Baby wipes clogged the wastewater system in Beulah in northern Michigan, causing a backup of 10,000 gallons of human waste from a manhole. Read the full story by Great Lakes Now.
Great Lakes Commission
https://www.glc.org/dailynews/20201020-wipes-waste
NCEI News Feed
http://www.ncei.noaa.gov/news//news/humans-ncei-mia-infante
By Will Callan, 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/2020/10/house-bills-anchor-strikes-straits-of-mackinac-felony/
A group of tribal water protectors and Michigan environmentalists plan to submit comments to the Michigan Department of Environment, Great Lakes and Energy, urging the state to consider new archaeological discoveries near the Line 5 pipeline before granting permits to Canadian oil company Enbridge. Read the full story by Michigan Advance.
Great Lakes Commission
https://www.glc.org/dailynews/20201019-line-5
Michigan State University was awarded a $100,000 grant by the Michigan Department of Environment, Great Lakes, and Energy to study erosion along Great Lakes shorelines and what happens to sand after it erodes. Read the full story by WLNS – East Lansing, MI.
Great Lakes Commission
https://www.glc.org/dailynews/20201019-msu-grant
Hope is dwindling that any caribou remain on the Ontario mainland of Lake Superior’s North Shore, with an aerial survey last winter finding no caribou, not even any tracks. Read the full story by the Duluth News Tribune.
Great Lakes Commission
https://www.glc.org/dailynews/20201019-caribou
Once a week, Mike McKay, a professor and executive director at the Great Lakes Institute for Environmental Research at the University of Windsor, collects samples from several Ontario water treatment plants to test for COVID-19. Read the full story by The Kingston Whig-Standard.
Great Lakes Commission
https://www.glc.org/dailynews/20201019-coronavirus-sewage
The Ohio State University received nearly $75,000 from the Great Lakes Sediment and Nutrient Reduction Program to test new methods to reduce phosphorous runoff into Lake Erie. Read the full story by WILO-TV – Lima, OH.
Great Lakes Commission
https://www.glc.org/dailynews/20201019-osu-grant
Every year in September and October, thousands of salmon swim upstream through Ontario’s waterways to spawn. With COVID-19 limiting many fall activities, more people are getting out to witness the phenomenon. Read the full story by Daily Hive.
Great Lakes Commission
https://www.glc.org/dailynews/20201019-salmon-migrating
The Wisconsin Department of Natural Resources continues to help boost fish populations through stocking and is fulfilling all remaining 2020 stocking quotas for Lake Michigan. Read the full story by Seehafer News.
Great Lakes Commission
https://www.glc.org/dailynews/20201019-fish-stocking
In the eight Great Lakes states, officials at every level along 4,500 miles of coastline are scrambling to save what they can from the rising water, competing for scarce state and federal dollars and rubber-stamping permits to build private seawalls at an unprecedented pace. Read the full story by the Watertown Daily Times.
Great Lakes Commission
https://www.glc.org/dailynews/20201019-rising-waters
The Michigan Department of Environment, Great Lakes and Energy awarded funds to the city of Marquette to restore a critical section of Lake Superior coastline home to a diverse habitat including wetlands, dunes, beach and coastal upland. Read the full story by The Mining Journal.
Great Lakes Commission
https://www.glc.org/dailynews/20201019-coastal-grants
The Trowbridge Dam removal is slated to be completed in 2022, which will be the final State of Michigan-owned dam to be removed from the Kalamazoo River. The removal and remediation of the Trowbridge Dam will help to restore the Kalamazoo River watershed. Read the full story by the Manistee News Advocate.
Great Lakes Commission
https://www.glc.org/dailynews/20201019-trowbridge-dam
BEULAH, Mich. (AP) — Small town, big mess.
Baby wipes clogged the wastewater system in Beulah in northern Michigan, causing a backup of 10,000 gallons of human waste from a manhole, the Traverse City Record-Eagle reported.
The spill was on the grounds of the village’s wastewater treatment plant.
