 Dear Great Lakes community,
Winter is here—along with holiday cheer—and much excitement as we prepare for a new year of marine debris action.
Before looking too far ahead, we must pause and take time to celebrate our wins. From leading research on microplastics and deploying interception devices to inspiring youth projects and participating in community cleanups, the Great Lakes are far better off because of your dedicated work to restore and protect them.
Thank you for your ongoing commitment to the mission—in 2025 and beyond. Now please enjoy this newsletter's highlights and fast-approaching opportunities!
Onward,
Haley Dalian Great Lakes Regional Coordinator
P.S. Here's an evergreen article to help your future holiday celebrations truly sparkle without the harmful impacts of glitter.
 Great Lakes Environmental Educational Kits Available for Borrowing
Example of the various Great Lakes educational kits that are available for borrowing.
There is a literal treasure trove of Great Lakes educational kits for youth and adults across the region, just waiting to be borrowed by you. The growing set of environmental education materials covers a broad range of topics, including microbead filtering, wastewater treatment plants, invasive species, shipwreck heritage, watershed visualization, and more.
Place-based curriculum is crucial, which is why these kits are so exciting and useful. See below to find a kit lender near you (not a comprehensive list):
If you are interested in exploring the available curricula or finding lending kit options in a different state/community, please reach out to haley.dalian@noaa.gov.
 2026 Calendar & Congratulations to the NOAA Marine Debris Program Art Contest Winners
Artwork by Kailin G. (Grade 1, Michigan), winner of the 2025 NOAA Marine Debris Program Art Contest.
We are pleased to announce the winners of the NOAA Marine Debris Program Art Contest. We received many colorful, creative, and informative entries from around the country, and although we wish we could showcase them all, we are excited to share the winners of this year’s contest with you. The winning artwork will be featured in a 2026 calendar, which will help to remind us every day of the importance of being responsible stewards of the ocean. Thank you to all the students and schools that participated in this year’s contest. The NOAA Marine Debris Art Contest is unable to host the art contest in 2026, but we hope that it will return next year.
Click here to download the 2026 Marine Debris Calendar and view the artwork.
The NOAA Marine Debris Program Awards 13 Interception & Removal Projects for Funding
Loyola University sorts debris collected from a Marina Skimmer in Chicago (Credit: Loyola University).
The NOAA Marine Debris Program is pleased to announce 13 new projects awarded under our NOAA Marine Debris Removal and Interception Technologies award competitions. These projects represent an investment of over $26.4 million for marine debris removal. The projects awarded under these nationwide competitive funding opportunities continue the NOAA Marine Debris Program’s commitment to benefit the American economy, local communities, and coastal and marine habitats.
One of the awarded interception technology projects is to Loyola University Chicago. The project team will install trash collection devices to remove over 7,000 pounds of trash from waters in the greater Chicago area while supporting at least 20 jobs.
Over 20 million people visit Chicago beaches each year, which is more than any other location in the Great Lakes region. This project will support local tourism, recreational fishing, and the economy by reducing and removing trash on Chicago beaches and in the Chicago River watershed. Loyola University Chicago will analyze the data on the types and amount removed from the collection devices, and will conduct outreach to reduce littering.
Click here to learn more about all 13 awarded projects.
Become an Ocean Guardian Ambassador
The NOAA Ocean Guardian Youth Ambassador program provides a new level of engagement for youth aged 13-18 committed to ocean conservation and stewardship of our blue planet. The NOAA Office of National Marine Sanctuaries is looking for enthusiastic youth with new ideas and a unique perspective to learn more about America’s underwater treasures and to share their passion with others.
See how past NOAA Ocean Guardian Youth Ambassadors have made a significant impact at their schools or in their communities around the United States and U.S. territories. Together, we can make a difference in the conservation and stewardship of the ocean through marine protected areas, and enhanced ocean and climate literacy.
Applications are due on January 4, 2026 by 11:59pm ET.
New Year, New Opportunities At Home from the University of Toronto Trash Team
 This winter, the popular University of Toronto Trash Team's Home Waste Audit returns and invites you to challenge yourself to reduce your waste while increasing your waste literacy. By participating in the Home Waste Audit, you will learn more about plastic pollution and its impacts, the available waste streams in your municipality, and challenge yourself to decrease your waste generation at home.
