This article was republished here with permission from Great Lakes Echo.
By Gabrielle Ahlborn, Great Lakes Echo
After an unusually warm and stormy summer, the Great Lakes region has in store a “frosty flip-flop” winter, according to the 2021-22 Farmers’ Almanac forecast.
Great Lakes Now
https://www.greatlakesnow.org/2021/11/farmers-almanac-forecasts-frosty/
Gary and Roseann Sauvey have been operating Kaspar’s Lake Breeze Cottages in one capacity or another for 65 years.
The Sauveys’ waterfront home sits on a couple acres, sporting a side yard with five 20×20 cottages that haven’t changed much over the decades. From beautiful, quaint wood interiors to a small fishing pier and breathtaking sunrises, it’s a site stuck in time.
Great Lakes Now
https://www.greatlakesnow.org/2021/11/walleye-lake-erie-population-ohio-economy/
This work was supported in part by the Solutions Journalism Network.
Under an ominous gray and blustery sky, forklifts dig into piles of jet-black furnace coke, dumping it into a ship tethered in the eastern channel of Burns Harbor in Northwest Indiana. Nearby are towering piles of red iron ore pellets, and just across the channel loom the smokestacks, conveyors and furnaces of a steel mill.
Great Lakes Now
https://www.greatlakesnow.org/2021/11/sustainable-shipping-burns-harbor-port-industrial-coast/
“The legend lives on…”
Nov. 10 has been an unassailable part of Great Lakes culture and history since 1975 when the SS Edmund Fitzgerald sank in Lake Superior with its entire crew of 29 and was immortalized in the famous song by Gordon Lightfoot.
The ship went down in Lake Superior, near Whitefish Point, but it’s a piece of history that connects people all around the region who care about the lakes and their history or have experienced their own loss.
Great Lakes Now
https://www.greatlakesnow.org/2021/11/edmund-fitzgerald-shipwreck-memorial-service-2021/
This story is the third in a four-part series looking at sturgeon restoration efforts.
Lake sturgeon restoration efforts are taking place across the Great Lakes basin.
But what that restoration looks like is entirely dependent on location and other factors, such as whether or not any lake sturgeon remain in the area.
Great Lakes Now
https://www.greatlakesnow.org/2021/11/sturgeon-restoration-starting-anew-in-sturgeon-and-saginaw-bays/
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/2021/11/michigan-environmental-leader-flaws-benton-harbor-lead-crisis/
The finish line is finally in view for the new Soo Lock, which was first authorized in 1986 and will help prevent the disruption of the supply chains in event of error or repairs.
“Having a new Soo Lock that has the same dimensions of the Poe and able to accommodate those largest freighters on the lakes will give us a great deal of resiliency and the ability to increase the time periods in which we do necessary repairs or maintenance or rehabilitation throughout the year,” said Lt.
Great Lakes Now
https://www.greatlakesnow.org/2021/11/in-progress-new-soo-lock-2030-completion/
By Laura Gersony, Circle of Blue
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/2021/11/climate-change-trout-streams-nation-anglers/
When zebra mussels emerged as a dire ecological and economic threat across the Great Lakes in the 1990s, it was a wakeup call that the existing patchwork of international, state and federal regulations were not protecting the delicate ecosystem, the source of drinking water for millions of people.
In response, some industry leaders came together to form a voluntary sustainability certification organization called Green Marine.
Great Lakes Now
https://www.greatlakesnow.org/2021/11/green-marine-voluntary-improve-port-sustainability/
Looking at them, you wouldn’t guess that the unisexual Ambystoma salamanders are any different than the other members of what was once considered their group.
These interlopers were previously grouped with five other mole salamander species: the tiger salamanders with yellow stripes; the blue-spotted salamander, marked as its name suggests; the brownish smallmouth salamander and Jefferson salamander; and the pale streamside salamander.
Great Lakes Now
https://www.greatlakesnow.org/2021/11/genetic-mystery-female-salamanders-great-lakes/
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/2021/11/researchers-tech-cities-manage-stormwater/
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/2021/11/michigan-avoid-products-containing-pfas/
DETROIT (AP) — A high-tech strategy could help Detroit save $165 million while also pinpointing the number of lead water lines in the city.
Data crunched with software from technology startup BlueConduit will hopefully provide a report of the probable locations and number of lead lines, the water department said.
