Researchers at Central Michigan University are exploring the Great Lakes with the help of a brand-new submarine. CMU’s Institute for Great Lakes Research bought a two-person submersible with big plans for its future. Read the full story by WNEM-TV – Bay City, MI.
Great Lakes Commission
https://www.glc.org/dailynews/20240422-cmu-sub-greatlakes
It’s estimated that nearly two-thirds of aquatic invasive species currently in the Great Lakes hitched a ride in the ballast water of cargo ships crossing the ocean. However, the same isn’t true of lakers, or ships that move exclusively within the Great Lakes. While the ballast water of these ships isn’t introducing new species, there’s a good chance it’s spreading invasive species throughout the lakes. Read the full story by Interlochen Public Radio.
Great Lakes Commission
https://www.glc.org/dailynews/20240422-ballastwater-greatlakes
The National Museum of the Great Lakes located in Toledo, Ohio will break ground on a 5,000-square-foot expansion Monday afternoon to provide additional space for temporary and traveling exhibits, new permanent exhibit spaces, and a community education center. Read the full story by the Toledo Blade.
Great Lakes Commission
https://www.glc.org/dailynews/20240422-nationalmuseum-greatlakes-expansion
To study the impacts of ice coverage, scientists at the University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee’s School of Freshwater Sciences have algae at the center of their research. Read the full story by Spectrum News.
Great Lakes Commission
https://www.glc.org/dailynews/20240422-uwmilwaukee-scientists-icecoverage-lakemichigan
When you walk along the beaches of Lake Erie, you’re going to see litter and a new report found that a lot of that trash is going to be plastic. On average, 86% of the litter collected in a given Adopt-a-Beach season is composed either partially or fully of plastic. Read the full story by Erie Times-News.
Great Lakes Commission
https://www.glc.org/dailynews/20240422-greatlakesbeaches-presqueisle-plasticpollution
If you spend a lot of time on the water, you might be interested in becoming a water quality monitor. The MiCorps Cooperative Lake Monitoring Program is to help citizen scientists across the state collect water quality information, and other information about their lake’s health, to help understand what’s going on in their lake. Read the full story by WPBN-TV – Traverse City, MI.
Great Lakes Commission
https://www.glc.org/dailynews/20240422-michiganswaterquality-micorp-lakemonitoring
H2Ohio’s agriculture incentive program is now being offered to producers throughout the state. H2Ohio’s agricultural program, which initially focused solely on farms located in northwest Ohio near Lake Erie, incentivizes farmers to implement science-based, proven best management practices to prevent nutrient runoff and improve water quality. Read the full story by Ohio Ag Net.
Great Lakes Commission
https://www.glc.org/dailynews/20240422-statewideh2ohio
Lake sturgeon don’t need Endangered Species Act protections, federal wildlife officials announced Monday, saying that stocking programs have helped the prehistoric fish return to areas where they had vanished. Read the full story by WGHP-TV – Madison, WI.
Great Lakes Commission
https://www.glc.org/dailynews/20240422-prehistoric-lakesturgeon
Dozens of children of the water crisis — now teenagers and young adults — have turned their trauma into advocacy. They provide input on public health initiatives, participate in social issue campaigns, distribute filters and provide free water testing for homeowners. Read the full story by WHNT-TV – Flint, MI.
Great Lakes Commission
https://www.glc.org/dailynews/20240422-flint-environmental-advocacy
A robotic beach cleaning device has been procured to remove plastic waste along Lake Michigan beaches and inland lake beaches in Michigan. Currently, 26 beaches are slated to benefit from the robot’s services. Read the full story by the Petoskey News-Review.
Great Lakes Commission
https://www.glc.org/dailynews/20240419-robot-cleaner
Invasive cattails dominate about 14% of all Great Lakes coastal wetlands. Researchers and land managers are developing creative ways to deal with invasive cattails in hopes of restoring and protecting the health of the wetlands, but it’s not an easy task. Read the full story by Great Lakes Now.
Great Lakes Commission
https://www.glc.org/dailynews/20240419-invasive-cattails
To fight back against threats to freshwater ecosystems, the University of Windsor (UWindsor) has joined a national research partnership, the Global Water Futures Observatories. An existing partnership of several Ontario universities has joined forces with it to go after increased funding. Read the full story by the Windsor Star.
