Ontario Great Lakes Day was held at Kingtson’s Gord Downie Pier on Saturday, a day of swimming, diving and educating the public about the importance of the freshwater basin we call the Great Lakes. Read the full story by The Kingston Whig-Standard.
Great Lakes Commission
https://www.glc.org/dailynews/20250609-greatlakes-cleanup
Milwaukee County, Wisconsin, is floating the idea of publicly auctioning off the infamous abandoned boat that became a staple of Lake Michigan’s Milwaukee shoreline. Read the full story by the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel.
Great Lakes Commission
https://www.glc.org/dailynews/20250609-abandoned-boat
A man from the Chicago area just broke the Guinness World Record for circumnavigating over 1,000 miles around Lake Huron by bicycle to raise money to end multiple sclerosis. Read the full story by CBS News.
Great Lakes Commission
https://www.glc.org/dailynews/20250609-huron-cycling
Case Western Reserve University is set to install filters to washing machines across campus to reduce microplastic pollution during the laundry cycle, with hopes to make Cleveland, Ohio, the example in the fight against microplastic pollution. Read the full story by Ideastream Public Media.
Great Lakes Commission
https://www.glc.org/dailynews/20250609-microplastics-filter
Great Lakes Commission
https://www.glc.org/dailynews/20250606-piping-plover-chicks
Nearly a year ago, unproductive farmland at the headwaters of Michigan’s River Raisin watershed was turned into a wetland to filter phosphorus runoff before it reaches Lake Erie. Now, deep-rooted grasses and plants friendly to bees and butterflies are beginning to make the 300 acres look lush. Read the full story by Great Lakes Now.
Great Lakes Commission
https://www.glc.org/dailynews/20250606-wetland-filtering-phosphorus
Every summer throughout the mid-2010s, researchers scoured the Great Lakes in search of PFAS contamination, taking tissue samples from invasive mussels at 120 locations in total. The results: The scientists found PFAS nearly everywhere. Read the full story by Bridge Michigan.
Great Lakes Commission
https://www.glc.org/dailynews/20250606-mussels-pfas-everywhere
A new book, “Great Lakes in 50 Maps,” looks at our Great Lakes regional freshwater features, the land that surrounds them, and how their interplay affects how people live. Read the full story by Michigan Public.
Great Lakes Commission
https://www.glc.org/dailynews/20250606-great-lakes-book
For a brief period in 1998, Lake Champlain, a freshwater lake between New York and Vermont, was considered a Great Lake. That status was quickly rescinded after controversy over its significantly smaller size compared to the five currently designated Great Lakes. Read the full story by the Milwaukee Record.
Great Lakes Commission
https://www.glc.org/dailynews/20250606-six-great-lakes
The Great Lakes hold wildfire smoke over the water through a process opposite the way the atmosphere normally works called “trapping inversion.” Read the full story by MLive.
Great Lakes Commission
https://www.glc.org/dailynews/20250606-wildfire-smoke
While Lake Michigan and its offshoot, Green Bay, get most of northeastern Wisconsin’s attention, there are many other bodies of water in the area, including the Fox River, an unusual shaped “lagoon” lake, and lakes that have yet to be named. Read the full story by Green Bay Press-Gazette.
Great Lakes Commission
https://www.glc.org/dailynews/20250606-green-bay-facts
A Northern Michigan fish company is joining forces with a group of leaders from around the Great Lakes to tackle fish waste by finding innovative ways to fully utilize each fish, thereby creating jobs and supporting rural economic development. Read the full story by WBPN-TV – Traverse City, MI.
Great Lakes Commission
https://www.glc.org/dailynews/20250606-reduce-fish-waste
Lake Huron, which runs along much of Michigan’s eastern coast, has the longest coastline of the Great Lakes, and offers opportunities for underwater exploration and waterfront recreation, as well as providing a key link in international shipping and crucial fish habitat. Read the full story by the Lansing State Journal.
