An experiment is underway at a Mississippi River to see if sound can keep invasive carp from moving through a lock and dam near Keokuk, Iowa. Read the full story by Radio Iowa.
Great Lakes Commission
https://www.glc.org/dailynews/20210607-carp-testing
An experiment is underway at a Mississippi River to see if sound can keep invasive carp from moving through a lock and dam near Keokuk, Iowa. Read the full story by Radio Iowa.
Great Lakes Commission
https://www.glc.org/dailynews/20210607-carp-testing
Great Lakes Moment is a monthly column written by Great Lakes Now Contributor John Hartig. Publishing the author’s views and assertions does not represent endorsement by Great Lakes Now or Detroit Public Television.
The United States and Canada now have over 40 years of collaborative history in use of an ecosystem approach to protect and restore the Great Lakes.
Great Lakes Now
https://www.greatlakesnow.org/2021/06/international-ecoystem-approach-restoration-great-lakes/
NCEI News Feed
http://www.ncei.noaa.gov/news/ncei-collaborates-north-american-drought-indices-and-indicators-assessment
MADISON, Wis. (AP) — Algal blooms have forced health officials to close five Madison-area beaches.
The Wisconsin State Journal reported Friday that the first tests of the season revealed blue-green algae blooms at beaches at BB Clarke, Olbrich and Warner parks and the Hudson Park lake access point.
Great Lakes Now
https://www.greatlakesnow.org/2021/06/ap-algae-blooms-wisconsin-beaches/
There’s a bird emergency in the Great Lakes region, according to the National Audubon Society, but the nonprofit bird conservation organization is hoping to change that.
“This really is a bird emergency,” said Nat Miller, Audubon Great Lakes’ director of conservation. “We don’t think that’s hyperbole. As often is the case, birds currently serve as an indicator for larger environmental problems and today they’re telling us it’s a critical time now to act to save the wildlife, water and way of life in the Great Lakes region.”
In an effort to reduce this alarming trend, scientists and conservationists with The National Audubon Society recently released a wide-ranging and comprehensive blueprint to address climate change, pollution and other detrimental man-made effects on Great Lakes wetlands and coastal areas – and their bird populations.
Great Lakes Now
https://www.greatlakesnow.org/2021/06/birds-wetlands-coastal-great-lakes-habitat-restoration/
The owner of the Old Cavern Boutique in Montreal has been arrested on charges of illegally trafficking in wildlife parts and sending them from Canada into the United States.
The post Skullduggery at the border: Feds crack skull-smuggling operation first appeared on Great Lakes Echo.Great Lakes Echo
http://greatlakesecho.org/2021/06/07/skullduggery-at-the-border-feds-crack-skull-smuggling-operation/
Current Watches, Warnings and Advisories for Brown (WIC009) Wisconsin Issued by the National Weather Service
https://alerts.weather.gov/cap/wwacapget.php?x=WI1261A5FF3908.AirQualityAlert.1261A60DABDCWI.GRBAQAGRB.ec8586610c017e3b61503aff62a72b6b
Green Bay, WI
https://www.weather.gov/www.weather.gov/grb/060707_tornadoes
Green Bay, WI
https://www.weather.gov/www.weather.gov/grb/060707_tornadoes
Current Watches, Warnings and Advisories for Brown (WIC009) Wisconsin Issued by the National Weather Service
https://alerts.weather.gov/cap/wwacapget.php?x=WI1261A5F0CF94.AirQualityAlert.1261A5FF9C40WI.GRBAQAGRB.ec8586610c017e3b61503aff62a72b6b
Green Bay, WI
https://www.weather.gov/grb/beachhazardawarenessweek2022
Green Bay, WI
https://www.weather.gov/grb/beachhazardawarenessweek2021
Current Watches, Warnings and Advisories for Brown (WIC009) Wisconsin Issued by the National Weather Service
https://alerts.weather.gov/cap/wwacapget.php?x=WI1261A5E26558.AirQualityAlert.1261A5F1B990WI.GRBAQAGRB.ec8586610c017e3b61503aff62a72b6b
From lead pipes to PFAS, drinking water contamination is a major issue plaguing cities and towns all around the Great Lakes. Cleaning up contaminants and providing safe water to everyone is an ongoing public health struggle.
