Conservationists in the Thousand Islands Region have been awarded millions of dollars to restore wetlands on the St. Lawrence River. The funds will be used to increase bird populations and wetland habitat while supporting local economies. Read the full story by WWTI-TV- Watertown, NY.
Great Lakes Commission
https://www.glc.org/dailynews/20210929-wetlands
Earlier this year the CEO of John Ball Zoo announced zoo leaders were in the exploratory phase of a plan that could result in a new major tourist destination for the Grand Rapids area. The project involves the Zoo building, a large-scale, off-site aquarium that would rival and compete with aquariums in cities like Chicago, Atlanta and Monterey. Read the full story by WZZM-TV- Grand Rapids, MI.
Great Lakes Commission
https://www.glc.org/dailynews/20210929-zoo-aquarium
A mix of local, state and federal partners are wrapping up a $320,000 restoration project funded through the Great Lakes Restoration Initiative as part of a broader years-long effort to slow the flow of runoff into the Chequamegon Bay of Lake Superior. Read the full story by Wisconsin Public Radio.
Great Lakes Commission
https://www.glc.org/dailynews/20210929-slow-flow
Hot summer weather and drier than average conditions have led to a lowering of Lake Superior water levels. The International Lake Superior Board of Control (ILSBC) said water levels had declined and reached the seasonal long-term average for the first time since April 2014. Read the full story by CBC News.
Great Lakes Commission
https://www.glc.org/dailynews/20210929-superior-level
Cook County, Minnesota is one step closer to having another state-recognized Scientific and Natural Area. The newest addition will be known as the Icelandite Coastal Fen, a 25-acre site just east of Colvill. Read the full story by North Shore Community Radio.
Great Lakes Commission
https://www.glc.org/dailynews/20210929-natural-area
A Finger Lakes Community College graduate spotted a snowy plover at Sandy Island Beach State Park on Lake Ontario. This spotting is significant because it is the first record of the species for the State of New York. Read the full story by the Daily Messenger.
Great Lakes Commission
https://www.glc.org/dailynews/20210929-snowy-plover
A Lakehead University researcher says it won’t be long before data on the amount of plastic in the water at the Thunder Bay harbour can be compared to other areas on the Great Lakes. Read the full story by CBC News.
Great Lakes Commission
https://www.glc.org/dailynews/20210929-seabin-plastics
While the overall water temperatures of the Great Lakes are still warmer than normal, watch out at any one specific spot. The wind could have pushed warm surface water out into the middle of a lake and replaced it with colder water from below. Read the full story by MLive.
Great Lakes Commission
https://www.glc.org/dailynews/20210929-michigan-cold
U.S. Steel temporarily shuttered operations at a northwest Indiana plant Monday after it leaked an orange substance into a Lake Michigan tributary, prompting the closure of a water treatment facility and several nearby beaches. Read the full story by the Associated Press.
Great Lakes Commission
https://www.glc.org/dailynews/20210929-us-steel
The U.S. Geological Survey has finalized an agreement with a consortium of eight universities and natural resource organizations to form the Midwest CASC.
The Midwest CASC consortium will be hosted at the University of Minnesota’s Institute on the Environment and will include the University of Wisconsin, the College of the Menominee Nation, the Great Lakes Indian Fish and Wildlife Commission, Michigan State University, Indiana University, the University of Illinois and the Nature Conservancy. Member organizations were selected after an open competition and extensive review by scientific experts.
“In order to address the climate crisis, we need to be guided by the best available science. Integrated collaboration with educational and natural resource organization partners ensures that federal, Tribal and state resource managers have access to the collective wisdom of world renowned experts. The Midwest Climate Adaptation Science Center will better position us to mitigate climate impacts while focusing needed attention to Tribal and state resources that are particularly vulnerable to climate change,” said Secretary of the Interior Deb Haaland.
“We are excited to bring climate-focused innovation and scholarship to America’s heartland, where the next generation of students stands ready to tackle the challenges facing the Great Lakes, mighty rivers, fertile prairies and abundant natural resources of the region,” said Doug Beard, USGS National Chief of Climate Adaptation Science Centers.
