For the first time in Michigan’s Lower Peninsula, biologists have found a nuisance algae called “rock snot,” or didymo. Read the full story by Great Lakes Now.
Great Lakes Commission
https://www.glc.org/dailynews/20211208-rock-snot
A poll by the Great Lakes Water Quality Board asked 4,500 Great Lakes residents in the U.S. and Canada to rate the current status of the environmental health of their favorite Great Lake, and more people think the Great Lakes are in bad shape than those who think they’re in good shape. Read the full story by Great Lakes Now.
Great Lakes Commission
https://www.glc.org/dailynews/20211208-health
A conference discussing research and policy on chemicals called PFAS starts today. The “Great Lakes Virtual PFAS Summit” is a week-long event where policymakers, environmentalists and researchers can learn about how to address the threat posed by PFAS. Read the full story by WNMU-FM – Marquette, MI.
Great Lakes Commission
https://www.glc.org/dailynews/20211206-pfas-summit
Under the plan proposed by For Love of Water, a nonprofit environmental organization in Traverse City, Michigan residents would pay 3 to 6 cents and bottled water companies would pay 25 cents per gallon of water they pump from the ground to package and sell. Read the full story by Capital News Service.
Great Lakes Commission
https://www.glc.org/dailynews/20211206-bottled-water
Faced with growing uncertainties over the future of fossil fuels, Enbridge wants to cut by a decade the estimated economic life span of its Upper Midwest pipeline system, which includes the newly built Line 3. Read the full story by Star Tribune.
Great Lakes Commission
https://www.glc.org/dailynews/20211206-enbridge
A new project using a sophisticated system of receivers across Saginaw Bay and Lake Huron will help guide researchers in their efforts to return state-threatened lake sturgeon to the Saginaw Bay system. Read the full story by WSGW-TV – Saginaw, MI.
Great Lakes Commission
https://www.glc.org/dailynews/20211206-sturgeon-fish
PFAS chemicals have been detected in every one of the Great Lakes and in the drinking water of nearly 2 million Michiganders to date. Communities across the state are impacted. Read the full story by Detroit Free Press.
Great Lakes Commission
https://www.glc.org/dailynews/20211206-pfas-pollution
Michigan’s State Senate approved a $3.3 billion water infrastructure plan, including $680 million specifically for dam safety, in a unanimous and bipartisan vote last week. Read the full story by Midland Daily News.
Great Lakes Commission
https://www.glc.org/dailynews/20211206-michigan-dam
Scientists with Fisheries and Oceans Canada spurred an online furor this week by posting photos of a nearly four-pound goldfish found as part of ongoing three-year project with the goal to study what can be done to control the exploding aquarium released pond populations and prevent ecological damage and potential release to Lake Ontario. Read the full story by Welland Tribune.
Great Lakes Commission
https://www.glc.org/dailynews/20211206-goldfish
More than a century ago, townspeople wearied of looking at the fire-torched hull of the SS Muskegon, which had been abandoned in the Michigan City marina. So they dragged it out into Lake Michigan and sank it. Now the shipwreck of the 211-foot freighter that sank near Mount Baldy in Michigan City in 1911 could become Indiana’s second underwater preserve. Read the full story by the Northwest Indiana Times.
Great Lakes Commission
https://www.glc.org/dailynews/20211206-indiana-shipwreck
Indiana Dunes’ iconic Mount Baldy dune is gradually creeping inland and now covers part of a popular road. Park officials hope to preserve access to Mount Baldy but don’t have a plan to address its shifting sands. Read the full story by Travel Awaits.
Great Lakes Commission
https://www.glc.org/dailynews/20211206-indiana-dunes
Lefroy Harbour Resorts in Innisfil, Ontario was recognized at this year’s 39th annual Conservation Awards, hosted by the Lake Simcoe Region Conservation Authority (LSRCA), for its efforts to keep the lake clean and pristine through water quality protection efforts including microplastic collecting Seabins. Read the full story by BarrieToday.
