Marquette, Michigan is getting an extra 1,000 feet of Lake Superior shoreline for free in a deal with a utility company. The Marquette City Commission recently voted to accept the land gift from the utility We Energies. Read the full story by MLive.
Great Lakes Commission
https://www.glc.org/dailynews/20210609-beach
The Conservation Fund confirmed it would resume repopulation efforts of lake sturgeon, including a return trip to Michigan’s Cass River with a new delivery of the fish. The repopulation efforts work toward a long-term goal to reverse the effects that dropped the number of lake sturgeon. Read the full story by the Huron Daily Tribune.
Great Lakes Commission
https://www.glc.org/dailynews/20210609-sturgeon
Extraordinarily dry weather and low water levels on Lake Ontario and the St. Lawrence River have prompted officials to cut outflows at the Moses-Saunders Power Dam in Massena, New York and to host two open forums to discuss the issue with the public. Read the full story by Watertown Daily Times.
Great Lakes Commission
https://www.glc.org/dailynews/20210609-ijc
U.S. Representative Marcy Kaptur from Toledo, Ohio emphasizes the importance of agriculture in Northern Ohio and calls for assistance for farmers. Read the full story by The Toledo Blade.
Great Lakes Commission
https://www.glc.org/dailynews/20210609-kaptur
Researchers at Michigan State University are studying changes in the Great Lakes shoreline. To track the changes, MSU is enlisting the help of special volunteers across the state to fly drones with special cameras to capture the changes on the lakefronts. Read the full story by WILX-TV- East Lansing, MI.
Great Lakes Commission
https://www.glc.org/dailynews/20210609-drones
With the help of anglers and a sophisticated tracking system, scientists have been able to track the whereabouts of difficult to catch sportfish. The tracking system is a collaboration between numerous agencies and provides information on how fish travel hundreds of miles. Read the full story by MLive.
Great Lakes Commission
https://www.glc.org/dailynews/20210609-muskie
Environmental opponents of Line 5 on Tuesday unveiled ads on TV and radio featuring actor and Michigan native Jeff Daniels lambasting it as “an aging, dangerous pipeline” that needs to be shut down for good. Read the full story by The Detroit News.
Great Lakes Commission
https://www.glc.org/dailynews/20210609-line5-ads
The lake levels are expected to continue to fall over the next six months, but that doesn’t mean things are getting much better. The shorelines are naturally eroding at a pace of a foot or two feet per year. Read the full story by WXYZ-TV-Detroit, MI.
Great Lakes Commission
https://www.glc.org/dailynews/20210609-erosion
Rain that fell on Ohio this spring contained a surprisingly high amount of toxic “forever chemicals” known as PFAS, according to raw data from a binational Great Lakes monitoring program that tracks airborne pollution. Read the full story by MLive.
Great Lakes Commission
https://www.glc.org/dailynews/20210609-pfas-rain
Operating in Georgian Bay in the upper end of Lake Huron, the Chi-Cheemaun ferry will resume operations on Tuesday, June 8. The vessel typically runs from May to October between South Baymouth on Manitoulin Island and Tobermory on the Bruce Peninsula. Read the full story by Soo Today.
Great Lakes Commission
https://www.glc.org/dailynews/20210604-ferry
The International Lake Superior Board of Control reported the latest water levels Thursday, noting Lake Superior is now just 3.9 inches above the 102-year average for June 1. The big lake is now 6 inches below the June 1 level from 2020. Read the full story by the Duluth News-Tribune.
Great Lakes Commission
https://www.glc.org/dailynews/20210604-water-levels
A team of scientists headed by a University of Windsor researcher has received C$1 million in funding to fight microplastics pollution. A key to the research, aimed at developing new tools to test, analyze and track the pollutant in Ontario, will be determining where it all comes from. Read the full story by the Windsor Star.
Great Lakes Commission
https://www.glc.org/dailynews/20210604-microplastics
This week the Wisconsin DNR, UW-Green Bay, UW-Milwaukee, and NEW Water partnered to put the Green Bay West and East buoys back on the water. The buoys are fundamental tools used to measure current weather conditions like wind speed, water temperatures, air temperatures, and wave height. Read the full story by WFRV-TV- Green Bay, WI.