Great Lakes Now
https://www.greatlakesnow.org/2021/11/ap-software-inventory-lead-water-detroit/
By Kathleen Ronayne, Associated Press
SACRAMENTO, Calif. (AP) — U.S. governors want a seat at the table as international leaders prepare to gather in Scotland at a critical moment for global efforts to reduce fossil fuel emissions and slow the planet’s temperature rise.
At least a half dozen state governors — all Democrats — plan to attend parts of the two-week United Nations’ climate change conference in Glasgow, known as COP26.
Great Lakes Now
https://www.greatlakesnow.org/2021/11/ap-democratic-governors-climate-talks/
This article was republished here with permission from Great Lakes Echo.
By Emilie Appleyard, Great Lakes Echo
Artists in the Great Lakes region are taking trash and turning it into art.
Dave Matsen, a retired professional photographer from Ludington, Michigan, found inspiration from his garbage at the beginning of the COVID-19 pandemic.
Great Lakes Now
https://www.greatlakesnow.org/2021/11/great-lakes-artists-trash-art/
This article, first posted here, was republished with permission from Wisconsin Watch.
By Mario Koran, Wisconsin Watch
Mike Kahr, an engineer and owner of Death’s Door Marine, has watched Lake Michigan’s water levels fluctuate during his 40-plus year career. But even the veteran engineer hasn’t seen the lake’s water levels swing from low to high quite this rapidly.
Great Lakes Now
https://www.greatlakesnow.org/2021/11/calls-protect-shorelines-lake-michigan/
This article, first posted here, was republished with permission from Wisconsin Watch.
By Mario Koran, Wisconsin Watch
Mike Kahr, an engineer and owner of Death’s Door Marine, has watched Lake Michigan’s water levels fluctuate during his 40-plus year career. But even the veteran engineer hasn’t seen the lake’s water levels swing from low to high quite this rapidly.
Great Lakes Now
https://www.greatlakesnow.org/2021/11/calls-protect-shorelines-lake-michigan/
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.
A small catfish that is endangered in both Michigan and Ontario is making a comeback thanks to improved water quality and artificial reef construction in the Detroit and St.
Great Lakes Now
https://www.greatlakesnow.org/2021/11/endangered-catfish-health-detroit-rivers/
This article was republished here with permission from Great Lakes Echo.
By Kristia Postema, Great Lakes Echo
National declines of hunting license sales and the need for additional wildlife conservation funding have prompted proposals to fill the fiscal gap, including one that’s stalled in Congress despite bipartisan support.
Great Lakes Now
https://www.greatlakesnow.org/2021/11/wildlife-habitat-projects-hunting-licenses-decline/
This story is the second in a four-part series looking at sturgeon restoration efforts.
Lake sturgeon restoration efforts are taking place across the Great Lakes basin.
But what that restoration looks like is entirely dependent on location and other factors, such as whether or not any lake sturgeon remain in the area.
Great Lakes Now
https://www.greatlakesnow.org/2021/10/sturgeon-restoration-streamside-hatcheries-manistee-milwaukee-maumee-rivers/
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/2021/10/michigan-map-for-childhood-lead-levels-community/
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/2021/10/michigan-water-systems-finding-lead/
The Ontario government is funding projects aimed at helping farmers and landowners preserve water quality of the Great Lakes watershed.
More than $2.5 million was awarded to 19 projects that ranged from green infrastructure projects to helping spread good land management practices to reduce the amount of contaminants and excess nutrients, such as phosphorous, entering the Great Lakes.
Great Lakes Now
https://www.greatlakesnow.org/2021/10/farm-ontario-projects-great-lakes/
Although it’s been seven years since the Flint water crisis became one of the state’s biggest public health disasters, Flint’s struggle with both the repercussions of the initial incident and with getting clean water have not ended. The court cases continue to unfold, and the city slowly replaces its lead lines.
Great Lakes Now
https://www.greatlakesnow.org/2021/10/seven-years-flint-water-crisis/
From lead pipes to PFAS, drinking water contamination is a major issue plaguing cities and towns all around the Great Lakes. Cleaning up contaminants and providing safe water to everyone is an ongoing public health struggle.
Keep up with drinking water-related developments in the Great Lakes area.
Click on the headline to read the full-story:
Indiana:
The Indiana community of Elizabethtown has recently been granted about $1.4 million to protect the quality of their drinking water.
