By Emma McIntosh, The Narwhal
This story first ran on The Narwhal, a non-profit news organization that publishes in-depth stories about Canada’s natural world.
The final resting place of Canada’s most radioactive nuclear waste could be a cave about as deep below the surface as the CN Tower is tall.
By Emma McIntosh, The Narwhal
This story first ran on The Narwhal, a non-profit news organization that publishes in-depth stories about Canada’s natural world.
The final resting place of Canada’s most radioactive nuclear waste could be a cave about as deep below the surface as the CN Tower is tall.
Great Lakes Now
https://www.greatlakesnow.org/2022/02/canada-old-pileup-nuclear-waste/
Current Watches, Warnings and Advisories for Brown (WIC009) Wisconsin Issued by the National Weather Service
https://alerts.weather.gov/cap/wwacapget.php?x=WI1263E2804DC0.SpecialWeatherStatement.1263E280E3C0WI.GRBSPSGRB.3b77a733acfe35fc01f412b80021d336
A new book explores the interconnected layers of the Great Lakes, from the leadership of local native tribes to the concerning intensity of resource extraction. The book took several years to write to fully and accurately capture a cohesive picture of the Great Lakes and their histories.
The post New book explores ecological odyssey of the Great Lakes first appeared on Great Lakes Echo.Great Lakes Echo
http://greatlakesecho.org/2022/02/11/new-book-explores-ecological-odyssey-of-the-great-lakes/
Current Watches, Warnings and Advisories for Brown (WIC009) Wisconsin Issued by the National Weather Service
https://alerts.weather.gov/cap/wwacapget.php?x=WI1263E27F3674.SpecialWeatherStatement.1263E27FAB40WI.GRBSPSGRB.494cf03b682e092eb57578d83349b4a7
Current Watches, Warnings and Advisories for Brown (WIC009) Wisconsin Issued by the National Weather Service
https://alerts.weather.gov/cap/wwacapget.php?x=WI1263E27EF40C.SpecialWeatherStatement.1263E27F5D20WI.GRBSPSGRB.494cf03b682e092eb57578d83349b4a7
Current Watches, Warnings and Advisories for Brown (WIC009) Wisconsin Issued by the National Weather Service
https://alerts.weather.gov/cap/wwacapget.php?x=WI1263E27E9E1C.SpecialWeatherStatement.1263E27EF3A8WI.GRBSPSGRB.494cf03b682e092eb57578d83349b4a7
Current Watches, Warnings and Advisories for Brown (WIC009) Wisconsin Issued by the National Weather Service
https://alerts.weather.gov/cap/wwacapget.php?x=WI1263E2724270.SpecialWeatherStatement.1263E27F3610WI.GRBSPSGRB.494cf03b682e092eb57578d83349b4a7
Current Watches, Warnings and Advisories for Brown (WIC009) Wisconsin Issued by the National Weather Service
https://alerts.weather.gov/cap/wwacapget.php?x=WI1263E271D448.SpecialWeatherStatement.1263E2722268WI.GRBSPSGRB.3b77a733acfe35fc01f412b80021d336
Urban areas around the Midwest struggle with food deserts and dense populations, a problem exacerbated by climate change impacts and the conversion of farmlands to residential developments. However, a potential solution can be found in hydroponics facilities being established in cities around the Great Lakes region like Detroit, Cleveland, Toronto and Chicago.
Great Lakes Now
https://www.greatlakesnow.org/2022/02/hydroponic-greenhouses-urban-food-deserts/
By Eva Ryan, University of Wisconsin-Madison
The Sea Grant Knauss Fellowship program is a nationally competitive opportunity that sends graduate students interested in ocean, coastal and Great Lakes resources and policy to the hub that is Washington, D.C. There, these students are paired with a congressional member or committee in order to learn more about the policies surrounding our natural resources.They can also be paired with a federal agency or program.
This year, four women supported by Wisconsin Sea Grant were chosen as Knauss finalists. Among these four is Samm Newton, a Ph.D. student at the University of Wisconsin-Madison, in the History of Science, Medicine and Technology Program.
“When it comes to understanding what I study in history, which is the intersection of science, policy and the environment, I’m looking at how science and technology have influenced how we think and make decisions about the ocean,” Newton said, “Thinking through those questions with oceans gives unique perspectives because it’s a place where people don’t generally live and there are ambiguous delineations in territory and sovereignty.”
