A tiny goldfish might look cute in a fishbowl on your shelf, but if released into the wild it can grow to a terrifying size and become a menace to the ecosystem. They eat pretty much anything and everything, root up plants causing the water to become cloudy and dark, and reproduce and grow so quickly that almost no predators can stop them.
Great Lakes Now
https://www.greatlakesnow.org/2023/11/were-going-to-need-a-bigger-fishbowl/
Editor’s Note: “Nibi Chronicles,” a monthly Great Lakes Now feature, is written by Staci Lola Drouillard. A direct descendant of the Grand Portage Band of Ojibwe, she lives and works in Grand Marais on Minnesota’s North Shore of Lake Superior. Her two books “Walking the Old Road: A People’s History of Chippewa City and the Grand Marais Anishinaabe” and “Seven Aunts” were published 2019 and 2022, and she is at work on a children’s story.
Great Lakes Now
https://www.greatlakesnow.org/2023/11/the-four-sisters-bangs-lugalette-bannock-and-frybread/
By Izzy Ross, Interlochen Public Radio
This coverage is made possible through a partnership with IPR and Grist, a nonprofit independent media organization dedicated to telling stories of climate solutions and a just future.
The five Great Lakes are among the fastest-warming bodies of water on Earth.
Great Lakes Now
https://www.greatlakesnow.org/2023/11/as-great-lakes-warm-collaboration-and-indigenous-self-determination-are-keys-to-adapting/
By Todd Richmond, Associated Press
LA CROSSE, Wis. (AP) — Wildlife officials across the Great Lakes are looking for spies to take on an almost impossible mission: stop the spread of invasive carp.
Over the last five years, agencies such as the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service and Minnesota Department of Natural Resources have employed a new seek-and-destroy strategy that uses turncoat carp to lead them to the fish’s hotspot hideouts.
Great Lakes Now
https://www.greatlakesnow.org/2023/11/ap-do-snitches-net-fishes-scientists-turn-invasive-carp-into-traitors-to-slow-their-great-lakes-push/
I Speak for the Fish is a monthly column written by Great Lakes Now Contributor Kathy Johnson, coming out the third Monday of each month. Publishing the author’s views and assertions does not represent endorsement by Great Lakes Now or Detroit Public Television.
Great Lakes Now
https://www.greatlakesnow.org/2023/11/i-speak-for-the-fish-carp-are-crazy-about-corn/
By Seth Borenstein and Tammy Webber, Associated Press
Revved-up climate change now permeates Americans’ daily lives with harm that is “already far-reaching and worsening across every region of the United States,” a massive new government report says.
The National Climate Assessment, which comes out every four to five years, was released Tuesday with details that bring climate change’s impacts down to a local level.
Great Lakes Now
https://www.greatlakesnow.org/2023/11/ap-worsening-warming-hurting-people-regions-us-climate-assessment/
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/2023/11/concerns-about-michigan-steelhead-populations-prompt-new-catch-limits/
Keep up with PFAS-related developments in the Great Lakes area with Great Lakes Now’s biweekly headline roundup.
Click on the headline to read the full story:
Michigan
EGLE establishes new surface water values for two additional PFAS chemicals — State of Michigan
The Michigan Department of Environment, Great Lakes, and Energy has set human health water quality parameters, which measure the maximum substance concentrations before adverse health effects.
Great Lakes Now
https://www.greatlakesnow.org/2023/11/pfas-news-roundup-how-forever-chemicals-affect-human-body/
This lesson will explore the phenomenon of the moose-wolf population dynamics on Isle Royale, as students learn about how one of our lesser-known national parks provides a firsthand opportunity to witness biology, ecology, and history in action. They will explore the dynamics of predator-prey relationships, conduct field observations about populations in their own area, and mathematically model the moose-wolf population biology over time.
Great Lakes Now
https://www.greatlakesnow.org/2023/11/episode-2310-dynamic-populations-lesson-plan/
Points North is a biweekly podcast hosted by Daniel Wanschura and Morgan Springer about the land, water and inhabitants of the Upper Great Lakes.
This episode was shared here with permission from Interlochen Public Radio.
