The Saugatuck Dunes Coastal Alliance is fighting to preserve the marina portion of a historic shipping “ghost town” in West Michigan once titled “Singapore,” which met its ultimate demise in the early 1900s. Read the full story by Holland Sentinel.
Great Lakes Commission
https://www.glc.org/dailynews/20220221-logging-ghost-town
Cleanup of the Twin Ports’ St. Louis River will accelerate under new federal Great Lakes restoration funding. The Lake Superior estuary is one of 22 designated “areas of concern” to be restored using $1 billion from the bipartisan infrastructure deal approved by Congress last fall. Read the full story by Star Tribune.
Great Lakes Commission
https://www.glc.org/dailynews/20220221-st-louis-river
The Minnesota Department of Natural Resources is planning a pilot project set to launch this spring to determine best practices for minnow dealers who trap spottail shiners in lakes designated as infested waters for zebra mussels. Read the full story by Alexandria Echo Press.
Great Lakes Commission
https://www.glc.org/dailynews/20220221-zebra-mussels
Respect for water was as much a part of Phillip Solomon’s fishing education as sawing through thick winter ice. The Anishinaabe fisherman can see how rising temperatures are changing Gitchigumi and the fish his community relies on. Read the full story by The Narwhal.
Great Lakes Commission
https://www.glc.org/dailynews/20220221-climate-ice
A transformer at the Hydro One Bathurst Transmission Station in North York, ON failed last week resulting in insulating mineral oil being released into the Don River. The cleanup alongside the creek and outside the station is projected to take two to three days. Read the full story by CBC News.
Great Lakes Commission
https://www.glc.org/dailynews/20220221-oil
Lake Michigan’s ice cover hit 37% last week, the most yet in the season, and trended closer to average than originally forecasted according to data from the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration’s Great Lakes Environmental Research Laboratory. Read the full story by The Chicago Tribune.
Great Lakes Commission
https://www.glc.org/dailynews/20220221-ice-cover
A fisherman got lost in blowing snow on Lake Superior and then his snowmobile got stuck in heavy slush before rescuers found him overnight, officials said. The man was found miles from shore around 2 a.m. Monday by a U.S. Coast Guard helicopter. Read the full story by MLive.com.
Great Lakes Commission
https://www.glc.org/dailynews/20220221-lake-snow
The Chippewa Luce Mackinac Conservation District has distributed grants to support five Michigan conservation projects that support wildlife habitat, erosion control, recreation opportunities, student learning, pollinator habitat restoration, outdoor education, and vegetative management. Read the full story by The Sault News.
Great Lakes Commission
https://www.glc.org/dailynews/20220221-up-projects
On Thursday in Lorain, Ohio, President Joe Biden announced that $1 billion in funding in his administration’s infrastructure law would go toward cleanup and restoration of the Great Lakes. Read the full story by CNN.
Great Lakes Commission
https://www.glc.org/dailynews/20220218-infrastructure-funding-
At a meeting in Lansing on Wednesday, the Mackinac Straits Corridor Authority approved Enbridge’s Request for Proposals. This document starts the bidding process for contractors looking to build the Great Lakes Tunnel. Read the full story Interlochen Public Radio.
Great Lakes Commission
https://www.glc.org/dailynews/20220218-enbridge
The city and St. Louis County have received a $258,000 federal grant to assess the erosion damage that has occurred in recent years, prioritize areas that are of most crucial concern and propose fixes. Read the full story by the Duluth News Tribune.
Great Lakes Commission
https://www.glc.org/dailynews/20220218-erosion
The invasive round goby fish that has wreaked havoc in the Great Lakes and spread across New York in the state canal system is heading toward Lake Champlain. Conservationists hope that keeping a lock closed on the Champlain Canal this year will block the invasion before it’s too late. Read the full story by the Adirondack Explorer.
Great Lakes Commission
https://www.glc.org/dailynews/20220218-goby
According to the Great Lakes Environmental Research Laboratory, total ice coverage on the Great Lakes is at 49.9% and is up significantly from the 11.4% recorded in January. Read the full story by WXYZ-TV – Detroit, MI.
Great Lakes Commission
https://www.glc.org/dailynews/20220218-ice
$1 billion worth of aid is coming to regions of the Great Lakes affected by chronic water contamination. That includes the Milwaukee Estuary, which has been designated as an Area Of Concern (AOC) since 1987. Read the full story the Wisconsin Examiner.