Newton’s appreciation of the ocean spans back to her childhood living in coastal Texas, and remains a deep-rooted passion of hers today. As a historian and environmentalist, Newton has a long-standing interest in studying the role of pteropods, invertebrates also known as a sea butterflies and in the same class as snails and slugs, in communicating changing ocean conditions.
Samm Newton studies pteropods (one pictured on the right) as a keystone species for ocean health. Photo: Matt Wilson and Jay Clark, NOAA
However, when it comes to the ocean, “There’s a layering of knowledge-making that happens. You can’t just look at chemical oceanography via pteropods; you can’t just look at biological oceanography via fishery science,” said Newton, “All of these processes are happening in a layered, integrative way.”
Despite an already impressive list of academic achievements, Newton’s ambition remained at full throttle as she packed up her things, eager to begin the Knauss Fellowship in Washington, D.C., which kicked off earlier this month. She will be working in the office of Sen. Jeff Merkley of Oregon.
Newton first heard about the Knauss Fellowship while participating in an National Science Foundation National Research Trainee Fellowship at Oregon State University. There, she completed her master’s degree while simultaneously participating in a training program focused on interdisciplinary work. Newton described the experience as “eye-opening” and took away the idea that “collaborative, contemporary experiences make [her] a better historian.”
Working with members of Oregon State University’s marine resource management program, Newton was no stranger to the words “Knauss Fellowship.” She views the fellowship as an opportunity to both become a better historian as well as to show people the value of having historians work on applied environmental problems.
A historian first and foremost, Newton continues to dismantle preconceived notions that there is no place for the humanities in the world of science. Because of her nontraditional area of study, Newton brings human dimensions to scientific programs. This allows her to bring new perspectives and depth to the table.
“I really want to open up pathways for people to have the kinds of opportunities I’ve had,” she said.
The post Meet the Knauss fellows: Samm Newton first appeared on Wisconsin Sea Grant.News Releases | Wisconsin Sea Grant
News Releases | Wisconsin Sea Grant
https://www.seagrant.wisc.edu/news/meet-the-knauss-fellows-samm-newton/?utm_source=rss&utm_medium=rss&utm_campaign=meet-the-knauss-fellows-samm-newton
Current Watches, Warnings and Advisories for Brown (WIC009) Wisconsin Issued by the National Weather Service
https://alerts.weather.gov/cap/wwacapget.php?x=WI1263E270F3AC.SpecialWeatherStatement.1263E271C890WI.GRBSPSGRB.3b77a733acfe35fc01f412b80021d336
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/
The Great Lakes Commission launched a new website to track progress on important environmental issues, including dealing with harmful algal blooms in Lake Erie. Read the full story by the Sandusky Register.
Great Lakes Commission
https://www.glc.org/dailynews/20220209-website
The ice near a Great Lake’s shoreline might look safe. Satellite images show why it’s very dangerous. Read the full story by MLive.
Great Lakes Commission
https://www.glc.org/dailynews/20220209-ice
In a weekly Great Lakes water level update from the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, Lake Ontario outflows through the St. Lawrence River were confirmed to be above average and are expected to remain high. Read the full story by WWTI-TV – Watertown, NY.
Great Lakes Commission
https://www.glc.org/dailynews/20220209-outflows
Those fishing in the Saginaw Bay of Lake Huron may have noticed a lack of perch on their fishing lines. According to the Michigan DNR, the reason why lies in an effort to increase the walleye population in the Great Lakes. Read the full story by the Huron Daily Tribune.
Great Lakes Commission
https://www.glc.org/dailynews/20220209-perch
Almost fifty years after a Lake Huron storm washed away a portion of Old Lakeshore Road, Sarnia, Ontario, is taking action to re-establish ownership of the right-of-way for public use and reconnect to existing lakefront trails. Read the full story by The Sarnia Journal.
Great Lakes Commission
https://www.glc.org/dailynews/20220209-shoreline-
A large amount of plastic—the equivalent of about 3,400 plastic water bottles in volume—were found in Lake Ontario during a four-month period last year by a Toronto “Trash Team”. Read the full story by CTV News.
Great Lakes Commission
https://www.glc.org/dailynews/20220209-trash-team
Millions of federal dollars from the Infrastructure and Jobs Act are going towards shoring up and improving the infrastructure of the Port of Duluth-Superior. Read the full story by KQDS-TV – Duluth, MN.
Great Lakes Commission
https://www.glc.org/dailynews/20220209-infrastructure-funding-
Photos and videos captured from around Lake Michigan highlight a strange the frozen phenomenon of “ice volcanoes”. Read the full story by WOOD-TV – Grand Rapids, MI.