Tom Wall is a West Michigan rock star who uses plants as bandmates.
Great Lakes Now
https://www.greatlakesnow.org/2023/11/points-north-the-plant-musician/
By Suman Naishadham and Victor Caivano, Associated Press
FORT MCMURRAY, Canada (AP) — During a May wildfire that scorched a vast swath of spruce and pine forest in northwestern Canada, Julia Cardinal lost a riverside cabin that was many things to her: retirement project, gift from from her husband, and somewhere to live by nature, as her family had done for generations.
Great Lakes Now
https://www.greatlakesnow.org/2023/11/ap-canada-says-it-can-fight-climate-change-and-be-major-oil-nation/
Since assuming the helm of Milwaukee’s sewerage agency (MMSD) in 2002, Kevin Shafer has been focused on managing and expanding the city’s deep tunnels designed to keep sewage out of Lake Michigan.
Knowing that tunnels alone are not enough, Shafer also started a campaign to emphasize green infrastructure and over the years, Milwaukee went from having a reputation as a bad actor to being a national leader in managing sewage overflows.
Great Lakes Now
https://www.greatlakesnow.org/2023/11/wisconsin-agencys-expanded-mission-led-to-record-450-million-investment-in-milwaukee-waterways/
By Lester Graham, Michigan Radio
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/2023/11/building-a-smart-lake-erie-watershed/
By Izzy Ross, Interlochen Public Radio
This coverage is made possible through a partnership with IPR and Grist, a nonprofit independent media organization dedicated to telling stories of climate solutions and a just future.
Most trees in this patch of forest had yellow leaves.
Great Lakes Now
https://www.greatlakesnow.org/2023/11/how-climate-change-can-confuse-fall-foliage/
The summer of 2023 saw rainstorms that caused extreme flooding across the Great Lakes.
Cities like Cleveland, Chicago and Duluth were all affected this year. Amid rising concerns over the increasing frequency and severity of flooding in the Great Lakes region, a new study unveils crucial insights into each state’s preparedness.
Great Lakes Now
https://www.greatlakesnow.org/2023/11/charting-a-safer-course-mitigating-flood-risk-in-great-lakes-states/
Great Lakes Moment is a monthly column written by Great Lakes Now Contributor John Hartig. Publishing the author’s views and assertions does not represent endorsement by Great Lakes Now or Detroit Public Television.
The Endangered Species Act was championed by metropolitan Detroit’s very own Congressman John D.
Great Lakes Now
https://www.greatlakesnow.org/2023/11/great-lakes-moment-a-detroit-perspective-on-the-50th-anniversary-of-the-endangered-species-act/
A strike by about 350 members of UNIFOR, Canada’s largest private-sector union, ended when its members ratified a new contract on Nov. 2. The agreement will give them wage increases of 5, 4 and 4 percent annually over the next three years and offer them better protections against the St.
Great Lakes Now
https://www.greatlakesnow.org/2023/11/st-lawrence-seaway-labor-strike-ends/
Chelsea Volpano’s coastal erosion study began drawing attention on social media last week, but not for the reasons you would expect.
The University of Wisconsin-Madison student was gathering the final data set for her Ph.D. on October 30 when her small boat stopped responding to the remote control.
Great Lakes Now
https://www.greatlakesnow.org/2023/11/coastal-erosion-researcher-appeals-for-help-in-finding-her-remote-control-boat/
Keep up with energy-related developments in the Great Lakes area with Great Lakes Now’s biweekly headline roundup.
Click on the headline to read the full story:
Illinois
Chicago-area startup banks on ethanol-fueled trucking as alternative to battery electric — Energy News Network
A Chicago-area startup develops technology to retrofit diesel engines to run on ethanol, betting that it’s a faster path to decarbonize heavy-duty trucking than waiting for electric replacements.
Great Lakes Now
https://www.greatlakesnow.org/2023/11/energy-news-roundup-states-rebrand-energy-to-meet-electricity-targets-ohio-legislation-to-declare-nuclear-power-as-green-energy/
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/2023/11/no-convictions-for-flint-attorney-general-ends-water-crisis-prosecutions/
Keep up with PFAS-related developments in the Great Lakes area with Great Lakes Now’s biweekly headline roundup.
