A U.S. Senate resolution would allow mining near Minnesota’s Boundary Waters Canoe Area Wilderness, prompting the Grand Portage Band of Lake Superior Chippewa to condemn the move as a threat to tribal rights and water quality. Read the full story by WTIP – Grand Marais, MN.
Great Lakes Commission
https://www.glc.org/dailynews/20260420-mining-ban
An emergency training facility in Duluth, Minnesota, used by local fire departments, Lake Superior College students, and agencies from out of state is facing an expensive environmental challenge: millions of dollars could be needed to clean up contamination from PFAS. Read the full story by Northern News Now.
Great Lakes Commission
https://www.glc.org/dailynews/20260420-duluth-pfas
Shipping on the Great Lakes got underway in earnest at the end of March. Green Bay, Wisconsin, handled about 1.6 million tons of cargo last year, down about 6% from the previous season. Read the full story by Spectrum News 1.
Great Lakes Commission
https://www.glc.org/dailynews/20260420-wisconsin-shipping
The Great Lakes are often described as a climate haven, making the region appealing to people seeking stability. But are climate migrants already arriving? And how protected are the Great Lakes, really? Read the full story by Great Lakes Now.
Great Lakes Commission
https://www.glc.org/dailynews/20260420-climate-migrants
Massive cargo ships move through the Great Lakes every day, carrying the goods that help keep Michigan’s economy running. When crews need vital supplies or packages from home, a small team on the Detroit River is often the one that answers the call. Read the full story by WSMH-TV – Flint, MI.
Great Lakes Commission
https://www.glc.org/dailynews/20260420-floating-post
The 665-foot Viking Polaris will launch the season, which will continue through October, when it docks on Monday, April 20 in Detroit. Polaris ties for the largest cruise ship on the Great Lakes with its twin, the Viking Octantis. Read the full story by MLive.
Great Lakes Commission
https://www.glc.org/dailynews/20260420-cruise-ships
Heavy rain combined with the warm air this month has melted nearly all of the ice on the Great Lakes, but a few spots remain icy. Great Lakes ice cover stood at just 4.07% on Friday, April 17. Read the full story by the Detroit Free Press.
Great Lakes Commission
https://www.glc.org/dailynews/20260420-remaining-ice
Fast-melting snowpack across Northern Michigan and days of excessive rain across the state have caused flooding issues and a 17-inch rise in lakes Michigan and Huron. Read the full story by MLive.
Great Lakes Commission
https://www.glc.org/dailynews/20260417-lake-levels
Ohio officials have urged Congress to reauthorize the soon-to-expire Great Lakes Restoration Initiative, describing it as a crucial tool for protecting drinking water, fighting invasive species and supporting a regional economy worth trillions. Read the full story by the Plain Dealer.
Great Lakes Commission
https://www.glc.org/dailynews/20260417-great-lakes-funding
The 33-pound, 30(ish)-year-old snapper who is now known as Doug the Tank was lethargic and nearly unresponsive when a rescuer pulled him from a Lake Michigan beach. He is now recovering from his misadventure at the Michigan Amphibian & Reptile Sanctuary in Kalamazoo. Read the full story by MLive.
Great Lakes Commission
https://www.glc.org/dailynews/20260417-turtle-rescue
In the state of Michigan, a $1.2 million decline in grant funding to combat invasive species is challenging conservation organizations to rethink how they protect forests, waterways and communities. Read the full story by Great Lakes Echo.
Great Lakes Commission
https://www.glc.org/dailynews/20260417-funding-cuts
The National Museum of the Great Lakes is debuting a temporary exhibit focused on the environmental stories of the Great Lakes region, all in time for Earth Day. The exhibit, “Currents of Change: The Living History of the Great Lakes,” will be on display April-October of this year. Read the full story by the WTOL-TV – Toledo, OH.
Great Lakes Commission
https://www.glc.org/dailynews/20260417-museum-exhibit
In Cheboygan, Michigan, federal officials ordered repairs to the dam last year that would have helped the 104-year-old Cheboygan Lock and Dam complex pass more water, but granted repeated extensions that have left the undersized structure with less capacity to endure what may be record-breaking floods this spring. Read the full story by Bridge Michigan.