Great Lakes Now
https://www.greatlakesnow.org/2020/10/ap-wipes-flushed-big-waste-spill-michigan-small-town/
If Episode One of the PBS series “The Age of Nature” introduced some environmental and economic successes, Episode Two shows us how fragile such efforts are.
And like last week, Great Lakes Now will bring stories, videos and watch parties to better understand what similar efforts are – and are not – happening in the Great Lakes region.
Great Lakes Now
https://www.greatlakesnow.org/2020/10/age-of-nature-understanding-complexity-restoration-efforts/
If you’re among the many who are looking for online learning materials for use at home, you might want to check out the Trash Trunk. This new learning kit focuses on trash found in our waterways, otherwise known as marine debris. Its free lessons are applicable for learners at levels kindergarten through adult in both formal and informal educational settings.
Wisconsin Sea Grant Education Outreach Specialist Ginny Carlton explained how the idea originated. “The topic for the trash trunks came from things we were seeing happening across the Great Lakes Basin. Marine debris is an emerging issue. There was consensus among the partners that this would be a worthwhile topic.”
Sea Grant programs in Ohio and Michigan, and the National Oceanic and Atmospheric (NOAA) Marine Debris Program joined Wisconsin Sea Grant staff in creating the trunks as part of their work for the Center for Great Lakes Literacy.
True to form, the team recycled lessons previously created by other educators, picking the best of the best materials about the impact of trash in both fresh and salt waters. “We used materials from groups like NOAA, the Ocean Conservancy, the Alliance for the Great Lakes and other institutions,” Carlton said.
The kit contains an educator’s guide with 14 lessons, sturdy informational display cards and supporting materials needed to perform the activities. Those activities are organized into three sections, which address the origins of marine debris, its impacts and what can be done. Educators can select a single lesson or develop a unit using Trash Trunk content, supplemental materials and common classroom supplies.
Wisconsin Sea Grant’s Senior Special Librarian and Education Coordinator Anne Moser has been doing marine debris activities with children for a while now. “They absolutely LOVE this topic!” she said. “It’s very action-oriented. They can embrace the topic and make changes, especially with their waste and plastic consumption at home, which I think kids find inspiring.”
Trash trunk assembly in process in Carlton’s home. Image credit: Ginny Carlton, Wisconsin Sea Grant.
Carlton organized materials for the 35 trunks at home in her living room, since she is working from home due to COVID-19. “They did take up a little bit of space for a while. It was worth it. I think these resources will be well-used by the teachers and students across the Great Lakes Basin,” she said.
Besides finding space to assemble the trunks, figuring out what would fit inside the trunks was another challenge. “There’s a limit as to what you can fit in the tote box,” Carlton said. “I ordered supplies in waves just to make sure that what we wanted to include would actually fit.” These include tools that teachers might have difficulty in obtaining, such as a digital microscope, thermometers, a 100-foot measuring tape, and a manual luggage scale to weigh collected marine debris. Examples of reusable items are also included, like a mug, lunch totes and beeswax wrap, which is a substitute for plastic wrap.
Much to the UPS driver’s dismay, Carlton distributed all the trunks at the same time from her home to Sea Grant programs in the other states that border the Great Lakes: Minnesota, Illinois-Indiana, Ohio, Pennsylvania, New York and Michigan. (Five trunks will be available in Wisconsin through the interlibrary loan system.) After some masterful rearranging, the driver was able to fit the trunks into his truck.
The trash trunks ready for shipping throughout the Great Lakes states. Image credit: Ginny Carlton, Wisconsin Sea Grant
Moser explained that due to COVID-19 quarantining requirements, the trunks are not available in Wisconsin right now but that the curriculum is available online. “If you have a student working at home, there are lessons they can use,” Moser said.
For more information about the Trash Trunk and other educational materials, please visit this resources page.
Funding for the trunks came from the Great Lakes Restoration Initiative through the Center for Great Lakes Literacy.