Keep up with drinking water-related developments in the Great Lakes area.
Click on the headline to read the full story:
Illinois:
UNIVERSITY PARK, Ill.
Great Lakes Now
https://www.greatlakesnow.org/2021/06/drinking-water-bottled-lead-infrastructure-bill-streams/
Operating in Georgian Bay in the upper end of Lake Huron, the Chi-Cheemaun ferry will resume operations on Tuesday, June 8. The vessel typically runs from May to October between South Baymouth on Manitoulin Island and Tobermory on the Bruce Peninsula. Read the full story by Soo Today.
Great Lakes Commission
https://www.glc.org/dailynews/20210604-ferry
The International Lake Superior Board of Control reported the latest water levels Thursday, noting Lake Superior is now just 3.9 inches above the 102-year average for June 1. The big lake is now 6 inches below the June 1 level from 2020. Read the full story by the Duluth News-Tribune.
Great Lakes Commission
https://www.glc.org/dailynews/20210604-water-levels
A team of scientists headed by a University of Windsor researcher has received C$1 million in funding to fight microplastics pollution. A key to the research, aimed at developing new tools to test, analyze and track the pollutant in Ontario, will be determining where it all comes from. Read the full story by the Windsor Star.
Great Lakes Commission
https://www.glc.org/dailynews/20210604-microplastics
This week the Wisconsin DNR, UW-Green Bay, UW-Milwaukee, and NEW Water partnered to put the Green Bay West and East buoys back on the water. The buoys are fundamental tools used to measure current weather conditions like wind speed, water temperatures, air temperatures, and wave height. Read the full story by WFRV-TV- Green Bay, WI.
Great Lakes Commission
https://www.glc.org/dailynews/20210604-buoys
Grand Haven Area Public Schools elementary students recently partnered with Grand Valley State University’s Groundswell program to help protect the Grand River watershed in western Michigan. Students conducted hands-on learning to explore a variety of environmental topics. Read the full story by WXMI-TV- Grand Rapids, MI.
Great Lakes Commission
https://www.glc.org/dailynews/20210604-students
The Conservation Fund and the Bay Area Community Foundation has presented Sturgeon For Tomorrow Black Lake Chapter with an $8,000.00 grant to purchase food for lake sturgeon at the Black River Sturgeon Facility and associated expenses with raising lake sturgeon. Read the full story by WSGW-Carrollton, MI.
Great Lakes Commission
https://www.glc.org/dailynews/20210604-sturgeon
Great Lakes steel production rose by 14,000 tons last week, while U.S. steel mills exceeded 80% capacity utilization, 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/20210604-steel
A popular state park along Lake Michigan is set to reopen. Fisherman’s Island State Park in Michigan is set to fully reopen after high water and storm damage that caused the partial closure of its main access road and campsites. Read the full story by MLive.
Great Lakes Commission
https://www.glc.org/dailynews/20210604-michigan-park
The dispute over the cross-border Line 5 pipeline is entirely for Michigan to deal with, the state’s attorney general argues in a legal brief released Wednesday that flatly rejects Canada’s depiction of a foreign-policy matter that Ottawa and the White House must resolve. Read the full story by The Canadian Press.
Great Lakes Commission
https://www.glc.org/dailynews/20210604-line5
A pair of Great Lakes Piping Plovers that have captured the hearts of Chicago nature lovers by nesting each year at Montrose Beach have been dealt a setback, as a predator has apparently eaten the birds’ eggs from their nest. Read the full story by WMAQ-TV- Chicago, IL.
Great Lakes Commission
https://www.glc.org/dailynews/20210604-plovers
Toxins from harmful algal blooms are known to pollute water, but now researchers are looking at how they harm Great Lakes air and the implications for human health. Read the full story by the Great Lakes Echo.
