The great lakes are continually threatened by the potential introduction, establishment and spread of new aquatic invasive species (AIS)

This Project Grant award from the U.S. Department of the Interior Fish and Wildlife Service under the Great Lakes Restoration Initiative (CFDA 15.662) provides $250,000 to the Great Lakes Commission to expand and enhance the European Frog-Bit (EFB) Collaborative over the period of January 1, 2025 to December 31, 2026. The goal is to improve interjurisdictional coordination and collaboration among stakeholders and build consensus on next steps for EFB management and research across the Great Lakes region. Key objectives include strengthening regional coordination, establishing best management practices for EFB, and advancing research to identify information needs. The project will support the collaborative's three established work groups focused on management assessment, education/outreach, and prioritization as they make progress on their various charges.

The great lakes restoration initiative (glri) action plan III, invasive species focus area identified one of its commitments as develop enhance invasive species-specific collaboratives to support rapid responses and communicate the latest control and management techniques. The project directly supports this federal commitment through the expansion and enhancement of the european frog-bit (EFB) collaborative.european frog-bit (hydrocharis morsus-ranae l.) is an invasive free-floating aquatic plant of growing concern to water resource managers, waterfront property owners, and recreational users due to its continued spread and potential negative effects on great lakes coastal wetlands and inland waters and wetlands. The EFB collaborative was established in fall of 2018 to improve coordination and collaboration among stakeholders and build consensus on next steps for EFB management and research in michigan. However, EFB detections in additional great lakes jurisdictions including ohio, pennsylvania, new york, and ontario resulted in interest in the collaborative expanding. As such, the great lakes commission (GLC) took over as the neutral backbone agency in october 2022 with support by a previous FWS glri grant agreement (F22AP02721).over the past year and a half, the now regional collaborative has grown in membership, produced regionally applicable monitoring and management support tools, and developed a regional strategy. The strategy includes plans to strengthen regional coordination and collaboration, establish best management practices, and advance research over three years, between january 2024 december 2026. This project addresses specific needs identified in the collaboratives regional strategy and continues providing support for the great lakes commission serving as the neutral backbone organization. Through this proposed effort, additional tools and resources will be created to support the regional EFB management community. The three previously established work groups (including management assessment, education and outreach, and prioritization) will be supported as they make progress on their various charges.project goals and objectivesthe goal of this collaborative project is to improve interjurisdictional coordination and collaboration among stakeholders and build consensus on next steps for european frog-bit management and research. IT will address the following objectives:1.strengthen regional COORDINATION2.establish best management practices for european frog-BIT3.advance research and identify information needs