Michigan’s fall fishing season for splake — a hybrid cross between lake and brook trout — is approaching. And the state’s environmental officials are asking anglers for help as they track the fish. Read the full story by the Manistee News Advocate.
Great Lakes Commission
https://www.glc.org/dailynews/20240930-michigan-dnr-marked-splakes
The U.S. Department of Energy said on Monday that it had finalized a $1.52 billion loan guarantee to help a company restart the Palisades nuclear plant, which is located on the shore of Lake Michigan in Michigan. Read the full story by The New York Times.
Great Lakes Commission
https://www.glc.org/dailynews/20240930-michigan-nuclearplant
Michigan State University students along with volunteers recently gathered at Sterling State Park in Monroe, Michigan, to remove plastic pollution from Lake Erie. The plastic collected will be used in a student eco-art workshop. Read the full story by The Monroe News.
Great Lakes Commission
https://www.glc.org/dailynews/20240930-lakeerie-msu-pollution-art
In September, the Grand Rapids Public Museum and its partners returned to the Grand River for their annual lake sturgeon survey, looking to see if the waterway can sustain a population, decades after the prehistoric fish nearly went extinct. Read the full story by WXMI-TV – Grand Rapids, MI.
Great Lakes Commission
https://www.glc.org/dailynews/20240930-lakesturgeon-grandriver
The Pennsylvania Fish and Boat Commission announced Friday it will be stocking 116,500 trout in 118 stream sections and lakes from October through mid-December. Read the full story by the Erie Times-News.
Great Lakes Commission
https://www.glc.org/dailynews/20240930-lakes-trout
In Illinois, the Oswego Village Board will consider resolutions authorizing the execution of agreements to formally join the DuPage Water Commission as part of the process to switch Oswego to Lake Michigan water. Read the full story by the Aurora Beacon-News.
Great Lakes Commission
https://www.glc.org/dailynews/20240930-oswego-lakemichigan-water
The Sea Lamprey Control Program is doing its part to decrease the population of sea lamprey, an invasive species that once jeopardized the Great Lakes fishing economy. Read the full story by Northern News Now.
Great Lakes Commission
https://www.glc.org/dailynews/20240930-sealamprey-control
The Canadian federal government announced a “historic” $76 million in new funding for freshwater restoration on the Great Lakes, with investments targeted toward improving water quality and ecosystem health, as well as community-based science projects. Read the full story by the Windsor Star.
Great Lakes Commission
https://www.glc.org/dailynews/20240923-canadian-gov-funding-greatlakes
Volunteer divers are surveying the riverbed near Beauharnois, Quebec, in the Montérégie region, to remove hundreds of tires from the water that have been polluting the aquatic environment for decades. Read the full story by the Montreal Gazette.
Great Lakes Commission
https://www.glc.org/dailynews/20240923-stlawrenceriver-divers
The remains of the John Evenson, a wooden steam tug built in Milwaukee lie five miles northeast of Algoma, Wisconsin, 50 feet below Lake Michigan’s surface. Read the full story by the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel.
Great Lakes Commission
https://www.glc.org/dailynews/20240923-wisconsin-maritime-tugboat-lakemichigan
Of the 188 aquatic non-native species in the Great Lakes, the species jeopardizing areas of Lake Erie the most is the zebra mussel. Scientists say that they are a great threat to the Great Lakes and their threat should not be minimized due to the loss of the native habitat of the lakes. Read the full story by the Akron Beacon Journal.
Great Lakes Commission
https://www.glc.org/dailynews/20240923-sealamprey-quaggamussels-invasivespecies-lakeerie
Overlook Trail in Manistee County, Michigan, offers views of Lake Michigan from hundreds of feet above the shoreline at the end of a short, accessible trail through the woods. Read the full story by MLive.
Great Lakes Commission
https://www.glc.org/dailynews/20240923-lakemichigan-trail
A Great Lakes freighter flying under the Canadian flag destined for Bay City, Michigan, on Saturday, Sept. 21, has a storied – albeit misfortunate – sailing history. Read the full story by MLive.
Great Lakes Commission
https://www.glc.org/dailynews/20240923-greatlakesfreighter-baycity
Algal blooms beyond western Lake Erie aren’t particularly new, but they aren’t going away anytime soon, either. There are many lesser-known blooms closer to home for residents of Toledo, Ohio, that are short-lived yet still potentially serious with their own set of health advisories. Read the full story by the Toledo Blade.
