A replica of a historic tall ship is sailing down the St. Lawrence River this week, on its way to the Atlantic Ocean and then down the east coast. The square-rigged Nao Trinidad was built in Spain in 2018. Read and listen to the full story by North Country Public Radio.
Great Lakes Commission
https://www.glc.org/dailynews/20220912-tallship-trinidad
Once upon a time, there was a small town in Ontario that was named the “prettiest” in Canada by none other than Queen Elizabeth II. With clear blue skies, stunning landscapes and multiple beaches, there’s no surprise here that this town has left many, especially royalty, in awe. Read the full story by Curiocity.
Great Lakes Commission
https://www.glc.org/dailynews/20220912-ontario-queenelizabeth
Short of an order to decommission the Line 5 pipeline, an Ojibwe tribe on the south shore of Lake Superior has secured a different legal victory in its federal lawsuit against Canadian pipeline company Enbridge. Read the full story by the Wisconsin Examiner.
Great Lakes Commission
https://www.glc.org/dailynews/20220912-linefive-enbridgelawsuit
Great Lakes shipbuilding and repair giant Fincantieri Bay Shipbuilding broke ground on a new 19,000 sq. ft. machine shop at their Sturgeon Bay, WI location today. Inside the future 300-ft. long building, shipbuilders will have access to two overhead cranes capable of lifting 5 and 30 tons. At the other end of the building there will be offices, restrooms, a lunchroom and a tool room. The facility will primarily support Bay’s repair business. Read the full story by Marine Insight.
Great Lakes Commission
https://www.glc.org/dailynews/20220912-shipbuilding-newfacility
COMMENTARY – Erieites might gripe about the harsh winters that we experience but compared to all of the horrible weather affecting much of the nation, we have it pretty good. Read the full story by Erie-Times News.
Great Lakes Commission
https://www.glc.org/dailynews/20220912-eriesclimate
On September 18, join Save the Dunes as they celebrate the journey and migration of the Monarch butterfly through our region with music and food at Michigan City’s Brewery Lodge & Supper Club. A portion of the proceeds will benefit Save the Dunes’ work to protect and advocate for the Indiana dunes. Read the full story by WBND-LD-TV – South Bend, IN.
Great Lakes Commission
https://www.glc.org/dailynews/20220912-monarchs-savethedunes
Rep. Marcus Evans has introduced a bill that lays the groundwork for a proposed wind farm in Lake Michigan, about 10 miles from the shores of the Southeast Side. The bill sets up a fund that would help the state to compete for federal money, including $230 million for port infrastructure projects available from the U.S. Department of Transportation. Read the full story by Archinect News.
Great Lakes Commission
https://www.glc.org/dailynews/20220912-offshore-windfarm-greatlakes
Queen Elizabeth II died on Thursday at her residence at Balmoral Castle. She was 96 years old. As many people take a moment to look back on her life and legacy following her passing, it includes a moment in Wisconsin history when the British monarch visited the United States. Read the full story by WGBA-TV – Green Bay, WI.
Great Lakes Commission
https://www.glc.org/dailynews/20220909-queenelizabeth-milwaukee
Michigan has had a record number of piping plover chicks. That means the United States is nearly halfway to its goal of having 150 breeding pairs of piping plover parents. The Great Lakes piping plovers have been endangered since the 1980s when as few as 12 to 17 pairs of the birds had fledglings. Read the full story by Michigan Radio.
Great Lakes Commission
https://www.glc.org/dailynews/20220909-greatlakes-pipingplovers
In a press release, U.S. Senator Gary Peters (D-MI) applauded FEMA for its intent to fund the Safeguard Tomorrow through Ongoing Risk Mitigation Act, which is intended to address shoreline erosion and flooding. Read the full story by the Huron Daily Tribune.
