Patrick and Ligia Goodwillie/The Wege Foundation
Norfolk Southern Foundation
Abra Prentice Foundation, Inc.
Herrick Foundation
Louis and Nellie Sieg Fund
Dan & Mary Armour and Family
Peoples Gas
Aurelio's Pizza
The Great Lakes Program is an initiative of the Shedd Aquarium Daniel P. Haerther Center for Conservation and Research.