Ashley Watt, a University of Windsor doctoral student studying conservation, runs a YouTube channel about the redside dace and recently published a children’s book about the dangers it faces and how people can help protect it. Read the full story by Great Lakes Echo.
Great Lakes Commission
https://www.glc.org/dailynews/20221021-minnow-education
The FishPass project in Traverse City, Michigan, can move forward following an opinion issued by a panel of judges with the Michigan Court of Appeals. The project would replace the Union Street Dam with a facility where scientists could test sorting technology to limit the amount of fish passing through the Boardman River. Read the full story by WPBN-TV – Traverse City, MI.
Great Lakes Commission
https://www.glc.org/dailynews/20221021-fishpass-project
On Friday, October 21, volunteers and big boat owners will come together to put away their boats for winter storage at the annual end-of-the-sailing-season ritual at the Milwaukee Sailing Center. Read the full story by WTMJ-TV – Milwaukee, WI.
Great Lakes Commission
https://www.glc.org/dailynews/20221021-sailing-season-ends
One of Ozaukee County, Wisconsin’s, most important streams for spawning fish is nearing a return to its natural state following years of disruption due to the habitat being destroyed by heavy rainfall and an emergency response. Read the full story by Ozaukee Press.
Great Lakes Commission
https://www.glc.org/dailynews/20221021-fish-stream
Author David Hoppe of Long Beach, Indiana, recently published a book about life in the Indiana Dunes. Hoppe’s “Letters from Michiana: Reflections Along Lake Michigan’s Southern Shore” is a collection of essays on subjects that vary from public access to Indiana’s beaches to raking leaves in a forest. Read the full story by The Times of Northwest Indiana.
Great Lakes Commission
https://www.glc.org/dailynews/20221021-lake-michigan-book
The Kahnawake Environment Protection Office (KEPO) held a Tekakwitha Island, Québec, “clean-up operation” on Saturday for the second time – last year’s haul included a propeller, a bicycle, and a manhole cover. For KEPO, collaborating with environmental groups helps the organization pursue its larger goals around helping Kahnawa’kehró:non connect to and protect the natural world. Read the full story by The Eastern Door.
Great Lakes Commission
https://www.glc.org/dailynews/20221021-river-cleanup
In Seneca and Oswego counties, New York, state training workshops will help guide local governments through a variety of watershed issues, including floodplains and watersheds, why these features are important, and how they can be better protected with land use tools and best management practices. Read the full story by The Citizen.
Great Lakes Commission
https://www.glc.org/dailynews/20221021-watershed-workshops
Top research scientists from across the country are working to control the impacts of the invasive zebra and quagga mussels with biocontrol agents in labs, while others are experimenting with blunt instruments, deep down on the bottom of Lake Michigan. Read and listen to the full story by WIAA – Interlochen, MI.
Great Lakes Commission
https://www.glc.org/dailynews/20221014-mussel-control
Two months after a break in the Great Lakes Water Authority pipeline that supplies Flint, Michigan’s drinking water, the city has completed the process of reintroducing GLWA water into its distribution system. On Thursday, Oct. 13, Flint’s water supply returned to a mix of 95% water from GLWA and 5% from Genesee County. Read the full story by MLive.
Great Lakes Commission
https://www.glc.org/dailynews/20221014-flint-water
An oil spill at Oswego Harbor, New York leaked between 500 to 750 gallons of fuel oil into Lake Ontario from March 8 to March 11, 2022. Remediation and site restoration work concluded in August, while monitoring of groundwater quality, storm sewer discharges, and the shoreline will continue for at least another year on a quarterly basis. Read the full story by Oswego County News Now.
Great Lakes Commission
https://www.glc.org/dailynews/20221014-oil-spill-report
A 20 year-long restoration effort on the Boardman-Ottaway River in Traverse City, Michigan is nearing completion, but a legal roadblock has delayed the effort which includes a “FishPass” component to identify methods of sorting fish moving through a new dam. Read the full story by the Cheboygan Daily Tribune.
Great Lakes Commission
https://www.glc.org/dailynews/20221014-fish-sorting
As climate change threatens the water supplies of the American Southwest, scientists from multiple research centers in the Great Lakes anticipate rising interest in migration to the water-abundant Great Lakes region. Read the full story by WJBK – Detroit, MI.
Great Lakes Commission
https://www.glc.org/dailynews/20221014-climate-migration
Toronto, Ontario residents living above a tunnel designed to reduce the discharge of untreated stormwater and combined sewer overflows into Lake Ontario have complained of the foul stench from accumulated sewage in the pumping station. Read the full story by CBC News.
