James Polidori (Page 7)

After sustaining significant damage in 2019, the West Barrier Bar Pier in Fair Haven, New York, has undergone a $10 million repair project with funding from the Bipartisan Infrastructure Law of 2021. The Army Corps of Engineers highlighted the project’s benefits, including safe navigation between Little Sodus Bay and Lake Ontario and supporting the local economy by ensuring safe passage to 550 boat slip rentals and eight launch ramps. Read the full story by The Citizen.

Original Article

Great Lakes Commission

Great Lakes Commission

https://www.glc.org/dailynews/20230602-pier-repairs

James Polidori

With help from the Clinton River Watershed Council and the Michigan Department of Environment, Great Lakes, and Energy, the city of Center Line, Michigan, added four rain gardens to the corners of a newly paved and graded parking lot to ensure water will flow into the rain garden cells and go into the ground instead of into the stormwater drain. Read the full story by Macomb Daily.

Original Article

Great Lakes Commission

Great Lakes Commission

https://www.glc.org/dailynews/20230602-rain-garden-installation

James Polidori

At Anchors Away Marina in Marblehead, Ohio, the charter boat “Myrmidon” awaits her captain, Carole Vukmer, who is one of just a handful of female charter captains on Lake Erie. Being a female captain in a male-dominated industry is a challenge. There are just over a thousand licensed charter captains that make a living fishing Lake Erie; of that number, just 46 are women. Read the full story by WKYC-TV – Cleveland, OH.

Original Article

Great Lakes Commission

Great Lakes Commission

https://www.glc.org/dailynews/20230602-female-captains

James Polidori

Since its first sighting recorded near Ann Arbor, Michigan, in the Huron River in 1933, officials say there have been dozens of freshwater jellyfish findings in Michigan’s streams and inland lakes. Freshwater jellyfish typically appear in northern temperate inland lakes during the late summer and there is little-to-no evidence that they have any significant impact on the Great Lakes. Read the full story by WDIV-TV – Detroit, MI.

Original Article

Great Lakes Commission

Great Lakes Commission

https://www.glc.org/dailynews/20230602-freshwater-jellyfish

James Polidori

In Houghton County, Michigan, the Keweenaw Waterway Lower Entrance Light is now available for purchase through public auction; the opening bid is $10,000. Read the full story by WBCK – Battle Creek, MI.

Original Article

Great Lakes Commission

Great Lakes Commission

https://www.glc.org/dailynews/20230602-lighthouse-auction

James Polidori

U.S. District Judge William Conley said May 18 he is unlikely to force Enbridge to shut down Line 5 in northern Wisconsin, despite arguments from the Bad River Band of Lake Superior Chippewa that the line is at immediate risk of being exposed by erosion and rupturing on reservation land. Read the full story by The Associated Press. 

Original Article

Great Lakes Commission

Great Lakes Commission

https://www.glc.org/dailynews/20230519-judge-pipeline-decision

James Polidori

The M/V Mark W. Barker, a 639-foot Great Lakes freighter, was carrying 21,000 tons of salt and headed for Milwaukee when it got stuck for more than four hours in the Detroit River on Wednesday after running aground just feet from the Belle Isle shoreline. Read the full story by The Detroit News.   

Original Article

Great Lakes Commission

Great Lakes Commission

https://www.glc.org/dailynews/20230519-freighter-grounded

James Polidori

Recent fluctuations in temperature in the Great Lakes can result in stronger thunderstorms, adjustments in our agriculture, and changes to our fishing industry. The warmer water temperatures have resulted in greater biological activity, providing the fish with more food to eat and creating ideal fishing conditions. Read the full story by WXMI-TV – Grand Rapids, MI.  

Original Article

Great Lakes Commission

Great Lakes Commission

https://www.glc.org/dailynews/20230519-fishing-impacts

James Polidori

The historic S.S. Badger, the last coal-powered passenger steamer operating in the United States, set sail for its first voyage of the 2023 season today. The car ferry offers cross-lake service between Ludington, Michigan, and Manitowoc, Wisconsin, from May to October. Read the full story by MLive.  