Great Lakes Commission
https://www.glc.org/dailynews/20220909-fema-stormact
If you’re in Toronto and have noticed a storm drain covered in green paint, there is a unique and environmentally-focused reason for it. Students at the University of Toronto, a collection of them that go by the “U of T Trash Team,” said the green paint means the storm drain is, in fact, an Enviropod “LittaTrap” that collects trash and litter and “diverts it” from draining into Lake Ontario. Read the full story by CityNews.
Great Lakes Commission
https://www.glc.org/dailynews/20220909-torontostormdrains
Mermaid Straw, the Valparaiso-based reusable straw maker, is partnering with Save the Dunes to clean up West Beach at the Indiana Dunes National Park. The business that makes metallic straws to replace single-use plastics coordinates volunteers to pick up litter on the beaches as part of its mission to save the Earth. Read the full story by NWI Times.
Great Lakes Commission
https://www.glc.org/dailynews/20220909-savethedunes-beachcleanups
The New York State Department of Environmental Conservation (DEC) recently completed two projects to create new spawning habitat for native fish that are critical for local economies and ecological diversity in Jefferson County. Read the full story by the Central New York Business Journal.
Great Lakes Commission
https://www.glc.org/dailynews/20220909-spawningprojects-ontario
Harmful algal blooms now rank with climate change as a systemic ecological threat and a severe public policy challenge. Collaboration between governments has generated formal state, federal, and bi-national commitments to reduce nutrient discharges, and thorough action plans to achieve them. Read the full story by Michigan Radio.
Great Lakes Commission
https://www.glc.org/dailynews/20220909-toxicalgaeblooms
After years of limited action, the federal government is moving forward with multiple plans to establish regulations limiting toxic contamination from two PFAS chemicals used for nearly a century to make products resistant to heat, water, grease and stains. Read the full story by the Indiana Environmental Reporter.
Great Lakes Commission
https://www.glc.org/dailynews/20220909-indianapfasproblem
Over the next six to eight years, the U.S. Army Corps will outfit an engineered channel in the Brandon Road Lock on the Des Plaines River, just outside Chicago, with a series of high-tech barriers that will prevent invasive carp from travelling upstream to Lake Michigan while still allowing boats to pass through. Read the full story by Cottage Life.
Great Lakes Commission
https://www.glc.org/dailynews/20220909-invasivecarp
Work to lift the submerged James Whalen tugboat from Ontario’s Kaministiquia River is set to begin later this week. The century-old tugboat, which the City of Thunder Bay, ON has owned and kept moored along the river for nearly 30 years, took on water and then sank earlier this year. Read the full story by CBC News.
Great Lakes Commission
https://www.glc.org/dailynews/20220909-jameswhalentugboat
A new vessel has joined the U.S. Flag Fleet and has the distinction of being the first to be built on the Great Lakes since the early 1980’s. The ship was built by the Interlake Steamship Company and designed to carry all types of cargo throughout the Great Lakes freshwater system but officials say the vessel was specifically designed to navigate the tight bends of the Cuyahoga River in Cleveland. Read the full story by WJW-TV – Cleveland, OH.
Great Lakes Commission
https://www.glc.org/dailynews/20220831-greatlakesfreighter
Restoring water service to seven southeast Michigan communities affected by an August 13 water main break will take even longer than initially estimated, officials for the Great Lakes Water Authority said. They attribute the delay to needing to send a piece of pipe back to its manufacturer because it didn’t meet specifications. Read the full story by The Detroit News.
Great Lakes Commission
https://www.glc.org/dailynews/20220831-restoringwater-mainbreak
A recent study out of Université du Québec à Rimouski has identified new combinations of contaminants in the St. Lawrence River and Lake Ontario that could affect biodiversity. Read the full story by Global News Canada.
Great Lakes Commission
https://www.glc.org/dailynews/20220831-emergingcontaminants-stlawrenceriver
McGill University researchers and scientists have been busy launching weather balloons high above Quebec this year as part of an effort to better understand regional climate change. Read the full story by CBC News.
