The contested case hearing over Wisconsin state permits issued to Enbridge Energy for its Line 5 reroute project have begun, and both sides in the case already have staked out positions at opposite ends of the spectrum. Read the full story by the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel.
Great Lakes Commission
https://www.glc.org/dailynews/20250813-enbridge-line5-pipeline
The Michigan Maritime Museum in South Haven, Michigan, will hold its final Lunch and Learn lecture of the summer next week by taking a look at the women who have played a role in Great Lakes history. Read the full story by WSJM – Benton Harbor, MI.
Great Lakes Commission
https://www.glc.org/dailynews/20250806-michigan-maritime-museum-women-greatlakes-history
The sandy shorelines and fresh breezes offered by the beaches along the Great Lakes often have tourists flocking to these destinations in the summer. Check out these six travel options which span all five Great Lakes. Read the full story The New York Times.
Great Lakes Commission
https://www.glc.org/dailynews/20250806-blissful-beachy-getaway-greatlakes
A cyanobacteria bloom is expanding in western Lake Erie, covering an area of about 160 square miles from the shoreline of Monroe County, Michigan, to the shoreline of Ottawa County, Ohio. Read the full story by CBS News.
Great Lakes Commission
https://www.glc.org/dailynews/20250806-cyanobacteria-bloom-lakeerie
In honor of National Lighthouse Day, celebrated on Aug. 7, Michigan lighthouse keepers who “kept the beacon burning before modern technology guided the way” will have their stories told. Read the full story by MLive.
Great Lakes Commission
https://www.glc.org/dailynews/20250806-michigan-national-lighthouse-day
Milwaukee’s famous abandoned boat, Deep Thought, has a new captain. The boat, which served as a temporary visitor attraction on Lake Michigan’s shoreline, sold for $2,525 on Aug. 5 after a less-than-stellar two-week bidding process, falling short of the county’s hoped-for $20,000. Read the full story by the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel.
Great Lakes Commission
https://www.glc.org/dailynews/20250806-milwaukee-deepthought-sells-auction
Long a threat to southern Ontario lakes, climate change is allowing cyanobacteria, also known as blue-green algae, to thrive in even the coldest of the Great Lakes. Read the full story by The Narwhal.
Great Lakes Commission
https://www.glc.org/dailynews/20250806-blue-green-algae-lakesuperior
The Great Lakes Surf Festival nonprofit says it wants to bring people together, and promote and educate guests on water sports, particularly on the Great Lakes. Read the full story by the Lansing State Journal.
Great Lakes Commission
https://www.glc.org/dailynews/20250806-lake-michigan-muskegon-surf-festival
Conservation Halton officially launched the Lake Ontario Coastal Resilience Pilot Project last month. The pilot is backed by a $1.5 million investment from the Government of Canada’s Climate-Resilience Coastal Communities (CRCC) Program and is one of only three Great Lakes projects selected for funding. Read the full story by CJML – Milton, ON.
Great Lakes Commission
https://www.glc.org/dailynews/20250806-pilot-stengthen-lakeontario
Maritime history is sailing into Lake Michigan this week and inviting guests onboard to step into the past. The 80-foot schooner, When And If, and the 115-foot schooner, Liberty Clipper, will be docked Aug. 7-10 in Grand Haven, Michigan. Read the full story by MLive.
Great Lakes Commission
https://www.glc.org/dailynews/20250806-grand-haven-sailing
Cleveland-area beachgoers can enjoy the water at Edgewater, Villa Angela, and Huntington beaches Wednesday, with all reported to be in good condition for swimming. Read the full story by The Plain Dealer.
Great Lakes Commission
https://www.glc.org/dailynews/20250806-cleveland-area-lakefront-beaches-swimming
An updated report confirms climate change is affecting the Great Lakes region through warmer and wetter weather, greater fluctuation in lake levels and disappearing fish populations. Read the full story by Wisconsin Public Radio.
Great Lakes Commission
https://www.glc.org/dailynews/20250721-report-climate-change-warmerweather-greatlakes
The Great Lakes have a rich history of ghost stories and maritime lore. Lake Superior’s “Shipwreck Coast” is known for numerous shipwrecks and ghost ship sightings. Read the full story by the Lansing State Journal.
Great Lakes Commission
https://www.glc.org/dailynews/20250721-greatlakes-lore-ghoststories
The federal funding that pays for much of Great Lakes water, weather and ice cover monitoring is at risk in the Trump administration’s proposed NOAA budget for 2026, while the Senate has proposed keeping the funding largely in place. Meanwhile, people who work in data collection and commercial shipping grapple with the uncertainty and say sweeping budget and staffing cuts could inadvertently put ship captains and other boaters at risk. Read the full story by The Detroit News.
