Love staring at a map and discovering something interesting? Then “Mapping the Great Lakes” is for you. It’s a monthly Great Lakes Now feature created by Alex B. Hill, a self-described “data nerd and anthropologist” who combines cartography, data, and analytics with storytelling and human experience.
Great Lakes Now
https://www.greatlakesnow.org/2022/03/mapping-great-lakes-lighthouses/
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/2022/03/pfas-news-roundup-indiana-new-ohio-pfas-regulation-bill/
ANN ARBOR, Mich. (AP) — Former Michigan Gov. Rick Snyder and several other officials must testify in a civil trial involving engineering firms being sued over liability for lead-contaminated water connected to the Flint water crisis, a judge ruled Monday.
U.S. District Judge Judith Levy denied motions by Snyder, his former advisor, two former state-appointed emergency managers and an ex-Flint city official to quash subpoenas compelling them to testify.
Great Lakes Now
https://www.greatlakesnow.org/2022/03/ap-ex-governor-testify-flint-water-civil-trial/
The largest known muskie is 67 pounds 8 ounces. Or it’s 69 pounds 11 ounces. Or it’s 70 pounds 10 ounces. Depending on the type of record, whom you ask or what organization you trust, it could be any of those answers.
After Great Lakes Now published a column on muskies that referenced record sizes, it kicked off a dispute among readers on what record was the most accurate, so Great Lakes Now decided to do a deeper dive.
Great Lakes Now
https://www.greatlakesnow.org/2022/03/who-caught-worlds-largest-muskie/
I’ve been outsmarted by more than one species.
A red fox in a Florida nature preserve comes to mind. I observed the fox entering a den and spent two hours patiently waiting for it to emerge so I could take its picture – only to discover the clever fellow had exited out the back shortly after I parked myself out front.
Great Lakes Now
https://www.greatlakesnow.org/2022/03/playing-peek-a-boo-with-ducks/
When it comes to dealing with Michigan’s regulators on environmental justice issues, Detroit environmental law attorney Nick Leonard wants to change the narrative.
Too often when confronted with decisions that impact environmental justice communities, regulators focus on limitations and what they can’t do, Leonard recently told Great Lakes Now.
Great Lakes Now
https://www.greatlakesnow.org/2022/03/substantive-change-federal-state-local-agencies/
The recent discovery of a dangerous family of chemicals in Michigan cattle has a statewide environmental group renewing efforts to ban the controversial substance.
The post Michigan Environmental Group pushing for ban on controversial chemical first appeared on Great Lakes Echo.Great Lakes Echo
http://greatlakesecho.org/2022/03/18/michigan-environmental-group-pushing-for-ban-on-controversial-chemical/
In Lake Huron’s Les Cheneaux Islands, a school is preserving the craft of building wooden boats.
Opened in 2005, the Great Lakes Boat Building School is located in Cedarville, Michigan, a small town tucked in the scenic bays and natural harbors of the area. A few dozen students a year learn how to build wooden boats.
Great Lakes Now
https://www.greatlakesnow.org/2022/03/great-lakes-boat-building-school-grant-funding/
This summer, a Great Lakes watchtower will celebrate its 200th birthday as any centenarian should: with cake and ice cream.
The Marblehead Lighthouse sits on Lake Erie’s temperamental shore in Ohio, about 20 miles away from Sandusky. It’s the oldest continually operating lighthouse on the Great Lakes, thanks to the state of Ohio, which, according to the Marblehead Lighthouse Historical Society, took over the maintenance in the 1990s.
Great Lakes Now
https://www.greatlakesnow.org/2022/03/lighthouse-restoration/
FLINT, Mich. (AP) — Water main breaks blamed on temperature fluctuations has prompted Flint officials to ask residents and businesses to temporarily cut back on water usage.
The water conservation request is through Wednesday, the city said Friday in a release.
Main breaks have impacted water storage supply in a reservoir and elevated water tower, according to the city.
