Illinois Governor JB Pritzker and U.S. Senator Dick Durbin want President Donald Trump to put money where his mouth is on a massive project to help stop invasive carp from entering the Great Lakes — a project the Trump administration paused in December. Read the full story by the Chicago Sun-Times.
Great Lakes Commission
https://www.glc.org/dailynews/20260316-brandon-road
In December 2025, the Wisconsin Natural Resources Board approved to reduce commercial fishing quotas for whitefish in Lake Michigan by 40% in response to a dramatic population decline. Those quotas went into effect at the beginning of this year. Read the full story by Wisconsin Public Radio.
Great Lakes Commission
https://www.glc.org/dailynews/20260316-whitefish-quota
From the water crisis in Flint, Michigan, to PFAS contamination and pipeline threats to Michigan waterways, three profiles in honor of Women’s History Month highlight women leading the fight for clean water and environmental justice across Michigan. Read the full story by Michigan Advance.
Great Lakes Commission
https://www.glc.org/dailynews/20260316-ej-women
The Michigan Department of Natural Resources has intervened in Consumers Energy’s plan to sell its suite of 13 hydroelectric dams to a Maryland private equity firm. It’s the first time the department has gotten involved in a case before Michigan’s energy regulators, who will rule on the sale. Read the full story by The Detroit News.
Great Lakes Commission
https://www.glc.org/dailynews/20260316-dnr-dams
Scientists and engineers from Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution, NOAA Great Lakes Environmental Research Laboratory, and other organizations are tracking an autonomous underwater vehicle beneath the ice in Lake Erie as part of a research project to better understand the lake’s ecosystems. Read the full story by WEWS-TV – Cleveland, OH.
Great Lakes Commission
https://www.glc.org/dailynews/20260316-erie-auv
A $5.75 million federal grant has been awarded to the Lake Forest Open Lands Association to support a preservation project along 57 unique ravine systems stretching 22 miles along the Lake Michigan shoreline in Illinois. Read the full story by Great Lakes Echo.
Great Lakes Commission
https://www.glc.org/dailynews/20260316-ravine-preservation
As the S.S. Badger car and passenger ferry gears up for its 2026 season, its chief engineer of 24 years is retiring. He lived on board for seven months of the year, crossing Lake Michigan from Manitowoc, Wisconsin, to Ludington, Michigan, more than 400 times each season. Read the full story by the Manitowoc Herald Times Reporter.
Great Lakes Commission
https://www.glc.org/dailynews/20260316-badger-retirement
A man survived after being swept into Lake Michigan by waves while on a closed pier in South Haven, Michigan, last Friday. The life ring used in the rescue came from stations installed in 2023 as part of the city’s ongoing beach safety program. Read the full story by MLive.
Great Lakes Commission
https://www.glc.org/dailynews/20260316-pier-rescue
Scaffolding will soon surround Split Rock Lighthouse in Two Harbors, Minnesota, as a three‑month restoration begins to repair damaged brick and mortar. The project will also help prevent future cracking by controlling humidity inside the lighthouse. Read the full story by Minnesota Public Radio.
Great Lakes Commission
https://www.glc.org/dailynews/20260316-lighthouse-restoration
A Lake Michigan shipwreck off Door County, Wisconsin, that was missing for almost 140 years until found in June 2025, was named to the Wisconsin State Register of Historic Places. Read the full story by the Green Bay Press-Gazette.
Great Lakes Commission
https://www.glc.org/dailynews/20260316-historic-shipwreck
A key permit from state energy regulators approving Enbridge’s Line 5 tunnel project sat before the Michigan Supreme Court on Wednesday as the justices heard two cases arguing the permit should be sent back to the Michigan Public Service Commission for further review. Read the full story by Michigan Advance.
Great Lakes Commission
https://www.glc.org/dailynews/20260313-line-5
A long and complicated court battle over how best to protect western Lake Erie from harmful algal blooms is able to proceed again. The U.S. 6th Circuit Court of Appeals in Cincinnati, Ohio, has upheld a decision to exclude a largely undefined group of industrial interests from being a party to the case. Read the full story by the Toledo Blade.
Great Lakes Commission
https://www.glc.org/dailynews/20260313-erie-court
The rapid build-out of AI data centers across the Great Lakes basin is reshaping rural communities, straining fragile ecosystems, and forcing states to rethink energy and water policies. New guides have been released to help residents and lawmakers navigate the rapidly expanding industry and the regulatory blind spots that have accompanied it. Read the full story by Circle of Blue.
