By Lee Chilcote, The Land
This story is part of a collaborative series, from the Institute for Nonprofit News, The Land and four other news partners, examining climate resilience across the Great Lakes. This reporting was made possible with support from the Joyce Foundation.
Great Lakes Now
https://www.greatlakesnow.org/2023/01/circular-economy-programs-reduce-waste-build-jobs/
By Kelly House, Bridge Michigan
The Great Lakes News Collaborative includes Bridge Michigan; Circle of Blue; Great Lakes Now at Detroit Public Television; and Michigan Radio, Michigan’s NPR News Leader; who work together to bring audiences news and information about the impact of climate change, pollution, and aging infrastructure on the Great Lakes and drinking water.
Great Lakes Now
https://www.greatlakesnow.org/2022/11/michigans-outdoor-recreation-boom-business-boom/
Editor’s Note: This is part one of a two-part story. Look for the next part next week.
Every summer for the last decade, James Peterson, his wife and two daughters traveled from Charleston, West Virginia, to Kaspar’s Lake Breeze Cottages in Marblehead, Ohio, to fish, relax and soak up the beauty and restorative power of Lake Erie.
Great Lakes Now
https://www.greatlakesnow.org/2022/04/water-access-grows-out-of-reach/
If you notice your packages arriving much faster than they did at the start of the pandemic, it isn’t just a minor coincidence – rather, it could be the Great Lakes shipping industry making a comeback after weathering the effects of COVID-19’s spread.
“(This) has been a bounce-back season from the COVID-induced lows of 2020,” said Jason Hron, director of communication and marketing for the Duluth Seaway Port Authority.
Great Lakes Now
https://www.greatlakesnow.org/2022/03/2022-great-lakes-shipping-season-infrastructure-improvements-covid-19/
Steadier federal funding instead of annual appropriations coming out of debates, direct investment for local communities to meet federal mandates, a dual focus on environmental clean up and economic development.
Those would be three benefits of a Great Lakes Authority, according to Rep. Marcy Kaptur (D-OH) who spoke today during the Great Lakes Week session organized by the Great Lakes Commission.
Great Lakes Now
https://www.greatlakesnow.org/2022/03/great-lakes-authority-proposed-ohio-congress-marcy-kaptur/
By John Flesher, Associated Press
ALLENDALE, Mich. (AP) — Dale Buist knew running a commercial greenhouse would pose challenges. He just never expected a water shortage to be among them. Not in Michigan, with its vast aquatic riches.
Yet a couple of irrigation wells yielded only a trickle.
Great Lakes Now
https://www.greatlakesnow.org/2022/02/ap-water-rich-michigan-no-guarantee/
Manish Bapna believes that, as a country, we are at a critical juncture with climate change and the time to act is now.
“We have a once-in-a-generation opportunity to overcome the climate crisis and build a healthier, more equitable and more vibrant world,” Bapna said in a statement on his appointment in August as president and CEO of the non-profit Natural Resources Defense Council.
Great Lakes Now
https://www.greatlakesnow.org/2021/09/natural-resources-defense-council-climate-equity-diversity-qna/
In the May installment of Wisconsin Sea Grant’s Lake Talks, guest speakers from the Wisconsin Department of Tourism will explore the role that Great Lakes tourism plays in Wisconsin’s economy. They’ll also share their ideas for fun summer getaways.
The Lake Talks are informal, interactive presentations on Great Lakes issues, especially those involving Lake Michigan. In light of the ongoing pandemic, these public events are currently being offered via Zoom.
On Thursday, May 6, from 7-8 p.m., the featured speakers will be Wisconsin Department of Tourism Acting Secretary Anne Sayers and Office of Outdoor Recreation Director Mary Monroe Brown.
Dunes at Kohler-Andrae State Park, located along Lake Michigan in Sheboygan, Wis. (Photo: Wisconsin Department of Tourism)
As the top driver of visits to Wisconsin, outdoor recreation plays a major role in the success of our state’s tourism industry. With 800 miles of Great Lakes shoreline, Wisconsin’s vibrant coastal communities invite visitors to experience the state’s rich outdoor heritage and natural wonders.
Sayers and Brown will discuss how tourism and outdoor recreation are intertwined and work together to create eye-popping economic impact for Wisconsin. Plus, they’ll share tips on what to see and do on your next Great Lakes adventure.
Register now for this free event.
For connection information for future talks, or to watch video of previous talks, visit the Lake Talks page on the Wisconsin Sea Grant website, or follow Wisconsin Sea Grant on Facebook or Twitter.
