The city of Rochester Hills, Michigan, was awarded $300,000 in funding for habitat restoration. The funds will allow the city to use herbicide, mechanical removal, and prescribed fire methods to reduce invasives in the natural areas in Rochester Hills and the Clinton River watershed. Read the full story by C&G Newspapers.
Great Lakes Commission
https://www.glc.org/dailynews/20250205-rochesterhills-fight-invasive-species
The owners of a shuttered nuclear plant on the shores of Lake Michigan are still banking on its historic reopening later this year, despite the confusion of President Donald Trump’s mixed messages on nuclear power. Read the full story by Planet Detroit.
Great Lakes Commission
https://www.glc.org/dailynews/20250205-palisades-nuclear-plant
The Minnesota Court of Appeals handed environmental groups a win in their continuing legal fight against the expansion of a massive pond for mining waste three miles from Lake Superior. Their ruling says the DNR was too quick to reject a comprehensive study of the basin, which holds more than 40 years’ worth of mine waste near Silver Bay. Read the full story by The Minnesota Star Tribune.
Great Lakes Commission
https://www.glc.org/dailynews/20250205-dnr-massive-pool-mine-waste
Michigan’s sturgeon fishing season on Black Lake set a record Saturday as the fastest ever, wrapping up in just 17 minutes. Read the full story by the Detroit Free Press.
Great Lakes Commission
https://www.glc.org/dailynews/20250205-michigan-2025-sturgeonseason-blacklake
Greenhouse growers would love to tap into Lake Erie directly for water, cutting development charges. Municipal officials say the move would also reduce strain on the municipal water system. Read the full story by The Chatham Voice.
Great Lakes Commission
https://www.glc.org/dailynews/20250205-growers-lakeerie
Ottawa Sands County Park, located in Spring Lake, Michigan, was transformed from a former sand mining site to a vibrant ecological and recreational hub has been recognized for its design by state park officials. Read the full story by MLive.
Great Lakes Commission
https://www.glc.org/dailynews/20250127-ottawacountypark-transformation-miningsite
The Michigan Department of Natural Resources worked this fall to stock hundreds of thousands of fish in waters across the state — fish that will provide anglers with more opportunities in seasons to come. Read the full story by The Daily News.
Great Lakes Commission
https://www.glc.org/dailynews/20250127-dnr-restocked-michiganwaters
After a few mild winters that left the Great Lakes with a lack of ice cover, anglers are rejoicing about the colder temperatures and thicker ice this winter. As of Friday, Lake St. Clair was 100% covered by ice. Read the full story by The Detroit News.
Great Lakes Commission
https://www.glc.org/dailynews/20250127-anglers-ice-longerseason
During the winter months, the water levels drop in the Great Lakes as part of an annual cycle, according to the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers. They predict water levels will continue to drop until around April. All the Great Lakes this winter are below 2023-2024 levels. Read the full story by the Erie Times-News.
Great Lakes Commission
https://www.glc.org/dailynews/20250127-greatlakes-waterlevels-january
The Manitoulin, a 663-foot Canadian vessel with 17 people on board, got stuck in the ice on Lake Erie on Wednesday after it dropped off a load of wheat in Buffalo, New York, and was heading back to Canada. Read the full story by The Associated Press.
Great Lakes Commission
https://www.glc.org/dailynews/20250127-greatlakes-freighter-lakeerie-freed
The sea lamprey, native to the Atlantic Ocean, invaded the Great Lakes generations ago and killed off much of the lake trout population. Read the full story by The Plain Dealer.
Great Lakes Commission
https://www.glc.org/dailynews/20250127-greatlakes-predator
Chicago’s warmest February on record, in 2024, brought an unsettling first: a full month without snow in a city known for epic winter storms. While a milder winter may seem like a relief, the implications go deeper, signaling the urgency to prepare for more erratic weather, especially along our Great Lakes shores. Read the full story by Crain’s Chicago Business.
Great Lakes Commission
https://www.glc.org/dailynews/20250127-greatlakes-coastal-communities
A business competition to tackle environmental and infrastructure issues in the Great Lakes kicks off on Monday. Water quality, microplastics, PFAS and marine infrastructure are among the things people could grapple with in this year’s Great Lakes Blue Tech Challenge. Read the full story by Interlochen Public Radio.
