A 24-year-old adventurer canoed the Great Loop, a 6,000 mile trip between the Great Lakes and Florida. The Michigander returned home to share his journey about enduring obstacles like floodwaters, fire ants, invasive carp. Read the full story by MLive.
Great Lakes Commission
https://www.glc.org/dailynews/20251015-great-loop-paddling
Initiatives such as the Michigan Lighthouse Assistance Program and the Save Our Lights program have raised money to keep historic lighthouses along the Great Lakes coastline intact amidst initiatives to privatize their control. Read the full story by Midland Daily News.
Great Lakes Commission
https://www.glc.org/dailynews/20251015-lighthouse-funding-need
The St. Clair Region Conservation Authority is celebrating a successful first year of the Sydenham Phosphorus Reduction Initiative, a project focused on improving water quality in the Sydenham River and protecting the long-term health of Lake Erie. Read the full story by the Sydenham Current.
Great Lakes Commission
https://www.glc.org/dailynews/20251015-phosphorus-reduction
Recovery efforts have delisted the once threatened Lake Erie water snake, a native of the Great Lakes islands. The species can grow up to 3.5 feet long and their favorite prey is the round goby, an invasive, nuisance fish species. Read the full story by The Columbus Dispatch.
Great Lakes Commission
https://www.glc.org/dailynews/20251015-water-snake
Two statewide environmental advocacy groups and other local leaders met at a library in Erie, Pennsylvania to highlight the threat and urgency of mitigating harmful algal blooms and call the public to action. Read the full story by WJET – Erie, PA.
Great Lakes Commission
https://www.glc.org/dailynews/20251015-erie-algal-blooms
A brand-new luxury cruise ship, the American Patriot, will begin making regular stops in Rochester, NY next year, providing a boost to local tourism and the city’s image. Read the full story by WXXI – Rochester, NY.
Great Lakes Commission
https://www.glc.org/dailynews/20251015-cruise-stop-rochester
The Lake Superior and Mississippi Railroad brings passengers on a 2-hour through the St. Louis River estuary aboard what most call the Duluth River Train. To celebrate the railroad’s 45th anniversary, the train is open for its longest season ever. Read the full story by WIDO – Duluth, MN.
Great Lakes Commission
https://www.glc.org/dailynews/20251015-river-train
Once numbering in the thousands, now only dozens of commercial fishers remain in lakes Michigan and Huron as whitefish stock collapse; and unlike other fish crises, this one can’t be fixed by docking boats until stocks recover. Read the full story by Bridge Michigan.
Great Lakes Commission
https://www.glc.org/dailynews/20251013-whitefish-fishers
The collapse of lake whitefish stocks threatens Michigan’s environment, economy, and culture. Saving lake whitefish requires suppressing quagga and zebra mussels, but now, the infestation is only getting worse. Read the full story by Bridge Michigan.
Great Lakes Commission
https://www.glc.org/dailynews/20251013-whitefish-crisis
Park trails along Lake Michigan’s shoreline in Michigan and Wisconsin are eroding because of more frequent extreme precipitation events and increased foot traffic from visitors in undesignated recreation areas. Read the full story by The Detroit News.
Great Lakes Commission
https://www.glc.org/dailynews/20251013-trail-erosion
American and Canadian students are teaming up to prevent potential oil spills in the Great Lakes through collaborative research projects. Read the full story by the Sault Ste. Marie News.
Great Lakes Commission
https://www.glc.org/dailynews/20251013-oil-spill-research
The preliminary results for the 2025 walleye hatch have been ranked ‘Exceptional,’ the highest on the Ohio Division of Wildlife’s scale. This translates into a high probability that this year’s young will enter the fishery in 2027 in numbers of 20 million or more. Read the full story by The Columbus Dispatch.
Great Lakes Commission
https://www.glc.org/dailynews/20251013-walleye-hatch
Hundreds gathered in Rome, New York, the birthplace of the Erie Canal, to welcome the Seneca Chief, a full-scale replica of the original vessel that carried New York Governor, DeWitt Clinton, who was credited with the building of the historic waterway. Read the full story by the Utica Observer Dispatch.
