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
The Great Lakes Children’s Museum in Traverse City, Michigan, has opened a new exhibit that allows children to explore maritime history through hands-on investigation of a Great Lakes shipwreck. Read the full story by MLive.
Great Lakes Commission
https://www.glc.org/dailynews/20260306-traversecity-shipwreck-exhibit-museum
A Grand Bend, Ontario, resident made a simple commitment to pick up one bag of garbage a day for a whole month along the Lake Huron shoreline. The one-month pledge never ended, and she has now picked up 1,300 bags of garbage to show her love and gratitude for the lake. Read the full story by the Price Albert Daily Herald.
Great Lakes Commission
https://www.glc.org/dailynews/20260304-shoreline-clean-up
The New York State Department of Environmental Conservation and New York Sea Grant have $200,000 available for projects benefiting New York’s Great Lakes basin by demonstrating the application of ecosystem-based management approaches to local watershed challenges. Read the full story by the Finger Lakes Times.
Great Lakes Commission
https://www.glc.org/dailynews/20260304-shoreline-restoration-funding
New state grants will fund student-led water stewardship projects and provide transportation for K-12 field trips to Michigan’s Great Lakes and inland waterways. Read the full story by Environmental Protection.
Great Lakes Commission
https://www.glc.org/dailynews/20260304-freshwater-literacy-funding
Roughly 653 registered anglers from 10 states gathered to participate in the 2026 Black Lake sturgeon season in northern Michigan. Within 48 minutes, six sturgeon were caught, and anglers were told that the tightly managed season had already come to a close. Read the full story by Great Lakes Echo.
Great Lakes Commission
https://www.glc.org/dailynews/20260304-sturgeon-season
Arctic grayling were once abundant in Michigan’s waters. But almost a century ago, habitat destruction, overfishing, and predation by introduced species decimated their populations. Today an effort is underway to restore self-sustaining populations of this long-lost fish. Read the full story by the Great Lakes Now.
Great Lakes Commission
https://www.glc.org/dailynews/20260304-grayling-restoration
Glen Arbor, Michigan, a city located on the eastern shoreline of Lake Michigan, earned the Tree City USA designation from the Arbor Day Foundation in late February, becoming the latest in a line of communities to achieve national recognition for its commitment to urban forestry. Read the full story by MLive.
Great Lakes Commission
https://www.glc.org/dailynews/20260304-tree-city
In northwest Indiana, there’s a stretch of Lake Michigan that’s super industrial but also great for surfing. After a chemical spill impacted surfers’ health, the surfers decided to do something about it. Read the full story by Interlochen Public Radio.
Great Lakes Commission
https://www.glc.org/dailynews/20260304-water-pollution
We are on the cusp of the start of the seasonal water level rise on the Great Lakes. Snowmelt over the past few weeks has started the water level rise on Lake Michigan and Lake Huron, but Lake Superior hasn’t risen or fallen in the past month. Read the full story by MLive.
Great Lakes Commission
https://www.glc.org/dailynews/20260304-water-levels
The City of Port Huron, Michigan, is moving ahead with ice breaking operations along the Black River in an effort to reduce the risk of spring flooding. Read the full story by WPHM – Port Huron, Michigan.
Great Lakes Commission
https://www.glc.org/dailynews/20260304-flood-prep
Lake Superior has its highest percentage of ice cover this season, researchers say, as ice on the Great Lakes remains above 50% for the season. Read the full story by the Detroit Free Press.
Great Lakes Commission
https://www.glc.org/dailynews/20260304-great-lakes-ice
Governor of Michigan, Gretchen Whitmer, said the Gordie Howe International Bridge “will open,” just weeks after President Donald Trump said he would prevent it. Read the full story by MLive.
Great Lakes Commission
https://www.glc.org/dailynews/20260302-gordie-howe-bridge
This winter’s extreme conditions along New York’s Great Lakes are amplifying the natural action of wind, water, ice, and storms that can cause significant shoreline erosion and economic damage to coastal businesses and personal properties, structures, and operations. New York Sea Grant is encouraging shoreline property owners to reach out for free assistance in planning how to identify the best options for remediation and restoration from winter’s impact. Read the full story by the Finger Lakes Times.
Great Lakes Commission
https://www.glc.org/dailynews/20260302-ny-erosion
Lake Erie’s flow and hydraulic residence time helps explain how long contaminants stay in Lake Erie’s system. Read the full story by The Plain Dealer.
