Many of Michigan’s 1,773 cities, villages and townships are reaching a crisis point because of a decline in federal dollars for water and sewer infrastructure that’s made worse by the state’s centralized taxing system. Read the full story by Bridge Michigan.
Great Lakes Commission
https://www.glc.org/dailynews/20220509-water-infrastructure
The loss of 800 megawatts of carbon-free energy from the nuclear plant along the Lake Michigan shoreline near South Haven, MI (122 miles NE of Chicago) at the end of May is likely to result in more greenhouse gas emissions elsewhere as the electric sector pivots to natural gas while more solar and wind generation comes online. Read the full story by MLive.
Great Lakes Commission
https://www.glc.org/dailynews/20220509-energy
Some officials are becoming concerned about the future of walleye fishing in Michigan after a local fisherman caught a sick fish along with several others in Ohio waters. Read the full story by WNEM-TV – Saginaw, MI.
Great Lakes Commission
https://www.glc.org/dailynews/20220509-walleye
Algoma Central Corp. is the newest naming sponsor for one of the two ice-pads inside Walker Sports and Abilities Centre at Canada Games Park. The company headquartered in St. Catharines operates the largest fleet of dry and liquid bulk carriers operating on the Great Lakes and St. Lawrence Seaway. Read the full story by the St. Catharines Standard.
Great Lakes Commission
https://www.glc.org/dailynews/20220509-shipping-carriers
In decades past, almost every major Great Lakes port city offered a specialty grocery supplying freighters. Recently, a Cleveland, Ohio-based fleet grocer ceased operation, leaving only three U.S.-based Great Lakes fleet grocers in operation. Those are located in Duluth, Minnesota, Sault Ste. Marie, and at Alpena’s Marine Market. Read the full story by The Alpena News.
Great Lakes Commission
https://www.glc.org/dailynews/20220509-grocer-history
Fred Wiseman, of Findlay, OH (located about 100 miles south of Detroit, MI) sailed from Detroit to Florida last year. The 3,800-mile trip took around two months and included travel through Lake Erie, Lake Ontario, the St. Lawrence Seaway and along the coast of the Atlantic Ocean. Read the full story by The Courier.
Great Lakes Commission
https://www.glc.org/dailynews/20220509-ship-travel
Many local organizations have turned Earth Day into “Earth Month” by dedicating the month of April to cleaning up the community. The Lakeshore Cleanup Coalition participated in the 2022 Great Lakes CleanUP, a collaborative trash removal effort to protect habitats throughout the Great Lakes Basin. Read the full story by ODC Network.
Great Lakes Commission
https://www.glc.org/dailynews/20220509-cleanup
Divers from the North Bay Scuba Club in Ontario were gearing up and diving into Lake Nipissing’s Marina boat launch to clean the waters of trash and debris ahead of the boating season. Read the full story by CTV News.
Great Lakes Commission
https://www.glc.org/dailynews/20220509-scuba
A new plan to restore the Lake St. Clair coastline at Ford’s Cove would rebuild the nearby wetland, expand the shore, while also building out shoals to buffer the area from the Great Lakes battering waves. Read and hear the full story by WJBK-TV – Detroit, MI.
Great Lakes Commission
https://www.glc.org/dailynews/20220506-ford-cove
Buoys deployed onto Lake Michigan are collecting real-time conditions which are helping scientists monitor the lake. Read the full story by WOOD – TV – Grand Rapids, MI.
Great Lakes Commission
https://www.glc.org/dailynews/20220506-buoy
Even though the Great Lakes ice-breaking season has ended, some members of the U.S. Senate Committee on Commerce, Science, and Transportation are continuing to push for funding for a new heavy icebreaker on the Great Lakes to reduce shipping delays during the winter months. Read the full story by Michigan Radio.
