Five Michigan congressional members signed a letter Wednesday pressing President Joe Biden to stop Enbridge’s Line 5, an oil pipeline, from being potentially shut down in May. Read the full story by MLive.
Great Lakes Commission
https://www.glc.org/dailynews/20210311-line5
2021 Wisconsin Water Week is a conference meant to bring river and lake lovers from all over Wisconsin together to share research, educational strategies and new ideas about how to care for the water of the state. Read and listen to the full story by Wisconsin Public Radio.
Great Lakes Commission
https://www.glc.org/dailynews/20210311-wisconsin-water-week
The SS Badger will carry passengers and cargo in the Great Lakes from May 20 through Oct. 10 this year and will run at a full 600-person capacity. Read the full story by Manitowoc Herald Times.
Great Lakes Commission
https://www.glc.org/dailynews/20210311-ss-badger
Step one in prepping for the 2021 shipping season in the Twin Ports started Wednesday as the U.S. Coast Guard broke up ice with the cutter Alder. Read the full story by KBJR-TV- Duluth, MN.
Great Lakes Commission
https://www.glc.org/dailynews/20210311-coast-guard
The Stannard Rock Lighthouse, located 25 miles from the shore of Marquette in Michigan’s upper peninsula, has the longest distance separating a lighthouse from shore on the continent. Read the full story by WKFR – Kalamazoo, MI.
Great Lakes Commission
https://www.glc.org/dailynews/20210311-loneliest-place
The Ohio Lake Erie Commission and Ohio Environmental Protection Agency are seeking public comments on the proposed removal of a beneficial use impairment within the Cuyahoga River Area of Concern. Read the full story by the Akron Beacon Journal.
Great Lakes Commission
https://www.glc.org/dailynews/20210311-cuyahoga-river
After three years of extraordinarily high levels on Lake Ontario that flooded properties and marinas, residents are hoping for some normal this year. Read the full story by The Syracuse Post-Standard.
Great Lakes Commission
https://www.glc.org/dailynews/20210311-lake-ontario
American infrastructure that manages water for drinking, agriculture, transportation, and flood control faces a mounting backlog of maintenance needs, witnesses and members of a congressional subcommittee chaired by Ohio U.S. Rep. Marcy Kaptur (D., Toledo) said during a two-hour online hearing Wednesday. Read the full story by the Toledo Blade.
Great Lakes Commission
https://www.glc.org/dailynews/20210311-kaptur
The Aamjiwnaang First Nation in Canada suffers from high exposure to toxic contaminants from nearby chemical plants in Sarnia, Ontario. Members are fighting for policy changes to overcome shortcomings in Canadian toxic chemical regulations that have failed to protect indigenous community members. Read the full story by the Anishinabek News.
Great Lakes Commission
https://www.glc.org/dailynews/20210310-gaps
The presence of the nesting piping plover pair in Chicago, Illinois, is the culmination of an environmental success story that began 20 years ago when a plant called lakeshore rush took hold on Montrose Beach. The Chicago Park District stopped grooming that section of beach to protect the rush and something remarkable happened; other rare plants emerged from the sand and began to spread. Read the full story by The Chicago Sun Times.
Great Lakes Commission
https://www.glc.org/dailynews/20210310-plover
A northern Michigan organization is hosting community trash pick-up events to raise awareness and inspire action to care for the Great Lakes. Read the full story by WBKB-TV – Thunder Bay, MI.
Great Lakes Commission
https://www.glc.org/dailynews/20210310-cleanup
A northern Michigan organization is hosting community trash pick-up events to raise awareness and inspire action to care for the Great Lakes. Read the full story by WBKB-TV – Thunder Bay, MI.
Great Lakes Commission
https://www.glc.org/dailynews/20210310-cleanup
A recent letter to President Joe Biden from environmental and tribal groups argues the Line 3 pipeline was “inappropriately permitted” by the Trump Administration and is demanding that he shut down the pipeline by revoking Line 3’s presidential permit. Read the full story by Green Matters.
Great Lakes Commission
https://www.glc.org/dailynews/20210310-line-3
Experts attribute the Detroit River’s increasingly clear waters to clean up and remediation efforts along the river that have improved water quality. Read the full story by CBC News.
