Michigan Governor Gretchen Whitmer announced a new $500 million dollar initiative to upgrade drinking water and wastewater infrastructure across the state. The plan includes funding for lead service line replacements, PFAS removal, and combined sewer overflow control. Read the full story by The Associated Press.
Great Lakes Commission
https://www.glc.org/dailynews/20201002-mi-clean-water
After years of inaccessible websites purporting to contain water quality data, the Canadian government is working to make water data more accessible to the public. The effort hopes to help Canadians understand national trends in water quality and water use. Read the full story by Great Lakes Now.
Great Lakes Commission
https://www.glc.org/dailynews/20201002-canadian-water-data
Several nature preserves in Michigan will have names from First Nations languages added to their current titles in an effort to raise the visibility of indigenous people in the region. The names were chosen by members of the Blue Water Indigenous Alliance, drawing from language of First Nations people including Anishinaabemowin, Huron-Wendat, Lenape, and Lakota. Read the full story by Port Huron Times Herald.
Great Lakes Commission
https://www.glc.org/dailynews/20201002-first-nations-naming
Indiana Department of Natural Resources Director Dan Bortner visited nature preserves in Lake and Porter counties to hear public concerns around high water levels and coastal erosion. Read the full story by the Chicago Tribune.
Great Lakes Commission
https://www.glc.org/dailynews/20201002-in-dnr-leader
A proposed federal marine sanctuary in Lake Ontario in St. Lawrence County, New York, has seen broad support by local officials and stakeholders, who are touting the sanctuary’s potential to increase regional tourism. Read the full story by the Watertown Daily Times.
Great Lakes Commission
https://www.glc.org/dailynews/20201002-
Researchers testing beaches in Duluth, Minnesota, for evidence of COVID-19 reported they found traces of the virus for the first time since beach testing began in July. Read the full story by KBJR-TV – Duluth, MN.
Great Lakes Commission
https://www.glc.org/dailynews/20201002-covid19
Drownings in Lake Michigan have reached record levels with at least 53 people dead so far this year, according to the water safety advocacy group the Great Lakes Surf Rescue Project. Read the full story by the Associated Press.
Great Lakes Commission
https://www.glc.org/dailynews/20201002-drownings
In the eight Great Lakes states, officials at every level along 4,500 miles of coastline are scrambling to save what they can from the rising water, competing for scarce state and federal dollars and rubber-stamping permits to build private seawalls at an unprecedented pace. Read the full story by GazetteXtra.
Great Lakes Commission
https://www.glc.org/dailynews/20201002-rising-waters
The loss of the Lady Elgin in 1860 is one of the most famous shipwrecks in Great Lakes maritime history and claimed hundreds of lives. Read the full story by the Chicago Tribune.
Great Lakes Commission
https://www.glc.org/dailynews/20201002-lady-elgin
The new Sailor Sam Canal to Shore Challenge program from the H. Lee White Maritime Museum in Oswego, New York, aims to help the public learn about the unique history scattered along the Lake Ontario shoreline and Oswego canal. Read the full story by Oswego County Today.
Great Lakes Commission
https://www.glc.org/dailynews/20201002-maritime-museum
Attorney General Dana Nessel and Enbridge Energy have reached a deal to implement further safety measures for vessels operating near the Line 5 oil pipeline in the Mackinaw Straits. Read the full story by MLive.
Great Lakes Commission
https://www.glc.org/dailynews/20200924-climate-change-michigan
New research on invasive sea lamprey and lake trout populations revealed that sea lamprey occasionally change their preferred fish host species depending on the abundance of lake trout in the lake. This finding will support efforts to manage sea lamprey populations in the Great Lakes. Read the full story by the Detroit Free Press.
Great Lakes Commission
https://www.glc.org/dailynews/20200925-lamprey-prey
As Chicago grew during the 20th century, many of the wetlands around the city were drained and built over. New maps tracking wetland loss over the last century will help conservationists and developers plan projects that have lower impact on remaining wetlands. Read the full story by Great Lakes Now.
Great Lakes Commission
https://www.glc.org/dailynews/20200925-chicago-wetlands
New figures show shipments of Canadian grain through the Great Lakes-St. Lawrence Seaway are up 20 percent this year, bolstering the Ontario port and shipping industry that has been battered by the COVID-19 pandemic. Read the full story by Yorkton This Week.
Great Lakes Commission
https://www.glc.org/dailynews/20200925-gl-shipping
In Illinois, workers from the Shedd Aquarium and Cook County Forest Preserve District are searching for and tagging more than 100 freshwater mussels in Lake Michigan tributaries. A group of species researchers say these mussels are among the most endangered in the world. Read the full story by the Chicago Tribune.
Great Lakes Commission
https://www.glc.org/dailynews/202009245-mussels
Gov. Gretchen Whitmer’s executive order committing the state to carbon neutrality by 2050 was applauded as an important first step in addressing climate change, but a coalition of Michigan environmental justice advocates say it doesn’t move the state fast enough to address the climate crisis. Read the full story by the Energy News Network.
