The Great Lakes Microbial Water Quality Assessment project, sponsored by the International Joint Commission, released a report stating that decades-old water testing methods are inadequate and advances in newer methods are critically needed. Read the full story by Bridge Michigan.
Great Lakes Commission
https://www.glc.org/dailynews/20240821-water-testing
A new company, the Great Lakes Tinned Fish Company is the first in the Midwest to source exclusively from the Great Lakes region and they plan to debut their product this fall. Read the full story by WXMI – Grand Rapids, MI.
Great Lakes Commission
https://www.glc.org/dailynews/20240821-tinned-fish
As climate change causes more wildfires in western North America, it can mess up train routes causing goods like potash, a fertilizer used by farmers globally, to be shipped through the Great Lakes St. Lawrence Seaway. Read the full story by the Interlochen Public Radio.
Great Lakes Commission
https://www.glc.org/dailynews/20240821-potash-shipping
Democrats looking for an advantage in Michigan’s critical U.S. Senate race are trying to revive the bitter battle over oil and gas drilling in the Great Lakes. Read the full story by E&E News.
Great Lakes Commission
https://www.glc.org/dailynews/20240821-senate-race
The number of cruise stops in Cleveland is set to double next year with the return of Victory Cruise Lines to the Great Lakes. The small cruise line’s two ships will relaunch in 2025 after a dormant 2024. Read the full story by The Plain Dealer.
Great Lakes Commission
https://www.glc.org/dailynews/20240821-cruise-stops-double
The Great Lakes Fisheries Commission is funding 12 different projects totaling $900K to improve aquatic habitat and facilitate conservation efforts in the Memphremagog watershed in Vermont. Read the full story by WCAX – Burlington, VT.
Great Lakes Commission
https://www.glc.org/dailynews/20240821-conservation-funding
The air over the Great Lakes is usually cooler than over land on a hot summer day due to cooler water temperatures and wind blowing from lake to land causes a cooling effect. Read the full story by the MLive.
Great Lakes Commission
https://www.glc.org/dailynews/20240821-cool-air
Zebra mussels are non-native to the Great Lakes region and while only the size of a fingernail, they can cause irreversible environmental and economic damage. Read the full story by the Cleveland Magazine.
Great Lakes Commission
https://www.glc.org/dailynews/20240821-zebra-mussel
In September, federal contractors will begin a pilot cleanup project in Torch Lake near Houghton, Michigan, where 400 deteriorating metal drums of mining waste have littered the Upper Peninsula lakebed for decades. The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency wants to figure out the best method for removing the drums, as well as other debris and contaminated sediment which are helping drive fish consumption advisories for species like bass, pike, and walleye. Read the full story by MLive.
Great Lakes Commission
https://www.glc.org/dailynews/20240819-cleanup-study
The Sixth Circuit Court of Appeals denied Enbridge Energy’s request to rehear its June decision to remand the Nessel v. Enbridge case, which denied Enbridge’s Line 5 project to continue, back to a Michigan state court. Read the full story by WLUC-TV – Marquette, MI.
Great Lakes Commission
https://www.glc.org/dailynews/20240819-pipeline-litigation
Nagamo, the only piping plover chick that survived from a full clutch of eggs spawned at Montrose Beach in Illinois, was seen flying away from the area on Wednesday, according to volunteers with the Chicago Piping Plovers organization. But the chick returned Saturday, along with another young plover — a cousin from Waukegan. Read the full story by the Chicago Sun-Times.
Great Lakes Commission
https://www.glc.org/dailynews/20240819-plover-return
The National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration said the main harmful algal bloom in western Lake Erie has expanded from the Toledo area to reach Huron, Ohio. The cyanobacteria bloom has an approximate area of 560 square miles, which is an increase in area since the last update on August 12. Read the full story by the Sandusky Register.
Great Lakes Commission
https://www.glc.org/dailynews/20240819-habs-expansion
The MI Healthy Climate Plan calls for Michigan to become carbon neutral by 2050. The Wolverine Power Collective’s plan to meet that goal involves the “Lake Michigan Connector” — a “superhighway” of electric cable across the lake that would allow power generated in the upper Midwest to be used in Michigan. Read the full story by WOOD-TV – Grand Rapids, MI.