Great Lakes Commission
https://www.glc.org/dailynews/20210310-detroit-river
A new study by the Nature Conservancy of Canada has designated southwestern Ontario as one of nine regions of Canada whose biodiversity is most in need of protection. Decades of intensive farming and population growth have eroded the region’s natural areas and shrunk habitats for already at-risk wildlife. Read the full story by The Brantford Expositor.
Great Lakes Commission
https://www.glc.org/dailynews/20210310-ecoregion
The discovery of invasive zebra mussels nestled in balls of moss in multiple pet stores across the country has wildlife officials scrambling to contain what could be a new destructive breach in the nation’s decades old fight to control the mussels. Read the full story by WLRN – Miami, FL.
Great Lakes Commission
https://www.glc.org/dailynews/20210310-moss-balls
A federal judge approved the Environmental Protection Agency’s proposal to study potential effects of PolyMet’s copper-nickel mine in Minnesota on the downstream Fond du Lac Band of Lake Superior Chippewa. Read the full story by the Duluth News Tribune.
Great Lakes Commission
https://www.glc.org/dailynews/20210310-polymet
Voluntary agricultural conservation programs have failed to effectively reduce fertilizer run-off that fuels Lake Erie’s toxic algal blooms, leading many environmental groups to advocate for compulsory regulations to better protect the lakes. Read the full story by Great Lakes Now.
Great Lakes Commission
https://www.glc.org/dailynews/20210310-runoff
New computer simulation technology enables scientists to study how toxic chemicals harm walleye populations in Lake Erie. These simulations improve expert’s ability to clean up contaminants and to protect walleye. Read the full story by Great Lakes Echo.
Great Lakes Commission
https://www.glc.org/dailynews/20210310-walleye
Scientists are studying the implications of decreased ice coverage and warmer water temperatures on Lake Superior. Once considered pristine, Lake Superior’s ecosystem is sensitive to small temperature changes that could increase the occurrence of harmful algal blooms on the lake and impact the regional economy. Read the full story by Great Lakes Now.
Great Lakes Commission
https://www.glc.org/dailynews/20210310-winter
Swimming from Toronto’s downtown waterfront — a health-risking feat a generation ago — could be part of a redeveloped “Parliament Slip” project that would also feature kayaking, a floating restaurant and more. Read the full story by the Toronto Star.
Great Lakes Commission
https://www.glc.org/dailynews/20210309-waterfront-toronto
In 2018, Eat the Fish launched and began selling mostly locally harvested fish. The COVID-19 pandemic dealt a major blow to the Eat the Fish business plan. Now the business is trying a community supported fishery. Read the full story by CBC.
Great Lakes Commission
https://www.glc.org/dailynews/20210309-eat-fish
The city of Sandusky may have some lessons to help future redevelopment of Lorain, Ohio. The goal was to see examples that could guide planning efforts for Lorain’s waterfront and potentially moving City Hall. Read the full story by the Morning Journal.
Great Lakes Commission
https://www.glc.org/dailynews/20210309-lorain-development
Tourists have been flocking to the Straits of Mackinac, where tons of blue ice chunks have been stacking up along the shoreline. This is a phenomenon that doesn’t happen every year but isn’t completely new to the Straits. Read the full story by WOOD-TV- Grand Rapids, MI.
Great Lakes Commission
https://www.glc.org/dailynews/20210309-blue-ice
A Kalamazoo River expert said his measurements show the total amount of sediment build up in the Kalamazoo River may be much worse than estimates reported by the owner of the Morrow Dam. Read the full story by WWMT-TV- Kalamazoo, MI.
Great Lakes Commission
https://www.glc.org/dailynews/20210309-sediment
For over two decades, the Thousand Islands Land Trust has been focused on land and water preservation in the Crooked Creek watershed between Alexandria Bay and Chippewa Bay. These areas are one of the Thousand Islands’ most ecologically important landscapes. Read the full story by NNY Living.
