After months of deliberation and planning, Traverse City, Michigan, commissioners approved the plan for the Traverse City FishPass. Read the full story by WWTV–TV – Traverse City, MI.
Great Lakes Commission
https://www.glc.org/dailynews/20200616-fishpass
The U.S. Air Force says it plans to increase the amount of fluorochemical contamination that’s being removed from the groundwater at its former base in Oscoda after Michigan congressional delegates pushed for accelerated stopgap cleanup measures. Read the full story by MLive.
Great Lakes Commission
https://www.glc.org/dailynews/20200616-base-cleanup
Rising water levels continue to be a big concern across the state of Michigan, including in Metro Detroit. Read the full story by WDIV–TV – Detroit, MI.
Great Lakes Commission
https://www.glc.org/dailynews/20200616-flooding
One of the U.S. Navy’s newest littoral combat ships is slated to be commissioned in Duluth, Minnesota, in the spring of next year. The USS Minneapolis St. Paul is expected to be one of the swiftest in the federal fleet. Read the full story by the Duluth News Tribune.
Great Lakes Commission
https://www.glc.org/dailynews/20200616-ship-commission
For decades, supporters of cleaner water have been working to rid the Cuyahoga River of its dams, which impede the flow of water. Restoring that flow is improving water quality and providing new opportunities for wildlife and recreation on the Ohio river. Read the full story by WKSU – Kent, OH.
Great Lakes Commission
https://www.glc.org/dailynews/20200616-cuyahoga-dams
One of the most interesting and popular water excursions during the late 19th century took place in Monroe, Michigan, on Lake Erie at the Monroe Piers, where the Newsboy Tour Boat operated. Read the full story by the Monroe News.
Great Lakes Commission
https://www.glc.org/dailynews/20200616-erie-tours
High Lake Michigan water levels are making a trip to the beach a bit more challenging. Experts say records are being set for the time of year, and there may be more to come. Read the full story by WLUK–TV – Green Bay, WI.
Great Lakes Commission
https://www.glc.org/dailynews/20200616-lakeshore-beach
It’s now looking like Lake Erie might not break its record high water level from last year, but any bad storm could still cause erosion and flood damage. Read the full story by CBET-DT – Windsor, ON.
Great Lakes Commission
https://www.glc.org/dailynews/20200615-erie-shoreline-damage
When historic floods breached two mid-Michigan dams in May, emptying Wixom Lake and Sanford Lake, a Central Michigan University researcher saw a consequence few others might have considered: the loss of water-filtering mussels by the tens of thousands. Read the full story by Morning Sun.
Great Lakes Commission
https://www.glc.org/dailynews/20200615-mussels
The Michigan Department of Environment, Great Lakes, and Energy (EGLE) and its partners on the High Water Action Team warn those who recreate on the water to watch out for debris in lakes or rivers or along the shores due to the high water levels. Read the full story by WZZM-TV – Muskegon, MI.
Great Lakes Commission
https://www.glc.org/dailynews/20200615-debris-in-water
Records continue to be broken on the Great Lakes in 2020, with connected lakes Michigan and Huron, Lake Erie and non-Great Lake St. Clair all setting their all-time highs in May. Read the full story by Detroit Free Press.
Great Lakes Commission
https://www.glc.org/dailynews/20200615-water-levels
The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency’s reestablished Great Lakes Advisory Board, which was first established in 2012 by the EPA to ensure “transparent, credible and diverse views in guiding the Great Lakes Restoration Initiative’s investments,” will be co-chaired by a Northeast Ohio-area leader. Read the full story by The Morning Journal.
Great Lakes Commission
https://www.glc.org/dailynews/20200615-great-lakes-advisory-board
Stormwater runoff and sewage overflow issues after heavy rains this week have caused problems at some popular beach spots across Michigan, closing at least 17 beaches across the state. Read the full story by MLive.