Great Lakes Commission
https://www.glc.org/dailynews/20240419-uwindsor-partnership
More than 200 miles of Michigan’s Lake Superior shoreline recently benefited from a group effort that removed more than 10 tons of debris from the shoreline through coastal cleanups, beach hikes, and diving events. Read the full story by The Newberry News.
Great Lakes Commission
https://www.glc.org/dailynews/20240419-superior-debris
The City Council in South Haven, Michigan, has prioritized bringing a new lifeguard program to its Lake Michigan beaches, along with other efforts to increase beach safety, highlighting the effort as one of its top priorities for the coming year. Read the full story by MLive.
Great Lakes Commission
https://www.glc.org/dailynews/20240419-michigan-lifeguards
After more than a year of restoration efforts, the Tawas Lighthouse in Tawas, Michigan, will shine again on May 2. The effort to restore the lighthouse was made possible by a $455,500 grant through the American Rescue Plan Act. Read the full story by the Detroit Free Press.
Great Lakes Commission
https://www.glc.org/dailynews/20240419-tawas-lighthouse
A new eco-friendly cement carrier for the Great Lakes is being built in the Netherlands to replace two older cement carriers. Delivery of the vessel is expected in 2025. Read the full story by MLive.
Great Lakes Commission
https://www.glc.org/dailynews/20240419-cement-carrier
This new visitor center at the Eisenhower Lock in Massena, New York, highlights how ships move through the St. Lawrence Seaway. The ships carry billions of dollars’ worth of goods on the Seaway between the Atlantic Ocean and Great Lakes every year. Read the full story by North Country Public Radio.
Great Lakes Commission
https://www.glc.org/dailynews/20240419-visitor-center
Dredging needs to happen on Michigan’s St. Joseph River leading into Lake Michigan but is delayed due to the county’s application for a permit. Dredging cannot occur in May and June, due to the fish spawning season, causing a time crunch. Read the full story by WSBT-TV – South Bend, IN.
Great Lakes Commission
https://www.glc.org/dailynews/20240419-stjoe-dredging
The Charlevoix Harbor channel between Lake Michigan and Lake Charlevoix in Charlevoix, Michigan, will be dredged this spring to maintain the channel at a depth of 18 feet. Work will be completed by May 15. Read the full story by MLive.
Great Lakes Commission
https://www.glc.org/dailynews/20240419-channel-dredge
Scientists have created an interactive map that shows how parts of Illinois may be swallowed up by Lake Michigan as climate change bites. Read the full story by Newsweek.
Great Lakes Commission
https://www.glc.org/dailynews/20240417-lake-level-rise
Central Michigan University’s Institute for Great Lakes Research recently bought a $40K, two-person submersible to complete research at the Beaver Island Biological Station in northern Lake Michigan. The sub will be used for oil pipeline inspections, mapping whitefish spawning habitat, and developing underwater communication technologies among other things. Read the full story by Mlive.
Great Lakes Commission
https://www.glc.org/dailynews/20240417-reserach-submersible
Six volunteers in New York, armed with hundreds of feet of spooled wire, a dozen nesting boxes, and a family of bird decoys, hopped on a boat Tuesday morning to help protect a threatened species, the common tern. Read the full story by the Watertown Daily Times.
Great Lakes Commission
https://www.glc.org/dailynews/20240417-common-turn-help
Work will take place in Conneaut Creek in northeast Ohio to help reduce the number of sea lampreys in Lake Erie. An estimated 53 miles of stream treatment targeting over 15K larval sea lampreys will save over 300K pounds of fish. Read the full story by the Star Beacon.
Great Lakes Commission
https://www.glc.org/dailynews/20240417-sea-lamprey-control
For Love of Water, a group known as FLOW, has filed a brief in the Michigan Court of Appeals to challenge Line 5 permitting. The appeal was filed on behalf of FLOW and other environmental groups, as well as some Native American tribes. Read the full story by The Toledo Blade.
Great Lakes Commission
https://www.glc.org/dailynews/20240417-line5-permit-opposition
Every year billions of winged creatures emerge from the water to spend a few hours mating, laying eggs, and then dying, not even pausing to eat. A mayfly hatch might be one of the Great Lakes’ more impressive natural events. Read the full story by Mlive.
Great Lakes Commission
https://www.glc.org/dailynews/20240417-mayfly-hatch
A new report from the Alliance for the Great Lakes adds new data showing that America’s plastic addiction and waste-disposal habits are polluting our land and water. The Chicago-based group analyzed 20 years of data from volunteer beach cleanups across the region, finding that the majority of litter is plastic-based. Read the full story by the Manchester Mirror.
