After 100 years of coordinated effort, 98% of all the sea lamprey in the Great Lakes have been eliminated. Researchers are looking towards modern technology to eliminate that last 2%. Read the full story by Great Lakes Now.
Great Lakes Commission
https://www.glc.org/dailynews/20220708-sealampreycontrol
Fisheries researchers go to great lengths, or sometimes deep waters, to seek answers to their questions. Recently, an interdisciplinary team of scientists aboard the Michigan Department of Natural Resources’ (DNR) research vessel Lake Char discovered the deepest occurrence of lake char (or lake trout) spawning in the Great Lakes at a depth of over 400 feet off the north side of Isle Royale in Lake Superior. Read the full story by WLUC-TV – Negaunee, MI.
Great Lakes Commission
https://www.glc.org/dailynews/20220708-egghunt
Ann Arbor, Mich. – The Great Lakes Commission (GLC) passed resolutions supporting USGS science programs and short-sea shipping, and approved an Action Plan for a Resilient Great Lakes Basin at its 2022 semiannual meeting, held in Green Bay, Wisconsin, this week.
“The Great Lakes Commission is thrilled to be meeting in Green Bay to work on critical issues for the lakes, including climate resiliency and providing clean and safe drinking water for our communities,” said GLC Chair Todd L. Ambs, of Wisconsin. “We are grateful to our commissioners, observers, and friends for joining our first in-person meeting since 2019.”
During the meeting, the GLC heard remarks from Governor Tony Evers, Wisconsin Senator André Jacque, and Green Bay Mayor Eric Genrich and were joined by expert panels on reducing nutrient runoff in Great Lakes watersheds, ensuring infrastructure investments are accessible to disadvantaged and small communities, protecting Great Lakes shorelines, and integrating regional research efforts. Commissioners and guests also discussed conservation opportunities in the 2023 Farm Bill and work on a draft regional blueprint for water infrastructure to be released later this year. Commissioners and guests also visited several area farms to learn about conservation practices that help improve water quality and support the needs of farmers contributing to the region’s food supply.
The Commission also took action to establish an ad-hoc committee exploring opportunities for the Great Lakes Circle Tour and approved a request from the Council of the Great Lakes Region to serve as an official observer to the GLC.
The GLC will next meet for its annual meeting, October 11-13, in Erie, Pennsylvania.
The Great Lakes Commission, led by chair Todd L. Ambs, deputy secretary of the Wisconsin Department of Natural Resources (retired), is a binational government agency established in 1955 to protect the Great Lakes and the economies and ecosystems they support. Its membership includes leaders from the eight U.S. states and two Canadian provinces in the Great Lakes basin. The GLC recommends policies and practices to balance the use, development, and conservation of the water resources of the Great Lakes and brings the region together to work on issues that no single community, state, province, or nation can tackle alone. Learn more at www.glc.org.
Great Lakes Commission
https://www.glc.org/news/glc-sam-greenbay-061022
Ann Arbor, Mich. – The Great Lakes HABs Collaborative today released two new fact sheets on the impacts of harmful algal blooms (HABs) on human health. The GLC released the fact sheets in advance of HABs season in the Great Lakes basin; early season projections for the annual bloom in Lake Erie began in May and are accessible on NOAA’s website and also shared on Blue Accounting’s website.
The first fact sheet summarizes emerging research on chronic HABs toxin exposure on the body, including on the respiratory, neurological and cardiovascular systems. According to recent lab studies, HAB toxins may cause inflammation in the lungs and disrupt lung cell structure; may damage neurons and disrupt normal brain cell function; and can lead to cardiac inflammation and tissue scarring. Frequency of exposure, dose, and personal health conditions play an important role in how any of the various toxins that may be produced by a HAB can affect a person’s health. When spending time along Great Lakes coasts and inland waters, it is important to be aware of any signs posting local health advisories, which may include warnings related to the presence of a HAB.
The second fact sheet summarizes the current understanding of the effects of inhalation of HABs aerosols: when a HAB is agitated (by waves, wind, or boat traffic), it may release aerosols into the air, and aerosols generated from water with HABs have been found to contain HAB toxins. Some animal studies have demonstrated negative health consequences such as inflammation from the inhalation of HABs aerosols and some water users have reported respiratory irritation. An epidemiological study found respiratory symptoms were more likely in humans exposed to high levels of HAB aerosols.