Great Lakes Commission
https://www.glc.org/dailynews/20200615-beach-closures
Record high water levels on three Great Lakes upstream of Niagara Falls mean water is barreling over the Falls right now. Read the full story by MLive.
Great Lakes Commission
https://www.glc.org/dailynews/20200615-niagara-falls
As PolyMet’s proposed copper mine, NorthMet, has moved forward, Minnesota tribal communities and environmental advocacy groups who have long grappled with the problems caused by taconite mining are now arguing against a copper-nickel project that could be even more damaging. Read the full story by Great Lakes Now.
Great Lakes Commission
https://www.glc.org/dailynews/20200615-copper-nickel-mine
The popular car ferry, which makes a four-hour trip from Manitowoc to Ludington, Michigan, and back throughout the summer months, already delayed its 2020 season by about a month because of shelter-at-home orders in both Wisconsin and Michigan to avoid the spread of the virus. Read the full story by the Herald Tribune.
Great Lakes Commission
https://www.glc.org/dailynews/20200615-ferry
Dredging will continue to be the way Oman’s Creek, in Michigan’s Gogebic County, is kept open to Lake Superior after the Michigan Department of Natural Resources announced it was no longer pursuing a project to construct a groin east of the creek’s mouth. Read the full story by Your Daily Globe.
Great Lakes Commission
https://www.glc.org/dailynews/20200615-oman-creek
As the state loosens restrictions, there are many adjustments and considerations being made for New York’s Erie County parks. Read the full story by The Buffalo News.
Great Lakes Commission
https://www.glc.org/dailynews/20200612-erie-parks
A large section of Mackinac Island’s M-185 highway that rings the island has been closed to all traffic – humans and horses alike – as the state of Michigan transportation officials map out a plan for $1.4 million in emergency repairs due to high-water damages. Read the full story by MLive.
Great Lakes Commission
https://www.glc.org/dailynews/20200612-mackinac-repair
Toronto, Ontario, beaches have been open throughout the COVID-19 pandemic, but lifeguards have not been in place and the public has been strongly advised not to swim. Read the full story by Narcity.
Great Lakes Commission
https://www.glc.org/dailynews/20200612-toronto
As Niagara County, New York, prepares for phase three of Gov. Andrew Cuomo’s “New York Forward” reopening process, the tourism sector is still waiting answers, dates and procedures for reopening. Read the full story by Niagara-Wheatfield Tribune.
Great Lakes Commission
https://www.glc.org/dailynews/20200612-niagara
The annual Bayview Mackinac sailboat race along Lake Huron will be held next month, despite cancellations of other events due to the coronavirus pandemic. Read the full story by The Associated Press.
Great Lakes Commission
https://www.glc.org/dailynews/20200612-sailboat-race
The Michigan Department of Environment, Great Lakes and Energy continues to test for PFAS in Pellston-area wells. Testing began earlier this year but was stalled amid the COVID-19 pandemic. Read the full story by the Petoskey News-Review.
Great Lakes Commission
https://www.glc.org/dailynews/20200612-pfas
Three Great Lakes and Lake St. Clair set record high water levels in May. The forecast shows an all-time high water mark is possible mid-summer. Read the full story by MLive.
Great Lakes Commission
https://www.glc.org/dailynews/20200612-high-water
This week, U.S. Senator Ron Johnson (R-Wisconsin) introduced a bipartisan amendment that would delist the gray wolf in the Western Great Lakes region, including Wisconsin, under the Endangered Species Act of 1973. Read the full story by WKOW – TV – Madison, WI.
Great Lakes Commission
https://www.glc.org/dailynews/20200612-gray-wolf
The Michigan Court of Appeals ruled Thursday that legislators did not violate the state constitution by allowing construction of an oil pipeline tunnel beneath a channel linking two of the Great Lakes, clearing the way for the project to proceed unless another court intervenes. Read the full story by The Associated Press.