Great Lakes Commission
https://www.glc.org/dailynews/20250127-greatlakes-problems-solutions-bluetech
A new documentary film that tells the underwater impact of quagga mussels in the Great Lakes debuts this Thursday in Wisconsin and will be streamed online.. “All Too Clear” is a 90-minute production that uses underwater drones to explore the re-engineering of the ecosystem in the Great Lakes by the tiny invasive mussels. Read the full story by the Door County Daily News.
Great Lakes Commission
https://www.glc.org/dailynews/20250127-greatlakes-underwater-documentary-doorcounty
A new assessment of Great Lakes Lake whitefish populations indicates that even if we bring commercial fishing harvest to zero, the lakes are still headed toward extirpation. Read the full story by WCMU Public Radio.
Great Lakes Commission
https://www.glc.org/dailynews/20250117-lakewhitefish-survey-direpicture
The Great Lakes region is an ideal place to see gulls, especially during the winter months when rare gulls pass through. While they may not be a marvel to most birders, they stand out for their unique ability to adapt to their environment in the face of climate change. Read the full story by Wisconsin Public Radio.
Great Lakes Commission
https://www.glc.org/dailynews/20250117-greatlakes-gulls
A film set to debut in Cleveland might be the first of its kind to provide a hyperlocal focus on the unseen impacts of the plastic materials that are floating around our the Great Lakes. Read the full story by Cleveland Scene.
Great Lakes Commission
https://www.glc.org/dailynews/20250117-ripplesofplastic-lakeerie-plasticpollution
The American Mariner was the final ship through the Soo Locks on Thursday, marking the end of the Great Lakes navigation season. Read the full story by WCMU Public Radio.
Great Lakes Commission
https://www.glc.org/dailynews/20250117-soolocks-americanmariner-lastship
One of the largest vessels to use the Port of Cleveland — the 1004-foot-long, 50-foot-tall James R. Barker — on Thursday found itself stuck in ice as it attempted to navigate the harbor. Read the full story by WJW-TV – Cleveland, OH.
Great Lakes Commission
https://www.glc.org/dailynews/20250117-freighter-stuck-lakeerie-coastguard
Local surfer and Greenhouse Surfboards founder Ken Cole took his passion for surfing beyond getting out on the water. He’s created the world’s first leaf-based surfboard to encompass what he believes is the art, soul and sustainable future of surfing. Read the full story by WUWM – Milwaukee, WI.
Great Lakes Commission
https://www.glc.org/dailynews/20250117-milwaukee-surfer-ecoboard
Tourism leaders in East Tawas in Northeast Michigan have joined an international cruise marketing program called ‘Cruise the Great Lakes’ with the hope of becoming a stop for cruises. Read the full story by WSJM – Benton Harbor, MI.
Great Lakes Commission
https://www.glc.org/dailynews/20250117-michigan-cruisestop-greatlakes
The Ohio Lake Erie Commission’s Annual Life on Lake Erie Photo Contest is now open. Photographers are invited to submit up to five images that represent the essence of life on Lake Erie. Read the full story by the Fremont News-Messenger.
Great Lakes Commission
https://www.glc.org/dailynews/20250117-commission-ohio-greatlakes-photocontest
Trump recently referenced a “large faucet” in British Columbia, Canada that could be turned on to bring water to California, without providing supporting information or a mention of how Canada might see the venture. Canadians are taking Trump’s desire for Canada’s water seriously. Read the full story by Michigan Public.
Great Lakes Commission
https://www.glc.org/dailynews/20250117-trump-waterstatement-canadians
A new study is contributing to the ever-evolving understanding of what occurs in the Great Lakes during the winter months, and how the lakes affect winter weather in the region. Read the full story by Milwaukee Journal Sentinel.
Great Lakes Commission
https://www.glc.org/dailynews/20250106-greatlakes-winter-season-shrinking
Great Lakes Commission
https://www.glc.org/dailynews/20250106-coastguard-icebreaking-begins-greatlakes
Many environmental groups oppose a proposed Osceola County, Michigan, salt mine out of concern that the “solution mining” process would contaminate aquifers and dry up surface water bodies. Read the full story by MLive.