“We already knew that the annual bloom in Western Lake Erie, and other HABs across the Great Lakes, have adverse effects on the environment and economy in communities across the basin,” said Todd L. Ambs, chair of the Great Lakes Commission, which leads the Great Lakes HABs Collaborative in partnership with the U.S. Geological Survey – Great Lakes Science Center. “Now emerging science is showing us that the human health effects of HABs can be broad and serious as well. This is more evidence that we need to act now on a federal, regional, jurisdictional, and local level to combat HABs in the Great Lakes basin.”
Freshwater HABs are an annual occurrence during the summer and fall in the nearshore areas of the Great Lakes, as well as in inland waterbodies, and have the potential to disrupt ecosystems, impact water and air quality, and deter recreation. The Great Lakes HABs Collaborative is working to establish a common agenda on science and management needs to help the region work together to prevent and manage HABs.
The Great Lakes Commission, led by chair Todd L. Ambs, deputy secretary of the Wisconsin Department of Natural Resources (retired), is a binational government agency established in 1955 to protect the Great Lakes and the economies and ecosystems they support. Its membership includes leaders from the eight U.S. states and two Canadian provinces in the Great Lakes basin. The GLC recommends policies and practices to balance the use, development, and conservation of the water resources of the Great Lakes and brings the region together to work on issues that no single community, state, province, or nation can tackle alone. Learn more at www.glc.org.
Great Lakes Commission
https://www.glc.org/news/habs-factsheets-060122
Ann Arbor, Mich. – The Invasive Mussel Collaborative (IMC) today announced the release of a coordination tool to help protect the Great Lakes basin from the impacts of invasive mussels. The new “Dreissena Project Coordination Mapper” allows researchers and managers to share their work and collaborate with others for the advancement and protection of waterways from invasive mussels in the Great Lakes and beyond. The mapper features 120 past and current projects from across North America and new project information is being accepted on an ongoing basis.
“Since first appearing in the Great Lakes in the late 1980s, invasive zebra and quagga mussels have caused significant ecological and economic damage across the basin,” said Todd L. Ambs, chair of the Great Lakes Commission, which leads the IMC with the U.S. Geological Survey (USGS), the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) and the Great Lakes Fishery Commission. “This new tool will help equip jurisdictions to better respond to current invasions and prevent them in the future by allowing researchers to identify potential collaborators who are using similar or complementary approaches.”
A frequently updated project database is helpful to capture the current state of science for dynamic areas of research such as dreissenid mussel control. The mapper will improve coordination of invasive mussel research and control by facilitating sharing projects during the early stages, opening up the opportunity to develop new collaborations without having to wait until results are published.
The IMC was established to provide a framework for communication and coordination between a broad membership base of states, provinces, tribal and other entities to determine management objectives for invasive mussels and identify and guide research needed to achieve those objectives. The Dreissena Project Coordination Mapper was debuted by research scientists out of USGS and NOAA which led tool development at a symposium on invasive species collaboratives at the 2022 Joint Aquatic Sciences Meeting on May 20.
The Great Lakes Commission, led by chair Todd L. Ambs, deputy secretary of the Wisconsin Department of Natural Resources (retired), is a binational government agency established in 1955 to protect the Great Lakes and the economies and ecosystems they support. Its membership includes leaders from the eight U.S. states and two Canadian provinces in the Great Lakes basin. The GLC recommends policies and practices to balance the use, development, and conservation of the water resources of the Great Lakes and brings the region together to work on issues that no single community, state, province, or nation can tackle alone. Learn more at www.glc.org.
Great Lakes Commission
https://www.glc.org/news/imc-researchtool
The City of Manitowoc, WI is again reminding residents it is unlawful to place grass clippings in city streets and alleys. When mowing your lawn, the city asks that you direct the blower away from the street and clean up any grass clippings that make it there. Grass blown into the street can easily enter the storm sewer, which ends up in rivers and lakes. Read the full story by the Herald Times Reporter.
Great Lakes Commission
https://www.glc.org/dailynews/20220523-manitowoc-wi-grassclippings
The weather is getting warmer, attracting Chicagoans to the water. While people enjoy the lakefront, there is a darker side to the summer as it’s the highest water rescue season in Chicago. Read the full story by the DePaulia.
Great Lakes Commission
https://www.glc.org/dailynews/20220523-increase-waterrescues-chicago
Ashtabula County’s neighbor to the north – Lake Erie – is expected to offer a good fishing experience in 2022, experts say. Read the full story by the Star Beacon.
Great Lakes Commission
https://www.glc.org/dailynews/20220523-lakeerie-walleyecapital
The summer months are just around the corner and with all the runoff water from this recent rain, there’s a potential threat to those considering a swim in Lake Superior. Read the full story by CBS 3 – Duluth, MN.