Great Lakes Commission
https://www.glc.org/dailynews/20260417-dam-repairs
A ship moving through the Welland Canal in Port Colborne, Ontario, made contact with the bridge this week. As a precaution, the bridge has been closed to both vehicle and pedestrian traffic making for a long, re-routed drive home for some. Read the full story by CKTB – St. Catherines, ON.
Great Lakes Commission
https://www.glc.org/dailynews/20260417-welland-canal-closed
Pure Michigan advertising influenced 1.5 million vacations in Michigan from national, regional, and in-state markets targeted by the iconic campaign last year. In its 20th year, Pure Michigan is expanding the guest list to many more cities across the nation. Read the full story by MLive.
Great Lakes Commission
https://www.glc.org/dailynews/20260417-michigan-advertising
The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers is beginning nearly $2 million in upgrades along Michigan’s Manistee River channel this month. The agency will harden structures with major stonework to lowers erosion risk and provide protection against unpredictable Great Lakes weather events. Read the full story by the Lansing State Journal.
Great Lakes Commission
https://www.glc.org/dailynews/20260417-erosion-control
Lake Erie earned the lowest assessment of the five Great Lakes in a report looking at the Great Lakes’ progress and challenges. While progress has been made, legacy phosphorus, invasive mussels, climate-driven warming and shifting agricultural practices make improving water quality in Lake Erie a persistent challenge. Read the full story by the Evening Sun.
Great Lakes Commission
https://www.glc.org/dailynews/20260417-erie-assessment
Suckers are among the most abundant and least appreciated species in the Great Lakes region. Sometimes described as the “wildebeests of the Great Lakes,” they make large spring migrations from the lakes into streams to spawn, creating one of the region’s more visible seasonal movements of fish. Read the full story by Door County Pulse.
Great Lakes Commission
https://www.glc.org/dailynews/20260417-sucker-heros
According to the Michigan Department of Natural Resources (DNR), the Little Manistee River Weir in Stronach, Michigan—the sole source of winter-run steelhead eggs for fish hatcheries in Michigan, Indiana and Ohio—suffered storm damage Monday night resulting in a power failure that rendered the systems that sustained the fish inoperable and many fish died. The effect this loss will have on the steelhead egg collection for this season is still unknown, the DNR said. Read the full story by WZZM-TV – Grand Rapids, MI.
Great Lakes Commission
https://www.glc.org/dailynews/20260415-hatchery-damage
According to the Wisconsin Department of Natural Resources (DNR), it won’t be long before lake sturgeon start to make their run up the Wolf River to spawn. While sturgeon have already been seen moving into their pre-spawning locations on the Wolf River, significant rainfall on the Wolf River drainage area Monday night could impact pre-spawning and spawning activity. Read the full story by WLUK-TV – Green Bay, WI.
Great Lakes Commission
https://www.glc.org/dailynews/20260415-sturgeon-spawning
The Little Traverse Bay Bands of Odawa Indians recently received a federal grant to continue whitefish restoration work in the Bear River near Petoskey, Michigan. The goal is to catch newly-hatched whitefish as they drift down the river in order to estimate how many fish have survived. Read the full story by Michigan Public.
Great Lakes Commission
https://www.glc.org/dailynews/20260415-whitefish-reintroduction
New York Sea Grant announced a two-part Coastal Community Development webinar series designed to help local officials—such as supervisors, mayors, code enforcement officers, and planners—better understand shoreline dynamics and implement effective land use strategies in waterfront communities. Read the full story by FingerLakes1.com.
Great Lakes Commission
https://www.glc.org/dailynews/20260415-coastal-community-webinars
The Michigan Department of Natural Resources (DNR) has introduced new observation technology to track the movement of muskellunge—known as muskie—with acoustic telemetry in Lake Macatawa in Ottawa County, Michigan. As of November 2025, there were over 69,000 detections of the 20 tagged muskie by the acoustic receivers. Read the full story by the Manistee News Advocate.
Great Lakes Commission
https://www.glc.org/dailynews/20260415-muskie-tracking
City officials in Duluth, Minnesota, delayed action Monday on a resolution that would have authorized the expenditure of up to $500,000 to better establish Duluth as a port of call for Great Lakes cruise ships in the face of dwindling traffic. Read the full story by the Duluth News Tribune.