Great Lakes Commission
https://www.glc.org/dailynews/20240819-power-production
The Port of Monroe recently received $1.5 million from the Michigan Maritime Grant Program for a new roll on/roll off extension that will facilitate the cross-border movement of large oversized transports from Canada. The port, Michigan’s only port on Lake Erie, is one of five facilities that received funding from the grant program. Read the full story by The Monroe News.
Great Lakes Commission
https://www.glc.org/dailynews/20240819-port-funding
The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers Buffalo District has secured $760,000 for designing new erosion defenses at Old Fort Niagara in New York State. Considerable erosion along the Lake Ontario shoreline has jeopardized the wall surrounding Old Fort Niagara, threatening landmarks like the French Castle and North Redoubt at the state historic site. Read the full story by the Niagara Gazette.
Great Lakes Commission
https://www.glc.org/dailynews/20240819-erosion-prevention
The City of Oshawa, Ontario, announced it has teamed up with the Central Lake Ontario Conservation Authority to repurpose old holiday trees as material to stabilize stream banks, control erosion, collect sediment, and improve overall stream habitat and water quality at the Enniskillen Conservation Area. Read the full story by the Durham Post.
Great Lakes Commission
https://www.glc.org/dailynews/20240819-stream-restoration
This summer has been one of almost instant gratification for salmon anglers booking charter trips on the eastern basin of Lake Ontario. In the coming weeks the salmon action will increase as they move close to shore and begin staging for their spawning runs up the tributaries. Read the full story by the Republican Herald.
Great Lakes Commission
https://www.glc.org/dailynews/20240819-salmon-fishing
A tribal leader and conservationists urged Wisconsin state officials to reject plans to relocate part of the aging Enbridge Line 5 pipeline in northern Wisconsin, warning that the threat of a catastrophic spill would still exist along the new route. Read the full story by The Associated Press.
Great Lakes Commission
https://www.glc.org/dailynews/20240816-pipeline-route
The presence of an invasive plant known as water soldier was confirmed in Ontario’s Lake Simcoe for the first time. If left unchecked, water soldier has the potential to invade lakes and rivers throughout Ontario and the Great Lakes basin. Read the full story by Barrie Advance.
Great Lakes Commission
https://www.glc.org/dailynews/20240816-water-soldier-found
The County Commissioners Association of Ohio’s Joint Water Quality Task Force agreed that cleaning up the western Lake Erie watershed is falling short, but two questions have been left unanswered: How to tackle the problem and who is going to foot the bill. Read the full story by The Blade.
Great Lakes Commission
https://www.glc.org/dailynews/20240816-erie-commissioners
The Mackinac Island Ferry Co. will stop making trips from Mackinaw City and St. Ignace, Michigan, to the island effective Monday, leaving Shepler’s Ferry as the only operating ferry service for the rest of the season. Read the full story by Bridge Michigan.
Great Lakes Commission
https://www.glc.org/dailynews/20240816-mackinac-ferry-repairs
Lake Erie’s harmful algal blooms have started sooner and had longer peak periods over the past decade compared to earlier years, newly released data shows. Warming temperatures linked to climate change are a cause, with interactions among species likely playing a role as well. Read the full story by Cleveland Scene.
Great Lakes Commission
https://www.glc.org/dailynews/20240816-erie-bloom-shift
After tens of millions of dollars in public funding and decades of work by many, the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency is moving to remove from its list of Areas of Concern Lake Ontario’s Rochester embayment, which lies between Towns of Webster and Parma, New York. Read the full story by The Democrat and Chronicle.
Great Lakes Commission
https://www.glc.org/dailynews/20240816-rochester-aoc
Multicolored, foul-smelling algae in the Lake Ontario waterfront of Hamilton, Ontario, has spurred complaints from boaters and residents, with the city testing for toxic blue-green algae and installing warning signs. Rather than clean it up, city staff are focused on tracking toxic algae locations and alerting the public. Read the full story by The Hamilton Spectator.
Great Lakes Commission
https://www.glc.org/dailynews/20240816-hamilton-algae
Alpena, Michigan, gateway to the Thunder Bay National Marine Sanctuary, offers a fascinating window into the maritime history of the Great Lakes. But beyond its well-known status as a shipwreck haven, Thunder Bay holds many lesser-known stories and facts that deepen its allure. Read the full story by The Sun Times News.
