Amid drastic cuts to science programs, grants and funding, Great Lakes scientists are converging in Milwaukee this week to talk about resilience – not just in the lakes, but science itself. Read the full story by the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel.
Great Lakes Commission
https://www.glc.org/dailynews/20250604-scientists-milwaukee-greatlakes-resilience
The analysis notes that the tunnel would eliminate the risk of a boat anchor rupturing the pipeline and causing a spill in the Straits of Mackinac, but the construction would have sweeping effects on everything from recreation to wildlife. Read the full story by The Associated Press.
Great Lakes Commission
https://www.glc.org/dailynews/20250602-line-5-impacts
May 31 through June 8 is Great Lakes and Fresh Water Week, celebrating the Great Lakes and other inland lakes as great natural resources, but also as beautiful outdoor recreation spots. Read the full story by The Alpena News.
Great Lakes Commission
https://www.glc.org/dailynews/20250602-greatlakes-freshwater-week
Trump’s regulatory rollback is poised to unleash a wave of pollution North America hasn’t seen since the 1960s. Read the full story by The Globe and Mail.
Great Lakes Commission
https://www.glc.org/dailynews/20250602-pollution-risk
Environmental experts say funding is at stake for the U.S. Geological Survey’s Ecosystems Mission Area, an important program that protects the Great Lakes. Read the full story by WRVO – Oswego, NY.
Great Lakes Commission
https://www.glc.org/dailynews/20250602-usgs-program-funding
Chicago area officials are set to celebrate the start of the construction of infrastructure necessary to eventually provide Lake Michigan water to about a quarter of a million residents in six suburban communities southwest of the city. Read the full story by WFLD-TV – Chicago, IL.
Great Lakes Commission
https://www.glc.org/dailynews/20250602-chicago-water-pipeline
Over the past year marginal farmland in southeast Michigan has been undergoing restoration into a 300-acre wetland aimed to filter phosphorus runoff from reaching Lake Erie. Read the full story by Michigan Public.
Great Lakes Commission
https://www.glc.org/dailynews/20250602-wetland-runoff
Trump administration funding cuts and limitations on federal government employees are affecting a major scientific conference on the Great Lakes opening Monday in Milwaukee. Read the full story by Michigan Public.
Great Lakes Commission
https://www.glc.org/dailynews/20250602-great-lakes-conference
A viewing platform installed at Michigan’s Sleeping Bear Dunes in 1986 has been removed due to the shifting sands retreating from the area, making the platform a safety hazard. Read the full story by Michigan Advance.
Great Lakes Commission
https://www.glc.org/dailynews/20250602-dunes-platform-removed
Congresswoman Kristen McDonald Rivet is requesting federal funds for safe drinking water projects in mid-Michigan, targeting infrastructure upgrades across multiple communities to enhance public health, economic investment, and equitable access to resources. Read the full story by Thumbwind.
Great Lakes Commission
https://www.glc.org/dailynews/20250602-drinking-water-push
Belonging to the late British journalist and politician, Herbert Ingram, a pocket watch was recovered from the bottom of Lake Michigan and returned to his hometown in the U.K. Read the full story by People.
Great Lakes Commission
https://www.glc.org/dailynews/20250602-pocket-watch
A new study from the Medical University of Wisconsin shows hundreds of Chippewa-Ottawa Resource Authority tribe members are using information from a new mobile app called GigiigooApp to decide how much of what types of fish to eat. Read the full story by The Alpena News.
Great Lakes Commission
https://www.glc.org/dailynews/20250530-fish-consumption-app
Illinois officials took possession last week of a 50-acre stretch of riverbed in the Des Plaines River near Joliet to build a $1.15 billion barricade to keep invasive carp from entering the Great Lakes. While the state still needs to acquire more land along the riverbank to be able to build the barricade, the ground is contaminated by coal ash, a byproduct of burning coal to generate electricity that is known to cause cancer. Read the full story by the Chicago Sun-Times.