Great Lakes Commission
https://www.glc.org/dailynews/20220831-climatechangestudy-stlawrenceriver
Five million Illinoisans live near water systems that utilize Lake Michigan water, which is reported to have “worrisome concentrations” of PFAS, according to a database of Illinois PFAS water testing created by the Chicago Tribune. Local leaders in Illinois have said they were aware of the latest research regarding PFAS are awaiting new guidance from the EPA. Read the full story by The Record North Shore.
Great Lakes Commission
https://www.glc.org/dailynews/20220831-foreverchemicals-treatment-water
City Council members from Toledo, Maumee and Bowling Green joined Rep. Marcy Kaptur at a press conference Tuesday to talk about how the Great Lakes Authority proposal could help northwest Ohio. Read the full story by WNWO-TV – Toledo, OH.
Great Lakes Commission
https://www.glc.org/dailynews/20220831-greatlakesauthorityproposal-kaptur
The Great Lakes are very susceptible to microplastics, because of the enormous amount of industry and the concentration of the population around the lakes. The Cleveland Water Department began testing for microplastics in 2019 and are still working to understand the problem. Read the full story by Spectrum News.
Great Lakes Commission
https://www.glc.org/dailynews/20220831-microplastics-clevelandwater
Authorities posted a public advisory Tuesday at Edgewater Beach in Cleveland, Ohio, after a combined sewer overflow at the beach Monday night, the second time this has happened this month. Read the full story by The Plain Dealer.
Great Lakes Commission
https://www.glc.org/dailynews/20220831-sewageoverflows-lakeerie
Katie Church spent her whole summer searching, finding, and plucking invasive European water chestnut from the Welland River, in the Niagara Region. It’s one of just three known populations in Ontario. Read the full story by CBC News.
Great Lakes Commission
https://www.glc.org/dailynews/20220831-europeanwaterchestnut
The Ohio Division of Wildlife is reminding pet fish owners not to release their aquarium fish into state waters, since they can harm native fish species. Technicians found what appeared to be a foot-long goldfish during a fish survey this month on Lake Erie in Fairport Harbor, the division posted Monday to its Facebook page. Read the full story by WJW-TV – Cleveland, OH.
Great Lakes Commission
https://www.glc.org/dailynews/20220831-hugegoldfish-lakeerie
On Thursday morning, Ohio Governor Mike DeWine, Lt. Governor Jon Husted, Ohio Department of Natural Resources Director Mary Mertz, and members of their staffs boarded boats to enjoy the lake they have worked hard to protect. They fished for perch, cast for walleye, and searched for ways to further collaborate in their efforts to preserve Lake Erie. Read the full story by the Fremont News Messenger.
Great Lakes Commission
https://www.glc.org/dailynews/20220822-ohiogov-lakeeriefishingtrip
How do you make Lake Erie “smart”? The Cleveland Water Alliance (CWA) set out to do just that. Inspired by smart cities where you can get real-time traffic updates or find a parking space on your phone, they wondered… ‘what could the lake tell us?’ Now, the CWA is impacting public health and safety while attracting good-paying jobs to Cleveland. They are diving into the water economy. Read the full story by WKYC-TV – Cleveland, OH.
Great Lakes Commission
https://www.glc.org/dailynews/20220822-smartlakeerie-clejobs
Mike Shoreman said he is first person with a disability to cross all 5 Great Lakes in one summer via paddleboard. Read the full story by Local 4 News – Detroit, MI.
Great Lakes Commission
https://www.glc.org/dailynews/20220822-paddleboarder-greatlakes
The Great Lakes Seaway Partnership today announced the tonnage report for traffic through the St. Lawrence Seaway through July, showing a continuation to a steady 2022 shipping season. Read the full story by KIWA – Sheldon, IA.