Great Lakes Commission
https://www.glc.org/dailynews/20221014-sewer-overflow-tunnel
With the help of the University of Toledo’s expert faculty, important advancements have been made in monitoring cyanotoxin levels in Lake Erie during the harmful algal bloom season, including testing a new real-time algae sensor inside a water treatment plant. Read the full story by The Toledo Blade.
Great Lakes Commission
https://www.glc.org/dailynews/20221014-algal-bloom-sensors
At the Great Lakes Commission meeting on Wednesday, several local leaders gathered at one Bayfront hotel. Each year, stakeholders meet to discuss their progress, voice concerns and talk about solutions to challenges facing the Great Lakes. Read the full story by WJET-TV – Erie, PA.
Great Lakes Commission
https://www.glc.org/dailynews/20221014-glc-meeting
The Michigan Maritime Museum reopened its campus in South Haven in August after a nearly year-long rebuild. A grand opening of the new $3.6 million Maritime Heritage Center took place on September 30, 2022. Read the full story by WWMT – Kalamazoo, MI.
Great Lakes Commission
https://www.glc.org/dailynews/20221014-museum-opening
The Fresh Coast Film Festival, a documentary film festival that celebrates the outdoor lifestyle, water-rich environment and resilient spirit of the Great Lakes, lasts from Wednesday, October 13 to Sunday, October 16, 2022. Read the full story by WLUC-TV – Marquette, MI.
Great Lakes Commission
https://www.glc.org/dailynews/20221014-film-freshwater
The State of the Great Lakes report, issued by the United States and Canada in July, assessed the overall condition of Lake Erie as poor and unchanging. Jill Jedlicka, Executive Director for the Buffalo Niagara Waterkeeper, believes that land use, development and individual decisions can change this trend for the better. Read the full story by WGRZ – Buffalo, NY.
Great Lakes Commission
https://www.glc.org/dailynews/20221005-erie-condition
In Milwaukee, Wisconsin, the Metropolitan Sewerage District and Ducks Unlimited are leading a multi-year, multi-watershed effort to mitigate climate change in southeastern Wisconsin. The Reforestation & Wetland Restoration Program aims to plant six million trees and restore 4,000 acres worth of wetlands. Read the full story by WUWM – Milwaukee, WI.
Great Lakes Commission
https://www.glc.org/dailynews/20221005-restoration-wetland-forest
The Butler County agriculture conservation education site, established in 2019, provides an eight-acre plot to teach Ohio farmers different practices to make their soil healthier such as grassed waterways, pollinator plots and cover crops. Read the full story by WVXU – Cincinnati, OH.
Great Lakes Commission
https://www.glc.org/dailynews/20221005-farm-education
Scarborough, Ontario’s Rouge Beach has been closed for repairs three times in six years, and Parks Canada has started a “stabilization strategy” which could involve hardening parts of the shoreline around the mouth of the Rouge River. The strategy involves implementing measures to reduce erosion and stabilize and grow the beach through natural long shore deposition. Read the full story by Metroland Media Toronto.
Great Lakes Commission
https://www.glc.org/dailynews/20221005-beach-stabilization
Near Cleveland, Ohio, Lake Erie’s water temperature is reading 64 degrees Fahrenheit which is slightly cooler than the normal 66 degrees Fahrenheit this time of year. The water temperature on the lake is closely watched by meteorologists as it is used as a guide to figure out if the lake will be able to produce lake effect clouds and precipitation. Read the full story by WKBN-TV – Youngstown, OH.
Great Lakes Commission
https://www.glc.org/dailynews/20221005-erie-temperature
The Great Lakes Water Authority announced Monday that a major water main — which distributes drinking water to several Metro Detroit communities — has resumed normal operations. A leak was detected in the water main’s 10-foot-diameter pipe on Aug. 13, causing the main to close for repairs since. Read the full story by WDIV-TV – Detroit, MI.
Great Lakes Commission
https://www.glc.org/dailynews/20221005-main-repair
The behavior of Lake Superior’s fish can be affected by noise pollution, according to Allen Mensinger, a University of Minnesota marine biologist. Loud underwater noises mask other important sounds from fish, impairing their communication and the ability to avoid danger. Read the full story by Great Lakes Echo.
Great Lakes Commission
https://www.glc.org/dailynews/20221005-superior-winters
State, local and federal dignitaries, including U.S. Transportation Secretary Pete Buttigieg, gathered recently at the St. Lawrence Seaway Eisenhower Lock in Massena, New York to break ground for a new Seaway Visitors Center. Read the full story by NNY 360.