Great Lakes Commission
https://www.glc.org/dailynews/20220523-bluegreenalgae-threat-duluth
Details on how to finance the Village of Minooka’s $20 million stake in the Grand Prairie Water Commission that would bring Lake Michigan water to town were reviewed by trustees at a committee of the whole workshop held last week. Read the full story by WSPY – Plano, IL.
Great Lakes Commission
https://www.glc.org/dailynews/20220523-minooka-lakemiwater
Fishing seasons for muskellunge begin on June 1 in inland waters and June 15 in Great Lakes waters (Lake Erie, upper Niagara River, lower Niagara River, Lake Ontario, and the St. Lawrence River), according to state Department of Environmental Conservation officials. Read the full story by the Lockport Journal.
Great Lakes Commission
https://www.glc.org/dailynews/20220523-muskiefishing
That blissful beach getaway you’ve been yearning for is much closer than you realize. Historically a busy trading post, Southampton, just a three-hour drive northwest from Toronto, features a sandy beach along Lake Huron, a community full of beautiful homes, more good food than you’ll have time to enjoy and an award-winning craft beer. Read the full story by the Toronto Star.
Great Lakes Commission
https://www.glc.org/dailynews/20220523-lakehuron-southhampton
While the city has found no evidence of rogue sewage spills, an overwhelmed sewer system in the lower city that combines storm water and sewage in the same pipes has overflowed 44 times this year. Read the full story by the Hamilton Spectator.
Great Lakes Commission
https://www.glc.org/dailynews/20220523-smellyalgae-hamilitonwestharbour
Corälee Allaert, a 22-year-old University of Guelph student, has decided to tackle a big challenge to make something positive in her life. She will be swimming across two of the Great Lakes to commemorate the youth who have lost their lives to suicide. Read the full story by Guelph Today.
Great Lakes Commission
https://www.glc.org/dailynews/20220523-swimming-greatlakes
EDITORIAL – The rise in fuel prices has prompted renewed interest in expanding container shipping at America’s Great Lakes ports, like Duluth and Cleveland. There is potential for Port of Duluth to develop containerized dry bulk agricultural exports to Europe, where growing numbers of customers are willing to take delivery of containers of agricultural produce. Read the full story by The Maritime Executive.
Great Lakes Commission
https://www.glc.org/dailynews/20220523-greatlakes-containershipping
The Great Lakes have been receding from record high water levels over the past few years. The amount of water that has left the Great Lakes is staggering. Each Great Lake peaked in a different year, and each of the Great Lakes’ water levels have fallen from there. Read the full story by MLive.
Great Lakes Commission
https://www.glc.org/dailynews/20220520-lakemichigan-lakehuron-waterloss
Fishing reports from charter captains and walleye tournament anglers have spotlighted the outstanding early-season walleye fishing in the deeper waters of the Central Basin of Lake Erie. Read the full story by The Plain Dealer.
Great Lakes Commission
https://www.glc.org/dailynews/20220520-lakeerie-walleyefishing
The round goby, a prolific and destructive invasive fish, has spread from the Great Lakes all the way to the Hudson River. New York’s canal operators are trying to keep it from invading Lake Champlain too. Read the full story by The River.
Great Lakes Commission
https://www.glc.org/dailynews/20220520-roundgoby-hudsonriver
The round goby, a prolific and destructive invasive fish, has spread from the Great Lakes all the way to the Hudson River. New York’s canal operators are trying to keep it from invading Lake Champlain too. Read the full story by The River.
Great Lakes Commission
https://www.glc.org/dailynews/20220520-roundgoby-hudsonriver
Fishing seasons for muskellunge begin on June 1 in inland waters and June 15 in the Great Lakes waters of Lake Erie, Upper Niagara River, Lower Niagara River, Lake Ontario, and the St. Lawrence River. Read the full story by The Daily News.
Great Lakes Commission
https://www.glc.org/dailynews/20220520-muskieseason-greatlakes
Fishing seasons for muskellunge begin on June 1 in inland waters and June 15 in the Great Lakes waters of Lake Erie, Upper Niagara River, Lower Niagara River, Lake Ontario, and the St. Lawrence River. Read the full story by The Daily News.
Great Lakes Commission
https://www.glc.org/dailynews/20220520-muskieseason-greatlakes
Michigan Senator Gary Peters has introduced legislation to strengthen federal pipeline safety measures and mandate better oil spill cleanup methods. The new legislation is called Preventing Releases of Toxic Environment Contaminants Threatening Our Great Lakes Act – called PROTECT for short. Read the full story by Michigan Radio.
