A recently discovered chemical compound that makes it difficult for invasive sea lamprey to find their breeding grounds may be a new tool for controlling this parasite that threatens Great Lakes fish. Read the full story by Midland Daily News.
Great Lakes Commission
https://www.glc.org/dailynews/20240103-sea-lamprey-control
Proposed legislation that would create a statewide water affordability program in Michigan is drawing backlash from several Macomb County communities who worry it will raise rates for all users and say a Great Lakes Water Authority (GLWA) program already exists to help those in need. Sponsors of the legislation said the proposed water affordability program would actually subsidize the program already in place through the GLWA. Read the full story by The Detroit News.
Great Lakes Commission
https://www.glc.org/dailynews/20240103-water-affordability-program
Each fall and winter, the Milwaukee River receives runs of brown trout from Lake Michigan. The fish, among the largest of the species available to river anglers anywhere on the planet, travel upriver on spawning migrations and provide world-class fishing opportunities. Read the full story by the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel.
Great Lakes Commission
https://www.glc.org/dailynews/20240103-fishing-opportunities
The water level of most of the Great Lakes has been falling. Lake Superior’s water level is down 4 inches in the last month and down a very significant 8 inches in the last year, leading it to be 2 inches below its December average level. Read the full story by WOOD-TV – Grand Rapids, MI.
Great Lakes Commission
https://www.glc.org/dailynews/20240103-water-levels
Upcoming changes to the fishing regulations in part of northeastern Ontario are drawing mixed reactions from anglers. A particular point of contention in the changes, which took effect on January 1, 2024, is a reduction in the keeping size of walleye in Fisheries Management Zone 10. Read the full story by CBC News.
Great Lakes Commission
https://www.glc.org/dailynews/20240103-fishing-regulations
The mysterious disappearance of a commercial fishing boat in Lake Michigan, and the 18-month-long search that followed, is the topic of the next program in the Maritime Speaker Series offered by the Door County Maritime Museum in Wisconsin. The public can attend the program on January 4 in person at the museum or see it online via Zoom. Read the full story by the Green Bay Press Gazette.
Great Lakes Commission
https://www.glc.org/dailynews/20240103-shipwreck-program
Michigan’s three-person Public Service Commission approved a $500 million plan Friday to encase a portion of an aging oil pipeline in a protective tunnel that runs beneath a channel connecting two Great Lakes, leaving just one more regulatory hurdle for the contentious project. Read the full story by the Associated Press.
Great Lakes Commission
https://www.glc.org/dailynews/20231204-pipeline-tunnel-approved
Michigan Governor Gretchen Whitmer signed legislation this week to make manoomin – wild rice – the state’s official native grain. The keystone aquatic plant with special importance to Indigenous peoples is now a Michigan state symbol just like the Petoskey stone and white pine tree. Read the full story by MLive.
Great Lakes Commission
https://www.glc.org/dailynews/20231204-state-grain
Researchers at the Large Lakes Observatory at University of Minnesota Duluth say Lake Superior has warmed one degree per decade since the 1980s, making it one of the fastest-warming lakes in the world. Read the full story by WCCO-TV – Minneapolis, MN.
Great Lakes Commission
https://www.glc.org/dailynews/20231204-lake-warming
The Michigan Department of Transportation has been awarded $10,000,000 in federal Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act funding to build a new passenger ferry between Charlevoix and Beaver Island, Michigan. Read the full story by WWTV-TV – Cadillac, MI.
Great Lakes Commission
https://www.glc.org/dailynews/20231204-ferry-funding
A 13-year-old Champion, New York, resident started an educational YouTube channel about maritime history along the Great Lakes, which has been well received by thousands of followers. You can check out his work on his YouTube channel, Top Impressive Line. Read the full story by WWNY-TV – Carthage, NY.
Great Lakes Commission
https://www.glc.org/dailynews/20231204-maritime-youtube-channel
The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers (USACE) is urging caution around Great Lakes piers and breakwaters, especially during high winds and waves. One USACE official explains that it is more dangerous to wander out on to the piers this time of year. Read the full story by WSJM – Benton Harbor, MI.
Great Lakes Commission
https://www.glc.org/dailynews/20231204-pier-warning
State and federal agencies have spent millions of dollars to stop the spread of invasive carp still threatening the health of Great Lakes waters. Tools used to control invasive carp are varied but include electric barriers, walls of bubbles and underwater speakers used to net large numbers of carp. Read the full story by the Associated Press.