The Midwest CASC will support management and protection of land, water and natural resources with actionable climate science, innovation and decision support tools. It will pay special attention to Tribal concerns and build off the unique and robust experience of Midwest Tribes with adaptation science and practice. This includes a fellowship program for graduate students and a summer research experience for undergraduates focused on Tribal participation. Another focus will be the interplay of natural resources, forestry, streams and wetlands, with agricultural and urban areas, land uses that are prominent in the Midwest.
The partnership will be effective immediately, with a formal ribbon cutting celebration planned on the University of Minnesota-Twin Cities campus later this fall.
About CASCs
Climate Adaptation Science Centers are each hosted by a public university, composed of a multi-institution consortium and managed by the National CASC that oversees the nationwide network and pursues multi-region projects of national significance. These partnerships ensure access to a broad range of scientific expertise, production of high-quality science and sharing of funds, resources and facilities. University involvement also allows the CASCs to introduce students to the idea of “co-producing” science, in which scientists and decision-makers work closely together to ensure scientific research and products are usable and directly address real-world problems. Learn more about the history of CASCs.
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USGS News: Region 3: Great Lakes Region
USGS News: Region 3: Great Lakes Region
https://www.usgs.gov/news/department-interior-announces-host-midwest-climate-adaptation-science-center
The fall season of Wisconsin’s Sea Grant’s “Lake Talks” continues on Thursday, Oct. 14, from 7-8 p.m. Speaker Caitlin Zant, a maritime archaeologist with the Wisconsin Historical Society, will focus on “Shipwrecks of Wisconsin.”
A diver examines the wreck of the Australasia, which sank in Lake Michigan in 1896 following a fire on board. Fortunately, no lives were lost. (Photo: Wisconsin Historical Society)
The virtual event, held on Zoom, is open to everyone, though registration is required. (Register for this event now.) The hour includes time for audience questions.
Attendees will discover hidden history beneath our waters and explore some of Wisconsin’s 750 Great Lakes shipwrecks. Learn how maritime archaeologists document these time capsules and help preserve and protect Wisconsin’s rich maritime past. Of any state, Wisconsin has the most individually listed shipwrecks on the National Register of Historic Places.
Zant has been a maritime archaeologist at the Historical Society since 2014. She holds a master’s degree in maritime studies and underwater archaeology from East Carolina University in Greenville, North Carolina. Prior to that, she earned a bachelor’s degree in history, geography and earth sciences at Carthage College in Kenosha, Wisconsin. She holds the RPA credential from the Register of Professional Archaeologists.
Caitlin Zant talks to Girl Scouts at the Wisconsin Maritime Museum about shipwrecks and the aquatic sciences. (Photo: Wendy Lutzke)
She is also a Wisconsin Sea Grant-funded investigator currently working on a project called “Boatloads of Lumber,” which includes both the development of educational materials for kids of all ages and a field school to train recreational divers and archaeology enthusiasts in proper techniques for surveying and documenting shipwrecks.
Remaining Lake Talks in the fall season will focus on Great Lakes children’s literature by Native American authors (November) and a conversation with Minnesota-based poet Moheb Soliman, who draws upon his Great Lakes travels in his work, including his most recent poetry collection, HOMES (December). Those talks will also be delivered via Zoom.
For Lake Talks event and registration information, visit the Sea Grant website, or follow Wisconsin Sea Grant on Facebook or Twitter. You can register for Caitlin Zant’s shipwreck presentation now.
For questions about this series, contact Wisconsin Sea Grant science communicator Jennifer Smith.
The post Lake Talks series to explore Wisconsin shipwrecks with maritime archaeologist first appeared on Wisconsin Sea Grant.News Releases | Wisconsin Sea Grant
News Releases | Wisconsin Sea Grant
https://www.seagrant.wisc.edu/news/lake-talks-series-to-explore-wisconsin-shipwrecks-with-maritime-archaeologist/?utm_source=rss&utm_medium=rss&utm_campaign=lake-talks-series-to-explore-wisconsin-shipwrecks-with-maritime-archaeologist
PORTAGE, Ind. (AP) — U.S. Steel says a northwestern Indiana plant’s discharge of elevated levels of iron were the cause of an orange plume that entered a Lake Michigan tributary, prompting the closure of several nearby beaches and a water treatment facility.