Great Lakes Commission
https://www.glc.org/dailynews/20210309-land-trust
It was bound to happen: The snow is finally melting. But with that snow, the trash beneath is revealed. Now begins the effort to clean up the trash before it makes its way into local waterways. Read the full story by WTMJ-TV- Milwaukee, WI.
Great Lakes Commission
https://www.glc.org/dailynews/20210309-street-sweep
The Canadian government is making waves again about Michigan Governor Gretchen Whitmer’s attempt to shut down Line 5, but this time the saber rattling is coming from a cabinet member of Prime Minister Justin Trudeau’s administration. Read the full story by The Detroit News.
Great Lakes Commission
https://www.glc.org/dailynews/20210309-line-5
Thanks to a spongy M&M-like technology, contaminated soil in the Detroit River downstream of the MacArthur Bridge has been contained. Read the full story by the Great Lakes Echo.
Great Lakes Commission
https://www.glc.org/dailynews/20210309-detroit-contaminants
The Village of Somers in Kenosha County, Wisconsin submitted an application for a water diversion to the Wisconsin Department of Natural Resources last month as part of compliance with the Great Lakes Compact. Read the full story by Wisconsin Public Radio.
Great Lakes Commission
https://www.glc.org/dailynews/20210309-water-draw
Dozens of bird watchers flocked to the Ottawa National Wildlife Refuge to take advantage of the “bonus” Wildlife Drive opening this past weekend. The drive drew a steady stream of vehicles from the public throughout the daylight hours catching glimpses of migrating ducks and the lush natural wetlands off the western coast of Lake Erie. According to researchers, vehicle traffic has actually been found to be less intrusive to wildlife populations than people outside of their vehicles. Read the full story by Port Clinton News Herald.
Great Lakes Commission
https://www.glc.org/dailynews/20210308-bird-watching-refuge
The new campground is named as a nod to the many shipwrecks along that stretch of the Lake Superior shore. The campsite will have 46 sites with electric service, and a modern shower and bathroom facility, and includes a parking lot and access to numerous hiking and biking trails. Read the full story by MPR News.
Great Lakes Commission
https://www.glc.org/dailynews/20210308-campground
Michigan’s Indigenous people cite concerns over Canadian oil company Enbridge’s impending Line 5 pipeline tunnel project in the Mackinac Straits, due to potential uptick in rates of sexual violence and sex trafficking that has been documented following pipeline projects. Read the full story by Michigan Advance.
Great Lakes Commission
https://www.glc.org/dailynews/20210308-line-5-tribes
The United States Coast Guard will begin ice-breaking operations on the lower St. Marys River on Tuesday ahead of the opening of the Soo Locks on March 24th. Read the full story by SooToday.com
Great Lakes Commission
https://www.glc.org/dailynews/20210308-ice-breaking-shipping-season
The public has the opportunity to give its ideas on the final design concept for improvements at Lake Superior’s Eagle Harbor State Harbor, a designated state harbor of refuge, in Michigan’s Upper Peninsula in Keweenaw County. Read to the full story by The Associated Press.
Great Lakes Commission
https://www.glc.org/dailynews/20210308-michigan-harbor-plan
Wolf hunting policies in some states are taking an aggressive turn, as Republican lawmakers and conservative hunting groups push to curb their numbers and propose tactics shunned by many wildlife managers. In Wisconsin, just weeks after President Donald Trump’s administration lifted protections for wolves in the Great Lakes region, hunters using hounds and trappers blew past the state’s harvest goal and killed almost twice as many as planned. Read the full story by The Associated Press.
Great Lakes Commission
https://www.glc.org/dailynews/20210308-wolf-hunt
A Michigan fisheries order restored previous fishing restrictions such as net fishing depths of 150 feet in lakes Huron, Michigan and Superior, harvest of whitefish in Lake Erie, and restoration of the previous fishing season. Read the full story by Manistee News Advocate.
Great Lakes Commission
https://www.glc.org/dailynews/20210308-michigan-fish
A batch of aquarium products known as “moss balls” were contaminated with invasive zebra mussels before they were distributed to pet stores across the country. Read the full story by WPXI-TV – Pittsburgh, PA.
