In celebration of “Coastal Awareness Month,” the Wisconsin Department of Administration announced $1.3 million in Wisconsin Coastal Management Program grants for 35 coastal communities across the state. Read the full story by WTAQ – Green Bay, WI.
Great Lakes Commission
https://www.glc.org/dailynews/20250922-coastal-grants
The Trump administration is stepping into the legal fight over whether Enbridge can continue to operate an aging pipeline beneath a Great Lakes channel, arguing that Michigan Gov. Gretchen Whitmer interfered with U.S. foreign policy when she revoked the line’s easement almost five years ago. Read the full story by The Associated Press.
Great Lakes Commission
https://www.glc.org/dailynews/20250922-federal-intervention
The Freshwater Collaborative of Wisconsin, a partnership between Wisconsin’s 13 public universities, has announced its commitment to investing more than $4.2 million in funding to support water education and water research programs. The collaborative hopes the investment will boost Wisconsin’s water workforce for years to come. Read the full story by WTMJ-TV – Milwaukee, WI.
Great Lakes Commission
https://www.glc.org/dailynews/20250922-water-investment
Every dollar that the federal government directs to state environment departments enables the Great Lakes and every other region to steward natural resources, yielding many times the value of the federal contribution. State environment departments make the case that they merit more financial support, not less, and express concern over President Trump’s proposal to reduce the Environmental Protection Agency’s budget by 55%. Read the full story by Circle of Blue.
Great Lakes Commission
https://www.glc.org/dailynews/20250922-federal-funding
The Buffalo Sewer Authority has reached a settlement with the New York State Department of Environmental Conservation over past water quality violations, agreeing to pay a $20,000 penalty and invest at least $100,000 in improvements at Roosevelt Park in Buffalo, New York. Read the full story by WGRZ-TV – Buffalo, NY.
Great Lakes Commission
https://www.glc.org/dailynews/20250922-park-improvements
On Saturday, the Alliance for the Great Lakes hosted its Adopt-a-Beach event as part of an international coastal cleanup. Around 2,000 of those volunteers worked to clean up the Great Lakes. Read the full story by WDJT-TV – Milwaukee, WI.
Great Lakes Commission
https://www.glc.org/dailynews/20250922-beach-cleanup
In the battle against invasive species, the common muskrat emerges as an unlikely hero. A new study sheds light on these oft-overlooked rodents and their ecosystem-altering behaviors – and how humans might replicate their actions to combat invasive aquatic plants. Read the full story by Bridge Michigan.
Great Lakes Commission
https://www.glc.org/dailynews/20250919-muskrat-management
A $330,000 grant has been bestowed upon the University of Wisconsin-Green Bay in order to study the impact of microplastics on aquatic life in Lake Michigan. A team will collect fish around Lake Michigan and Green Bay and examine their stomach contents to identify the size and types of plastic particles they contain. Read the full story by WHBL – Sheboygan, WI.
Great Lakes Commission
https://www.glc.org/dailynews/20250919-microplastics-grant
In many Ontario Indigenous communities, water treatment plants are staffed by a single person. A training program is trying to change that. Read the full story by The Narwhal.
Great Lakes Commission
https://www.glc.org/dailynews/20250919-water-crisis
U.S. Senator Gary Peters, co-chair of the Senate Great Lakes Task Force, introduced two bipartisan bills to bolster Great Lakes fishery research and management efforts that are critical to both the Great Lakes ecosystem and Michigan’s robust fishing industry. Read the full story by The Alpena News.
Great Lakes Commission
https://www.glc.org/dailynews/20250919-bipartisan-bills
The public is invited to provide feedback on the environmental impact of a plan to restore the Grand River’s rapids in downtown Grand Rapids, Michigan. The city of Grand Rapids is seeking $11 million to remove four dams and adding 20,000 tons of natural rock and boulders to the river. Read the full story by MLive.
Great Lakes Commission
https://www.glc.org/dailynews/20250919-river-restoration-public-feedback
In a time of transformation, the mayor of Toledo, Ohio, and others comment on current environmental and political challenges and emphasize the growing importance of the Great Lakes. Read the full story by The Toledo Blade.