Great Lakes Commission
https://www.glc.org/dailynews/20260415-cruise-resolution
Lesser celandine, a small but destructive plant quietly spreading across Michigan’s forests and riverbanks, is a “watch list” species in Michigan, meaning its distribution in the state is still limited. However, according to the Michigan Department of Natural Resources (DNR), the plant is already widely established along the Grand River corridor and is actively spreading in lower Michigan and southeastern Wisconsin. Read the full story by WZZM-TV – Grand Rapids, MI.
Great Lakes Commission
https://www.glc.org/dailynews/20260415-invasive-species-tracking
The latest round of assistance offered by the Minnesota Public Facilities Authority includes more than $72 million for work in northern Minnesota to tackle expensive water infrastructure upgrades. Read the full story by the Duluth News Tribune.
Great Lakes Commission
https://www.glc.org/dailynews/20260415-infrastructure-funding
A $450,000 capital campaign is fully funded to restore the keeper’s dwelling at Big Sable Point Lighthouse on the Lake Michigan shoreline at Ludington State Park near Ludington, Michigan. Work is scheduled for 2027, the lighthouse’s 160th anniversary. Read the full story by MLive.
Great Lakes Commission
https://www.glc.org/dailynews/20260415-lighthouse-restoration
The Greater Cleveland Aquarium is recruiting volunteers for a series of community beach cleanups this summer aimed at keeping debris out of Lake Erie and local waterways. Each cleanup begins at the Aquarium where groups walk about 2.5 miles roundtrip to collect litter along the shoreline. Read the full story by The Plain Dealer.
Great Lakes Commission
https://www.glc.org/dailynews/20260415-beach-cleanup
The Trump administration announced plans to put Michigan officials in charge of a $1.15 billion Chicago-area river barrier designed to keep invasive carp from reaching the Great Lakes. Read the full story by the Chicago Sun-Times.
Great Lakes Commission
https://www.glc.org/dailynews/20260413-carp-authority
A Senate panel will convene Wednesday to discuss efforts to restore the Great Lakes five months before authorization of a major EPA program, the Great Lakes Restoration Initiative, is set to expire. Read the full story by E&E News.
Great Lakes Commission
https://www.glc.org/dailynews/20260413-senate-glri
After years of talk, study and approvals, a $22.8 million project to bring Lake Michigan water to Lake Zurich, Illinois, will begin this summer. Read the full story by the Daily Herald.
Great Lakes Commission
https://www.glc.org/dailynews/20260413-zurich-water
Cleveland-based researchers will take to Lake Erie in the coming weeks to deploy hundreds of sensor buoys to observe and detect E. coli, algal blooms, turbidity levels and more than a dozen other water-related factors in collaboration with companies and researchers from around the world. Read the full story by the Guardian.
Great Lakes Commission
https://www.glc.org/dailynews/20260413-erie-sensors-data
A newly restored reef at Channel Island in Saginaw Bay is intended to support native fish spawning and increase their numbers, ensuring the sustainability of local fisheries. Read the full story by Great Lakes Echo.
Great Lakes Commission
https://www.glc.org/dailynews/20260413-huron-reef
Michigan Department of Natural Resources crews added more pumps to divert water around the Cheboygan Lock and Dam Complex over the weekend as experts forecast more rain for the northern Lower Peninsula in the coming days. Read the full story by the Detroit News.
Great Lakes Commission
https://www.glc.org/dailynews/20260413-cheboygan-lock-pumps
Suckers are among the most abundant fish species in the Great Lakes region, they undertake large spring migrations from the lakes into tributary streams to spawn, creating one of the region’s most visible seasonal fish movements, the Sucker Run. Read the full story by Door County Daily News.
Great Lakes Commission
https://www.glc.org/dailynews/20260413-sucker-run
Wisconsin Department of Natural Resources officials are reminding residents not to harass Ojibwe tribal members exercising their right to spear walleye this season in the Northwoods. Read the full story by Milwaukee Journal Sentinel.
Great Lakes Commission
https://www.glc.org/dailynews/20260413-ojibwe-spearfishing
The U.S. Coast Guard Cutter Bristol Bay has carried out its winter mission to provide safe passage for ships on the Great Lakes. Read the full story by the Macomb Daily.
Great Lakes Commission
https://www.glc.org/dailynews/20260413-winter-cutter
From the depths of the Great Lakes comes a new documentary revealing a world few people have ever seen, including what may be the first-ever footage of Coaster Brook Trout spawning in the outer islands of the Lake Superior National Marine Conservation Area. Read the full story by CBC News.
