A judge has ordered an Upper Peninsula man to pay a $150,000 civil fine and restore wetlands on an island in the St. Marys River that regulators say were developed without a permit. Read the full story by MLive.
Great Lakes Commission
https://www.glc.org/dailynews/20211124-wetlands
Scientists have discovered a Lake Superior refuge for a declining weasel-like carnivore. The American marten was rediscovered on Lake Superior’s Apostle Islands in 2014, several decades after it had disappeared. Read the full story by the Great Lakes Echo.
Great Lakes Commission
https://www.glc.org/dailynews/20211124-species
There are mystery holes that are one of the only pieces of physical evidence that indicates what almost became a reality. In the age of canal building during the industrial revolution, the proposed Georgian Bay Ship Canal megaproject connecting the St. Lawrence River to the Georgian Bay was being exhaustively evaluated. Read the full story by Collingwood Today.
Great Lakes Commission
https://www.glc.org/dailynews/20211122-shipping
Installing filters on washing machines could be a simple and effective way to catch the microscopic particles our clothes shed, according to a study released this week by the University of Toronto and nonprofit Georgian Bay Forever. Read the full story by CBC News.
Great Lakes Commission
https://www.glc.org/dailynews/20211122-microfiber-pollution
Central Michigan University researchers have discovered unexpected populations of native mussels in the Detroit River, an area that hasn’t been searched for the mollusks since 1998. Read the full story by Capital News Service.
Great Lakes Commission
https://www.glc.org/dailynews/20211122-native-mussels
In late 2011, the Minnesota Department of Health released a study about levels of mercury in the blood of infants born in the Lake Superior watershed. The study showed that 10% of the infants in the Minnesota portion of the watershed had mercury levels that exceeded health limits. Read the full story by Duluth News-Tribune.
Great Lakes Commission
https://www.glc.org/dailynews/20211122-mercury-minnesota
A $17.8 million federal grant will help complete the final 17 segments of a 60-mile continuous trail that connects Illinois, Indiana and Michigan. The US Department of Transportation awarded the Marquette Greenway project a 2021 RAISE grant, which will be managed by the Northwestern Indiana Regional Planning Commission. Read the full story by Northwest Indiana Business.
Great Lakes Commission
https://www.glc.org/dailynews/20211122-trail
A wetland monitoring team from Heidelberg University is playing an integral role in Ohio’s H2Ohio initiative to improve water quality in the state and reduce nutrients and pollutants going into Lake Erie. Read the full story by The Advertiser-Tribune.
Great Lakes Commission
https://www.glc.org/dailynews/20211122-h2o-ohio
The marmorkreb, a.k.a. marbled crayfish (Procambarus virginalis), is a destructive new species that first appeared in aquariums in Germany. Preventing the release of this species is tied to public outreach and public reporting. Read the full story by Press-Republican.
Great Lakes Commission
https://www.glc.org/dailynews/20211122-invasive-crayfish
Along Chicago’s beaches recent storm waves stirred up shell deposits from invasive zebra and quagga mussels on the lake bottom and brought them ashore. Read the full story by WTTW-TV – Chicago, IL.
Great Lakes Commission
https://www.glc.org/dailynews/20211122-invasive-mussels
A U.S. Navy warship won’t be dropping anchor in Erie anytime soon. While efforts are ongoing to bring a decommissioned Oliver Hazard Perry-class frigate to Presque Isle Bay and turn it into a floating naval museum, a steep fundraising goal and an arduous Navy approval process could slow the project for years. Read the full story by Erie Times-News.
Great Lakes Commission
https://www.glc.org/dailynews/20211122-ship-museum
A cormorant colony in eastern Ontario is dwindling, and a retired biologist who monitors the birds says Ontario’s cormorant hunt has left the colony on the brink of survival. Read the full story by CBC News.
Great Lakes Commission
https://www.glc.org/dailynews/20211122-ontario-birds
Four members of Congress believe that the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service should continue to play a role in protecting fish and wildlife in the Great Lakes region and have introduced bipartisan legislation in support of this idea. Read the full story by Dearborn Press and Guide.