Original Article

Great Lakes Commission

Great Lakes Commission

https://www.glc.org/dailynews/20230519-ferry-voyage

James Polidori

Michigan Attorney General Dana Nessel has weighed in on a Wisconsin federal court dispute over a portion of Enbridge’s Line 5, backing the pursuit by the Bad River Band of the Lake Superior Tribe of Chippewa Indians of the Bad River Reservation for an emergency shutdown of the pipeline. Nessel filed an amicus brief in support of the effort on Wednesday. Read the full story by The Detroit News.  

Original Article

Great Lakes Commission

Great Lakes Commission

https://www.glc.org/dailynews/20230519-pipeline-brief

James Polidori

Ice coverage over Lake Michigan was below average this past year, meaning it experienced less ice and warmer lake temperatures. Taking the 5-season average of the highest ice coverage from 1989 to 1993 and the lowest ice coverage from 2003 to 2007, we can draw a pretty strong conclusion that less ice coverage leads to more severe weather. Read the full story by WXMI-TV – Grand Rapids, MI.  

Original Article

Great Lakes Commission

Great Lakes Commission

https://www.glc.org/dailynews/20230519-lake-ice

James Polidori

Lake Zurich, Illinois, leaders this week approved an “engagement proposal” with the Central Lake County Joint Action Water Agency, committing the village to partner with the agency that connects municipalities to Lake Michigan water. Read the full story by the Daily Herald.  

Original Article

Great Lakes Commission

Great Lakes Commission

https://www.glc.org/dailynews/20230519-drinking-water-partnership

James Polidori

President Joe Biden’s administration took the first step Thursday toward designating the Pennsylvania-owned section of Lake Erie as the state’s first national marine sanctuary. The designation would apply to an approximately 740-square-mile area of water off Pennsylvania’s 75 mile-long shoreline and would attract federal funding to help find and preserve shipwrecks in the lake and boost education and outreach around the area’s history. Read the full story by The Associated Press.  

Original Article

Great Lakes Commission

Great Lakes Commission

https://www.glc.org/dailynews/20230519-erie-sanctuary

James Polidori

The River Institute has been recognized with the John R (Jack) Vallentyne Award, presented by the International Association of Great Lakes Research (IAGLR) Board of Directors. It was chosen for its valuable education and outreach efforts that engage and excite researchers, communities, and educators about many aspects of the St. Lawrence River and the Great Lakes. Read the full story by Seaway News. 

Original Article

Great Lakes Commission

Great Lakes Commission

https://www.glc.org/dailynews/20230519-iaglr-award

James Polidori

International marine conservation nonprofit Mission Blue has named the Great Lakes the first and only freshwater Hope Spot – special places across the globe, championed by local organizations and conservationists, that are scientifically recognized as critical to the health of the ocean. Championing the nomination and application effort was Chicago’s John G. Shedd Aquarium with support from more than 24 Great Lakes organizations across the region. Read the full story by the Chicago Star.  

Original Article

Great Lakes Commission

Great Lakes Commission

https://www.glc.org/dailynews/20230517-hope-spot-recognition

James Polidori

Canadian singer/songwriter Gordon Lightfoot died Monday at the age of 84. Lightfoot’s hit song, “The Wreck of the Edmund Fitzgerald,” told the story of the largest ship to ever sink on the Great Lakes. According to the Great Lakes Shipwreck Museum, the song brought attention and awareness to shipwrecks along the Great Lakes and opened people to tell more stories. Read the full story by WWTV-TV – Cadillac, MI.

