On a foggy night 170 years ago, two ships sailing on Lake Huron collided, causing damage to both, records say. Both crews survived and today, the wooden two-masted schooners rest intact and upright at the bottom of the Great Lake. Read the full story by MLive.
Great Lakes Commission
https://www.glc.org/dailynews/20241023-sunken-ships
A former sand mining site in Ottawa County, Michigan, is now operating as a sprawling public park, open for residents to paddle the waters, explore paved paths, overlook a glistening inland lake, and even camp overnight. Read the full story by MLive.
Great Lakes Commission
https://www.glc.org/dailynews/20241023-new-park
The Great Lakes Observing System (GLOS) aims to map the Great Lakes by 2030 through its project called Lakebed 2030. A bill to fund this effort— the Great Lakes Mapping Act — was tabled in the U.S. Congress earlier this year and it is unlikely to get passed before the U.S. election on November 5. Read the full story by Toronto.com.
Great Lakes Commission
https://www.glc.org/dailynews/20241021-lakebed-mapping
Because capturing and converting nutrients is such a critical function to wetland ecosystems, Bowling Green State University (BGSU) researchers aim to study common wetland plants to identify which species promote these functions more than others to better inform wetland design in the future. Read the full story by The Toledo Blade.
Great Lakes Commission
https://www.glc.org/dailynews/20241021-wetland-plant-research
Visitors at the Holiday Beach Conservation Area in Ontario can become “citizen scientists” to help keep an eye on erosion of its Lake Erie shoreline. Two stands allow those strolling along the sand to place their mobile phones into the cradle, snap a photo of the shoreline and upload it to the CoastReach website. Read the full story by the Windsor Star.
Great Lakes Commission
https://www.glc.org/dailynews/20241021-community-erosion-monitoring
The Wisconsin Historical Society announced this past week that the wreck of the Pride, which sank in a tornado off of Egg Harbor 126 years ago, is now listed on the national register. It was placed on the Wisconsin State Register of Historic Places on May 24 and now is the 31st shipwreck in Door County waters on the state and national registers. Read the full story by the Green Bay Press-Gazette.
Great Lakes Commission
https://www.glc.org/dailynews/20241021-historic-shipwreck
The small farming community of Teeswater, Ontario, will vote in a referendum on whether or not they’re willing to host Canada’s largest underground storage facility of spent nuclear fuel. Less than 45 minutes from the Bruce Nuclear Generating Station on Lake Huron, Teeswater is one of two locations being considered to host the facility. Read the full story by CBC News.
Great Lakes Commission
https://www.glc.org/dailynews/20241021-nuclear-storage
An abandoned boat was discovered washed ashore along Lake Michigan in Milwaukee after strong winds caused the boat to break loose. The U.S. Coast Guard is working with the boat’s owner and their insurance company to remove the boat. Read the full story by WISN-TV – Milwaukee, WI.
Great Lakes Commission
https://www.glc.org/dailynews/20241021-boat-ashore
The annual “Salmon Run” in Buchanan, Michigan, is happening now. Every year, these fish travel from big bodies of water, in this case Lake Michigan, and return to their birthplace to spawn. Read the full story by WNDU-TV – South Bend, IN.
Great Lakes Commission
https://www.glc.org/dailynews/20241021-salmon-run
The Alvin Buckingham – a double-masted schooner that ran aground on a Lake Huron reef 154 years ago – now rests under eight feet of water about 1.2 miles offshore in the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration Thunder Bay National Marine Sanctuary. Read the full story by MLive.
Great Lakes Commission
https://www.glc.org/dailynews/20241021-sanctuary-shipwreck
The Algoma Guardian, a Canadian bulk carrier, was navigating the St. Lawrence River Saturday afternoon when it started to spew smoke. The ship was back up and running Sunday morning; there’s no belief that the incident created any other problems on the river for other ships. Read the full story by WWNY-TV – Carthage, NY.
Great Lakes Commission
https://www.glc.org/dailynews/20241021-ship-smoke
According to an online survey, Wisconsinites’ top philanthropic priority if they suddenly struck it rich would be to protect the Great Lakes and their shorelines. Read the full story by WLUK-TV – Green Bay, WI.