Great Lakes Commission
https://www.glc.org/dailynews/20250530-carp-barricade
The Northeast-Midwest Institute led a virtual briefing this week aimed at giving lawmakers and their staff a deeper understanding of the impacts of, and solutions for, PFAS in the Great Lakes region. Read the full story by The New Lede.
Great Lakes Commission
https://www.glc.org/dailynews/20250530-pfas-briefing
In Ohio, Toledo’s harbor will see its first cruise ship in decades when a Great Lakes vessel docks there Friday. Victory Cruise Lines’ 286-foot ship, called Victory I, will dock at One Maritime Plaza at 11:30 a.m., where multiple local organizations and elected officials will welcome nearly 200 passengers to the Glass City. Read the full story by WTOL-TV – Toledo, OH.
Great Lakes Commission
https://www.glc.org/dailynews/20250530-cruise-destination
The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers on Friday released a long-awaited draft study that found that most of the environmental effects resulting from constructing a tunnel to house Line 5 beneath the Straits of Mackinac would be temporary and tied almost exclusively to construction activities. Read the full story by The Detroit News.
Great Lakes Commission
https://www.glc.org/dailynews/20250530-impact-study
New details are emerging about a proposed hovercraft service that aims to transport tourists and commuters across Lake Ontario between Toronto and Niagara Region in just 30 minutes. Officials with Hoverlink Ontario say the service will alleviate congestion along one of the province’s busiest highways and make it more attractive for people to travel to two of Ontario’s largest tourist destinations. Read the full story by CTV News.
Great Lakes Commission
https://www.glc.org/dailynews/20250530-hovercraft-service
The Great Lakes Fisheries Commission convened its annual meeting in Traverse City, Michigan, focusing on the critical issue of invasive species. A significant topic of discussion was the FishPass project in Traverse City, which the commission highlighted as a groundbreaking initiative in controlling invasive species like the sea lamprey. Read the full story by WPBN-TV – Traverse City, MI.
Great Lakes Commission
https://www.glc.org/dailynews/20250530-fisheries-commission
The Maritime Heritage Alliance, a nonprofit organization, is dedicated to educating the public about the lakes through various initiatives, including an annual boat auction and thrift sale. Proceeds from the auction will support the Alliance’s programs, which are conducted on vessels like the 92-foot schooner Madeline and the 38-foot Concordia cutter Champion. Read the full story by WPBN-TV – Traverse City, MI.
Great Lakes Commission
https://www.glc.org/dailynews/20250530-maritime-accessibility
Every spring, adult midge flies emerge by the Milwaukee lakefront in giant swarms to mate, procreate and lay their eggs in Lake Michigan. Though they may be a nuisance, midges play an important role in the ecosystem in and around Lake Michigan; the larvae are a valuable food source for fish and other aquatic organisms in the water and once above water, the adult midge flies can be food for birds, bats and other vertebrates. Read the full story by the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel.
Great Lakes Commission
https://www.glc.org/dailynews/20250530-midge-flies
Glass-bottom boat Lady Michigan cruises over the famous wrecks of the Thunder Bay National Marine Sanctuary in Alpena, Michigan. The 4,300 miles of federally protected crystal-clear waters offer a unique peek into Great Lakes maritime history. Read the full story by MLive.
Great Lakes Commission
https://www.glc.org/dailynews/20250530-shipwreck-tours
The State of Illinois said it acquired a 50-acre piece of land in southwest suburban Will County needed for a massive infrastructure project aimed at keeping the invasive carp fish from entering Lake Michigan. Read the full story by WFQX-TV – Chicago, IL.
Great Lakes Commission
https://www.glc.org/dailynews/20250528-brandon-road
A new study by researchers at the University of Michigan concluded that the Great Lakes region has officially entered a new climate era with stronger climate extremes now the norm. Read the full story by Milwaukee Journal Sentinel.
