Researchers with University of Wisconsin-Green Bay are surveying hundreds of wetlands around the region every year as part of the Great Lakes Coastal Wetland Monitoring Program. The program aims to monitor and assess Great Lakes coastal wetland health using biotic indicators and provide a baseline and method for tracking future changes in plants, animals, and environmental quality. Read the full story by Milwaukee Journal Sentinel.  

Original Article

Great Lakes Commission

Great Lakes Commission

https://www.glc.org/dailynews/20230724-wetlands-greatlakes-protection-habitatmonitoring

Hannah Reynolds

It might come as a surprise given their proximity to Lake Michigan, but Chicago’s neighbors southwest of the city could soon be facing a water shortage. The Cambrian-Ordovician aquifer supplies groundwater to communities in Will, Kane and DuPage counties. The aquifer is beginning to collapse – it’s depleting, and this is a non-replenishable aquifer. This poses the challenge of managing and addressing a growing imbalance between flooding and water scarcity in the region’s water geography. Read the full story by WTTW-TV – Chicago, IL.  

Original Article

Great Lakes Commission

Great Lakes Commission

https://www.glc.org/dailynews/20230724-waterscarcity-northernillinois

Hannah Reynolds

A recent experiment conducted in Collingwood and Parry Sound, Ontario has shown that microplastics can be caught before they end up in a wastewater treatment plant, and then likely in large bodies of water like Georgian Bay.  Read and listen to the full story by Barrie News.

Original Article

Great Lakes Commission

Great Lakes Commission

https://www.glc.org/dailynews/20230724-georgianbay-microplastics

Hannah Reynolds

The Pentwater River, located in Oceana County, MI is considered one of the major producers of the invasive Sea Lamprey in Lake Michigan. Crews treated the river with lampricides over the weekend, which kills the invasive species. Read the full story by the Ludington Daily News.

Original Article

Great Lakes Commission

Great Lakes Commission

https://www.glc.org/dailynews/20230724-sealamprey-pentwaterriver-mi-invasivespecies-treatment

Hannah Reynolds

A senior attorney for the Environmental Law & Policy Center, says the Ohio EPA’s plan is woefully inadequate to meet the phosphorus-reduction goals for Lake Erie that have been agreed upon by Ohio, Michigan and Ontario, as well as the federal governments of the United States and Canada. Read the full story by The Plain Dealer.

Original Article

Great Lakes Commission

Great Lakes Commission

https://www.glc.org/dailynews/20230724-epa-habs-maumeeriverplan

Hannah Reynolds

Boats set sail Saturday morning from Chicago’s Monroe Harbor for the annual Chicago Yacht Club Race to Mackinac. 230 boats traveled well over 300 miles to Michigan’s Mackinac Island in Lake Huron. Read the full story by WLS-TV – Chicago, IL.

Original Article

Great Lakes Commission

Great Lakes Commission

https://www.glc.org/dailynews/20230724-boats-chicago-annualrace-mackinaw

Hannah Reynolds

Cruise ships, which once thrived on these lakes before all but disappearing in the 1970s, are making a remarkable comeback. Marketed as “expedition cruising,” the ships deliver tourists and their spending money to ports that for decades primarily served global markets with iron ore and wheat. Read the full story by The Brunswick News.

Original Article

Great Lakes Commission

Great Lakes Commission

https://www.glc.org/dailynews/20230724-greatlakes-destination-cruiseships

Hannah Reynolds

A new industry-funded study finds shipping in the Great Lakes and St. Lawrence River supports more than 240,000 jobs in the U.S. and Canada, injecting billions of dollars into their economies. Read the full story by Wisconsin Public Radio.

Original Article

Great Lakes Commission

Great Lakes Commission

https://www.glc.org/dailynews/20230724-greatlakesshipping-jobs

Hannah Reynolds

In the Stella and Starks area of Oneida County, Wisconsin, nearly 100 private wells have been tested for PFAS and more than half have come back with at least a trace of PFAS contamination. The first private well tested in Stella about a year ago came back with levels thousands of times higher than the Wisconsin Department of Health’s safe drinking water standard. Read the full story by WXPR – Rhinelander, WI.