Great Lakes Commission
https://www.glc.org/dailynews/20251013-erie-canal-celebration
For the past 40 years, the Split Rock Lighthouse near Beaver Bay, Minnesota, has observed the anniversary of the Edmund Fitzgerald’s sinking with a beacon lighting ceremony. This year’s event will continue that tradition. Read the full story by Minnesota Public Radio.
Great Lakes Commission
https://www.glc.org/dailynews/20251013-edmund-fitzgerald-ceremony
After nearly 50 years of service, the aging tugboat Arctic was dismantled and beached north of the harbor in Manitowoc, Wisconsin, in 1930. The shipwreck was surveyed in 2017, and its remains can be viewed by divers and snorkelers. Read the full story by the Herald Times Reporter.
Great Lakes Commission
https://www.glc.org/dailynews/20251013-tugboat-arctic
Michigan is seeing less daylight each day, and we’ve already felt the chill from frost in recent days, meaning the state’s inland water and Great Lakes are quickly cooling off. Read the full story by the Detroit Free Press.
Great Lakes Commission
https://www.glc.org/dailynews/20251013-lakes-cooling
A plan to redevelop the historic railroad ferry terminal grounds in the Lake Michigan village of Elberta, Michigan, received $1.75 million to create a mixed-use redevelopment and a large public park with a shoreline trail, nature preserve, and expanded lake access. Read the full story by MLive.
Great Lakes Commission
https://www.glc.org/dailynews/20251013-waterfront-revival
Scientists are using a remotely operated vehicle to explore and map nearly 100 square miles of lakebed along the Pennsylvania, New York and Canadian borders. The survey area includes the deepest areas of the eastern basin of Lake Erie, with depths ranging from 114 to 180 feet. Read the full story by Erie Times-News.
Great Lakes Commission
https://www.glc.org/dailynews/20251010-scientists-rov-lakeerie
Despite worries over rising temperatures, it turns out anglers have a greater effect on fish populations than climate change. Read the full story by Wisconsin Public Radio.
Great Lakes Commission
https://www.glc.org/dailynews/20251010-fishing-midwest-fish-populations-warming
Despite low river levels and summer heat, the Michigan DNR’s annual fish egg collection at the Little Manistee Weir in Manistee County saw strong returns this season, a welcome sign after numbers dipped in recent years. Read the full story by WGTU-TV – Traverse City, MI.
Great Lakes Commission
https://www.glc.org/dailynews/20251010-michigans-egg-collection-little-manistee-weir
The Huron River winds through woods in Ypsilanti Township, Michigan, where thousands of residents fish, canoe and swim. A proposal aims to add a 300,000-square-foot data center with a 20-acre electric substation to the landscape, raising concerns over energy usage and light, noise, water and air pollution. Read the full story by Michigan Advance.
Great Lakes Commission
https://www.glc.org/dailynews/20251010-los-alamos-national-security-ai-data-center
The U.S. states and Canadian provinces that border the Great Lakes and St. Lawrence River produce $9.3 trillion in total economic activity each year. The region’s leaders are coordinating to boost that higher while also protecting the environment. Read the full story by The Daily News.
Great Lakes Commission
https://www.glc.org/dailynews/20251010-us-canadian-leaders-enhancing-greatlakes-cooperation
The state of Michigan’s budget includes notable investments in conservation and restoration. Highlights include waterfront land conservation and funding to support an effort to reintroduce Arctic grayling to select rivers in the northern lower peninsula. Read the full story by Interlochen Public Radio.
Great Lakes Commission
https://www.glc.org/dailynews/20251010-beaches-fishes-trees-northern-michigan
In Ohio, the combination of drought and the current cyanobacteria blue-green algal bloom in the Sandusky Bay could result in fish kills, but favorable fall weather is likely to arrive in time to avoid the problem. Read the full story by the Fremont News-Messenger.
Great Lakes Commission
https://www.glc.org/dailynews/20251010-fishkills-drought-algalbloom
More than 120 people recently rolled up their sleeves to tackle litter on the Cobourg shoreline of Lake Ontario, collecting 1,200 pieces of plastic and other debris as part of the inaugural Great Lakes Coastal Cleanup. Read the full story by KawathaNOW.