Great Lakes Commission
https://www.glc.org/dailynews/20220209-volcanoes
The Ontario city of Sault Ste. Marie has created a task force to analyze the potential opportunity, consult with the public and develop a competitive bid to host the federal agency. Read the full story by The Sault Star.
Great Lakes Commission
https://www.glc.org/dailynews/20220209-canada-water-agency
Starting on Feb. 9, the Marine Museum of the Great Lakes in Kingston, Ontario, will be open and conducting tours to share maritime heritage of the Great Lakes once again. Read the full story by the Global News.
Great Lakes Commission
https://www.glc.org/dailynews/20220209-museum-
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/
In a small back room of an aquarium in a Michigan suburban mall lies a tank of endangered corals native to places more than a thousand miles away.
The post Suburban Michigan aquarium an ark for Florida corals first appeared on Great Lakes Echo.Great Lakes Echo
http://greatlakesecho.org/2022/02/09/suburban-michigan-aquarium-an-ark-for-florida-corals/
Contact:
Lindsey Bacigal, BacigalL@nwf.org, (734) 887-7113
Jordan Lubetkin, Lubetkin@nwf.org, (734) 904-1589
Coalition Urges Feds to Fully Fund Invasive Carp Defenses
ANN ARBOR, MICH. (February 8, 2022)—The Healing Our Waters-Great Lakes Coalition is urging U.S. representatives to fully fund controls to prevent invasive carp from entering the Great Lakes and causing environmental and economic harm. In a letter to the House Committee on Transportation and Infrastructure’s Subcommittee on Water Resources and Environment and the broader House delegation in the eight-state region, the Coalition and 54 members urged the House delegation to fully fund a new lock and dam in Illinois that would deploy state-of-the-art technology to keep the invasive fish from entering Lake Michigan and the other Great Lakes.
“Invasive carp pose a clear and present danger to the Great Lakes environment and economy,” said Laura Rubin, director of the Healing Our Waters-Great Lakes Coalition. “These invasive fish are not the problem or responsibility of only one state. Invasive carp are a national problem. As we have seen over the last decade, invasive carp have wreaked havoc up the Mississippi and Illinois Rivers—upending the ecosystem and harming people and local economies along the way. We need the federal government to address this national problem so that we don’t allow the unthinkable—allowing invasive carp to take hold in the Great Lakes.”
Currently the state of Illinois would be responsible for paying 20 percent of the cost of the Brandon Road Lock and Dam and its array of technology to keep invasive carp from getting through. The Coalition and its members argue that due to the national threat posed by the invasive fish and the pressing need to move forward without delay, the federal government should assume the costs of the entire project, which are expected to be upwards of $800 million.
The environmental groups are urging for the cost-share change in the 2022 Water Resources Development Act, a bi-annual funding bill that funds U.S. Army Corps of Engineers water infrastructure projects.
Since 2004, the Healing Our Waters-Great Lakes Coalition has been harnessing the collective power of more than 170 groups representing millions of people, whose common goal is to restore and protect the Great Lakes. Learn more at HealthyLakes.org or follow us on Twitter @HealthyLakes.
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The post Coalition Urges Feds to Fully Fund Invasive Carp Defenses appeared first on Healing Our Waters Coalition.
Healing Our Waters Coalition
https://healthylakes.org/coalition-urges-feds-to-fully-fund-invasive-carp-defenses/
By John Raby, Associated Press
CHARLESTON, W.Va. (AP) — Nearly $725 million in federal funding is available this fiscal year to 22 states and the Navajo Nation for the reclamation of abandoned coal mines and cleanup of acid mine drainage, the U.S. Department of the Interior announced Monday.
Great Lakes Now
https://www.greatlakesnow.org/2022/02/ap-biden-abandoned-coal-mines/
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/
NCEI News Feed
http://www.ncei.noaa.gov/news/national-climate-202201
Ever since she was a child, Sarah Brown has been interested in what makes people tick. She pursued that interest and intends to make good use of it in her new role as a J. Philip Keillor Wisconsin Coastal Management-Sea Grant Fellow for Lake Superior.
“My dad was a wildlife biologist for the state of Illinois,” Brown said. “When he came home from work and had any complaints, it was never about natural resources. It was always about people. So, I always had an interest in why people do what they do. That led to my interest in the social sciences.”
Sarah Brown, submitted photo.
Brown majored in psychology at Southern Illinois University Carbondale and then continued in a master’s program in human dimensions of natural resources at the University of Missouri. Her thesis was on motivations and perceptions held by Missouri landowners with conservation easements on their properties.