Great Lakes Commission
https://www.glc.org/dailynews/20250721-shipping-industry-greatlakes-programs-cuts
Invasive sea lamprey control in Michigan’s Grand River is getting a boost thanks to a $2.1 million federal grant awarded to the Great Lakes Fishery Commission. Read the full story by MLive.
Great Lakes Commission
https://www.glc.org/dailynews/20250721-grand-rapids-vampires-greatlakes-grant
On the third Sunday of July, the community in Superior, Wisconsin, shows its appreciation for the great lake with Lake Superior Day. Read the full story by WDIO-TV – Duluth, MN.
Great Lakes Commission
https://www.glc.org/dailynews/20250721-lakesuperiorday-appreciation-education
The annual Chicago Yacht Club Race to Mackinac Island kicked off with strong winds this weekend, but winds turned so light that as of 9 p.m. Sunday, only two of the 285 entries had crossed the finish line. Read the full story by MLive.
Great Lakes Commission
https://www.glc.org/dailynews/20250721-macrac-sailors
During the upcoming Mackinac Bridge Swim, a fundraiser for first responders, dedicated swimmers will traverse the 4.5 mile Straits of Mackinac. Read the full story by the Detroit Free Press.
Great Lakes Commission
https://www.glc.org/dailynews/20250721-swimmers-straitsofmackinac
Harmful algal blooms have appeared in two locations in Lake Erie, including Sandusky Bay. Toxins have been detected in the Sandusky Bay bloom but no toxins have been reported yet in the western basin. Read the full story by the Sandusky Register.
Great Lakes Commission
https://www.glc.org/dailynews/20250721-algalblooms-lakeerie-sanduskybay
Lake Michigan is the deadliest lake in America, statistics show. Yet, there are no lifeguards at 99% of the public beaches, all while coastal towns rake in hundreds of thousands of dollars in beach parking fees, and the state of Michigan collects millions more in vehicle park permits and billions in tourism dollars. Read the full story by the Detroit Free Press.
Great Lakes Commission
https://www.glc.org/dailynews/20250721-lakemichigan-deadliestlake
NOAA’s Great Lakes Environmental Research Laboratory has released information following last month’s “significant meteotsunami and seiche” on Lake Superior. The strong low pressure system moved across Lake Superior on the morning of June 21, which caused rapid and significant water level changes. Read the full story by WXYZ-TV – Detroit, MI.
Great Lakes Commission
https://www.glc.org/dailynews/20250721-meteotsunami-lakesuperior-waterlevels
Need a break from Michigan’s hot and hazy weather? All of the Great Lakes are seeing warmer temperatures this week, making the water warm enough to hop in this weekend. Read the full story by the Detroit Free Press.
Great Lakes Commission
https://www.glc.org/dailynews/20250718-greatlakes-watertemp-warm
A summer intern for the Thunder Bay National Marine Sanctuary (TBNMS) says his favorite part of Alpena, Michigan, is how connected the people are to the Great Lakes. He has spent his summer interning at TBNMS, collecting samples for the sanctuary’s freshwater acidification monitoring project, deploying mooring buoys, learning about shipwrecks, and more. Read the full story by The Alpena News.
Great Lakes Commission
https://www.glc.org/dailynews/20250718-intern-greatlakes-alpena
More research into how to stem the scourge of invasive mussels is needed if Michigan has any hope of revitalizing the collapsing lake whitefish population, fishery experts told state regulators. The experts also advised the state to take up “emergency corrective action” like transferring adult whitefish to different spots in lakes Michigan or Huron, stocking more fish or rearing them for longer. Read the full story by Bridge Michigan.
Great Lakes Commission
https://www.glc.org/dailynews/20250718-whitefish-crisis
Want an epic summer adventure? How about splashing in all five Great Lakes in 24 hours? It’s totally doable, and it’s been done in the past. Read the full story by the Lansing State Journal.
Great Lakes Commission
https://www.glc.org/dailynews/20250718-ultimate-roadtrip-greatlakes
Construction will begin the week of July 21 on a new sea lamprey barrier and trap at the Little Manistee River Weir and egg take facility in Manistee County, Michigan. The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers will design and build the project in coordination with the Great Lakes Fishery Commission, U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service and Michigan Department of Natural Resources. Read the full story by the Huron Daily Tribune.