Great Lakes Commission
https://www.glc.org/dailynews/20251010-greatlakes-coastal-cleanup-coburg-volunteers
The mighty Edmund Fitzgerald, immortalized in song by Gordon Lightfoot, sank 50 years ago on Lake Superior. Reporters spent a week on a Great Lakes freighter, the Wilfred Sykes, that survived the storm. Read the full story by the New York Times.
Great Lakes Commission
https://www.glc.org/dailynews/20251010-edmund-fitzgerald
After decades of cleanup efforts and community engagement, Muskegon Lake, between Lake Michigan and the city that bears its name in Michigan, has been removed from a U.S. and Canadian list of most polluted sites. Read the full story by the Detroit Free Press.
Great Lakes Commission
https://www.glc.org/dailynews/20251008-muskeon-lake-delisted
At a time of rising temperatures and water levels, along with the threat of wildfires and smoke, many are reassessing where to live and Buffalo, New York, is embracing the “climate haven” tag. Read the full story by Great Lakes Now.
Great Lakes Commission
https://www.glc.org/dailynews/20251008-buffalo-climate-haven
The history of the Edmund Fitzgerald, the lives of the men who served on the ship, and the repercussions of that final voyage are the subject of a new book. Read the full story by Michigan Public.
Great Lakes Commission
https://www.glc.org/dailynews/20251008-edmund-fitzgerald-book
Chicago has more than 412,000 confirmed and suspected lead service lines — the most of any city in the country — but replacements are lagging and millions of dollars in federal and city loans dedicated to replacing lead pipes remain unused. Read the full story by Great Lakes Now.
Great Lakes Commission
https://www.glc.org/dailynews/20251008-chicago-lead-pipes
Pennsylvania Governor Josh Shapiro was elected chair of a group of leaders from across the Great Lakes region who collaborate on shared priorities. Read the full story by the Erie-Times News.
Great Lakes Commission
https://www.glc.org/dailynews/20251008-shapiro-chair
The replica Seneca Chief, a floating museum and tribute to the original vessel that carried New York Governor DeWitt Clinton in 1825, will stop at ports in the Mohawk Valley, New York, to mark the 200th anniversary of opening of the Erie Canal. Read the full story by the Utica Observer Dispatch.
Great Lakes Commission
https://www.glc.org/dailynews/20251008-seneca-chief
Nearly 30 agencies from Michigan, Indiana, and Ohio gathered in St. Ignace, Michigan, this week for a large-scale emergency response training simulating a midair plane crash over Lake Huron near the Mackinac County Airport. Read the full story by WWTV-TV – Cadillac, MI.
Great Lakes Commission
https://www.glc.org/dailynews/20251008-huron-training
A blue-green algal bloom is currently in parts of the Sandusky Bay and Sandusky River, Ohio, and could be full of dangerous toxins. The whole watershed is in a drought. Read the full story by the Fremont News-Messenger.
Great Lakes Commission
https://www.glc.org/dailynews/20251008-sandusky-algae
A federal judge ruled that the now-defunct Erie Coke Corporation on the shores of Lake Erie in Erie, Pennsylvania, must pay $700,000 for a multi-year conspiracy to violate the U.S. Clean Air Act, a decision some environmental activists said isn’t enough. Read the full story by WJET-TV – Erie, PA.
Great Lakes Commission
https://www.glc.org/dailynews/20251008-erie-coke-fine
Recent budget decisions, statements about commercial fishing, and underfunding of critical conservation work raise concerns about whether representatives are prioritizing Michigan’s fisheries. Read the full story by The Alpena News.
Great Lakes Commission
https://www.glc.org/dailynews/20251008-fishery-opinion
The Intertribal Lake Winnebago Wild Rice Revitalization Project seeks to merge mainstream and Indigenous methods to preserve wild rice. Read the full story by Wisconsin Public Radio.
Great Lakes Commission
https://www.glc.org/dailynews/20251006-winnebago-wildrice
The Great Lakes St. Lawrence Governors and Premiers Leadership Summit finished in Quebec City, Quebec, over the weekend. The biennial meeting is the group’s first since U.S. President Donald Trump returned to the White House in January. Read the full story by The Canadian Press.