Great Lakes Commission
https://www.glc.org/dailynews/20240417-plastic-litter
Several improvements will be made to Peninsula Park’s trails in northeastern Wisconsin, increasing sustainability and enhancing the visitor experience. The implementation of the Northern Lake Michigan Coastal Master Plan includes improvements to wildlife areas, state parks, natural areas, state forests, and fishery areas. Read the full story by the WBGA-TV – Green Bay, WI.
Great Lakes Commission
https://www.glc.org/dailynews/20240417-trail-improvements
The salinity of the Michigan’s groundwater is on the rise, raising concerns about killed crops and corroded pipes. Michigan residents and lawmakers struggle to recognize the problem, which may require a shift in how the public thinks about water, with a new emphasis on conservation Read the full story by Great Lakes Echo.
Great Lakes Commission
https://www.glc.org/dailynews/20240415-groundwater-salinity
Next week, Native American leaders from the Midwest will go before a United Nations panel with their concerns over Enbridge’s Line 5 operation in the Great Lakes region, which they say is trespassing on tribal lands. Read the full story by WSBC – Chicago, IL.
Great Lakes Commission
https://www.glc.org/dailynews/20240415-pipeline-concerns
State officials in Michigan believe they have solved one of the mysteries of why Lake Superior smelt are showing such high levels of PFAS contamination. State, federal, and tribal researchers were able to determine that a naturally occurring bile acid in smelt was triggering false results. Read the full story by WOOD-TV – Grand Rapids, MI.
Great Lakes Commission
https://www.glc.org/dailynews/20240415-fish-contamination
According to a recent Harris Poll survey, most Great Lakes region residents feel good about their flood preparedness, with roughly three-quarters expressing faith in being able to handle flooding at the local, state, and national levels. But the question remains how grounded that confidence is given the growing effects of climate change. Read the full story by Crain’s Chicago Business.
Great Lakes Commission
https://www.glc.org/dailynews/20240415-flood-preparedness
Midges are often found in Ontario’s lakeshore, wildlife areas and parks, appearing in early springtime and lasting throughout the summer. Midges, when highly populated above bodies of water, are an indication of healthy water with regular oxygen levels. When absent, they point to pollution in the water. Read the full story by CTV News.
Great Lakes Commission
https://www.glc.org/dailynews/20240415-midge-indicators
The New York Department of Environmental Conservation and the New York State Water Resources Institute at Cornell University announced New York State watershed grants for four research projects aimed at protecting Lake Ontario and the Finger Lakes. Read the full story by the Finger Lakes Times.
Great Lakes Commission
https://www.glc.org/dailynews/20240415-research-grants
Repairs on the Bicentennial Bridge in St. Joseph, Michigan, will begin in the coming days, resulting in travel restrictions for cars and boats, the Michigan Department of Transportation reports. A piece on the bridge broke in late March, blocking access to Lake Michigan for some boats. Read the full story by MLive.
Great Lakes Commission
https://www.glc.org/dailynews/20240415-bridge-repairs
Landowners along New York’s Great Lakes shoreline who have problems with erosion or damage caused by flooding, storm surge, water pooling, or wind-wave action can have their property evaluated without cost by New York Sea Grant Extension. Read the full story by the Niagara Gazette.
Great Lakes Commission
https://www.glc.org/dailynews/20240415-shoreline-evaluation
The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency has officially finalized the nation’s first-ever drinking water standards for PFAS pollution. Activists, experts, and lawmakers have expressed their support for the standards they say will provide clean drinking water for and save the lives of countless Americans. Read the full story by WOOD-TV – Grand Rapids, MI.
Great Lakes Commission
https://www.glc.org/dailynews/20240415-pfas-standards
The National Museum of the Great Lakes is gearing up to celebrate a decade of enriching the Toledo community with its immersive exhibits and educational programs. The museum was moved to Toledo in 2014, upholding the Great Lakes Historical Society’s mission to preserve and showcase the rich history of the Great Lakes region. Read the full story by The Press.
Great Lakes Commission
https://www.glc.org/dailynews/20240415-museum-anniversary
The Biden administration is urging a federal appeals court to reverse a lower court order that would shut down an oil and gas pipeline crossing the Bad River tribe’s reservation within three years. Read the full story by Wisconsin Public Radio.