Original Article

Great Lakes Commission

Great Lakes Commission

https://www.glc.org/dailynews/20230721-private-well-contamination

James Polidori

Harmful algae blooms in Michigan and other states are spiking during the summer in freshwater bodies such as lakes, according to a recent CDC report. Toxins produced in these blooms can lead to illness in humans and animals. Read the full story by The Detroit Free Press.

Original Article

Great Lakes Commission

Great Lakes Commission

https://www.glc.org/dailynews/20230721-toxic-algae

James Polidori

The AFTCO Bassmaster Elite’s 102-boat field will be held at Brandenburg Park in Chesterfield Township, Michigan, at Lake St. Clair from July 27-30. After the Day 2 weigh-in, the field will be cut to the top 50, with only the top 10 advancing to championship Sunday. Read the full story by The Macomb Daily.

Original Article

Great Lakes Commission

Great Lakes Commission

https://www.glc.org/dailynews/20230721-fishing-tournament

James Polidori

In Ottawa County, Michigan, E. coli levels continue to be a concern as dredging has resumed in the Grand Haven Channel. An advisory to “take precautions” at North Beach Park in Ferrysburg has been issued by the Ottawa County Health Department. Read the full story by MLive.

Original Article

Great Lakes Commission

Great Lakes Commission

https://www.glc.org/dailynews/20230721-bacteria-contamination

James Polidori

Eastpointe, Michigan, is set to get $10 million in state funding for replacement of lead water lines after being named as an “action city” by the Michigan Department of Environment, Great Lakes and Energy. On July 18, the City of Eastpointe issued a public advisory for its 13,565 water customers after water testing samples from locations with known lead water lines showed seven of 60 homes tested had results of more than 15 parts per billion (ppb). Read and listen to the full story by The Macomb Daily.

Original Article

Great Lakes Commission

Great Lakes Commission

https://www.glc.org/dailynews/20230721-lead-line-replacement

James Polidori

A Beach Hazards Statement is in effect for the Lake Michigan shore near South Haven, Michigan, today. Northwest winds at Holland State Park will push water toward the north pier causing swimmers to get caught in the structural current and be pushed out away from shore. Read the full story by WOOD-TV – Grand Rapids, MI.

Original Article

Great Lakes Commission

Great Lakes Commission

https://www.glc.org/dailynews/20230721-swimming-hazards

James Polidori

U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service personnel will apply lampricides to the Pentwater River in Oceana County, Michigan, between July 18-23. The public is asked to minimize contact with the Pentwater River in Oceana County and agricultural irrigation must be suspended 24 hours before and after treatment. Read the full story by MLive.

Original Article

Great Lakes Commission

Great Lakes Commission

https://www.glc.org/dailynews/20230721-lampricide-application

James Polidori

The Harbor Princess, a boat with a storied history on two Great Lakes, has settled into its new home in Petoskey, Michigan, to offer sunset cruises on the Little Traverse Bay. The ferry service for the last few years has been port-hopping around the bay with stops to pick up and drop off passengers in Petoskey and neighboring Bay Harbor and Harbor Springs. Read the full story by MLive.

Original Article

Great Lakes Commission

Great Lakes Commission

https://www.glc.org/dailynews/20230721-sunset-cruise-ship

James Polidori

Nearly 800 shipwrecks in Wisconsin lakes and waterways have been catalogued by the Wisconsin Historical Society Maritime Preservation Program and the University of Wisconsin Sea Grant Institute. With the right equipment and skills, it is possible to visit several of them, with many becoming popular tourist attractions for curious scuba divers, snorkelers, kayakers and boaters. Read the full story by the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel.

Original Article

Great Lakes Commission

Great Lakes Commission

https://www.glc.org/dailynews/20230721-shipwreck-exploration

James Polidori

Two ferries to Michigan’s Beaver Island make about 360 round trips to the island each year, bringing people, animals, buildings supplies, groceries — anything you can think of that would be delivered to an island in the middle of Lake Michigan. Plans to build a third ferry are underway after the state legislature appropriated $14 million in 2022. Read the full story by MLive.

