Oil refineries are discharging toxic pollutants into our waterways and the Great Lakes with little oversight from regulators and three of the very worst polluters can be found in the Chicago area. Read the full story by WTTW-TV – Chicago, IL.
Great Lakes Commission
https://www.glc.org/dailynews/20230201-oil-refineries
To provide adequate sewage capacity for the population growth it wants in York Region, the Doug Ford government has decided to move tens of millions of liters to wastewater to a facility on Lake Ontario and release it there after treatment. Read the full story by The Narwhale.
Great Lakes Commission
https://www.glc.org/dailynews/20230201-sewage
A year-end report from the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration said that Lake Erie algae blooms were more severe than expected due to an increase in biomass. Read the full story by The Monroe News.
Great Lakes Commission
https://www.glc.org/dailynews/20230201-algae
World Wetlands Day celebrates the ability of wetlands to preserve important freshwater lakes, which is critical to the Great Lakes basin and the 30 million people who live around them. Read the full story by The Plain Dealer.
Great Lakes Commission
https://www.glc.org/dailynews/20230201-world-wetlands-day
U.S. Rep. Nick Langworthy (R-NY) introduced a bill Wednesday that would stop potential Great Lakes wind farms from getting tax credits, a legislation that would effectively deter construction of new wind farms. Read the full story by the Olean Times Herald.
Great Lakes Commission
https://www.glc.org/dailynews/20230120-wind-farms
The Great Lakes Fisheries Commission and Michigan State University recently brought a new $3.4 million research lab online, which will focus on sea lamprey control in the Great Lakes. Read the full story by the Keweenaw Report.
Great Lakes Commission
https://www.glc.org/dailynews/20230120-sea-lamprey
The National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) has proposed to designate a National Marine Sanctuary in eastern Lake Ontario that will preserve, interpret, and protect the region’s submerged maritime heritage resources and artifacts. Read the full story by WSYR-TV – Syracuse, NY.
Great Lakes Commission
https://www.glc.org/dailynews/20230120-nms
The above-seasonal temperatures and lack of snow are resulting in some unusual sightings for birders in Windsor-Essex, Ontario, but the lack of snow and warm temperatures also increases rat population, city says. Read the full story by CBC News.
Great Lakes Commission
https://www.glc.org/dailynews/20230120-warm-winter
As many enjoy this mild January by ice fishing, there is a risk of spreading aquatic invasive species. But there are many ways to reduce the spread. Read the full story by WDIO-TV – Duluth, MN.
Great Lakes Commission
https://www.glc.org/dailynews/20230120-ice-fishing
In Montreal, an invasive grass, common reed, is slowly taking over Îles-de-Boucherville provincial park but researchers are now using drones and artificial intelligence to map the plant’s relentless spread. Read and view the full story by CBC News.
Great Lakes Commission
https://www.glc.org/dailynews/20230120-phrag
Great Lakes vessel traffic through the Soo Locks was down this season by 15-20% compared to the 25-year average. Read the full story by Michigan Radio.
Great Lakes Commission
https://www.glc.org/dailynews/20230120-shipping-season
Fincantieri Marine Group announced Wednesday it has reached an agreement to design and build a 288-foot, Jones Act-compliant service operation vessel (SOV), a purpose-built vessel used to transport technicians to service offshore U.S. wind turbines. FBS will build the vessel at its shipyard in Sturgeon Bay, Wisconsin for delivery in 2026. Read the full story by gCaptain.
Great Lakes Commission
https://www.glc.org/dailynews/20230120-ships
Great Lakes preservationists received a significant boost in December with the bipartisan passage of the Water Resources Development Act (WRDA). The Act provides significant resources for protecting the Great Lakes, including funding for preventing the infiltration of invasive carp. Read the full story by The North Shore Weekend.
Great Lakes Commission
https://www.glc.org/dailynews/20230120-carp
Erie, Pennsylvania City Council recently passed an ordinance creating an Environmental Advisory Council (EAC). The EAC will build capacity and support community outreach efforts at a time when Erie’s environmental ambitions continue to grow. Read the full story by Go Erie.