Great Lakes Commission
https://www.glc.org/dailynews/20200612-line5
The board of the Great Lakes and St. Lawrence Cities Initiative unanimously voted Sheboygan, Wisconsin, Mayor Mike Vandersteen to serve as chairman of the group and lead the coalition of 85 mayors in the U.S. and Canada to collectively address Great Lakes challenges. Read the full story by the Sheboygan Press.
Great Lakes Commission
https://www.glc.org/dailynews/20200611-glslci
Pelee Island in Lake Erie remains unusually quiet this summer as the U.S. and Canadian border remains closed during the coronavirus pandemic. The ferry that typically sails between Ohio and the Canadian island remains closed until at least June 21st. Read the full story by the Cleveland Plain Dealer.
Great Lakes Commission
https://www.glc.org/dailynews/20200610-dead-fish
The recently released State of the Great Lake report published by the US EPA and Environment and Climate Change Canada described the overall condition of the Great Lakes as “fair and unchanging”. Advocates for the Great Lakes note that regulatory rollbacks protections for wetlands and on water quality standards threaten to degrade the Great Lakes and erode progress. Read the full story by Great Lakes Now.
Great Lakes Commission
https://www.glc.org/dailynews/20200611-SOGL
The Great Lakes and St. Lawrence Collaborative wants $2.2 billion from the Canadian federal government to fund clean-up and pollution prevent efforts along the Great Lakes and St. Lawrence region. Read the full story by the Blackburn News.
Great Lakes Commission
https://www.glc.org/dailynews/20200611-glsl-collaborative
The annual Bayview Port Huron to Mackinaw Island sailboat race on Lake Huron will be held next month, despite cancellations of other events due to the coronavirus pandemic. Read the full story by the Associated Press.
Great Lakes Commission
https://www.glc.org/dailynews/20200611-huron-mackinaw
The US Army Corps of Engineers predicted that Michigan-Huron will be 2 inches to 5 inches above record-high levels through August and near its record high in September, and will then recede to 7 inches to 9 inches below their record highs in October and November. Read the full story by The Voice News.
Great Lakes Commission
https://www.glc.org/dailynews/20200611-usace
Lake and river trash cleanup efforts in West Michigan are adapting in the wake of high-water levels and the coronavirus pandemic. The water levels affect the location of waterfront cleanups and threaten the safety of pick-up efforts, while the pandemic has forced organizers to reschedule cleanups and rework the trash pick-up process. Read the full story by Rapid Growth Media.
Great Lakes Commission
https://www.glc.org/dailynews/20200611-clean-ups
In another blow to the Great Lakes tourism industry, Victory Cruise Lines announced that it will not sail cruise vessels throughout the Great Lakes region this year. Read the full story by WKFR – Radio – Battle Creek, MI.
Great Lakes Commission
https://www.glc.org/dailynews/20200611-cruise
Traverse City, Michigan, recently started its weekly testing of all the waters at the city’s beaches this week to monitor the safety of water for swimming. Read the full story by the Traverse City Record Eagle.
Great Lakes Commission
https://www.glc.org/dailynews/20200611-traverse-testing
Lake Erie’s provides recreation for residents and tourists that supports thousands of jobs in the Erie, Pennsylvania area. To support revitalization efforts in the area that is sustainable and helps Lake Erie, decision-makers need to have more holistic conversations about projects that impact the Erie waterfront. Read the full story by the Record Herald.
Great Lakes Commission
https://www.glc.org/dailynews/20200611-erie-water-resource
Thousands of dead fish are washing up along the southern shore of Lake Erie, but experts say the phenomenon shouldn’t concern people. ODNR said it has taken reports and studied every possible explanation, and determined there is nothing for Ohioans to worry about. Read the full story by WJW-TV- Cleveland, OH.