Great Lakes Commission
https://www.glc.org/dailynews/20220520-legislation-preventoilspills-greatlakes
Fish caught in certain areas of Akwesasne should not be consumed. This is based on a warning from the Saint Regis Mohawk Tribe’s Environment Division. Read the full story by ABC50 NOW.
Great Lakes Commission
https://www.glc.org/dailynews/20220520-contaminatedfish-ny
The first U.S. Navy vessel to dock in the local port since 1993, when the Navy conducted regular Great Lakes tours, was outlined in festive bunting Thursday as it docked on Rice’s Point. The hulking, nearly 400-foot war ship USS Minneapolis-Saint Paul is scheduled to be commissioned into the Navy during a ceremony at 10 a.m. Saturday in Duluth, Minnesota. Read the full story by The Bemidji Pioneer.
Great Lakes Commission
https://www.glc.org/dailynews/20220520-warship-duluth
Algal blooms can become toxic under the right conditions. Researchers project an average bloom in 2022 based on current observations and rain forecasts. Read the full story by WDET – Detroit, MI.
Great Lakes Commission
https://www.glc.org/dailynews/20220520-lakeerie-algaebloompredictions
Great Lakes ports are seeing a major jump in agriculture exports as the war in Ukraine’s ripple effects on global grain markets continue to play out. Read the full story by Michigan Farm News.
Great Lakes Commission
https://www.glc.org/dailynews/20220520-greatlakesshipments
From Memorial Day to Labor Day, the boat will focus on cleaning up Lake Michigan, Green Bay, and the Fox River. They’ll specifically target areas around marinas, where they expect to find concentrations of litter. Read the full story by Spectrum News 1.
Great Lakes Commission
https://www.glc.org/dailynews/20220520-pollutionvessel-greatlakes
A pair of 20-something lake sturgeons in a “touch tank” are ready to greet summer visitors to a new freshwater science center at Lake Superior State University in Sault Ste. Marie, Michigan. Read the full story by MLive.
Great Lakes Commission
https://www.glc.org/dailynews/20220518-lakeerie-algalbloom
A pair of 20-something lake sturgeons in a “touch tank” are ready to greet summer visitors to a new freshwater science center at Lake Superior State University in Sault Ste. Marie, Michigan. Read the full story by MLive.
Great Lakes Commission
https://www.glc.org/dailynews/20220518-sturgeon-touchtank
The city of South Haven, Michigan, has the authority to close beaches and Lake Michigan piers when there are unsafe conditions, after a new ordinance was adopted in January. Read the full story by MLive.
Great Lakes Commission
https://www.glc.org/dailynews/20220518-southhaven-unsafepiers
The Pennsylvania Fish and Boat Commission has awarded money through its Boating Facility Grant Program that will lead to several new fishing and boating access areas open to public use. Read the full story by The Patriot-News.
Great Lakes Commission
https://www.glc.org/dailynews/20220518-pa-anglers-access
Have you caught any odd-looking walleye from Lake Huron? The Michigan Department of Natural Resources said it had received several reports of possible tissue degeneration in walleye from Lake Huron in the town of Au Gres, Michigan. Read the full story by WSMH-TV – Flint, MI.
Great Lakes Commission
https://www.glc.org/dailynews/20220518-discoloredwalleye
For two centuries, Marblehead Lighthouse has been a towering mainstay along Lake Erie’s shoreline. The Ohio Department of Natural Resources is hosting a series of events this year to honor Marblehead Lighthouse’s bicentennial anniversary. Read the full story by the Fremont News-Messenger.
Great Lakes Commission
https://www.glc.org/dailynews/20220518-marbleheadlighthouse
Researchers from the University of Michigan, Michigan State University, and Wayne State University met in Traverse City, Michigan, to discuss the impacts of microplastics pollution. More than 22 million pounds of plastic go into the Great Lakes every year. Read the full story by WKBD-TV – Detroit, MI.
Great Lakes Commission
https://www.glc.org/dailynews/20220518-freighter-microplastics-greatlakes
If you want to feel small, stand a few feet from a 740-foot freighter as it slides past on its way out of a 1,200-foot shipping lock at the Soo Locks in Sault Ste. Marie, Michigan. Read the full story by MLive.
Great Lakes Commission
https://www.glc.org/dailynews/20220518-freighter-soolocks
More than $100 million in funding for restoration to portions of the St. Louis River near Duluth, Minnesota, was announced by the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency Tuesday. A large portion will be funded through President Biden’s infrastructure law, which will accelerate long-awaited work in St. Louis River Area of Concern on Lake Superior. Read the full story by KSMP-TV – Duluth, MN.
