Due to recent warm temperatures, the Duluth Fire Department in Minnesota is asking the public to exercise caution and refrain from engaging in ice fishing activities in Superior Bay. Read the full story by KBJR-TV – Superior, WI.
Great Lakes Commission
https://www.glc.org/dailynews/20240209-superior-bay-ice-conditions
The gridlocked battle between a Wisconsin tribe and a Canadian oil giant has entered its next legal round. On Thursday, the 7th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals heard oral arguments about whether Enbridge Energy’s Line 5 oil pipeline can continue to transport oil on the Bad River Band of Lake Superior Chippewa’s reservation. Read the full story by the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel.
Great Lakes Commission
https://www.glc.org/dailynews/20240209-line-5
A man was convicted this week on two federal charges after he diverted the Platte River by hand through Sleeping Bear Dunes National Lakeshore in Michigan. Read the full story by the Detroit Free Press.
Great Lakes Commission
https://www.glc.org/dailynews/20240209-platt-river
Researchers are on a mission to get more wintertime data to understand how Michigan’s disappearing winters affect the broader Great Lakes ecosystem, endangering some species, and changing nutrient cycles, among a growing list of concerns. Read the full story by Michigan Public.
Great Lakes Commission
https://www.glc.org/dailynews/20240209-snow-clues
This past summer, a “moderately” severe algae bloom grew in Lake Erie. There is a long way to go to address the summer plague of Lake Erie algae blooms and the actions required to do so are a year-round job. Read the full story by the Environmental Defence.
Great Lakes Commission
https://www.glc.org/dailynews/20240209-algae-blooms
Many volunteers showed interest in living in a Lake Superior lighthouse for the summer. The National Park Service opened and closed an application to be a caretaker for the Sand Island Light off the coast of northern Wisconsin in less than a day due to an abundance of applicants. Read the full story by WJBK-TV – Detroit, MI.
Great Lakes Commission
https://www.glc.org/dailynews/20240209-lake-superior-lighthouse
Wisconsin lawmakers are introducing legislature modeled from the success of the Great Lakes Restoration Initiative to protect the Mississippi River waters and watershed. Read the full story by the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel.
Great Lakes Commission
https://www.glc.org/dailynews/20240209-mississippi-river-model
Construction is underway on a wetland enhancement project at the Lakeview Wildlife Management Area in the town of Ellisburg, New York. The project is a collaboration between New York State Department of Environmental Conservation, the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, the Great Lakes Commission, Audubon New York, Audubon Great Lakes, and Ducks Unlimited. Read the full story by WWNY-TV – Watertown, NY.
Great Lakes Commission
https://www.glc.org/dailynews/20240207-ny-wetland-enhancement
Legislators and bipartisan members of the Great Lakes Task Force introduced new legislation Tuesday that would extend the Great Lakes Restoration Initiative, a public-private program that has used federal and nonfederal aid to protect and maintain the Great Lakes since 2010. Read the full story by WWMT-TV – Kalamazoo, MI.
Great Lakes Commission
https://www.glc.org/dailynews/20240207-glri
Gov. Tony Evers and the Wisconsin Department of Transportation announced $10 million to improve eight harbors along the Mississippi River and Great Lakes. WisDOT’s Harbor Assistance Program will issue grants to Wisconsin cities such as Superior, La Crosse and Milwaukee to maintain and improve waterborne commerce. Read the full story by The Daily Reporter.
Great Lakes Commission
https://www.glc.org/dailynews/20240207-wisconsin-harbors
In a study released in December, researchers documented the informal shift in priorities by restoration project managers to include human well-being. An environmental social scientist says EPA should consider an increased focus on human well-being in their Great Lakes Restoration Initiative program. Read the full story by Great Lakes Now.
Great Lakes Commission
https://www.glc.org/dailynews/20240207-well-being-in-glri
Today, the Detroit River is much cleaner, and sentinel wildlife species have returned. The river has come a long way since the 1960s, however, there is still much work to do, including developing a stewardship ethic. Read the full story by Great Lakes Now.
Great Lakes Commission
https://www.glc.org/dailynews/20240207-detroit-river
In 2016, an Erie boater took to court against a fine for a lack of lifejackets. The result of the Pennsylvania Commonwealth Court’s decision sets precedent for state law to perform checks of fishing licenses and safety equipment. Read the full story by Erie Times-News.