Great Lakes Commission
https://www.glc.org/dailynews/20241021-philanthropy-survey
New projects to improve the health of Lake Erie and the Detroit River have financial backing from the federal government. The Essex Region Conservation Authority’s projects will get $15-million from the Ministry of Environment and Climate Change’s Great Lakes Fresh Water Ecosystem Initiative for two habitat projects planned for the Detroit River Area of Concern. Read the full story by Windsor News Today.
Great Lakes Commission
https://www.glc.org/dailynews/20241018-new-funds-for-aoc
The 17th Annual Freshwater Summit will be held on October 30 in Traverse City, Michigan and will feature presentations on aging whitefish populations, effective swimmer’s itch prevention strategies, a microplastic survey, and a workshop on climate anxiety. Read the full story by WWTV-TV – Cadillac, MI.
Great Lakes Commission
https://www.glc.org/dailynews/20241018-annual-freshwater-summit
As Western New York prepares for the cold winds of winter, New York Sea Grant and local groups are trying to prepare residents off Lake Erie for seiche events, with massive waves that can cause major damage. Read the full story by WBFO – Buffalo, NY.
Great Lakes Commission
https://www.glc.org/dailynews/20241018-seiche-events
The very dry September combined with the typical seasonal decline in water levels are bringing Great Lakes’ water levels down to lowest level in several years. Read the full story by MLive.
Great Lakes Commission
https://www.glc.org/dailynews/20241018-low-water-levels
A state park with several historical elements, including two Lake Superior lighthouses, is getting a new long-range management plan and officials are seeking public input. Read the full story by MLive.
Great Lakes Commission
https://www.glc.org/dailynews/20241018-lake-superior-lighthouses
The city of Cleveland will receive nearly $60 million in federal grant money for the proposed North Coast Connector project. The project aims to enhance waterfront access by increasing connection between Cleveland residents and the lakefront. Read the full story by WKYC-TV – Cleveland, OH.
Great Lakes Commission
https://www.glc.org/dailynews/20241018-cleveland-lakefront
Each Great Lake is now at least four degrees warmer than the typical surface water temperature for this date. Read the full story by MLive.
Great Lakes Commission
https://www.glc.org/dailynews/20241018-lake-temperature
Wisconsin ranks second in the nation for dam failures in the last two decades, raising concern over whether extreme storms driven by climate change may overwhelm them and communities downstream. Read the full story by Wisconsin Public Radio.
Great Lakes Commission
https://www.glc.org/dailynews/20241018-wi-dam-failures
Last December, the Coast Guard announced it was closing its station in Ashtabula, Ohio and downsizing its station in Fairport Harbor, Ohio because of understaffing. On Wednesday in Ashtabula, local leaders said that ending staffing there this summer did not end the calls for help they would have answered. Read the full story by WEWS-TV – Cleveland, OH.
Great Lakes Commission
https://www.glc.org/dailynews/20241018-staffing-coast-guard
The Pennsylvania Fish and Boat Commission (PFBC) is finalizing its Strategic Plan for Management of Trout Fisheries, which involves wild trout and finding places to stock 4.2 million hatchery trout each year. The plan is open for public comment until November 2nd. Read the full story by the Pocono Record.
Great Lakes Commission
https://www.glc.org/dailynews/20241018-trout-stocking
Western Lake Erie’s 2024 algal bloom set a record for arrival time when it established itself on June 24 this year. Now, even with cooler temperatures this week, it could become the second one in modern history to linger into November. Read the full story by The Blade.
Great Lakes Commission
https://www.glc.org/dailynews/20241016-extended-bloom
Residents near the Apostle Islands in Northern Wisconsin worry that conversion to a national park would overwhelm their small towns along their lake and limit hunting. Read the full story by the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel.
Great Lakes Commission
https://www.glc.org/dailynews/20241016-apostle-pushback
Ten years ago, Toledo warned about half a million residents not to drink the water for nearly three days due to algal toxins. Thus far, some studying Erie say we haven’t flexed enough muscle to live up to commitments made in the wake of the crisis. Read the full story by Crain’s Cleveland Business.
Great Lakes Commission
https://www.glc.org/dailynews/20241016-erie-bloom
Through a collaboration between water operators and scientists, yellow smart buoys bobbing on the surface of Lake Erie are serving as an early warning system for algae blooms. Read the full story by CBC News.
Great Lakes Commission
https://www.glc.org/dailynews/20241016-smart-buoys
In June 2025, an underwater remotely operated vehicle contest will be hosted by the Thunder Bay National Marine Sanctuary in Alpena, Michigan. More than 1,000 guests from 15 countries are expected to attend. Read the full story by MLive.
