Center for Great Lakes Literacy

The vision of the Center for Great Lakes Literacy (CGLL) is to develop a Great Lakes-literate public capable of effectively contributing to the environmental, economic and social sustainability of the Great Lakes.

CGLL is a collaborative effort led by  Sea Grant educators from Minnesota Sea Grant and other Sea Grant programs throughout the Great Lakes watershed. The Center fosters informed and responsible decisions that advance basinwide stewardship by providing hands-on experiences, educational resources and networking opportunities that promote Great Lakes literacy among an engaged community of educators, scientists and citizens.

The Center for Great Lakes Literacy offers:

• Annual Great Lakes Shipboard Science workshops that connect educators with scientists aboard the United States Environmental Protection Agency's (EPA’s) Research Vessel (R/V) Lake Guardian.
  • Video: 2018 onboard the Lake Superior Workshop on the Water
• Webinars and social media postings featuring pressing Great Lakes issues.
• Land-based watershed workshops that facilitate strong community-school partnerships resulting in action-oriented Great Lakes stewardship and restoration activities.
• Limno Loan Program for Hydrolab water quality monitoring equipment. Educators must attend a training before they are eligible to participate in the Limno Loan program. Contact Kristin Tepas at (312) 886-6224 or ktepas@illinois.edu for information on upcoming trainings.
• Educator Day at the International Association for Great Lakes Research Conference;
• Citizen science and other volunteer activities that create opportunities for adults to become involved in watershed restoration.
• The Great Lakes Sea Grant Network has long taken a leadership role in increasing opportunities for educators, their students, and others to learn more about and become better stewards of the Great Lakes environment.

Minnesota Sea Grant belongs to the Great Lakes Sea Grant Education Network and is one of the seven Great Lakes Sea Grant programs, along with Wisconsin, Michigan, Illinois-Indiana, Ohio, Pennsylvania, and New York Sea Grant programs. Together, these seven programs provide professional learning opportunities for educators and educational programming for youth about the Great Lakes.

The Center for Great Lakes Literacy seeks to engage teachers and educators from throughout the Great Lakes region.

Financial support for the Center for Great Lakes Literacy comes primarily from grants.

"I just want to extend a heart filled thank you for getting me aboard Great Lake Science. As you know this is my last year teaching high school physics and biology and I will greatly miss the formal classroom, but after 33 years of educating, and having the opportunity to change careers I just can't resist this opportunity. I can honestly say my experiences with this group of Great Lakes educators is one of the top influences of how and what I taught, and again I thank you for taking me aboard.

Fair winds and I look forward to our courses crossing again."

Bo DeRemee
Retired teacher
Ely High School, Ely, Minnesota

2023: Take a video trip aboard the Vista Queen on Lake Superior to watch our Minnesota Sea Grant-hosted Educator Workshop on the Water.