Great Lakes Commission
https://www.glc.org/dailynews/20251006-greatlakes-biennial-meeting
The Cleveland-based startup, CLEANR, launched a washing machine filter capturing over 90% of microplastics, aiming to reduce pollution sourced from laundry. Read the full story by WKYC-TV – Cleveland, OH.
Great Lakes Commission
https://www.glc.org/dailynews/20251006-microplastics-cleanr
With all the legal appeals exhausted, and the municipality of South Bruce Peninsula in Ontario conceding that the beach belongs to the First Nation, it was time for Saugeen First Nation’s Saugeen Beach Victory Celebration on Saturday, October 4. Read the full story by The Owen Sound Sun Times.
Great Lakes Commission
https://www.glc.org/dailynews/20251006-saugeen-celebration
A project to restore Great Lakes coastal habitat includes rebuilding a barrier beach along the shoreline, re-establishing historic wetlands and clearing invasive cattails at Lynde Shores Conservation Area in Ontario. Read the full story by Durham Region News.
Great Lakes Commission
https://www.glc.org/dailynews/20251006-lynde-shores-conservation
Hundreds of people gathered at Rivergate Park in Cleveland, Ohio, to contribute to an ongoing effort to re-introduce sturgeon to Lake Erie and its surrounding rivers. Read the full story by Spectrum News 1.
Great Lakes Commission
https://www.glc.org/dailynews/20251006-stugeon-stocking-cleveland
Gannon University’s Project NePTWNE marked a significant milestone with the opening of the Center for Lake Erie Education and Research (CLEER) at the Blasco Library in Erie, Pennsylvania. The new center, part of Gannon University’s initiative to foster a community of Lake Erie stewards, offers interactive exhibits and educational experiences focused on the Great Lakes. Read the full story by WJET-TV – Erie, PA.
Great Lakes Commission
https://www.glc.org/dailynews/20251006-gannon-lakeerie-center
As the number of people seeking recreation in the Toronto Harbour climbs, tensions have been rising between paddlers and motorized vessels. Read the full story by the Toronto Star.
Great Lakes Commission
https://www.glc.org/dailynews/20251006-toronto-harbor-boaters
The Door County Maritime Museum in Wisconsin unveiled its latest exhibit showcasing the Edmund Fitzgerald. Read the full story by WLUK-TV – Green Bay, WI.
Great Lakes Commission
https://www.glc.org/dailynews/20251006-doorcounty-fitzgerald
The SS Badger car ferry offers daily roundtrips between Ludington, Michigan, and Manitowoc, Wisconsin, through October 12th. Read the full story by Post-Crescent.
Great Lakes Commission
https://www.glc.org/dailynews/20251006-ssbadger-season-recap
In the middle of Lake Superior, near the boundary between Canadian and US waters, sits the Superior Shoal, a mountain that’s completely underwater. Known to some as the “Freshwater Everest,” filmmakers and researchers are now exploring it with underwater drones. Read the full story by Bridge Michigan.
Great Lakes Commission
https://www.glc.org/dailynews/20251003-superior-drone-exploration
The Michigan Department of Environment, Great Lakes and Energy announced Wednesday that, after decades of community engagement and cleanup efforts, a west Michigan Lake has been removed from a list of the most polluted sites in the Great Lakes region. Read the full story by Michigan Advance.
Great Lakes Commission
https://www.glc.org/dailynews/20251003-mukegon-cleanup
It’s ‘see ya later alligator’ for the newest resident at Detroit’s Belle Isle. An alligator was captured on cell phone footage by a woman who was paddle-boating at Belle Isle on Sunday. The animal has now been captured and found a new home in Westland, Michigan, at the Great Lakes Serpentarium. Read the full story by WJBK-TV – Detroit, MI.
Great Lakes Commission
https://www.glc.org/dailynews/20251003-alligator-rehome
Despite a 55% cut to its portion of H2Ohio funding, the Ohio Department of Natural Resources is “still in the fight” to build, expand, or enhance wetlands as a means of controlling western Lake Erie algal blooms. Read the full story by The Toledo Blade.
Great Lakes Commission
https://www.glc.org/dailynews/20251003-wetland-protection