Great Lakes Commission
https://www.glc.org/dailynews/20220518-greatlakes-duluth-restorationprojects
U.S. Army Corps of Engineers officials are forecasting that Great Lakes water levels will continue their seasonal rise. Read the full story by Radio Results Network.
Great Lakes Commission
https://www.glc.org/dailynews/20220518-greatlakes-waterlevels
Indigenous water protectors from Great Lakes tribes and their supporters are calling on a federal agency to fully review and reject a Line 5 project in northern Wisconsin, which they say would be “an act of cultural genocide” if permitted by the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers (USACE). Read the full story by the Michigan Advance.
Great Lakes Commission
https://www.glc.org/dailynews/20220511-indigenouswomen-line5reroute
The S.S. Badger is set to make its first voyage of the season on Thursday. The 410-foot Great Lakes car ferry will sail 60 miles from Ludington to Manitowoc, Wisconsin sporting a fresh coat of paint. Read the full story by the Manistee News Advocate.
Great Lakes Commission
https://www.glc.org/dailynews/20220511-ssbadger-michigan
Michigan is set to receive more than $1 billion over the next five years to repair water infrastructure. The federal funds are an opportunity to reinvest in essential public works. Read the full story by Great Lakes Now.
Great Lakes Commission
https://www.glc.org/dailynews/20220511-michigan-infrastructurewindfall
The University of Toledo christened its newest research vessel Tuesday at the Lake Erie Center. The 21-foot R/V Spangler, named after the late charter boat captain and water quality advocate Dave Spangler, will replace the Mayflier. Read the full story by WNWO-TV – Toledo, OH.
Great Lakes Commission
https://www.glc.org/dailynews/20220511-lakeerie-newvessel
A University of Michigan research team says it could not find a clear link between increasing seismic activity and recent high water levels in Lake Erie. Read the full story by MLive.
Great Lakes Commission
https://www.glc.org/dailynews/20220511-lakeerie-earthquakestudy
The first cruise ship since 2013 to arrive in Duluth’s harbor will arrive May 30 and dock at the new customs facility in the Duluth Entertainment Convention Center. Read the full story by Duluth News Tribune.
Great Lakes Commission
https://www.glc.org/dailynews/20220511-duluthport-cruiseship
The University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee hopes to get more students interested in Great Lakes research by taking them out on research vessel Neeskay. Read the full story by Spectrum News 1.
Great Lakes Commission
https://www.glc.org/dailynews/20220511-greatlakesresearch-neeskay
It’s the oldest mystery on the Great Lakes: Whatever happened to the Griffon? It was the first big ship to sail the Great Lakes. Loaded with furs in what’s now Wisconsin, the Griffon was said to have sunk somewhere in northern Lake Michigan in 1679. A couple in Charlevoix, Michigan, think they’ve found it. Read the full story by the Detroit Free Press.
Great Lakes Commission
https://www.glc.org/dailynews/20220511-griffon-glshipwreck
Sleeping Bear Dunes National Lakeshore’s first Great Lakes piping plover nests of 2022 have been spotted, kicking off what’s hoped to be another great summer for the endangered bird. Read the full story by MLive.
Great Lakes Commission
https://www.glc.org/dailynews/20220511-pipingplover-firstnest
If you are looking for an escape from the unseasonably warm weather, taking a dip in the Great Lakes isn’t a good option yet, according to surface water temperature data. Read the full story by Midland Daily News.
Great Lakes Commission
https://www.glc.org/dailynews/20220511-heatwave-unsafewatertemps
After getting wiped out in the early 1900s due to fur traders and deteriorating water conditions in the Detroit River, river otters have officially made their triumphant return to southeast Michigan, local biologists happily announced on Friday. Read and listen to the full story by WWJ Newsradio 950 – Detroit, MI.
Great Lakes Commission
https://www.glc.org/dailynews/20220502-ottersdetroitriver
Great Lakes Awareness Day celebrates the Great Lakes and highlights the issues they face, and how the lakes can be preserved. Read the full story by the Telegraph Forum.
Great Lakes Commission
https://www.glc.org/dailynews/20220502-glawarenessday
The Viking Octantis, the first of two new purpose-built expedition ships from the cruise ship company Viking, stopped in Port Colborne, ON Sunday during its inaugural voyage in the Great Lakes. Read the full story by the Niagara Falls Review.
Great Lakes Commission
https://www.glc.org/dailynews/20220502-vikingoctantis