Great Lakes Commission
https://www.glc.org/dailynews/20250528-new-climate-era
With an underwater drone named Rhody, archaeologists are mapping some of the dozens of sunken vessels in Lake Ontario. Read the full story by The New York Times.
Great Lakes Commission
https://www.glc.org/dailynews/20250528-shipwrecks
From clothes to food packaging, microplastics are entering the Great Lakes. Effective monitoring and policy solutions will likely be the key to tackling this issue. Read the full story by Great Lakes Now.
Great Lakes Commission
https://www.glc.org/dailynews/20250528-microplastics
Chief Blackstone is a legendary figure in Great Lakes history due to his staunch resistance to mining and missionaries — both direct threats to Ojibwe-Anishinaabe way of life. Read the full story by Great Lakes Now.
Great Lakes Commission
https://www.glc.org/dailynews/20250528-chief-blackstone
The water levels in the Great Lakes are continuing their seasonal rise going into the summer months. Read the full story by the Erie-Times News.
Great Lakes Commission
https://www.glc.org/dailynews/20250528-water-levels
A Great Lakes Observing System buoy is anchored in Lake Erie in the summer months about six miles off Dunkirk Harbor, New York. The buoy provides critical data such as water characteristics, wind, waves, water flow patterns, and more. Read the full story by The Post Journal.
Great Lakes Commission
https://www.glc.org/dailynews/20250528-bouy
Researchers looking to understand raptor migration and breeding habits are set up near the Straits of Mackinac because the waterway is a major crossing for birds of prey. Read the full story by Bridge Michigan.
Great Lakes Commission
https://www.glc.org/dailynews/20250528-mackinac-straits-hawks
The Village of Holly, Michigan, began discussing the future of the historic Stiff’s Mill Pond Dam after state regulators raised concerns about the dam’s safety. Read the full story by WJRT-TV – Flint, MI.
Great Lakes Commission
https://www.glc.org/dailynews/20250528-holly-dam
Slowed by a cold May, the Great Lakes are slightly cooler than usual for this time of year. Read the full story by Bridge Michigan.
Great Lakes Commission
https://www.glc.org/dailynews/20250528-water-temperature
As the Environmental Protection Agency scales back enforcement because of staff shortages and new federal rollbacks, concerns are growing in Michigan and across the country about who will hold polluters accountable. Read the full story by Public News Service.
Great Lakes Commission
https://www.glc.org/dailynews/20250523-epa-pause
Although the battle to save western Lake Erie from harmful algal blooms is far from over, data suggests that conditions are slowly headed in the right direction. Read the full story by the Toledo Blade.
Great Lakes Commission
https://www.glc.org/dailynews/20250523-erie-algal-blooms
Drawing from a deep well of economic and industrial history, leaders envision the Great Lakes region as a world-changing hub for water technology, achieving for pipes, pumps, sensors, waste purification, and resource recovery what Silicon Valley did for semiconductor advances and personal computing. Read the full story by Bridge Michigan.
Great Lakes Commission
https://www.glc.org/dailynews/20250523-water-technology
With about 100 drownings occurring on the Great Lakes every year, advocates are pushing for legislation that would require Michigan students to learn about water safety. Read the full story by WXMI – Grand Rapids, MI.
Great Lakes Commission
https://www.glc.org/dailynews/20250523-water-safety
Plastic pollution is a growing problem in the Great Lakes. A trash collecting robot named BeBot is helping to clean up Great Lakes beaches while also serving as a conversation starter around plastic pollution. Read the full story by WBUR.
Great Lakes Commission
https://www.glc.org/dailynews/20250523-plastic-pollution-robot
The annual work to cull sea lamprey populations in the Great Lakes will begin in Michigan’s Upper Peninsula in just under two weeks. Read the full story by WLUC-TV – Marquette, MI.