Great Lakes Commission
https://www.glc.org/dailynews/20221005-seaway-visitorcenter
Inspired by the true story of Port Hope, a community along the shores of Lake Ontario in southern Ontario, “King of Hope” addresses to the looming issue of nuclear facility decommissioning, which will soon be a reality for the Great Lakes region, according to the book’s author Kim Conklin. Read the full story by Great Lakes Echo.
Great Lakes Commission
https://www.glc.org/dailynews/20221005-novel-nuclearwaste
In 1905, a fierce storm on Lake Superior sank 29 ships, including the Madeira near Gold Rock. Researchers are now using 3D photogrammetry software to assemble images of the ship and create a 3D model of it. Read the full story by CBS Minnesota.
Great Lakes Commission
https://www.glc.org/dailynews/20221005-ship-model
As the Northern Indiana Public Service Company (NIPSCO) retires a century-old power plant on the shores of Lake Michigan shuts down, some residents and activists are warning the region’s water supply could be at risk. Advocates say the coal ash NIPSCO plans to leave on the site puts groundwater and Lake Michigan in danger of contamination in Michigan City and beyond. Read the full story by WTTW-TV – Chicago, IL.
Great Lakes Commission
https://www.glc.org/dailynews/20220928-contamination-risk
The United States Army Corps of Engineers (USACE) has announced plans to stop the spread of invasive carp in the Great Lakes with an engineered channel in the Brandon Road Lock. A series of high-tech barriers will prevent invasive carp from travelling upstream to Lake Michigan while still allowing boats to pass through. Read the full story by The Manitoulin Expositor.
Great Lakes Commission
https://www.glc.org/dailynews/20220928-invasivecarp-plan
Indigenous leaders in North America, environmental and geographical experts, and volunteers are collaborating on the Biinaagami Project, a planned three-year initiative to engage Canadians and Americans in stewardship of the Great Lakes. Read the full story by The St. Catharines Standard.
Great Lakes Commission
https://www.glc.org/dailynews/20220928-stewardship-project
The Great Lakes Water Authority announced that a repaired water transmission main that services several Metro Detroit communities is now expected to resume normal operations in early October, weeks after its expected resumption, after a leak closed the main in mid-August. Read the full story by WDIV-TV – Detroit, MI.
Great Lakes Commission
https://www.glc.org/dailynews/20220928-watermain-delay
This Thursday, the Michigan Department of Environment, Great Lakes, and Energy is hosting a virtual public hearing on a push to restore the Grand River’s rapids in downtown Grand Rapids. Grand Rapids Whitewater and the city of Grand Rapids are seeking a permit to remove four low-head dams and replace them with rocks and boulders. Read the full story by MLive.
Great Lakes Commission
https://www.glc.org/dailynews/20220928-restoration-publichearing
In Minnesota, Brighton Beach’s construction plan is an estimated $3.5 million dollars. However, Duluth’s Park and Recreation department are finding ways to reduce costs and be more sustainable, such as by reusing Brighton Beach’s current rocks and gravel. Read the full story by WDIO-TV – Duluth, MN.
Great Lakes Commission
https://www.glc.org/dailynews/20220928-construction-sustainability
Eddie Olschansky, founder of Trash Fish Cleveland, organizes volunteers to clean up trash from waterways leading to Lake Erie. Olschansky aims to educate and encourage his community and hopes to give his volunteers a new perspective on plastic pollution. Read the full story by Spectrum News 1.
Great Lakes Commission
https://www.glc.org/dailynews/20220928-erie-cleanup
The Great Lakes Plastic Cleanup, launched in 2020 by Pollution Probe and the Council of the Great Lakes Region, is focused both on cleanup technology and raising awareness of the plastic waste problem. Devices like the BeBot, a $55,000 beach-sifting robot that collects the waste buried in a defined area, aim to spark people’s curiosity and get them concerned about the issue. Read the full story by Axios.
Great Lakes Commission
https://www.glc.org/dailynews/20220928-cleanup-technology
This year marks the 50th anniversary of both the Great Lakes Water Quality Agreement and the Great Lakes Public Forum. One topic of discussion at this year’s forum is how the Great Lakes are impacted by climate change and ongoing work to understand how they could be further impaired in the future. Read the full story by The Pointer.
Great Lakes Commission
https://www.glc.org/dailynews/20220928-forum-climate
A new film, “Against the Current 2: Keeping Invasive Carp Out of the Great Lakes” is documenting efforts to prevent invasive carp species from entering the Great Lakes. The film is a sequel to 2020’s “Against the Current,” which detailed work on the Brandon Road Lock and Dam project near Chicago. Read the full story by Finger Lakes 1.