Great Lakes Now
https://www.greatlakesnow.org/2022/03/ap-flint-water-main-breaks/
By David Eggert, Associated Press
LANSING, Mich. (AP) — The state of Michigan sued the owner and operator of a hydroelectric dam, alleging that its mismanaged drawdown of a lake to do repairs created sediment that has choked a 30-mile stretch of the Kalamazoo River, impeded recreational use and threatened public safety.
Great Lakes Now
https://www.greatlakesnow.org/2022/03/ap-dam-owner-sediment-kalamazoo-river/
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/2022/03/invasive-carp-money-great-lakes/
By Mike Householder and John Flesher, Associated Press
STANDISH, Mich. (AP) — Bridget Wheelock knelt onto the frozen surface of Lake Huron’s Saginaw Bay, reached a gloved hand into the frigid water below and pulled out a large chunk of ice.
“There’s a little bit of prism effect.
Great Lakes Now
https://www.greatlakesnow.org/2022/03/ap-scientists-rare-great-lakes-frozen-surfaces/
DETROIT (AP) — A group of government, business and nonprofit organizations is looking at water infrastructure in southeastern Michigan.
The current condition and actions needed for sustainable water infrastructure systems is the focus of the Southeast Michigan Council of Governments Water Infrastructure Task Force.
The task force also will address flooding issues, project funding, equity, affordability and other topics.
Great Lakes Now
https://www.greatlakesnow.org/2022/03/ap-task-force-water-infrastructure-michigan/
DEER PARK, Mich. (AP) — A ship carrying a load of coal when it sank in a storm in 1891 has been discovered in Lake Superior off Michigan’s Upper Peninsula.
The Atlanta is well-preserved in the extremely cold lake, the Great Lakes Shipwreck Historical Society said Thursday.
The shipwreck group posted photos and video with the name of the ship clearly visible at a depth of more than 600 feet (183 meters), roughly 35 miles (56 kilometers) off Deer Park, Michigan.
Great Lakes Now
https://www.greatlakesnow.org/2022/03/ap-shipwreck-discovered-lake-superior/
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/2022/03/legislation-bottled-water-protections-groundwater/
ANN ARBOR, Mich. (AP) — Former Michigan Gov. Rick Snyder, who faces misdemeanor charges in the Flint water crisis, wants to avoid testifying in a civil trial involving engineering firms that are being sued over liability for lead-contaminated water.
Snyder’s attorneys said he would invoke his right to remain silent if called as a witness in the ongoing civil trial in federal court in Ann Arbor.
Great Lakes Now
https://www.greatlakesnow.org/2022/03/snyder-take-5th-if-testify-water-trial/
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.
It was a mid-winter day, and I was driving to my Downriver home from a meeting in Detroit.
Great Lakes Now
https://www.greatlakesnow.org/2022/03/great-lakes-moment-bald-eagles-detroit/
By Lindsey Smith, 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/2022/03/benton-harbor-residents-epa-filters/
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/2022/03/gas-oil-industry-price-hikes-enbridge-line-5-shut-down/
By Tracy Samilton, 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/2022/03/trial-lawsuit-engineering-flint-water-crisis/
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 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/2022/03/michigan-global-report-climate/
By Zahra Ahmad, 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/2022/03/dnr-fishing-regulations-michigans-2022-season/
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/
Summer is hands-down the most popular fishing season on the Great Lakes because people on vacation want to fish.
But Great Lakes fishing is a year-round sport. With a range of fish that offer a tasty meal, a challenge to land or both, anglers can have 365 days of fun on the lakes and their tributaries.
Great Lakes Now
https://www.greatlakesnow.org/2022/02/top-10-fish-catch-great-lakes-fishing/
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:
Illinois:
Illinois American water plans to donate over $16 million to help maintain and transform the municipal water system for the city of Jerseyville.
Great Lakes Now
https://www.greatlakesnow.org/2022/02/drinking-water-news-roundup-water-contaminants-oil-spill/
Some fish don’t seem to mind a diver’s bubbles or humans fumbling around underwater. Others bolt at my first exhalation. Some fish are super approachable while others remain wary and aloof regardless of how I try to entice them.