Great Lakes Commission
https://www.glc.org/dailynews/20220506-ice-breaker
President Joseph Biden nominated Southfield, Michigan attorney Gerald Acker to be commissioner and chair of the International Joint Commission, a binational group that regulates uses of the Great Lakes and other waters shared by the U.S. and Canada. Read the full story by The Detroit News.
Great Lakes Commission
https://www.glc.org/dailynews/20220506-ijc
Three Michigan men will cross Lake Ontario on stand-up paddleboards in mid-June. Read the full story by New York Upstate.
Great Lakes Commission
https://www.glc.org/dailynews/20220506-lake-ontario
Scientists at the University of Toledo Lake Erie Center are working on a water quality monitoring network for Lake Erie by preparing sensors before algal bloom season. Read the full story by WNWO – TV – Toledo, OH.
Great Lakes Commission
https://www.glc.org/dailynews/20220506-algal-bloom
The level of Lake Superior rose more than usual during a wet April and now sits at nearly its average level for the beginning of May, the International Lake Superior Board of Control reports. Read the full story by the Duluth News Tribune.
Great Lakes Commission
https://www.glc.org/dailynews/20220506-lake-superior
Federal regulators recommended Tuesday that the Army Corps of Engineers decline to reissue a key permit for the proposed PolyMet copper-nickel mine, saying the project could raise levels of mercury and other pollutants downstream from the site in northeastern Minnesota. Read the full story by The Associated Press.
Great Lakes Commission
https://www.glc.org/dailynews/20220506-polymet
An Indigenous tribe in the Upper Peninsula of Michigan received a $75,000 grant from the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency to study the impacts of legacy mining waste and other pollutants. Read the full story by MLive.
Great Lakes Commission
https://www.glc.org/dailynews/20220506-tribal-study
The City of Chicago, Illinois is promoting its water by serving cans of tap water, affectionately called “Chicagwa”. Read the full story by WFLD – Chicago, IL.
Great Lakes Commission
https://www.glc.org/dailynews/20220506-chicago-water
The Ozaukee Washington Land Trust looks to be in competition with a private buyer for a pristine piece of property along Lake Michigan. Read the full story by the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel.
Great Lakes Commission
https://www.glc.org/dailynews/20220506-lake-michigan
The oldest know pair of common loons have nested together at the Seney National Wildlife Refuge in the Upper Peninsula of Michigan for a quarter century and are back this spring for their 26th year as a breeding pair. Read and hear the full story by WKAR – East Lansing, MI.
Great Lakes Commission
https://www.glc.org/dailynews/20220506-loons
Ohio state regulation of streams that flow temporarily after rainfall will be restricted under legislation signed into law by the governor. Environmental groups largely opposed the legislation, saying the streams play an important role in maintaining water quality. Read the full story by The Associated Press.
Great Lakes Commission
https://www.glc.org/dailynews/20220504-stream-regulation
The Michigan Department of Natural Resources (DNR) first decided to introduce coho and Chinook salmon in the 1960s to control an invasive fish called alewife. Most of the salmon are naturally reproduced but the DNR still stocks salmon to keep up with demand, with plans to release 1.6 million fish this year. Read the full story by WOOD-TV – Grand Rapids, MI.
Great Lakes Commission
https://www.glc.org/dailynews/20220504-salmon
Failing septic systems can allow contaminated water to seep through the earth into nearby bodies of water, causing water quality issues throughout Michigan. This problem is made worse by the state’s lack of septic system regulations. Listen to the full story by Great Lakes Now.
Great Lakes Commission
https://www.glc.org/dailynews/20220504-septic-systems
The Michigan Department of Natural Resources Fisheries Division reported on the dwindling yellow perch population in Saginaw Bay, during one of the 2022 Lake Huron Regional Fisheries Workshops. Read the full story by the Iosco County News-Herald.