Great Lakes Commission
https://www.glc.org/dailynews/20250606-lake-huron
Experts searching for plane wreckage in Michigan’s Lake Superior found logs and rocks on the bottom but no debris from an aircraft that crashed nearly 60 years ago carrying three people on a scientific assignment. Read the full story by MLive.
Great Lakes Commission
https://www.glc.org/dailynews/20250606-missing-plane-search
The Council of State Governments is working with the eight Great Lakes states and other partners to explore creating a U.S. Great Lakes Waterfront Trail along the shorelines of the largest freshwater system on Earth. Read the full story by Great Lakes Now.
Great Lakes Commission
https://www.glc.org/dailynews/20250604-greatlakes-moment-greatlakes-waterfronttrail
Scientists are experimenting with methods to remove invasive zebra and quagga mussels from Lake Michigan, using tarps, an underwater crawler and a 1,100-pound plow known as the mussel masher. However, this work faces funding challenges due to federal cuts and reduced university funding. Read the full story by Milwaukee Journal Sentinel.
Great Lakes Commission
https://www.glc.org/dailynews/20250604-invasive-mussels-scientists-fightingback
A brewery in Allendale, Michigan, has partnered with the Clean Boats, Clean Waters program to create a beer series drawing attention to aquatic invasive species and what people can do to protect local lakes. Read the full story by MLive.
Great Lakes Commission
https://www.glc.org/dailynews/20250604-michiganbrewery-fighting-invasivespecies
New York state has announced a $100 million modernization plan for its system of fish hatcheries. The long-term investment in the hatcheries, which serve as the backbone for the management and restoration of New York’s freshwater fisheries, comes as the federal government is moving to slash funding for an agency that supports the state’s fish stocking program locally. Read the full story by Oswego County News Now.
Great Lakes Commission
https://www.glc.org/dailynews/20250604-dec-fish-hatchery-modernization
Great Lakes Commission
https://www.glc.org/dailynews/20250604-kendall-hamlin-17million-sewerproject
Great Lakes Commission
https://www.glc.org/dailynews/20250604-brokentrust-bill5
The National Museum of the Great Lakes (NMGL) will hold a ribbon cutting for the grand opening of its expansion later this month. The expansion includes a 5,000 square foot facility called the Larry and Karen Bettcher Wing. Read the full story by WTOL-TV – Toledo, OH.
Great Lakes Commission
https://www.glc.org/dailynews/20250604-ribboncutting-nmgl-new-exhibit
Amid drastic cuts to science programs, grants and funding, Great Lakes scientists are converging in Milwaukee this week to talk about resilience – not just in the lakes, but science itself. Read the full story by the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel.
Great Lakes Commission
https://www.glc.org/dailynews/20250604-scientists-milwaukee-greatlakes-resilience
The analysis notes that the tunnel would eliminate the risk of a boat anchor rupturing the pipeline and causing a spill in the Straits of Mackinac, but the construction would have sweeping effects on everything from recreation to wildlife. Read the full story by The Associated Press.
Great Lakes Commission
https://www.glc.org/dailynews/20250602-line-5-impacts
May 31 through June 8 is Great Lakes and Fresh Water Week, celebrating the Great Lakes and other inland lakes as great natural resources, but also as beautiful outdoor recreation spots. Read the full story by The Alpena News.
Great Lakes Commission
https://www.glc.org/dailynews/20250602-greatlakes-freshwater-week
Trump’s regulatory rollback is poised to unleash a wave of pollution North America hasn’t seen since the 1960s. Read the full story by The Globe and Mail.
Great Lakes Commission
https://www.glc.org/dailynews/20250602-pollution-risk
Environmental experts say funding is at stake for the U.S. Geological Survey’s Ecosystems Mission Area, an important program that protects the Great Lakes. Read the full story by WRVO – Oswego, NY.
Great Lakes Commission
https://www.glc.org/dailynews/20250602-usgs-program-funding
Chicago area officials are set to celebrate the start of the construction of infrastructure necessary to eventually provide Lake Michigan water to about a quarter of a million residents in six suburban communities southwest of the city. Read the full story by WFLD-TV – Chicago, IL.