Great Lakes Commission
https://www.glc.org/dailynews/20210604-algae-air
Advocates for the Great Lakes see President Biden’s budget and jobs plan as an opportunity to boost funding for restoration projects and outdated water infrastructure in the region. Read the full story by Wisconsin Public Radio.
Great Lakes Commission
https://www.glc.org/dailynews/20210604-infrastructure
PFAS, short for per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances, are a group of widespread man-made chemicals that don’t break down in the environment or the human body and have been flagged as a major contaminant in sources of water across the country.
Keep up with PFAS-related developments in the Great Lakes area.
Great Lakes Now
https://www.greatlakesnow.org/2021/06/pfas-news-professor-stories-study-high-levels-fertilizer/
THIS WEEK: Push For Historic Investments In Water & Sewer Infrastructure + Permit Requests Sand and Acid Rock Dam for Waste Storage + Administration Hopes to Replace Our Nation’s Lead Lines + PFAS Found in Home Garden Fertilizers
A press event on Monday in Toledo, Ohio focused on the need for massive investment in infrastructure that focuses on water and sewer. Ohio is second in the nation for the number of lead lines that continue to threaten public health (check Table 5 in the link). Freshwater Future’s team member Alexis Smith spoke at the event to highlight the need to remove lead service lines to protect public health.
Aquila Resources Inc. has applied for a permit to build a crushed waste rock and sandy soil dam design to hold mine tailings from the Back Forty mining project, a large metallic sulfide mine. The dam that would hold the mine’s tailings would be on the Wisconsin-Michigan border, 150 feet from the Menominee River, which feeds into Lake Michigan, a source of drinking water for 6.6 million people. The Coalition to SAVE the Menominee River and the Menominee Indian Tribe of Wisconsin are seeking support and asking people to urge Michigan’s Department of Environment, Great Lakes and Energy to deny the dam safety permit for the Back Forty Project. To send a letter, visit here.
Stories of young children with high-lead levels in blood continue to be reported in many low-income, minority communities in the Northeast and Midwest. The historic small town of Newburg, NY, is another example of a community struggling to pay for replacement of aging lead water pipes to improve public health and trust in their local water system. The Biden Administration hopes to alleviate this widespread environmental injustice by proposing $45 billion through grants and low-interest loans to replace the estimated 6-million lead-pipe service lines across the U.S.
For many people, using bagged fertilizer is an easy and convenient way to nourish your garden. However, you may want to consider alternative fertilizer sources since recent research has found bagged fertilizer made from biosolids, even those labeled organic and natural, are contaminated with PFAS. Biosolids are sludge from water treatment plants and used in both home and agricultural application. More needs to be done to regulate PFAS contamination such as requiring wastewater treatment plants to monitor and remove PFAS from sewage.
Blog – Freshwater Future
https://freshwaterfuture.org/freshwater-weekly/freshwater-weekly-june-4-2021/
FLINT, Mich. (AP) — Lawyers are defending the use of a handheld device to check for lead in Flint residents, despite the manufacturer’s warning that it wasn’t designed for that work.
The bone scan device has been a source of controversy in a $641 million settlement with people who were exposed to lead-contaminated water in Flint.
Great Lakes Now
https://www.greatlakesnow.org/2021/06/ap-dispute-flint-bone-scan-device/
HARRISBURG, Pa. (AP) — Gov. Tom Wolf’s administration said the results of a statewide sampling program does not indicate widespread contamination of drinking water supplies by a class of highly toxic chemicals used in products like nonstick cookware, carpets, firefighting foam and fast-food wrappers.
Great Lakes Now
https://www.greatlakesnow.org/2021/06/ap-pfas-pennsylvania-third-samples/
Toxins from harmful algal blooms are known to pollute water, but now researchers are looking at how they harm Great Lakes air.