Original Article

Great Lakes Commission

Great Lakes Commission

https://www.glc.org/dailynews/20230719-beaver-island

Beth Wanamaker

Record Great Lakes piping plover pairings in Ontario brought record drama this summer: after a heartbroken mother flew her nest, an unprecedented international race ensued to save her unhatched eggs. Read the full story by The Narwhal.

Original Article

Great Lakes Commission

Great Lakes Commission

https://www.glc.org/dailynews/20230719-plovers

Beth Wanamaker

A group of Michigan artists, managers and advocates seeking to strengthen and promote links between Great Lakes arts and science as a way of inspiring Great Lakes stewardship will hold its first in-person meeting on July 27 at the Detroit River International Wildlife Refuge. Read the full story by The News-Herald

Original Article

Great Lakes Commission

Great Lakes Commission

https://www.glc.org/dailynews/20230719-art

Beth Wanamaker

Nearly 63% of beaches tested in the Great Lakes region last year had at least one day of fecal contamination that exceeded the EPA’s Beach Action Value. That tool helps states determine whether a beach is safe enough to go swimming. Read the full story by Public News Service.

Original Article

Great Lakes Commission

Great Lakes Commission

https://www.glc.org/dailynews/20230719-epa-bacteria-beaches

Hannah Reynolds

The wreck of an early wooden schooner that capsized on Lake Michigan 9-1/2 miles southeast of Sheboygan in September 1885 has been listed in the National Register of Historic Places. Read the full story by the Sheboygan Press.

Original Article

Great Lakes Commission

Great Lakes Commission

https://www.glc.org/dailynews/20230719-sheboygan-shipwreck-nationalregister

Hannah Reynolds

The Ontario government is investing $6 million to support 30 multi-year projects that will help protect, conserve, and restore the Great Lakes, including two shoreline projects in Niagara. The investments will help reduce plastic litter and control excess nutrients and road salt entering lakes, rivers, and streams. Read the full story by The Niagara Independent.

Original Article

Great Lakes Commission

Great Lakes Commission

https://www.glc.org/dailynews/20230719-cleanup-shores-niagara

Hannah Reynolds

Organizations which work to protect Lake Superior are benefitting from an injection of multi-year funding from the province as part of a larger $6 million initiative to protect, conserve, and restore the Great Lakes. The Ontario government has announced 30 “science on the ground” projects so far, which aim to address a variety of challenges. Read the full story by Fort Frances Times.

Original Article

Great Lakes Commission

Great Lakes Commission

https://www.glc.org/dailynews/20230719-greatlakes-cash-rehabilitation

Hannah Reynolds

“Drink ‘em and sink ‘em” was the practice of fishermen who threw their beer and pop cans and bottles into the Great Lakes over 40 years ago. Don Fassbender, president of Great Lakes Scuba, a lake preservation dive club, once saw old cans underwater as far as he could see beneath Lake Superior. He posted a video of the dive on YouTube, showing the garbage he found and collected. Read the full story by the Gladwin County Record & Beaverton Clarion.

Original Article

Great Lakes Commission

Great Lakes Commission

https://www.glc.org/dailynews/20230719-scubadivers-greatlakes-cleanup

Hannah Reynolds

Ships carrying an estimated 12 million tons of cargo have passed through the St. Lawrence Seaway system into the Great Lakes through the end of June, roughly the same amount as last year. Read the full story by The Northwest Times of Indiana.

Original Article

Great Lakes Commission

Great Lakes Commission

https://www.glc.org/dailynews/20230719-internationalshipping-greatlakes

Hannah Reynolds

A ship that hasn’t been seen for almost a century and a half has been confirmed as found. The Great Lakes Shipwreck Museum in Paradise, Michigan announced an expedition on Lake Superior last year that led to the discovery of the Satellite, a tugboat that sank June 21, 1879. Read the full story by the Manistee News Advocate.

Original Article

Great Lakes Commission

Great Lakes Commission

https://www.glc.org/dailynews/20230719-shipwreck-lakesuperior

Hannah Reynolds

A new shipping facility for agricultural products officially opened in Port Milwaukee on Tuesday. It’s one of the first facilities in the Great Lakes-St. Lawrence Seaway to move bulk agricultural exports, including dried distillers grains. Read the full story by Wisconsin Public Radio.