As graduation neared, she applied for a variety of jobs, but nothing seemed the right fit. She widened her search to include internships and fellowships because it seemed, “like a natural next step after grad school and into the workforce,” Brown said.
The one-year Keillor fellowship caught her eye for two reasons. “I felt like it gave me an opportunity to apply my social science skills to a natural resources issue by working with the CHAOS community of practice. Also, I’ve traveled many times with my family to northern Wisconsin and Duluth. That was a big attractor.”
CHAOS stands for the Coastal Hazards of Superior. It’s a group comprised of local community leaders, managers, researchers and communicators who focus on issues affecting the Wisconsin and Minnesota coastlines of Lake Superior. These issues include erosion, shoreline planning, nutrient runoff pollution, flooding and community resilience.
“Being the CHAOS coordinator is the most awesome job title you can have!” Brown said. “I’m hoping through this role I can fold in social science methodology to benefit the future progression of this community of practice, whether it’s finding out where it needs to go next or what it’s going to be next, or just figuring out what community members want. I also want experience working alongside a state agency and to improve my skills in meeting facilitation and project coordination.”
The state agency Brown will be working with is the Wisconsin Department of Administration’s Coastal Management Program along with Sea Grant, the Lake Superior National Estuarine Research Reserve (Reserve) and the University of Wisconsin-Madison’s Division of Extension. She is stationed in the Reserve’s office in Superior. You can email Brown at sarah.brown@wisconsin.gov.
The post Sarah Brown looks forward to coordinating CHAOS first appeared on Wisconsin Sea Grant.News Releases | Wisconsin Sea Grant
News Releases | Wisconsin Sea Grant
https://www.seagrant.wisc.edu/news/sarah-brown-looks-forward-to-coordinating-chaos/?utm_source=rss&utm_medium=rss&utm_campaign=sarah-brown-looks-forward-to-coordinating-chaos
Michigan ranks eighth in the country for potato production and contributes about $1.2 billion annually to the state’s economy. Disease is a common concern among farmers, inspiring research partnerships.
The post Potato research helps grow Michigan crop first appeared on Great Lakes Echo.Great Lakes Echo
http://greatlakesecho.org/2022/02/08/potato-research-helps-grow-michigan-crop/
Contact:
Lindsey Bacigal, BacigalL@nwf.org, (734) 887-7113
Jordan Lubetkin, Lubetkin@nwf.org, (734) 904-1589
Coalition Supports Biden Administration Push for Stronger Clean Water Protections
February 7, 2022 (ANN ARBOR, MICH.)—The Healing Our Waters-Great Lakes Coalition supports the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency and the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers proposed rule to strengthen clean water protections essential to the health of communities and the Great Lakes. The agencies are proposing a rule that will determine the level of protections for several classifications of streams and wetlands.
The Coalition and 50 member organizations, in a comment letter submitted today, supported the rule-making, which will replace Trump administration guidance that weakened clean water protections and opened the door for rivers and wetlands to be polluted and destroyed. Read the letter on our website.
“With many of our cities and towns living with unsafe drinking water, we need more – not less – protection for clean water,” said Laura Rubin, director of the Healing Our Waters-Great Lakes Coalition. “We support the Biden Administration’s action, and we encourage them to move quickly to develop and to put in place stronger protections for streams and wetlands that are essential to our drinking water, Great Lakes, public health, recreation, and quality of life.”
More than 117 million people in the United States depend on drinking water sources that are fed in part by streams and wetlands. In the Great Lakes states of Illinois, Indiana, Michigan, Minnesota, New York, Ohio, Pennsylvania, and Wisconsin, more than 30 million people rely on drinking water fed by these waters.
“Preserving and protecting streams and wetlands is also essential to protect the health of communities that are facing the impacts of environmental degradation, pollution, and flooding,” states the letter. “Clean drinking water is a basic need, and we should be doing all we can to ensure that everyone has access to clean, safe, and affordable drinking water. Re-establishing strong clean water protections is essential to achieving the goals of swimmable, fishable, and drinkable waters.”
Since 2004, the Healing Our Waters-Great Lakes Coalition has been harnessing the collective power of more than 170 groups representing millions of people, whose common goal is to restore and protect the Great Lakes. Learn more at HealthyLakes.org or follow us on Twitter @HealthyLakes.
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The post Coalition Supports Biden Administration Push for Stronger Clean Water Protections appeared first on Healing Our Waters Coalition.