Click on the headline to read the full story:
Michigan
Michigan State University to host PFAS symposium: Educating farmers on forever chemicals — WWMT
Michigan State University is hosting an upcoming symposium to educate farmers on the impact of PFAS.
Great Lakes Now
https://www.greatlakesnow.org/2023/11/pfas-news-roundup-push-to-find-forever-chemicals-replacements-in-manufacturing/
Points North is a biweekly podcast hosted by Daniel Wanschura and Morgan Springer about the land, water and inhabitants of the Upper Great Lakes.
This episode was shared here with permission from Interlochen Public Radio.
On September 21, 2020, twelve-year-old Lane Frame and his brothers were seeing the Great Lakes for the first time.
Great Lakes Now
https://www.greatlakesnow.org/2023/10/points-north-pier-pressure/
Waves of Change is a new online interview series highlighting the diverse faces and perspectives shaping the environmental justice movement throughout the Great Lakes region.
This month, we spoke with Monica Cady, a member of the Sault Tribe of Chippewa who is a forager and herbalist living in Hessel, Michigan — a place that is part of her tribe’s ancestral homelands in what is now known as Michigan’s Upper Peninsula.
Great Lakes Now
https://www.greatlakesnow.org/2023/10/waves-of-change-meet-herbalist-and-forager-monica-cady/
Science Says What? is a monthly column written by Great Lakes now contributor Sharon Oosthoek exploring what science can tell us about what’s happening beneath and above the waves of our beloved Great Lakes and their watershed.
Thirteen years ago, a live bighead carp was caught within swimming distance of Lake Michigan.
Great Lakes Now
https://www.greatlakesnow.org/2023/10/science-says-what-how-edna-research-is-evolving-to-create-a-new-era-in-conservation/
By Steve Karnowski, Associated Press
MINNEAPOLIS (AP) — A strike has shut down all shipping on the St. Lawrence Seaway, interrupting exports of grain and other goods from Canada and the United States via the Great Lakes to the rest of the world.
Around 360 workers in Ontario and Quebec with Unifor, Canada’s largest private-sector union, walked out early Sunday in a dispute over wages with the St.
Great Lakes Now
https://www.greatlakesnow.org/2023/10/ap-strikers-shut-down-vital-great-lakes-shipping-artery-negotiations-looming/
When it comes to fostering resilience in the face of climate change in the waters that border the U.S. and Canada, hydrologist Drew Gronewold wants the region to be a “role model for the world.”
Gronewald is leading a new U.S. – Canada and sovereign nations effort to establish a research center designed to strengthen climate change resilience in communities that span international boundaries and jurisdictions.
Great Lakes Now
https://www.greatlakesnow.org/2023/10/new-university-michigan-led-initiative-expands-climate-research-across-borders/
A strike by about 350 members of UNIFOR, Canada’s largest private sector union, could cripple thousands of businesses and cause the loss of billions in economic activity if it continues, according to shipping officials.
“Every day is a critical time,” said Jayson Hron, communications director for Port of Duluth-Superior, the U.S.’ furthest inland seaport.
Great Lakes Now
https://www.greatlakesnow.org/2023/10/great-lakes-imports-and-exports-halted-by-strike/
By Kelly House, Bridge Michigan
This story is part of a Great Lakes News Collaborative series investigating the region’s water pollution challenges. Called Refresh, the series explores the Clean Water Act’s shortcomings in the Great Lakes, and how the region can more completely address water pollution in the next 50 years.
Great Lakes Now
https://www.greatlakesnow.org/2023/10/michigan-steps-up-dam-removal-in-race-against-climate-change/
Quite a few bills are going through Michigan State Congress that are poised to radically reshape the state’s approach to energy. These proposed legislations signal Michigan’s commitment to the climate crisis, and could set the stage for a significant shift in the state’s environmental policies. The House introduced bills that environmentalists are keeping their eyes on, many of which would solidify elements of with Governor Gretchen Whitmer’s MI Healthy Climate Plan into law.
