Minnesota Ojibwe harvest sacred, climate-imperiled wild rice

By Giovanna Dell’Orto, Associated Press

ON LEECH LAKE, Minnesota (AP) — Seated low in her canoe sliding through a rice bed on this vast lake, Kendra Haugen used one wooden stick to bend the stalks and another to knock the rice off, so gently the stalks sprung right back up.

Read Now at Great Lakes Now.

Original Article

Great Lakes Now

Great Lakes Now

https://www.greatlakesnow.org/2022/09/ap-minnesota-ojibwe-harvest-sacred-wild-rice/

The Associated Press

Chicago, IL (September 30, 2022) – The Alliance for the Great Lakes thanks the governors of the Great Lakes states for signing an agreement to partner with the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers to fund the Great Lakes Coastal Resiliency Study. This multi-year project will identify places in the Great Lakes vulnerable to high water levels and erosion, and recommend options to protect the lakes and coastal communities.

Fluctuating lake levels and intense storms are getting more extreme and more frequent due to climate change. The threat these storms pose to Great Lakes shoreline communities — including damage to roads, marinas, water systems and coastal properties — is enormous. The Great Lakes Coastal Resiliency Study will look at areas around the region that are particularly vulnerable to water level changes and offer recommendations for ways these coastal communities can manage and adapt to changes brought on by the climate crisis. As the project moves forward in collaboration with Great Lakes states, the Corps should prioritize natural shorelines, enhanced coastal buffers like wetlands, and offshore reefs to dissipate wave energy as ways for communities to manage changes in lake levels.

Truly resilient shorelines won’t be built parcel by parcel, but miles at a time. Investing in the Great Lakes’ coasts needs to be a top priority for Congress, and this study is a critical step to identify the places most in need. The coasts are some of the most economically and ecologically important parts of the lakes, and we are looking forward to working with the Corps and the states to restore and protect our shores at the scale the Great Lakes deserve.

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Media contact: Please connect with our media team at TeamGreatLakes@mrss.com.

The post Alliance Applauds Agreement to Move Forward with Great Lakes Coastal Resiliency Study appeared first on Alliance for the Great Lakes.

Original Article

News - Alliance for the Great Lakes

News - Alliance for the Great Lakes

https://greatlakes.org/2022/09/alliance-applauds-agreement-to-move-forward-with-great-lakes-coastal-resiliency-study/

Judy Freed

Three property owners with land along northwest Indiana’s Lake Michigan shoreline have asked the U.S. Supreme Court to undo a 2018 ruling by Indiana’s high court which declared that the shoreline is owned by the state for the public’s enjoyment. Read the full story by The Associated Press.

Original Article

Great Lakes Commission

Great Lakes Commission

https://www.glc.org/dailynews/20220930-shoreline-ownership

Theresa Gruninger

Some Michigan lawmakers are outraged by a recent State Historic Preservation Review Board decision to move forward in the process of adding some lands near the Menominee River to the National Register of Historic Places. The Menominee Indian Tribe considers the lands, which span Michigan and Wisconsin across the Menominee River, culturally and historically significant. Read the full story by Michigan Radio.

Original Article

Great Lakes Commission

Great Lakes Commission

https://www.glc.org/dailynews/20220930-litter-historic-site

Theresa Gruninger

A $15 million regional dredging project, part of New York’s $300 million Resiliency and Economic Development Initiative for communities affected by high water levels along Lake Ontario and the St. Lawrence River, has been completed. Read the full story by The Citizen.

Original Article

Great Lakes Commission

Great Lakes Commission

https://www.glc.org/dailynews/20220930-dredging

Theresa Gruninger

The M/V Mark W. Barker, built by Fincantieri Bay Shipbuilding in Sturgeon Bay for Ohio-based Interlake Steamship Company, reached the top 16 in preliminary voting in the seventh annual Wisconsin Manufacturers and Commerce-sponsored contest. Read the full story by the Green Bay Press-Gazette.

