“Beyond Our Senses” is a new nature documentary that gives audiences a bird’s-eye view of the world of Bank swallows as they migrate from South America to Lake Michigan’s bluffs in the spring. Read the full story by WUWM – Milwaukee, WI.
Great Lakes Commission
https://www.glc.org/dailynews/20260626-swallow-doc
A boat builder from Algonac, Michigan, helped transform boating from a novelty into a national pastime — and his legacy still shapes life on Lake St. Clair today. Read the full story by Scripps News.
Great Lakes Commission
https://www.glc.org/dailynews/20260626-rec-boating
Michigan Democrats are publicly calling on President Trump to allow the opening of the Gordie Howe International Bridge between Detroit and Windsor, Ontario. The new bridge, which will provide a third border crossing option at the Detroit River, has no announced opening date, despite the bridge authority saying in October that they expected to open in spring 2026. Read the full story by CBS Detroit.
Great Lakes Commission
https://www.glc.org/dailynews/20260605-international-bridge
The upcoming Great Lakes Cleanup Road Trip is a weeklong, volunteer-driven campaign traversing five distinct watersheds from June 10th to 16th, 2026. Beyond physical trash removal, the initiative focuses on data collection to fuel the organization’s ongoing goal of collecting one million pieces of debris. Read the full story by WNMU – Marquette, MI.
Great Lakes Commission
https://www.glc.org/dailynews/20260605-trash-trip
The U.S. Coast Guard is offering a $1,000 cash reward for information after someone broke in and stole the navigational beacon from Lake Superior’s Wisconsin Point Lighthouse in Superior, Wisconsin. Read the full story by WLUK-TV – Green Bay, WI.
Great Lakes Commission
https://www.glc.org/dailynews/20260605-stolen-beacon
The state of Michigan has added a new entry to its public website for reporting environmental hazards. People can now submit — with photos, please — a report of a suspected harmful algal bloom, or HAB, caused by a growth of cyanobacteria. Read the full story by Michigan Public.
Great Lakes Commission
https://www.glc.org/dailynews/20260605-habs
The historic tall ship Utopia sailboat is making stops during its 180-mile journey around Lake Michigan to give people a chance to see the vessel and learn about the Patriot Racing Project. The organization helps veterans learn different skill sets to help with the transition back into civilian life when searching for jobs. Read the full story by WBAY-TV – Green Bay, WI.
Great Lakes Commission
https://www.glc.org/dailynews/20260605-utopia-boat
The Army Corps of Engineers celebrated and reopened the shoreline near the Lake Superior Maritime Visitor Center in Duluth, Minnesota’s Canal Park on Thursday. Construction has been underway there over the past year to make the Lake Superior shoreline safer and easier to access. Read the full story by Northern News Now.
Great Lakes Commission
https://www.glc.org/dailynews/20260605-canal-park
Anglers across Michigan experienced varied fishing conditions this past week, with walleye and lake trout providing some of the most consistent action while salmon fishing showed mixed results depending on location. Read the full story by MLive.
Great Lakes Commission
https://www.glc.org/dailynews/20260605-fishing-report
The nonprofit Great Lakes Piping Plover Recovery Effort reported 12 chicks hatched in Wisconsin and Michigan starting May 29. They expect more to hatch daily. Read the full story by MLive.
Great Lakes Commission
https://www.glc.org/dailynews/20260605-piping-plovers
Rising 352 feet above Lake Erie is the Perry’s Victory & International Peace Memorial, which honors those who fought in the War of 1812’s Battle of Lake Erie and the long-standing peace between the United States, Canada, and Great Britain. Read the full story by the Port Clinton News Herald.
Great Lakes Commission
https://www.glc.org/dailynews/20260605-erie-memorial
Michigan’s sweeping shorelines, sandy beaches, and towering dunescapes gained national recognition as they dominated a search for the “Best Lakeside Beach.” Read the full story by MLive.
