Troubled Waters:
The Fate of the Great Lakes in a Shifting Federal Landscape

A workshop for journalists

November 18 - 21
(hybrid virtual and in-person)

 The Biden administration earmarked billions of dollars to mitigate impacts of climate change, improve infrastructure, and boost renewable energy throughout the Great Lakes Basin. Existing programs, administered by the EPA, NOAA, the National Weather Service, the Great Lakes Restoration Initiative, and state and local resources, have been in place for decades, monitoring air and water quality, restoring habitat, and collecting data to protect freshwater resources and the populations that depend on them.

Now, hundreds of ongoing projects within the basin are imperiled by the Trump Administration’s efforts to shrink government spending, jeopardizing the health of an entire ecosystem and the 30 million people who call the Great Lakes home. It’s a rapidly developing situation that could impact 10 percent of Americans — and 30 percent of Canadians.

To accurately report on the flood of new developments, journalists will need a range of tools for monitoring and understanding what’s happening across the basin. IJNR will conduct a multi-day workshop designed to get 15-20 journalists out to the basin’s most populous lake – Erie – to meet with scientists, state and local officials, community activists and others whose work has been disrupted by the sudden and substantive changes in federal funding. The program - which will include one virtual day, and three in-person days - will explore the impacts these changes are having on local communities and what they mean for interests across the Basin, from agriculture, to energy, to fisheries and more.

To Apply:

Applicants must submit a resume, three clips and a statement of interest via Submittable.

IJNR will select up to 20 applicants who represent diversity in geography, outlet, race, gender, experience, and journalistic medium. Priority consideration will be given to journalists of color.

Participation is free. IJNR covers all program expenses (food, lodging, local travel) during programs.

Applications due Wednesday, October 15

Questions? Reach us at contact@ijnr.org

This workshop was made possible by the support of the Joyce Foundation.