News Releases – Wisconsin Sea Grant
News Releases – Wisconsin Sea Grant
https://www.seagrant.wisc.edu/news/trash-trunk-filled-with-learning-treasures/
By Lynne Peeples, Ensia, through the Institute for Nonprofit News network
Before her 73-year-old mom contracted Legionnaires’ disease at a nursing home earlier this year, Monique Barlow knew little about the deadly pneumonia and the waterborne pathogen that causes it.
“Until then, I didn’t give it much thought,” says Barlow.
Great Lakes Now
https://www.greatlakesnow.org/2020/10/legionella-dangerous-pathogens-drinking-water/
Great Lakes Echo
http://greatlakesecho.org/2020/10/19/study-suggests-rural-strategies-help-economies-of-shrinking-cities/
Current Watches, Warnings and Advisories for Brown (WIC009) Wisconsin Issued by the National Weather Service
https://alerts.weather.gov/cap/wwacapget.php?x=WI125F6A743C50.WindAdvisory.125F6A808280WI.GRBNPWGRB.1a9a8f2b3c3c271cbb38dcba91f6c626
Current Watches, Warnings and Advisories for Brown (WIC009) Wisconsin Issued by the National Weather Service
https://alerts.weather.gov/cap/wwacapget.php?x=WI125F6A737644.WindAdvisory.125F6A808280WI.GRBNPWGRB.4ba306c326f999f3029c29300f3653cf
Current Watches, Warnings and Advisories for Brown (WIC009) Wisconsin Issued by the National Weather Service
https://alerts.weather.gov/cap/wwacapget.php?x=WI125F6A655960.SpecialWeatherStatement.125F6A716750WI.GRBSPSGRB.3b77a733acfe35fc01f412b80021d336
Keep up with energy-related developments in the Great Lakes area with Great Lakes Now’s biweekly headline roundup.
In this edition: Michigan environmental justice advocates claim state can’t wait to 2050 for clean energy, Minnesota nuclear power plant to construct pilot facility to produce hydrogen energy, and Ohio nuclear energy company faces dangerous court motion from environmental groups.
Great Lakes Now
https://www.greatlakesnow.org/2020/10/great-lakes-energy-clean-energy-michigan-ohio-nuclear/
The Black River Canal, a popular waterway connecting the Black River and Lake Huron, is facing issues with erosion that Port Huron, Michigan, officials are looking to address in the short and long term. Read the full story by the Port Huron Times Herald.
Great Lakes Commission
https://www.glc.org/dailynews/20201015-canal
A wildlife biologist is finding easy-to-access spots within Toronto, Ontario, where people can go look for migrating hawks, falcons, vultures, eagles and other raptors. The birds prefer to skirt, rather than cross, the immense Lake Ontario on their way south for the winter. Read the full story by Radio Canada International.
Great Lakes Commission
https://www.glc.org/dailynews/20201015-hawks
Researchers recently completed a project with the aim of analyzing coastline changes in the Town of Lincoln, Ontario from 1934 to 2018 using historical air photographs. The research highlights the changes over time to several areas of the Lincoln coast that may be more vulnerable to erosion. Read the full story by Niagara This Week.
Great Lakes Commission
https://www.glc.org/dailynews/20201015-lincoln
The comment period for permit applications for Enbridge’s Straits Tunnel project through the Michigan Department of Environment, Great Lakes, and Energy (EGLE) ends Monday. Read the full story by the Petoskey News-Review.
Great Lakes Commission
https://www.glc.org/dailynews/20201015-enbridge
Josina Morita, a commissioner with the Metropolitan Water Reclamation District, says Chicagoans should embrace the taste of the invasive fish species that threatens Illinois’ waterways — and she is giving out samples for free. Read the full story by the Chicago Sun-Times.
Great Lakes Commission
https://www.glc.org/dailynews/20201015-carp-burgers
More than $125 million in state dollars will be coming to the Duluth, Minnesota, region as part of the bonding bill that advanced Thursday. Duluth officials are cheering the $13.5 million set aside for Lakewalk and sea wall repair, the city’s one big request. Read the full story by the Star Tribune.