Great Lakes Commission
https://www.glc.org/dailynews/20260302-erie-pollution
The fight over mining near the Boundary Waters Canoe Area Wilderness in Minnesota has reached a critical turning point as the U.S. Senate prepares to take up H.J. Res. 140. This resolution seeks to overturn the 20-year mineral withdrawal that currently protects roughly 225,000 acres of the Superior National Forest within the Rainy River watershed. Read the full story by Quetico Superior Wilderness News.
Great Lakes Commission
https://www.glc.org/dailynews/20260302-boundarywaters-mining
The City of Grand Rapids in Michigan has been awarded $1,092,000 in federal funding to modernize its wastewater treatment facility with a state-of-the-art ultraviolet disinfection system. Read the full story by Spectrum News.
Great Lakes Commission
https://www.glc.org/dailynews/20260302-uv-water-disinfection
As federal trappers remove thousands of beavers each year — including from prized trout streams — Wisconsin regulators face calls to weigh the critter’s flood-control benefits against long-standing views of them as a nuisance. Read the full story by Wisconsin Watch.
Great Lakes Commission
https://www.glc.org/dailynews/20260302-beavers
Lake Michigan hasn’t completely frozen over in recorded history, but it does produce a lot of unusual ice formations. Read the full story by WUWM – Milwaukee, WI.
Great Lakes Commission
https://www.glc.org/dailynews/20260302-ice-formations
As boating season approaches, the Ohio Department of Natural Resources and the Ohio Clean Marinas Program are reminding boaters to recycle shrink wrap this spring instead of having it end up in landfills or waterways. Read the full story by Spectrum News 1.
Great Lakes Commission
https://www.glc.org/dailynews/20260302-boaters-shrinkwrap
On February 25th, data from the U.S. National Ice Center showed that ice on Lake Erie has decreased to 70%, though upcoming cold temperatures may refreeze some areas. Read the full story by the Erie-Times News.
Great Lakes Commission
https://www.glc.org/dailynews/20260302-erie-ice
About 4,300 swimmers gathered at Chicago’s North Avenue Beach for the 26th annual Polar Plunge into the 35-degree Lake Michigan, put on by Special Children’s Charities to raise money for Special Olympics Illinois. Read the full story by the Chicago Sun-Times.
Great Lakes Commission
https://www.glc.org/dailynews/20260302-chicago-polar-plunge
Energy company Enbridge has finally started work on rerouting an aging oil pipeline around a tribal reservation in northern Wisconsin after seven years of legal wrangling, moving ahead despite two new lawsuits that still could delay the project indefinitely. Read the full story by the Associated Press.
Great Lakes Commission
https://www.glc.org/dailynews/20260227-enbridge-reroute
On Friday, February 20, the Wisconsin Assembly unanimously passed two bills to help residents with PFAS mitigation after 30 months of debate. Governor Tony Evers approved $125 million for PFAS cleanup in 2023, but Republican lawmakers disagreed with how the funds would be distributed. Read the full story by Great Lakes Now.
Great Lakes Commission
https://www.glc.org/dailynews/20260227-wisconsin-pfas
The “nurdles” that scattered along I-196 and into Michigan’s Kalamazoo river after a January 27 semi-truck crash are the same industrial pellets that researchers have been finding for years on Great Lakes beaches, underscoring the threat of microplastics to Great Lakes ecosystems. Read the full story by MLive.
Great Lakes Commission
https://www.glc.org/dailynews/20260227-oodles-of-nurdles
Although this year is an exception, Lake Erie has seen more low‑ or no‑ice winters over the past 50 years. With less ice, storms are more likely to drive water inland. Officials are developing new ways to protect shorelines from sudden flooding and longer storm seasons. Read the full story by the New York Times.
Great Lakes Commission
https://www.glc.org/dailynews/20260227-erie-surges
For one day last week, Lake Superior gave thousands of people a rare gift — then took it back. The Apostle Islands ice caves, accessible for the first time since 2015, drew visitors from across the country before a winter storm shattered the ice shelf less than 24 hours after they opened. Read the full story by the Ashland Daily Press.
Great Lakes Commission
https://www.glc.org/dailynews/20260227-ice-caves
The AquaHacking Challenge is a free program challenging students, researchers, and professionals to safeguard the Great Lakes and the St. Lawrence. The launch of the challenge celebrates the program’s 10th anniversary and its expanding footprint across the United States and Canada. Read the full story by WDIV-TV – Detroit, MI.
Great Lakes Commission
https://www.glc.org/dailynews/20260227-aquahacking
Peer-reviewed studies have detected microplastics in Lake Michigan and the other Great Lakes. The findings raise urgent questions about what everyday plastic use is sending into the lake and the millions of people who rely on it. Read the full story by The Fulcrum.