Great Lakes Commission
https://www.glc.org/dailynews/20250919-toledo-transition
The Great Lakes state of Michigan has the most lighthouses in the nation and when you visit them, you can get a stamp in the U.S. Lighthouse Society’s Passport. Small donations from passport holders have generated thousands of dollars since the passport program launched in 1994. Read the full story by MLive.
Great Lakes Commission
https://www.glc.org/dailynews/20250919-lighthouse-passport
The Great Lakes passenger-car ferry, the S.S. Badger, was backing into its dock in Ludington, Michigan, this past Wednesday when the vessel collided with its permanently moored sister ship. A local fan of the vessel stated this kind of accident seemed near impossible and was a very odd occurrence. Read the full story by The Maritime Executive.
Great Lakes Commission
https://www.glc.org/dailynews/20250919-ferry-collision
U.S. Customs and Border Protection is planning to install a surveillance tower in Rochester, New York, to enhance border security along Lake Ontario. Locals had mixed reactions to the proposed tower which would provide 24/7 surveillance of the area. Read the full story by WHEC-TV – Rochester, NY.
Great Lakes Commission
https://www.glc.org/dailynews/20250919-surveillance-tower
From the water, the view of Milwaukee, Wisconsin, transforms at night, especially during a recent full moon paddle with Brew City Kayak, highlighting the city’s past, present and future. Read the full story by The Milwaukee Journal Sentinel.
Great Lakes Commission
https://www.glc.org/dailynews/20250919-moonlight-paddle-milwaukee
The remains of a 19th century double-masted schooner rest under just seven feet of water in Lake Huron. The Maid of the Mist dragged its anchor and ran aground during a storm in 1878, causing its keel to break. The wreckage now lies buried deep in the sand. Read the full story by MLive.
Great Lakes Commission
https://www.glc.org/dailynews/20250917-1878-shipwreck
As whitefish disappear from the lower Great Lakes, scientists are hatching emergency rescue plans. One idea being floated is to take fish out of the lakes and raise them indefinitely in ponds for safekeeping. Read the full story by Bridge Michigan.
Great Lakes Commission
https://www.glc.org/dailynews/20250917-whitefish-rearing
An Areas of Concern Cross-Agency Partnership Summit in Toledo, Ohio, is bringing together federal, state and local partners to restore Areas of Concern in the Great Lakes region. Read the full story by WTVG – Toledo, OH.
Great Lakes Commission
https://www.glc.org/dailynews/20250917-aoc-summit
A nearly two-year long completed river restoration project aims to significantly improve water quality and aquatic habitats in the Maumee River as well as improve the health of Lake Erie. Read the full story by WTVG – Toledo, OH.
Great Lakes Commission
https://www.glc.org/dailynews/20250917-maumee-restoration
The Campbell’s Co. admitted on Monday to polluting the Maumee River that feeds into Lake Erie over a six-year span at the company’s massive canning facility in western Ohio. The company admitted to violating the Clean Water Act at least 5,400 times between April 2018 and December 2024. Read the full story by The Plain Dealer.
Great Lakes Commission
https://www.glc.org/dailynews/20250917-campbell-pollution
The Buffalo Sewer Authority is being sued after the New York State Department of Environmental Conservation alleged that nearly three million gallons of “untreated sewage and runoff” are being discharged each year, impacting the Lake Erie basin. Read the full story by WIVB – Buffalo, NY.
Great Lakes Commission
https://www.glc.org/dailynews/20250917-nydec-sewage-lawsuit
An environmental group is suing the City of Racine, Wisconsin, to disclose projected water use at Microsoft’s Mount Pleasant data center, one of the first moves in what will likely become the next phase of controversy over Great Lakes water rights. Read the full story by the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel.
Great Lakes Commission
https://www.glc.org/dailynews/20250917-data-center-water-use
Oakland County, Michigan, is challenging the state’s mandate to improve how it operates in one drainage district, arguing it would require taxpayer-funded investment without “evidence” the measures will improve water quality or protect public health. Read the full story by The Detroit News.
Great Lakes Commission
https://www.glc.org/dailynews/20250917-state-permit-challenge
While the discovery of a wooden schooner hidden beneath the depths of Lake Michigan for nearly 140 years is noteworthy on its own, it also was the first time citizen scientists and community historians from around the Midwest were able to participate in looking for a historic wreck. Read the full story by the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel.