Great Lakes Now
https://www.greatlakesnow.org/2021/10/drinking-water-aging-infrastructure-pennsylvania/
By Brett Walton, Circle of Blue
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/2021/10/climate-talks-planet-overheating-water/
By Brett Walton, Circle of Blue
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/2021/10/water-groups-agreement-paris-climate-conference/
By Sophia Kalakailo, 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/2021/10/nestle-water-withdrawal-permit/
By Drew Costley, AP Science Writer
Tens of billions of dollars for U.S. environmental justice initiatives originally proposed in a $3.5 trillion domestic spending package now hang in the balance as Democrats decide how to trim the bill down to $2 trillion.
Investments in a wide range of these projects were proposed in the Build Back Better plan, but Senators Joe Manchin of West Virginia and Kyrsten Sinema of Arizona demanded that the bill be reduced, with Manchin asking for it to be cut by as much as half.
Great Lakes Now
https://www.greatlakesnow.org/2021/10/ap-environmental-justice-funds-balance/
SAULT STE. MARIE, Mich. (AP) — Lake Superior State University in Michigan’s eastern Upper Peninsula has been selected as a hub for a center that will look at the impacts of oil spills in freshwater environments.
The U.S. Coast Guard National Center of Expertise for the Great Lakes also will help develop effective responses to spills, according to the school.
Great Lakes Now
https://www.greatlakesnow.org/2021/10/ap-center-impact-oil-spills-freshwater/
Canada’s plan to store spent nuclear fuel 1,600 feet below ground in the Great Lakes basin, some 30 miles from Lake Huron, is continuing to ruffle feathers throughout the Great Lake states.
Earlier this month, U.S. lawmakers called out the Canadian plan for failing to prioritize the health of the Great Lakes and the 40 million residents who depend on it for clean drinking water ahead of its own energy needs.
Great Lakes Now
https://www.greatlakesnow.org/2021/10/storage-nuclear-waste-great-lakes/
By Shelley Inglis, University of Dayton, The Conversation
is an independent and nonprofit source of news, analysis and commentary from academic experts.
Over two weeks in November, world leaders and national negotiators will meet in Scotland to discuss what to do about climate change.
Great Lakes Now
https://www.greatlakesnow.org/2021/10/cop26-global-climate-negotiations-glasgow-summit/
BENTON HARBOR, Mich. (AP) — Michigan Gov. Gretchen Whitmer said she visited Benton Harbor on Tuesday to listen to residents who have been urged to use bottled water because of elevated levels of lead in their tap water.
Whitmer’s stop, which wasn’t publicly disclosed until it was over, came hours after city commissioners unanimously declared an emergency and empowered Mayor Marcus Muhammad to lead Benton Harbor’s response.
Great Lakes Now
https://www.greatlakesnow.org/2021/10/ap-michigan-city-declares-emergency-governor/
The operator of a Michigan oil pipeline said it temporarily shut down Line 5 Tuesday after protesters warned the company that they planned to turn an emergency valve.
Video posted on social media showed someone with a hard hat and a wrench inside a fenced area in Tuscola County, 90 miles north of Detroit.
Great Lakes Now
https://www.greatlakesnow.org/2021/10/ap-enbridge-michigan-pipeline-protests/
By Ed White, Associated Press
DETROIT (AP) — The only Michigan official fired in the Flint water catastrophe likely was a “public scapegoat” who lost her job because of politics, an arbitrator said in ordering $191,880 in back pay and other compensation.
It’s a remarkable victory for Liane Shekter Smith, who served as head of the state’s drinking water office when Flint’s water system was contaminated with lead.
Great Lakes Now
https://www.greatlakesnow.org/2021/10/ap-official-wrongly-fired-flint-water/
One of the main concerns opponents have to two of the proposed underground sites for storing Canada’s spent nuclear fuel, one of which is in the Lake Huron watershed, is the potential impact on the environment. A group of Ontario researchers is setting the groundwork to answer that question with a new project.
Great Lakes Now
https://www.greatlakesnow.org/2021/10/monitor-aquatic-species-nuclear-storage/
This story is the first in a four-part series looking at sturgeon restoration efforts.
Lake sturgeon restoration efforts are taking place across the Great Lakes basin.
But what that restoration looks like is entirely dependent on location and other factors, such as whether or not any lake sturgeon remain in the area.
Great Lakes Now
https://www.greatlakesnow.org/2021/10/sturgeon-restoration-studying-michigan-wisconsin-populations/
This story is the first in a four-part series looking at sturgeon restoration efforts.
Lake sturgeon restoration efforts are taking place across the Great Lakes basin.
But what that restoration looks like is entirely dependent on location and other factors, such as whether or not any lake sturgeon remain in the area.