Great Lakes Commission
https://www.glc.org/dailynews/20230120-erie-pa
The Illinois-Indiana Sea Grant organization learned in a scientific study, that other sorts of invaders may not be affected by the electric barrier technology. That means risk for damage to the Great Lakes food web remains from other aquatic invertebrates, such as mussels, crayfish, snails, zooplankton and more. Read the full story by Mlive.com.
Great Lakes Commission
https://www.glc.org/dailynews/20230109-electric-barrier
The Holden Arboretum in Kirtland, Ohio will be receiving funds through the U.S. Forest Service that will help the nonprofit operate a seed bank and promote forest restoration across the lower Great Lakes region. Read the full story by The Plain Dealer.
Great Lakes Commission
https://www.glc.org/dailynews/20230109-seed-bank
Lake Superior declined 2 inches from November 30, 2022 to December 30, 2022, a fairly typical decline for December that now puts the lake approaching its average water level. Read the full story by MLive.
Great Lakes Commission
https://www.glc.org/dailynews/20230109-lake-levels
The Inland Seas Education Association in Suttons Bay, Michigan made an announcement that they have acquired a new vessel. The schooner “Alliance” will be joining the fleet on West Grand Traverse Bay. Read the full story by WWTV-TV – Cadillac, MI.
Great Lakes Commission
https://www.glc.org/dailynews/20230109-tall-ship
The Michigan Department of Natural Resources stocked 624,205 fish at 85 locations across the state during fall 2022. Read the full story by MLive.
Great Lakes Commission
https://www.glc.org/dailynews/20230109-mi-fish-stocking
The federal government is spending millions of dollars to repair damage to the West Arrowhead Breakwater in Oswego Harbor, New York. The breakwater runs 2,700 feet out to the historic West Pierhead Lighthouse and protects the deep draft, commercial harbor. Read the full story by Oswego County News Now.
Great Lakes Commission
https://www.glc.org/dailynews/20230109-oswego-harbor
Chicago has an opportunity to envision a holistic view of what Lake Michigan’s shoreline should look like far in the future. The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, Chicago District is seeking input through Jan. 17, which allows a great opportunity to express what the Chicago shoreline needs. Read the full story by the Chicago Sun Times.
Great Lakes Commission
https://www.glc.org/dailynews/20230109-shoreline-restoration
Recent rollbacks of Trump-era federal water laws are unlikely to change much about how Michigan’s waterways are regulated, though experts say the move will enhance water protections around the Great Lakes and across the rest of the country. Read the full story by MLive.
Great Lakes Commission
https://www.glc.org/dailynews/20230109-water-laws
Named after one of the first women to serve as a federal cabinet minister, the Canadian Coast Guard’s newest light icebreaker made its way up the Welland Canal last week, docking in Port Colborne. CCGS Judy LaMarsh, formerly Mangystau-2 and home-ported in Turkmenistan, was purchased in November 2021 from Atlantic Towing Ltd. for $45.2 million to supplement operations in the Great Lakes, St. Lawrence and Atlantic regions. Read the full story by the Welland Tribune.
Great Lakes Commission
https://www.glc.org/dailynews/20230109-welland-canal
An Ohio group has called on governments and citizens to heed the findings of the New York State Energy Research and Development Authority Great Lakes Wind Feasibility Study. That study, which was released before the New Year holiday weekend, casts doubt on the justification for building wind turbines in Lake Erie and the rest of the Great Lakes. Read the full story by the Observer.
Great Lakes Commission
https://www.glc.org/dailynews/20230109-lake-turbine
A bipartisan bill introduced in the U.S. Senate would establish a new regional authority to promote economic growth in Great Lakes states. Read the full story by MLive.
Great Lakes Commission
https://www.glc.org/dailynews/20221207-great-lakes-authority
In Ontario, Windsor’s proposed Ojibway National Urban Park hopes to promote ecotourism, protect biodiversity through conservation, and improve mental health and quality of life in its metropolitan area and within the Detroit metropolitan area. Read the full story by Great Lakes Now.