Great Lakes Now
https://www.greatlakesnow.org/2023/10/keeping-an-eye-on-michigans-current-environmental-legislation/
Editor’s Note: “Nibi Chronicles,” a monthly Great Lakes Now feature, is written by Staci Lola Drouillard. A direct descendant of the Grand Portage Band of Ojibwe, she lives and works in Grand Marais on Minnesota’s North Shore of Lake Superior. Her two books “Walking the Old Road: A People’s History of Chippewa City and the Grand Marais Anishinaabe” and “Seven Aunts” were published 2019 and 2022, and she is at work on a children’s story.
Great Lakes Now
https://www.greatlakesnow.org/2023/10/nibi-chronicles-grand-portage-water-warriors/
By Seth Borenstein, AP Science Writer
The upcoming United States winter looks likely to be a bit low on snow and extreme cold outbreaks, with federal forecasters predicting the North to get warmer than normal and the South wetter and stormier.
A strong El Nino heavily moderates and changes the storm tracks of what America is likely to face from December to February, with an added warming boost from climate change and record hot oceans, officials at the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration said Thursday in releasing their winter outlook.
Great Lakes Now
https://www.greatlakesnow.org/2023/10/ap-electrical-grids-keeping-up-green-energy-could-risk-climate-goals/
By Lester Graham, Michigan Radio
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/2023/10/the-spawn-from-lake-sturgeon-in-michigan-to-be-introduced-to-cuyahoga-river/
MILWAUKEE (AP) — Federal, state and local officials have agreed to spend about $450 million to dredge contaminated sediment from Milwaukee’s Lake Michigan harbor and area rivers.
The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency announced Thursday that it will devote $275 million from the Great Lakes Restoration Initiative to the project.
Great Lakes Now
https://www.greatlakesnow.org/2023/10/ap-federal-local-officials-agree-on-450-million-deal-to-clean-up-milwaukee-waterways/
This coverage is made possible through a partnership with IPR and Grist, a nonprofit independent media organization dedicated to telling stories of climate solutions and a just future.
This story was adapted from Points North, a podcast about the land, water, and inhabitants of the Great Lakes, from Interlochen Public Radio.
Great Lakes Now
https://www.greatlakesnow.org/2023/10/where-do-solar-panels-go-to-die/
I Speak for the Fish is a monthly column written by Great Lakes Now Contributor Kathy Johnson, coming out the third Monday of each month. Publishing the author’s views and assertions does not represent endorsement by Great Lakes Now or Detroit Public Television.
Great Lakes Now
https://www.greatlakesnow.org/2023/10/i-speak-for-the-fish-bloomin-jellies-in-lake-huron/
Details matter for water rights advocate Monica Lewis-Patrick when it comes to terminology in Michigan’s long-awaited drinking water legislation. Critical issues have to be addressed in a manner that improves people’s lives.
The recently introduced legislation is designed to remedy the need for water shutoffs in limited cases, It’s also meant to address the cost of water for residents across the state who don’t have the means to pay seemingly ever increasing water bills.
Great Lakes Now
https://www.greatlakesnow.org/2023/10/michigan-water-rights-advocate-questions-effectiveness-proposed-legislation/
By Lester Graham, Michigan Radio
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/2023/10/wetland-banks-save-cities-townships-counties-money-building-roads/
This lesson will explore the phenomenon of natural gradient, as students learn about how the natural flow of the Great Lakes landscape can provide a smooth path for mountain bike riding. They will explore the physics of accelerated motion, explore the math of slope, and investigate existing and planned trails in the Great Lakes before building a slow, smooth-rolling trail to move marbles, modeling the design of mountain biking trails.
Great Lakes Now
https://www.greatlakesnow.org/2023/10/episode-2309-great-lakes-gradients-lesson-plan/
Keep up with PFAS-related developments in the Great Lakes area with Great Lakes Now’s biweekly headline roundup.
Click on the headline to read the full story:
Illinois
Forever Chemicals and Cancer Risk — Chicago Health Magazine
The managing partner at a Chicago-based law firm started getting calls from firefighters last year: men and women with kidney, prostate, and bladder cancers.
