GLIFWC’s member tribes depend on healthy ecosystems and the fish, plants, and wildlife that these ecosystems support. This dependence is different and to a greater degree than that of the general population.
GLIFWC's stewardship centers around the long term care of living beings that preserve traditional life ways. Extreme weather, flooding, and chemical pollution en masse threatens clean groundwater, healthy lakebeds, and Anishaanabe culture.
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Climate Change Program
Both Traditional Ecological Knowledge (TEK) and Scientific Ecological Knowledge (SEK) play a critical role in GLIFWC's work protecting culturally important plant and animal beings in the Ceded Territories. In the Climate Change Program, we seek to elevate TEK and let it guide our work.
Contaminants in our Environment
The Great Lakes Indian Fish and Wildlife Commission (GLIFWC) plays a crucial role in addressing environmental contamination, including mercury and PFAS (per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances), by conducting research, advocating for policy changes, and supporting tribal communities.
Environmental Section
The Environmental Section works with all of GLIFWC's sections and staff to investigate threats to resources from many different sources. The five major areas in which the section specializes are climate change, nibi (water), contaminants, metallic mining, and oil pipelines.
Great Lakes Fisheries
The Great Lakes Section focuses much of its time on namegos (lake trout), adikameg (whitefish), and odoonibiins (cisco, a.k.a.
Great Lakes Program
The Great Lakes and their connecting channels form the largest fresh surface water system on earth, hold 1/5 of the world's freshwater supply, are home to millions of people, plants and animal beings. For the Great Lakes Ojibwe, the Great Lakes have been their home since a prophe