The post Great Lakes algae threatens air quality first appeared on Great Lakes Echo.Great Lakes Echo
http://greatlakesecho.org/2021/06/04/great-lakes-algae-threatens-air-quality/
Current Watches, Warnings and Advisories for Brown (WIC009) Wisconsin Issued by the National Weather Service
https://alerts.weather.gov/cap/wwacapget.php?x=WI1261A5D35E14.SpecialWeatherStatement.1261A5D36DB4WI.GRBSPSGRB.f35732759eae7a24f50cc27284acfe80
Current Watches, Warnings and Advisories for Brown (WIC009) Wisconsin Issued by the National Weather Service
https://alerts.weather.gov/cap/wwacapget.php?x=WI1261A5D2F3D4.AirQualityAlert.1261A5DFDF40WI.GRBAQAGRB.ca49107f135125588196cd5746d4e86d
Oxygen levels have dropped in hundreds of lakes in the United States and Europe over the last four decades, a new study found.
And the authors said declining oxygen could lead to increased fish kills, algal blooms and methane emissions.
Great Lakes Now
https://www.greatlakesnow.org/2021/06/ap-hundreds-lakes-united-states-europe-losing-oxygen/
Proposed White House budget and complementary American Jobs Plan boosts funding to restore Great Lakes, fix water infrastructure, and protect the health of millions in Illinois, Indiana, Michigan, Minnesota, New York, Ohio, Pennsylvania, and Wisconsin.
ANN ARBOR, MICH. (June 3, 2021) – The Healing Our Waters-Great Lakes Coalition welcomes the newly proposed Biden Administration budget that, taken in tandem with the American Jobs Plan, presents a historic opportunity to secure sizeable federal investments to accelerate progress to restore the Great Lakes, protect the health of communities, and reverse environmental justices that have harmed vulnerable communities.
“The Biden Administration’s proposed budget and complementary investments in the American Jobs Plan can be a game-changer in the effort to restore and protect the Great Lakes, confront the climate crisis, and help communities that have disproportionately borne the brunt of pollution and environmental harm for far too long,” said Laura Rubin, director of the Healing Our Water-Great Lakes Coalition. “The table has been set for a once-in-a-generation investment to help ensure that every person in this country has access to safe and affordable drinking water, and we need the Biden Administration and U.S. Congress to seize the day.”
The Biden Administration’s proposed budget for fiscal year 2022, which begins Oct. 1, includes increased funding levels to advance water infrastructure improvement efforts for community water systems, schools, and households. (Specific funding levels below.) The administration is also proposing an additional $111 billion in the American Jobs Plan to boost water infrastructure spending to fix sewers and drinking water infrastructure, replace lead service lines, and address toxic PFAS pollution. Taken together, these investments provide a substantial increase in the federal government’s investment to provide clean water to communities.
“Millions of people in our country do not have access to clean, safe and affordable water for themselves, their families, and their children,” said Monica Lewis-Patrick, president and CEO of We the People of Detroit. “The Biden Administration’s proposed budget and supplemental funding in the American Jobs Plan is a recognition that the status quo is not acceptable and that the federal government can and should be doing more. That is welcome news. If the White House and Congress can deliver on this level of funding, it will be a huge help in addressing the water affordability crisis in which more and more Americans are having difficulty paying their water bills.”
Michigan State University researchers estimate that by 2022, more than 1-in-3 Americans will have a hard time paying their water bills. The water affordability crisis can be partly attributed to the decades-long disinvestment in water infrastructure by the federal government leading to an immense backlog of work. The Great Lakes states of Illinois, Indiana, Michigan, Minnesota, New York, Ohio, Pennsylvania, and Wisconsin need more than $188 billion over 20 years to meet clean water objectives and to protect the health of local communities, according to the U.S. EPA. Further, between 6 million and 10 million homes nationwide continue to receive their drinking water through lead service lines, posing a serious risk to their health.