Original Article

Great Lakes Commission

Great Lakes Commission

https://www.glc.org/dailynews/20230503-lightfoot-legacy

James Polidori

Spring flooding has worsened riverbank erosion near Enbridge’s Line 5 oil and gas pipeline on the Bad River Band of Lake Superior Chippewa’s reservation in northern Wisconsin. According to court documents, the river ran over its banks on April 11 at an area known as “the meander” where erosion threatens to expose the pipeline. Read the full story by Wisconsin Public Radio.

Original Article

Great Lakes Commission

Great Lakes Commission

https://www.glc.org/dailynews/20230503-flooding-pipeline-exposure

James Polidori

Michigan Democrats have introduced legislation that would establish a statewide septic code to reduce the amount of bacterial and nutrient contamination from the estimated 330,000 failing septic systems statewide. If passed, Michigan would become the final state to create uniform standards governing the design, construction, installation and maintenance of septic systems. Read the full story by MLive.

Original Article

Great Lakes Commission

Great Lakes Commission

https://www.glc.org/dailynews/20230503-septic-legislation

James Polidori

Tourism experts are talking about the possibility of Buffalo, New York, becoming a cruise port city in the future. Erie Canal Harbor Development Corporation is currently conducting a feasibility study to determine the best location for a future cruise ship port. Read the full story by WKBW-TV – Buffalo, NY.

Original Article

Great Lakes Commission

Great Lakes Commission

https://www.glc.org/dailynews/20230503-port-addition

James Polidori

Oswego, Montgomery, and Yorkville, Illinois, are facing a potential water crisis as their populations continue to rise and the aquifer supplying their wells continue to fall. The three cities decided more than a year ago to band together and join the DuPage Water Commission, though engineers must first plot a precise course for a pipeline to connect with Lake Michigan. Read the full story by Shaw Local News Network.

Original Article

Great Lakes Commission

Great Lakes Commission

https://www.glc.org/dailynews/20230503-water-pipeline-design

James Polidori

The International Lake Ontario-St. Lawrence River Board reports that St. Lawrence River water levels as of April 30 were a foot higher than normal. Last fall, some shoreline residents ended the boating season early due to low levels; now, some of them say with a mild winter and rain, the river may be too high. Read the full story by WWNY-TV – Carthage, NY.

Original Article

Great Lakes Commission

Great Lakes Commission

https://www.glc.org/dailynews/20230503-river-levels

James Polidori

The Port of La Crosse, Wisconsin, and F.J. Robers Co., a local marine transport company, have received over $3 million from the state’s Harbor Assistance Program for new construction and repairs. Most of the new facilities will support exports from the agricultural community. Read the full story by the La Crosse Tribune.

Original Article

Great Lakes Commission

Great Lakes Commission

https://www.glc.org/dailynews/20230503-port-funding

James Polidori

Michigan’s cruise ship season kicks off today with the Viking Octantis docking in Detroit before continuing north along the state’s eastern shoreline. The luxurious, 665-foot ship made its Great Lakes debut in 2022 and is the largest cruise ship to sail the Great Lakes in the modern era. Read the full story by MLive.

Original Article

Great Lakes Commission

Great Lakes Commission

https://www.glc.org/dailynews/20230503-cruise-season-start

James Polidori

For over a century, vast amounts of toxic contaminants were discharged by industries into the Detroit and Rouge Rivers. Many of these contaminants now reside in river-bottom sediments and are often referred to as “legacy pollution.” Michigan has a once-in-a-generation opportunity to remediate these contaminated sediments, but this will not occur unless non-federal partners can meet match funding requirements. Read the full story by Great Lakes Now.

Original Article

Great Lakes Commission

Great Lakes Commission

https://www.glc.org/dailynews/20230503-remediation-funding

James Polidori

A barge and crane owned by Balcom Marine Contractors notorious for repeatedly sinking in Michigan’s Grand Traverse Bay is floating again due to springtime water level increases on Lake Michigan. State officials said they expect the barge to be towed away from its nearly two-year anchor site north of Northport in Leelanau County, as previously agreed by the owner. Read the full story by MLive.