Great Lakes Commission
https://www.glc.org/dailynews/20240923-algalblooms-fiftystates
A new virtual book club is starting up with a specific interest in the Great Lakes. Called Great Lakes Great Read, the initiative encourages people to read a children’s and/or an adult book with a connection to the Great Lakes and join the authors for upcoming webinars. Read the full story by CollingwoodToday.
Great Lakes Commission
https://www.glc.org/dailynews/20240923-greatlakes-bookclub-water
Instead of a swimming in the Chicago River, participants in the inaugural “Chicago River Swim” swam in Lake Michigan, raising $150,000 for ALS research and $50,000 to fund water safety lessons for 2,000 children in underserved communities. Read the full story by AP News.
Great Lakes Commission
https://www.glc.org/dailynews/20240923-chicagoriverswim-lakemichigan
On Monday, Michigan Technological University launched the pioneering mission of an Autonomous Surface Vessel. Data supplied by its high-resolution sonar will aid in mapping the Great Lakes, assessing repair needs of underwater structures like harbors and bridges, and keeping shipping channels clear. It is also expected to locate multiple archaeological sites from the more than 200 never-found Lake Superior shipwrecks to remnants of civilizations that lived on the shores of a much smaller lake a thousand years ago. Read the full story by Second Wave Michigan.
Great Lakes Commission
https://www.glc.org/dailynews/202409011-autonomousvessel-greatlakes-map
City officials in Norton Shores, Michigan, have approved a contract to start work on a new path connecting two parks along the Lake Michigan shoreline. The Lake Harbor Trail will connect P.J. Hoffmaster State Park with Lake Harbor Park, using a new 8-foot-wide path. Read the full story by WOOD-TV – Grand Rapids, MI.
Great Lakes Commission
https://www.glc.org/dailynews/202409011-trail-connecting-lake-michigan
A $2 billion cleanup in Lake Superior to address pollution from historical copper mining is still in the works. Stamp sands are a waste byproduct from processing copper, and off the Keweenaw Peninsula, they cover 1,426 miles of shoreline and lake bottom, partially suffocating a natural reef. A plan to dredge all stamp sands from the bay and truck the material to a nearby landfill is still in its early stages. Read the full story by WCMU – Mount Pleasant, MI.
Great Lakes Commission
https://www.glc.org/dailynews/202409011-buffaloreef-cleanup-decadeslong-project
The Cheboygan Lock, which provides access between Lake Huron and Michigan’s Inland Waterway for recreational and commercial watercraft, will close for much of the fall and winter for restoration work and reopen in late spring 2025. Read the full story by the Detroit Free Press.
Great Lakes Commission
https://www.glc.org/dailynews/202409011-cheboygan-lock-temporarilyclosed
Every September, Michigan’s rivers and streams burst with life as tens of thousands of salmon make their annual migration from the Great Lakes. This natural event, rooted in decades of deliberate fishery management, provides a significant economic and ecological impact in the state. Read the full story by the Manistee News Advocate.
Great Lakes Commission
https://www.glc.org/dailynews/202409011-wildlife-michigan-salmon
The Army Corps of Engineers is expected to deliver its flood mitigation results for the Huron River by the end of September. The results are based on four years of data collected by the group “Residents Working Against Huron River Flooding.” Read the full story by WHMI – Howell, MI.
Great Lakes Commission
https://www.glc.org/dailynews/202409011-armycorp-flood-mitigation-huron-river
Researchers at the University of Wisconsin-Madison who have studied invasive species in lakes for decades published a summary of key findings in the journal BioScience in August. In their recent analysis, the authors presented broad takeaways from their past research, reasoning that understanding the proliferation and impacts of invasive species in the lakes can inform policies and management strategies. Read the full story by Wisconsin Public Radio.
Great Lakes Commission
https://www.glc.org/dailynews/202409011-um-madison-invasivespecies-wisconsin
Cleveland Metroparks in Ohio, along with partners, recently unveiled plans to open a state-of-the-art community sailing center, aimed at increasing lakefront access for residents and breaking down barriers to the sport. Read the full story by Spectrum News.
Great Lakes Commission
https://www.glc.org/dailynews/20240906-clevelandmetroparks-sailingcenter-2026
The Adopt-a-Beach program, an initiative to keep litter and waste out of the Great Lakes, has passed a milestone. Volunteers with Adopt-a-Beach have removed more than 10 million pieces of litter from Great Lakes beaches and shorelines since 2003. Read the full story by WSGW – Saginaw, MI.