Great Lakes Commission
https://www.glc.org/dailynews/20260605-best-beaches
As summer begins and temperatures rise, the Michigan Department of Natural Resources is reminding residents and visitors to pay attention to beach safety systems at state parks. Read the full story by WILX-TV – Lansing, MI.
Great Lakes Commission
https://www.glc.org/dailynews/20260605-beach-safety
U.S.-flag shipping on the Great Lakes lost a total of 82 ship days, or about a third of the season, due to inadequate icebreaking. At one point 19 vessels were stopped for multiple days in the ice, waiting for icebreakers to clear the way. Read the full story by WDIV-TV – Detroit, MI.
Great Lakes Commission
https://www.glc.org/dailynews/20260520-ice-breaking
Michigan environmental regulators on Tuesday announced they are seeking input on a request to reissue one of the permits needed to move forward with construction on the controversial Line 5 tunnel project. Read the full story by Michigan Advance.
Great Lakes Commission
https://www.glc.org/dailynews/20260520-line5-input
Rising utility bills and increased noise aren’t the only concerns surrounding data centers. They’re also making headlines over fears they could contribute to lower water levels in Lake Michigan. Read the full story by WFLD-TV – Chicago, IL.
Great Lakes Commission
https://www.glc.org/dailynews/20260520-data-centers
Michigan will receive a $108 million settlement from Monsanto Co. to address longstanding environmental contamination from PCBs across the state. The money will be used to reduce contamination risks, improve water quality, and restore damaged natural resources. Read the full story by Bridge Michigan.
Great Lakes Commission
https://www.glc.org/dailynews/20260520-pcb-settlement
The Port of Green Bay, Wisconsin, closed for several weeks due to swift waters from inland flooding. The port reopened to traffic Thursday. Read the full story by Spectrum News 1.
Great Lakes Commission
https://www.glc.org/dailynews/20260520-green-bay
Lake Ontario water levels recently rose above key thresholds, putting shoreline communities at risk of flooding. Read the full story by the Rochester Democrat and Chronicle.
Great Lakes Commission
https://www.glc.org/dailynews/20260520-ontario-levels
Presque Isle State Park in Erie, Pennsylvania, typically gets state and federal money to add sand to its beaches. This summer’s work will start in July with only state funds. Read the full story by the Erie Times-News.
Great Lakes Commission
https://www.glc.org/dailynews/20260520-erie-sand
A coalition of Ontario conservation authorities wants to know what you value about the Lake Ontario shoreline, and they’re travelling the 100-kilometre stretch between Niagara-on-the-Lake and Oakville, Ontario, to find out. Read the full story by CBC News.
Great Lakes Commission
https://www.glc.org/dailynews/20260520-ontario-waterfront
A new book, “The Great Lakes Ships of Frank E. Kirby,” explores the life of a prolific Midwestern naval architect whose vessels once carried passengers who are still alive today. Read the full story by Great Lakes Echo.
Great Lakes Commission
https://www.glc.org/dailynews/20260520-ship-architect
Michilimackinac State Park, just below the Mackinac Bridge on the southern shore of Lake Huron, in Mackinaw City, Michigan, is slated for a full revamp. The proposed project includes a pavilion, accessible picnic areas and a pergola for weddings, interpretive signage, refreshed landscaping and irrigation. Read the full story by MLive.
Great Lakes Commission
https://www.glc.org/dailynews/20260520-park-revamp
Consumers Energy is seeking approval to drill two deep injection wells at a coal plant next to Lake Michigan in Ottawa County, Michigan, to dispose of coal ash wastewater and other liquids generated during site cleanup. Read the full story by MLive.
Great Lakes Commission
https://www.glc.org/dailynews/20260511-injection-wells
Pink salmon were accidentally introduced to the Great Lakes in the 1950s and have since spread to all five lakes. Researchers are studying their adaptability to predict how they might impact Arctic and North Atlantic ecosystems. Read the full story by People.
Great Lakes Commission
https://www.glc.org/dailynews/20260511-pink-salmon
Water levels on lakes Michigan, Huron, Superior and St. Clair are forecast to remain above last year’s levels through the boating season after a spring marked by heavy snowmelt and unusually wet conditions. Read the full story by The Detroit News.