Original Article

Great Lakes Commission

Great Lakes Commission

https://www.glc.org/dailynews/20230503-barge-floating

James Polidori

Experts are concerned after a wet winter, with little relief in sight this rainy season, as the five Great Lakes continue to see an uptick in water levels. All the lakes remain above their April long-term average levels, according to the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers’ weekly forecast. Read the full story by USA Today.

Original Article

Great Lakes Commission

Great Lakes Commission

https://www.glc.org/dailynews/20230428-flood-risk

James Polidori

As the trout season approaches on Saturday, April 29th, the Michigan Department of Natural Resources (DNR) and Environment, Great Lakes, and Energy, are asking anglers to prepare to decontaminate their supplies. According to the DNR, Michigan’s trout streams are under increasing threat from harmful species that affect habitat and food sources for trout and other fish and can be moved to new locations on waders, nets, and gear. Read the full story by WHMI – Howell, MI.

Original Article

Great Lakes Commission

Great Lakes Commission

https://www.glc.org/dailynews/20230428-decontamination-preparation

James Polidori

Michigan’s spring temperatures are highly influenced by water temperatures on the Great Lakes. It’s a vicious cycle in which the colder than normal air has cooled the Great Lakes waters, which will continue to keep the air cooler as well. Read the full story by MLive.

Original Article

Great Lakes Commission

Great Lakes Commission

https://www.glc.org/dailynews/20230428-water-temperatures

James Polidori

According to the International Lake Ontario – St. Lawrence River Board (ILOSLRB), Lake Ontario’s water level was at about 75.15 meters as of April 19, which is 0.25 meters above average for this time of year. Residents and visitors to Lake Ontario and the Upper St. Lawrence River are being warned of the high water levels that are expected to continue to increase in the coming weeks. Read the full story by the Kingston Herald.

Original Article

Great Lakes Commission

Great Lakes Commission

https://www.glc.org/dailynews/20230428-high-water-levels

James Polidori

Midland, Michigan, could receive $50 million for flood reduction infrastructure after Sen. Kristen McDonald Rivet (D-Bay City) secured those funds in the proposed Department of Environment, Great Lakes, and Energy budget. That budget was passed by the Senate Appropriations Committee on Wednesday, moving on to the full Senate and House for negotiations. Read the full story by the Midland Daily News.

Original Article

Great Lakes Commission

Great Lakes Commission

https://www.glc.org/dailynews/20230428-flood-reduction-funding

James Polidori

The Pelee Islander II is staying out of service longer than expected this spring due to ‘an unforeseen technical issue’ found during a scheduled out-of-water inspection. Local officials are concerned the delay will hinder the region’s ability to prepare for the upcoming busy season on the Lake Erie Island. Read the full story by CTV – Windsor.

Original Article

Great Lakes Commission

Great Lakes Commission

https://www.glc.org/dailynews/20230428-ferry-delay

James Polidori

Six Michigan Senate Democrats introduced SB 294, which would ban the intentional release of balloons that end up in the Great Lakes, posing a threat to thousands of species. In 2019, the nonprofit Alliance for the Great Lakes found more than 18,000 balloons or balloon pieces along the shores over the previous two years. Read the full story by WOOD-TV – Grand Rapids, MI.

Original Article

Great Lakes Commission

Great Lakes Commission

https://www.glc.org/dailynews/20230428-balloon-bill

James Polidori

The ferry that transports people and vehicles between Charlevoix and Beaver Island – Lake Michigan’s largest island – has begun its 2023 season. Beaver Island Boat Company is running three trips a week right now and will begin increasing that number in May. Read the full story by MLive.

Original Article

Great Lakes Commission

Great Lakes Commission

https://www.glc.org/dailynews/20230428-beaver-island-ferry

James Polidori

The Pennsylvania Fish and Boat Commission (PFBC) announced a new Erie Access Improvement Program grant opportunity heading to Erie County. The program is funded through proceeds from the sale of Lake Erie permits for programs that benefit public fishing, including enhanced access and habitat projects on or at Lake Erie and the watersheds of Lake Erie. Read the full story by WJET-TV – Erie, PA.