Great Lakes Commission
https://www.glc.org/dailynews/20250718-sea-lamprey-barrier-work-little-manistee-weir
For more than 130 years, the Western Reserve lay silent beneath Lake Superior — a vanished steel freighter, lost in 1892 along with nearly everyone aboard. But when researchers with the Great Lakes Shipwreck Historical Society found it this spring, they didn’t just locate a wreck. They cracked open new questions about steel’s hidden weaknesses, explored new frontiers in underwater imaging, and reconnected families still carrying the weight of its loss. Read the full story by Bridge Michigan.
Great Lakes Commission
https://www.glc.org/dailynews/20250718-michigan-shipwreck-lessons-depths
This weekend Anishinaabe historian Eric Hemenway will share more Indigenous history of the daily lives of the tribes who made the Great Lakes their homeland. Hemenway’s free classes will focus on the importance of Michigan’s islands. Read the full story by MLive.
Great Lakes Commission
https://www.glc.org/dailynews/20250718-sleepingbeer-indigenous-history-mi-islands
Michigan is seeking comments from the public regarding a permit from energy company Enbridge to construct a tunnel under the Straits of Mackinac that will replace the dual pipelines currently transporting fuel across the state. The massive construction project has been the subject of controversy from advocates concerned about a potential environmental disaster should the infrastructure be damaged. Read the full story by WJBK-TV – Detroit, MI.
Great Lakes Commission
https://www.glc.org/dailynews/20250718-line-5-tunnel-public-comments
Want a free ride across the Wisconsin River? Check. A fast Lake Michigan crossing to avoid Chicago traffic, and get some work done while you’re doing it? Check. Or would you rather cross the Great Lake on a slow, relaxing and historic ship? Check that, too. Read the full story by the Green Bay Press Gazette.
Great Lakes Commission
https://www.glc.org/dailynews/20250718-wisconsin-ferries-free
Rising water temperatures are creating unusual “bathtub conditions” in western Lake Erie this summer, raising concerns for harmful algal blooms. Read the full story by Inside Halton.
Great Lakes Commission
https://www.glc.org/dailynews/20250718-lake-erie-warm
A lake trout recently caught off Sheboygan, Wisconsin, may offer a sign of the long-term success of Great Lakes restoration efforts. Read the full story by the Huron Daily Tribune.
Great Lakes Commission
https://www.glc.org/dailynews/20250709-laketrout-restoration
It’s been 50 years since a freighter sank in the Great Lakes. But in the summer of 2024, one freighter came dangerously close. Read the full story by Great Lakes Now.
Great Lakes Commission
https://www.glc.org/dailynews/20250709-freighter-final-voyage
Michigan fish and wildlife regulators will receive an expert presentation this week on the troubles facing lake whitefish as populations of the iconic Great Lakes species plummet in lakes Michigan and Huron. Read the full story by Bridge Michigan.
Great Lakes Commission
https://www.glc.org/dailynews/20250709-michigan-fishing-regulator-greatlakes-whitefish-crisis
Coming soon to the Michigan Maritime Museum in South Haven, Michigan, will be a film series featuring stories about underrepresented communities connected to the Great Lakes. Read the full story by WSJM – Benton Harbor, MI.
Great Lakes Commission
https://www.glc.org/dailynews/20250709-michigan-maritime-museum-film-showcase
The surface temperature in the western basin of Lake Erie is currently 26 degrees Celsius (78.8 degrees Fahrenheit), and even higher in some places. Elevated water temperature is a contributor to the formation of blue-green algae, which can produce toxins that are harmful to humans and pets. Read the full story by CBC News.
Great Lakes Commission
https://www.glc.org/dailynews/20250709-lakeerie-increase-surface-temperature
Local municipalities and environmental partners are coming together in a landmark effort to build climate resilience along the shores of Lake Huron. Maitland Conservation is launching the Southern Lake Huron Coastal Adaptation Strategy, a comprehensive initiative aimed at protecting 56 kilometers of shoreline from the increasing impacts of climate change. Read the full story by CKNX News Today.
Great Lakes Commission
https://www.glc.org/dailynews/20250709-lakehuron-shoreline-climate
Scientists and students at the University of Michigan Biological Station in Pellston, Michigan, will host a public open house where visitors can learn about the station’s ongoing scientific studies, including the Great Lakes Piping Plover Conservation Team. Read the full story by MLive.