Great Lakes Commission
https://www.glc.org/dailynews/20221207-ojibway-national-urban-park
Gannon University’s Project NePTWNE (Nano & Polymer Technology for Water and Neural-Networks in Erie) is a $24-million project that the university hopes will put it at the forefront of freshwater research, and with it, elevate the city of Erie and the region. Read the full story by WJET-TV – Erie, PA.
Great Lakes Commission
https://www.glc.org/dailynews/20221207-gannon-university
A system of beachside cameras developed by the University of Windsor could prevent drownings by tracking beachgoer behavior and understanding when and where rip currents form and whether people understand the danger they represent. Read the full story by Great Lakes Echo.
Great Lakes Commission
https://www.glc.org/dailynews/20221207-smart-beaches
When Lake Superior freezes overs, an ice road opens up in northern Wisconsin that allows drivers to reach Madeline Island on the only officially mapped ice road of the United States. Read the full story by WROK – Rockford, IL.
Great Lakes Commission
https://www.glc.org/dailynews/20221207-lake-superior-road
Adam Tindall-Schlicht is the new head the Great Lakes St. Lawrence Seaway Development Corporation, an organization that oversees the Seaway’s 15-lock navigation system jointly operated by the U.S. and Canada. He hopes to partner with ports around the Great Lakes to build economic and climate resiliency. Read the full story by WUWM – Milwaukee, WI.
Great Lakes Commission
https://www.glc.org/dailynews/20221207-great-lakes-seaway
Plans to fortify the shoreline along Buffalo, New York’s emerging Ralph C. Wilson Jr. Centennial Park against intensifying lake weather patterns got a major boost Tuesday. A $4.5 million federal grant will advance shoreline resiliency, habitat restoration and public access to an inlet at the southern end of the park. Read the full story by The Buffalo News.
Great Lakes Commission
https://www.glc.org/dailynews/20221207-centinnial-park
For the past few years, Chris Roxburgh has been illuminating what lies beneath Michigan’s famous Manitou Passage, the shipping corridor that stretches between the Manitou islands and the mainland coast along Sleeping Bear Dunes National Lakeshore. Read the full story by MLive.
Great Lakes Commission
https://www.glc.org/dailynews/20221207-shipwrecks
Ohio’s Put-in-Bay Township’s Scheeff East Point Preserve and Middle Bass Island East Point Preserve are just two out of several ecosystems around the United States dividing up a record amount of grant money from the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration to help improve the nation’s coastlines and make them more resilient to climate change. Read the full story by the Toledo Blade.
Great Lakes Commission
https://www.glc.org/dailynews/20221207-coastline-grant
There is no question that road salt saves lives, but it also contaminates our environment. While salt laying equipment has improved over the years, a safer but also effective alternative has yet to be found. Read the full story by WXYZ-TV – Detroit, MI.
Great Lakes Commission
https://www.glc.org/dailynews/20221207-road-salt
Under an initiative announced at a United Nations climate gathering last week, preliminary plans are in the works for a “Great Lakes-St. Lawrence Seaway System Green Shipping Corridor Network” as means of spurring the early adoption of zero-emission fuels and technologies within the shipping sector. Read the full story by the Watertown Daily Times.
Great Lakes Commission
https://www.glc.org/dailynews/20221118-green-corridor
A new study has demonstrated how an advisory program designed for the Anishinaabe is a useful tool for tracking fish consumption in Great Lakes tribes. Read the full story by Great Lakes Echo.
Great Lakes Commission
https://www.glc.org/dailynews/20221118-health-resources
Years in the works, a massive petrochemical refinery in western Pennsylvania along the Ohio River became fully operational Tuesday, oil and gas giant Shell plc said. Read the full story by The Associated Press.
Great Lakes Commission
https://www.glc.org/dailynews/20221118-shell
The International Joint Commission reported that Lake Michigan is in fair condition, meaning the health of the lake has not worsened but does not show signs of improvement either. Read the full story by WUWM – Milwaukee, WI.