Original Article

Great Lakes Commission

Great Lakes Commission

https://www.glc.org/dailynews/20230428-fishing-grant

James Polidori

According to the Michigan State Historic Preservation Office, the S.S. Keewatin, a passenger steamship older than the Titanic, began its journey down the St. Clair River on Wednesday. The Edwardian-era Keewatin was built in 1907 by the Fairfield Shipbuilding and Engineering Company of Glasgow, Scotland, and is the last of its kind. Read the full story by MLive.

Original Article

Great Lakes Commission

Great Lakes Commission

https://www.glc.org/dailynews/20230428-steamship-transport

James Polidori

Later this summer, Waukesha, Wisconsin, will make the switch from groundwater to Lake Michigan water. Waukesha Water Utility General Manager Dan Duchniak reports that the pipeline connecting Waukesha to the lake is 95 percent complete. Read the full story by The Freeman.

Original Article

Great Lakes Commission

Great Lakes Commission

https://www.glc.org/dailynews/20230424-waukesha-water

James Polidori

Nine years after the water contamination in Flint, Michigan, devastated communities, some residents say they are still grappling with long-term health issues. ABC News has spoken with multiple mothers who claim that their children are still suffering from the effects of the water crisis nine years ago. Read the full story by ABC News.

Original Article

Great Lakes Commission

Great Lakes Commission

https://www.glc.org/dailynews/20230424-flint-aftermath

James Polidori

Efforts to combat erosion and storm damage in Chicago continue through the Shoreline Protection Project (SPP). A collaboration between the City of Chicago, the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers and the Parks Department, the $500 million dollar plan targets 24 segments along nine miles of shoreline to replace existing infrastructure built in the early 1900s. Read the full story by WMAQ-TV – Chicago, IL.

Original Article

Great Lakes Commission

Great Lakes Commission

https://www.glc.org/dailynews/20230424-shoreline-protection

James Polidori

Last week’s major snowmelt in the Duluth area led to sewage overflow for the Western Lake Superior Sanitary District (WLSSD). Typically, the plant deals with about 38 million gallons of sewage per day, but last week, water flowing in for treatment ranged from 90 million to 125 million gallons daily for several days. Read the full story by the Star Tribune.

Original Article

Great Lakes Commission

Great Lakes Commission

https://www.glc.org/dailynews/20230424-duluth-sewage-overflow

James Polidori

Mike Smalligan, the Forest Stewardship Coordinator for the Forest Resources Division of the Michigan Department of Natural Resources, is putting together the Forest to MI Faucet program to use trees to help keep sources of drinking water cleaner. It builds on a federal program that educates landowners and others about the connections between forests and water. Read the full story by Michigan Radio.

Original Article

Great Lakes Commission

Great Lakes Commission

https://www.glc.org/dailynews/20230424-forest-water-connection

James Polidori

Organized by Bridgman’s Shoreline Resiliency Committee, folks got a preview of Michigan State University’s Citizen-Science Coastal Change Monitoring Program before picking up trash. Using drones, researchers gather data and map about five miles of Lake Michigan shoreline over an extended period to gain a better understanding of these rapidly changing lake levels. Read the full story by WNDU-TV – South Bend, IN.

Original Article

Great Lakes Commission

Great Lakes Commission

https://www.glc.org/dailynews/20230424-shoreline-research

James Polidori

Pamela Palmater, a Mi’kmaw citizen and member of the Eel River Bar First Nation in northern New Brunswick, produced the short documentary film Samqwan, which translates to water in the Mi’kmaq language, to raise awareness about the Indigenous connection to water. Indigenous people have been standing up to protect water for decades — because to them, is more than just hydration; water is alive and holds a spirit. Read the full story by CBC Radio.