Great Lakes Commission
https://www.glc.org/dailynews/20200925-emissions-reductions
A Marinette manufacturer of firefighting foam has reported that 94% of wells near farm fields in northeastern Wisconsin that it sampled had levels of PFAS chemicals below the federal threshold for harming to human health. Read the full story by Wisconsin Public Radio.
Great Lakes Commission
https://www.glc.org/dailynews/20200925-tyco-pfas
An Ohio contractor has been awarded a $111 million contract to complete phase two of a massive, multiyear project to build a new lock at the Soo Locks. Read the full story by MLive.
Great Lakes Commission
https://www.glc.org/dailynews/20200925-soo-locks
Canada has long history of shipping and shipwrecks in the St. Lawrence River and the Great Lakes. However, shipwrecks receive little attention by federal government officials and citizens despite their value in understanding Canadian history. Read the full story by the Ottawa Citizen.
Great Lakes Commission
https://www.glc.org/dailynews/20200925-ontario-shipwrecks
Water levels have always fluctuated on the Great Lakes, but the extreme seesawing seen in recent years is unprecedented and likely due to climate change. Researchers are warning people living along the shoreline to expect high water levels for years to come. Read the full story by Physics Today.
Great Lakes Commission
https://www.glc.org/dailynews/20200925-lake-levels
A recently eroded bike path along Lake Michigan could cost up to $10 million to repair, according to a study. Read the full story by MLive.
Great Lakes Commission
https://www.glc.org/dailynews/20200925-north-mi-biketrail
Maitland Conversation is encouraging property owners along Lake Huron to prepare for hazardous waves and erosion as high-water levels continue through fall and winter. Read the full story by the Goderich Signal Star.
Great Lakes Commission
https://www.glc.org/dailynews/20200925-shoreline-damage
The recent Trump administration rollback of Obama-era regulations that restricted the discharge of carcinogenic and potentially brain-damaging toxic metals into U.S. waterways will allow a power plant in Wisconsin to dump further toxins into Lake Michigan. Read the full story by WTTW-TV – Chicago, IL.
Great Lakes Commission
https://www.glc.org/dailynews/20200911-epa-rollback
Ports in the Great Lakes and around the world are critical to global trade but are vulnerable to disruption from climate-related events. The gale-force winds and storm surge that damaged port infrastructure in Milwaukee, Wisconsin, last January are an example of threats to come. Read the full story by The Economist.
Great Lakes Commission
https://www.glc.org/dailynews/20200911-ports-vulnerability
Local biologists in Ontario are perplexed by the upcoming cormorant hunt in the province and argue that there is no scientific evidence supporting the need to hunt the birds. Read the full story by Smiths Falls Record News.
Great Lakes Commission
https://www.glc.org/dailynews/20200911-cormorants
Alpena, Michigan, is no longer expecting cruise ships to visit until 2021. The pandemic has shut down cruising on the Great Lakes and delayed port infrastructure development projects in the area. Read the full story by the Alpena News.
Great Lakes Commission
https://www.glc.org/dailynews/20200911-alpena
Michigan residents living along the emptied reservoirs above the Edenville and Sanford dams that collapsed in May could be expected to pay annual assessment fees of up to $2,400 per year for dam and lake restoration for the next 40 years. Read the full story by the Detroit Free Press.
Great Lakes Commission
https://www.glc.org/dailynews/20200911-flood-restored
A self-described “Lakeshore Janitor” has turned a hobby of scouring the beaches and waters along Lake Michigan for lost treasures using a metal-detector into a lucrative side-hustle, and helps beachgoers recover items lost among the waves. Read the full story by WZZM-TV – Grand Rapids, MI.
Great Lakes Commission
https://www.glc.org/dailynews/20200911-rihanna
Ontario is beginning the process to designate the Ostrander Crown Land Block and the Point Petre Provincial Wildlife Area, along Lake Ontario’s shoreline, as a new conservation reserve. Read the full story by County Live.
Great Lakes Commission
https://www.glc.org/dailynews/20200911-ontario
Stretching for 11 miles through the Ottawa National Forest near Lake Superior, the Black River Scenic Byway provides access to five waterfalls in the Black River Harbor Recreation Area and opportunities for hikers. Read the full story by Milwaukee Journal Sentinel.
Great Lakes Commission
https://www.glc.org/dailynews/20200911-chasing-waterfalls
The teenagers and scientist announced they located fragments from the 2017 meteorite that crashed into Lake Michigan. Read the full story by Great Lakes Now.
Great Lakes Commission
https://www.glc.org/dailynews/20200911-meteor
After fishing trips to the Cleveland river turned up only trash, a Cleveland local started a non-profit organization of volunteers dedicated to fishing trash out of the river. Read the full story by WKYC – TV – Cleveland, OH.
Great Lakes Commission
https://www.glc.org/dailynews/20200911-cleveland-river-trash
After the oil spill on the Kalamazoo River in 2010, volunteers spent hundreds of hours rescuing and cleaning oil-coated turtles from the river. Ten years later, researchers see a successful recovery of many of the impacted turtles that were returned to the river. Read the full story by Great Lakes Now.
Great Lakes Commission
https://www.glc.org/dailynews/20200903-september-7
Michigan Governor Gretchen Whitmer must follow through on her campaign pledge to shut down the Line 5 pipeline. Read the full story by Bridge Magazine.