Great Lakes Commission
https://www.glc.org/dailynews/20221118-lake-michigan-health
Less than 45 miles northwest of Northport and 16 miles southwest of Lake Michigan’s Gull Island lie the remains of the Great Lakes freighter the Carl D. Bradley. The freighter broke apart in 40-foot waves 64 years ago today. Read the full story by The Alpena News.
Great Lakes Commission
https://www.glc.org/dailynews/20221118-carl-d-bradley
The Indiana Department of Natural Resources will increase Chinook salmon stocked in Lake Michigan by 50,000 starting in spring 2023, per Lake Michigan Committee agreement. Read the full story by KPC News.
Great Lakes Commission
https://www.glc.org/dailynews/20221118-salmon-stocking
An Indiana man pleaded guilty and was ordered to pay $10,500 in restitution after illegally importing 2,600 pounds of live channel catfish into Illinois. Read the full story by The Southern Illinoisan.
Great Lakes Commission
https://www.glc.org/dailynews/20221118-dumping-catfish
It’s back to the drawing board for scientists trying to come up with an accurate forecasting model for the annual harmful algal bloom in western Lake Erie. For the second year in a row, the severity of the bloom has been underestimated. Read the full story by the Sandusky Register.
Great Lakes Commission
https://www.glc.org/dailynews/20221118-algal-bloom
The U.S. and Ohio Environmental Protection Agencies, along with the U.S. Department of Justice, entered into consent decrees with two Northeast Ohio communities, mandating cities make modernizing repairs to their sewer systems to address sewer overflows into Lake Erie and Rocky River in Lakewood, and the Black River in Elyria, and bring both cities sewer systems into compliance with the Clean Water Act. Read and listen to the full story by WKSU – Kent, OH.
Great Lakes Commission
https://www.glc.org/dailynews/20221118-sewer-updates
Moxley Wildlife Area on Lake Erie’s Sandusky Bay, recently expanded by 99 acres after a donation by Ducks Unlimited, reports the Ohio Division of Wildlife, and increases the existing public wetland complex along Sandusky Bay. Read the full story by The Beacon.
Great Lakes Commission
https://www.glc.org/dailynews/20221118-sandusky-bay
The Great Lakes Aquaculture Collaborative recently received $425,000 in federal support to strengthen the aquaculture community in the Great Lakes region. Read the full story by Great Lakes Echo.
Great Lakes Commission
https://www.glc.org/dailynews/20221109-aquaculture
A start up company recently got design approval to build a ship that moves cargo with sails rather than fuel. Whether such vessels will someday ply the Great Lakes is uncertain but interest in decarbonizing shipping is high. Read the full story by Great Lakes Echo.
Great Lakes Commission
https://www.glc.org/dailynews/20221109-decarbonized-shipping
In 2022, there were 150 piping plover fledglings born to 72 breeding pairs around the Great Lakes, the biggest brood of fledglings since they were listed as federally endangered in 1986. Read the full story by Great Lakes Now.
Great Lakes Commission
https://www.glc.org/dailynews/20221109-plovers
The Milwaukee Common Council has signed off on a $2 million investment in the South Shore Cruise Dock, in a bid to make the city a must-stop on the Great Lakes cruise circuit. Read the full story by WTMJ-TV – Milwaukee, WI.
Great Lakes Commission
https://www.glc.org/dailynews/20221109-cruise-dock
For the fourth year, Ontario residents can expect bridges over the Welland Canal to stay up into the new year as the St. Lawrence Seaway Management Corp. extends the 2022 shipping season. Read the full story by the Welland Tribune.
Great Lakes Commission
https://www.glc.org/dailynews/20221109-welland-canal
Environmental experts say Premier Doug Ford’s government proposal to build thousands of homes in parts of Ontario’s Greenbelt while adding protected land elsewhere will cause a host of ecological problems, including a higher possibility for contaminated drinking water. Read the full story by CBC News.
Great Lakes Commission
https://www.glc.org/dailynews/20221109-greenbelt