Original Article

Great Lakes Commission

Great Lakes Commission

https://www.glc.org/dailynews/20220930-freighter

Theresa Gruninger

A new study out of Michigan State University bolsters predictions that the warming from climate change will exacerbate pressures on monarch butterflies. But in the Midwest, monarch populations could stabilize or even grow. Read the full story by WJBK-TV – Detroit, MI.

Original Article

Great Lakes Commission

Great Lakes Commission

https://www.glc.org/dailynews/20220930-monarchs

Theresa Gruninger

The Conference of Great Lakes and St. Lawrence Governors and Premiers, a Chicago-based organization representing the governors of the Great Lakes states and the Canadian premiers of Ontario and Québec, on Thursday launched its “100% Whitefish” initiative that promotes using 100% of a whitefish for different purposes and beyond just food. Read the full story by The Mining Journal.

Original Article

Great Lakes Commission

Great Lakes Commission

https://www.glc.org/dailynews/20220930-whitefish

Theresa Gruninger

..Patchy dense fog could make travel hazardous this morning... Light winds and mostly clear skies has allowed dense fog to form in some areas. Watch out for areas with lower visibility if traveling this morning.

Original Article

Current Watches, Warnings and Advisories for Brown (WIC009) Wisconsin Issued by the National Weather Service

Current Watches, Warnings and Advisories for Brown (WIC009) Wisconsin Issued by the National Weather Service

https://alerts.weather.gov/cap/wwacapget.php?x=WI12640D5B1354.SpecialWeatherStatement.12640D5B8050WI.GRBSPSGRB.3b77a733acfe35fc01f412b80021d336

w-nws.webmaster@noaa.gov

Dana Nessel sues former west Michigan company over PFAS, other pollution

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.

Read Now at Great Lakes Now.

Original Article

Great Lakes Now

Great Lakes Now

https://www.greatlakesnow.org/2022/09/dana-nessel-sues-company-over-pfas-pollution/

Bridge Michigan

The Power of the Great Lakes Community: Half a Million Pounds.

Last year marked the 30th anniversary of the Alliance for the Great Lakes’ Adopt-a-Beach program. As we dug into the data we’d collected, we realized the program was approaching a milestone. Beach by beach, team by team, Adopt-a-Beach volunteers had removed more than 465,000 pounds of litter from Great Lakes beaches and shorelines since 2003, when we started tracking litter in our online database.

So we set a big goal for 2022: reach half a million pounds of litter.

Today, we’re proud to announce that Adopt-a-Beach has reached that milestone. As of September 29, 2022, Adopt-a-Beach volunteers have removed 501,336 pounds of litter from Great Lakes beaches and shorelines. That’s 8,859,735 individual pieces!

This amazing achievement represents the work of more than 200,000 volunteers over the past twenty years. Community and faith groups. Families and businesses. Grade schools and high schools. Alumni organizations. Surfers, scuba divers, and professional mermaids. On all 5 Great Lakes. In all 8 Great Lakes states.

Their accomplishment shows the magnitude of what can be accomplished when Great Lakes communities work together – and also shines a powerful spotlight on plastic pollution in the Great Lakes. Year after year, more than 85% of the litter collected is made of plastic, a number we know due to volunteers’ dedication to collecting data in addition to keeping beaches clean.

Their stewardship is an expression of love for the lakes — done with a sense of pride and thanksgiving for this unique region we call home.

Thank you to all the Adopt-a-Beach Team Leaders, volunteers, and supporters who made this achievement possible. This couldn’t have happened without you!

Special thanks to this year’s top Adopt-a-Beach sponsors: Brunswick Foundation, Meijer, and Unilever.

Meet some of the volunteers who helped put Adopt-a-Beach over the top.

Adopt-a-Beach volunteers weigh litter at 7 different cleanups..