Company spokeswoman Amanda Malkowski said in a statement late Monday that an analysis of the discharge from the U.S.
Great Lakes Now
https://www.greatlakesnow.org/2021/09/ap-us-steel-plant-orange-plume-elevated-iron/
Twenty bicycles, miles of fishing line, antique cans, knives and sparkplugs – these are just some of the many things that Detroit magnet fisher Jason Vanderwal and his family have fished out of the waters.
“We have found all sorts of things in the Detroit River, 14 guns, all sorts of cutlery, horseshoes and even three large ngangas,” Vanderwal said.
Great Lakes Now
https://www.greatlakesnow.org/2021/09/magnet-fishing-attracting-junk-cleaning-up-local-waterways/
WASHINGTON - The Department of the Interior today announced the location of the newest Climate Adaptation Science Center (CASC), the ninth and final CASC in the national network dedicated to providing science to help managers of the country's fish and wildlife resources adapt to climate change.
Region 3: Great Lakes
http://www.usgs.gov/news/national-news-release/department-interior-announces-host-midwest-climate-adaptation-science
A program that gives low-income Michigan residents fresh fruit and vegetables and a path to healthier nutrition recently got a $2 million boost from state lawmakers.
The post Fresh produce more accessible for low-income Michigan residents first appeared on Great Lakes Echo.Great Lakes Echo
http://greatlakesecho.org/2021/09/29/fresh-produce-more-accessible-for-low-income-michigan-residents/
PORTAGE, Ind. (AP) — U.S. Steel temporarily shuttered operations at a northwest Indiana plant Monday after it leaked an orange substance into a Lake Michigan tributary, prompting the closure of a water treatment facility and several nearby beaches.
The U.S. Steel Midwest plant in Portage has been idled as a precaution “after experiencing an upset condition with the finishing line wastewater treatment plant,” U.S.
Great Lakes Now
https://www.greatlakesnow.org/2021/09/ap-us-steel-indiana-plant-wastewater-discharge/
At the 2020 Cleveland Boat Show, just before the pandemic struck, big changes were already afoot in the industry.
“I brought a huge lawn into the Cleveland Boat Show in 2020 so that people could stand around and play cornhole and relax, people could sit around a picnic table and drink beer and kids could run around,” said Michelle Burke, president of the Lake Erie Marine Trades Association.
Great Lakes Now
https://www.greatlakesnow.org/2021/09/summer-boat-shows-change/
Birders on Wisconsin Point look for rare jaegers. Image credit: Marie Zhuikov, Wisconsin Sea Grant
The third weekend in September is traditionally a time for beach cleanups by communities in the Great Lakes. Volunteers scour beaches and shorelines for trash as part of the International Coastal Cleanup. Our Sea Grant staff members got in the spirit, participating in cleanups spanning across the state, from Wisconsin Point in Lake Superior, to Madison, to Manitowoc on Lake Michigan.
Marie Zhuikov and Russ Maron on Wisconsin Point. Image credit: Russ Maron
The event on Wisconsin Point featured a twist: birding. Besides being a good time to collect trash, this season offers a narrow window for Wisconsin birders to see parasitic jaegers, fast-flying pirates of the water bird world, as they migrate past Wisconsin Point from the arctic tundra to southern climes.
The “parasitic” part of their name comes from their food-stealing habits. They are categorized as “kleptoparasites,” which means they steal food from other seabirds.
The Friends of the Lake Superior Reserve (FOLSR) took advantage of the timing to invite Jaegerfest birders and FOLSR members to cleanup the beach when they weren’t on the lookout for birds.
Science communicator Marie Zhuikov and her husband have attended many beach cleanups in the past, but never one that combined jaeger-watching. On a calm and quiet Saturday morning, they joined the professional birders and their high-powered spotting scopes.
Dried bee balm flowers. Image credit: Yael Gen, Wisconsin Sea Grant
Zhuikov and her husband had better luck finding trash than birds. Alas, no jaegers were to be seen, although many ring-billed and herring gulls floated serenely in the lake. The duo moved to the end of the point and collected two bags of trash from the beach. The most interesting finds? A single Birkenstock sandal and fireworks debris.
Their efforts became even more impressive with the addition of four other bags of garbage plus a car bumper that others had collected and left bagged near the parking lot. All total, their haul weighed 160 pounds!