Great Lakes Commission
https://www.glc.org/dailynews/20250915-lakemichigan-shipwreck-found-citizens
As global aquaculture has grown to meet increasing demand for protein, a small but determined group of inland fish farmers in the Great Lakes region are building a more sustainable, local supply. Read the full story by Great Lakes Echo.
Great Lakes Commission
https://www.glc.org/dailynews/20250915-inland-farmers-sustainable-future-greatlakes
The Army Corps of Engineers’ latest cost estimate for the mega project to build a new shipping lock in Sault Ste. Marie, Michigan, has dropped to $2.6 billion. Read the full story by The Detroit News.
Great Lakes Commission
https://www.glc.org/dailynews/20250915-pricetag-soolocks-drops
The state of Michigan began testing a random assortment of rivers and streams for microplastics this year. Data from the first sampling round is being analyzed and quality-checked, but the preliminary results are not encouraging. Read the full story by MLive.
Great Lakes Commission
https://www.glc.org/dailynews/20250915-michigan-microplastic-pollution-state-waters
First lit in 1901, the red-roofed, south light house in the Duluth Canal has stood longer than the lift bridge itself. It has now been acquired by the Lake Superior Marine Museum Association, and they’re looking to give it some much needed renovations before opening it for tours in 2027. Read the full story by WDIO-TV – Duluth, MN.
Great Lakes Commission
https://www.glc.org/dailynews/20250915-historic-lighthouse-tours
Bowling Green State University biology students have made the University’s Ecology Research Station home to dozens of mini experiments to support the state of Ohio’s efforts to mitigate harmful algal blooms in Lake Erie. Read the full story by the Toledo Blade.
Great Lakes Commission
https://www.glc.org/dailynews/20250915-bgsu-students-ohio-wetlands-implementation
When Americans think of our coastlines, most picture the beaches of the Atlantic, the Pacific or the Gulf. But the Great Lakes are America’s fourth coast — a 2,300-mile expanse. Read the full story by The Time of Northwest Indiana.
Great Lakes Commission
https://www.glc.org/dailynews/20250915-greatlakes-american-maritime
On Friday, Traverse City business and education leaders broke ground on the Freshwater Research and Innovation Center at Discovery Pier in Elmwood Township, which they hope will attract the “blue tech” sector to northern Michigan. Read the full story by Interlochen Public Radio.
Great Lakes Commission
https://www.glc.org/dailynews/20250915-traversecity-woodhole-greatlakes
A new documentary showcasing the underwater beauty of the Great Lakes and the impact that invasive mussels are having on the lakes’ ecosystems is getting its Detroit premiere. The free screening is set for Oct. 8 at 7 p.m. at the Detroit Film Theatre (DFT) at the Detroit Institute of Arts. Read the full story by Bridge Michigan.
Great Lakes Commission
https://www.glc.org/dailynews/20250915-greatlakes-underwater-secrets
Over the last 30 years, Lake Superior has uniquely held off large-scale invasive mussel infestations which have protected the lake’s population of lake whitefish. Read the full story by Great Lakes Now.
Great Lakes Commission
https://www.glc.org/dailynews/20250912-lake-superior-mussels
According to EPA records, Great Lakes Cheese violated its discharge permit at least 20 times since it opened in November 2024, releasing wastewater and other contaminants into Ischua Creek in Franklinville, New York. Read the full story by WGRZ-TV – Buffalo, NY.
Great Lakes Commission
https://www.glc.org/dailynews/20250912-discharge-violations
The Pennsylvania Steelhead Association is looking for anglers to report catches that include a Shasta rainbow trout. The organization is hopeful anglers will find Shasta rainbow trout that were stocked two years ago returning in some Lake Erie tributaries. Read the full story by the Erie Times-News.
Great Lakes Commission
https://www.glc.org/dailynews/20250912-erie-steelhead
Manistee, a Northern Michigan beach town, is looking to make its award-winning beaches even better. Read the full story by MLive.
Great Lakes Commission
https://www.glc.org/dailynews/20250912-upnorth-beaches
Michigan health officials warned the public this week to avoid eating any fish caught from four bodies of water in Kent County. Read the full story by Lansing State Journal.
