Friends and partners from the U.S. and Canada came together for the One Water Gathering in Alpena earlier this month where they celebrated shared accomplishments and built connections to promote a healthier and more resilient Lake Huron.
The annual conference of the Lake Huron Forever initiative opened Oct. 1 with a workshop, led by River Network’s Hannah Mico, which placed local knowledge at the center of community resilience planning. Participants — many with positions in local leadership — got to experiment with a set of research & planning guides to help shape roles, responsibilities and relationships while pursuing local projects.
A reception that evening honored students & staff of Alcona Community Schools as the first school to join the LHF initiative. Through their pledge, the school has committed to actions which protect Lake Huron’s water quality while empowering its students to become the next generation of community and conservation leaders, including student-led research on local water chemistry and microplastics presented that evening.
Students of Alcona Community Schools with Superintendent Dan O’Connor (right) and Michigan Sea Grant’s Brandon Schroeder (left).
Additionally, members of Alpena High School’s Underwater Research Robot Company recounted their experience at the international MATE ROV World Championships in Newfoundland then gave the group a demonstration of their robot submersible in action.
Day two of the conference opened with a keynote address delivered by Christie Deloria on the connections between people, place, and the fresh water of the Great Lakes.
“All of you are contributing to this water with your planning, philanthropy and projects,” Deloria said. “Send a little gratitude to everyone in this room for all the work that you’ve done and you continue to do, to those who have come in the past, and to those who will pick up the mantle and be the future stewards of this resource.”
Christie Deloria
The day’s breakout sessions highlighted local projects in Michigan and Ontario that are supporting shoreline restoration, piping plover recovery, fish habitat, urban tree canopy and more. Representatives of several Lake Huron Forever communities took turns sharing updates on local progress in their own pledges, new initiatives, on-the-ground projects and collaborative investments that are helping build momentum and sustainability throughout the watershed.
We also recognized Lake Huron Coastal Centre as this year’s recipient of the Lake Huron Forever Champion Award. As a key partner in the LHF network, the LHCC plays an important role in advancing our shared vision for a healthy, resilient Lake Huron. Their leadership and commitment to bringing Ontario partners together helps strengthen cross-border collaboration and turns shared priorities into meaningful action. Through their leadership in shoreline stewardship, education, research, and plastic pollution prevention, LHCC exemplifies the collaborative spirit at the heart of Lake Huron Forever.
Lake Huron Coastal Centre staff Meredith Watson, Alyssa Bourassa and Kerry Kennedy (middle three, l-r) are flanked by Patrick Heraghty of Community Foundation for Northeast Michigan (left) and Abby Ertel of Huron Pines (right).
A look at this year's field trips:
Participants explored green stormwater infrastructure projects designed to manage runoff and protect water quality throughout Alpena, and learned what community-driven planning looks like when local input becomes action on the ground.
A group tours an ongoing dune-restoration project along the Lake Huron shoreline in Alpena.
Alpena Downtown Development Authority staff shared how the group is making it safer for Alpena residents and visitors to move about downtown and connect with Lake Huron in a non motorized way. This project is working to slow traffic, improve walkways and reconnect the heart of the community to the waterfront.
Ontario-based Lake Huron Coastal Centre and Michigan-based Great Lakes Great Responsibility highlighted the growing challenge of plastic pollution in Lake Huron and the Great Lakes. Both organizations are working to raise awareness about the impacts of plastics on aquatic ecosystems and inspire action on both sides of the lake. At Starlite Beach, participants collected and documented litter, contributing valuable data to ongoing plastic pollution research. The effort also highlighted an important reminder: plastic pollution doesn’t begin at the shoreline, it can travel from inland communities through rivers, streams, and stormwater systems, making watershed-wide collaboration essential to preventing pollution at its source.
Participants explored how places like Emily Min Hunt Nature Preserve are an important component of green infrastructure networks and ecosystem services experiencing firsthand how land protection, active stewardship and research are strengthening the resilience of land and water in the Lake Huron region.
This year's conference was a powerful reminder that protecting Lake Huron takes more than good projects — it takes good people willing to work across borders in a shared responsibility for the water between us.
Explore stories from communities and partners across the Lake Huron watershed and see how collaboration is helping protect water quality, strengthen communities and inspire action on both sides of the lake in our 2026 Lake Huron Forever Impact Report. Click the image below to explore the report.
