The Great Lakes contains one of the most extensive freshwater dune systems in the world. This system supports a variety of unique communities and a number of rare, threatened and endangered species that are a vital component of Great Lakes biodiversity. Coastal species such as the endangered piping plover, Pitcher's thistle and others, are threatened by a variety of human-induced and natural factors that include shoreline development, climate change, invasive species introductions, and human disturbance. Conservation of these species and their habitat is essential to meet the goal of maintaining coastal ecosystem diversity and promoting viable, self-sustaining biological communities in the Great Lakes.

This project seeks to enhance conservation of unique coastal species and their habitats through the following activities:

• surveying, protecting, monitoring coastal habitats supporting rare, threatened and endangered species of the Great Lakes;
• increasing landowner support for and awareness of endangered species conservation efforts through outreach and education;
• providing coordinated support for on-going multi-partner coastal conservation efforts including field training, piping plover banding program, and salvage captive rearing; and
• completing a Coastal Species GIS Database of the Michigan coastal dunes ecosystem.