Summer break might be just around the corner, but the International Joint Commission’s (IJC) Great Lakes Water Quality Board, Great Lakes Science Advisory Board and Health Professionals Advisory Board remain hard at work on projects to help advance Great Lakes water quality issues.
Great Lakes Water Quality Board
The Great Lakes Water Quality Board convened in-person in Washington, DC, this past April.
Some of the board’s recent work includes its online scenario-based game, “Choosing Your Great Lakes Future” based on the board’s On the Great Lakes Horizons report. At the end of 2024, the board released its fourth Great Lakes regional poll. Completed every three years, the poll provides a snapshot of Great Lakes residents’ views on water quality topics. With 94% of respondents agreeing on the importance of, and the need for government investment in Great Lakes protection, the poll demonstrates the common values and beliefs that unify the region’s residents. The poll’s media toolkit provides animations and graphics of select results designed to be shared on social media.
Great Lakes Science Advisory Board
The Great Lakes Science Advisory Board’s Great Lakes Science Plan for the Next Generation is a major board undertaking. In February, IJC spoke to US Congressional Great Lakes Task Force members about the Science Plan as part of a panel convened by the Northeast Midwest Institute. At the International Association for Great Lakes Research (IAGLR) Conference in Milwaukee, Wisconsin this June, the board hosted its final workshop to inform the collaborative development of the Science Plan. Great Lakes Fellows also gave an IAGLR talk about lessons learned from their engagements with Indigenous communities across the Great Lakes basin as part of the board’s Science Plan efforts.
The board’s work group recently published its Great Lakes Winter Science report in May. The report examines and makes recommendations for how to strengthen wintertime monitoring efforts, often overlooked due to logistical and safety challenges.
In January, the board published its report examining the state of science on Great Lakes microplastics. Among other advice, the report offers tools and recommendations to support the adoption of microplastics as a Chemical of Mutual Concern under the Great Lakes Water Quality Agreement.
The board continues its efforts to develop standardized guidelines for participatory science to improve Great Lakes science. At IAGLR, a day-long session hosted by the board included a panel discussion about how institutions and local data collectors can support one another for greater collective impact.
The board also forges ahead with ongoing phase three efforts to pursue a pilot study toward the development of a Great Lakes Early Warning System.
Health Professionals Advisory Board
The Health Professionals Advisory Board continue to bring together water quality and human health experts in support of its Great Lakes Microbial Water Quality Assessment project. The board is convening labs from around the lakes to implement modern technology that will improve detection of organisms that can cause waterborne illnesses.
At IAGLR, the board hosted a session about monitoring the health consequences of climate impacts on Great Lakes coastal communities. Highlighting the board’s report from December 2024 on Monitoring the Human Health Consequences of Climate Change in the Great Lakes. The report finds that tracking climate-related environmental change can help improve future planning and risk management for threats to human health.
Additionally, board members co-hosted an IAGLR session on the importance of ecological knowledge to Great Lakes science efforts. The board is also continuing efforts to enhance its own communications and engagement activities to better reach new audiences with its advice about environmental health topics.
The IJC’s expert advisory boards assist the Commission to fulfill its obligations under the Canada-US Great Lakes Water Quality Agreement and the 1909 Boundary Waters Treaty. This includes assisting in the development of the IJC’s Triennial Assessment of Progress reports. The IJC is set to release its next Triennial Assessment of Progress next year.
Interested in serving on a board? The boards issue “open calls” for membership every couple of years and fill vacancies on a rolling basis from a pool of qualified candidates. The next opportunity to be considered to volunteer your expertise to the IJC Great Lakes Water Quality Board, Science Advisory Board, or Health Professionals Advisory Board, is planned for early 2026.
Rachel Wyatt is the communications officer at the IJC’s Great Lakes Regional Office.
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