Great Lakes Commission
https://www.glc.org/dailynews/20201015-lakewalk-MN
Large vessels passing through the environmentally sensitive Straits of Mackinac would be barred from anchoring or using any other equipment that could scrape the lakebed under bipartisan bills introduced in the Michigan House of Representatives Wednesday. Read the full story by Michigan Advance.
Great Lakes Commission
https://www.glc.org/dailynews/20201015-line5
The annual memorial beacon lighting ceremony at Split Rock Lighthouse in Two Harbors, Minnesota, to commemorate the sinking of the freighter S.S. Edmund Fitzgerald and the loss of her 29 crew members, will be held virtually this year. Read the full story by Hometown Focus.
Great Lakes Commission
https://www.glc.org/dailynews/20201015-shipwreck
A handful of women participated in an annual water walk, completing a half-marathon in distance along the Niagara River to raise awareness for protecting the Great Lakes. Read the full story by Niagara This Week.
Great Lakes Commission
https://www.glc.org/dailynews/20201015-water-walk
THANK YOU to all who traveled through the Fox Locks System this past season! More than 20,000 people explored the Fox River in trips through the locks, making this one of our busiest seasons in recent years! This season, nine locks were operational—next summer we’ll add the Kaukauna locks to that list for a total of 14 operational locks on the Fox River. Some fun facts for all of you:
It only costs $10 for a day pass to travel through as many locks as you would like. We also have annual passes available if boating the river is something you do regularly.
Thanks again for making the Fox Locks part of your Wisconsin summer!
Blog – Fox Locks
http://foxlocks.org/2020/10/16/2020-one-of-our-busiest-years/
Current Watches, Warnings and Advisories for Brown (WIC009) Wisconsin Issued by the National Weather Service
https://alerts.weather.gov/cap/wwacapget.php?x=WI125F6A633F7C.FreezeWarning.125F6A63F9D0WI.GRBNPWGRB.5dcd1b5236e630e965b1a0070d1861e0
Fish and Wildlife Service News
Fish and Wildlife Service News
http://www.fws.gov/news/ShowNews.cfm?ref=%0Au.s.-fish-and-wildlife-service-seeks-comments-on-draft-environmental-&_ID=36791
Great Lakes Echo
http://greatlakesecho.org/2020/10/16/neighbors-at-war/
Current Watches, Warnings and Advisories for Brown (WIC009) Wisconsin Issued by the National Weather Service
https://alerts.weather.gov/cap/wwacapget.php?x=WI125F6A625BC0.FreezeWarning.125F6A63F9D0WI.GRBNPWGRB.5dcd1b5236e630e965b1a0070d1861e0
MACKINAW CITY, Mich. (AP) — Images from an underwater vehicle seem to reveal stone patterns on the bottom of the Straits of Mackinac in northern Michigan, possible evidence of Native American artifacts from thousands of years ago, a newspaper reported.
A group of amateur explorers raised money to look at Enbridge Inc.’s oil pipeline on the lake bottom.
Great Lakes Now
https://www.greatlakesnow.org/2020/10/ap-ancient-stone-patterns-straits-mackinac-line-5-pipeline/
Current Watches, Warnings and Advisories for Brown (WIC009) Wisconsin Issued by the National Weather Service
https://alerts.weather.gov/cap/wwacapget.php?x=WI125F6A55B44C.FreezeWarning.125F6A63F9D0WI.GRBNPWGRB.5dcd1b5236e630e965b1a0070d1861e0
The University of Wisconsin Water Resources Institute and its sister institution, Wisconsin Sea Grant, is hiring an emerging contaminants scientist. Apply by 11:55 p.m. Friday, Nov. 13.
