LWVLMR 2025 Conference: 60 Leagues Working Together for the Great Lakes

By Jane Packard

On October 24-25, 2025, the League of Women Voters Lake Michigan Region (LWVLMR), held its 2025 Conference and Annual Meeting in Porter, Indiana. League members from Indiana, Illinois, Wisconsin and Michigan were in attendance, both in person and virtually. 

The LWVLMR is an Interleague Organization of four member states and over 60 local leagues. All members of LWVLC are automatically members of LWVLMR. Through education and advocacy efforts, LWVLMR has not only worked to protect Lake Michigan, but has also addressed policy and environmental justice issues vital to the health and well-being of residents of our four member states and local league communities. 

This year's conference included presentations on high water usage from data centers, the Great Lakes Restoration Initiative, and dune protection: 

Helena Volzer J.D. is Senior Water Policy Manager for the Great Lakes Alliance and the author of “A Finite Resource: Managing the Growing Water Needs of Data Centers, Critical Minerals Mining and Agriculture in the Great Lakes Region”. She discussed how many data centers are being built across the country; while the focus has been on the high energy use by data centers, some states are now beginning to study issues of water quality and high water usage needed to cool these centers. There is currently a patchwork of legislation regarding data centers, but citizens can help guide legislation by staying informed and by helping to educate state legislators.

Howard Learner, Chief Executive Officer and Executive Director, Environmental Law and Policy Center, gave an uplifting presentation about the importance of highlighting successes in protecting the Great Lakes. One example is that funding for the Great Lakes Restoration Initiative continues to have bipartisan support! However, he noted that the increasing demand of water used to cool data centers is an emerging problem. The Public Service Commission is looking to balance where data centers locate and who will pay for the water they use. He indicated that there are no easy solutions, but by using the right tools and working with the right people at the right time we can continue to be successful in protecting our waters. 

Betsy Maher, Executive Director of Save the Dunes, shared the history and the many successes of preserving and protecting the Indiana Dunes National Park which is the fifth most biologically diverse national park. 

Whether it is advocating for full funding of the Great Lakes Restoration Initiative (GLRI), supporting strong regulatory protections for the Great Lakes, or educating citizens about emerging threats to the Great Lakes such as PFAS, coal ash or combined sewer overflows, LWVLMR is there. The health and well-being of citizens residing in Lake Michigan watershed states, as well as the vitality of their respective economies, are directly connected to the health and vitality of Lake Michigan. 

Jane Packard is the LWVLC representative and attended this conference as our delegate. Jane and Tricia Denton are past members of the LWVLMR Board of Directors and both were recipients of the Paleon Award for their service on the WVLMR board.