Great Lakes Commission
https://www.glc.org/dailynews/20211119-bill
Michigan Attorney General Dana Nessel joined a coalition of 19 attorneys general urging the U.S. Senate’s Environment and Public Works Committee to take action on federal health and environmental protections to address per-and polyfluoroalkyl substances, better known as PFAS. Read the full story by Midland Daily News.
Great Lakes Commission
https://www.glc.org/dailynews/20211119-pfas
Michigan anglers should be on the lookout for trout or salmon with an adipose fin-clip. It could contain a tag with information on the movement of steelhead, Chinook salmon, Atlantic salmon, brown trout, and lake trout. Read the full story by WITL – Lansing, MI.
Great Lakes Commission
https://www.glc.org/dailynews/20211119-tagged-fish
The Port of Detroit along with other Great Lakes ports could be used to help ease the shipping logjam on the coasts. Read the full story by WXTZ-TV – Detroit, MI.
Great Lakes Commission
https://www.glc.org/dailynews/20211119-shipping-logjams
St. Catharines city councillors this week approved the terms of reference for the 2029 Historic Welland Canals Task Force, to develop plans to commemorate the history of the Welland Canal that first opened on Nov. 30, 1829, after five years of construction. Read the full story by the St. Catharines Standard.
Great Lakes Commission
https://www.glc.org/dailynews/20211119-bicentennial
Erie Hack is a “multi-month innovation challenge” that encourages people from the U.S. and Canada to pitch their ideas for new ways and technologies to help Lake Erie. The 2021 winners were announced earlier this week. Read the full story by Great Lakes Now.
Great Lakes Commission
https://www.glc.org/dailynews/20211119-climate-change
Erie Hack is a “multi-month innovation challenge” that encourages people from the U.S. and Canada to pitch their ideas for new ways and technologies to help Lake Erie. The 2021 winners were announced earlier this week. Read the full story by Great Lakes Now.
Great Lakes Commission
https://www.glc.org/dailynews/20211119-erie-hack
Funding to restore the Great Lakes in a way that will make waterways cleaner in Western New York is on its way. Thanks to the Great Lakes Restoration Initiative and President Joe Biden’s infrastructure plan, more than $3 million will be spent on improvements over the next five years. Read the full story by Spectrum Local News.
Great Lakes Commission
https://www.glc.org/dailynews/20211119-restore-waterways
Erosion, storms, and aggressive waves have been eating away at properties on the shoreline of Lake Michigan for years. Homeowners are taking action. Read the full story by WSBT-TV – South Bend, IN.
Great Lakes Commission
https://www.glc.org/dailynews/20211119-erosion
A Michigan high schooler and a University of Michigan master’s student’s efforts led to a proposed ban on balloon litter. Read the full story by Great Lakes Echo.
Great Lakes Commission
https://www.glc.org/dailynews/20211119-ballon-litter
Warm weather in September and October has kept the Great Lakes’ water temperatures much warmer than normal for mid-November. A few of the Great Lakes are warmer than they have ever been since consistent water temperature tracking has been developed. Read the full story by MLive.
Great Lakes Commission
https://www.glc.org/dailynews/2021117-record-warm
When a 72-pound bighead carp was pulled from Humboldt Park Lagoon in Chicago earlier this month, many questioned how it got there. The Illinois Department of Natural Resources thinks the carp may have been stocked in Humboldt Park Lagoon 20-plus years ago. Read the full story by WTTW-TV – Chicago, IL.
Great Lakes Commission
https://www.glc.org/dailynews/2021117-carp
Construction on a proposed utility tunnel under the Straits of Mackinac to house a rebuilt section of the Enbridge Line 5 oil pipeline would not likely finish until 2028, according to documents posted online by the state of Michigan in response to a lawsuit. Read the full story by MLive.
Great Lakes Commission
https://www.glc.org/dailynews/2021117-line-5-tunnel
Despite approval from a multitude of oversight agencies, a pilot offshore windmill project on Lake Erie is facing some strong headwinds the next few months amid the fallout of Ohio’s ongoing energy scandal. Read the full story by the Ohio Capital Journal.