Great Lakes Commission
https://www.glc.org/dailynews/20240412-line-5
Litter strewn across Great Lakes beaches is overwhelmingly composed of plastic, a new study from a region-wide beach cleanup group found, signaling a widespread problem for the wildlife and people who encounter them. Read the full story from The Detroit News.
Great Lakes Commission
https://www.glc.org/dailynews/20240412-plastic-pollution
The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers is looking for input on how to make the Great Lakes region more resilient to the effects of climate change. The Corps is holding a series of virtual meetings for its Great Lakes Coastal Resiliency Study in collaboration with the seven Great Lakes states. Read the full story by WKSU – Kent, OH.
Great Lakes Commission
https://www.glc.org/dailynews/20240412-climate-change-virtual-meeting
In Michigan’s Great Lakes Bay Region, sturgeon have been on the list of protected species for a few years now. With help from several preservation groups, though, sturgeon are making a slow, steady comeback. Read the full story by Route Bay City.
Great Lakes Commission
https://www.glc.org/dailynews/20240412-sturgeon
Beginning April 23, lampricides will be applied to the Conneaut Creek system in Pennsylvania’s Erie and Crawford counties to kill sea lamprey larvae before they grow into parasitic fish that migrate to Lake Erie and kill other fish. Read the full story by Erie-Times News.
Great Lakes Commission
https://www.glc.org/dailynews/20240412-lampricide
In Pennsylvania, repairs will be underway this month to Erie’s North Pier, a popular spot for sightseeing and fishing located near Presque Isle State Park. The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers Buffalo District announced that construction will repair about 1,800 feet of damaged structure along the channel between Lake Erie and Presque Isle Bay. Read the full story by Erie-Times News.
Great Lakes Commission
https://www.glc.org/dailynews/20240412-presque-isle-pier
The University of Toledo’s Lake Erie Center hosted a training on Wednesday for local water experts to learn about the latest “smart buoys” that will be sent out into various locations in Lake Erie during the upcoming summer season. The buoys have solar-powered sensors inside them that are designed to track important water safety features such as pH and toxin levels. Read the full story by WTOL-TV – Toledo, OH.
Great Lakes Commission
https://www.glc.org/dailynews/20240412-smart-bouy
The Lake Express Ferry embarked from its storage location in Milwaukee’s Menomonee River Valley to its operational terminal on the Lake Michigan waterfront on Wednesday, April 10. The ferry, used for daily regional transportation, transitions annually to facilitate increased travel during the warmer months and connects Milwaukee with Muskegon, Michigan. Read the full story by WDJT-TV – Milwaukee, WI.
Great Lakes Commission
https://www.glc.org/dailynews/20240412-lake-express-ferry
The Grand Lake region remains one of the best places in Ohio to catch a glimpse of American White Pelicans. The birds can be seen on the lake from March-May and again in late August-November as the birds head towards their migration path. Read the full story by The Daily Standard.
Great Lakes Commission
https://www.glc.org/dailynews/20240412-white-pelicans
The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency has finalized long-awaited national standards for toxic “forever chemicals” called PFAS. The standards allow only trace levels in public drinking water. It is the first time the EPA has regulated a contaminant under the Safe Drinking Water Act since the 1990s. Read the full story by MLive.
Great Lakes Commission
https://www.glc.org/dailynews/20240410-pfas-limits
Global warming is fueling the spread of the peach blossom jellyfish in the Great Lakes region, which may foster harmful algae blooms and dead zones. Scientists are relying on community members to report jellyfish sightings across the Great Lakes region. Read the full story by Great Lakes Echo.
Great Lakes Commission
https://www.glc.org/dailynews/20240410-jellyfish-invasion
After years of planning and legal delays, the FishPass Project in Traverse City, Michigan, is officially moving forward. The barrier will use technology to let “desirable” species pass while blocking invasive species like sea lamprey. Read the full story by Interlochen Public Radio.
Great Lakes Commission
https://www.glc.org/dailynews/20240410-fish-passage
Mercury levels in the Great Lakes are increasing as temperatures warm and extreme weather becomes more frequent, according to research in Minnesota’s Marcell Experimental Forest. Read the full story by Great Lakes Echo.
Great Lakes Commission
https://www.glc.org/dailynews/20240410-mercury-rise