And some species, like the tiny logperch, don’t seem to give a fig what I do.
Great Lakes Now
https://www.greatlakesnow.org/2022/02/speak-for-fish-logperch-rebounding/
Acknowledging Native American ties to the land that Michigan universities occupy can make a powerful statement honoring the traditional history and culture. A land acknowledgment is a formal statement that recognizes and respects Indigenous peoples as stewards of the land where an institution is located. Acknowledgments are often executed through signs on campuses, email signatures and statements read before organized events.
The post Universities link Native American homelands to campus sites first appeared on Great Lakes Echo.Great Lakes Echo
http://greatlakesecho.org/2022/02/21/universities-link-native-american-homelands-to-campus-sites/
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/2022/02/line-5-impact-climate-change-reviewed/
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/2022/02/pfas-news-roundup-annual-blood-tests-pennsylvania-deer/
By Zahra Ahmad, 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/2022/02/new-report-enbridge-line-5-closure-michigan/
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/2022/02/grand-rapids-lake-road-salt/
HANCOCK, Mich. (AP) — More than $1.1 million in grants have been awarded to 17 coastal management projects and programs in Michigan.
Michigan’s Department of Environment, Great Lakes, and Energy says the funding will help protect, preserve, enhance and wisely develop the state’s coastal resources.
Recipients are located across Michigan and include $45,000 for Hancock to do a feasibility analysis for nature-based shore protection and restoration.
Great Lakes Now
https://www.greatlakesnow.org/2022/02/ap-michigan-coastal-management/
The Michigan Public Transit Association has launched an information advocacy campaign to fill hiring needs and increase ridership. The advocacy initiative includes television, radio, billboard and social media campaigns and is expected to continue into May.
The post New advocacy campaign boosts public transit first appeared on Great Lakes Echo.Great Lakes Echo
http://greatlakesecho.org/2022/02/10/new-advocacy-campaign-boosts-public-transit/
As the U.S. EPA prepares to expand its Great Lakes Restoration Initiative with the $1 billion-dollar windfall from the infrastructure bill, Ojibwe Tribal executive Michael “Mic” Isham has a vision to bolster the program.
Isham wants an increased emphasis on protection of the Great Lakes with a priority for Lake Superior, which Isham says is the “cultural and historic center” of the Ojibwe tribes.
Great Lakes Now
https://www.greatlakesnow.org/2022/02/federal-great-lakes-restoration-program-protection-flexibility/
By Ed White, Associated Press
DETROIT (AP) — A judge awarded about $40 million Friday to the lead attorneys in a $626 million settlement for Flint residents and property owners whose water was contaminated with lead, but millions in additional legal fees will also be carved out as claimants get paid.
Great Lakes Now
https://www.greatlakesnow.org/2022/02/ap-lawyers-flint-settlement/
The lower Detroit River is a unique urban refugium where the tapestry of life has been woven with elegance, where the music of life has been rehearsed to perfection for thousands of years, where nature’s colors are most vibrant and engaging, where time is measured in seasons, and where the canvasback race across the water takes center stage.
Great Lakes Now
https://www.greatlakesnow.org/2022/02/great-lakes-moment-ducks-detroit-river/
By John Flesher, Associated Press
TRAVERSE CITY, Mich. (AP) — What’s happening in the Great Lakes during those long, frigid months when they’re often covered partially or completely with ice? A casual observer — and even experts — might be inclined to say, “Not much.”
Lake scientists have long considered winter a season when aquatic activity slows.
Great Lakes Now
https://www.greatlakesnow.org/2022/02/ap-scientists-data-warming-great-lakes/
By Julie Riddle, The Alpena News
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.
ALPENA – An Alpena company will snag a piece of more than $241 million in grants awarded to upgrade U.S.
Great Lakes Now
https://www.greatlakesnow.org/2022/02/grant-aid-lafarge-port-upgrades/
By John Flesher, Associated Press
Beef produced at a small Michigan farm was found to contain toxic “forever chemicals” after the cattle were fed crops grown with fertilizer made from contaminated wastewater biosolids, state officials said Friday.