Great Lakes Now
https://www.greatlakesnow.org/2021/10/sturgeon-restoration-studying-michigan-wisconsin-populations/
Climate change is one of the more pressing topics that Great Lakes Now has its eye on. Come Oct. 31, one of the largest global conferences will be convening to discuss that topic, so Great Lakes Now will be right there to help keep you up to date.
COP26 is the next annual UN climate change conference.
Great Lakes Now
https://www.greatlakesnow.org/2021/10/cop26-questions-un-climate-change-conference/
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:
Indiana:
CenterPoint Energy recently proposed to construct two natural gas combustion turbines in place of its former coal-based plant.
Great Lakes Now
https://www.greatlakesnow.org/2021/10/energy-illinois-clean-energy-bill-michigan-heating/
This article is part of a collaboration between The Alpena News and Great Lakes Now at Detroit Public Television to bring audiences stories about the Great Lakes, especially Lake Huron and its watershed.
LUDINGTON (AP) — The SS Badger backed into its dock Oct.
Great Lakes Now
https://www.greatlakesnow.org/2021/10/ss-badger-makes-final-lake-michigan-crossing-of-season/
I Speak for the Fish is a new 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/2021/10/i-speak-for-the-fish-setting-sturgeon-free/
Even when the topic is cars and climate change, in Michigan it still comes back to the Great Lakes.
“To me, really, the take home is always, always, always water,” said Liesl Clark, director of the Michigan Department of Environment, Great Lakes, and Energy. She appeared at an event in Detroit that previewed COP26.
Great Lakes Now
https://www.greatlakesnow.org/2021/10/un-climate-conference-michigan-role/
BEAVER BAY, Minn. (AP) — A Lake Superior lighthouse plans to welcome visitors back for an annual memorial honoring the sailors who died when the Edmund Fitzgerald sank.
Every Nov. 10, the day the ship sank in a gale in 1975, the Split Rock Lighthouse just south of Beaver Bay holds a beacon lighting.
Great Lakes Now
https://www.greatlakesnow.org/2021/10/ap-lighthouse-allow-visitors-fitzgerald-memorial/
From lead pipes to PFAS, drinking water contamination is a major issue plaguing cities and towns all around the Great Lakes. Cleaning up contaminants and providing safe water to everyone is an ongoing public health struggle.
Keep up with drinking water-related developments in the Great Lakes area.
Click on the headline to read the full-story:
Indiana:
U.S.
Great Lakes Now
https://www.greatlakesnow.org/2021/10/drinking-water-steel-spill-water-purification-pennsylvania/
By John Flesher, Associated Press
TRAVERSE CITY, Mich. (AP) — President Joe Biden on Tuesday appointed Debra Shore, a wastewater treatment official in Chicago, to direct the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency’s Midwestern office.
Shore will oversee EPA’s Region 5, which includes Illinois, Indiana, Michigan, Minnesota, Ohio and Wisconsin, along with 35 indigenous tribes.
Great Lakes Now
https://www.greatlakesnow.org/2021/10/ap-biden-debra-shore-epa-midwestern-office/
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/2021/10/pfas-study-michigan-wisconsin-minnesota-billions-transparency/
By Bernie Azure, Char-Koosta News
This article is part of a collaboration between The Char-Koosta News and Great Lakes Now at Detroit Public Television. Our partnership brings readers stories about issues of, research about and solutions to the invasive mussel problem – a challenge that’s shared by communities around Flathead Lake, its nearby waters and the Great Lakes.
Great Lakes Now
https://www.greatlakesnow.org/2021/10/record-mussel-fouled-watercraft-intercepted-state-inspection-stations-summer/
By Leanna First-Arai, The Guardian
This story originally appeared in The Guardian and is republished here as part of Covering Climate Now, a global journalism collaboration strengthening coverage of the climate story.
Oil and gas companies have a century-old bad habit of drilling wells and ditching them.
Great Lakes Now
https://www.greatlakesnow.org/2021/10/taxpayers-cost-cleaning-americas-abandoned-oil-wells/
By Mary Annette Pember, Indian Country Today
This story originally appeared in Indian Country Today and is republished here as part of Covering Climate Now, a global journalism collaboration strengthening coverage of the climate story.
Indigenous leaders are largely being excluded from participation in the upcoming United Nations Climate Change Conference as the world grapples with escalating problems from floods, fires, heat, drought and other disasters.
Great Lakes Now
https://www.greatlakesnow.org/2021/10/indigenous-leaders-face-barriers-un-climate-conference/