Great Lakes Commission
https://www.glc.org/dailynews/20240816-thunder-bay
Inland Seas Education Association operates two tall ships, with the bulk of its cruises involving school groups, hosting as many as 200 classrooms a year. The Association has been designated as a Certified Autism Center, providing accessible and inclusive educational experiences for all visitors. Read the full story by WPBN-TV – Traverse City, MI.
Great Lakes Commission
https://www.glc.org/dailynews/20240816-inland-seas
The City Council in Yorkville, Illinois, approved applying for an Environmental Protection Agency loan to fund the Lake Michigan water project, joining the DuPage Water Commission, which sources water from Chicago. City officials say Lake Michigan water could be flowing to Yorkville by April of 2028. Read the full story by WSPY – Plano, IL.
Great Lakes Commission
https://www.glc.org/dailynews/20240816-yorkville-water
The Great Lakes Microbial Water Quality Assessment, sponsored by the International Joint Commission, found that decades-old testing methods that measure microbial and chemical threats in Great Lakes waters are inadequate and advances in newer methods are critically needed. Read the full story by Circle of Blue.
Great Lakes Commission
https://www.glc.org/dailynews/20240814-pollutant-testing-study
Multiple officials in Macomb County, Michigan, are calling on the Michigan Department of Environment, Great Lakes, and Energy to hold off on renewing Oakland County’s groundwater discharge permit until the county commits to addressing sewage discharges into the Red Run Drain, which flows for 130 miles through both counties. Read the full story by the Michigan Advance.
Great Lakes Commission
https://www.glc.org/dailynews/20240814-permit-dispute
A sizable fish kill of freshwater drum, also known as sheepshead, has happened on portions of Lake Erie near Erie, Pennsylvania. It appeared that some of the distressed fish were doing a side stroke and were unable to right themselves due to issues with their swim bladders which can be caused by changes in water pressure associated with recent weather pattern. Read the full story by Erie Times-News.
Great Lakes Commission
https://www.glc.org/dailynews/20240814-fish-kill
New York Governor Kathy Hochul signed an agreement allowing the Thousand Islands Land Trust to acquire nearly 1,000 acres in Jefferson County through a mix of conservation easements and land purchases to filter potential pollutants from entering the St. Lawrence River and Lake Ontario. Read the full story by WWNY-TV – Carthage, NY.
Great Lakes Commission
https://www.glc.org/dailynews/20240814-land-acquisition
The National Park Service is moving forward with a $32 million project to relocate the docks at both North and South Manitou Islands in Lake Michigan. The agency is seeking permits to relocate the structures after years of access problems caused by sediment shoaling, which has fueled conflict between the park and a ferry operator based in Leland, Michigan, which has canceled service to North Manitou this year. Read the full story by MLive.
Great Lakes Commission
https://www.glc.org/dailynews/20240814-dock-relocation
The Michigan Department of Natural Resources (DNR) reports good fall fishing due to successful spring and summer fish stocking. The DNR stocked a total of 9,118,112 fish that weighed nearly 321 tons and consisted of 10 different species and one hybrid. Read the full story by the News Advocate.
Great Lakes Commission
https://www.glc.org/dailynews/20240814-fish-stocking
On July 28, a fisherman caught a 10.4 pound Atlantic salmon in Lake Erie that is believed to have been stocked hundreds of miles away in Lake Huron. Then on August 4, people believe they saw an alligator swimming off the shore of Erie, Pennsylvania. These sightings have prompted residents to wonder what else has been hiding in Lake Erie. Read the full story by Erie Times-News.
Great Lakes Commission
https://www.glc.org/dailynews/20240814-alligator-sighting
Ottawa County Parks is guiding tours through Michigan dunes at Rosy Mound, a classic Great Lakes dune system including high wooded dunes, foredunes, beach and a dune blowout. Participants can join the Dune Discovery Hike on Tuesday, August 20 to unearth secrets of how these dunes formed and the unique plant species that can only be found here. Read the full story by MLive.
Great Lakes Commission
https://www.glc.org/dailynews/20240814-dune-tour
A popular Lake Michigan beach in Muskegon, Michigan, is safe for now. Public Health – Muskegon County warned earlier this week that it found toxins from an algal bloom in Muskegon Lake spilling into Lake Michigan, but four tests at a local beach on Friday were at non-detect levels. Read the full story by Michigan Public.
Great Lakes Commission
https://www.glc.org/dailynews/20240812-muskegon-lake
Michigan State University’s 1,100-acre livestock research farm is working toward a goal: prove the value of advanced cattle production practices to stem environmental damage while simultaneously enhancing farm financial statements. Read the full story by Michigan Public.