Great Lakes Commission
https://www.glc.org/dailynews/20220928-invasivecarp-film
The Great Lakes region sits at the intersection of two migratory super-highways, the Mississippi and Atlantic flyways, where more than 380 bird species fly through the region each fall. The Bird Migration Explorer, a new interactive map from the National Audubon Society, lets bird watchers track the journeys that globe-trotting birds make each year. Read the full story by Fond du Lac Reporter.
Great Lakes Commission
https://www.glc.org/dailynews/20220928-bird-mapping
At Pere Marquette Beach in Muskegon, Michigan, Meijer announced the launch of two drones to clean up microplastics—small fragments of plastic in the environment resulting from broken down trash and debris—that have been polluting the Great Lakes shoreline. Read the full story by WOOD-TV — Grand Rapids, MI.
Great Lakes Commission
https://www.glc.org/dailynews/20220824-cleanup-drones
In Ontario, trash that had been flushed down the toilet has ended up in Toronto Harbour due to combined sewage and stormwater pipes that overflow during heavy rainfalls. Read the full story by CBC News.
Great Lakes Commission
https://www.glc.org/dailynews/20220824-sewer-overflows
A circulating petition in Haldimand County, Ontario, is asking Conservation Ontario to streamline the process to allow property owners to conduct restoration work to remedy increased erosion to the Lake Erie shoreline. Read the full story by The Hamilton Spectator.
Great Lakes Commission
https://www.glc.org/dailynews/20220824-lakeerie-erosion
Members of the Ojibwe Tribe in northern Wisconsin and Minnesota have stewarded land that grows wild rice for centuries. Now, chiefs and scientists with the tribes are working with the Department of Natural Resources and the Great Lakes Indian Fish & Wildlife Commission to protect the remaining rice lakes from further damage. Read the full story by the Green Bay Press-Gazette.
Great Lakes Commission
https://www.glc.org/dailynews/20220824-ricelake-protection
According to the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, below-average precipitation will likely lead to Lake Ontario water levels dropping another five inches by September 19. Read the full story by WIVT-TV — Binghamton, NY.
Great Lakes Commission
https://www.glc.org/dailynews/20220824-waterlevel-dropping
In Marquette, Michigan, U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service workers poured a chemical used to kill sea lamprey into Dead River, a spawning spot for the invasive species. Read the full story by WLUC-TV — Marquette, MI.
Great Lakes Commission
https://www.glc.org/dailynews/20220824-lamprey-treatment
Flint, Michigan, was unaffected by the water main break that affected 23 southeast Michigan communities due to Flint’s secondary water source from the Genesee County Drain Commission, a recent upgrade to the city’s water system. Read the full story by MLive.
Great Lakes Commission
https://www.glc.org/dailynews/20220824-watersupply-upgrades
Property owners in Porter, Indiana, are seeking to undo a 2018 Indiana Supreme Court ruling that proclaimed the shoreline of Lake Michigan to be owned by the state and held in trust for the enjoyment of all Hoosiers. Read the full story by The Times of Northwest Indiana.
Great Lakes Commission
https://www.glc.org/dailynews/20220824-lawsuit-publicshoreline
A bilingual children’s book is now available at Grand Haven State Park, Michigan, to educate children on water safety measures due to increasingly frequent drownings along the West Michigan shoreline. Read the full story by the Grand Haven Tribune.
Great Lakes Commission
https://www.glc.org/dailynews/20220824-watersafety-education
Great Lakes Water Authority officials announced that a replacement pipe scheduled to be delivered Tuesday to the site of a major water main break in Metro Detroit has been delayed until the end of the week. This delay could postpone repair efforts and cause another boil water advisory if water pressure is impacted by repairs. Read the full story by WDIV-TV — Detroit, MI.
Great Lakes Commission
https://www.glc.org/dailynews/20220824-watermain-repairdelay
The Michigan Department of Environment, Great Lakes, and Energy announced that the City of Flint’s water system’s lead level is higher than the previous 6-month period result. Despite this, the lead level is still below the federal action level of 15 parts per billion. Read the full story by WPBN-TV – Traverse City, MI.
Great Lakes Commission
https://www.glc.org/dailynews/20220727-flint-lead
The Wisconsin Department of Natural Resources recommended that all water systems in the state be tested for PFAS chemicals. The DNR is providing free, voluntary sampling projects for municipal water systems across the state. Read the full story by WKBY-TV – La Crosse, WI.
Great Lakes Commission
https://www.glc.org/dailynews/20220727-pfas-testing