This position will provide applied research and outreach to address emerging contaminants and threats to Great Lakes ecosystems and public health in Wisconsin. This will be accomplished through the lens of actionable science – sound science conducted with the highest standards for quality and integrity guided by a strong relationship with stakeholders and coupled with effective outreach and communication. Actionable science results in information or decision-support frameworks that can inform a variety of challenges.
The post Hiring: Emerging Contaminants Scientist first appeared on WRI.
News Release – WRI
https://www.wri.wisc.edu/news/hiring-emerging-contaminants-scientist/
Since their introduction years ago, invasive Asian carp have infested rivers and lakes around the United States.
But they’ve been kept out of the Great Lakes — so far.
Some steps have been taken to protect the lakes system, but many believe that more effective policies — and more substantial barriers — are needed to keep the fish from spreading and to reduce the numbers where they’re already established.
Great Lakes Now
https://www.greatlakesnow.org/2020/10/carp-impacts-invasive-fish-midwest/
Researchers from Pennsylvania State University at Behrend and the Rochester Institute of Technology (RIT) have leveraged the Comet system at the San Diego Supercomputer Center (SDSC) to examine the distribution of plastics in one of the Great Lakes: Lake Erie. Read the full story by HBC Wire.
Great Lakes Commission
https://www.glc.org/dailynews/20201015-lake-erie-plastics
Later this morning as part of an effort to help protect the great lakes, two state representatives will be holding a discussion on a new bill for protecting the great lakes ecosystem. Read the full story by WLNS-TV – Lansing, MI.
Great Lakes Commission
https://www.glc.org/dailynews/20201015-great-lakes-legislation
Great Lakes steel production rose by 7,000 tons last week but remains depressed by nearly a fifth so far this year, according to the American Iron and Steel Institute. Read the full story by The Northwest Indiana Times.
Great Lakes Commission
https://www.glc.org/dailynews/20201015-great-lakes-steel
The new tunnel for the Line 5 pipeline in the Straits of Mackinac is closer to becoming a reality. According to Enbridge, about 90% of the initial design work on the anticipated state-of-the-art tunnel is complete. Read the full story by Up North Live.
Great Lakes Commission
https://www.glc.org/dailynews/20201015-enbridge-design
The pandemic and record-high waters on Lake Michigan this year threatened to undo decades of painstaking progress for a species iconic to the Great Lakes and the region’s dunes, but one piping plover was saved along the Lake Michigan shoreline before a storm threatened to wash its nest away. Read the full story by Sierra.
Great Lakes Commission
https://www.glc.org/dailynews/20201015-piping-plover
The Michigan Department of Environment, Great Lakes, and Energy (EGLE) today announced more than $1.1 million in coastal management grants to fund 13 projects and statewide initiatives. EGLE also has opened the application period for project proposals seeking funding in 2022. Read the full story by WLUC-TV -Marquette, MI.
Great Lakes Commission
https://www.glc.org/dailynews/20201015-egle-grants
A local photographer managed to capture some peculiar images of what appears to be a group of witches taking part in some wholesome fun on the water near the Credit River Inlet, just west of downtown Toronto. Read and hear the full story by BlogTo.
Great Lakes Commission
https://www.glc.org/dailynews/20201015-lake-erie-witches
The Department of Natural Resources said it is on track to meet its quota for stocking fish in Lake Michigan for 2020. Read the full story by WTMJ-TV – Milwaukee, WI.
Great Lakes Commission
https://www.glc.org/dailynews/20201015-DNR-fisheries
A bonding bill being considered during a special session of the Minnesota Legislature includes nearly $125 million for projects in northeastern Minnesota. Read the full story by WDIO-TV – Duluth, MN.
Great Lakes Commission
https://www.glc.org/dailynews/20201015-minnesota-funding
The former site of Bethlehem Steel in Lackawanna is in line for (at least) an estimated $35 million cleanup, Governor Andrew M. Cuomo has announced. Read the full story by Buffalo Rising.
Great Lakes Commission
https://www.glc.org/dailynews/20201015-erie-cleanup