Great Lakes Commission
https://www.glc.org/dailynews/20240906-litter-removed-greatlakes
After nearly a decade of waiting, Oswego County, New York, is celebrating the designation of the Lake Ontario National Marine Sanctuary and inviting the public to join in the festivities. Read the full story by Oswego County News Now.
Great Lakes Commission
https://www.glc.org/dailynews/20240906-noaa-lake-ontario-sanctuary-designation
Michigan environmental advocates are hailing a “groundbreaking” settlement to a civil rights complaint filed with state regulators over the expansion of a hazardous waste facility in Detroit. The settlement requires EGLE to deny a license to a hazardous waste facility, including the renewal of a license, if it will have an “unlawful impact on human health and the environment.” Read the full story by Great Lakes Now.
Great Lakes Commission
https://www.glc.org/dailynews/20240906-michigan-civilrights-settlement
An ultra swimmer nicknamed The Shark was back on shore Wednesday, having given up on yet another quest to cross Lake Michigan after 40 hours in the water. Read the full story by The Associated Press.
Great Lakes Commission
https://www.glc.org/dailynews/20240906-ulraswimmer-lakemichigan
The remains of the 131-year-old Minnehaha shipwreck are easy to spot as they peek out of the sand along the Lake Michigan shoreline in Manistee County, Michigan. The Minnehaha ran aground and was broken apart by waves in October 1893. Read the full story by MLive.
Great Lakes Commission
https://www.glc.org/dailynews/20240906-shipwrecks-lakemichigan-beach
Hydrilla, a rapidly growing invasive plant that’s prohibited in Ontario, has been discovered for the first time in Canada in the Hillman Marsh Conservation Area in Leamington, Ontario. Read the full story by CBC News.
Great Lakes Commission
https://www.glc.org/dailynews/20240906-invasiveplant-canada
Ludington State Park is known for its seven miles of sandy Lake Michigan beachfront, an iconic lighthouse, and a one-mile stretch of the Big Sable River, popular for fishing, paddling and tubing. It’s one of Michigan’s most popular state parks, and it’s now getting $3.2 million in upgrades. Read the full story by MLive.
Great Lakes Commission
https://www.glc.org/dailynews/20240906-ludingtonstatepark-upgrades
In Detroit, Michigan, Wayne County Commissioners issued a resolution calling for an end to shipping irradiated waste into the county. A statement from the chair calls for “a common-sense solution that protects residents and the nation’s largest fresh water supply.” Read the full story by the Detroit Free Press.
Great Lakes Commission
https://www.glc.org/dailynews/20240906-radioactivewaste-waynecounty
A solitary bloody red shrimp was found in the Twin Ports Harbor, raising fears that the light-hating, zooplankton-eating invasive critters have found their way to Lake Superior. Read the full story by the Star Tribune.
Great Lakes Commission
https://www.glc.org/dailynews/20240805-bloodyredshrimp-lakesuperior-invasivespecies
In Lucas County, Ohio, advocates and local leaders brought people out to Lake Erie to see first-hand the lack of progress on the blue-green algae problems, which are still prevalent after 10 years. Read the full story by WTOL-TV – Toledo, OH.
Great Lakes Commission
https://www.glc.org/dailynews/20240805-lakeerie-health-toledowatercrisis
In a rare rebuke to the industrial farm sector, the Michigan Supreme Court this week ruled that state environmental regulators have full authority to require big livestock and poultry operations to improve their handling of billions of pounds of manure that contributes to serious contamination of state waters. Read the full story by Michigan Public.
Great Lakes Commission
https://www.glc.org/dailynews/20240805-michiganswaters-supremecourt
A contentious short-term housing rental ban is looming over one of Michigan’s most popular beach towns. Park Township, Michigan, home to Holland State Park beach, is still in litigation over enforcing a ban on short-term rentals. As it lingers in court, current rental owners are wary of the future of their investments. Read the full story by MLive.
Great Lakes Commission
https://www.glc.org/dailynews/20240805-lakemichigan-town-bans-rentals
After more than a year, the cause of a Lake Michigan diesel spill in Manistee, Michigan, has yet to be shared with the public. Read the full story by the Manistee News Advocate.
Great Lakes Commission
https://www.glc.org/dailynews/20240805-manitowoc-dieselspill
The attempted cheating during a Cleveland-based competition in September 2022 drew worldwide attention. The two Lake Erie walleye anglers lost their nearly $100,000 boat, were fined and lost fishing rights for three years. Read the full story by The Columbus Dispatch.