Great Lakes Commission
https://www.glc.org/dailynews/20260413-brook-trout-documentary
Prime Minister Mark Carney broke ground on Thursday on a long-planned port expansion near Montreal, making it the first so-called nation-building project fast-tracked for approval by the Canadian federal government to get off the ground. Read the full story by The Canadian Press.
Great Lakes Commission
https://www.glc.org/dailynews/20260410-montreal-port
About 300 people drowned in the Lady Elgin disaster. The shipwreck had a major influence on maritime safety in the Great Lakes. Read the full story by WBEZ – Chicago, IL.
Great Lakes Commission
https://www.glc.org/dailynews/20260410-lady-elgin
Local and state officials are closely monitoring water levels at and around the Cheboygan Dam near Cheboygan, Michigan, after recent weather events. Water at the dam measured 21.5 inches below the top on Wednesday, and officials say safety plans are in place if levels continue to rise. Read the full story by WPBN-TV – Traverse City, MI.
Great Lakes Commission
https://www.glc.org/dailynews/20260410-cheboygan-dam
A recent study surveyed community perspectives on challenges and opportunities that freshwater ecosystems present among U.S. and Canadian residents along the St. Marys River. Two-thirds of participants were not familiar with the term “blue economy,” suggesting a need for greater community engagement. Read the full story by Great Lakes Echo.
Great Lakes Commission
https://www.glc.org/dailynews/20260410-community-study
British TikToker Jason Riley’s first impression of the Michigan was how large and ferocious the Great Lakes really are. The social media influencer sat down with Michigan’s governor Gretchen Whitmer after announcing he and his content creator partner will return to Michigan for a summer adventure. Read the full story by MLive.
Great Lakes Commission
https://www.glc.org/dailynews/20260410-british-tiktokers
The Great Lakes Piping Plover Recovery Effort reported three sightings of tagged male plovers on April 8. One male was nesting along Green Bay in Wisconsin, and two plovers were seen at Sleeping Bear Dunes National Lakeshore in Michigan. Read the full story by MLive.
Great Lakes Commission
https://www.glc.org/dailynews/20260410-plovers-return
Bruce Power in Tiverton, Ontario, is one of the largest nuclear generating stations in the world, and the warm water created as part of its operation creates a perfect environment for a diverse gathering of Lake Huron fish species. A live stream of the ‘fish city’ will take place on April 22. Read the full story by Great Lakes Now.
Great Lakes Commission
https://www.glc.org/dailynews/20260410-fish-city
The City of Toledo, Ohio, is investing in both recreation and environmental protection with a $1.4 million project aimed at reducing flooding and improving water quality. Construction is underway as part of a broader effort to restore natural water flow, limit runoff, and create new wildlife habitat. Read the full story by WTOL-TV – Toledo, OH.
Great Lakes Commission
https://www.glc.org/dailynews/20260410-detwilier-park
A historian traces how water and rail fueled the rise and rivalry of the Twin Ports of Duluth, Minnesota, and Superior, Wisconsin, with highways and new shipping patterns later shifting that balance. Read the full story by Wisconsin Public Radio.
Great Lakes Commission
https://www.glc.org/dailynews/20260410-twin-ports
Last week, the Nottawasaga Valley Conservation Authority welcomed 80 students to Wasaga Beach, Ontario, for the Lake Huron Student Conference. At the conference, students explored how Lake Huron shapes local communities and gained practical knowledge about how they can contribute to the stewardship of this globally significant freshwater ecosystem. Read the full story by the Meaford Independent.
Great Lakes Commission
https://www.glc.org/dailynews/20260410-lake-learning
The Fish Hatchery at Powder Mills Park in Pittsford, New York, released thousands of Atlantic salmon into Irondequoit Creek this week as part of an effort to restore the species to its native waters. Most salmon migrate to Lake Ontario within a year of release, typically in the spring. Read the full story by the Democrat and Chronicle.
Great Lakes Commission
https://www.glc.org/dailynews/20260410-salmon-release
Aboard the S.S. City of Milwaukee, docked in Manistee, Michigan, you can combine maritime history, gorgeous views and an overnight stay reminiscent of a bygone era. The 360-foot retired Great Lakes car ferry is a museum and a “boatel” all in one. Read the full story by MLive.
Great Lakes Commission
https://www.glc.org/dailynews/20260410-boatel