Great Lakes Commission
https://www.glc.org/dailynews/20200903-september-7
The Michigan Legislature has restored funding to support early work upgrading the Brandon Road Lock and Dam in Illinois help to stop invasive Asian carp from reaching the Great Lakes. Read the full story by MLive.
Great Lakes Commission
https://www.glc.org/dailynews/20200904-fund-the-carp-gauntlet
Situated in northern Michigan along Lake Michigan, Benzie County offers excellent opportunities fall color viewing and autumn travel. Read the full story by MLive.
Great Lakes Commission
https://www.glc.org/dailynews/20200904-benzie-county
Several Michigan political figures say they’re joining a coalition of hunters and anglers from across the nation backing Joe Biden for president. The coalition criticized the current president for trying to slash funding for the Great Lakes Restoration Initiative and other Great Lakes protections. Read the full story by MLive.
Great Lakes Commission
https://www.glc.org/dailynews/20200904-hunters-anglers-for-biden
A new novel written by a former Great Lakes environmental leader explores cultural and environmental conflict and connection in the Great Lakes region. Read the full story by Great Lakes Now.
Great Lakes Commission
https://www.glc.org/dailynews/20200904-gl-novel
Residents in Duluth, Minnesota, are turning to the U.S. Army Corp of Engineers for assistance with protecting their property as storms and high-water levels on Lake Superior erode shoreline. Read the full story by Minnesota Public Radio.
Great Lakes Commission
https://www.glc.org/dailynews/20200904-superior-encroaching
Michigan’s Department of Environment, Great Lakes and Energy has announced the creation of the Michigan Dam Safety Task Force to provide recommendations on policy, budget, legislative and enforcement reforms to prevent future dam failures across the state. Read the full story by the Keweenaw Report.
Great Lakes Commission
https://www.glc.org/dailynews/20200904-EGLE-dam
The shoreline and islands of Lake Erie offer an idyllic setting for summer travelers searching for natural beauty, watersports, and other outdoor adventures. Read the full story by the Springfield News Sun.
Great Lakes Commission
https://www.glc.org/dailynews/20200904-lake-erie-nice
The level of Lake Superior remained stable at above normal levels during August, but will soon drop into during the fall and winter months. Experts say the threat of shoreline damage will persist. Read the full story by Duluth News Tribune.
Great Lakes Commission
https://www.glc.org/dailynews/20200904-superior-levels
After a successful, 35-year collaborative restoration effort, the Lower Menominee River has been removed from the list of Great Lakes Areas of Concern. The restoration effort has transformed the river from being highly contaminated to a sport fishing destination. Read the full story by Upper Michigan’s Source.
Great Lakes Commission
https://www.glc.org/dailynews/20200904-menominee
Federal, state and tribal officials are hailing the completion of a more than $1 billion cleanup of contaminated sediments in the Lower Fox River in Green Bay, Wisconsin. The cleanup, which removed 700,000 lbs of toxic sediments, is considered one of the largest and most expensive in the nation. Read the full story by Wisconsin Public Radio.
Great Lakes Commission
https://www.glc.org/dailynews/20200902-lower-fox
Environmental officials confirmed the presence of the invasive plant known as the European frogbit in four inland lakes in southeast Michigan. European frogbit forms dense mats on the surface of waters and can impede boat traffic and affect wildlife habitats. Read the full story by MLive.
Great Lakes Commission
https://www.glc.org/dailynews/20200902-frogbit
Environmental groups are claiming that recent dredging in Duluth Harbor and beach restoration along Lake Superior may be illegal because it violates a 40-year-old settlement that prohibits dredging from Duluth harbor. Read the full story by the Star Tribune.
Great Lakes Commission
https://www.glc.org/dailynews/20200902-duluth-dredging
A recent report from the EPA Office of Inspector General faulted a lack of training and internal controls at the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency’s Great Lakes regional office for the loss of records the agency was required to preserve. Read the full story by the Wisconsin State Journal.
Great Lakes Commission
https://www.glc.org/dailynews/20200901-wolf-protections
The Pays Plat First Nation community in Ontario is looking forward to receiving nearly $100 thousand in federal government funding through the Great Lakes Protection Initiative to continue its Protecting Gitchigumi project that focuses on improving water quality in Lake Superior. Read the full story the Aniskinabek News.
Great Lakes Commission
https://www.glc.org/dailynews/20200902-gitchigumi-project
The recent algal blooms in Torch Lake in Michigan have prompted residents and local environmental groups to investigate why the lake’s historically clear waters are turning brown. Read the full story by the Traverse City Record Eagle.
Great Lakes Commission
https://www.glc.org/dailynews/20200902-torch-lake
The Wisconsin Groundwater Coordinating Council is calling for action by the Wisconsin state legislature to address hazardous chemicals known as PFAS found in a growing number of drinking water supplies. Their report recommends establishing enforcement standards for PFAS in groundwater. Read the full story by the Wisconsin State Journal.
Great Lakes Commission
https://www.glc.org/dailynews/20200902-wi-groundwater
