The Michigan Department of Agriculture and Rural Development is asking Michiganders to keep an eye out for the spotted lanternfly, which can damage or kill more than 70 different types of crops and plants including grapes, apples, hops and hardwood trees. Read the full story by Great Lakes Echo.
Great Lakes Commission
https://www.glc.org/dailynews/20200701-invasive
In New York, a $1.06 million grant from the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, obtained by the Buffalo Urban Development Corp. in conjunction with the Great Lakes Commission, will cover engineering and design costs associated with shoreline restoration and aquatic habitat improvement in part of the Niagara River Area of Concern. Read the full story by The Buffalo News.
Great Lakes Commission
https://www.glc.org/dailynews/20200701-restoration
The Northeast Ohio Areawide Coordinating Agency clean water plan proposal aims to maintain water quality improvements, protect and restore water, and help manage stormwater runoff and sewage treatment systems across Cuyahoga, Geauga, Lake, Lorain and Medina counties. Read the full story by The Plain Dealer.
Great Lakes Commission
https://www.glc.org/dailynews/20200701-plan
Last August, over four tons of tires were removed from Mattson Lower Harbor in in a public underwater cleanup in Marquette, Michigan, and this year, the goal is to pick up all the remnant tires still anchoring at the bottom of Lake Superior. Read the full story by The Mining Journal.
Great Lakes Commission
https://www.glc.org/dailynews/20200701-underwater
Last December, the Michigan Department of Environment, Great Lakes, and Energy asked the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency for help with hexavalent chromium that seeped onto the shoulder of a Madison Heights highway. Work is being done to make sure the source of the contamination is cleaned up permanently. Read the full story by WDIV-TV – Detroit, MI.
Great Lakes Commission
https://www.glc.org/dailynews/20200701-cleanup
As part Michigan’s Aquatic Invasive Species Week, a Landing Blitz will occur at over 30 boat launches throughout the state to remind watercraft owners they should follow best practices and clean their boats, trailers, and equipment to help control the spread of invasive species. Read the full story by Cadillac News.
Great Lakes Commission
https://www.glc.org/dailynews/20200630-landing-blitz
$220 million in EPA federal funding will be used to provide safe drinking water to New York’s Upstate communities. Read the full story by WENY-TV – Elmira, NY.
Great Lakes Commission
https://www.glc.org/dailynews/20200630-water-infrastructure
Enbridge has still not determined how an anchor support holding up the eastern segment of the Line 5 pipeline was damaged; however, they are considering the possibility that a boat anchor caused the damage. Read the full story by Michigan Advance.
Great Lakes Commission
https://www.glc.org/dailynews/20200630-line-5-damage
On the eve of a major hearing in Michigan that could decide the fate of the Great Lakes region’s most controversial pipeline, Enbridge Line 5, Ohio Attorney General Dave Yost has asked the hearing’s judge to reopen the pipeline to avoid potential job loss. Read the full story by the Toledo Blade.
Great Lakes Commission
https://www.glc.org/dailynews/20200630-reopen-pipeline
Illinois’ Joliet City Council members last week showed mixed inclinations on whether they want the city to build its own water pipeline to Lake Michigan or let the city of Chicago build it. Read the full story by The Herald-News.
Great Lakes Commission
https://www.glc.org/dailynews/20200630-water-options
Tip of the Mitt Watershed Council and the Land Information Access Association in Petoskey, Michigan, are hosting a free virtual workshop on coastal dynamics and resilience planning that will provide a broad overview of coastal dynamics, resilience planning, and how changes in climate are impacting communities. Read the full story by the Cheboygan Daily Tribune.
Great Lakes Commission
https://www.glc.org/dailynews/20200630-coastal-resiliency
New York Sea Grant and H. Lee White Maritime Museum of Oswego, New York, have announced a Virtual Exhibit Experience that showcases New York State’s lighthouses, shipwrecks, naval military battles, and 100 years of freshwater boating. Read the full story by Oswego County Today.