Great Lakes Commission
https://www.glc.org/dailynews/20260313-data-centers
Construction of a $23.4‑million water pipeline to the Oneida Nation of the Thames is set to begin after a London, Ontario, company won the federal contract. The project will extend the Lake Huron pipeline to the community’s boundary, providing clean drinking water. The Oneida Nation has been under a boil‑water advisory since September 2019. Read the full story by the CBC.
Great Lakes Commission
https://www.glc.org/dailynews/20260313-oneida-pipeline
More than 50 years ago, Lake Erie was declared “dead,” and while its environmental health has improved, the shallowest of the five Great Lakes still lags its peers according to the recent State of the Great Lakes 2025 Report. Read the full story by The Plain Dealer.
Great Lakes Commission
https://www.glc.org/dailynews/20260313-erie-ranking
For years, Illinois state Representative Marcus Evans Jr. has championed a plan to make Illinois’ shores home to the first offshore wind farm in the Great Lakes. But the effort to bring wind power to Lake Michigan stalled again. Read the full story by WBEZ – Chicago, IL.
Great Lakes Commission
https://www.glc.org/dailynews/20260313-lake-turbines
The Michigan Department of Natural Resources (DNR) recently released new information about the state of fish populations in upper Michigan’s lakes. The manager of the Marquette Fisheries Research Station said that lake trout in Lake Superior are officially recovered. Read the full story by WLUC-TV – Marquette, MI.
Great Lakes Commission
https://www.glc.org/dailynews/20260313-superior-trout
The USA Today 10BEST Readers’ Choice Awards revealed nominations for Best Recreational Trail this week, listing Minnesota’s Gitchi-Gami State Trail among the top contenders. This Minnesota Department of Natural Resources-built-and-managed paved trail is currently 36 miles, but it will eventually extend to 86 miles spanning five state parks along Minnesota’s North Shore. Read the full story by MLive.
Great Lakes Commission
https://www.glc.org/dailynews/20260313-superior-trail
Four Illinois residents who vandalized cliffs at Pictured Rocks National Lakeshore in Michigan’s Upper Peninsula have been temporarily banned from the park and fined. The visitors carved large letters into cliff faces and collected more than 100 pounds of rocks, intending to take them home. Read the full story by MLive.
Great Lakes Commission
https://www.glc.org/dailynews/20260313-pictured-rocks-vandals
The U.S. Coast Guard will deactivate its safety zone on Lake Huron in Saginaw Bay at 4 p.m. Saturday, March 14, opening the waterway to vessel traffic as warming temperatures deteriorate ice conditions. Read the full story by MLive.
Great Lakes Commission
https://www.glc.org/dailynews/20260313-saginaw-bay-zone
Ice coverage on the Great Lakes dropped significantly in recent days as temperatures have been consistently above 32 degrees Fahrenheit. The Great Lakes were at 19.13% coverage as of March 12 according to the National Oceanic Atmospheric Administration. Read the full story by the Detroit Free Press.
Great Lakes Commission
https://www.glc.org/dailynews/20260313-ice-cover
This year marked the 20th anniversary of Great Lakes Day, an annual convening of environmentalists, policy experts, scientists, and small business owners on Capitol Hill. A top priority this year is the reauthorization of the federal Great Lakes Restoration Initiative (GLRI), as its five-year authorization is set to expire on September 30. Read the full story by Circle of Blue.
Great Lakes Commission
https://www.glc.org/dailynews/20260311-great-lakes-day
The Ford government of Ontario is moving ahead with its plan to merge 36 conservation authorities into nine—two more than originally proposed—and it has created an agency with a $20-million budget to see it through. Notably, the Lake Erie Regional Conservation Authority and a Huron-Superior Regional Conservation Authority have each been split into two. Read the full story by The Narwhal.
Great Lakes Commission
https://www.glc.org/dailynews/20260311-conservation-authority-merge
According to local officials, a sewage leak in Olcott, New York, is now under control after more than 1 million gallons of raw, untreated sewage leaked into the Olcott Harbor. For six days, sewage had poured into the Eighteen Mile Creek in Olcott, just feet from where the creek leads into Lake Ontario. Read the full story by WKBW-TV – Buffalo, NY.
Great Lakes Commission
https://www.glc.org/dailynews/20260311-sewage-leak
In a Tuesday social media post, President Trump said he is collaborating with Michigan Governor Gretchen Whitmer to fight against invasive carp in the Great Lakes, following a recent meeting with the governor. Read the full story by WLNS-TV – Lansing, MI.