Great Lakes Commission
https://www.glc.org/dailynews/20240207-safety-inspection-boater-law
Ohio House lawmakers announced Tuesday that the long-awaited pedestrian land bridge to connect downtown Cleveland to Lake Erie would get $20 million in the proposed capital budget’s one-time fund. Read the full story by WEWS-TV – Cleveland, OH.
Great Lakes Commission
https://www.glc.org/dailynews/20240207-cleveland-land-bridge
The Essex Region Conservation Authority will present proposals for the restoration of Hillman Marsh in Leamington, Ontario, which is currently overrun with water from Lake Erie. Read the full story by CBC News.
Great Lakes Commission
https://www.glc.org/dailynews/20240207-hillman-marsh
On Tuesday, the full Indiana Senate unanimously approved a bill that requires life rings be placed at public piers and Lake Michigan access points to help to assist in rescue efforts. Read the full story by WNDU-TV – Indianapolis, IN.
Great Lakes Commission
https://www.glc.org/dailynews/20240207-rescue-equipment
The state of Michigan has identified thousands of sites potentially contaminated with the man-made chemical and many Michiganders would like to presidential leadership address the “forever chemicals.” Read the full story by Michigan Public.
Great Lakes Commission
https://www.glc.org/dailynews/20240207-pfas-michigan
The Biden administration has set aside $17 billion to improve maritime infrastructure, money that many want to invest into capital improvements at Great Lakes ports. Read the full story by NPR.
Great Lakes Commission
https://www.glc.org/dailynews/20240119-infastructure-funding
Eight ships will spend the off-season in the Duluth-Superior twin Ports, twice as many as last winter, according to the Duluth Seaway Port Authority. Read the full story by the Star Tribune.
Great Lakes Commission
https://www.glc.org/dailynews/20240119-twin-ports
Michigan Reps. Debbie Dingell and Lisa McClain introduced a bipartisan bill today that would authorize $200 million to conduct high-resolution bathymetric mapping of lakebeds of the Great Lakes. Read the full story by WXYZ-TV – Detroit, MI.
Great Lakes Commission
https://www.glc.org/dailynews/20240119-lakebed-mapping
Elk Rapids, Michigan, is surrounded by water. To protect their future the city plans to hire a shoreline management coordinator through a new state program known as the MI Healthy Climate Corps. Read the full story by Great Lakes Now.
Great Lakes Commission
https://www.glc.org/dailynews/20240119-climate-crops-program
The 748-foot S.S. Philip R. Clarke entered the Soo Lock facility’s Poe Lock around 9 a.m. on Tuesday to close out the 2023 navigation season. Read the full story my MLive.
Great Lakes Commission
https://www.glc.org/dailynews/20240119-soo-locks
Lake Superior has long been known as the icy lake, but studies have shown that Superior is one of the fastest warming lakes in the world. And it’s not just Superior, the surface temperature and all five of the Great Lakes has increased in the last few decades, having profound impacts across the region. Read the full story by WPBN-TV – Traverse City, MI.
Great Lakes Commission
https://www.glc.org/dailynews/20240119-warming-trends
Wisconsin abounds with water resources but in some corners of the state, access to fresh water can be scarce or expensive. Efforts are underway to convert sewage into a safe, drought-resistant source of drinking water. Read the full story by Wisconsin Public Radio.
Great Lakes Commission
https://www.glc.org/dailynews/20240119-wisconsin-water
At the bottom of Lake Huron there’s a ridge that was once served as an ancient caribou hunting site. Computer scientists are using artificial intelligence to predict caribou movement and help find important archaeological sites. Read the full story by Interlochen Public Radio.
Great Lakes Commission
https://www.glc.org/dailynews/20240119-ai-caribou
Twenty-one Great Lakes region fishing companies have signed the organization’s 100% Great Lakes Fish Pledge, committing to using all parts of the whitefish, lake trout, yellow perch, and walleye that they catch by 2025. Read the full story by Michigan Public.
Great Lakes Commission
https://www.glc.org/dailynews/20240119-100-great-lakes-fish
Once considered a promising location for offshore wind development, no commercial offshore wind turbines have yet to be installed in the Great Lakes region. Will this change? Read the full story by the Public News Service.