Great Lakes Commission
https://www.glc.org/dailynews/2021117-windmall-project
New York Governor Kathy Hochul announced Monday the completion of a Resilience and Economic Development Initiative project in the Wayne County Village of Sodus Point. The $7.58 million project will protect public areas, businesses, and homes from future flooding and provide recreational opportunities for the community’s tourism industry, according to state officials. Read the full story by WROC-TV – Rochester, NY.
Great Lakes Commission
https://www.glc.org/dailynews/2021117-lake-ontario-waterfront
Behavior-altering chemicals produced by sea lamprey may decrease the invaders’ populations in the Great Lakes. Read the full story by Great Lakes Echo.
Great Lakes Commission
https://www.glc.org/dailynews/2021117-chemical
New York Sea Grant is working to create environmental stewardship among young learners by partnering with educators in the region to provide accessible curriculum resources on local environmental issues. Read the full story by WWTI-TV – Watertown, NY.
Great Lakes Commission
https://www.glc.org/dailynews/2021117-ny-sea-grant
November marks the 100th anniversary of an infamous event in the history of Great Lakes fishing: the date when sea lamprey, native to the Atlantic Ocean, first moved into Lake Erie from the Welland Canal. Read the full story by the Duluth News Tribune.
Great Lakes Commission
https://www.glc.org/dailynews/2021117-sea-lamprey
U.S. Circuit Court Judge Janet Neff issued a long-awaited written ruling late Tuesday, agreeing with Enbridge that its dispute with Michigan Governor Gretchen Whitmer’s administration involves “substantial federal issues” and thus will remain in federal court. Read the full story by MLive.
Great Lakes Commission
https://www.glc.org/dailynews/2021117-line-5
In the new PC game Great Lakes Simulator, players can sail the full length of Lake Huron and Lake Superior on a virtual freighter for an immersive experience. Read the full story by the Port Huron Times Herald.
Great Lakes Commission
https://www.glc.org/dailynews/2021117-pc
The sea lamprey, an incredibly destructive invasive species, is now largely under control thanks to an international treaty, a specialized pesticide and millions of dollars from the U.S. and Canada. But Canada hasn’t been paying its full share for over a decade. Read and hear the full story by Interlochen Public Radio.
Great Lakes Commission
https://www.glc.org/dailynews/2021115-lamprey
Premiering 7 p.m. Tuesday, Nov. 30 on PBS Wisconsin, Shipwrecks! explores the rich history of Wisconsin’s Great Lakes shipwrecks and takes viewers below the surface to an underwater museum of marvel. Read the full story by PBS Wisconsin.
Great Lakes Commission
https://www.glc.org/dailynews/2021115-shipwrecks
Authorities confirmed that a small craft operated by a Canadian oil pipeline company contractor crashed into the Mackinac Bridge after nightfall this month. Read the full story by MLive.
Great Lakes Commission
https://www.glc.org/dailynews/2021115-enbridge
Bells tolled Sunday at Mariner’s Church of Detroit for the 30,000 lives lost at sea, in shipwrecks on the Great Lakes, and military personnel who have sacrificed their lives. Read the full story by The Detroit News.
Great Lakes Commission
https://www.glc.org/dailynews/2021115-edmund-fitzgerald
After years of planning and a delay due to the pandemic, local students in Racine, Wisconsin were finally able to go to North Beach this week to learn how to protect the fragile coast of Lake Michigan. Read the full story by The Journal Times.
Great Lakes Commission
https://www.glc.org/dailynews/2021115-racine
The Army Corps and the city of Chicago, Illinois are advancing a plan to expand a so-called confined disposal facility, which is next to Calumet Park on the Southeast Side. That would delay a potential conversion to parkland for at least another two decades. Read the full story by the Chicago Sun Times.
Great Lakes Commission
https://www.glc.org/dailynews/2021115-calumet
Frenchtown Township Resort Authority is seeking a key $4.5 million federal grant from Michigan’s Monroe County to erect a seawall to protect homes in Stony Point Peninsula and Dewey’s Subdivision from Lake Erie’s high water. Read the full story by The Monroe News.
