Great Lakes Day 2026 - Save the Dunes

A Successful 2026 Great Lakes Day for
Save the Dunes!

The Indiana team in front of the Capitol Building

March 2026

Save the Dunes is a proud governing member of the Healing Our Waters-Great Lakes Coalition (HOW), a group of Great Lakes-based organizations dedicated to securing a sustainable Great Lakes restoration plan and the federal funding to implement it.

Each year in March, more than 100 Great Lakes advocates head to Washington, D.C., for Great Lakes Day to elevate the HOW Coalition’s policy priorities and to tell the story of restoration success, drinking water investment needs, and the importance of conservation action.

Save the Dunes has been the Indiana state lead for 15 years, in charge of assembling a lobbying team to attend Great Lakes Day. “Federal investments to restore and protect the Great Lakes are producing results, but serious threats remain,” said Laura Rubin, Director of the Healing Our Waters-Great Lakes Coalition, which organizes the two-day event.

Each year during the first week in March, we celebrate the wonder and resources of the Great Lakes by ascending to Washington D.C. to lobby for clean water and congressional support for ongoing funding for programs such as the Great Lakes Restoration Initiative.

Save the Dunes has established a close relationship with Northwest Indiana Representative Frank J. Mrvan. During our DC visit, we discussed the importance of continuing to fund the conservation projects to combat invasive species and restore local habitats.

All in all, it was a very successful visit to our nation’s capital to advocate for the Great Lakes. We are so grateful for the opportunity to speak up for Lake Michigan. As Save the Dunes continues to ramp up both state and federal advoacy for our region, we’ve added more visits to D.C. to our docket. We will be returning in April alongside National Park Foundation for Hill Day.