Great Lakes Commission
https://www.glc.org/dailynews/20240812-cattle-production
Each summer educators are invited to apply for the opportunity to work alongside Great Lakes scientists aboard a research vessel for a week. A teacher explains how this opportunity helped her take the problems that face Lake Erie back to her classroom. Read the full story by The Allegheny Front.
Great Lakes Commission
https://www.glc.org/dailynews/20240812-lake-erie-research-expedition
From lawmakers to environmentalists, about 70 people met in the Wisconsin Maritime Museum on Friday to celebrate successes and address current challenges facing Lake Michigan. Read the full story by WLUK-TV – Green Bay, WI.
Great Lakes Commission
https://www.glc.org/dailynews/20240812-lake-michigan-day-conference
Michigan Senator Gary Peters visited Sault Ste Marie, Michigan, Saturday where he visited the Soo Locks’ current construction and discussed the $450 million project budget currently under review. View the full story by WLUC-TV – Marquette, MI.
Great Lakes Commission
https://www.glc.org/dailynews/20240812-peterson-soo-locks-visit
The University of Toledo has been awarded $459,353 from the National Institute of Environmental Health Sciences to study algal blooms and cyanobacteria. Read the full story by The Toledo Blade.
Great Lakes Commission
https://www.glc.org/dailynews/20240812-ut-grant
Cormorants, a fish-eating bird on Lake Ontario, continue to draw disdain from local fisherman who claim the bird’s populations reduce fishing opportunities. Read the full story by WWNY-TV – Watertown, NY.
Great Lakes Commission
https://www.glc.org/dailynews/20240812-cormorants
In an attempt at a solo swim across Lake Michigan, famed Great Lakes swimmer, Jim Dreyer, lost GPS navigation, fought wild hallucinations and spent a night essentially swimming in circles, causing the swim to end short. Read the full story by MLive.
Great Lakes Commission
https://www.glc.org/dailynews/20240812-dreyer
Two mayors of Wisconsin’s Bayfield County municipalities say that U.S. Rep. Tom Tiffany’s proposal to turn the Apostle Islands National Lakeshore into a national park would put an unmanageable strain on the area’s emergency services, housing stock and infrastructure. Read the full story by the Wisconsin Examiner.
Great Lakes Commission
https://www.glc.org/dailynews/20240812-apostle-islands-national-park-proposal
The Great Lakes Surf Festival welcomed surfers of all skill levels to explore the waters of the Great Lakes and embrace the region’s surfing community during the 6th annual event held at Pere Marquette Beach in Muskegon, Michigan. Read the full story by MLive.
Great Lakes Commission
https://www.glc.org/dailynews/20240812-surfing
The Government of Canada announced a plan to expand product-related regulations for per- and poly-flourinated substances (PFAS) by considering whether PFAS qualify for the Watch List under the Canadian Environmental Protection Act. Read the full story by Great Lakes Now.
Great Lakes Commission
https://www.glc.org/dailynews/20240809-pfas-regulations
The Marquette State Fish Hatchery has stocked 90 inland and Great Lakes sites with yearling lake trout, brook trout, and splake this year to keep fish populations sustainable for both anglers and ecosystems. Read the full story by WLUC – TV – Marquette, MI.
Great Lakes Commission
https://www.glc.org/dailynews/20240809-fish-stocking
Photographers have captured evidence of a persistent harmful algae bloom that’s plagued Muskegon Lake spilling into Lake Michigan. The bloom migration came two days after Muskegon County Health Department advised municipalities to post signage at access points around Muskegon Lake. Read the full story by MLive.
Great Lakes Commission
https://www.glc.org/dailynews/20240809-algal-bloom-spread
Whichever national park beach you visit, there is probably some amount of plastic mixed in with the sand between your toes. A new study found that Great Lakes beaches have some of the highest concentrations of microplastics. Read the full story by the National Parks Service.
Great Lakes Commission
https://www.glc.org/dailynews/20240809-microplastic-beaches
The Great Lakes Museum in Kingston is one of 27 organizations in Eastern Ontario receiving federal funding to help support and diversify tourism attractions, with $3.7 million being distributed in total. Read the full story by YGK News.
Great Lakes Commission
https://www.glc.org/dailynews/20240809-museum-funding