Great Lakes Commission
https://www.glc.org/dailynews/20220218-aoc
Aspiring sailors can learn how to sail on an 1810-replica tall ship built by the Michigan Maritime Museum in South Haven, Michigan, this spring. Read the full story by MLive.
Great Lakes Commission
https://www.glc.org/dailynews/20220218-sailing-
Warmer weather in Northeast Ohio means the snow is melting, but snow runoff could be filled with trash and waste that may have a negative impact on our environment. The Northeast Ohio Regional Sewer District’s goal is to remove the junk before it reaches Lake Erie and other waterways in our area. Read the full story by WKSU – Kent, Ohio.
Great Lakes Commission
https://www.glc.org/dailynews/20220218-snow-melt-
The U.S. Coast Guard and Emmet County Office of Emergency Management are expected to conduct a training exercise later this month on Little Traverse Bay of Lake Michigan that will bring together several different emergency response agencies in the area. Read the full story the by the Petoskey News-Review.
Great Lakes Commission
https://www.glc.org/dailynews/20220218-coast-guard
In Marquette, Michigan, the marina dock at Marquette’s Upper Harbor broke off and is floating in Lake Superior. The city says the lake’s ice pulled the dock away, leaving it stranded. Read the full story by WLUC-TV– Negaunee, MI.
Great Lakes Commission
https://www.glc.org/dailynews/20220218-dock
Endangered Great Lakes creatures on the brink of extinction – so called “ghost species” – could be restored and the vast biodiversity of the region protected, according to a Michigan university academic and author. Read the full story by MLive.
Great Lakes Commission
https://www.glc.org/dailynews/20220218-ghost-species
River advocates and environmental regulators intend to fan out across northern Lower Michigan in coming months and determine where blooms of invasive “rock snot” algae threaten otherwise pristine, freshwater streams. Read the full story by MLive.
Great Lakes Commission
https://www.glc.org/dailynews/20220216-rock-snot
The Climate Adaptation Science Center, a partnership between the University of Minnesota and the U.S. Department of Interior, will study climate change and the intersection of human activity and wildlife management in the Upper Midwest and Great Lakes region. It will pay special attention to tribal concerns and build off the unique and robust experience of Midwest Indigenous communities. Read the full story by WTIP – Cook County, MN.
Great Lakes Commission
https://www.glc.org/dailynews/20220216-climate-center
Researchers at Michigan State University discovered that road salt and other salt sources created by humans are increasing Lake Michigan’s saltiness. Read the full story by WZZM-TV – Grand Rapids, MI.
Great Lakes Commission
https://www.glc.org/dailynews/20220216-road-salt
A study by the University of Wisconsin-Madison found tributary rivers that feed into Lake Michigan play a critical role in transporting cancer-linked “forever chemicals” perfluoroalkyl acids, or PFAAs, into the Great Lakes system. Read the full story by The Hill.
Great Lakes Commission
https://www.glc.org/dailynews/20220216-forever-chemicals
Trent University in Ontario is joining Winter Grab, a first-of-its-kind winter research effort to collect and analyze ice and water samples from all five of the Great Lakes. Read the full story by PTBO – Peterborough, ON.
Great Lakes Commission
https://www.glc.org/dailynews/20220216-ice-testing
The owner of a Northwest Indiana steel mill will pay $3 million in penalties, donate more than 100 acres of land for conservation, and agreed to pollution controls after a 2019 spill of ammonia and cyanide from the mill killed thousands of fish in a Lake Michigan tributary. Read the full story by the Chicago Sun-Times.
Great Lakes Commission
https://www.glc.org/dailynews/20220216-settlement
Communities across Michigan are calling out the impacts of environmental racism and environmental injustice. Data shows people living in the most socially vulnerable populations in the state are more likely to be exposed to polluted water, air pollution, and contaminated sites. Read the full story by WWMT-TV – Benton Harbor, MI.
Great Lakes Commission
https://www.glc.org/dailynews/20220216-environmental-racism
A new report by a Canadian environmental group says alternatives to Line 5 already exist if the controversial cross-border pipeline gets shut down. Read the full story by The Canadian Press.
Great Lakes Commission
https://www.glc.org/dailynews/20220216-line-5
After more than two years, the Wisconsin Natural Resources Board is set to take up proposed standards to regulate harmful “forever chemicals” known as PFAS in drinking water, surface water, and groundwater later this month. Read the full story by WSAW-TV – Madison, WI.