Great Lakes Commission
https://www.glc.org/dailynews/20241016-robot-championship
Foam from Muskegon Lake in Muskegon, Michigan, contained over 4,000 parts per trillion of PFOS. The source has not been identified because a number of former industries along the shoreline could have used the foam for fire protection or in their industrial processes. Read the full story by the Midland Daily News.
Great Lakes Commission
https://www.glc.org/dailynews/20241016-muskegon-pfos
Veteran policy experts discuss how a Harris or Trump presidency may deal with three key topics: Great Lakes restoration, groundwater, and the Line 5 oil pipeline. Read the full story by Great Lakes Now.
Great Lakes Commission
https://www.glc.org/dailynews/20241016-great-lakes-candidates
Chequamegon Bay near Ashland, Wisconsin, hasn’t seen algae blooms unlike other areas of the Great Lakes struggling with high phosphorus levels. A recent study found that the area doesn’t have the same kind of dissolved phosphorus that is associated with intense agricultural production. Read the full story by Wisconsin Public Radio.
Great Lakes Commission
https://www.glc.org/dailynews/20241016-superior-phosphorus
Using trackers to follow the path of plastic bottles in rivers around the Greater Toronto Area, students found hot spots for garbage before it enters Lake Ontario and Lake Erie. Read the full story by The Narwhal.
Great Lakes Commission
https://www.glc.org/dailynews/20241016-tracking-trash
The closed Palisades nuclear plant, located on Lake Michigan, is in the first steps of reopening: on-the-ground efforts are already underway at the site to co-locate a pair of small-modular reactors there by 2030. Read the full story by MLive.
Great Lakes Commission
https://www.glc.org/dailynews/20241016-palisades-reopening
Closely intertwined with Indigenous culture and identity, wild rice was decimated after the arrival of European settlers. But today, many partners are supporting initiatives to restore wild rice. Read the full story by WXPR – Rhinelander, WI.
Great Lakes Commission
https://www.glc.org/dailynews/20241014-greatlakestribes-wildrice
About a mile from Cleveland’s Lake Erie shore, in a stretch of water once among America’s most polluted, a team of conservationists just released a few dozen lake sturgeon into the Cuyahoga River. Lake sturgeon need a nice clean substrate so their eggs don’t suffocate, and biologists believe the Cuyahoga’s improved water quality has made that possible. Read the full story by NPR.
Great Lakes Commission
https://www.glc.org/dailynews/20241014-cuyahogariver-sturgeon
On Oct. 18, the Sault Tribe of Chippewa Indians will release a new mini documentary about the fisheries program at the Fresh Coast Film Festival in Marquette. The 15-minute documentary, “Sacred Waters: Anishinaabeg Naagdawenmaanaanig Giigoonhkewin,” discusses the tribe’s ancient connection to the Great Lakes and how tribe biologists are leading efforts to restore whitefish populations, whose numbers have been severely diminished by invasive species. Read the full story by the Sault Ste. Marie Evening News.
Great Lakes Commission
https://www.glc.org/dailynews/20241014-sault-tribe-documentary
Thousands of water service lines across the state are made from the original infrastructure, at times, dating back 100 years. With infrastructure developments throughout the years, the state has passed a bipartisan bill to replace service lines made with lead pipes. Read the full story by Spectrum News.
Great Lakes Commission
https://www.glc.org/dailynews/20241014-bipartisanbill-leadwater-newyork
Cleanup Club is a non-profit that was created two years ago that focuses its cleanup efforts in rivers located in the Great Lakes basin. Read the full story by WDIV-TV – Detroit, MI.
Great Lakes Commission
https://www.glc.org/dailynews/20241014-cleanupclub-michigan-greatlakes
This week, the iconic anchor outside the Great Lakes Maritime Heritage Center in Alpena, Michigan got an adjustment to ensure there’s not an “anchors away” situation. The anchor is a popular photo op amongst visitors. Read the full story by MLive.
Great Lakes Commission
https://www.glc.org/dailynews/20241014-anchor-upnorthmuseum-photo-op
The Douglas County Land and Water Conservation Department located in Wisconsin, has up to $4,000 in grant funding available next year for environmental projects that promote soil and water conservation or environmental sustainability. Individuals, community organizations and public entities can apply for funding from the Douglas County Environmental Reserve Fund. Read the full story by the Superior Telegram.