Great Lakes Commission
https://www.glc.org/dailynews/20250523-sea-lamprey
Researchers at the University of Michigan are learning more about Dolichospermum, the bacteria responsible for the toxins found during major algal bloom events. Read the full story WJBK-TV – Detroit, MI.
Great Lakes Commission
https://www.glc.org/dailynews/20250523-algal-bloom-organism
The opening of the Lake County Pekara Water System in Illinois will provide thousands of residents that formerly relied on wells with Lake Michigan water. Read the full story by Chicago Tribune.
Great Lakes Commission
https://www.glc.org/dailynews/20250523-lake-michigan-water
A large wooden platform deck at stop #9 on Sleeping Bear Dune’s Pierce Stocking Scenic Drive fell victim to erosion over the winter and had to be removed for safety reasons. Read the full story by MLive.
Great Lakes Commission
https://www.glc.org/dailynews/20250523-sleeping-bear
Authorities are planning to retrieve a rogue section of the Niagara River ice boom that drifted onto a Niagara-on-the-Lake beach. Read the full story by Thorold Today.
Great Lakes Commission
https://www.glc.org/dailynews/20250523-ice-boom
In Ontario, as new industries and governments take shape, efforts to bring Thunder Bay’s shoreline back to a state of good health are critical. Today, Thunder Bay has two benchmarks left to meet in order to be delisted as a Great Lakes Area of Concern. Read the full story by Michigan Public.
Great Lakes Commission
https://www.glc.org/dailynews/20250521-thunder-bay-restoration
With artificial intelligence and the demand for cloud computing set to grow in the years and decades ahead, technology companies are increasingly eying up the Great Lakes region’s comparatively cooler climate and ample water resources. Read the full story by Bridge Michigan.
Great Lakes Commission
https://www.glc.org/dailynews/20250521-data-center-impacts
A massive campaign to plant 250 million trees across the Great Lakes region by 2033 is off and running. Within the first year all goals were exceeded, with an estimated 27 million trees planted. Read the full story by The Toledo Blade.
Great Lakes Commission
https://www.glc.org/dailynews/20250521-tree-planting
The conflict over the weedkiller Roundup and its active ingredient, glyphosate, has the potential to alter its stature as the favored chemical tool in agriculture, affecting fresh water across the Great Lakes. Read the full story by Great Lakes Now.
Great Lakes Commission
https://www.glc.org/dailynews/20250521-glyphosate-conflicts
Michigan and its neighbors have missed a 2025 deadline to curb the farm pollution that feeds toxic algal blooms in western Lake Erie, despite 10 years of work and millions of dollars spent on the effort. Read the full story by Bridge Michigan.
Great Lakes Commission
https://www.glc.org/dailynews/20250521-erie-pollution
A recent study conducted by Columbia University concludes that significant areas of the Earth’s surface are gradually sinking, bringing environmental, social and economic consequences to urban centers in the United States. Great Lakes cities Detroit and Chicago are among those at risk. Read the full story by Great Lakes Now.
Great Lakes Commission
https://www.glc.org/dailynews/20250521-sinking-cities
The conflict between supporting native lake sturgeon versus non-native salmon is coming to a head on the Big Manistee River in Michigan. Read the full story by Great Lakes Now.
Great Lakes Commission
https://www.glc.org/dailynews/20250521-lake-sturgeon
Lake Erie, the smallest of the Great Lakes, borders only a small strip of southeast Michigan’s coast, but contains rich opportunities for waterfront recreation and exploration. Read the full story by the Detroit Free Press.
Great Lakes Commission
https://www.glc.org/dailynews/20250521-lake-erie
Winter has long been a weak spot of Great Lakes research, in large part because it’s more difficult to gather samples then. With climate change greatly reducing the amount of ice cover compared to decades ago, and wintertime rain becoming more common, scientists worry we are chasing a moving target. Read the full story by the Toledo Blade.
Great Lakes Commission
https://www.glc.org/dailynews/20250519-data-gaps-greatlakes