Great Lakes Now
https://www.greatlakesnow.org/2023/10/pfas-news-roundup-ridding-groundwater-forever-chemicals-ultrasound-increasing-pfas-monitoring-rivers/
WAUKESHA, Wis. (AP) — A Milwaukee suburb has finally started to pull millions of gallons of water per day from Lake Michigan after spending years seeking approval from regulators.
The city of Waukesha began the diversion Monday. City officials say 90% of the city will be using Lake Michigan’s water within five days.
Great Lakes Now
https://www.greatlakesnow.org/2023/10/ap-milwaukee-suburb-pulling-millions-gallons-lake-michigan/
By Lester Graham, Michigan Radio
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/2023/10/epa-okays-ohio-plan-reduce-toxic-cyanobacterial-blooms-environmentalists-say-wont-work/
This article was republished here with permission from Great Lakes Echo.
By Daniel Schoenherr, Great Lakes Echo
The Great Lakes region’s more than 300 bird species may provide valuable mental health benefits.
A recent study from Carleton University in Ontario shows there are fewer mental health-related hospitalizations in Michigan areas with high bird diversity.
Great Lakes Now
https://www.greatlakesnow.org/2023/10/bird-songs-may-ease-the-blues/
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/2023/10/in-warming-great-lakes-climate-triage-means-some-cold-waters-wont-be-saved/
Keep up with energy-related developments in the Great Lakes area with Great Lakes Now’s biweekly headline roundup.
Click on the headline to read the full story:
Illinois
Illinois wants Spire to show it shouldn’t be held in contempt over its embattled pipeline — St.
Great Lakes Now
https://www.greatlakesnow.org/2023/10/energy-news-roundup-vision-green-energy-underserved-communities-nationwide-burst-clean-energy-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/2023/10/enbridge-federal-review-of-line-5-tunnel-permit-is-inexplicably-lethargic/
Keep up with PFAS-related developments in the Great Lakes area with Great Lakes Now’s biweekly headline roundup.
Click on the headline to read the full story:
Indiana
What to do if there are PFAS in your Indiana drinking water — Louisville Public Media
So far, Indiana Department of Emergency Management has found unhealthy levels of PFAS in 19 drinking water utilities.
Great Lakes Now
https://www.greatlakesnow.org/2023/10/pfas-news-roundup-can-we-get-rid-of-forever-chemicals/
By John-Paul Chalykoff, Algoma University
is an independent and nonprofit source of news, analysis and commentary from academic experts.
Language is foundational to Indigenous communities, including my own, and a vital connection to our cultures.
It is well documented how residential schools in Canada and boarding schools in the U.S.
Great Lakes Now
https://www.greatlakesnow.org/2023/10/im-working-to-revitalize-an-indigenous-language-and-bring-it-into-the-future/
Out of three locations around the world, the Great Lakes region was chosen to host a new Department of Defense study. The Defense POW/MIA Accounting Agency, or DPAA, is actively engaged in the Missing in Action Recovery and Identification Project. Its goal is to locate and repatriate the remains of military personnel in conflict areas to provide closure to their families.
Great Lakes Now
https://www.greatlakesnow.org/2023/10/tracing-for-human-remains-on-shipwrecks-with-environmental-dna/
Great Lakes Moment is a monthly column written by Great Lakes Now Contributor John Hartig. Publishing the author’s views and assertions does not represent endorsement by Great Lakes Now or Detroit Public Television.
For over 100 years the Detroit River was perceived as a working waterway that supported industry and commerce.
Great Lakes Now
https://www.greatlakesnow.org/2023/10/great-lakes-moment-detroits-new-ralph-wilson-park-will-provide-habitats-for-a-healthy-ecosystem/
Science Says What? is a monthly column written by Great Lakes now contributor Sharon Oosthoek exploring what science can tell us about what’s happening beneath and above the waves of our beloved Great Lakes and their watershed.
The wolves of Isle Royale recently came within a hair’s breadth of dying out — victims of years of inbreeding.
Great Lakes Now
https://www.greatlakesnow.org/2023/09/science-says-what-how-an-airlift-of-wolves-saved-isle-royales-ecosystem-and-sparked-a-conservation-controversy/