Great Lakes Commission
https://www.glc.org/dailynews/20211206-harbor
More Great Lakes residents in the U.S. and Canada think the Great Lakes are in bad shape than those who think they’re in good shape according to a poll by the Great Lakes Water Quality Board. Read the full story by Michigan Radio.
Great Lakes Commission
https://www.glc.org/dailynews/20211203-poll
Indigenous communities in the Great Lakes have been hand harvesting wild rice for more than a thousand years. Now, it’s mostly gone. However, there are efforts from tribes to restore rice beds and bring more recognition to the grain in Michigan. Read and listen to the full story by WKAR – East Lansing, MI.
Great Lakes Commission
https://www.glc.org/dailynews/20211203-wild-rice
After repeated air pollution violations at its northwest Indiana refinery along Lake Michigan, BP must pay $512,450 in penalties to resolve a lawsuit filed by environmental organizations. Read the full story by the Indy Star.
Great Lakes Commission
https://www.glc.org/dailynews/20211203-refinery
A time-critical removal action at the former fire training area of the Wurtsmith Air Force Base in northeast Michigan entailed 24,780 tons of PFAS-impacted soil being hauled away from the site. Read the full story by Iosco County News-Herald.
Great Lakes Commission
https://www.glc.org/dailynews/20211203-pfas
A group pushing hard to clean up Lake Erie will now be dropping out of a federal lawsuit as they don’t think the lawsuit is the answer to cure the lake’s algae issues. Read the full story by WTVG-TV – Toledo, OH.
Great Lakes Commission
https://www.glc.org/dailynews/20211203-erie-lawsuit
Stranded between its last and next Coast Guard cutters, Duluth-Superior Twin Ports will be reliant on a temporary plan for breaking ice in 2021-22 since their cutter departed for a year of maintenance in July. Read the full story by the Duluth News Tribune.
Great Lakes Commission
https://www.glc.org/dailynews/20211203-icebreaker
Ontario Auditor-General Bonnie Lysyk says the province owes the public more details — and sooner — about pollution spills like the 24-billion-litre leak of sewage into Hamilton’s Chedoke Creek which empties into Cootes Paradise on Lake Ontario. Read the full story by the Hamilton Spectator.
Great Lakes Commission
https://www.glc.org/dailynews/20211203-pollution-spill
Erie City Council in northern Pennsylvania, voted no on a plan to use tax payer dollars to pay for storm water management. Read and view the full story by WJET-TV – Erie, Pennsylvania.
Great Lakes Commission
https://www.glc.org/dailynews/20211203-storm-water
The Lake Erie walleye fishing community is raising money for kids in treatment for cancer at Rainbow Babies and Children’s Hospital. Read and view the full story by WKYC-TV – North Ridgeville, OH.
Great Lakes Commission
https://www.glc.org/dailynews/20211203-anglers-help-kids
Work has wrapped up on the restoration of the North Sandy Pond barrier bar, a $600,000 project awarded to the town of Sandy Creek in Oswego County. Read the full story by The Central New York Business Journal.
Great Lakes Commission
https://www.glc.org/dailynews/20211203-barrier
Great Lakes temperatures have been higher than the long-term average since the summer, and in some cases, even longer. Long-term high lake temperatures may have negative repercussions which ultimately harm fish and wildlife and in turn disrupt Michigan’s fishing economy. Read the full story by Michigan Radio.
Great Lakes Commission
https://www.glc.org/dailynews/20211201-temperature
Beyond telling us about the region’s history, the presence of coral fossils in the Great Lakes also enables us to obtain several of our natural resources today, such as salts, oils, and natural gas. Read the full story by Great Lakes Now.
Great Lakes Commission
https://www.glc.org/dailynews/20211201-fossils
A seawall near a dock site in Detroit, Michigan, that collapsed two years ago gave way Friday, spilling an unknown amount of soil into the Detroit River, according to state environmental officials. Read the full story by The Detroit News.