Great Lakes Commission
https://www.glc.org/dailynews/20200610-dead-fish
The Institute of Water Research through Michigan State University has received a $1 million grant from the Environmental Protection Agency to help reduce agricultural field runoff in the Saginaw River watershed through farmer-led outreach and education. Read the full story by WLNS-TV-East Lansing, MI.
Great Lakes Commission
https://www.glc.org/dailynews/20200610-water-quality
Enbridge has produced legally acceptable plans for dealing with a potential spill from oil pipelines that cross a Michigan channel linking two of the Great Lakes, according to a federal appeals court. Read the full story by the Associated Press.
Great Lakes Commission
https://www.glc.org/dailynews/20200610-spill-plans
Manitou Island Transit ferry services will not operate this season because of dock conditions on both North and South Manitou islands. Read the full story by the Traverse City Record-Eagle.
Great Lakes Commission
https://www.glc.org/dailynews/20200610-ferry-service
A recent study finds bighead and silver carp – two invasive fish collectively known as bigheaded carp – are capable of surviving and establishing itself in Michigan’s Saginaw Bay. Read the full story by WJBK-TV- Detroit, MI.
Great Lakes Commission
https://www.glc.org/dailynews/20200610-asian-carp
Due to safety concerns, a large storage bin built in the 1920s out in Lake Huron near Tawas, Michigan is set to be demolished this summer. Read the full story by MLive.
Great Lakes Commission
https://www.glc.org/dailynews/20200610-gypsum-bin
As national parks nationwide grapple with when and how to safely welcome the public during a socially distanced summer, Lake Superior’s Isle Royale National Park has rolled out the latest update in its phased opening for the 2020 season. Read the full story by MLive.
Great Lakes Commission
https://www.glc.org/dailynews/20200610-Isle-Royale
Steel production has plunged by 16.9% for the year, while steel capacity utilization is down 26 percentage points as compared to the same time last year, largely as a result of the coronavirus pandemic. Read the full story by the Northwest Indiana Times.
Great Lakes Commission
https://www.glc.org/dailynews/20200610-steel-production
Previously shut out of the Canadian federal government’s plan to rebuild its Navy and Coast Guard fleets, Heddle Shipyards now has a chance at gaining work in the multibillion-dollar project having reached a deal with British Columbia-based Seaspan Shipyards that could bring long-term work to the company’s Port Weller dry docks as well as its yards in Hamilton and Thunder Bay. Read the full story by the St. Catharines Standard.
Great Lakes Commission
https://www.glc.org/dailynews/20200610-shipyard
A humpback whale that stole the hearts of Montrealers when it spent time in one of the city’s ports – far from its natural habitat – was found dead in the St. Lawrence River. Read the full story by MLive.
Great Lakes Commission
https://www.glc.org/dailynews/20200610-whale
Michigan Department of Natural Resources conservation officers recently confiscated over 2,000 pounds of live red swamp crayfish being smuggled across the United States-Canada international border, making this the largest aquatic invasive species seizure by the MDNR. Read the full story by The Toledo Blade.
Great Lakes Commission
https://www.glc.org/dailynews/20200609-crayfish
The Oakland County Board of Commissioners are requesting that all county-owned dams undergo more frequent in-depth inspections, rather than once every three years as required by the State of Michigan. Read the full story by The Oakland Press.
Great Lakes Commission
https://www.glc.org/dailynews/20200609-inspection
Every June, hundreds of billions of mayflies come out of Lake Erie. The mayflies are still on the bottom of the lake, waiting for it to heat up enough for them to be able to come up through the water and hatch at the surface. Read the full story by WNWO-TV – Toledo, OH.
Great Lakes Commission
https://www.glc.org/dailynews/20200609-mayflies
Restrictions on pleasure craft traffic transiting St. Lawrence Seaway’s eight-lock Welland Canal and Lake Ontario-Montreal section are being eased and the locks will be open to recreational boating by next week. Read the full story by The Standard.
Great Lakes Commission
https://www.glc.org/dailynews/20200609-pleasure-craft