For questions about this series, contact Wisconsin Sea Grant science communicator Jennifer Smith.
The post Next Lake Talk will examine Great Lakes tourism's role in Wisconsin's economy first appeared on Wisconsin Sea Grant.
News Releases – Wisconsin Sea Grant
News Releases – Wisconsin Sea Grant
https://www.seagrant.wisc.edu/news/next-lake-talk-will-examine-great-lakes-tourisms-role-in-wisconsins-economy/
The Great Lakes’ iconic freighters remained common sights on the waters – that much didn’t change during pandemic. But, like many industries, shipping was hit hard by COVID-19. That feels especially salient when shipping is such an integral piece of the Great Lakes economy.
As of September 2020, iron ore cargoes were “down 27% from last year at this time,” James Weakley, president of the Lake Carriers’ Association and representative of Ohio on the Great Lakes Commission, said in an interview with Great Lakes Now.
Great Lakes Now
https://www.greatlakesnow.org/2021/01/shipping-industry-infrastructure-investments/
With COVID-19 vaccines rolling out, many people are shifting their worries to the economy and how to recover from the state that it has been left in – with numerous local and regional industries gutted after this past summer.
“Until we start working together and work together to make sure that we keep the pandemic down while the vaccine is coming in, we’re not going to be able to rebuild this economy for quite some time,” John Dickert of the Alliance for Regional Development in a Great Lakes Now interview.
Great Lakes Now
https://www.greatlakesnow.org/2021/01/covid-19-concerns-economic-recovery-plagues/
TRAVERSE CITY, Mich. (AP) — Keeping a 64-year-old oil pipeline in operation by running one portion through a proposed Great Lakes tunnel would safeguard the economy and energy supplies, supporters said Monday, while opponents described the project as an unnecessary risk that would contribute to global warming.
Great Lakes Now
https://www.greatlakesnow.org/2020/08/ap-pipeline-tunnel-supporters-foes-clash-michigan-panel/
TRAVERSE CITY, Mich. (AP) — Clare Nagrant earns her living from tourism, so she’s taken a beating during the coronavirus-imposed shutdown. A few months ago, she was juggling four jobs. Now she’s down to one part-time gig with a distillery that stayed open by adding hand sanitizer to its product line.
Great Lakes Now
https://www.greatlakesnow.org/2020/05/ap-coronavirus-covid-19-michigan-traverse-city-tourism/
PFAS, short for per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances, are a group of widespread man-made chemicals that don’t break down in the environment or the human body and have been flagged as a major contaminant in sources of water across the country.
Keep up with PFAS-related developments in the Great Lakes area.
Great Lakes Now
https://www.greatlakesnow.org/2020/04/pfas-indiana-wisconsin-testing-covid-19/
PORTLAND, Ore. (AP) — Just weeks ago, cities and even states across the U.S. were busy banning straws, limiting takeout containers and mandating that shoppers bring reusable bags or pay a small fee as the movement to eliminate single-use plastics took hold in mainstream America.
Great Lakes Now
https://www.greatlakesnow.org/2020/04/ap-covid-19-plastic-bag-bans-plastic-reduction/
Events around the lakes are being canceled, postponed or put on hold until more information comes out.
Great Lakes Now
https://www.greatlakesnow.org/2020/04/covid-19-coronavirus-sports-recreation-events-canceled/
Oil companies successfully request lighter oversight amid coronavirus pandemic. Farmers support the move.
Great Lakes Now
https://www.greatlakesnow.org/2020/04/epa-suspends-enforement-covid-19-coronavirus/
Great Lakes Now Contributor John Hartig shares his own memories of the first Earth Day and the changes he’s noticed in the nature around him since then.
Great Lakes Now
https://www.greatlakesnow.org/2020/04/great-lakes-moment-earth-day-turns-50/
Great Lakes Now
https://www.greatlakesnow.org/2020/04/great-lakes-energy-coronavirus-covid-19-nuclear-solar/
Michigan EGLE said the ban is intended to prevent manure from flowing into waterways. Manure is a leading polluter of the Great Lakes, inland lakes and streams.
Great Lakes Now
https://www.greatlakesnow.org/2020/04/ap-michigan-ban-manure-croplands-winter/
Cruise season is expected to continue as normal for the Great Lakes region, even as ports and cruise lines grapple with how to protect passengers and crew.