Great Lakes Commission
https://www.glc.org/dailynews/20250602-chicago-water-pipeline
Over the past year marginal farmland in southeast Michigan has been undergoing restoration into a 300-acre wetland aimed to filter phosphorus runoff from reaching Lake Erie. Read the full story by Michigan Public.
Great Lakes Commission
https://www.glc.org/dailynews/20250602-wetland-runoff
Trump administration funding cuts and limitations on federal government employees are affecting a major scientific conference on the Great Lakes opening Monday in Milwaukee. Read the full story by Michigan Public.
Great Lakes Commission
https://www.glc.org/dailynews/20250602-great-lakes-conference
A viewing platform installed at Michigan’s Sleeping Bear Dunes in 1986 has been removed due to the shifting sands retreating from the area, making the platform a safety hazard. Read the full story by Michigan Advance.
Great Lakes Commission
https://www.glc.org/dailynews/20250602-dunes-platform-removed
Congresswoman Kristen McDonald Rivet is requesting federal funds for safe drinking water projects in mid-Michigan, targeting infrastructure upgrades across multiple communities to enhance public health, economic investment, and equitable access to resources. Read the full story by Thumbwind.
Great Lakes Commission
https://www.glc.org/dailynews/20250602-drinking-water-push
Belonging to the late British journalist and politician, Herbert Ingram, a pocket watch was recovered from the bottom of Lake Michigan and returned to his hometown in the U.K. Read the full story by People.
Great Lakes Commission
https://www.glc.org/dailynews/20250602-pocket-watch
A new study from the Medical University of Wisconsin shows hundreds of Chippewa-Ottawa Resource Authority tribe members are using information from a new mobile app called GigiigooApp to decide how much of what types of fish to eat. Read the full story by The Alpena News.
Great Lakes Commission
https://www.glc.org/dailynews/20250530-fish-consumption-app
Illinois officials took possession last week of a 50-acre stretch of riverbed in the Des Plaines River near Joliet to build a $1.15 billion barricade to keep invasive carp from entering the Great Lakes. While the state still needs to acquire more land along the riverbank to be able to build the barricade, the ground is contaminated by coal ash, a byproduct of burning coal to generate electricity that is known to cause cancer. Read the full story by the Chicago Sun-Times.
Great Lakes Commission
https://www.glc.org/dailynews/20250530-carp-barricade
The Northeast-Midwest Institute led a virtual briefing this week aimed at giving lawmakers and their staff a deeper understanding of the impacts of, and solutions for, PFAS in the Great Lakes region. Read the full story by The New Lede.
Great Lakes Commission
https://www.glc.org/dailynews/20250530-pfas-briefing
In Ohio, Toledo’s harbor will see its first cruise ship in decades when a Great Lakes vessel docks there Friday. Victory Cruise Lines’ 286-foot ship, called Victory I, will dock at One Maritime Plaza at 11:30 a.m., where multiple local organizations and elected officials will welcome nearly 200 passengers to the Glass City. Read the full story by WTOL-TV – Toledo, OH.
Great Lakes Commission
https://www.glc.org/dailynews/20250530-cruise-destination
The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers on Friday released a long-awaited draft study that found that most of the environmental effects resulting from constructing a tunnel to house Line 5 beneath the Straits of Mackinac would be temporary and tied almost exclusively to construction activities. Read the full story by The Detroit News.
Great Lakes Commission
https://www.glc.org/dailynews/20250530-impact-study
New details are emerging about a proposed hovercraft service that aims to transport tourists and commuters across Lake Ontario between Toronto and Niagara Region in just 30 minutes. Officials with Hoverlink Ontario say the service will alleviate congestion along one of the province’s busiest highways and make it more attractive for people to travel to two of Ontario’s largest tourist destinations. Read the full story by CTV News.