Great Lakes Commission
https://www.glc.org/dailynews/20210604-buoys
Grand Haven Area Public Schools elementary students recently partnered with Grand Valley State University’s Groundswell program to help protect the Grand River watershed in western Michigan. Students conducted hands-on learning to explore a variety of environmental topics. Read the full story by WXMI-TV- Grand Rapids, MI.
Great Lakes Commission
https://www.glc.org/dailynews/20210604-students
The Conservation Fund and the Bay Area Community Foundation has presented Sturgeon For Tomorrow Black Lake Chapter with an $8,000.00 grant to purchase food for lake sturgeon at the Black River Sturgeon Facility and associated expenses with raising lake sturgeon. Read the full story by WSGW-Carrollton, MI.
Great Lakes Commission
https://www.glc.org/dailynews/20210604-sturgeon
Great Lakes steel production rose by 14,000 tons last week, while U.S. steel mills exceeded 80% capacity utilization, according to the American Iron and Steel Institute. Read the full story by the Northwest Indiana Times.
Great Lakes Commission
https://www.glc.org/dailynews/20210604-steel
A popular state park along Lake Michigan is set to reopen. Fisherman’s Island State Park in Michigan is set to fully reopen after high water and storm damage that caused the partial closure of its main access road and campsites. Read the full story by MLive.
Great Lakes Commission
https://www.glc.org/dailynews/20210604-michigan-park
The dispute over the cross-border Line 5 pipeline is entirely for Michigan to deal with, the state’s attorney general argues in a legal brief released Wednesday that flatly rejects Canada’s depiction of a foreign-policy matter that Ottawa and the White House must resolve. Read the full story by The Canadian Press.
Great Lakes Commission
https://www.glc.org/dailynews/20210604-line5
A pair of Great Lakes Piping Plovers that have captured the hearts of Chicago nature lovers by nesting each year at Montrose Beach have been dealt a setback, as a predator has apparently eaten the birds’ eggs from their nest. Read the full story by WMAQ-TV- Chicago, IL.
Great Lakes Commission
https://www.glc.org/dailynews/20210604-plovers
Toxins from harmful algal blooms are known to pollute water, but now researchers are looking at how they harm Great Lakes air and the implications for human health. Read the full story by the Great Lakes Echo.
Great Lakes Commission
https://www.glc.org/dailynews/20210604-algae-air
Advocates for the Great Lakes see President Biden’s budget and jobs plan as an opportunity to boost funding for restoration projects and outdated water infrastructure in the region. Read the full story by Wisconsin Public Radio.
Great Lakes Commission
https://www.glc.org/dailynews/20210604-infrastructure
Cleveland Metroparks recently celebrated the completion of $1.6 million in upgrades at Huntington Beach in Bay Village. Read the full story by The Morning Journal.
Great Lakes Commission
https://www.glc.org/dailynews/20210528-beach-upgrades
As the summer months approach, the Michigan Department of Health and Human Services is issuing its annual recommendation that Michiganders should avoid contact with foam they may see on Michigan lakes, rivers, and streams. Read the full story by WLUC-TV- Lansing, MI.
Great Lakes Commission
https://www.glc.org/dailynews/20210528-avoid-foam
The Memorial Day weekend is on the horizon and it just won’t be the same for several Mid-Michigan communities. After a dam failure caused Wixom Lake to drain last year, many businesses are bracing for a summer with less tourism. Read the full story by WJRT-TV- Sanford, MI.
Great Lakes Commission
https://www.glc.org/dailynews/20210528-lakeless
While the water hasn’t warmed to comfortable swimming levels yet, each Great Lake is surprisingly warmer than the long-term average water temperature for this date. Read the full story by MLive.
Great Lakes Commission
https://www.glc.org/dailynews/20210528-warm-lakes
U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service personnel will apply lampricides to the Pine River (Mackinac and Chippewa counties, Michigan) to kill sea lamprey larvae burrowed in the stream bottom. Read the full story by WLUC-TV- Lansing, MI.