Great Lakes Commission
https://www.glc.org/dailynews/20200630-maritime-heritage
A panel of technical experts was tasked with getting to the bottom of how the Edenville and Sanford dams in mid-Michigan failed and how this kind of catastrophe can be prevented in the future. However, confronting and solving the problems that led to this disaster requires more than a panel of experts. Read the full story by the Detroit Free Press.
Great Lakes Commission
https://www.glc.org/dailynews/20200630-dam-experts-panel
The heat may cause lake goers to see mirages on Lake Michigan this week. Mirages over Lake Michigan typically appear upside down and above the horizon and are known as “superior” mirages. Read the full story by WOOD-TV – Grand Rapids, MI.
Great Lakes Commission
https://www.glc.org/dailynews/20200630-mirages
The Wisconsin Department of Natural Resources reported that the number of fishing licenses sold to residents has increased by nearly 100,000 this year compared to last year as fishing has been considered a safe activity during the COVID-19 pandemic. Read the full story by WSAW-TV – Mosinee, WI.
Great Lakes Commission
https://www.glc.org/dailynews/20200630-fishing-licenses+
In response to widespread interest in the upcoming public hearing on Enbridge Energy’s proposed relocation of the Line 5 pipeline in Ashland, Bayfield, and Iron counties, the Wisconsin Department of Natural Resources is hosting a virtual public hearing on Wednesday, July 1. Read the full story by the Spooner Advocate.
Great Lakes Commission
https://www.glc.org/dailynews/20200629-line-relocation
As Chicago moves into another phase of reopening, two federally endangered shorebirds are entering their own new phase of trying to save their species. Read the full story by the Chicago Tribune.
Great Lakes Commission
https://www.glc.org/dailynews/20200629-plovers
After years of sleuthing, a descendent of a ship’s mate on the Hartford, found the final resting place of the boat at Sandy Island Beach State Park in New York. Read the full story by Watertown Daily News.
Great Lakes Commission
https://www.glc.org/dailynews/20200629-ship-remains
Registrations are being accepted to take part in a free public webinar July 9 to discuss the forecast for harmful algae blooms on western Lake Erie this summer. Read the full story by The Monroe News.
Great Lakes Commission
https://www.glc.org/dailynews/20200629-Erie-algae
Even before last month’s momentous flooding event that struck Midland County after the failure of the Edenville Dam, the owner of the dam system had feuded with the State of Michigan for years over how to regulate the Tittabawassee River ecosystem. Read the full story by the Midland Daily News.
Great Lakes Commission
https://www.glc.org/dailynews/20200629-dam-owners
The company that operates Morrow Dam near Comstock, Michigan faces a state investigation for letting large amounts of sediment wash into the Kalamazoo River, endangering fish habitats and possibly kicking up contaminants. Read and listen to the full story by WMUK- Kalamazoo, MI.
Great Lakes Commission
https://www.glc.org/dailynews/20200629-dam-polluting
Summers in Huron County, Michigan bring plenty of locals and tourists to the waterside. Not just for beaches and boating, but for learning about the history of the Great Lakes through lighthouses. Read the full story by the Huron Daily Tribune.
Great Lakes Commission
https://www.glc.org/dailynews/20200629-lighthouses
Novel coronavirus has been dominating the headlines in the early part of 2020. But a few recent stories — with no connection to COVID-19 — reminded us that the Great Lakes are vital natural resources that must be regularly monitored and evaluated. Read the full story by The News-Herald.
Great Lakes Commission
https://www.glc.org/dailynews/20200629-monitor-evaluate
With admissions expected to take a six-figure hit this year, the National Museum of the Great Lakes is relying substantially on fundraising events to stay afloat. Read the full story by the Toledo Blade.