“Failing water infrastructure threatens our health, economy, and environment. Sewage overflows are contaminating local waterways and families are being exposed to lead in the drinking water that comes out of their taps,” said Brian Smith, Associate Executive Director at Citizens Campaign for the Environment (CCE). “We have solutions to these problems, and now is the time to use them. The Biden Administration’s proposed budget, along with the American Jobs Plan, provide a historic opportunity to upgrade our aging wastewater and drinking water infrastructure. We are counting on Congress to act and take advantage of this opportunity.”
Boosting federal clean water investments is a top priority for the Healing Our Waters-Great Lakes Coalition.
“Federal investments to restore the Great Lakes have been producing results for communities, but serious threats remain,” said Chad Lord, policy director for the Healing Our Waters-Great Lakes Coalition. “With so many cities and town living with unsafe drinking water, we need to be doing more—and we need to do it now, before the problems get worse and more expensive to solve. Our nation can do great things if our leaders come together. We encourage them to not shy away from this moment and to get the job done.”
The Biden Administration’s proposed budget:
Since 2004, the Healing Our Waters-Great Lakes Coalition has been harnessing the collective power of more than 160 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
###
CONTACT:
Jordan Lubetkin, LubetkinJ@nwf.org, (734) 904-1589
Lindsey Bacigal, BacigalL@nwf.org, (734) 887-7113
The post Biden Budget Presents Historic Opportunity to Support Great Lakes appeared first on Healing Our Waters Coalition.
Healing Our Waters Coalition
https://healthylakes.org/biden-budget-presents-historic-opportunity-to-support-great-lakes/
With a master’s degree already under her belt, Sally Mayasich had worked as an environmental consultant for three companies: “One went bankrupt, the other downsized and in another, I was working part time and not making much money, so I decided I had to do something different,” Mayasich said.
Sally Mayasich. (Submitted photo)
At an age when most people are comfortably ensconced in their careers, Mayasich enrolled in the University of Minnesota Duluth (UMD) to earn her Ph.D. Her work paid off and now she is one of the latest fellows in a partnership between the Environmental Protection Agency’s Great Lakes Toxicology and Ecology Division in Duluth, the University of Wisconsin-Madison and its Aquatic Sciences Center. The goal of the three-year U.S. Environmental Protection Agency Human Health and the Environment Research Fellows program is to train the next generation of scientists in environmental and ecosystem health.
Mayasich’s mentor is Carlie LaLone. They are working with others in the “fathead minnow group” to protect human health and the environment by evaluating the safety of chemicals. They are looking at the effects of chemicals across species, from humans to frogs, to fish, to insects. Using bioinformatics and computer molecular models, they can predict how sensitive a particular species might be to pesticides or other potentially harmful chemicals.
Mayasich explained, “If you have wetlands near a farm field and frogs live in the wetland, and the frogs are more sensitive to a particular pesticide, this knowledge helps regulators consider whether to restrict use of that pesticide in that area. Some people in our group are working on a new group of pesticides called neonicotinoids. They can affect bees. Making sure that we understand how these pesticides affect pollinators is important because pollination by bees is a huge part of our natural ecosystems and also the economics of farming. If you don’t have pollinators, you won’t have crops.”
Mayasich grew up on the Iron Range in Northern Minnesota. She credits time at her family’s cabin on Lake Vermilion for her love of science and nature. “We caught frogs and snakes and did all that kind of stuff when we were kids,” she said. Following in the footsteps of her older sister, Mayasich went to Bemidji State University and earned her bachelor’s degree in environmental studies. She continued her education at the University of Maryland, where she earned her master’s in marine and estuarine environmental science.
After her eventful time in the workforce, Mayasich was accepted into the Integrated Biosciences Program at UMD where she studied sea lamprey hormones, specifically, vasotocin – the lamprey equivalent of the human “love hormone,” oxytocin. She investigated whether the genes in lamprey that control the vasotocin system work in the same way as the oxytocin system in mammals.