Great Lakes Commission
https://www.glc.org/dailynews/20240805-fishingscandal-lakeerie
Though there are many ways to enjoy Michigan’s waterways – swimming, fishing, paddling, boating and more – the Michigan Department of Natural Resources wants to ensure that your priority is safety in and around the water. Read the full story by Radio Results Network.
Great Lakes Commission
https://www.glc.org/dailynews/20240805-michigandnr-watersafety-hotweather
Whitefish numbers are declining in northern Michigan, and some scientists believe the heart of the problem lies with the invasive quagga and zebra mussels that have invaded our waters. Read the full story by WPBN-TV – Traverse City, MI.
Great Lakes Commission
https://www.glc.org/dailynews/20240805-declining-whitefish-northernmichigan
In Chicago, a volunteer group has been busy pulling discarded Divvy bikes from Lake Michigan, citing fears over the dangers these battery-powered bikes can pose to the water. Divvy is a bicycle sharing system in the Chicago metropolitan area. Read the full story by NBC Chicago.
Great Lakes Commission
https://www.glc.org/dailynews/20240805-divvybikes-dumped-lakemichigan
Bills to name the stonefly Michigan’s state insect are now before committees in both the state House and Senate, thanks to the work of 5th grade students and teachers from Grand Rapids, Michigan. If you see a stonefly, the water nearby is clean. Read the full story by the Detroit Free Press.
Great Lakes Commission
https://www.glc.org/dailynews/20240805-stonefly-michigansinsect
Climate change is altering Lake Erie: warmer water temperatures increase the risk of toxic algal blooms. Less ice cover in the winter can lead to more soil erosion. And its water levels are fluctuating at a faster rate. A new program at Ohio State University’s College of Food, Agricultural, and Environmental Sciences (CFAES) will prepare a new workforce of scientists, engineers and data analysts to help communities navigate these impacts. Read the full story WVXU – Cincinnati, OH.
Great Lakes Commission
https://www.glc.org/dailynews/20240722-climatechange-lakeerie-ohio
Wisconsin Governor Tony Evers delivered his weekly radio address highlighting the recent investment of nearly $1.3 million in grants to support quality of life, foster economic development, protect and improve the Great Lakes resources, and create resiliency in Wisconsin’s coastal communities through the Wisconsin Coastal Management Program. Read the full story by WTAQ – Green Bay, WI.
Great Lakes Commission
https://www.glc.org/dailynews/20240722-govivers-investments-wisconsin
Lake Erie’s annual algae bloom has begun to form weeks ahead of schedule off the coast of southeast Michigan, but scientists say they expect only a moderate bloom this year. Read the full story by Great Lakes Echo.
Great Lakes Commission
https://www.glc.org/dailynews/20240722-lakeerie-toxicalgaebloom
Lake Erie water levels are slightly above average midway through July but a far cry from the record levels reached a few years ago. The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers forecasts that water levels will fall in the coming months, but July is seeing an uptick from June. Read the full story by Erie Times-News.
Great Lakes Commission
https://www.glc.org/dailynews/20240722-lakeerie-forecast
The Marquette Maritime Museum celebrated Lake Superior Day with a festival Sunday afternoon. The annual event, which is celebrated on the third Sunday of July, focuses on Lake Superior’s importance. Read the full story by WLUC-TV – Marquette, MI.
Great Lakes Commission
https://www.glc.org/dailynews/20240722-marquettemaritimemuseum-lakesuperiorday
The 100th Port Huron to Mackinac race began Saturday morning and broke the record for the most registered sailing teams. Sailboats are now crossing the finish line up at Mackinac Island as the race begins to wind down. Read the full story by WPHM – Port Huron, MI.
Great Lakes Commission
https://www.glc.org/dailynews/20240722-porthuron-mackinac-race-comestoend
This time of year, many people are out enjoying the beaches in Duluth, Minnesota, but on Saturday some spent time cleaning up the sandy shores of Lake Superior. Read the full story by WSAW-TV – Wausau, WI.
Great Lakes Commission
https://www.glc.org/dailynews/20240722-beachcleanup-parkpoint-greatlakes
Maumee, Ohio, area residents are being asked to weigh in on $2 million to $5 million of fish and wildlife habitat improvements planned for the Maumee River near the city’s Towpath Park. Read the full story by The Blade.
Great Lakes Commission
https://www.glc.org/dailynews/20240722-maumeeriver-wildlifeimprovements-towpathpark