Great Lakes Commission
https://www.glc.org/dailynews/20231218-offshore-wind
Giant goldfish are happily living in Lake Erie and other bodies of water crowding out native fish and wildlife. Here is why it is never okay to release the pet into the wild. Read the full story by the Akron Beacon Journal.
Great Lakes Commission
https://www.glc.org/dailynews/20231218-the-peoria
The Peoria, a cargo ship that ended up returning to the scene of its accident, and sinking yet again, is the most recent shipwreck in Door County, Wisconsin to be recognized and protected by the state. Read the full story by the Green Bay Press Gazette.
Great Lakes Commission
https://www.glc.org/dailynews/20231218-the-peoria
The Michigan Department of Natural Resources is seeking landowners in the Lake Erie and Saginaw Bay watersheds willing to add wetlands to their property. The DNR is hosting a webinar on Friday, Jan. 12 to talk with property owners interested in helping restore wetlands. Read the full story by MLive.
Great Lakes Commission
https://www.glc.org/dailynews/20231218-wetland-restoration
Ice-covered lakes are used for recreation during the winter. No matter whether large or small, many waterways are experiencing ice coverage that is below normal. The Great Lakes usually have around 3% ice coverage in mid-December, but data from NOAA indicates coverage is just above 0% this year. Read the full story by FOX Weather.
Great Lakes Commission
https://www.glc.org/dailynews/20231218-thin-ice
Lifeguards at Presque Isle, Pennsylvania play a crucial role in making sure people can enjoy the park without harm but staffing those beaches has been difficult. The Lifeguard Association at Presque Isle, they’ve been doing everything they can to stay competitive with those other organizations and offer a unique experience. Read the full story by WJET-TV – Erie, PA.
Great Lakes Commission
https://www.glc.org/dailynews/20231218-presque-isle-lifeguards
The United States Environmental Protection Agency recently approved the Wisconsin Department of Natural Resources Northeast Lakeshore Total Maximum Daily Loads for Total Phosphorus and Total Suspended Solids study. The study will investigate ways to reduce the amount of nutrients entering waters within the Lake Michigan watershed. Read the full story by the Door County Pulse.
Great Lakes Commission
https://www.glc.org/dailynews/20231218-tc-phosphorus
TC Energy has an ambitious plan for Georgian Bay: to draw water up through a clay escarpment, store it in a reservoir, then send it down back into the bay past underwater turbines to create power for southern Ontario when it’s needed. To make this happen, the Calgary-based oil and gas behemoth wants the greenlight from multiple groups, including the Saugeen Ojibway Nation. Read the full story by The Narwhal.
Great Lakes Commission
https://www.glc.org/dailynews/20231218-tc-energy
Ohio Gov. Mike DeWine plans to include the health of the state’s large rivers in the ongoing H2Ohio program aimed at water efforts. The H2Ohio program will expand to research PFAS contamination, remove eroding dams, conserve forest buffers and more. Read the full story by the Cleburne Times-Review.
Great Lakes Commission
https://www.glc.org/dailynews/20231218-h2ohio
An annual survey by New York’s Thousand Islands International Tourism Council shows that nearly 80% of tourism operators were either satisfied or pleased with the 2023 tourist season, a large increase from how operators felt in 2020. Read the full story by the Watertown Daily Times.
Great Lakes Commission
https://www.glc.org/dailynews/20231218-thousand-islands-tourism
An announcement was made earlier this week that the EPA wants to get rid of lead pipes that provide drinking water within the next decade. However, the EPA mandate makes an exception for places where it would be almost impossible to replace all of the lead pipes within 10 years, including Chicago. Read the full story by Grist.
Great Lakes Commission
https://www.glc.org/dailynews/20231206-lead-pipes
Stand Up for Great Lakes, a group of three men who’ve paddle boarded across all of five of the Great Lakes, said on Tuesday they have donated $25,200 to the Cooperative Institute for Great Lakes Research. Read the full story by WPBN-TV – Traverse City, MI.
Great Lakes Commission
https://www.glc.org/dailynews/20231206-stand-up-for-great-lakes
The Army Corps of Engineers is set to start building a barrier near Chicago to keep invasive carp out of the Great Lakes next October. But Illinois still has not signed a Project Partnership agreement that would make it responsible for problems that arise such as environmental cleanups. Read the full story by Michigan Radio.