Great Lakes Commission
https://www.glc.org/dailynews/20241014-douglas-county-grants
When you think of travel on Lake Michigan, you likely think of the S.S. Badger. It has been an iconic mode of transportation connecting communities and enhancing travel experiences for decades. Read the full story by the Herald Times Reporter.
Great Lakes Commission
https://www.glc.org/dailynews/20241014-ss-badger-icon-steamship
The lakes in the Great Lakes region and around the world don’t freeze over as they did in past centuries. That has serious consequences for people, wildlife, and the environment as a whole. Read the full story by Michigan Public Radio.
Great Lakes Commission
https://www.glc.org/dailynews/20241014-less-ice-greatlakes-climatechange
The Great Lakes are in the midst of a waterspout outbreak, and the whirlwind of activity is expected to last into the middle of this this week, forecasters say. Read the full story by MLive.
Great Lakes Commission
https://www.glc.org/dailynews/20241014-water-spout
Wednesday October 9 marks one year since the city of Waukesha, Wisconsin, transitioned to using Lake Michigan for its drinking water. The entire project was completed two weeks earlier than anticipated after years of preparation to minimize the impact of radium in the city’s groundwater supply. Read the full story by WTMJ – Milwaukee, WI.
Great Lakes Commission
https://www.glc.org/dailynews/20241011-waukesha-diversion
The Great Lakes Observing System’s effort to map every meter of the Great Lakes’ bottom will pinpoint hundreds of underwater shipwrecks, illuminate topographical features and locate infrastructure. The map will also help ships avoid submerged hazards; identify fisheries; and inform erosion, storm surge and flooding models as climate change intensifies. Read the full story by CBS News.
Great Lakes Commission
https://www.glc.org/dailynews/20241011-lake-bottom-mapping
Little Traverse Conservancy in Harbor Springs, Michigan, has announced its new Wild Shores Initiative, aimed at protecting the undeveloped Great Lakes shoreline in the organization’s five-county service area which includes lakes Superior, Huron and Michigan. Undeveloped Great Lakes shoreline continues to be harder to find beyond those special places already protected as state or federal land or by non-profit conservation organizations. Read the full story by WWTV-TV – Cadillac, MI.
Great Lakes Commission
https://www.glc.org/dailynews/20241011-shoreline-protection
The National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration’s Mussel Watch program is collecting invasive mussels at sites across the Great Lakes to measure the concentration of harmful pollutants in their tissue. A report with the results, expected this fall, will serve as an indicator to communities that they may need cleanup. Read the full story by Michigan Farm News.
Great Lakes Commission
https://www.glc.org/dailynews/20241011-pollution-indicators
The St. Lawrence Seaway announced its September performance figures, with 23.6 million metric tons of cargo shipped since the beginning of the navigation season. While overall tonnage is slightly down compared to last year, iron, steel, petroleum and potash demonstrate positive trends that underscore the seaway’s role in North American supply chains. Read the full story by Inside Logistics.
Great Lakes Commission
https://www.glc.org/dailynews/20241011-cargo-tonnage
The Yorkville, Illinois, City Council approved several agreements with the DuPage Water Commission on Tuesday as part of the city’s plan to receive Lake Michigan water. The agreements cover how and when the city will pay for the construction of the water line from Naperville to Yorkville and how and when the city will pay for its water. Read the full story by WSPY – Plano, IL.
Great Lakes Commission
https://www.glc.org/dailynews/20241011-water-agreement
Eleven major agricultural groups have asked a Senior U.S. District Judge to let them join the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency and others in a landmark case in federal court that could affect how Ohio is allowed to manage western Lake Erie in the future. These groups claim they have a right to defend themselves from a case that could directly impact their industry. Read the full story by the Toledo Blade.
Great Lakes Commission
https://www.glc.org/dailynews/20241011-agriculture-litigation
A 2021 poll by the Great Lakes Water Quality Board found that 90% of U.S. and Canadian residents in the Great Lakes region support the lakes’ protection. The popularity of the Great Lakes would not have blossomed into such an ambitious and bipartisan conservation effort without the fact that three of those eight surrounding states – Michigan, Wisconsin and Pennsylvania – are critical swing states. Read the full story by Great Lakes Now.
Great Lakes Commission
https://www.glc.org/dailynews/20241011-bipartisan-support