Their colleagues editor Elizabeth White, educator Ginny Carlton and graphic designer Yael Gen participated in a more botanical cleanup at the Lakeshore Nature Preserve on the Madison campus. They began by collecting seeds from dried bee balm plants. Gen said they pulled the seed heads off and saved them in paper bags. “If you turn one upside down and shake it, the seeds resemble ground pepper,” she said. The seeds will be used for a class and to reseed other areas of the preserve.
Titus Seilheimer and his sons with one of their beach cleanup finds in Manitowoc. Image credit: Amy Seilheimer
Next, they got a workout clearing an invasive buckthorn thicket along the shores of Lake Mendota using loppers and saws.
Fisheries specialist Titus Seilheimer and his family worked on Silver Creek Beach in Manitowoc. “We typically organize two cleanups per year, spring and fall,” Seilheimer said. “We had two other volunteers for our cleanup for a total of six. We removed 68 pounds of trash. That included two tires for most of the weight. We found fairly typical trash with 40 cigarette butts, small pieces of foam and plastic, shotgun shells and wads, bottle caps and plastic bottles.”
Way to go, Sea Grant staff! You cleaned up 228 pounds of trash, plus gobs of unwanted plants and provided seeds for the future. A commendable effort for one morning in September.
The post Sea Grant staff collect commendable beach cleanup haul first appeared on Wisconsin Sea Grant.Blog | Wisconsin Sea Grant
https://www.seagrant.wisc.edu/blog/sea-grant-staff-collect-commendable-beach-cleanup-haul/?utm_source=rss&utm_medium=rss&utm_campaign=sea-grant-staff-collect-commendable-beach-cleanup-haul
Calling all leaf peepers: there is no better way to see the changing colors than from the Fox River. So this weekend, October 2 & 3, we are opening the locks FREE for all boaters! If you’re not a boater, stop down at the locks and chat with one of our great lock tenders (HINT: they may let you take a turn on the turnstyle to open or close the massive gates).
Dates are Saturday, October 2 and Sunday October 3 from 10 am – 6 pm. All locks on the system will be open except Rapide Croche and Menasha, which are closed to prevent invasive species from entering the system.
Don’t forget, the five locks in Kaukauna are open for the first time in decades. These locks provide beautiful vistas of the river and the most lockages in the shortest stretch of the system. For planning purposes, it takes about 15-20 minutes to go through a lock.
Hope to see you this weekend!
Blog – Fox Locks
http://foxlocks.org/2021/09/28/free-fall-colors-weekend/
Fish and Wildlife Service News
Fish and Wildlife Service News
http://www.fws.gov/news/ShowNews.cfm?ref=%0Aus-fish-and-wildlife-service%C2%A0and-wisconsin-department-of-natural-&_ID=37014
By Keith Schneider, 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/2021/09/drought-irrigation-michigan/
Soil Erosion, Sedimentation and Water Quality in the Great Lakes Region: A report to the USDA – Soil Conservation Service.
Great Lakes Commission
https://www.glc.org/library/1988-soil-erosion-sedimentation-water-quality-in-the-great-lakes-region
The U.S. House of Representatives passed the National Defense Authorization Act which included provisions that strengthen U.S. national economic security and protects shoreline communities in the Great Lakes region. A vital component of the Fiscal Year 2022 NDAA was the inclusion of the “Great Lakes Winter Shipping Act” which would provide the U.S. Coast Guard with expanded icebreaking capabilities to keep vital shipping lanes on the Great Lakes open when ice endangers sailors and the North American supply chain. Read the full story by Lake Superior News.
Great Lakes Commission
https://www.glc.org/dailynews/20210927-defense-authorization
A research team from the University of Toronto has been using Seabins to capture trash that ends up in the lake to figure out where it accumulates in the water, determine what types of trash is getting deposited, and where it’s coming from in the first place. Read the full story by CBC News.
Great Lakes Commission
https://www.glc.org/dailynews/20210927-plastic
Contract fishers and various agencies removed, by 2020, 1,268,956 invasive carp, weighing 10,357,069 pounds. Removing invasive silver, bighead, grass, and black carp helps to prevent them from reaching the Great Lakes via the Chicago Area Waterway System. Read the full story by Chicago Sun-Times.