How it works:
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The Home Waste Audit takes place over two weeks from Sunday, February 8 until Saturday, February 21, 2026. Each week, participants will record what items they dispose of in their garbage and recycling bins.
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Participants are invited to two webinars, taking place before and after completing the Home Waste Audit.
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The Trash Team will share two short online surveys, one before and the other during the Home Waste Audit.
Webinars:
Click here to learn more and register. Registering for a ticket will automatically register you for both webinars.
Funding & Job Opportunities
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Job Posting: Operations and Programs Coordinator
The Great Lakes and St. Lawrence Cities Initiative is looking for an Operations and Programs Coordinator (Canada-Based) to help deliver major binational events, including its Annual Conference and Water Leaders Summits, and support the rollout of impactful projects across Ontario. This role will work closely with senior leadership to advance various initiatives.
Deadline: January 4, 2026 | Click here to learn more.
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Seeking Hosts for Fresh Water Institute Internships
Cuyahoga County’s Fresh Water Institute is once again excited to partner with the Student Conservation Association to host several Fresh Water Institute internships in the region in 2026. If your organization is interested in potentially hosting an intern, fill out this interest form no later than 12pm ET on January 7, 2026.
Deadline: January 7, 2026 | Click here to learn more.
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Extension: Sanctuary Community Fund Grants
The National Marine Sanctuary Foundation, in cooperation with NOAA's Office of National Marine Sanctuaries, created the Sanctuary Community Fund to invest directly in national marine sanctuary communities to support the testing, piloting, and spread of the best ideas to protect our shared waters. This application round is specific to community stewardship work in Chumash Heritage, Lake Ontario, and Papahānaumokuākea National Marine Sanctuaries.
Deadline: January 9, 2026 | Click here to learn more.
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Extension: EPA Solid Waste Infrastructure for Recycling Grants for Tribes and Intertribal Consortia
The Solid Waste Infrastructure for Recycling (SWIFR) grant program will assist local waste management authorities by supporting improvements to local post-consumer materials management, including municipal recycling programs, and assisting local waste management authorities in making improvements to local waste management systems.
The following entities are eligible to apply: 1) Indian Tribes, as defined in 33 U.S.C. 4201 and section 4 of the Indian Self-Determination and Education Assistance Act (25 U.S.C. 5304), which includes Alaskan Native Villages and Alaska Native Corporations, and former Indian reservations in Oklahoma, as determined by the Secretary of the Interior. 2) Intertribal consortia, consistent with the requirements in Title 40 of the Code of Federal Regulations Section 35.504(a).
Deadline: January 23, 2026 | Click here to register.
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Michigan Sea Grant Undergraduate Summer Internships
Michigan Sea Grant's internship program funds undergraduate students to work on summer Great Lakes stewardship and research projects with businesses, local governments, state and federal agencies, or environmental non-profits around Michigan. Interns can design their own project or apply to join a pre-submitted project with one of our sponsoring partners. Previous interns have done outreach at a fish hatchery, taught Detroit-area kids about air pollution, hosted trash clean-ups in urban parks, researched Michigan's fishery health, investigated microbial communities in rain gardens, and pursued many other interesting and career-building projects.
Deadline: January 31, 2026 | Click here to learn more.
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CIGLR's 2026 Great Lakes Summer Fellows Program
The Cooperative Institute for Great Lakes Research (CIGLR) announces the 2026 Great Lakes Summer Fellows Program, in partnership with the NOAA Great Lakes Environmental Research Lab. The Great Lakes Summer Fellows Program exposes students to a broad range of STEM disciplines by providing hands-on research training and career development mentoring in a supportive and inclusive environment. Through this program, students work on substantive research issues and undergo a career training program that equips them with the knowledge and skills to be the next generation of Great Lakes scientists.
Deadline: February 9, 2026 | Click here to learn more.
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Grant Opportunity: Community Stormwater Filtration Devices
With funding from the Michigan-based Dart Container Corporation, the Council of the Great Lakes Region is offering a grant to help communities purchase, install and monitor innovative stormwater filtration systems designed to capture and prevent land-based plastic litter, oil, and sediment from entering our waterways. Applications are accepted on a rolling basis.
Deadline: Rolling basis | Click here to learn more.
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