Great Lakes Commission
https://www.glc.org/dailynews/20231204-carp-control
The U.S. Coast Guard Cutter Mackinaw, dubbed the “Christmas Tree Ship,” stopped on its way to Chicago, where trees are donated to families in need, to return an anchor unintentionally recovered from the 1895 Lake Michigan shipwreck of the schooner Kate Kelly. Read the full story by WDIV-TV – Detroit, MI.
Great Lakes Commission
https://www.glc.org/dailynews/20231204-anchor-returned
Near Belle Isle, Michigan, the commercial vessel Barbro G became stuck in the Detroit River on November 27 while carrying 21,000 tons of wheat to Montreal, Québec. It took three tugs from Great Lakes Towing to refloat this 2010-built ship from the mud. Read the full story by Riviera Maritime Media.
Great Lakes Commission
https://www.glc.org/dailynews/20231204-ship-refloat
The author of two editions of Great Lakes Water Wars released a new book that touches on recycling wastewater for drinking water. The author readily acknowledges the controversy and dissent but says the push behind wastewater transformation is driven by the need for water conservation in many areas of the country. Read the full story by Great Lakes Now.
Great Lakes Commission
https://www.glc.org/dailynews/20231204-water-book-published
A recent report by Illinois firm PLG Consulting has found that a potential shutdown of Enbridge Energy’s controversial Line 5 pipeline would have a minimal impact on natural gas prices as existing energy transportation infrastructure could sufficiently address the absence of the petroleum pipeline. Read the full story by Michigan Radio.
Great Lakes Commission
https://www.glc.org/dailynews/20231122-energy-report
An Ohio Sea Grant extension report surveying charter fishing captains about their business in 2020 was compared to survey results from 2010. The report says revenue for Ohio’s Lake Erie charter fishing industry increased more than 50% over this period— considerably higher than inflation. Read the full story by The Beacon.
Great Lakes Commission
https://www.glc.org/dailynews/20231122-fishing-charter-revenue
The Environmental Law & Policy Center, Environmental Integrity Project, and other environmental groups filed comments with the Indiana Department of Environmental Management last week asking for tougher water permit standards to restrict the 5 million pounds a year of discharges now taking place at Cleveland-Cliffs Indiana Harbor in East Chicago, Indiana. Read the full story by The Times of Northwest Indiana.
Great Lakes Commission
https://www.glc.org/dailynews/20231122-discharge-regulation
The five Great Lakes are among the fastest-warming bodies of water on Earth, but major uncertainties and research gaps affect how governments and communities respond, according to the new National Climate Assessment. The report says many effective solutions are grounded in local knowledge, Indigenous leadership, and collaboration with Indigenous Nations and communities. Read the full story by Interlochen Public Radio.
Great Lakes Commission
https://www.glc.org/dailynews/20231122-climate-adaptation
The Sault Convention & Visitors Bureau says spending from about 9,000 cruise ship passengers generated nearly $1,000,000 in direct economic impact for Sault Ste. Marie, Michigan, in 2023. Read the full story by WWTV – Cadillac, MI.
Great Lakes Commission
https://www.glc.org/dailynews/20231122-cruise-revenue
The National Museum of the Great Lakes in Toledo, Ohio, plans to add 5,000 square feet so it can offer more permanent exhibition space, room for temporary exhibits, and a new Great Lakes Community Education Center. The expansion will break ground in the spring of 2024. Read the full story by The Advertiser-Tribune.
Great Lakes Commission
https://www.glc.org/dailynews/20231122-museum-expansion
From Wisconsin’s Great Lakes shipwrecks to a pair of ancient Ho-Chunk dugout canoes found in Lake Mendota, a Wisconsin Historical Society underwater archaeologist has some great stories to tell. Read the full story by Wisconsin State Journal.
Great Lakes Commission
https://www.glc.org/dailynews/20231122-archaeologist-shipwreck-discoveries
A Pennsylvania Fish and Boat Commission survey found most anglers are satisfied with the Commission’s trout program, but responses indicate more public access is desired and that fishing methods are changing. Read the full story by Erie Times-News.
Great Lakes Commission
https://www.glc.org/dailynews/20231122-angler-survey
A University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee Freshwater Sciences graduate student teaches K-12 students about freshwater systems and conservation through their underwater performances as Mermaid Echo. Read the full story by WUWM – Milwaukee, WI.
Great Lakes Commission
https://www.glc.org/dailynews/20231122-conservation-education
The Great Lakes Towing Company announced it has acquired a 62-year-old fireboat from the city of Cleveland, Ohio. The vessel, Anthony J. Celebrezze, was constructed in 1961 by Paasch Marine in Erie, Pennsylvania, and was used by the Cleveland Fire Department until it was replaced with a new vessel in June 2023 and put up for auction. Read the full story by Marine Link.