Great Lakes Commission
https://www.glc.org/dailynews/20210927-carp
Michigan Congressmen in the U.S. House of Representatives are opposed to the Canadian government storing nuclear waste near the shores of the Great Lakes. A bipartisan resolution has been signed and sent to President Biden asking him to keep the Canadian government from building a proposed 1,500-acre nuclear waste storage site in South Bruce, Ontario. Read the full story by Huron Daily Tribune.
Great Lakes Commission
https://www.glc.org/dailynews/20210927-nuclear
The EPA recently received a scathing emergency petition criticizing the Michigan Department of Environment, Great Lakes and Energy and the city of Benton Harbor for failing to provide residents with safe drinking water after three straight years of lead exceedances. Read the full story by The Detroit News.
Great Lakes Commission
https://www.glc.org/dailynews/20210927-lead-water
Discovery of Laggerstätte found in Waukesha, WI includes an exceedingly rare collection of fossils that included the soft tissues of ancient organisms dating back 440 million years ago. While there are several dozen Laggerstätten today, the insights they offer still make them highly valuable to paleontologists. Read the full story by Great Lakes Now.
Great Lakes Commission
https://www.glc.org/dailynews/20210927-fossils
A trap-and-transfer program funded by Ontario Power Generation is trying to help American eel populations with migration by paying fishers $50 for each live eel they deliver to the Ministry of Natural Resources and Forestry station in Glenora, ON. Read the full story by The Kingston Whig Standard.
Great Lakes Commission
https://www.glc.org/dailynews/20210927-eels
Since the early 2000s, a collaborative partnership between local, state, and federal agencies formed the Michigan Hydro Relicensing Coalition with the goal to increase lake sturgeon recruitment and survival to adulthood, and led to the installation of a fish elevator to transfer sturgeon upriver on Wisconsin’s Menominee River. Read the full story by Up North Voice.
Great Lakes Commission
https://www.glc.org/dailynews/20210927-sturgeon
Coming in time for next summer could be a rule that bans swimming at Michigan beaches when the conditions are deemed hazardous. Michigan Department of Natural Resources is reviewing the rule that could mean fines of up to $500 for swimming when the waves are too high, when there’s contamination in the water, or when there’s another situation that imperils swimmers. Read the full story by WJSM-TV – St. Joseph, MI.
Great Lakes Commission
https://www.glc.org/dailynews/20210927-swimming
New York state intends that, by 2040, no greenhouse gases will be emitted in generating electricity. Oil- and natural-gas-burning electric power plants will be replaced by renewable wind and solar energy installations. Read the full story by New York Daily News.
Great Lakes Commission
https://www.glc.org/dailynews/20210927-new-york-energy
The water levels of Lake Superior is 13” below the levels in September of 2019, a difference of 5.5 trillion gallons of water due to below average precipitation in the upper Midwest, but 1” lower than the September average. Read the full story by WOOD-TV – Grand Rapids, MI.
Great Lakes Commission
https://www.glc.org/dailynews/20210927-water-levels
Ann Arbor, Mich. – An action plan released today recommends building blocks for growing the Great Lakes basin economy by leveraging the economic potential of the region’s freshwater resources. Leaders from more than 50 Great Lakes agencies and organizations, convened by the Great Lakes Commission (GLC), developed the action plan as roadmap for collective action and a challenge to regional decision-makers to take strategic action.
The plan recommends actions to help the region: develop a cohesive vision and organizational structure; advance its water research, education, technology and innovation sectors; create a unique Great Lakes brand and strategically market the Great Lakes Blue Economy at the national and international levels; and establish and track shared goals and metrics for growing the regional economy.
“The Great Lakes are a critical driver for our regional economy,” said GLC Chair Sharon M. Jackson, Deputy General Counsel for Governor Eric J. Holcomb of Indiana. “The steps recommended in this action plan will help the region leverage our freshwater resources to attract and retain talent, increase jobs, and increase quality of life equitably throughout the Great Lakes basin.”