Great Lakes Commission
https://www.glc.org/dailynews/20250912-kentcounty-fish-warnings
Across Lake Michigan and Lake Huron, lake whitefish populations have been on the verge of collapse. But in Green Bay, Wisconsin, lake whitefish have been unexpectedly thriving. Read the full story by Interlochen Public Radio.
Great Lakes Commission
https://www.glc.org/dailynews/20250912-greenbay-whitefish
Following the shorelines of the Great Lakes, monarch butterflies are gradually leaving Michigan as their instincts take them south. Read the full story by Detroit Free Press.
Great Lakes Commission
https://www.glc.org/dailynews/20250912-monarch-migration
The Great Lakes usually start their seasonal water level decrease in August, as evaporation is highest over the Great Lakes in the fall. Read the full story by MLive.
Great Lakes Commission
https://www.glc.org/dailynews/20250912-lake-levels
In Ohio, the port of Cleveland is poised to set a modern-day record for cruise passengers in 2025, with 8,000 people on 53 sailings disembarking in downtown this year. Read the full story by The Plain Dealer.
Great Lakes Commission
https://www.glc.org/dailynews/20250912-cleveland-cruises
September marks 150 years since Singapore, a bustling Michigan lumber town near the mouth of the Kalamazoo River north of Saugatuck and Douglas, was deserted. It’s cultural relevance − and ghost town lore − are perhaps even more famous now. Read the full story by MLive.
Great Lakes Commission
https://www.glc.org/dailynews/20250912-singapore-michigan
The newest state budget contained sweeping cuts to H2Ohio. In addition to slashing funds from the Ohio Department of Agriculture and Environmental Protection Agency, it halved the amount of money allocated to the Department of Natural Resources for wetlands restoration work. Read the full story by The Statehouse News Bureau.
Great Lakes Commission
https://www.glc.org/dailynews/20250910-h2ohio-fundingcuts-future-wetland-restoration
A recent report warns the region is not prepared for the unprecedented, growing demand from data centers and other big water users like agriculture. Read the full story by the Chicago Tribune.
Great Lakes Commission
https://www.glc.org/dailynews/20250910-surging-number-data-centers-great-lakes-water-shortages
The Ontario government is handing provincial parklands over to the town of Wasaga Beach, Ontario, in hopes of boosting the local economy. Residents wonder whether the beach will still be welcoming to endangered birds like piping plovers and the public. Read the full story by The Narwhal.
Great Lakes Commission
https://www.glc.org/dailynews/20250910-wasaga-beach-piping-plovers-ontario
Beware when heading out onto Lake Michigan — legend says ships are known to vanish in what’s known as the Lake Michigan Triangle, or do they? Read the full story by the Detroit Free Press.
Great Lakes Commission
https://www.glc.org/dailynews/20250910-great-lakes-mystery-triangle-disappearances
From September 8-11, residents of Burlington, Ontario, may see catamaran boats on the waters of Lake Ontario, as more than 50 of the world’s best sailors take to the lake. The Hobie 14 North American Championship is an internationally-recognized event, with both European and World Championships using the world’s very first sports catamaran to compete. Read the full story by Burlington Today.
Great Lakes Commission
https://www.glc.org/dailynews/20250910-catamarans-lakeontario-sailingevent
The Ontario government is committing $180,000 to projects aimed at restoring and protecting waterways on Manitoulin Island, part of the Lake Huron watershed. The investment will help improve water quality, strengthen fish habitats and biodiversity, and support both environmental and economic resilience in the region. Read the full story by Wire Service Canada.
Great Lakes Commission
https://www.glc.org/dailynews/20250910-ontario-invests-waterways-manitoulin-island
The Canadian company Enbridge wants to move a section of its 645-mile gas and oil line that’s been operating for decades near Lake Superior within the Reservation of the Bad River Band of Lake Superior Chippewa. The change would move the section outside tribal land but still fall within the region’s stream- and wetland-rich landscape. Last November, the Wisconsin Department of Natural Resources approved Enbridge’s plan – but tribal and environmental groups are pushing back. Read the full story by WUWM – Milwaukee, WI.
Great Lakes Commission
https://www.glc.org/dailynews/20250910-pipeline-project-habitat-rich-northern-wisconsin