Healing Our Waters Coalition
https://healthylakes.org/coalition-supports-biden-administration-push-for-stronger-clean-water-protections/
Great Lakes ice extent reached 44.4% on February 5th, the highest extent this winter and very close to the maximum ice extent of the winter of 2020-21, which was 45.8%. Read the full story by WOOD-TV – Grand Rapids, MI.
Great Lakes Commission
https://www.glc.org/dailynews/20220207-ice-coverage
A series of earthquakes continue to shake Lake Erie just northeast of Cleveland, Ohio, generating dozens of reports by local residents. In the last 40 days, there have been 5 earthquakes of magnitude 1.6 to 2.5, all clustered just off-shore in the southeastern portion of the Great Lake. Read the full story by Weatherboy.
Great Lakes Commission
https://www.glc.org/dailynews/20220207-earthquakes
Concerns over ice coverage and a previous study by researchers from Ohio State University published several years ago could suggest Lake Erie yellow perch hatches are more robust after winters that produce longer and later periods of ice cover. Read the full story by The Columbus Dispatch.
Great Lakes Commission
https://www.glc.org/dailynews/20220207-yellow-perch
Michigan’s Selfridge Air National Guard Base is taking steps to reduce the levels of “forever chemicals” used in firefighting. Selfridge, has been found to be among at least six U.S. military sites in the Great Lakes region contaminated with high levels of toxic PFAS detected as high as 17,000 ppt last year. Read the full story by Macomb Daily.
Great Lakes Commission
https://www.glc.org/dailynews/20220207-pfas
Historic images from southeast Michigan’s River Raisin show the complications of ice jams and bridge design over 100-year frequency floods. Read the full story by The Monroe News.
Great Lakes Commission
https://www.glc.org/dailynews/20220207-ice-jams
In their latest forecast the Army Corps of Engineers hydrologists report that most of the Great Lakes will remain above their long-term average water levels in the coming months but won’t reach the record highs of recent years. Read the full story by The Detroit News.
Great Lakes Commission
https://www.glc.org/dailynews/20220207-water-levels
Interlake Maritime Services, through its new subsidiary, Soo Maritime Services, will now oversee operations of the tour boats Hiawatha, Bide-A-Wee and Holiday that have provided river and lock tours in the Upper Peninsula for more than six decades. Read the full story by MLive.
Great Lakes Commission
https://www.glc.org/dailynews/20220207-soo-locks
Lake sturgeon have called the Great Lakes home for 10,000 years but now is a threatened species in many parts. Efforts have been made in the past year that raise hope of a new beginning, but what caused its decline in the first place? Read the full story by Campus Times.
Great Lakes Commission
https://www.glc.org/dailynews/20220207-sturgeon
The Coast Guard reported personnel in a helicopter saw the group of around 18 people and several ATVs on an ice floe around 1 p.m. Sunday. The ice floe had separated from land near Catawba Island in Lake Erie, which is slightly southwest of Pelee Island. Read the full story by the Windsor Star.
Great Lakes Commission
https://www.glc.org/dailynews/20220207-ice-floe
After nesting in spring and early summer in the North America’s Great Plains, many canvasback ducks migrate in fall to overwintering grounds on Lake St. Clair, Detroit River and Lake Erie. Read the full story by Great Lakes Now.
Great Lakes Commission
https://www.glc.org/dailynews/20220207-ducks
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/
The dead of winter is a lively time in the Great Lakes region.
The post February: The dead of winter first appeared on Great Lakes Echo.Great Lakes Echo
http://greatlakesecho.org/2022/02/07/february-the-dead-of-winter/
Current Watches, Warnings and Advisories for Brown (WIC009) Wisconsin Issued by the National Weather Service
https://alerts.weather.gov/cap/wwacapget.php?x=WI1263E2424098.SpecialWeatherStatement.1263E242F060WI.GRBSPSGRB.e1ae724017be2a10443f5b652ce3656c
Current Watches, Warnings and Advisories for Brown (WIC009) Wisconsin Issued by the National Weather Service
https://alerts.weather.gov/cap/wwacapget.php?x=WI1263E241BB64.SpecialWeatherStatement.1263E2425420WI.GRBSPSGRB.0c0f2b15bfcfca7baaaa2e9688cc90ad
Current Watches, Warnings and Advisories for Brown (WIC009) Wisconsin Issued by the National Weather Service
https://alerts.weather.gov/cap/wwacapget.php?x=WI1263E2416CE0.SpecialWeatherStatement.1263E2422D10WI.GRBSPSGRB.d1ebd3da799d9fa2a38f53eebf5ece73