Great Lakes Now
https://www.greatlakesnow.org/2020/04/coronavirus-covid-19-cruises-continue/
INDIANAPOLIS (AP) — Drinking water fountains and taps at public and private schools in Indiana will be required to be tested for lead contamination by 2023 under a new state law.
The law requires schools’ drinking water equipment to be tested by Jan. 1, 2023, and take action if results show lead at higher than 15 parts per billion.
Great Lakes Now
https://www.greatlakesnow.org/2020/03/ap-new-law-indiana-schools-test-lead-contamination/
DETROIT (AP) — The advice is simple and universal: Washing your hands with soap and water is one of the most effective ways to stop the spread of the coronavirus. But for millions of people across the country, that’s not simple at all: They lack running water in their houses due to service shutoffs prompted by overdue bills.
Great Lakes Now
https://www.greatlakesnow.org/2020/03/ap-michigan-water-shutoffs-coronavirus-outbreak/
Some Great Lakes cities and states are ahead of the game when it comes to ending water shutoffs during the COVID-19 crisis. Others aren’t.
Great Lakes Now
https://www.greatlakesnow.org/2020/03/water-shutoffs-milwaukee-chicago-detroit-cleveland-buffalo-duluth/
Great Lakes shipping hasn’t been stopped by the coronavirus, even as the industry waits to see how it will be impacted in the long term.
Great Lakes Now
https://www.greatlakesnow.org/2020/03/covid-19-coronavirus-shipping-freighters-safety-health/
Stay at home orders aren’t stopping people from fishing in the lakes.
Great Lakes Now
https://www.greatlakesnow.org/2020/03/covid-19-coronavirus-great-lakes-fishing/
Customers who attempt to pay with cash at the Blue Water Bridge will be prohibited from crossing.
Great Lakes Now
https://www.greatlakesnow.org/2020/03/covid-19-coronavirus-tighter-border-crossing/
ST. PAUL, Minn. (AP) — The Minnesota Supreme Court has agreed to hear PolyMet Mining Inc.’s appeal of a ruling that canceled three permits needed for its proposed copper-nickel mine in northeastern Minnesota.
In January, the Minnesota Court of Appeals gave environmentalists a major victory by rejecting some of the most important permits for the planned mine.
Great Lakes Now
https://www.greatlakesnow.org/2020/03/ap-minnesota-supreme-court-polymet-permit-appeal/
CHICAGO (AP) — Chicago Mayor Lori Lightfoot said Wednesday that the sight of crowds along Lake Michigan despite a statewide stay-at-home order to slow the spread of the coronavirus has her considering shutting down the city’s parks.
“When we have masses of people out there as I just saw … it’s a problem,” Lightfoot said.
Great Lakes Now
https://www.greatlakesnow.org/2020/03/ap-chicago-mayor-thinking-about-closing-city-trails-parks/
Catch the latest updates on what’s happening with PFAS in Great Lakes Now’s biweekly headline roundup.
Great Lakes Now
https://www.greatlakesnow.org/2020/03/pfas-indiana-wisconsin-new-york-landfill-military/
Michigan outdoor recreation-related companies are struggling to stay afloat amid the fallout from COVID-19.
Great Lakes Now
https://www.greatlakesnow.org/2020/03/covid-19-michigan-outdoor-recreation-revenue/
The public can continue to enjoy aquariums, museums and centers as the facilities close buildings. But starting March 25, Parks Canada is closing all national parks.
Great Lakes Now
https://www.greatlakesnow.org/2020/03/aquariums-museums-online-livestreams-covid-19/
ST. PAUL, Minn. (AP) — The Minnesota Court of Appeals sent an air-emissions permit for the PolyMet copper-nickel mine back to state regulators for further review on Monday, giving another victory to environmental groups who oppose the project.
The appeals court found that the Minnesota Pollution Control Agency did not adequately evaluate whether the air permit requested by PolyMet was a “sham permit” — meaning one that didn’t accurately reflect the size and scope of PolyMet’s proposed mine.
Great Lakes Now
https://www.greatlakesnow.org/2020/03/ap-minnesota-court-appeals-polymet-permit-mpca/
The eight Great Lakes states and Canada are approaching PFAS contamination in their own ways and setting their own standards.
Great Lakes Now
https://www.greatlakesnow.org/2020/03/pfas-standards-actions-state-canada/
This article was republished here with permission from Great Lakes Echo.
By Hunter Hicks, Great Lakes Now
The lack of ice across the Great Lakes region has business booming for those in the ice fishing industry fortunate enough to have safe conditions, but has left others high and dry.