Great Lakes Commission
https://www.glc.org/dailynews/20260511-water-levels
As spring rain and snowmelt continue to raise water levels across the Great Lakes region, the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers says it is prepared to support communities along Lake Ontario facing potential flooding concerns. Read the full story by the Finger Lakes Daily News.
Great Lakes Commission
https://www.glc.org/dailynews/20260511-flood-risks
After it is deployed later this month, a new weather buoy in Lake Erie off the shore of Buffalo, New York, will measure wind speed, air temperature, wave height, water temperature and lots of other data. Read the full story by The Buffalo News.
Great Lakes Commission
https://www.glc.org/dailynews/20260511-new-buoy
The Soo Locks are a system of parallel locks in Sault Ste. Marie, Michigan, that allow ships to travel between lakes Superior and Huron by bypassing the fast-moving rapids of the Saint Marys River. Here’s the best time for visiting and viewing the locks in action. Read the full story by Milwaukee Journal Sentinel.
Great Lakes Commission
https://www.glc.org/dailynews/20260511-soo-locks
The life cycle of the mayfly is so vital to the aquatic ecosystem — especially in northwest Ohio and southeast Michigan — that it is one of the main indicators of freshwater health. Read the full story by the Toledo Blade.
Great Lakes Commission
https://www.glc.org/dailynews/20260511-erie-mayflies
A setback occurred during the attempted removal of the G Tug Hawaii sunk in Lake Erie. Spectators and crews watched the boat detach from the 272-foot crane, bounce off the wall of the dock, and resubmerge into the lake. Read the full story by the Erie Times-News.
Great Lakes Commission
https://www.glc.org/dailynews/20260511-tugboat-fell
It’s the unofficial start to summer at the McKinley Marina, in Milwaukee, Wisconsin, and the staff lifted dozens of boats into Lake Michigan for Big Boat Day. Read the full story by WISN-TV – Milwaukee, WI.
Great Lakes Commission
https://www.glc.org/dailynews/20260511-big-boat-day
The Great Lakes Surf Rescue Project often visits communities and schools to educate them on drowning prevention. The organization will be working with first responders in northern Michigan. Read the full story by WPBN-TV – Traverse City, MI.
Great Lakes Commission
https://www.glc.org/dailynews/20260511-surf-rescue
The U.S. Coast Guard’s Great Lakes District on Tuesday announced the use of autonomous drones starting this month on the Great Lakes. The so-called “sail drones,” unmanned vessels powered by both wind and solar energy, will be on the lakes from May to October. Read the full story by The Detroit News.
Great Lakes Commission
https://www.glc.org/dailynews/20260506-saildrones
A federal judge has temporarily prevented the Lac du Flambeau Band of Lake Superior Chippewa from restricting musky and walleye fishing on 19 lakes within its reservation in northern Wisconsin. The state’s federal lawsuit came after the tribe passed resolutions seeking to bar musky and walleye fishing by anyone except tribal members, citing “critically low” populations. Read the full story by Wisconsin Public Radio.
Great Lakes Commission
https://www.glc.org/dailynews/20260506-fishing-restrictions
It’s been years since Lake Ontario water levels have drawn concern. However, with a wet spring and heavier-than-normal snowfall, officials in coastal areas along Wayne County, New York, are on the edge of activating emergency plans to protect shorelines. Read the full story by the Finger Lakes Times.
Great Lakes Commission
https://www.glc.org/dailynews/20260506-ontario-rising
Several Great Lakes and Mississippi River conservation groups are urging the federal government to take action against nitrate contamination in drinking water, which they say has reached “crisis levels” and is a public health emergency. Read the full story by the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel.
Great Lakes Commission
https://www.glc.org/dailynews/20260506-nitrate
The proposed fiscal year 2027 U.S. budget includes the elimination of Integrated Ocean Observing System (IOOS) Regional Observations — the backbone of Great Lakes monitoring systems. If enacted, the cuts would significantly disrupt data collection efforts across the Great Lakes. Read the full story by The Observer.