Great Lakes Commission
https://www.glc.org/dailynews/20260227-lake-plastic
A couple living on Put-in-Bay, a small island near Toledo, Ohio, recently celebrated their big day in an unconventional way. Last weekend, they tied the knot on top of the ice on Lake Erie. Read the full story by WXMI-TV – Grand Rapids, MI.
Great Lakes Commission
https://www.glc.org/dailynews/20260227-ice-wedding
When a pair of Canadians got stranded on the ice on Lake St. Clair in southwestern Ontario on Tuesday, an American team with a U.S. Coast Guard helicopter ended up coming to their rescue. Read the full story by the CBC.
Great Lakes Commission
https://www.glc.org/dailynews/20260227-canadian-rescue
Park Township, Michigan, has completed its purchase of a vacated Coast Guard station and plans to renovate the building into a new water rescue operations facility. Read the full story by MLive.
Great Lakes Commission
https://www.glc.org/dailynews/20260227-coast-guard-renovation
The combined ice coverage total for all of the Great Lakes peaked at 58 percent on February 9. The current ice coverage on all of the lakes combined is 33 percent. Read the full story by MLive.
Great Lakes Commission
https://www.glc.org/dailynews/20260225-greatlakes-ice-reached-peak
As goes Iron Range iron ore pellet production, so goes the iron ore docks in Duluth, Minnesota, and Superior, Wisconsin. Iron ore tonnage shipped from the Port of Duluth-Superior fell 14.9 percent in 2025 compared to 2024. Read the full story by the Mesabi Tribune.
Great Lakes Commission
https://www.glc.org/dailynews/20260225-iron-ore-shipments-pellet-production-decline
Local groups in Michigan’s Upper Peninsula are promoting National Invasive Species Awareness Week by educating the public and organizing efforts to protect ecosystems, such as cleaning boats to prevent the spread of invasive species and planning spring removal and native planting activities. Read the full story by WLUC-TV – Negaunee, MI.
Great Lakes Commission
https://www.glc.org/dailynews/20260225-upperpeninsula-supports-national-invasive-species-awareness-week
A coalition of Wisconsin environmental advocacy groups filed a lawsuit Monday challenging an administrative law judge’s decision to uphold the Department of Natural Resource’s permit approval to reroute the Enbridge Line 5 oil pipeline across northern Wisconsin. A similar lawsuit has also been filed by the Bad River Band of Lake Superior Chippewa. The tribe for years has fought against the pipeline, which currently runs across its land. Read the full story by the Wisconsin Examiner.
Great Lakes Commission
https://www.glc.org/dailynews/20260225-environmental-groups-challenge-dnr-line5-decision
An unusually snowy 2025–2026 season has helped draw tourists to northern Wisconsin’s outdoor winter attractions like the Apostle Islands ice caves, but many locals and industry groups say that reliably snowy winters are becoming less common and more unpredictable. Read the full story by Wisconsin Public Radio.
Great Lakes Commission
https://www.glc.org/dailynews/20260225-snowy-season-wisconsin-boost-tourism
The Supreme Court on Tuesday heard arguments in a long-running dispute over the fate of an oil and gas pipeline in the Great Lakes. Michigan state officials had sued a Canadian company that operates a section of the pipeline, known as Line 5, which snakes under the Straits of Mackinac between Michigan’s Lower and Upper Peninsulas. Read the full story by The New York Times.
Great Lakes Commission
https://www.glc.org/dailynews/20260225-supreme-court-fate-greatlakes-pipeline
If you go ice fishing around Door County and have a shanty out on the bay of Green Bay or Lake Michigan, you’ve got a little more than two weeks left to get the shanty off the ice. Read the full story by Green Bay Press-Gazette.
Great Lakes Commission
https://www.glc.org/dailynews/20260225-ice-fishing-door-county-dnr-reminders-ice-shanties
With frequent sub-freezing temperatures in Michigan this winter, it has been a great year for ice fishing. Stable ice conditions have allowed anglers the opportunity to get out on the ice and participate in a northern winter tradition. Read the full story by the Lasco Press.
Great Lakes Commission
https://www.glc.org/dailynews/20260225-gennessee-county-fishing-opportunities
In Traverse City, Michigan, crews are pouring a massive sorting channel that will form the core of the FishPass project, a globally unique structure in northern Michigan that’s designed to let native fish move upstream while blocking harmful invasive species like sea lamprey. Read the full story by MLive.
Great Lakes Commission
https://www.glc.org/dailynews/20260223-fishpass-construction