Great Lakes Commission
https://www.glc.org/dailynews/20210308-invasive-zebra-mussels-moss
Thirty years ago this week, the Line 3 pipeline in northern Minnesota ruptured, spilling 1.7 million gallons of crude oil onto a frozen river near Grand Rapids, Minnesota. If the river had not been frozen, the oil could have contaminated drinking water. Protests have been ongoing to stop construction rerouting a section of the Line 3 pipeline which could impact Indigenous communities and local waterways. View the full story by PBS NewsHour.
Great Lakes Commission
https://www.glc.org/dailynews/20210308-minnesota-line-3
Research shows that in some lakes invasive zebra mussels appeared to have a serious negative effect on walleyes because of increased water clarity. In other lakes, they seem to have had little or no effect on walleye populations and size structure. Read the full story by Superior Telegram.
Great Lakes Commission
https://www.glc.org/dailynews/20210308-invasive-mussels
In anticipation of large-scale community growth, the Village of Somers, Wisconsin, submitted a request to divert 1.2 million gallons of water per day from Lake Michigan. Because the village is partially located within the Great Lakes Basin, sign-off is only required from the Wisconsin Department of Natural Resources and not the governors of all states bordering the Great Lakes. Read the full story by Urban Milwaukee.
Great Lakes Commission
https://www.glc.org/dailynews/20210305-diversion
The EPA voluntarily requested to review if discharges from the proposed PolyMet copper-nickel mine in northern Minnesota “may affect” the downstream Fond du Lac Band of Lake Superior Chippewa. If the EPA finds PolyMet discharges would affect the Fond du Lac Band’s water, the band could object to PolyMet’s water permit and require the Army Corps to hold a hearing on the band’s objection. Read the full story by Pine Journal.
Great Lakes Commission
https://www.glc.org/dailynews/20210305-polymet-review
Canada’s natural resources minister vowed to fight Michigan’s efforts to close the Line 5 oil pipeline using every available diplomatic and legal tool, calling the continued operation of Line 5 “non-negotiable”. Read the full story by CBC News.
Great Lakes Commission
https://www.glc.org/dailynews/20210305-line5
A new study highlights investment opportunities for green infrastructure within Great Lakes cities that can support climate adaption and boost economic and employment opportunities. Read the full story by DBusiness.
Great Lakes Commission
https://www.glc.org/dailynews/20210305-gi-investments
President Joe Biden may be the key to settling the dispute over a Canadian-owned pipeline in Michigan, according to experts who study Canada-U.S. relations. Canada is actively exploring all options to stop the closure of Line 5, including invoking a 1977 treaty regarding oil transport between the U.S. and Canada. Read the full story by CBC News.
Great Lakes Commission
https://www.glc.org/dailynews/20210305-line5-diplomacy
When the Minnesota Pollution Control Agency approved the final permit for the Enbridge Line 3 pipeline project, environmental activists chained themselves to trees near the construction site, hoping to delay or even halt the project. It was the latest altercation in a more than century-long struggle that has come to define Minnesota’s very nature. Read the full story by Mpls.St.Paul Magazine.
Great Lakes Commission
https://www.glc.org/dailynews/20210305-mn-activism
Satellites detected volcanic plumes and sulfur dioxide clouds drifting over Lake Michigan this week from a recent eruption of Mt. Aetna in Italy. Read the full story by MLive.
Great Lakes Commission
https://www.glc.org/dailynews/20210305-volcanic-plume
The Michigan Department of Natural Resources is seeking volunteers to visit wetlands around the state this spring to help the agency survey frog and toad populations. Read the full story by MLive.
Great Lakes Commission
https://www.glc.org/dailynews/20210305-frog-study
A new understanding of how genes affect which fish can see deep in Lake Superior could help scientists seeking to support fish habitat restoration projects in the lake. Read the full story by Great Lakes Echo.
Great Lakes Commission
https://www.glc.org/dailynews/20210305-fish-vision
Those in West Michigan affected by PFAS contamination in their drinking water are encouraged to participate in a state study that seeks to learn more about the impact the PFAS contamination on residents’ health. Read the full story by MLive.
Great Lakes Commission
https://www.glc.org/dailynews/20210305-pfas-study