Great Lakes Commission
https://www.glc.org/dailynews/20250709-pipingplover-captive-um-bio-station
A simmering debate over the use of forward-facing sonar to catch fish is heating up on Northwestern Ontario’s Eagle Lake with its world-class muskie fishery. A group of lodge owners on the lake is urging anglers to voluntarily avoid using the advanced technology, out of fear it’s threatening the health of the muskellunge population. Read the full story by Bradford Today.
Great Lakes Commission
https://www.glc.org/dailynews/20250709-fishfinder-technology-muskie-population
Scientists are trying new strategies to manage invasive mussels in Lake Michigan after decades of ecological disruption caused by the fast-spreading species. Read the full story by WISN-TV – Milwaukee, WI.
Great Lakes Commission
https://www.glc.org/dailynews/20250709-invasivemussels-lakemichigan
NOAA is partnering with university scientists on a forecasting model to help predict where and when the western Lake Erie basin is most prone to develop spikes of algal toxin. Read the full story by the Toledo Blade.
Great Lakes Commission
https://www.glc.org/dailynews/20250618-forecast-model-detect-lakeerie-algalblooms-advance
Governor Tony Evers’s Office and the Wisconsin Department of Administration announced the creation of the Wisconsin Great Lakes Coastal Leadership Academy after the Wisconsin Coastal Management Program received a $209,894 grant through NOAA’s Project of Special Merit competition. Read the full story by Seehafer News.
Great Lakes Commission
https://www.glc.org/dailynews/20250618-federalgrant-new-academy-greatlakes-management
Michigan Attorney General Dana Nessel has filed a lawsuit against two Wixom-based automotive suppliers for allegedly continuing to release harmful chemicals into the Huron River after multiple violation notices. Read the full story by Michigan Public.
Great Lakes Commission
https://www.glc.org/dailynews/20250618-state-sues-michigan-companies-toxic-chemicals
Increasingly, residents, legislators and freshwater advocacy groups are calling for municipalities to more carefully consider where the water that supplies data centers will come from and how it will be managed. Even in the water-rich Great Lakes region, those are important questions as erratic weather patterns fueled by climate change affect water resources. Read the full story by Great Lakes Now.
Great Lakes Commission
https://www.glc.org/dailynews/20250618-data-centers-illinois
Some passengers on a cruise ship are getting their first taste of the U.P. Tuesday morning, Victory Cruise Lines’ Victory II docked at Lower Harbor in Marquette around 6:30 a.m. Read the full story by WLUC-TV – Negaunee, MI.
Great Lakes Commission
https://www.glc.org/dailynews/20250618-victory-docks-marquette-greatlakes-voyage
The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service will begin applying lampricides to the Cass River in Tuscola and Saginaw counties to kill sea lamprey larvae starting Tuesday, June 17. The applications, which target larvae burrowed in the stream bottom, will be conducted between June 17-26 in accordance with permits from the state of Michigan. Read the full story by the Huron Daily Tribune.
Great Lakes Commission
https://www.glc.org/dailynews/20250618-sea-lamprey-tuscola-county-cass-river
Peter Frank, 23 years old, left his home in Escanaba, Michigan on June 27, 2024 in the Upper Peninsula and headed east along the shore of Lake Michigan. He paddled through Canada and cut through Lake Ontario before taking rivers to the Atlantic Ocean and down the east coast to Florida. Now he is starting the long journey northward and back home. Read the full story by MLive.
Great Lakes Commission
https://www.glc.org/dailynews/20250618-michigan-adventurer-upper-peninsula-to-florida
More land at the tip of Ontario’s Bruce Peninsula has been protected as a nature reserve, with two levels of government providing funding to buy the approximately one kilometre section of shoreline. Read the full story by CBC News.
Great Lakes Commission
https://www.glc.org/dailynews/20250618-conservationgroup-indigenous-name
A groundwater report made public by the Pennsylvania Department of Environmental Protection indicates contamination from the shuttered Erie Coke site is migrating toward Lake Erie. Read the full story by YourErie.com.
Great Lakes Commission
https://www.glc.org/dailynews/20250618-contamination-erie-coke-dep-reports
Federal and Michigan state officials joined to mark the opening of a resort on a former Superfund site in Houghton this week. The Keweenaw Waters Resort is a 25-acre waterfront campground on the former Michigan Smelter Tailings site. Read the full story by WNMU-TV – Marquette, MI.
Great Lakes Commission
https://www.glc.org/dailynews/20250618-resort-opens-superfund-site