Great Lakes Commission
https://www.glc.org/dailynews/20231122-fireboat-purchase
The American Courage, a 617-foot U.S.-flagged bulk freighter, was refloated from its grounding in the St. Clair River with the help of several tugboats around 7 p.m. on Tuesday, November 7. The ship grounded Tuesday morning around 7:20 a.m. while attempting to make port at the St. Clair Aggregates dock in Marine City, Michigan. Read the full story by MLive.
Great Lakes Commission
https://www.glc.org/dailynews/20231110-freighter-refloated
Student conservationists planted 3,000 bunches of beachgrass at Westcott Beach State Park in Henderson, New York, to fortify the dunes in case of more high-water events, like those of 2017 and 2019. The project is a repair of a planting done last fall that was hit by a storm in May, causing many of the grasses to be washed away. Read the full story by the Watertown Daily Times.
Great Lakes Commission
https://www.glc.org/dailynews/20231110-dune-protection
In St. Helena Island, Michigan, a historic island lighthouse in the Straits of Mackinac will be more accessible with the installation of a new roll-out dock extension. Previously accessible only by dingy, boats of all sizes will be able to visit the St. Helena Island Light Station when the dock is extended by 48 feet to a total of 140 feet from shore. Read the full story by MLive.
Great Lakes Commission
https://www.glc.org/dailynews/20231110-dock-extension
The Wisconsin Department of Natural Resources (DNR) announced it is proceeding with the process to allow commercial fishing for lake trout in Lake Michigan. The DNR’s decision to give a “yes” in principle to commercial take of lake trout in Lake Michigan is a significant change for Wisconsin fisheries management. Read the full story by the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel.
Great Lakes Commission
https://www.glc.org/dailynews/20231110-commercial-trout-take
The Biinaagami initiative is an Anishinaabek call to action to protect and sustain the Great Lakes water resources. The initiative urges the adoption of a “two-eyed seeing” philosophy, harmonizing Indigenous and Western sciences, ensuring our actions are guided by a comprehensive and inclusive vision for the Great Lakes-St. Lawrence watershed. Read the full story by Canadian Geographic.
Great Lakes Commission
https://www.glc.org/dailynews/20231110-indigenous-initiative
This year, the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration’s Great Lakes Environmental Research Laboratory is going to test out brand new buoys on the waters of Lake Michigan that are built to survive the harsh conditions on the lakes during the wintertime. They are smaller, stronger buoys that can withstand the ice buildup on the lakes and will hopefully supply weather and water information year-round. Read the full story by MLive.
Great Lakes Commission
https://www.glc.org/dailynews/20231110-winter-buoys
Although it is not part of the Milwaukee Metropolitan Sewerage District’s charge, the agency got involved in a local movement to clean up the decades-old, two million cubic yards of contaminated sediment in the Milwaukee Estuary. Formed at the junction of three rivers that empty to Lake Michigan from Wisconsin, the estuary is on a federal 1987 list of officially designated Areas of Concern still to be remediated. Read the full story by Great Lakes Now.
Great Lakes Commission
https://www.glc.org/dailynews/20231110-sediment-cleanup
A new study conducted by University of Toronto researchers identified that nearly 90 percent of the surface water sampled across the Great Lakes have high levels of microplastics, which are extremely small pieces of plastic that occur in the environment as a consequence of plastic pollution. Read the full story by WXMI-TV – Grand Rapids, MI.
Great Lakes Commission
https://www.glc.org/dailynews/20231110-microplastics-study
The Indigenous communities that call the Great Lakes region home have been practicing good land stewardship and sharing that message with others. But for too long, that message hasn’t been heard. The tribes believe their traditional ecological knowledge is critical to safeguarding resources and cleaning up the land, air, and water for everyone. Read the full story by the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel.
Great Lakes Commission
https://www.glc.org/dailynews/20231110-traditional-ecological-knowledge
Forty-eight years after the Edmund Fitzgerald sank to the bottom of Lake Superior, the Great Lakes Shipwreck Museum in Whitefish Point, Michigan, is hosting a memorial event to mark the maritime tragedy. This year’s event, on Friday, November 10 at 7 p.m., is closed to the public but will be livestreamed. Read the full story by MLive.
Great Lakes Commission
https://www.glc.org/dailynews/20231110-edmund-fitzgerald-anniversary
A deal was reached Sunday between Unifor and the St. Lawrence Seaway Management Corp to end a week-long strike that had shut down a major shipping artery in the Great Lakes, halting the flow of grain and other goods from the U.S. and Canada. Read the full story by The Associated Press.
