Alliance for the Great Lakes
Who We Are
The Alliance for the Great Lakes works to protect the Great Lakes for today and tomorrow. We involve tens of thousands of people each year in advocacy, volunteering, education, and research to ensure the lakes are healthy and safe for all.
Our staff are headquartered in Chicago, with field offices in Buffalo, Cleveland, Detroit, Grand Haven (Mich.), and Milwaukee. Our Board of Directors represent a wide range of interests and expertise from around the Great Lakes region.
What We Do
The Alliance for the Great Lakes works out front, and behind the scenes, to protect the lakes. Recent successes include:
- Championed federal ban on microbeads in personal care products like face wash and toothpaste, preventing the tiny plastic particles from entering the Great Lakes;
- Released groundbreaking report calling for permanent separation of the Great Lakes and Mississippi River basins to prevent inter-basin transfer of Asian carp and other invasive species;
- Advocated for the historic Great Lakes-St. Lawrence River Basin Water Resources Compact to keep Great Lakes water in the lakes, and won significant protections for the lakes in the Compact’s first test, a diversion application by Waukesha, Wisc.;
- Won a historic cleanup goal for Lake Erie, which is plagued each year by toxic algal blooms, when the governors of Ohio and Michigan joined the premier of Ontario to commit to a 40% reduction in nutrients into the lake by 2025;
- Connected nearly 60,000 students with hands-on Great Lakes learning through our Great Lakes In My World curriculum; and
- Involved nearly 15,000 volunteers in the Adopt-a-Beach program last year, cleaning up beaches, collecting valuable data, and building pride in the Great Lakes. We are proud to have received the Charity Navigator 4-star rating, the highest possible, six years in a row.
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Contact
- 1-312-548-7589
oreda@greatlakes.org -
Location
- 640 Ellicott St. Suite 439
Innovation Center
Buffalo, NY 14203 -
Website
- https://greatlakes.org/
Buffalo Niagara WATERKEEPER
Who We Are
Buffalo Niagara WATERKEEPER is a community-based organization dedicated to protecting the quality and quantity of water, while connecting people to water. We do this by cleaning up pollution from our waterways, restoring fish and wildlife habitat, and enhancing public access through greenways that expand parks and open space.
Riverkeeper is a member of the global WATERKEEPER ALLIANCE.
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Contact
- 1-716-852-7483 ext. 26
wpaterson@bnwaterkeeper.org -
Location
- 721 Main St.
Buffalo, NY 14203 -
Website
- bnwaterkeeper.org
Chestnut Ridge Conservancy
Who We Are
The mission of the Chestnut Ridge Conservancy is to support the restoration, preservation and enjoyment of the rich natural, recreational and historic resources, that comprise Chestnut Ridge Park.
What We Do
The Chestnut Ridge Conservancy shall assist the Erie County Perks Department in recreation, education, interpretive, conservation, research, planning and infrastructure improvement projects and programs for the beneficial use of Chestnut Ridge Park, located in the Town of Orchard Park, New York.
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Contact
- 1-716-674-1131
rmichnik@verizon.net -
Location
- PO Box 1376
Orchard Park, NY 14127 -
Website
- https://chestnutridgeconservancy.org/
Green Entrepreneurial Center
Who We Are
The Community Action Organization’s Urban farm was created out of federal stimulus money to produce fresh healthy food, and create jobs for the people of Erie County. So far, the GEC has helped develop eight farms in Erie County. Our farms create training in agriculture, aquaculture, composting, business management, and marketing to allow people to run a business and create new jobs. We have also partnered with AmeriCorps VISTA to bring salad bars, green classes, nutrition education and students mentoring programs to underserved schools in Buffalo. “Students Understanding Nutrition” or SUN would like to improve the overall health, well being and education for students in underserved schools while stimulating economic growth and revitalizing low-income neighborhoods.
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Contact
- 716-846-8810
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Location
- 70 Harvard Place
Buffalo, NY 14209 -
Website
- https://www.caowny.org/
Hawk Creek Wildlife Center, Inc.