“Even the parts that turn the vasotocin gene on and off are similar in lamprey to those in mammals. It’s pretty well-conserved over evolutionary time,” Mayasich said.
Mayasich said she would not change the path she took to obtain her degree. “I’m still very excited about having gone back to school and starting an entire new chapter in my life. Even though I’m not going to have another 30 or 40 years to my career, I’d like to think that what I’m doing in the moment is important. The work I’ve published wouldn’t have been done without me, and it’s being cited by other researchers. That wouldn’t have happened if I hadn’t gone back to school. I’m very happy to be able to contribute to scientific progress.”
The post Nontraditional student is latest EPA fellow first appeared on Wisconsin Sea Grant.
News Releases – Wisconsin Sea Grant
News Releases – Wisconsin Sea Grant
https://www.seagrant.wisc.edu/news/nontraditional-student-is-latest-epa-fellow/
With a master’s degree already under her belt, Sally Mayasich had worked as an environmental consultant for three companies: “One went bankrupt, the other downsized and in another, I was working part time and not making much money, so I decided I had to do something different,” Mayasich said.
Sally Mayasich. (Submitted photo)
At an age when most people are comfortably ensconced in their careers, Mayasich enrolled in the University of Minnesota Duluth (UMD) to earn her Ph.D. Her work paid off and now she is one of the latest fellows in a partnership between the Environmental Protection Agency’s Great Lakes Toxicology and Ecology Division in Duluth, the University of Wisconsin-Madison and its Aquatic Sciences Center. The goal of the three-year U.S. Environmental Protection Agency Human Health and the Environment Research Fellows program is to train the next generation of scientists in environmental and ecosystem health.
Mayasich’s mentor is Carlie LaLone. They are working with others in the “fathead minnow group” to protect human health and the environment by evaluating the safety of chemicals. They are looking at the effects of chemicals across species, from humans to frogs, to fish, to insects. Using bioinformatics and computer molecular models, they can predict how sensitive a particular species might be to pesticides or other potentially harmful chemicals.
Mayasich explained, “If you have wetlands near a farm field and frogs live in the wetland, and the frogs are more sensitive to a particular pesticide, this knowledge helps regulators consider whether to restrict use of that pesticide in that area. Some people in our group are working on a new group of pesticides called neonicotinoids. They can affect bees. Making sure that we understand how these pesticides affect pollinators is important because pollination by bees is a huge part of our natural ecosystems and also the economics of farming. If you don’t have pollinators, you won’t have crops.”
Mayasich grew up on the Iron Range in Northern Minnesota. She credits time at her family’s cabin on Lake Vermilion for her love of science and nature. “We caught frogs and snakes and did all that kind of stuff when we were kids,” she said. Following in the footsteps of her older sister, Mayasich went to Bemidji State University and earned her bachelor’s degree in environmental studies. She continued her education at the University of Maryland, where she earned her master’s in marine and estuarine environmental science.
After her eventful time in the workforce, Mayasich was accepted into the Integrated Biosciences Program at UMD where she studied sea lamprey hormones, specifically, vasotocin – the lamprey equivalent of the human “love hormone,” oxytocin. She investigated whether the genes in lamprey that control the vasotocin system work in the same way as the oxytocin system in mammals.
“Even the parts that turn the vasotocin gene on and off are similar in lamprey to those in mammals. It’s pretty well-conserved over evolutionary time,” Mayasich said.
Mayasich said she would not change the path she took to obtain her degree. “I’m still very excited about having gone back to school and starting an entire new chapter in my life. Even though I’m not going to have another 30 or 40 years to my career, I’d like to think that what I’m doing in the moment is important. The work I’ve published wouldn’t have been done without me, and it’s being cited by other researchers. That wouldn’t have happened if I hadn’t gone back to school. I’m very happy to be able to contribute to scientific progress.”
The post Nontraditional student is latest EPA fellow first appeared on Wisconsin Sea Grant.