Original Article

Great Lakes Commission

Great Lakes Commission

https://www.glc.org/dailynews/20230719-portmilwaukee-ag-shipping

Hannah Reynolds

On Thursday, July 27, Mayor Justin Bibb will invite public comments on “initial thoughts and sketches” for an emerging plan for the Cleveland lakefront in a meeting at the Great Lakes Science Center. Read the full story by The Plain Dealer.

Original Article

Great Lakes Commission

Great Lakes Commission

https://www.glc.org/dailynews/20230719-cleveland-publiccomment-lakefront-development

Hannah Reynolds

Three years ago, Viking, the luxury cruise line, struck a deal with the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration to launch passenger cruises on the Great Lakes with a scientific bent, allowing passengers to assist with laboratory experiments. Read the full story by Bridge Magazine.

Original Article

Great Lakes Commission

Great Lakes Commission

https://www.glc.org/dailynews/20230717-science-cruises

Connor Roessler

The director of the Central Michigan University Institute for Great Lakes Research joined two submersible owners under Lake Michigan at Beaver Island this week to assist the station’s water quality and fisheries research. Read the full story by MLive.

Original Article

Great Lakes Commission

Great Lakes Commission

https://www.glc.org/dailynews/20230717-private-submersibles

Connor Roessler

A no-contact order remains in place for a section of the St. Joseph River in Southwest Michigan a week after sewage spilled into the river. A lag between the time of the spill and the warning means some people went into the Lake Michigan tributary without realizing they could be in danger. Read the full story by the MLive.

Original Article

Great Lakes Commission

Great Lakes Commission

https://www.glc.org/dailynews/20230717-kayakers-sewage

Connor Roessler

In Michigan, a project to shore up South Haven’s South Beach and protect it from erosion that occurred in 2019 due to record-high water levels on Lake Michigan is nearing completion. This past week, the United States Army Corps of Engineers began the finishing work on the project that will add approximately 57,000 cubic yards of dredged material from the Black River Channel to expand the sand on the beach that was washed away during the high-water levels. Read the full story by the South Haven Tribune.

Original Article

Great Lakes Commission

Great Lakes Commission

https://www.glc.org/dailynews/20230717-south-beach

Connor Roessler

Michigan residents are being warned to be prepared for another season of harmful algal blooms in the Great Lakes. The Michigan Department of Environment, Great Lakes, and Energy is advising people on what to do if they encounter the algae.  Read the full story by WXPR – Rhinelander, WI.

Original Article

Great Lakes Commission

Great Lakes Commission

https://www.glc.org/dailynews/20230717-algae-michigan

Connor Roessler

A new state of the art wastewater treatment plant is up and running in the City of Cheboygan, Michigan. The new facility will enhance public health safeguards, better protect Lake Huron, and reduce costs through state assisted funding. Read the full story by WPBN-TV – Traverse City, MI.

Original Article

Great Lakes Commission

Great Lakes Commission

https://www.glc.org/dailynews/20230717-cheboygan-wastewater

Connor Roessler

Potash shipments at the port of Thunder Bay, ON have made a strong comeback in June reaching 31 per cent higher than June 2022. Chris Heikkinen, director of business development with the port, says the reason for the uptick is “it’s timing more than anything.” Read the full story by the Chronicle Journal.

Original Article

Great Lakes Commission

Great Lakes Commission

https://www.glc.org/dailynews/20230717-potash

Connor Roessler

The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency and partners are seeking input on their latest plan to guide restoration and protection of the Great Lakes under an updated action plan for the Great Lakes Restoration Initiative from 2025 to 2029. Read the full story by Wisconsin Public Radio.

Original Article

Great Lakes Commission

Great Lakes Commission

https://www.glc.org/dailynews/20230714-epa-input

Connor Roessler

The Great Lakes Shipwreck Historical Society announced Wednesday the discovery of a tug boat that sank into the waters of Lake Superior 144 years ago. The historical society said the Satellite sank on June 21, 1879, either as a result of a mechanical problem or because the boat struck a floating log.  Read the full story by WPBN-TV – Traverse City, MI.

Original Article

Great Lakes Commission

Great Lakes Commission

https://www.glc.org/dailynews/20230714-shipwreck

Connor Roessler