Great Lakes Commission
https://www.glc.org/dailynews/20231206-invasive-carp-barrier
A pair of filmmakers who spent two years shooting footage for a documentary about invasive mussels in the Great Lakes accidentally discovered a 128-year-old shipwreck that vanished in 1895.The wreck is believed to be the Africa, which disappeared in 1895. Read the full story by Business Insider.
Great Lakes Commission
https://www.glc.org/dailynews/20231206-lake-huron-shipwreck
The Minnesota Department of Natural Resources announced Friday that officials caught 296 silver carp, 23 grass carp and four bighead carp in what the agency called the largest single capture of invasive carp in Minnesota to date. DNR staff think it is likely the fish moved upstream and didn’t hatch in Minnesota waters. Read the full story by WCCO-TV – Minneapolis, MN.
Great Lakes Commission
https://www.glc.org/dailynews/20231206-invasive-carp
Gov. Gretchen Whitmer’s plan to generate all of Michigan’s energy from renewable sources by 2040 is meant to limit climate change gases. But the development of a new renewable energy sector to produce methane from liquid manure produced by large livestock feeding operations, also has consequences on the state’s waters. Read the full story by Michigan Radio.
Great Lakes Commission
https://www.glc.org/dailynews/20231206-manure-energy
The Ohio Department of Natural Resources Office of Coastal Management has launched two new online resources to help Ohioans and visitors discover publicly accessible parklands and protected lands along Ohio’s 312-mile Lake Erie shore and along the major rivers that flow into the lake. Read the full story by The Beacon.
Great Lakes Commission
https://www.glc.org/dailynews/20231206-erie-shoreline-map
Ohio Rep. Dave Joyce introduced a bill to reauthorize the Harmful Algal Bloom and Hypoxia Research and Control Amendments Act through 2028. The bill would develop and coordinate effective responses to harmful algal blooms and monitor the blooms. Read the full story by the Star Beacon.
Great Lakes Commission
https://www.glc.org/dailynews/20231206-hab-bill
Minnesota Gov. Tim Walz and Wisconsin Gov. Tony Evers say a critical bridge between the bordering states on Lake Superior needs to be replaced. Their transportation departments have requested over $1 billion in federal funding to rebuild the John A. Blatnik Bridge, which connects Duluth, Minnesota, and Superior, Wisconsin. Read the full story by CBS News.
Great Lakes Commission
https://www.glc.org/dailynews/20231206-blatnik-bridge
Six companies based in Chatham-Kent, Ontario, have signed the 100% Great Lakes Fish Pledge, a first-of-its-kind international effort asking companies to publicly commit to productively using 100 per cent of each commercially caught Great Lakes fish by 2025. Read the full story by The Chatham Voice.
Great Lakes Commission
https://www.glc.org/dailynews/20231117-100-great-lakes-fish
State and federal officials battling grass carp in Ohio’s Sandusky River have launched a new effort to contain the invasive fish. The Sandusky River Grass Carp Barrier Project, as the project described Monday night is known, is in its first phase: a feasibility study to decide what should be built. Read the full story by the Sandusky Register.
Great Lakes Commission
https://www.glc.org/dailynews/20231117-grass-carp
A celebration is underway for farmers, scientists, and other conservation professionals as they mark the 10-year anniversary of Wisconsin’s “Lower Fox Demonstration Farm Network.” The effort is geared toward improving the quality of the water throughout the region and reducing sediment and phosphorus loading into Green Bay. Read the full story by WLUK-TV – Green Bay, Wisconsin.
Great Lakes Commission
https://www.glc.org/dailynews/20231117-lower-fox-demonstration-farm-network
The Cuyahoga River was labeled an “area of concern” in 1987. Since then, the river has made remarkable progress, eliminating five of its designated shortcomings, the latest having to do with the health of fish. Read the full story by The Plain Dealer.
Great Lakes Commission
https://www.glc.org/dailynews/20231117-cuyahoga-river
Due to a strike of unionized Canadian Seaway workers, the St. Lawrence Seaway is preparing for its latest seasonal closing date in its 64-year history. This has sparked concern among environmentalists along the St. Lawrence River who worry about the safety and regulation of winter navigation. Read the full story by WWT-TV – Watertown, NY.
Great Lakes Commission
https://www.glc.org/dailynews/20231117-late-seaway-closure