Original Article

Great Lakes Commission

Great Lakes Commission

https://www.glc.org/dailynews/20230424-indigenous-water-protection

James Polidori

With 120 lighthouses dotting its shoreline, Michigan has the most lighthouses of any state in the nation. To ensure the lighthouses receive the care they need, the State Historic Preservation Office directed $106,000 in Michigan Lighthouse Assistance Program grant funding to the Rock of Ages Lighthouse and the Eagle Harbor Lighthouse, both located in the Michigan’s upper peninsula. Read the full story by The Sault News.

Original Article

Great Lakes Commission

Great Lakes Commission

https://www.glc.org/dailynews/20230424-lighthouse-restoration

James Polidori

The Province of Ontario has earmarked about $66,000 so that five Indigenous communities can assess fish consumption levels in parts of Lake Superior that remain classified as “areas of concerns” due to historical pollution. Read the full story by the Chronical Journal.

Original Article

Great Lakes Commission

Great Lakes Commission

https://www.glc.org/dailynews/20230424-fish-consumption

James Polidori

The Great Lakes Environmental Festival kicked off Friday in downtown Manistee, Michigan, at West Shore Community College. The festival was started by husband and wife, Dr. Ziggy Kozicki and Dr. Stephanie Baiyasi-Kozicki in a college classroom in 2007; since then, the festival has grown to teach communities about environmental issues and ways people can keep the Earth clean. Read the full story by WWTV-TV – Cadillac, MI.

Original Article

Great Lakes Commission

Great Lakes Commission

https://www.glc.org/dailynews/20230424-environmental-festival

James Polidori

A record number of cruises are expected to dock in Detroit this year as part of a growing Great Lakes cruise industry. Last year, there were a record 52 cruise ships that docked in Detroit, and according to Cruise the Great Lakes and the Detroit/Wayne County Port Authority, there will be 67 cruise ships docking during the season. Read the full story by WXYZ-TV – Detroit, MI.

Original Article

Great Lakes Commission

Great Lakes Commission

https://www.glc.org/dailynews/20230414-detroit-cruise

James Polidori

Former U.N. water adviser Maude Barlow is the veteran Canadian and international water rights activist who was instrumental in securing the human right to water declaration by the United Nations in 2010. Barlow recently spoke with Great Lakes Now in an interview that in addition to the World Water conference, covered U.S and Canada’s relationship with the Great Lakes and recent tension between the two countries. Read the full story by Great Lakes Now.

Original Article

Great Lakes Commission

Great Lakes Commission

https://www.glc.org/dailynews/20230414-water-insight

James Polidori

In Door County, Wisconsin, wetter weather means the water level in Lake Michigan is higher than usual for this time of year. Although, the water level isn’t as high as it was at this time last year, and the forecasted levels for this summer are nowhere near the record-setting highs they reached three and four years ago. Read the full story by the Green Bay Press-Gazette.

Original Article

Great Lakes Commission

Great Lakes Commission

https://www.glc.org/dailynews/20230414-water-levels

James Polidori

Michigan Governor Gretchen Whitmer’s office announced the Fresh Coast Maritime Challenge program in a Monday night release. The program is a partnership between Traverse Connect and the Michigan Economic Development Corporation awarding up to $150,000 in grants to decarbonize and electrify Michigan watercraft and marinas. Read the full story by Traverse City Record-Eagle.

Original Article

Great Lakes Commission

Great Lakes Commission

https://www.glc.org/dailynews/20230414-maritime-challenge

James Polidori

U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service personnel will apply lampricides to the Black River in Alcona County, Michigan, to kill sea lamprey larvae burrowed in the stream bottom. The applications will be conducted between April 24 to May 4 in accordance with State of Michigan permits. Read the full story by Iosco County News-Herald.

Original Article

Great Lakes Commission

Great Lakes Commission

https://www.glc.org/dailynews/20230414-lamprey-control

James Polidori