Great Lakes Commission
https://www.glc.org/dailynews/20260311-invasive-carp-collaboration
Spending three days in Washington, D.C., last week, Waukegan Mayor Sam Cunningham and 23 other municipal leaders from the U.S. and Canada spoke to officials at the White House and members of Congress about the importance of fresh water and economic stability. Both Cunningham and Benton Harbor, Michigan, Mayor Marcus Muhammad talked to members of Congress about the importance of the State Revolving Fund programs, which provide low-cost financing for water quality infrastructure, including lead service line replacement. Read the full story by the Chicago Tribune.
Great Lakes Commission
https://www.glc.org/dailynews/20260311-mayoral-advocacy
The U.S. Coast Guard began ice-breaking operations Monday across key Great Lakes waterways to clear shipping channels ahead of the 2026 commercial navigation season. Coast Guard Sector Northern Great Lakes launched the operations in Duluth, Minnesota, and on the St. Marys River, targeting areas critical for vessel traffic when the shipping season begins. Read the full story by WISC-TV – Madison, WI.
Great Lakes Commission
https://www.glc.org/dailynews/20260311-ice-breaking
Once written off as too polluted to support many whitefish, Green Bay, Wisconsin has produced an unlikely population boom in recent years, even as the iconic species vanishes from most of the lower Great Lakes. As scientists work to understand what makes Green Bay unique, their findings could aid whitefish recovery efforts throughout the Great Lakes. Read the full story by Bridge Michigan.
Great Lakes Commission
https://www.glc.org/dailynews/20260311-whitefish-recovery
Lorain Mayor Jack Bradley spent part of last week in Washington, D.C., joining municipal leaders from the United States and Canada to advocate for the future of the Great Lakes. While at the event, Bradley met with congressional offices to urge federal leaders to continue investing in programs that protect the lakes while supporting the communities and industries that depend on them. Read the full story by The Plain Dealer.
Great Lakes Commission
https://www.glc.org/dailynews/20260311-municipal-advocacy
The Michigan Department of Natural Resources (DNR) is working on a possible sea lamprey barrier project in Alger County. The project would see a seasonal sea lamprey control barrier installed on the Sucker River as a joint plan between the DNR, the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service and other groups. Read the full story by WLUC-TV – Marquette, MI.
Great Lakes Commission
https://www.glc.org/dailynews/20260311-lamprey-barrier
A proposed $5.6 million plan to repair the Black River Canal in Port Huron, Michigan, now depends on whether neighboring townships agree to help fund the project. The canal connects Lake Huron to the Black River and has long served recreational boaters and waterfront businesses. Read the full story by the Port Huron Times Herald.
Great Lakes Commission
https://www.glc.org/dailynews/20260311-canal-repair
Two next-generation turbines powered by river currents are set to be lowered into the St. Lawrence Seaway off Montreal this autumn, marking the first installation of the pioneering renewable energy technology in Canada. Read the full story by Canada’s National Observer.
Great Lakes Commission
https://www.glc.org/dailynews/20260309-stlawrence-turbines
Michigan lawmakers are taking yet another stab at addressing system failures across the state. Read the full story by Michigan Advance.
Great Lakes Commission
https://www.glc.org/dailynews/20260309-michigan-septic
Ontario Premier Doug Ford thinks a man-made island in Lake Ontario could be the spot for Toronto’s new convention centre, but the idea is already creating confusion and concern among city officials. Read the full story by Canada’s National Observer.
Great Lakes Commission
https://www.glc.org/dailynews/20260309-ford-lake-ontario
An ice jam caused the Bighead River to spill over a retaining wall in Meaford, Ontario, on Saturday afternoon. Read the full story by the Owen Sound Sun Times.
Great Lakes Commission
https://www.glc.org/dailynews/20260309-ice-jam
Two Tree River, a small river on St. Joesph Island in Ontario, has been identified as a Key Biodiversity Area because it is the home of Canada’s northernmost population of Redside Dace, an acrobatic minnow famous for being the only fish in Canada that leaps out of the water to catch flying insects. Read the full story by SooToday.
Great Lakes Commission
https://www.glc.org/dailynews/20260309-two-tree-river
The U.S. Coast Guard is set to begin spring ice-breaking operations on the St. Marys River Monday, as preparations ramp up for the Great Lakes commercial shipping season. Read the full story by WSMH-TV – Flint, MI.
Great Lakes Commission
https://www.glc.org/dailynews/20260309-stmarys-ice
Michigan’s outdoor recreation economy is growing, but not as fast as it is for much of the rest of the country. Read the full story by The Associated Press.
Great Lakes Commission
https://www.glc.org/dailynews/20260309-michigan-outdoor-economy
After some new ice formed over Lake Erie on Feb. 26, the U.S. National Ice Center says that the ice coverage on Lake Erie is back to 70 percent. Read the full story by the Erie-Times News.