News Releases – Wisconsin Sea Grant
News Releases – Wisconsin Sea Grant
https://www.seagrant.wisc.edu/news/nontraditional-student-is-latest-epa-fellow/
Wisconsin Sea Grant has a new team member in the effort to protect our waters from aquatic invasive species. Scott McComb began May 3 as the southeast Wisconsin aquatic invasive species (AIS) outreach specialist.
Scott McComb has joined the staff of Wisconsin Sea Grant. (Submitted photo)
McComb’s position focuses on Kenosha, Racine and Milwaukee counties, where he will coordinate education, monitoring and outreach programs for communities, stakeholders and volunteers to prevent the spread of AIS. His office is located at the Kenosha County Center in Bristol, though he anticipates spending a significant amount of time in the field in the three counties.
The three main programs McComb will focus on are the “Clean Boats, Clean Waters” campaign, a purple loosestrife biocontrol program and a citizen lake monitoring program. When possible, he’ll also have a presence at local and regional events (like Racine’s Salmon-A-Rama in July) to help spread the word about AIS prevention and answer the public’s questions.
McComb is eager to engage with a wide range of people. “Honestly, I feel like everyone under the sun is my stakeholder!” he laughed. He will partner with lake or homeowners’ associations that monitor bodies of water, government entities like parks departments, volunteer groups, conservation corps and individuals with an interest in maintaining healthy ecosystems for future generations.
He’s also keen to work with people of different ages. “I’d really like to engage youth and the diversity of cultures and backgrounds in this region. There are so many great groups and people to connect to,” said McComb.
As the summer recreation season gets underway and people head out for boating, fishing and other outdoor pastimes, McComb stressed the basics of protecting our waters, such as the “Inspect—remove—drain—never move—dispose” motto. People should inspect their boats, kayaks or other watercraft for aquatic plants and animals; remove any that are found; drain water from live wells and other areas; never move water, plants or animals between waterbodies; and dispose of unused bait in the trash.
Additionally, he said, “Just be curious and keep your eyes open with what’s going on in the different lakes that you use. You don’t need to be an expert on aquatic vegetation to see a species start to take over, and there’s a whole bunch of people—including myself and DNR folks—who are here to help you identify something if you think it’s an invasive.”
McComb during a hike in Zebra Canyon, Grand Staircase-Escalante National Monument, Utah. (Submitted photo)
McComb grew up in the Madison area and earned a bachelor’s degree in geography from the University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee. He then spent several years in Utah, where he completed a master’s degree in bioregional planning and worked in planning and conservation.
Said Tim Campbell, Wisconsin Sea Grant’s aquatic invasive species outreach specialist, “Scott has a lot of experience helping communities plan and implement projects that help them improve their communities. I look forward to seeing how that experience helps him build upon existing local partnerships in southeast Wisconsin to improve aquatic invasive species prevention and management.”
A desire to be closer to family brought McComb and his wife back to Wisconsin. In their free time, they enjoy canoeing, kayaking and simply being out in nature.
As McComb settles into his new role, he encourages people seeking AIS information to get in touch. He can be reached at 608-890-0977 or McComb@aqua.wisc.edu.
The post Scott McComb ready to take on aquatic invasive species role in southeast Wisconsin first appeared on Wisconsin Sea Grant.
News Releases – Wisconsin Sea Grant
News Releases – Wisconsin Sea Grant
https://www.seagrant.wisc.edu/news/scott-mccomb-ready-to-take-on-aquatic-invasive-species-role-in-southeast-wisconsin/
There may come a day on the Illinois River when a fish swims up a chute, slides through a scanner, and, after being recognized as a feared silver carp, is sorted and removed, eventually ending up in a carp burger on your dinner plate. Read the full story by the Chicago Tribune.
Great Lakes Commission
https://www.glc.org/dailynews/20210602-carp-invasive
Kohler Co.’s quest to build another major golf course along Lake Michigan in Sheboygan County, WI has hit another legal obstacle. A Sheboygan County judge on Friday dismissed the company’s lawsuit that sought to preserve a Department of Natural Resources permit to fill a wetland, a permit that an administrative law judge later ruled was mistakenly granted. Read the full story by Milwaukee Journal Sentinel.