Great Lakes Commission
https://www.glc.org/dailynews/20220504-yellow-perch
Michigan officials have released their 2022 “Eat Safe Fish” guides and there are several notable updates. The state says the guides can help Michiganders plan their fish consumption to minimize exposure to chemicals that can build up in fish, while still getting all the health benefits of eating fish. Read the full story by MLive.
Great Lakes Commission
https://www.glc.org/dailynews/20220504-eat-safe-fish
The Brooklyn Dam on the River Raisin in southern Michigan once supplied hydroelectricity to run a factory but now is targeted for demolition by the Michigan Department of Natural Resources. Read the full story by WSYM-TV – Brooklyn, MI.
Great Lakes Commission
https://www.glc.org/dailynews/20220504-dam
Around $1.8 million in fisheries habitat grants administered by the Michigan Department of Natural Resources will be shared between 12 fish habitat conservation projects across the state. Read the full story by The Petoskey News-Review.
Great Lakes Commission
https://www.glc.org/dailynews/20220504-fisheries-habitat
Billions of dollars are needed to fix Michigan’s drinking water systems in the rural towns that rely on wells for drinking water instead of the Great Lakes. Read the full story by Great Lakes Now.
Great Lakes Commission
https://www.glc.org/dailynews/20220504-drinking-water
Thanks to $20,000 earmarked by Congress, the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers will be looking at the Two Rivers Harbor located on Wisconsin’s Lake Michigan shore to determine federal interest in further studying the harbor’s infrastructure. Read the full story by Manitowoc Herald Times Reporter.
Great Lakes Commission
https://www.glc.org/dailynews/20220504-two-rivers-harbor
Known as Mama Duck, the “World’s Largest Rubber Duck” is set to make two appearances in Michigan over the summer, along the shores of lakes Huron and Superior. Read the full story by WDIV-TV – Detroit, MI.
Great Lakes Commission
https://www.glc.org/dailynews/20220504-rubber-duck
After getting wiped out in the early 1900s due to fur traders and deteriorating water conditions in the Detroit River, river otters have officially made their triumphant return to southeast Michigan, local biologists happily announced on Friday. Read and listen to the full story by WWJ Newsradio 950 – Detroit, MI.
Great Lakes Commission
https://www.glc.org/dailynews/20220502-ottersdetroitriver
Great Lakes Awareness Day celebrates the Great Lakes and highlights the issues they face, and how the lakes can be preserved. Read the full story by the Telegraph Forum.
Great Lakes Commission
https://www.glc.org/dailynews/20220502-glawarenessday
The Viking Octantis, the first of two new purpose-built expedition ships from the cruise ship company Viking, stopped in Port Colborne, ON Sunday during its inaugural voyage in the Great Lakes. Read the full story by the Niagara Falls Review.
Great Lakes Commission
https://www.glc.org/dailynews/20220502-vikingoctantis
The largest and most modern cruise ship on the Great Lakes will visit its first port of call in Michigan on Tuesday after its inaugural journey through the St. Lawrence Seaway. Read the full story by MLive.
Great Lakes Commission
https://www.glc.org/dailynews/20220502-cruiseshipmi
Coastal restoration efforts are underway across the state as recipients of the Michigan Coastal Management Program grants begin work locally. Read the full story by The Mining Journal.
Great Lakes Commission
https://www.glc.org/dailynews/20220502-boataccess
The 767-foot, self-unloading freighter was carrying about 25,000 tons of stone from Port Inland, Michigan, when it grounded Thursday, April 28, as it was approaching Muskegon’s harbor. The Kaye E. Barker was able to transit to Verplank Dock in Muskegon Sunday after lightening additional product from the vessel. Read the full story by the Muskegon Chronicle.
Great Lakes Commission
https://www.glc.org/dailynews/20220502-lakemifreighter
Several freshwater fishing opportunities opened across New York over the weekend. This included fishing for northern pike, pickerel, tiger muskellunge and walleye as the seasons opened on Sunday, May 1. Read the full story by ABC50 NOW.