Great Lakes Commission
https://www.glc.org/dailynews/20231030-strike-agreement
On October 11, 1923, the Cetus, a fully loaded bulk freighter, crashed into the Huronton, an empty bulk freighter, in Lake Superior about 20 miles northwest of Whitefish Point, Michigan. Over the summer, the Great Lakes Shipwreck Historical Society found the wreck of the Huronton for the first time. Read the full story by The Detroit News.
Great Lakes Commission
https://www.glc.org/dailynews/20231030-shipwreck-found
Associate Professor Drew Gronewold at the University of Michigan’s School of Environment and Sustainability is leading a new research center designed to strengthen climate change resilience in communities that span international boundaries and jurisdictions. The project is funded by a $5 million grant from the National Science Foundation, with additional funding expected over the next five years. Read the full story by Great Lakes Now.
Great Lakes Commission
https://www.glc.org/dailynews/20231030-climate-research-center
In Midland, Michigan, the Midland Business Alliance’s Advisory Committee on Infrastructure is finishing its plans to utilize a $40 million state allocation for flood reduction infrastructure. Read the full story by Midland Daily News.
Great Lakes Commission
https://www.glc.org/dailynews/20231030-flood-planning
The S.S. Keewatin, one of the world’s largest remaining Edwardian steamships, has arrived at its new home at the Marine Museum of the Great Lakes in Kingston, Ontario, after sailing through the Great Lakes from Georgian Bay. Read the full story by CBC News.
Great Lakes Commission
https://www.glc.org/dailynews/20231030-steamship-relocation
A rare USCG Type TR Motor Lifeboat CG 36381, a 36-foot-long vessel, will soon be on display at the Great Lakes Shipwreck Historical Museum in Whitefish Point, Michigan. Read the full story by MLive.
Great Lakes Commission
https://www.glc.org/dailynews/20231030-lifeboat-display
In Sterling Heights, Michigan, the Sterling Heights Historical Commission unveiled the Holcombe Beach Historical Marker, which tells the story of the early Indigenous people in the Great Lakes region who made their home in the area surrounding the marker. Read the full story by the Macomb Daily.
Great Lakes Commission
https://www.glc.org/dailynews/20231030-historic-marker-unveiled
The WATERshed Program of Southeast Wisconsin has received more than $30,000 in grants to help Racine students learn about the value of living in a coastal community with freshwater resources, and to explore career paths in freshwater science and coastal engineering during the 2023-24 school year. Read the full story by The Journal Times.
Great Lakes Commission
https://www.glc.org/dailynews/20231030-education-funding
A judge in Suttons Bay, Michigan, ordered the owner of a barge best known for repeatedly sinking in Lake Michigan to either sell or relocate the barge out of Great Lakes waters by December 8th. Read the full story by MLive.
Great Lakes Commission
https://www.glc.org/dailynews/20231030-barge-ruling
The Freshwater Summit in Traverse City, Michigan, was held for its 16th year last Friday to cast a wider net into freshwater research in northern Michigan. Many of the organizations taking part represent the continuing efforts on initiatives that impact the Great Lakes and Grand Traverse Bay regions. Read the full story by Up North Live.
Great Lakes Commission
https://www.glc.org/dailynews/20231030-invasive-species-summit
In Wisconsin, Lake Michigan’s water has begun flowing through the city of Waukesha’s precedent-setting new water distribution system. The Waukesha Water Utility developed an interactive map that will be updated as utility workers sample water coming from the open hydrants, confirming that lake water is present. Read the full story by the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel.
Great Lakes Commission
https://www.glc.org/dailynews/20231009-water-supply
A major maritime shoreline revitalization project in Michigan’s Upper Peninsula will bring both economic and climate benefits when it expectedly reopens to the public in July 2024. The upgraded site will provide a valuable deep-water port on the lower St. Marys River for freighters or cruise ships within walking distance of the Soo’s downtown. Read the full story by MLive.
Great Lakes Commission
https://www.glc.org/dailynews/20231009-shoreline-revitalization
In June 2023, a pair of documentary filmmakers set out on their boat in Larsen Cove, Ontario, to work on a film about quagga mussels in the Great Lakes. They discovered a large wooden ship, whose whereabouts have been a mystery for the last 127 years. Read the full story by Canadian Geographic.
Great Lakes Commission
https://www.glc.org/dailynews/20231009-shipwreck-discovery
According to the Indiana Department of Environmental Management, the cleanup of the Grand Calumet River Area of Concern is now more than 50% complete. In addition, more than 900 acres of habitat are on their way to achieving or have achieved restoration goals. Read the full story by The Times of Northwest Indiana.
Great Lakes Commission
https://www.glc.org/dailynews/20231009-habitat-restoration