Great Lakes Commission
https://www.glc.org/dailynews/20200629-freighter-raffle
Officials and volunteers are raising awareness about aquatic invasive species at events in eight states, including Michigan, and two Canadian provinces. Read the full story by WLNS-TV- Lansing, MI.
Great Lakes Commission
https://www.glc.org/dailynews/20200629-boaters
While aquatic invasive species have already cost Great Lakes governments and industries tens of billions of dollars in recent decades, the push to identify, stop, mitigate and/or eliminate them is a constant battle that often involves obscure species we don’t really hear much about. Read the full story by Great Lakes Now.
Great Lakes Commission
https://www.glc.org/dailynews/20200626-invasives
Fish biologists from the U.S. Fish & Wildlife Service are performing sea lamprey surveys in the upper peninsula of Michigan. Read the full story by WLUC – TV – Marquette, MI
Great Lakes Commission
https://www.glc.org/dailynews/20200626-lamprey
Residents are resorting to temporary, low-cost, seawalls to reduce shoreline erosion in Michigan. Read the full story by the White Lake Beacon.
Great Lakes Commission
https://www.glc.org/dailynews/20200626-erosion
Fish Biologist Chris Freiburger reflects on a species of panfish that has become widely distributed in the lakes of southern Michigan. Read the full story by the Traverse City Record Eagle.
Great Lakes Commission
https://www.glc.org/dailynews/20200626-redear-fishing
Wisconsin regulators have allowed a Canadian pipeline company to put a hold on its request for the authority to take private land in order to reroute an oil pipeline around a Native American reservation in northern Wisconsin. Read the full story by the Wisconsin State Journal.
Great Lakes Commission
https://www.glc.org/dailynews/20200626-enbridge
Department of Iron Range Resources and Rehabilitation Commissioner Mark Phillips approved a $250,000 grant to the Fond du Lac Band of Lake Superior Chippewa for a new water source, tower and treatment plant, two weeks after the agency’s advisory board urged him to table the grant because the band was “anti-mining.” Read the full story by the Duluth News Tribune.
Great Lakes Commission
https://www.glc.org/dailynews/20200626-fond-du-lac
The Lambton, Ontario public health agency began water quality monitoring at several public beaches on Lake Huron this week when they opened to the public with the easing of pandemic restrictions. Read the full story by Sarnia This Week.
Great Lakes Commission
https://www.glc.org/dailynews/20200626-huron-monitoring
The National Oceanic and Atmospheric Association projects a smaller toxic algae bloom on Lake Erie this year as compared with 2019. Read and listen to the full story by WCBE – Columbus, OH.
Great Lakes Commission
https://www.glc.org/dailynews/20200626-erie-habs
Two Oswego, New York marinas will remain shut for the next 12 months as part of a $16 million waterfront improvement effort that combines a trio of projects at Breitbeck Park, Wright’s Landing and the International Pier. Read the full story by Syracuse.com.
Great Lakes Commission
https://www.glc.org/dailynews/20200626-oswego-marinas
Friends of Keewatin marketing and communications manager Wayne Coombes has penned a letter to Tay Township Mayor Ted Walker urging the township to help keep the ship in its home port of Port McNicholl, Ontario before it’s too late. Coombes said there’s an “imminent risk” Skyline Investments, which owns the Edwardian-era vessel, could soon move it to a museum in Kingston. Read the full story by Barrie Today.
Great Lakes Commission
https://www.glc.org/dailynews/20200626-keewatin
Because of high water levels on the Great Lakes, Pigeon Lake in Ottawa County, Michigan, has been designated as “slow, no wake” for boaters to prevent shoreline erosion. Read the full story by MLive.
Great Lakes Commission
https://www.glc.org/dailynews/20200625-wake
Former Michigan Governor Rick Snyder will be questioned under oath on June 25 about the Flint water scandal. The deposition is focused on what his administration knew, and what was done — or not done — to protect people in Flint from the toxic water. Read the full story by WXYZ-TV – Detroit, MI.