Great Lakes Commission
https://www.glc.org/dailynews/2021115-seawall
U.S. Sen. Gary Peters toured flood walls along the Grand River in Grand Rapids, Michigan Friday, as he highlighted legislation included in the recently passed $1.2 trillion infrastructure bill that would help communities affected by coastal erosion. Read the full story by the Holland Sentinel.
Great Lakes Commission
https://www.glc.org/dailynews/2021115-infrastructure
A new light icebreaker will ply the waters of the Great Lakes once it is inspected and design work to prepare its conversion is carried out, says the Ministry of Fisheries, Oceans and the Canadian Coast Guard. Read the full story by The Welland Tribune.
Great Lakes Commission
https://www.glc.org/dailynews/2021115-icebreaker
Cleveland, Ohio City Councilmen Kevin Bishop, Brian Kazy and Anthony Brancatelli have introduced legislation that will prohibit the outdoor release of large numbers of balloons. Read the full story by The Cleveland Scene.
Great Lakes Commission
https://www.glc.org/dailynews/2021115-cleveland
To mitigate the impact of shoreline erosion, New York Sea Grant Great Lakes Coastal Processes and Hazards Specialist Roy L. Widrig is inviting waterfront property owners to participate in online workshops on Dec. 9. Read the full story by The Observer.
Great Lakes Commission
https://www.glc.org/dailynews/2021115-erie-workshops
The latest public works package, which totals $1.2 trillion in spending, was passed by the U.S. House of Representatives late last week, which includes $1 billion in federal funding for Great Lakes restoration efforts. Read the full story by the Port Clinton News Herald.
Great Lakes Commission
https://www.glc.org/dailynews/20211112-infastructure-bill
The 962-square-mile Shipwreck Coast sanctuary is the country’s fifteenth and Lake Michigan’s first. The sanctuary has 36 known shipwrecks (21 of them are listed on the National Register of Historic Places) and up to 59 more are suspected. Diving, snorkeling and paddling a boat are the easiest ways to explore the sanctuary. Read the full story by the Smithsonian Magazine.
Great Lakes Commission
https://www.glc.org/dailynews/20211112-national-marine-sanctuary
Lake effect snow is notoriously tricky to forecast but Paul Pastelok, a senior meteorologist with Accuweather, predicts a normal to slightly above normal lake effect season for Upstate New York. Read the full story by The Post-Standard.
Great Lakes Commission
https://www.glc.org/dailynews/20211112-lake-effect-snow
Ports of Indiana-Burns Harbor and their tenant, bulk cargo handler Metro Ports, are trying to reduce the environmental impact of a port famous for creating a huge portion of the nation’s steel. The port is a member of Green Marine, a multi-national organization started in 2007 in the Great Lakes region that encourages ports, their on-site tenants and ships to improve their sustainability through a voluntary certification program. Read the full story by Great Lakes Now.
Great Lakes Commission
https://www.glc.org/dailynews/20211112-burns-harbor
In the U.S., recreational anglers have been mining Lake Erie for “yellow gold” walleye for decades, and the current trend of skyrocketing fish populations has only helped to firm up the economic benefits that support thousands of households around the lake. Read the full story by Great Lakes Now.
Great Lakes Commission
https://www.glc.org/dailynews/20211112-walleye
Lake temperatures have gradually been getting warmer for the last few decades. As Lake Michigan is currently 5 degrees warmer than average in areas, there is possible implications for ice cover, evaporation and lake-effect snow going into the winter. Read the full story by the Record Eagle.
Great Lakes Commission
https://www.glc.org/dailynews/20211112-warm-lakes
New York Sea Grant is organizing an online workshop for Lake Ontario waterfront property owners to highlight erosion mitigation measures. The Dec. 7 workshop will focus on the western Lake Ontario shoreline areas of Niagara and Orleans counties. Read the full story by the Lockport Union-Sun & Journal.
Great Lakes Commission
https://www.glc.org/dailynews/20211112-shoreline-erosion