Great Lakes Commission
https://www.glc.org/dailynews/20250106-public-input-michigan-saltmine
The amount of cargo moving through ports on the Great Lakes is trailing behind shipments at the same time last year as the shipping season nears its end. Read the full story by Wisconsin Public Radio.
Great Lakes Commission
https://www.glc.org/dailynews/20250106-cargotonnage-greatlakes-ports-shippingseason-ends
Sea lamprey abundance exceeded targets in 2024 in all Great Lakes due to treatment restrictions during the COVID-19 pandemic. However, numbers of the parasitic fish are expected to decline. Read the full story by USA Today.
Great Lakes Commission
https://www.glc.org/dailynews/20250106-vampires-greatlakes
A large section of a 19th century vessel that washed up on the shore of Lake Erie in Erieau, Ontario, has generated a lot of interest. Read the full story by the Chatham Daily News.
Great Lakes Commission
https://www.glc.org/dailynews/20250106-19thcentury-vessel-erieau
A recent Community Foundation for Southeast Michigan report documents substantial progress in creating The Great Lakes Way — an interconnected set of greenways and water trails stretching from Port Huron, Michigan, on southern Lake Huron, to Toledo, Ohio, on western Lake Erie. Read the full story by Great Lakes Now.
Great Lakes Commission
https://www.glc.org/dailynews/20250106-greatlakesmoment
With temperatures in single digits, more ice developed in Duluth, Minnesota, giving the crew of the U.S. Coast Guard Cutter Mackinaw a chance to show off its skills. Read the full story by the Duluth News Tribune.
Great Lakes Commission
https://www.glc.org/dailynews/20250106-photos-mackinaw-path
Researchers on Lake Superior have “rediscovered” the shortnose cisco, a Great Lakes fish species thought to have been extinct for decades. Read the full story by WXMI-TV – Grand Rapids, MI.
Great Lakes Commission
https://www.glc.org/dailynews/20241218-rediscovered-fish-species-lakesuperior
Snowy owls are arriving in the Great Lakes region earlier than usual this winter, marking what experts describe as an “early-season push.” This contrasts with a much slower migration in 2023. Read the full story by MLive.
Great Lakes Commission
https://www.glc.org/dailynews/20241218-greatlakes-early-season-push-snowyowls
The Great Lakes Fishery Commission said non-native predatory sea lamprey populations spiked due to reduced control during the COVID-19 pandemic. The commission said numbers rose when field crews were constrained in their ability to conduct sea lamprey control in 2020 and 2021. Read the full story by WWTV – Cadillac, MI.
Great Lakes Commission
https://www.glc.org/dailynews/20241218-invasivesealamprey-population-spike
MillerKnoll, a West Michigan office furniture manufacturer, has committed to eliminating PFAS from most of its products by next year. The company said all North American products will be free of any added per- and poly- fluoroalkyl substances beginning in May 2025. Efforts to reduce or eliminate PFAS in manufacturing could play a huge role in limiting further pollution of our lakes. Read the full story by MLive.
Great Lakes Commission
https://www.glc.org/dailynews/20241218-millerknoll-pfas-eliminate-north-america
In the early hours on Friday, Dec. 13, the Michigan Senate passed five bills that would, together, overhaul Michigan’s environmental remediation program to prioritize physical removal over allowing pollution to remain in the ground but limiting human contact. Read the full story by MLive.
Great Lakes Commission
https://www.glc.org/dailynews/20241218-michigan-sentate-cleanup-efforts
The Michigan Department of Natural Resources recently awarded Park Township, a town located on the Lake Michigan shoreline near Holland, Michigan, two grants totaling $826,700 to fund improvements. The grants will be used at Park Township’s Winstrom Park and the new Community Park. Read the full story by MLive.
Great Lakes Commission
https://www.glc.org/dailynews/20241218-lake-michigan-improvement-grants
The Wisconsin Department of Natural Resources has opened an investigation into a spill of more than 69,000 gallons of crude oil from a pipeline along Enbridge Energy’s Line 6. Read the full story by KTTV – Green Bay, WI.