Great Lakes Commission
https://www.glc.org/dailynews/20210528-lampricides
The Michigan Department of Environment, Great Lakes, and Energy announced 18 grants totaling $600,000 for projects that will support watershed organizations with conservation and educational efforts. Read the full story by WLUC-TV- Lansing, MI.
Great Lakes Commission
https://www.glc.org/dailynews/20210528-grants
Paul Smith’s College Adirondack Watershed Institute is offering free boat inspections and decontaminations starting on Memorial Day weekend at more than 60 boat launches and road-side locations across the Adirondack region in New York to help the public stop the spread of aquatic invasive species. Read the full story by Upstate New York.
Great Lakes Commission
https://www.glc.org/dailynews/20210528-decontamination
A shipwreck discovered along the shores of Lake Huron in Point Clark, Ontario, a few weeks ago has been identified as pieces of the Homer H. Hine, an 1880s schooner. Read the full story by CTV News.
Great Lakes Commission
https://www.glc.org/dailynews/20210528-shipwreck
Great Lakes steel production rose by 5,000 tons last week, while U.S. steel mills remained close to 80% capacity utilization. National steel output is up 8.7% so far this year and more than 46% over the same time last year. Read the full story by the Northwest Indiana Times.
Great Lakes Commission
https://www.glc.org/dailynews/20210528-steel
When it comes to the plants and animals that you may see on your trip to the beach, most people likely don’t give them much thought. However, some of those plants and animals are invasive in the waters or shores of Lake Michigan, causing environmental or socio-economic harm. Read the full story by WZZM-TV- Grand Rapids, MI.
Great Lakes Commission
https://www.glc.org/dailynews/20210528-invasive
An effort is underway to improve the access to one of the top fisheries in Pennsylvania. Senator Dan Laughlin, a Republican from Erie, is proposing to double the size of the marina on Walnut Creek on Lake Erie. Read the full story by the Erie Times-News.
Great Lakes Commission
https://www.glc.org/dailynews/20210520-erie-access
A group of property owners along the flood-prone Lake Erie shoreline — on Erie Shore Drive — say they’ve taken legal action against the Municipality of Chatham-Kent. The group argues that the town has breached its obligations under Ontario’s Drainage Act, resulting in members paying the costs for shoreline protections. Read the full story by CBC.
Great Lakes Commission
https://www.glc.org/dailynews/20210520-erie-shore
Checking its data through early May, the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration and the National Center for Water Quality Research at Heidelberg University in Tiffin, Ohio, agreed the dry spring in the Northwest Ohio region could result in a smaller harmful algal bloom (HAB) forecast for Lake Erie during the late summer months, prime time for HABs to flourish. Read the full story by The Beacon.
Great Lakes Commission
https://www.glc.org/dailynews/20210520-erie-bloom
The Southwest Michigan Land Conservancy announced that it has been awarded grant funding to acquire property for a new nature preserve outside of Downtown Allegan. $1 million of Kalamazoo River Natural Resources Damages Assessment settlement funds will be used to purchase 140 acres of property along the west bank of the Kalamazoo River. Read the full story by WNWN- Battle Creek, MI.
Great Lakes Commission
https://www.glc.org/dailynews/20210520-allegan
In a series on underrated destinations, this article highlights Indiana Dunes National Park, Indiana Dunes State Park, and the surrounding area. Read the full story by the Daily Beast.
Great Lakes Commission
https://www.glc.org/dailynews/20210520-dunes
A former merchant marine on the Great Lakes is working to restore a lifeboat that was damaged during a fall storm. Read the full story by the Petoskey News-Review.
Great Lakes Commission
https://www.glc.org/dailynews/20210520-lifeboat
The SS Badger prepares for its first voyage across Lake Michigan under new ownership. The new ownership will have to learn the ins and outs of the vessel and navigate challenges presented by COVID-19. Read the full story by Ludington Daily News.
Great Lakes Commission
https://www.glc.org/dailynews/20210520-badger
The mediator in the dispute between Enbridge Inc. and the State of Michigan over the controversial Line 5 pipeline says the two sides plan to keep talking. Retired U.S. district court judge Gerald Rosen, who was appointed in March to oversee the talks, says the parties discussed a “range of issues” when they met Tuesday. Read the full story by The Canadian Press.