Who We Are
To connect humans and nature.
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Contact
- 716-652-8646
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Location
- Grover and Luther Rd
East Aurora, NY 14052 -
Website
- https://www.hawkcreek.org/wp/
Messinger Woods Wildlife Care & Education Center, Inc.
Who We Are
Messinger Woods Wildlife Care and Education Center is a non-for-profit corporation designed to achieve excellence in the field of Wildlife Rehabilitation. We are located in the rolling hills of Holland, NY and have numerous home-care satellites in the greater Buffalo area.
What We Do
Promote community awareness, education and instruction, involvement, understanding, appreciation, and acceptance of our wildlife in order to conserve it. To co-exist and protect each other, our natural surroundings, and all the inhabitants of our earth by education & example. To promote quality care and medical attention for debilitated wildlife in a professional hospital setting, with the goal of increasing successful wildlife releases.
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Contact
- 1-716-345-4239
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Location
- P.O. Box 508
Orchard Park, NY 14127 -
Website
- https://www.messingerwoods.org/
Re-Tree WNY
Who We Are
Re-Tree WNY was formed by concerned individuals who set out to reforest our by-ways and parks that lost thousands of trees in the October 12, 2006 surprise snowstorm.our goal is to plant 30,000 trees with our all-volunteer army.
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Contact
- 716-553-4061
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Location
- 154 Meadow Spring Lane
East Amherst, NY 14051 -
Website
- http://re-treewny.org/
Reinstein Woods Environmental Education Center
Who We Are
Friends of Reinstein Woods (incorporated as Friends of Reinstein Nature Preserve) is a volunteer-led, nonprofit organization that supports the environmental education programs offered by the New York State Department of Environmental Conservation at Reinstein Woods.
What We Do
We provide vital financial and volunteer support for programs aimed at school children, teachers, youth from under-served neighborhoods, and the general public. We also support stewardship projects designed to protect and restore the natural habitats at Reinstein Woods.
We offer 8 miles of self-guided trails, public programs, teacher workshops, environmental friendly education center that is open year round; and snowshoe and cross-country ski rentals during the winter.
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Contact
- 1-716-683-5959
ginger.wszalek@dec.ny.gov -
Location
- 93 Honorine Dr
Depew, NY 14043 -
Website
- reinsteinwoods.org/donate/volunteer/
Western New York Land Conservancy
Who We Are
To permanently protect land with significant conservation value in Western New York, for the benefit of future generations.
What We Do
The Western New York Land Conservancy is a non-profit land trust dedicated to preserving our region’s irreplaceable natural environments, working farmland, forestlands, and meadows in order to maintain wildlife habitat, economic resources, public recreation areas, and the unique scenic character of Western New York.
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Contact
- 1-716-687-1225
info@wnylc.org -
Location
- PO Box 471
East Aurora, NY 14052 -
Website
- https://wnylc.org/
WNY PRISM
Who We Are
WNY PRISM is a partnership organization focused on invasive species management. Our mission is to address invasive species priorities using a coordinated partnership network, for which we provide leadership, information management and collaboration opportunities. Our goal is to improve, restore and protect local aquatic and terrestrial resources by improving the effectiveness of invasive species management efforts and increasing awareness of invasive species issues throughout our 8 county region. By fostering regional collaboration, the threat of invasive species will be minimized and the natural resources and beauty of western New York will be preserved.
What We Do
WNY PRISM’s core functions include Partnership Coordination, Information Management, Invasive Species Establishment and Spread Prevention, Early Detection/Assessment/Rapid Response, and Habitat Management and Restoration. We also engage in Invasive Species Education and Outreach, as it relates to our other core functions.
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Contact
- 1-716-878-4708
wnyprism@buffalostate.edu -
Location
- Great Lakes Center
1300 Elmwood Ave.
Buffalo, NY 14222 -
Website
- https://www.wnyprism.org/