Great Lakes Commission
https://www.glc.org/dailynews/20260309-erie-ice
Volunteers are being recruited to help safeguard lake sturgeon during their spawning season along the Black River in Michigan’s Cheboygan County through early June. Read the full story by MLive.
Great Lakes Commission
https://www.glc.org/dailynews/20260309-sturgeon-spawning
Cold, deep waters have preserved thousands of Great Lakes shipwrecks, captured in eerie photos of the intact wrecks still hidden beneath the surface. Read the full story by the Detroit Free Press.
Great Lakes Commission
https://www.glc.org/dailynews/20260309-shipwreck-photos
On Great Lakes Day, the Great Lakes Commission convened in Washington, D.C., to discuss future policies impacting the lakes with leaders and lawmakers. The Michigan Department of Environment, Great Lakes, and Energy is working against invasive species and threats to the Great Lakes. Read the full story by WDIV-TV – Detroit, MI.
Great Lakes Commission
https://www.glc.org/dailynews/20260306-egle-greatlakes-partners-stronger-freshwater-protections
A coalition representing more than 400 mayors and cities across the Great Lakes and St. Lawrence region met with members of congress and senators to share top priorities, including the impact proposed port fees would have on Great Lakes shipping and regional economies in the U.S. and Canada. Read the full story by The St. Catharines Standard.
Great Lakes Commission
https://www.glc.org/dailynews/20260306-strong-future-together-great-lakes-mayors
For decades, a key provision of the Clean Water Act has allowed states to weigh in on, and sometimes derail, federal water permits. Now the Trump administration is poised to roll back that power. Opponents of the move, including Minnesota, say it could imperil their ability to protect clean water. Read the full story by The Minnesota Star Tribune.
Great Lakes Commission
https://www.glc.org/dailynews/20260306-epa-curb-state-input-water-permits
The proposed Great Lakes Way trail system in southeast Michigan still lacks a permanent organization to coordinate and steward the project, raising concerns about long-term management and promotion. Supporters say establishing a dedicated lead group is essential to maintain the trail network and fully realize its tourism and economic benefits. Read the full story by Crain’s Detroit Business.
Great Lakes Commission
https://www.glc.org/dailynews/20260306-greatlakes-way-threatens-regional-tourism
A shipwreck hunter discovered the wreck of the Lac La Belle, a luxury steamer that sank in 1872 in Lake Michigan, about 20 miles off the Wisconsin coast, after searching for nearly 60 years. The well-preserved wreck, first located in 2022 and recently documented with dives and 3D imaging, offers historians a rare underwater “time capsule” from the era of Great Lakes passenger steamships. Read the full story by Wisconsin Public Radio.
Great Lakes Commission
https://www.glc.org/dailynews/20260306-shipwreck-hunter-luxury-ship-found
An agreement approved by some Wisconsin counties would allow the oil company Enbridge to reimburse local law enforcement for equipment, training, and policing costs related to potential protests during construction of a rerouted section of the Line 5 pipeline. Critics argue the arrangement could bias police toward the company and increase tensions with Indigenous groups and environmental activists opposing the project. Read the full story by WXPR – Rhinelander, WI.
Great Lakes Commission
https://www.glc.org/dailynews/20260306-enbridge-pipeline-wisconsin
U.S. Coast Guard ice-breaking operations on the Great Lakes have been reduced after two cutters experienced mechanical failures, limiting the fleet’s ability to keep shipping routes open during heavy winter ice. The breakdowns occurred in Sault Ste. Marie, Michigan, forcing the Coast Guard to operate with fewer vessels while crews work to repair the equipment and maintain key navigation channels. Read the full story by WBKB-TV – Alpena, MI.
Great Lakes Commission
https://www.glc.org/dailynews/20260306-coast-guard-ice-breaking-equipment-failures-great-lakes
In New York, a dedicated group of local conservationists is making positive waves in Dunkirk Harbor on Lake Erie, all with the goal of bringing more steelhead back to local waters for years to come. Read the full story by the Dunkirk Observer.
Great Lakes Commission
https://www.glc.org/dailynews/20260306-floating-fish-pen-steelhead
The Nature Conservancy in Ohio will host two open houses to share updates and answer community members’ questions about coastal wetland developments and plans in Sandusky Bay. The projects are part of the Sandusky Bay Initiative, an effort to improve the health of the Lake Erie watershed. Read the full story by the Fremont News-Messenger.
Great Lakes Commission
https://www.glc.org/dailynews/20260306-conservancy-group-sandusky-bay-updates