Great Lakes Now
https://www.greatlakesnow.org/2020/03/warm-weather-ice-fishing-industry/
DULUTH, Minn. (AP) — Researchers in Minnesota are trying to find an alternative to road salt in an effort to protect the state’s water bodies from contamination.
The Minneapolis Star Tribune reported Saturday that road salt is the top source of chloride in state waters. Scientists have been ramping up warnings that rising chloride levels could harm aquatic life and turn tap water salty.
Great Lakes Now
https://www.greatlakesnow.org/2020/03/ap-scientists-testing-alternative-road-salt/
The tourism that usually rises around this time is on hold, but residents are battening down with ease.
Great Lakes Now
https://www.greatlakesnow.org/2020/03/great-lakes-islands-ferry-coronavirus-covid-19/
Catch the latest in Great Lakes energy news in Great Lakes Now’s fortnightly energy-related headline roundup.
Great Lakes Now
https://www.greatlakesnow.org/2020/03/energy-solar-low-income-court-appeal/
At the Blue Water Bridge, International Bridge, Detroit-Windsor Tunnel and Mackinac Bridge, tolls will stop taking cash.
Great Lakes Now
https://www.greatlakesnow.org/2020/03/bridge-tolls-travel-no-cash-coronavirus/
MINNEAPOLIS (AP) — A federal judge on Tuesday rejected a challenge by environmental groups against the proposed Twin Metals copper-nickel mine in northeastern Minnesota, saying the Interior Department had the authority to reverse itself and renew the project’s federal mineral rights leases.
The Obama administration tried to kill Twin Metals by rejecting the company’s application to renew its leases, citing the risk of acid mine drainage to the nearby Boundary Waters Canoe Area Wilderness.
Great Lakes Now
https://www.greatlakesnow.org/2020/03/ap-judge-minnesota-twin-metals-mine-lease-dispute/
The agencies and businesses running the services, centers and parks are adapting daily, hourly.
Great Lakes Now
https://www.greatlakesnow.org/2020/03/great-lakes-parks-centers-tourism-coronavirus-covid-19/
Anything that says “Flushable Wipes” is not flushable, commissioner says.
Great Lakes Now
https://www.greatlakesnow.org/2020/03/flushable-wipes-coronavirus-covid-19-sewers/
While field research prep is delayed, the science itself hasn’t stopped as universities and researchers continue to work.
Great Lakes Now
https://www.greatlakesnow.org/2020/03/great-lakes-delay-research-coronavirus-covid-19/
Anglers expect decade or more of excellent fishing.
Great Lakes Now
https://www.greatlakesnow.org/2020/03/walleye-populations-2020-increasing-charter-fishing/
Michigan and Wisconsin are currently the only Great Lakes states with an Office of Outdoor Recreation, though Indiana and Minnesota might see one soon.
Great Lakes Now
https://www.greatlakesnow.org/2020/03/outdoor-recreation-industry-great-lakes/
Catch the latest updates on what’s happening with PFAS in Great Lakes Now’s biweekly headline roundup.
Great Lakes Now
https://www.greatlakesnow.org/2020/03/pfas-ohio-minnesota-dupont-settlement-milk-ski-racing/
DETROIT (AP) — Thousands of Detroit residents who have had their water service shut off due to nonpayment of bills can have it restored under a plan that aims to allow them to wash their hands at home as a way to prevent the spread of the new coronavirus.
Great Lakes Now
https://www.greatlakesnow.org/2020/03/ap-detroit-restore-water-service-coronavirus/
Great Lakes Now earns three wins from Michigan Association of Broadcasters
Great Lakes Now
https://www.greatlakesnow.org/2020/03/great-lakes-now-broadcast-awards/
Gov. Gretchen Whitmer campaigned on an aggressive water platform. Now those campaign pledges are being put to the test.
Great Lakes Now
https://www.greatlakesnow.org/2020/03/michigan-governor-whitmer-detroit-water-shutoffs-egle/
DETROIT (AP) — The Great Lakes Water Authority is transferring more than $1.6 million to Detroit and Flint for conservation education and to help customers pay past-due water bills.
Board members transferred the Water Residential Assistance Program funding from uncommitted 2019 bill assistance funds from Wayne, Oakland and Macomb counties.
Great Lakes Now
https://www.greatlakesnow.org/2020/03/ap-water-authority-transfers-funding-bill-assistance/
Judge Zouhary says LEBOR’s too vague to be a law.
Great Lakes Now
https://www.greatlakesnow.org/2020/03/lake-erie-bill-rights-federal-court-unconstitutional/
