Great Lakes Gateways Network Act of 2025

This bill would create a Great Lakes Gateways Network to protect and share important places around the Great Lakes. The Interior Department, working with the EPA, could give technical help and funding to identify, fix up, and explain natural, historic, cultural, and recreational sites, and connect them with trails, scenic routes, and new “Great Lakes Watertrails” to improve public access and learning.

It would also start a grants program to help states, local communities, nonprofits, and private partners. Grants could pay up to half of a project’s cost, with the rest coming from non‑federal sources; admin costs would be limited to 10% of project budgets. The plan could include parks and refuges, historic seaports, and other public access sites. Funding is authorized at $6 million per year from 2026 through 2031.

• Who is affected: Communities and partners in the Great Lakes Watershed; parks, historic seaports, and public access sites.
• What changes: A new network, watertrails, and a grants program with a 50% federal match and a 10% admin cap.
• When: Funding authorized for fiscal years 2026–2031.