Great Lakes Commission
https://www.glc.org/dailynews/20220502-fishingny
How’s the fishing on the St. Marys River? Fisheries staff with the Michigan Department of Natural Resources and Ontario Ministry of Northern Development, Mines, Natural Resources and Forestry will be asking this summer and fall during a creel survey beginning in May and running through October. Read the full story by The Sault News.
Great Lakes Commission
https://www.glc.org/dailynews/20220502-creelsurvey
In Onaway, MI campers squat atop a low cliff overlooking a wending, swiftly-flowing river to protect sturgeon. Read the full story by The Alpena News.
Great Lakes Commission
https://www.glc.org/dailynews/20220502-sturgeonguard
Six years ago a panel of experts convened by former Governor Rick Snyder concluded that Michigan’s public works — its roads, sewers, water distribution pipes, and other vital systems — were in “a state of disrepair” and Michigan was losing competitive advantage in a globalized economy by not investing in fundamental connective assets like potable water and wastewater treatment. Read the full story by Michigan Radio.
Great Lakes Commission
https://www.glc.org/dailynews/20220502-miwaterinfrastructure
As the nation prepares to pour billions of federal dollars into rescuing water systems, the Great Lakes News Collaborative investigates the true cost of water in Michigan with a special series of reports and events during May. Read the full story by Circle of Blue.
Great Lakes Commission
https://www.glc.org/dailynews/20220429-true-cost-water
The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers is launching a comprehensive study of the Great Lakes shoreline after securing $1.1 million to begin the long-awaited look at vulnerability to high water and erosion along the inland coast. Read the full story by MLive.
Great Lakes Commission
https://www.glc.org/dailynews/20220429-coastal-resilience
The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers is launching a comprehensive study of the Great Lakes shoreline after securing $1.1 million to begin the long-awaited look at vulnerability to high water and erosion along the inland coast. Read the full story by MLive.
Great Lakes Commission
https://www.glc.org/dailynews/20220429-coastal-resilience
Now out in the Great Lakes are the Michigan Department of Natural Resources Great Lakes research vessels, where crews will be monitoring fish population sizes and habitats. Read the full story by the Petoskey New-Review.
Great Lakes Commission
https://www.glc.org/dailynews/20220429-fish-surveys
Now out in the Great Lakes are the Michigan Department of Natural Resources Great Lakes research vessels, where crews will be monitoring fish population sizes and habitats. Read the full story by the Petoskey New-Review.
Great Lakes Commission
https://www.glc.org/dailynews/20220429-fish-surveys
Meag Schwartz, network coordinator for the Northeast Michigan Great Lakes Stewardship Initiative, has been leading trash cleanups along the shore of Lake Huron. The most common litter found in her cleanups, cigarette butts. Read the full story by The Alpena News.
Great Lakes Commission
https://www.glc.org/dailynews/20220429-trash-cleanups
Meag Schwartz, network coordinator for the Northeast Michigan Great Lakes Stewardship Initiative, has been leading trash cleanups along the shore of Lake Huron. The most common litter found in her cleanups, cigarette butts. Read the full story by The Alpena News.
Great Lakes Commission
https://www.glc.org/dailynews/20220429-trash-cleanups
Aiming to protect fish in Lake Superior, teams race to understand a messy invader previously foreign to trout streams Up North. Read the full story by the Star Tribune.
Great Lakes Commission
https://www.glc.org/dailynews/20220429-rock-snot
Aiming to protect fish in Lake Superior, teams race to understand a messy invader previously foreign to trout streams Up North. Read the full story by the Star Tribune.
Great Lakes Commission
https://www.glc.org/dailynews/20220429-rock-snot
A recent study suggests that a binational regulation targeting ship ballast water has had a remarkable suppressive effect on the invasion rate. Read the full story by the Toronto Star.
Great Lakes Commission
https://www.glc.org/dailynews/20220429-ballast