Great Lakes Commission
https://www.glc.org/dailynews/20220822-grainshipments-greatlakes-stlawrence
A new Beaver Island passenger ferry is expected to be built in the next three to five years after the state of Michigan budgeted $14 million for the vessel, according to officials of the Beaver Island Boat Company which operates the ferry service between Charlevoix, Michigan and Beaver Island in Lake Michigan. Read the full story by Mlive.com.
Great Lakes Commission
https://www.glc.org/dailynews/20220822-beaverisland-ferry
A project near Superior is part of a plan to restore habitat for marsh birds in the Great Lakes region. Read the full story by Wisconsin Public Radio.
Great Lakes Commission
https://www.glc.org/dailynews/20220822-birdloss-greatlakesregion
When Sen. Gary Peters, in a committee hearing this month, asked a senior official whether the Air Force would begin using new federal health advisory levels for PFAS in its cleanups, the answer was equivocal. Read the full story by MLive.
Great Lakes Commission
https://www.glc.org/dailynews/20220822-airforce-new-epa-pfaslimits
An Ontario family paddled for 195 kilometres downstream on the St. Lawrence River this summer, in pursuit of a mission to canoe all the way from Guelph, Ont., to the Atlantic Ocean. Their canoe journey started six years ago, when some members of the family decided to explore the rivers near Guelph, their hometown. Read the full story by CBC News.
Great Lakes Commission
https://www.glc.org/dailynews/20220822-ontariofamilypaddles-stlawrenceriver
There have been more beach advisories issued this week along parts of Lake Superior. The Minnesota Department of Health says the only current advisory to not enter the water is at Twin Points Public Access Beach, north of Gooseberry Falls State Park, which began on Tuesday. The alert is due to water testing finding elevated E. coli bacteria levels. Read the full story by Fox 21 Online.
Great Lakes Commission
https://www.glc.org/dailynews/20220822-ripcurrentrisks-ecolioutbreaks
The Great Lakes Water Authority announced that the boil water advisory, which has been in effect for seven communities since a water main break was discovered on Aug. 13, has been lifted. Only one business in Greenwood remains under a boil water advisory. Read the full story by The Detroit News.
Great Lakes Commission
https://www.glc.org/dailynews/20220822-watermainbreak-boiladvisorylifted
Two major studies are underway to try to better understand why mallard duck populations are declining in the U.S. The Great Lakes population has been down by about 16-17%. Researchers are using new technology to help solve the mystery. Read the full story by WKAR.
Great Lakes Commission
https://www.glc.org/dailynews/20220812-mallardpopulations-greatlakes
Pelicans are becoming a common sight on many state waterways, including the Winnebago System, Mississippi River, the Fox River and Green Bay. The birds have earned a starring role in the book of modern Wisconsin wildlife recovery stories. Read the full story by the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel.
Great Lakes Commission
https://www.glc.org/dailynews/20220812-featheredjewels-whitepelicans-wi
Climate change is imposing new challenges for the Great Lakes, such as lost ice cover, intensifying storms and fluctuating lake levels. However, so far, the impact of climate change on the health of the lakes is “undetermined,” according to the report. Read the full story by the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel.
Great Lakes Commission
https://www.glc.org/dailynews/20220812-stateofthegreatlakes-climatechange
Several invasive species, such as the zebra mussel, are native to the Ponto-Caspian region, which includes the Black, Caspian and Azov Seas, and were imported to North America by transoceanic ships. These species are known to have disrupted ecosystems around the world, including those of the Great Lakes and St. Lawrence River. However, the impacts of these invaders on native biodiversity appear to have been less extensive in the St. Lawrence River than in the Great Lakes. This phenomenon might be explained by the river’s weaker conductivity. Read the full story by The Conversation.
Great Lakes Commission
https://www.glc.org/dailynews/20220812-stlawrenceriver-hostiletoinvasivespecies
Gov. Tony Evers, together with Minnesota Gov. Tim Walz, announced Thursday their departments of transportation will seek $889.5 million in federal funding, available through the Bipartisan Infrastructure Law (BIL), also known as the Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act, to rebuild the John A. Blatnik Bridge between Duluth and Superior. Read the full story by Business North.