Funding for development of the action plan was provided by the Charles Stewart Mott Foundation, the Fred A. and Barbara M. Erb Family Foundation, the Joyce Foundation, the Wege Foundation, the Fund for Lake Michigan, the Michigan Department of Environment, Great Lakes, and Energy’s Office of the Great Lakes, and the Pennsylvania Department of Environmental Protection’s Office of the Great Lakes. Development of the action plan grew out of a 2018 study of the positive impact of the Great Lakes Restoration Initiative (GLRI) on the region’s economy.
For more information and to read the action plan, please visit: bit.ly/BlueEconomyActionPlan.
The Great Lakes Commission, led by chair Sharon M. Jackson, Deputy General Counsel for Governor Eric J. Holcomb of Indiana, is a binational government agency established in 1955 to protect the Great Lakes and the economies and ecosystems they support. Its membership includes leaders from the eight U.S. states and two Canadian provinces in the Great Lakes basin. The GLC recommends policies and practices to balance the use, development, and conservation of the water resources of the Great Lakes and brings the region together to work on issues that no single community, state, province, or nation can tackle alone. Learn more at www.glc.org.
Great Lakes Commission
https://www.glc.org/news/be-092721
Ron Meyer and Jerry Gunderson had already spent decades collecting different items when they learned about the trilobites turning up in a quarry just outside Milwaukee in 1984. The two men, friends since childhood, took a trip to the active quarry site and spoke with the foreman about any fossils that might have been found.
Great Lakes Now
https://www.greatlakesnow.org/2021/09/fleshy-quarry-fossils-wisconsin-watery-past/
NCEI News Feed
http://www.ncei.noaa.gov/news/humans-ncei-lauren-carroll
2020 was a record year for visitors at Sleeping Bear Dunes National Lakeshore. But this year hasn't kept up.
The post Sleeping Bear Dunes visitation down for July and August first appeared on Great Lakes Echo.Great Lakes Echo
http://greatlakesecho.org/2021/09/27/sleeping-bear-dunes-visitation-down-for-july-and-august/
Great Lakes Echo is one of 23 newsrooms in a climate collaborative representing both long-standing and emerging media groups.
The post New project promises to amplify reach of Great Lakes climate reporting first appeared on Great Lakes Echo.Great Lakes Echo
http://greatlakesecho.org/2021/09/27/new-project-promises-to-amplify-reach-of-great-lakes-climate-reporting/
BENTON HARBOR, Mich. (AP) — The state of Michigan will provide bottled water and water filters in Benton Harbor, where tests have revealed elevated levels of lead, a spokesman said Wednesday.
The action comes less than two weeks after about 20 groups urged the Biden administration to immediately step in.
Great Lakes Now
https://www.greatlakesnow.org/2021/09/ap-michigan-sending-water-filters-to-benton-harbor-due-to-lead/
THIS WEEK: Fall Project Grants Due September 30! + Minnesota Fines Oil Company $3 Million After Violation + A Cost-Effective Approach to Removing Heavy Metals from Drinking Water + Canadian Voters Elect a Minority Liberal Government (Again) + Water is Life Festival, Wins Grassroots Environmentalist of the Year
The Freshwater Future Fall Grant cycle deadline is approaching quickly. Check out Freshwater Future’s 2021 grant opportunities guidelines to see if your organization is eligible. For examples of past successful projects, check out our grant map. If you would like to apply and time is not on your side, contact us before September 30 to discuss how we may best assist you.
In January, a Canadian oil company violated its pipeline construction permit by digging too deeply and hitting a groundwater aquifer that released millions of gallons of water into rare and sensitive wetlands. The company didn’t report the violation until June, six months after. The Minnesota Department of Natural Resources ordered over $3 million in fines and is requiring restoration of wetlands. A failure to report is reminiscent of this company’s response to a broken pipeline that leaked nearly one million gallons of oil into the Kalamazoo River in Michigan, one of the biggest oil spills in the U.S.
Scientists at Massachusetts Institute of Technology have been developing technology that could be much more efficient and cost effective in removing lead from drinking water at the residential level as well as industrial. The new approach uses energy shockwaves to detect and separate lead without having to remove the things that make drinking water healthy. The next step is to try it in a commercial setting. If successful, it could prove useful in helping communities with lead service lines temporarily and cost- effectively protect public health.