Great Lakes Commission
https://www.glc.org/dailynews/20260506-monitoring-cuts
As lake whitefish teeter on the brink of collapse in the lower Great Lakes, Michigan lawmakers are considering investing in a last-ditch effort to save the iconic species before it’s too late. Read the full story by Bridge Michigan.
Great Lakes Commission
https://www.glc.org/dailynews/20260506-michigan-whitefish
Lake Huron yields hundreds of shipwrecks in places such as Thunder Bay’s “Shipwreck Alley.” Scientists and communities are working to explore, protect, and understand these underwater treasures, which face challenges from environmental change and human impact. Read the full story by Michigan Public.
Great Lakes Commission
https://www.glc.org/dailynews/20260506-huron-shipwrecks
The use of an uncrewed vessel known as a Saildrone has helped researchers learn about aquatic life in Lake Erie. The Saildrone proved to be a viable and safer alternative to traditional research boats for collecting data. Read the full story by the Erie Times-News.
Great Lakes Commission
https://www.glc.org/dailynews/20260506-erie-saildrone
Saginaw Bay, Michigan, reportedly generated more than $60 million in economic activity last year via recreational angling; saw the harvest of 500,000-plus walleye; and accounted for 1.84 million angler hours, representing 42% of the total fishing effort in all Michigan waters of the Great Lakes. Read the full story by the Iosco County News-Herald.
Great Lakes Commission
https://www.glc.org/dailynews/20260506-saginaw-bay
Most of Michigan’s Great Lakes are still extremely cold, although ice coverage is minimal. After a weekend of freezing temperatures across Michigan, most of the state lakes are hovering around 40 degrees. Read the full story by the Detroit Free Press.
Great Lakes Commission
https://www.glc.org/dailynews/20260506-cold-lakes
The state of Michigan was cleared of liability Thursday in a disastrous 2020 dam failure that flooded communities, destroyed more than 100 homes and drained a popular lake. Read the full story by the Associated Press.
Great Lakes Commission
https://www.glc.org/dailynews/20260427-michigan-dams
Last week’s torrents of rain pushed Milwaukee into its rainiest April on record, resulting in about 2.7 billion gallons of untreated wastewater discharged into local waterways and Lake Michigan. Read the full story by the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel.
Great Lakes Commission
https://www.glc.org/dailynews/20260427-milwaukee-wastewater
Researchers found a decline in PFAS levels in Great Lakes lake trout and walleye, suggesting lower levels of long-lasting contaminants in the resources these fish consume. Read the full story by Capital News Service.
Great Lakes Commission
https://www.glc.org/dailynews/20260427-pfas-declines
Federal regulators are investigating dam owners in Cheboygan County, Michigan, for issues that may have worsened recent flooding. Problems at three dams included debris, leakage, erosion, and sinkholes, prompting immediate inspections. Read the full story by the Detroit Free Press.
Great Lakes Commission
https://www.glc.org/dailynews/20260427-cheboygan-dam
Months of drought and hot temperatures have impacted water levels in Illinois, leading to concerns about water supply. Those concerns are furthered by the development of data centers, particularly in regions with depleted aquifers. Read the full story by Capital News Illinois.
Great Lakes Commission
https://www.glc.org/dailynews/20260427-illinois-water
Toronto’s port continues to see growth in bulk commodities while at the same time the cruise industry is laying out a long-term strategy for continued growth in the Great Lakes. Read the full story by Toronto CityNews.
Great Lakes Commission
https://www.glc.org/dailynews/20260427-toronto-port
Flood waters are slowly receding in Northern Michigan as residents begin the lengthy cleanup process. Dramatic aerial footage showed the flood waters surrounding hundreds of homes along Black Lake and Black River on Monday. Read the full story by MLive.
Great Lakes Commission
https://www.glc.org/dailynews/20260427-michigan-floods