Great Lakes Commission
https://www.glc.org/dailynews/20210520-line5
Michigan lawmakers on Wednesday proposed spending $500 million to repair aging dams a year after a hydroelectric dam failed to hold back floodwaters in the Midland area, causing more than $250 million in damage, draining lakes and forcing thousands of residents to evacuate their homes. Read the full story by Crain’s Detroit Business.
Great Lakes Commission
https://www.glc.org/dailynews/20210520-dam-repair
Michigan lawmakers on Wednesday proposed spending $500 million to repair aging dams a year after a hydroelectric dam failed to hold back floodwaters in the Midland area, causing more than $250 million in damage, draining lakes and forcing thousands of residents to evacuate their homes. Read the full story by Crain’s Detroit Business.
Great Lakes Commission
https://www.glc.org/dailynews/20210520-dam-repair
Steel mills in the Great Lakes region, clustered mainly along the South Shore of Lake Michigan in Northwest Indiana, made 615,000 tons of metal in the week that ended May 8, down from 616,000 tons the previous week. Read the full story by the Northwest Indiana Times.
Great Lakes Commission
https://www.glc.org/dailynews/20210512-steel-production
The Sturgeon Point Marina problem requires a temporary solution that evolves into permanent settlement. The Buffalo area marina on Lake Erie, home to recreational boaters and fishermen, is impassable due to winter storms that ushered in about 28,000 cubic yards of sand and blocked the entrance. Read the full story by The Buffalo News.
Great Lakes Commission
https://www.glc.org/dailynews/20210512-dredging
The Downtown Ludington Board announced Tuesday that it will be celebrating National Maritime Day with a run around the harbor on May 22. The event, the fifth race in its #RunLudington race series, will coincide with the start of the SS Badger’s sailing season. Read the full story by MLive.
Great Lakes Commission
https://www.glc.org/dailynews/20210512-ludington
EPA officials announced Monday the agency will award $9.6 million in grants to states, tribes and territories to monitor beach water for bacteria. The funds will also be used to develop programs to notify both the agency and the public about water quality. Read the full story by The Hill.
Great Lakes Commission
https://www.glc.org/dailynews/20210512-beach-monitoring
Stating that the county wants to protect Lake St. Clair for generations to come, the Macomb County Public Works Office announced that changes made at Chapaton Pump Station in St. Clair Shores, Michigan will prevent up to 30% more treated combined sewer overflows from being discharged into the waterway. Read the full story by C & G Newspapers.
Great Lakes Commission
https://www.glc.org/dailynews/20210512-chapaton
Milwaukee County Parks is seeking around 300 strong swimmers for lifeguard positions, and if they don’t find them, some pools and beaches won’t open this summer. The lifeguard shortage has been a problem for years now and there has been a steady decrease over the last four years. Read the full story by the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel.
Great Lakes Commission
https://www.glc.org/dailynews/20210512-lifeguard
The Government of Canada and entities representing hundreds of thousands of businesses and workers from across the Great Lakes region in the United States and Canada demonstrated support for Enbridge’s case in federal court over the Line 5 easement in the Straits of Mackinac by submitting friend of the court briefs. Read the full story by Yahoo! Finance.
Great Lakes Commission
https://www.glc.org/dailynews/20210512-enbridge
Dave Dempsey of For Love of Water urges advocates for more stringent regulations to better protect ground water. Groundwater is very important in Michigan. However, since groundwater is out of sight, it lacks critical protections. Read the full story by Michigan Advance.
Great Lakes Commission
https://www.glc.org/dailynews/20210512-groundwater
A federal Great Lakes official told an eight-state commission Tuesday that nutrient-laden farm runoff feeding western Lake Erie algal blooms keeps him “up at night” but he struggles to propose any control measures beyond continuing to promote voluntary incentives for the agricultural sector. Read the full story by The Toledo Blade.
Great Lakes Commission
https://www.glc.org/dailynews/20210512-erie-runoff