Great Lakes Commission
https://www.glc.org/dailynews/20211201-seawall-collapse
Michigan Governor Gretchen Whitmer abandoned a lawsuit Tuesday aimed at shutting down an oil pipeline that runs through part of the Great Lakes but said the state would continue pursuing a separate case with the same goal. Read the full story by WHEC-TV – Rochester, NY.
Great Lakes Commission
https://www.glc.org/dailynews/20211201-oil-pipeline
A towering sand dune at the Indiana Dunes National Park in Porter, Indiana, has kept up its inland creep, covering up an access road and threatening to bury a parking lot in the coming years. Read the full story by The Associated Press.
Great Lakes Commission
https://www.glc.org/dailynews/20211201-dune
In Michigan, the Saugatuck Dunes Coastal Alliance plans to provide updates on its three-pronged legal strategy to stop the proposed NorthShore of Saugatuck boat canal. Read the full story by MLive.
Great Lakes Commission
https://www.glc.org/dailynews/20211201-boat-canal
Officials are seeking input from local boaters on changing water levels on the St. Lawrence River and Lake Ontario. The International Lake Ontario-St. Lawrence River Board has issued surveys for recreational boaters regarding fall water levels and end-of-season boat hauls. Read the full story by WWI-TV – Watertown, NY.
Great Lakes Commission
https://www.glc.org/dailynews/20211201-st.-lawrence-river
New York State Department of Environmental Conservation Commissioner Basil Seggos announced the completion of the restoration of the North Sandy Pond barrier bar, a $600,000 project awarded to the town of Sandy Creek as part of the state’s Resiliency and Economic Development Initiative. Read the full story by Oswego County Today.
Great Lakes Commission
https://www.glc.org/dailynews/20211201-flood-resiliency
On Dec. 7, the Ohio Supreme Court will hear an appeal from two Bratenahl residents against the Ohio Power Siting Board that argue a state board should not have granted a certificate that will allow construction of the Icebreaker wind project on Lake Erie. Read the full story by The Plain Dealer.
Great Lakes Commission
https://www.glc.org/dailynews/20211201-wind
The Rouse Simmons sank on November 23, 1912, off the coast of Lake Michigan and is one of the 39 known ships in the proposed Lake Michigan National Marine Sanctuary. The Wisconsin Maritime Museum will host its annual Christmas Tree Ship Day this Saturday. Read the full story by the Herald Times Reporter.
Great Lakes Commission
https://www.glc.org/dailynews/20211201-ship
Above average surface temperatures in the Great Lakes are expected to produce a domino effect, leading to a shift in amount and seasonality for lake effect snow, arrival of ice, and more. Read and hear the full story by The Associated Press.
Great Lakes Commission
https://www.glc.org/dailynews/20211129-climate
A 17-month project to restore the natural habitat at the Muskegon Lake Nature Preserve in Muskegon, Michigan is on track to be completed by the end of November. Read the full story by MLive.
Great Lakes Commission
https://www.glc.org/dailynews/20211129-muskegon-lake
While some may use the term gale loosely to describe strong wind gusts, it actually has a specific meteorological definition from the National Weather Service. Read the full story by WWMT-TV – Kalamazoo, MI.
Great Lakes Commission
https://www.glc.org/dailynews/20211129-wind-gales
The Cleveland Metroparks has been awarded a $985,000 grant to help design 79 acres of park area along the Lake Erie shoreline in Cleveland, Ohio. Read the full story by The Plains Dealer.
Great Lakes Commission
https://www.glc.org/dailynews/20211129-cleveland-restoration
House Bill 5291 would establish a Port Facility Improvement Grant program for the expansion and creation of public and private ports within the state of Michigan. Read the full story by The Manistee News Advocate.
Great Lakes Commission
https://www.glc.org/dailynews/20211129-maritime
Bipartisan Michigan lawmakers are pressing President Joe Biden to talk to the Canadian government about stopping the proposal for a permanent repository for radioactive waste near Lake Huron. Read the full story by The Detroit News.