The post Adopt-a-Beach Reaches a Milestone appeared first on Alliance for the Great Lakes.

Original Article

News - Alliance for the Great Lakes

News - Alliance for the Great Lakes

https://greatlakes.org/2022/09/adopt-a-beach-reaches-a-milestone/

Judy Freed

Pennsylvania spending $45M to establish 3 new state parks

By Mark Scolforo, Associated Press

HARRISBURG, Pa. (AP) — Pennsylvania is spending $45 million to add new state parks at a nature preserve in Tunkhannock, on Big Elk Creek in the Philadelphia suburbs and along the Susquehanna River near Wrightsville, officials were set to announce Tuesday.

The additions to the state’s 121-park system will be an existing nearly 700-acre nature preserve on the Vosburg Neck in Wyoming County, a 1,700-acre tract in Chester County and some 1,100 acres in York County.

Read Now at Great Lakes Now.

Original Article

Great Lakes Now

Great Lakes Now

https://www.greatlakesnow.org/2022/09/ap-pennsylvania-spending-45m-new-state-parks/

The Associated Press

by Maya Reinfeldt, Community Engaged Intern Spotlight series: The lands of the Ojibwe people span across southern Canada, the Northern Midwest and the Northern Plains of the United States. In working towards the Wisconsin Water Library’s goal of promoting Great Lakes Literacy, specifically, principle 6 (The Great Lakes and humans in their watersheds are inextricably […]

Original Article

Wisconsin Water Library

Wisconsin Water Library

https://waterlibrary.aqua.wisc.edu/spotlight-ojibwemowin-resources/

Maya Reinfeldt

...FROST ADVISORY REMAINS IN EFFECT UNTIL 8 AM CDT THIS MORNING... * WHAT...Temperatures as low as 32 will result in frost formation. * WHERE...Portions of central, east central and northeast Wisconsin. * WHEN...Until 8 AM CDT this morning.

Original Article

Current Watches, Warnings and Advisories for Brown (WIC009) Wisconsin Issued by the National Weather Service

Current Watches, Warnings and Advisories for Brown (WIC009) Wisconsin Issued by the National Weather Service

https://alerts.weather.gov/cap/wwacapget.php?x=WI12640D4BCFE8.FrostAdvisory.12640D4C3E10WI.GRBNPWGRB.e14f683a380e0a78362e4d4f2df7f92c

w-nws.webmaster@noaa.gov

Located on a strip of land that separates two of Michigan’s largest lakes, Elk and Torch, Maplehurst Natural Area is an unexpected delight to anybody who stumbles across it. The former summer camp is now a protected area of land thanks to a collaboration between Milton Township and the Grand Traverse Regional Land Conservancy.

The post Camp Maplehurst’s enduring legacy first appeared on Great Lakes Echo.

Original Article

Great Lakes Echo

Great Lakes Echo

http://greatlakesecho.org/2022/09/30/camp-maplehursts-enduring-legacy/

Guest Contributor

...FROST ADVISORY REMAINS IN EFFECT FROM 1 AM TO 8 AM CDT THURSDAY... * WHAT...Cold temperatures will result in frost formation. * WHERE...Portions of central, east central, and northeast Wisconsin. * WHEN...From 1 AM to 8 AM CDT Thursday. * IMPACTS...Frost and cold temperatures could damage cold-sensitive vegetation.

Original Article

Current Watches, Warnings and Advisories for Brown (WIC009) Wisconsin Issued by the National Weather Service

Current Watches, Warnings and Advisories for Brown (WIC009) Wisconsin Issued by the National Weather Service

https://alerts.weather.gov/cap/wwacapget.php?x=WI12640D4A7C10.FrostAdvisory.12640D4C3E10WI.GRBNPWGRB.e14f683a380e0a78362e4d4f2df7f92c

w-nws.webmaster@noaa.gov

by Maya Reinfeldt, Community Engaged Intern Spotlight series: The lands of the Ojibwe people span across southern Canada, the Northern Midwest and the Northern Plains of the United States. In working towards the Wisconsin Water Library’s goal of promoting Great Lakes Literacy, specifically, principle 6 (The Great Lakes and humans in their watersheds are inextricably […]