Canadians went to the polls on September 20 for a federal election. The governing Liberals called an election in August in the hopes of receiving a majority mandate, but the vote resulted in an almost identical status to the pre-election government. First Nations and environmental organizations worked diligently to ensure that there was national attention on issues such access to clean drinking water and climate change. The Liberal platform continues its commitment to ensuring that all First Nations communities have access to safe and clean drinking water. Although previous commitments have fallen short in terms of timing and actions, the broader Protecting Nature agenda includes a commitment to establish a 10-year, $1 billion Freshwater Protection Plan to protect and restore large lake and river systems, including the Great Lakes. On-going pressure to keep these commitments will be essential.
The Water is Life Festival was recognized as Grassroots Environmentalist of the Year by the Northern Michigan Environmental Action Council. Freshwater Future would like to congratulate all the candidates for their hard work to protect our water and natural resources, and special congratulations to Jannan Cornstalk and the entire Water is Life Festival team for their ongoing efforts!
Blog – Freshwater Future
https://freshwaterfuture.org/freshwater-weekly/freshwater-future-weekly-september-24-2021/
The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency awarded a $309,300 grant to the city of Erie, Pennsylvania, to keep litter and trash out of Presque Isle Bay and Lake Erie provided by the Trash-Free Waters Grant under the Great Lakes Restoration Initiative. Read the full story by WZTE-FM – UNION CITY, PA.
Great Lakes Commission
https://www.glc.org/dailynews/20210924-epa
The Lake Superior Watershed Partnership and Land Conservancy, a nonprofit group based in Marquette, Michigan, received $122,000 from the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration this year to remove marine debris from Upper Peninsula beaches and harbors. Read the full story by MLive.
Great Lakes Commission
https://www.glc.org/dailynews/20210924-noaa-grant
Drinking water systems in small and more diverse communities nationwide are less likely to receive state funding through the Environmental Protection Agency’s Drinking Water State Revolving Fund, according to a recent report.
Through the fund, the EPA awards grants to each state and the states add a 20% match, according to the agency.
Great Lakes Now
https://www.greatlakesnow.org/2021/09/report-disparities-drinking-water-fund-distribution-inequity/
Crystal M.C. Davis, vice president of the Alliance for the Great Lakes, is being recognized for her efforts to ensure fair and equitable access to water. Read the full story by WKSU-FM – Kent, OH.
Great Lakes Commission
https://www.glc.org/dailynews/20210924-cleveland
This year at least six algae blooms were reported on the western arm of Lake Superior, according to the Wisconsin Department of Natural Resources. The blooms of cyanobacteria, also known as blue-green algae, are likely increasing in the lake due to warm surface water and ample sunlight. Read the full story by The Star Tribune.
Great Lakes Commission
https://www.glc.org/dailynews/20210924-algae-bloom
During the Mackinac Policy Conference on Wednesday, Gov. Gretchen Whitmer and other officials offered up the Lake Michigan Electric Vehicle Circuit, a plan to add charging stations all along the shoreline. Read the full story by the Detroit Free Press.
Great Lakes Commission
https://www.glc.org/dailynews/20210924-ev
Waterspouts, an atmospheric phenomenon that resembles a tornado-like column of swirling air on water, were formed on Lake Michigan Wednesday amid gusty winds and high, damaging waves, according to multiple reports on social media. Read the full story by WMAQ-TV – Chicago, IL.
Great Lakes Commission
https://www.glc.org/dailynews/20210924-water-spout
The 2021-22 state budget passed this week by the Michigan Legislature includes $25 million for a pilot program in the western Lake Erie basin to increase the participation of agricultural lands using best management practices for water quality. Read the full story by the Daily Telegram.
Great Lakes Commission
https://www.glc.org/dailynews/20210924-michigan-budget
The state of Michigan will provide bottled water and water filters in Benton Harbor, where tests have revealed elevated levels of lead, a spokesman said Wednesday. Read the full story by The Detroit News.
Great Lakes Commission
https://www.glc.org/dailynews/20210924-lead
Partners for Clean Streams, which focuses on improving quality of life along Toledo-area waterways, is reaching a milestone this Saturday with its 25th annual Clean Your Streams Day. Read the full story by The Blade.
Great Lakes Commission
https://www.glc.org/dailynews/20210924-cleanup