A consumption advisory issued by state agencies stopped short of a recall, noting there are no government standards for the substances in beef.
Great Lakes Now
https://www.greatlakesnow.org/2022/02/ap-forever-chemicals-michigan-beef/
By Kari Lydersen
This story was first published on the Energy News Network and was republished here with permission.
A two-year-old economic development partnership is helping to draw attention — and investment dollars — to sustainability projects in the Great Lakes region.
Great Lakes Now
https://www.greatlakesnow.org/2022/02/great-lakes-platform-green-projects/
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:
Illinois:
Legislators in Illinois are looking favorably upon a bill that may improve water quality for a large portion of the nation.
Great Lakes Now
https://www.greatlakesnow.org/2022/02/water-quality-bill-mine-wetland/
By Michael Phillis, Associated Press
ST. LOUIS (AP) — Angela Stamps won’t drink water from her faucet, showers less and no longer takes the baths she once found relaxing. She doesn’t cook with tap water and sometimes skips rinsing her produce.
Even though the amount of lead in Flint, Michigan’s tap water has been well below a key state threshold for several years, she hasn’t been able to stop worrying since going through the trauma of the city’s lead crisis.
Great Lakes Now
https://www.greatlakesnow.org/2022/01/us-pushes-better-tap-water/
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:
Aiming to increase diversity in wind and solar jobs, a proposed measure in the Illinois General Assembly would require more transparent reporting on the level of participation of minority-owned businesses in clean energy jobs.
Great Lakes Now
https://www.greatlakesnow.org/2022/01/energy-news-roundup-nuclear-bill-natural-gas/
In November 2020, shortly after President Joe Biden was elected, Great Lakes Now talked with University of Detroit Mercy associate professor Nick Schroeck about the opportunities and challenges facing the president-elect.
Schroeck is an environmental law attorney and urban policy expert who has a background in transboundary legal issues between the U.S.
Great Lakes Now
https://www.greatlakesnow.org/2022/01/bidens-first-year/
By Rachel Duckett As a presidential candidate, Joe Biden made a series of energy-related promises, including net-zero emissions by 2050 and the launch of “a national effort aimed at creating the jobs we need to build a modern, sustainable infrastructure now and deliver an equitable clean energy future.” Last August, the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate […]
The post Identifying Michigan’s top energy issues first appeared on Great Lakes Echo.Great Lakes Echo
http://greatlakesecho.org/2022/01/28/identifying-michigans-top-energy-issues-of-2021/
As the Great Lakes experience more harmful algal blooms due to climate change, real time monitoring of drinking water for toxins is becoming increasingly urgent.
Warm water temperatures, increased rainfall and fertilizer run-off from farm fields are providing fuel for blooms that can taint water.
This spring, a floating sensor for monitoring drinking water drawn from the Detroit River will begin giving real-time data on potentially toxic blue-green algae, along with other water quality data such as temperature, pH and dissolved oxygen.
Great Lakes Now
https://www.greatlakesnow.org/2022/01/detroit-river-algal-bloom-threat/
103 years after National Geographic published its article on berries, Michigan is witnessing some changes due to climate change and invasive species.
The post Threats to the native berries amongst us first appeared on Great Lakes Echo.Great Lakes Echo
http://greatlakesecho.org/2022/01/27/threats-to-the-native-berries-amongst-us/
Michigan students now can test watershed quality and model how groundwater flows in three dimensions with a new state classroom initiative. The Environmental Education Resource Lending Station became available in early December to Michigan educators through the Department of Environment, Great Lakes and Energy (EGLE) Classroom Initiative.
The post Michigan classrooms gain access to hands-on help for learning conservation science first appeared on Great Lakes Echo.Great Lakes Echo
http://greatlakesecho.org/2022/01/26/michigan-classrooms-gain-access-to-hands-on-help-for-learning-conservation-science/