Original Article

Wisconsin Water Library

Wisconsin Water Library

https://waterlibrary.aqua.wisc.edu/spotlight-ojibwe-people-in-stem/

Maya Reinfeldt

...FROST ADVISORY IN EFFECT FROM 1 AM TO 8 AM CDT THURSDAY... * WHAT...Temperatures in the lower to middle 30s will result in frost formation. * WHERE...Portions of central, east central, and northeast Wisconsin. * WHEN...From 1 AM to 8 AM CDT Thursday. * IMPACTS...Frost could harm sensitive outdoor vegetation. Sensitive

Original Article

Current Watches, Warnings and Advisories for Brown (WIC009) Wisconsin Issued by the National Weather Service

Current Watches, Warnings and Advisories for Brown (WIC009) Wisconsin Issued by the National Weather Service

https://alerts.weather.gov/cap/wwacapget.php?x=WI12640D3DF314.FrostAdvisory.12640D4C3E10WI.GRBNPWGRB.e14f683a380e0a78362e4d4f2df7f92c

w-nws.webmaster@noaa.gov

Episode 2209 Lesson Plans: Mapping the Floor of the Great Lakes

This lesson will explore the phenomenon of sound waves underwater used to map landforms and how modern technology is helping update the maps of the terrain beneath the Great Lakes. Students will learn about the history of mapping the lakebed and the SONAR technology used by NOAA to upgrade our maps.

Read Now at Great Lakes Now.

Original Article

Great Lakes Now

Great Lakes Now

https://www.greatlakesnow.org/2022/09/episode-2209-mapping-lesson-plan/

Gary Abud Jr.

As the Northern Indiana Public Service Company (NIPSCO) retires a century-old power plant on the shores of Lake Michigan shuts down, some residents and activists are warning the region’s water supply could be at risk. Advocates say the coal ash NIPSCO plans to leave on the site puts groundwater and Lake Michigan in danger of contamination in Michigan City and beyond. Read the full story by WTTW-TV – Chicago, IL.

Original Article

Great Lakes Commission

Great Lakes Commission

https://www.glc.org/dailynews/20220928-contamination-risk

James Polidori

The United States Army Corps of Engineers (USACE) has announced plans to stop the spread of invasive carp in the Great Lakes with an engineered channel in the Brandon Road Lock. A series of high-tech barriers will prevent invasive carp from travelling upstream to Lake Michigan while still allowing boats to pass through. Read the full story by The Manitoulin Expositor.

Original Article

Great Lakes Commission

Great Lakes Commission

https://www.glc.org/dailynews/20220928-invasivecarp-plan

James Polidori

Indigenous leaders in North America, environmental and geographical experts, and volunteers are collaborating on the Biinaagami Project, a planned three-year initiative to engage Canadians and Americans in stewardship of the Great Lakes. Read the full story by The St. Catharines Standard.

Original Article

Great Lakes Commission

Great Lakes Commission

https://www.glc.org/dailynews/20220928-stewardship-project

James Polidori

The Great Lakes Water Authority announced that a repaired water transmission main that services several Metro Detroit communities is now expected to resume normal operations in early October, weeks after its expected resumption, after a leak closed the main in mid-August. Read the full story by WDIV-TV – Detroit, MI.

Original Article

Great Lakes Commission

Great Lakes Commission

https://www.glc.org/dailynews/20220928-watermain-delay

James Polidori

This Thursday, the Michigan Department of Environment, Great Lakes, and Energy is hosting a virtual public hearing on a push to restore the Grand River’s rapids in downtown Grand Rapids. Grand Rapids Whitewater and the city of Grand Rapids are seeking a permit to remove four low-head dams and replace them with rocks and boulders. Read the full story by MLive.