Great Lakes Commission
https://www.glc.org/dailynews/20200625-flint
High groundwater and floodwater infiltration into sewer lines are overwhelming sewer systems in Muskegon, Michigan. Read the full story by MLive.
Great Lakes Commission
https://www.glc.org/dailynews/20200625-sewer
After a call to a poacher hotline, multiple Ohio state agencies are investigating anglers from Tennessee and Florida who may have exceeded state take limits on walleye set in place to protect the fish population in the Ohio waters of Lake Erie. Read the full story by The Plain Dealer.
Great Lakes Commission
https://www.glc.org/dailynews/20200625-walleye
Leaders in Gladwin County, Michigan, are asking their community to take part in a ‘call to action’ after last month’s devastating flood throughout Mid-Michigan. Read the full story by WNEM-TV – Saginaw, MI.
Great Lakes Commission
https://www.glc.org/dailynews/20200625-floods
Park Ridge, Illinois, has extended its agreement with the city of Chicago to contract for Lake Michigan water through the Chicago filtration system through Dec. 31, 2029, a 10-year contract. Read the full story by Journal & Topics.
Great Lakes Commission
https://www.glc.org/dailynews/20200625-water
Safety experts say it makes no sense to reopen museums and movie theaters in Chicago, but keep beaches closed. Without lifeguards on duty to watch over those who choose to swim in Lake Michigan, experts are worried it could be a recipe for disaster. Read the full story by WLS-TV – Chicago, IL.
Great Lakes Commission
https://www.glc.org/dailynews/20200625-beaches
There may funding available for major infrastructure projects around Western New York as part of a $1.5 trillion federal legislative package that is slated to be introduced within days. Read the full story by WBFO-TV – Buffalo, NY.
Great Lakes Commission
https://www.glc.org/dailynews/20200625-infrastructure
The Port of Monroe in Michigan is in the midst of handling one of its largest cargo endeavors, as the port has become a congregation and distribution hub for wind tower segments. Read the full story by the Ionia Sentinel-Standard.
Great Lakes Commission
https://www.glc.org/dailynews/20200625-port
A resolution adopted by the Michigan House of Representatives supports the construction of a tunnel under the Straits of Mackinac to support Line 5. Read the full story by WLUC-TV – Lansing, MI.
Great Lakes Commission
https://www.glc.org/dailynews/20200625-tunnel
The Council from Tiny Township, Ontario, unanimously approved a motion demanding upper levels of government push for action to manage high-water levels in Lakes Huron and Michigan. Read the full story by OrilliaMatters.com
Great Lakes Commission
https://www.glc.org/dailynews/20200624-high-water-Ontario
During a summer recreation season already hampered by pandemic-related delays and restrictions, many of Michigan’s state parks are now wrestling with another force of nature: historically high water along the Great Lakes that is reshaping shorelines, eroding beaches, submerging docks and piers, and rendering roads and trails inaccessible. Read the full story by MLive.
Great Lakes Commission
https://www.glc.org/dailynews/20200624-high-water-michigan
The pavilion at Orchard Beach State Park in Manistee, Michigan, is expected to be moved to a picnic area within the park this fall due to threat from Lake Michigan erosion at a cost of about $1.5 million. Read the full story by MLive.
Great Lakes Commission
https://www.glc.org/dailynews/20200624-historic-building-erosion
On Tuesday, a joint Michigan senate committee heard from the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission about its role with the dams that failed in Midland County and caused catastrophic flooding. Read the full story by WEYI – TV – Flint, MI.
Great Lakes Commission
https://www.glc.org/dailynews/20200624-senate-dam-failure
$850,000 in provincial funding was allotted to the Invasive Species Centre in Sault Ste. Marie for developing new measures to prevent and manage invasive species infiltrating Canada’s natural ecosystems Read the full story by Northern Ontario Business.
Great Lakes Commission
https://www.glc.org/dailynews/20200624-invasives-ontario