Great Lakes Commission
https://www.glc.org/dailynews/20250530-hovercraft-service
The Great Lakes Fisheries Commission convened its annual meeting in Traverse City, Michigan, focusing on the critical issue of invasive species. A significant topic of discussion was the FishPass project in Traverse City, which the commission highlighted as a groundbreaking initiative in controlling invasive species like the sea lamprey. Read the full story by WPBN-TV – Traverse City, MI.
Great Lakes Commission
https://www.glc.org/dailynews/20250530-fisheries-commission
The Maritime Heritage Alliance, a nonprofit organization, is dedicated to educating the public about the lakes through various initiatives, including an annual boat auction and thrift sale. Proceeds from the auction will support the Alliance’s programs, which are conducted on vessels like the 92-foot schooner Madeline and the 38-foot Concordia cutter Champion. Read the full story by WPBN-TV – Traverse City, MI.
Great Lakes Commission
https://www.glc.org/dailynews/20250530-maritime-accessibility
Every spring, adult midge flies emerge by the Milwaukee lakefront in giant swarms to mate, procreate and lay their eggs in Lake Michigan. Though they may be a nuisance, midges play an important role in the ecosystem in and around Lake Michigan; the larvae are a valuable food source for fish and other aquatic organisms in the water and once above water, the adult midge flies can be food for birds, bats and other vertebrates. Read the full story by the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel.
Great Lakes Commission
https://www.glc.org/dailynews/20250530-midge-flies
Glass-bottom boat Lady Michigan cruises over the famous wrecks of the Thunder Bay National Marine Sanctuary in Alpena, Michigan. The 4,300 miles of federally protected crystal-clear waters offer a unique peek into Great Lakes maritime history. Read the full story by MLive.
Great Lakes Commission
https://www.glc.org/dailynews/20250530-shipwreck-tours
The State of Illinois said it acquired a 50-acre piece of land in southwest suburban Will County needed for a massive infrastructure project aimed at keeping the invasive carp fish from entering Lake Michigan. Read the full story by WFQX-TV – Chicago, IL.
Great Lakes Commission
https://www.glc.org/dailynews/20250528-brandon-road
A new study by researchers at the University of Michigan concluded that the Great Lakes region has officially entered a new climate era with stronger climate extremes now the norm. Read the full story by Milwaukee Journal Sentinel.
Great Lakes Commission
https://www.glc.org/dailynews/20250528-new-climate-era
With an underwater drone named Rhody, archaeologists are mapping some of the dozens of sunken vessels in Lake Ontario. Read the full story by The New York Times.
Great Lakes Commission
https://www.glc.org/dailynews/20250528-shipwrecks
From clothes to food packaging, microplastics are entering the Great Lakes. Effective monitoring and policy solutions will likely be the key to tackling this issue. Read the full story by Great Lakes Now.
Great Lakes Commission
https://www.glc.org/dailynews/20250528-microplastics
Chief Blackstone is a legendary figure in Great Lakes history due to his staunch resistance to mining and missionaries — both direct threats to Ojibwe-Anishinaabe way of life. Read the full story by Great Lakes Now.
Great Lakes Commission
https://www.glc.org/dailynews/20250528-chief-blackstone
The water levels in the Great Lakes are continuing their seasonal rise going into the summer months. Read the full story by the Erie-Times News.
Great Lakes Commission
https://www.glc.org/dailynews/20250528-water-levels
A Great Lakes Observing System buoy is anchored in Lake Erie in the summer months about six miles off Dunkirk Harbor, New York. The buoy provides critical data such as water characteristics, wind, waves, water flow patterns, and more. Read the full story by The Post Journal.
Great Lakes Commission
https://www.glc.org/dailynews/20250528-bouy
Researchers looking to understand raptor migration and breeding habits are set up near the Straits of Mackinac because the waterway is a major crossing for birds of prey. Read the full story by Bridge Michigan.
Great Lakes Commission
https://www.glc.org/dailynews/20250528-mackinac-straits-hawks