Original Article

Great Lakes Commission

Great Lakes Commission

https://www.glc.org/dailynews/20220928-restoration-publichearing

James Polidori

In Minnesota, Brighton Beach’s construction plan is an estimated $3.5 million dollars. However, Duluth’s Park and Recreation department are finding ways to reduce costs and be more sustainable, such as by reusing Brighton Beach’s current rocks and gravel. Read the full story by WDIO-TV – Duluth, MN.

Original Article

Great Lakes Commission

Great Lakes Commission

https://www.glc.org/dailynews/20220928-construction-sustainability

James Polidori

Eddie Olschansky, founder of Trash Fish Cleveland, organizes volunteers to clean up trash from waterways leading to Lake Erie. Olschansky aims to educate and encourage his community and hopes to give his volunteers a new perspective on plastic pollution. Read the full story by Spectrum News 1.

Original Article

Great Lakes Commission

Great Lakes Commission

https://www.glc.org/dailynews/20220928-erie-cleanup

James Polidori

The Great Lakes Plastic Cleanup, launched in 2020 by Pollution Probe and the Council of the Great Lakes Region, is focused both on cleanup technology and raising awareness of the plastic waste problem. Devices like the BeBot, a $55,000 beach-sifting robot that collects the waste buried in a defined area, aim to spark people’s curiosity and get them concerned about the issue. Read the full story by Axios.

Original Article

Great Lakes Commission

Great Lakes Commission

https://www.glc.org/dailynews/20220928-cleanup-technology

James Polidori

This year marks the 50th anniversary of both the Great Lakes Water Quality Agreement and the Great Lakes Public Forum. One topic of discussion at this year’s forum is how the Great Lakes are impacted by climate change and ongoing work to understand how they could be further impaired in the future. Read the full story by The Pointer.

Original Article

Great Lakes Commission

Great Lakes Commission

https://www.glc.org/dailynews/20220928-forum-climate

James Polidori

A new film, “Against the Current 2: Keeping Invasive Carp Out of the Great Lakes” is documenting efforts to prevent invasive carp species from entering the Great Lakes. The film is a sequel to 2020’s “Against the Current,” which detailed work on the Brandon Road Lock and Dam project near Chicago. Read the full story by Finger Lakes 1.

Original Article

Great Lakes Commission

Great Lakes Commission

https://www.glc.org/dailynews/20220928-invasivecarp-film

James Polidori

The Great Lakes region sits at the intersection of two migratory super-highways, the Mississippi and Atlantic flyways, where more than 380 bird species fly through the region each fall. The Bird Migration Explorer, a new interactive map from the National Audubon Society, lets bird watchers track the journeys that globe-trotting birds make each year. Read the full story by Fond du Lac Reporter.

Original Article

Great Lakes Commission

Great Lakes Commission

https://www.glc.org/dailynews/20220928-bird-mapping

James Polidori

Remedies for Harmful Algal Blooms Are Available in Law and Practice

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.

Read Now at Great Lakes Now.

Original Article

Great Lakes Now

Great Lakes Now

https://www.greatlakesnow.org/2022/09/remedies-for-harmful-algal-blooms-available-in-law/

Circle of Blue

Episode 2209 Lesson Plans: Fascinating Freshwater Fish

This lesson will explore the phenomenon of biodiversity in the Great Lakes and the efforts one museum in Ontario, Canada has taken to catalog it. Students will learn about the history of fish indexing in the Great Lakes, the type collection at the Royal Ontario Museum, and discover why this kind of organism library is helpful to preserving the Great Lakes ecosystem.

Read Now at Great Lakes Now.

Original Article

Great Lakes Now

Great Lakes Now

https://www.greatlakesnow.org/2022/09/episode-2209-freshwater-fish-lesson-plan/

Gary Abud Jr.