Great Lakes Commission
https://www.glc.org/dailynews/20220812-federalfunds-duluthsuperiorbridgeproject
The first blue-green algae bloom appeared in Lake Superior a decade ago and until 2018, the blooms were small and short-lived, lasting from only a few hours to a day. But for Brenda Moraska Lafrancois, an aquatic ecologist for the National Park Service, a “sinking feeling” lingered long after the 2018 bloom. She realized this “wasn’t just a fluke but maybe part of a recurring pattern.” Read the full story by the Milwaukee Sentinel.
Great Lakes Commission
https://www.glc.org/dailynews/20220812-bluegreenalgae-lakesuperior
Saildrone, a California based company that provides data solutions for maritime security, ocean mapping, and ocean data, launched two Saildrone Explorer uncrewed surface vehicles Tuesday on a large-scale mission in Lake Superior to support the sustainable management of the $7 billion per year Great Lakes fishery. Read the full story by TB News Watch.
Great Lakes Commission
https://www.glc.org/dailynews/20220812-drones-lakesuperior
The Great Lakes region is enjoying another year of lower water levels and wider beaches. July water levels on Lake Michigan and Lake Huron are down more than 2 feet from 2020, a year of near historic highs when waves devoured cherished stretches of sandy coastline. With the exception of Lake Ontario, the other Great Lakes are falling as well. Read the full story by the Chicago Tribune.
Great Lakes Commission
https://www.glc.org/dailynews/20220812-lakemiwaterlevels
Lake Erie Energy Development Corp. may resume its long-stalled efforts to build the first offshore wind project in the U.S. Great Lakes after the Ohio Supreme Court rejected a challenge to its permit. Read the full story by G Captain.
Great Lakes Commission
https://www.glc.org/dailynews/20220812-ohiosupremecourt-greatlakesoffshorewind
Over 60 nature organizations in Ontario have signed a letter calling on both the federal and provincial governments to officially protect the Great Lakes. This letter asks David Piccini, Ontario’s minister of environment, conservation and parks, and federal Minister of Environment and Climate Change Steven Guilbeault to designate the lakes as a national marine conservation area. Read the full story by Canada’s National Observer.
Great Lakes Commission
https://www.glc.org/dailynews/20220812-ontario-natureorganizations
An annual effort to clean the waters of Marquette’s Lower Harbor is returning Saturday. For the fourth straight year, the Great Lakes Scuba Divers and Lake Preservation Club is holding its Underwater Cleanup. Each year, divers from the U.P. and even the Midwest have come to the Lower Harbor to pick up tons of tires and other junk at the bottom of Lake Superior. Read the full story by WLUC-TV – Marquette, MI.
Great Lakes Commission
https://www.glc.org/dailynews/20220805-scubadivers-marquettesharbor
Bottles, bottle caps, straws, lighters, beach toys, bags, and dental floss picks. All these items have one thing in common — plastic bits and pieces washed ashore on the beaches of the Great Lakes. In collaboration with SEA LIFE Michigan Aquarium inside Great Lakes Crossing in Auburn Hills, Royal Oak, artist Hannah Tizedes spent over a year collecting trash from the Great Lakes to create a six-foot-long mosaic of repurposed plastic. Read the full story by The Oakland Press.
Great Lakes Commission
https://www.glc.org/dailynews/20220805-royaloakartist-trashintotreasure-greatlakes
Scenic road trips just got supercharged as the Midwest works together to create an electric route along the Lake Michigan shoreline. The Lake Michigan EV Circuit Tour will be a network of electric vehicle chargers spanning over 1,100 miles of drivable shoreline around Lake Michigan. Read the full story by MLive.
Great Lakes Commission
https://www.glc.org/dailynews/20220805-lakemishoreline-electicroute