Great Lakes Commission
https://www.glc.org/dailynews/20241218-wisconsin-dnr-oil-spill-line6
Environmental writer Dave Dempsey, who has authored numerous academic titles about the Great Lakes, has taken a more accessible and entertaining approach with his most recent book, “The Great Lakes: Fact or Fake.” Read the full story by City Pulse.
Great Lakes Commission
https://www.glc.org/dailynews/20241218-test-great-lakes-knowledge
This winter, artists are invited to take part in a long-established tradition of interpreting Isle Royale National Park, which is a remote Lake Superior island. Read the full story by MLive.
Great Lakes Commission
https://www.glc.org/dailynews/20241218-isle-royale-artists
The cruise ship industry is expected to have a $230 million economic impact on the Great Lakes region in 2025, according to a forecast by Cruise the Great Lakes, a marketing program focused on attracting more cruise passengers to the region. Read the full story by MLive.
Great Lakes Commission
https://www.glc.org/dailynews/20241125-cruiseships-greatlakesregion-2025-economicimpact
In Canada, conservationists are calling on the provincial government of New Brunswick to do more to protect the cold waters favored by wild Atlantic salmon, as 2024 is shaping up to be one of the worst on record for survival of the heralded fish. Read the full story by the Telegraph-Journal.
Great Lakes Commission
https://www.glc.org/dailynews/20241125-dwindling-salmon-canada
The wetlands of Michigan and the Great Lakes are quickly becoming popular migratory stops for one of the biggest birds to call North America home: the pelican. Read the full story by WJBK-TV – Detroit, MI.
Great Lakes Commission
https://www.glc.org/dailynews/20241125-pelicans-migrating-michigan
A fisheries biologist with the Ohio Division of Wildlife is studying the movement of smallmouth bass in Lake Erie, tagging the fish to study whether they’re capable of making long-distance movements. Read the full story by the Sandusky Register.
Great Lakes Commission
https://www.glc.org/dailynews/20241125-tag-you-are-it
What more is there to know about the gales of November on the Great Lakes? What lake has the most shipwrecks? And what were some of the region’s most devastating November storms? Read the full story by the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel.
Great Lakes Commission
https://www.glc.org/dailynews/20241125-galesofnovember-greatlakes
State grants are funding the renovation and preservation of buildings in Michigan’s Great Lakes shoreline communities. Money for projects near lakes Huron, Michigan and Superior is coming from State Historic Preservation Office grants. Read the full story by City Pulse.
Great Lakes Commission
https://www.glc.org/dailynews/20241125-historicpreservationprojects-greatlakes-shoreline
The Tim S. Dool, a 225-metre-long lake freighter, became stranded in U.S. waters just east of Morrisburg, Ontario, on Saturday afternoon. Read the full story by CTV News Ottawa.
Great Lakes Commission
https://www.glc.org/dailynews/20241125-cargoship-stlawrenceriver-morrisburg-ontario
Seven decades after overfishing and invasive species nearly wiped them off the map, Lake Superior’s lake trout population has finally recovered. The fish come from the Linesville Fish Hatchery in Crawford County, Pennsylvania, and are provided by the Pennsylvania Fish and Boat Commission to help keep a healthy amount of brown trout in the area. Read the full story by WJET-TV – Erie, PA.
Great Lakes Commission
https://www.glc.org/dailynews/20241125-browntrout-lakeerie-winter
It was a perfect fall day as two scuba divers descended on the James R. Bentley shipwreck in Lake Huron with the goal of finding sunken treasure. It wasn’t jewels or gold they were after, but rather the shipment of rye that had been on the ship when it sank in November 1878. Read the full story by WOOD-TV – Grand Rapids, MI.
Great Lakes Commission
https://www.glc.org/dailynews/20241113-sunkentreasure-greatlakes
The federal government of Canada announced on Tuesday it’s investing over $25 million toward four Ontario projects, funded under the Green Shipping Corridor Program, including a multi-million-dollar project at Sterling Fuels in Windsor. Read the full story by CTV News.
Great Lakes Commission
https://www.glc.org/dailynews/20241113-windsorsterlingfuels-greatlakes