Juliann Krupa headshot.

Juliann Krupa is the Volunteer Engagement Manager at the Alliance for the Great Lakes. In this role, Juliann utilizes her passion for aquatic science and conservation to oversee over 15,000 Adopt-a-Beach program participants throughout the Great Lakes region and to inspire appreciation, conservation, and restoration of the world’s largest freshwater resource.


Resources

Adopt-a-Beach™ – Alliance for the Great Lakes

Adopt-a-Beach Spring Kickoff 2022 – Alliance for the Great Lakes

Plastic Free Great Lakes Pledge

Lakes Chat Podcast

Subscribe to the Lakes Chat Podcast

Every Tuesday, the Alliance for the Great Lakes will chat with special guests about Great Lakes issues and dig into what it all means for you and your community. Subscribe to our Podcast on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, Amazon Music, and Deezer (more platforms coming soon).

Hear More Episodes

The post Juliann Krupa: September Adopt a Beach Cleanup & Half a Million Pounds Goal appeared first on Alliance for the Great Lakes.

Original Article

News - Alliance for the Great Lakes

News - Alliance for the Great Lakes

https://greatlakes.org/2022/09/juliann-krupa-september-adopt-a-beach-cleanup-half-a-million-pounds-goal/

Michelle Farley

The installation of a state-of-the-art street lighting system on Belle Isle – located on the Michigan side of the Detroit River across from Windsor, Ontario – was a major step forward in saving energy and electricity while improving safety for visitors. Now five years later, a new study says computer optimization modeling could lead to even further savings and other benefits, such as fewer crashes, for communities that upgrade their street light systems. 

The post Belle Isle study lights way for savings first appeared on Great Lakes Echo.

Original Article

Great Lakes Echo

Great Lakes Echo

http://greatlakesecho.org/2022/09/27/belle-isle-study-lights-way-for-savings/

Guest Contributor

Mapping the Great Lakes: Underwater discoveries await

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.

Read Now at Great Lakes Now.

Original Article

Great Lakes Now

Great Lakes Now

https://www.greatlakesnow.org/2022/09/mapping-the-great-lakes-underwater-discoveries-await/

Alex Hill

Momentum continues to build in the Green Bay area for the National Estuarine Research Reserve, a federal designation to help protect and study coastal wetlands and natural estuaries. Land set aside for the reserve is designated through a six-step process that usually takes about four to six years to finish. Read the full story by Press Times.

Original Article

Great Lakes Commission

Great Lakes Commission

https://www.glc.org/dailynews/20220926-national-reserve

Patrick Canniff

This year marks the 50th anniversary of the Great Lakes Water Quality Agreement between Canada and the United States, which is happening without the prime minister or the president planning to come together as Richard Nixon and Pierre Trudeau did in 1972. Water communities, led by Indigenous leaders are coming together to renew our commitments and celebrate the Great Lakes, but will our leaders be listening? Read the full story by Toronto Star.

Original Article

Great Lakes Commission

Great Lakes Commission

https://www.glc.org/dailynews/20220926-glwqa

Patrick Canniff

A dugout canoe used by indigenous people 3,000 years ago recently recovered from Wisconsin’s Lake Mendota is the oldest canoe ever found in the Great Lakes region. The canoe, which was carved from a single piece of white oak and is 14.5 feet long, was discovered near where a 1,200-year-old fully intact canoe was found last November. Read the full story by CNN.

Original Article

Great Lakes Commission

Great Lakes Commission

https://www.glc.org/dailynews/20220926-canoe

Patrick Canniff

A local group in Chicago is launching a campaign this fall that asks Wolf Lake fishers that catch mudpuppies, a threatened population of aquatic salamanders, to immediately release the threatened and endangered animal. Read the full story by Block Club Chicago.

Original Article

Great Lakes Commission

Great Lakes Commission

https://www.glc.org/dailynews/20220926-mudpuppies

Patrick Canniff