ANN ARBOR, Mich— U.S. Senator Debbie Stabenow’s (D-Mich.) retirement will leave the U.S. Senate as one of its most accomplished champions for clean water, the Great Lakes, working lands conservation, climate-smart agriculture, and wildlife. The National Wildlife Federation thanked Stabenow, the chair of the U.S. Senate Agriculture Committee, for her work on behalf of her home state, Michigan, and its natural resources as well as her enduring work to ensure that U.S. waterways and land are safer and cleaner for people and wildlife. 

"Debbie Stabenow’s legacy is as clear as the waters of the Great Lakes: She is one of the most effective and thoughtful conservation champions ever to serve in the U.S. Senate. Her visionary work advancing conservation, protecting clean water and the Great Lakes, and promoting climate-smart practices on workings lands is an enduring legacy,” said Collin O’Mara, president and CEO of the National Wildlife Federation. "Now more than ever we need leaders like Chair Stabenow who have brought people together to protect clean water, invest in agricultural and working lands conservation, and help people and wildlife alike thrive. Her retirement is well earned, but it will be the Great Lakes and the nation’s loss.”

Through her work on both the Great Lakes Restoration Initiative, which she authored in 2010, and her tireless work on the Farm Bill, Stabenow has championed all residents of the Great Lakes, including farmers, hunters, and anglers. Her leadership has ensured that climate-based solutions will keep the land and water clean for people and wildlife for generations to come.

The National Wildlife Federation honored Stabenow with a National Conservation Achievement Award in 2015.