Great Lakes Commission
https://www.glc.org/dailynews/20211129-huron-waste
New York Governor Kathy Hochul announced Tuesday that nearly $14 million has been awarded to protect clean water across the state, including a number of projects in the Finger Lakes region. Read the full story by the Finger Lakes Times.
Great Lakes Commission
https://www.glc.org/dailynews/20211129-water-projects
Transport Canada confirmed it will begin “restricting access” to the popular Burlington, Ontario shipping canal piers to pedestrians in December head of winter conditions, but added future recreational use is still up for negotiation. Read the full story by the Hamilton Spectator.
Great Lakes Commission
https://www.glc.org/dailynews/20211129-public-access
The International Lake Ontario-St. Lawrence River Board is looking for input from recreational boaters. Read the full story by the Watertown Daily News.
Great Lakes Commission
https://www.glc.org/dailynews/20211129-boater-survey
Firefighters and environmental advocates are teaming up to push for the discontinuation of PFAS-containing foam. Read the full story by Capital News Service.
Great Lakes Commission
https://www.glc.org/dailynews/20211129-pfas
Six non-profits in the Northwest Indiana area have received grants from the Chi-Cal Rivers Fund to improve the health and accessibility of waterways in the Chicago and Calumet areas. Read the full story by The Northwest Indiana Times.
Great Lakes Commission
https://www.glc.org/dailynews/20211129-indiana
New York State has released cleanup plans for the former Bethlehem Steel site in Lackawanna. Construction to advance the cleanup plan is expected to begin in 2022, the state said it will address site-wide contamination and provide public access to Lake Erie for the first time in more than 100 years. Read the full story by WKBW-TV – Buffalo, NY.
Great Lakes Commission
https://www.glc.org/dailynews/20211124-bethlehem
The Cleveland area has once again has been featured in the national (game show) spotlight. The Great Lakes Science Center was part of a question on Jeopardy! Tuesday. Read the full story by WEWS-TV- Cleveland, OH.
Great Lakes Commission
https://www.glc.org/dailynews/20211124-jeopardy
The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers is informing the public about the dredging it does at nine harbors along Ohio’s north coast by publishing aa newsletter that includes a map that identifies the location of each harbor in Lake Erie, the timing of the dredging sessions, and their contribution to the economy. Read the full story by The Plain Dealer.
Great Lakes Commission
https://www.glc.org/dailynews/20211124-dredging
If you visited the shores of Lake Michigan in Milwaukee in the 1970s and ’80s, chances are you saw it: a wedge of concrete about 3,000 feet off Bradford Beach, with the word “LOVE” painted on its side in big capital letters. How the “LOVE” got there was a mystery for decades. Read the full story by the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel.
Great Lakes Commission
https://www.glc.org/dailynews/20211124-love-rock
Erie Hack, the months-long water-innovation competition from the Great Lakes region hosted by Cleveland Water Alliance (CWA), has culminated with the naming of two winning teams and over $60,000 awarded November 18. Read the full story by WaterWorld.
Great Lakes Commission
https://www.glc.org/dailynews/20211124-eriehack
The Allegan County Health Department has lifted its cyanobacteria advisory on Swan Lake. A November 18 test conducted by the Michigan Department of Environment, Great Lakes, and Energy determined that the lake’s microcystin levels were below detection levels. Read the full story by WXMI-TV- Grand Rapids, MI.
Great Lakes Commission
https://www.glc.org/dailynews/20211124-cyano
While many local residents might be particularly interested in the Great Lakes program,the Infrastructure Investment & Jobs Act also has money to restore the environment in other areas of the U.S., plant many new trees and deal with global warming by capturing carbon from the atmosphere. Read the full story by the Sandusky Register.
Great Lakes Commission
https://www.glc.org/dailynews/20211124-bill