Great Lakes Commission
https://www.glc.org/dailynews/20210602-wetland-permit
Light fixtures resembling traffic signals with red, yellow and green lights have been installed on the beach’s bathhouse/concession building and at the kite boarding building across from the water filtration plant. In addition, red strobe lights have been installed on the buildings’ roofs and will be used to warn of hazardous conditions. Read the full story by Mlive.com.
Great Lakes Commission
https://www.glc.org/dailynews/20210602-beach-warning
Part of President Biden’s Fiscal Year 2022 Civil Works Budget is funding for the Great Lakes Coastal Resiliency Study, a new project that includes the three Great Lakes districts, Buffalo, Chicago and Detroit. The goal is to create a plan identifying vulnerable coastal areas and recommending actions to bolster the coastal resources’ ability to withstand, recover from and adapt to future hydrologic uncertainty with respect to built and natural coastal environments. Recent high-water events across the Great Lakes brought about the study’s need. Read the full story by DredgingToday.com.
Great Lakes Commission
https://www.glc.org/dailynews/20210602-coastal-resiliency
Researchers hope to inspect the stomachs of as many as 10,000 fish from across Lake Superior in the coming year as a part of the Lake Superior PredatorPrey Project, a region-wide effort that includes Minnesota, Wisconsin, Michigan and Ontario as well as federal and tribal agencies looking at the relationship between predator fish and their prey in the big lake. Read the full story by Brainerd Dispatch.
Great Lakes Commission
https://www.glc.org/dailynews/20210602-fish-superior
The construction of a huge, new lock at Michigan’s Soo Locks was awarded $480 million in federal funding in President Joe Biden’s 2022 federal budget proposal. While the budget is likely to undergo changes before approval by Congress, Biden’s proposed budget includes a large allocation for the new lock that will cost an estimated $922 million. The proposal includes about $595 million for projects within the Army Corps of Engineers, Detroit District. Read the full story by MLive.
Great Lakes Commission
https://www.glc.org/dailynews/20210602-soo-locks
Shipwreck enthusiasts like Valerie van Heest, a veteran shipwreck explorer with the Michigan Shipwreck Research Association, say the move south is disappointing in many respects because the artifact was previously accessible to the public near Deerlick Creek Park in South Haven, MI. Read the full story by MLive.
Great Lakes Commission
https://www.glc.org/dailynews/20210602-shipwreck
Each year, the DNR’s beach program reaches out to citizens, local beach managers and public health departments along Wisconsin’s Great Lakes coasts to determine what changes, if any, are needed to the Wisconsin beach list and program information. The proposed list includes one new beach and changes to two existing beaches. Read the full story by Ashland Daily Press.
Great Lakes Commission
https://www.glc.org/dailynews/20210602-wisconsin-beaches
The Ohio River Basin has many of the same challenges as the Great Lakes, Chesapeake Bay and many other watersheds that receive considerable amounts of federal money on an annual basis. However, Ohio River Basin never received the sustained annual funding needed to achieve ecological and infrastructure restoration. Read the full story by The Columbus Dispatch.
Great Lakes Commission
https://www.glc.org/dailynews/20210602-infrastructure-ohio
The 50th anniversary is “a vindication” of the department to the former minister of the environment, who went back and forth between federal and provincial politics in an effort to champion environmental concerns. Read the full story by Canada’s National Observer.
Great Lakes Commission
https://www.glc.org/dailynews/20210602-canada-environment
This article was republished here with permission from Great Lakes Echo.
By Brandon Chew, Great Lakes Echo
More fishing trips could cause more damage to native fish populations in the Canadian portion of the Great Lakes than aquatic invasive species, according to a recent study.
Great Lakes Now
https://www.greatlakesnow.org/2021/06/new-anglers-great-lakes-fish-populations-invasive-species/