Great Lakes Commission
https://www.glc.org/dailynews/20220216-pfas
A recent burst of cold weather has boosted Great Lakes ice coverage from initial projections that were well below historical average back to the typical range. Read the full story by Great Lakes Now.
Great Lakes Commission
https://www.glc.org/dailynews/20220216-ice-cover
The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers states that inflows into Lake Superior are preliminarily estimated to be the lowest inflows on record for January. Read the full story by MLive.
Great Lakes Commission
https://www.glc.org/dailynews/20220214-water-levels
The Michigan Department of Environment, Great Lakes, and Energy (EGLE) will distribute more than $1.1 million in coastal management grants. Read the full story by WPBN- TV – Traverse City, MI.
Great Lakes Commission
https://www.glc.org/dailynews/20220214-coastline
The Great Lakes Commission launched the Blue Accounting data portal on Feb.1. GLC Executive Director Erika Jensen says it’s a tool for elected leaders and decision-makers, but anyone can use it. Read and hear the full story by WDET – Detroit, MI.
Great Lakes Commission
https://www.glc.org/dailynews/20220214-blue-accounting
This year, companies will invest nearly $83 million into repairing their vessels moored in New York, Ohio, Wisconsin, and Pennsylvania. Read the full story by the Lake Superior News.
Great Lakes Commission
https://www.glc.org/dailynews/20220214-vessel-repair
New sessions of Michigan’s NotMISpecies webinar series will cover how conservation officers help prevent invasive species introductions, as well as ways to enjoy the outdoors while minimizing harmful effects of invasive plants, animals and pests. Read the full story by the Daily Press.
Great Lakes Commission
https://www.glc.org/dailynews/20220214-invasive-species
The committee working on an overhaul of the plan that governs water-level management in Lake Ontario has developed a computer model that may predict the impact of higher water on lakefront property. Read the full story by The Buffalo News.
Great Lakes Commission
https://www.glc.org/dailynews/20220214-flood-forecast
Clean Water and Air, LLC, filed a complaint accusing Tofte Wastwater Treatment Association (aka Bluefin Bay) of past and ongoing violations of the Clean Water Act (CWA), including the continued pollution of Lake Superior with “mercury, fecal matter, coliform, and suspended solids.”. Read the full story by Law Street Media.
Great Lakes Commission
https://www.glc.org/dailynews/20220214-pollution
Michigan State University professor Dr. Alan Arbogast has used repeat photography to study the changing landscape on Lake Michigan’s sand dunes. Read the full story by WJBK – TV – Detroit, MI.
Great Lakes Commission
https://www.glc.org/dailynews/20220214-dunes
The waves of Lake Erie form the ice dunes along the beaches, but each wave creates another layer of unstable ice, making for an unsafe place to walk. Read the full story by WJET -TV – Erie, Pennsylvania.
Great Lakes Commission
https://www.glc.org/dailynews/20220214-ice-safety
The Nature Conservancy in Ohio (TNC) and the city of Ashtabula recently wrapped up a three-year project to restore beach and dune habitat at Walnut Beach Park. Read the full story by the Star Beacon.
Great Lakes Commission
https://www.glc.org/dailynews/20220214-restoration
The Great Lakes’ warming winters are well-known through Michigan, in part because declining ice cover is visible from the surface. Read the full story by Michigan Public Radio.
Great Lakes Commission
https://www.glc.org/dailynews/20220214-climate-change
The White Earth band of Anishinaabe the largest of the six federally recognized Indigenous reservations that make up the Minnesota Chippewa Tribe, is fighting to prevent the line 3 pipeline from crossing wetlands used for harvesting native wild rice. Read and hear the full story by Canada’s National Observer.
Great Lakes Commission
https://www.glc.org/dailynews/20220214-wild-rice
The Great Lakes are staying frozen for less time each year, and the ice that does form is more unstable thanks to shifting climate patterns and water temperatures. Read the full story by Grist.
Great Lakes Commission
https://www.glc.org/dailynews/202202011-climate-change
As the U.S. EPA prepares to expand its Great Lakes Restoration Initiative with the $1 billion-dollar windfall from the infrastructure bill, Ojibwe Tribal executive Michael “Mic” Isham wants an increased emphasis on protection of the Great Lakes with a priority for Lake Superior. Read the full story by Great Lakes Now.
Great Lakes Commission
https://www.glc.org/dailynews/202202011-lake-superior
Wednesday, Rep. Frank J. Mrvan announced that the Sanitary District of Michigan City, Indiana, will receive a grant award from the Nonpoint Source Runoff and Nutrient Reduction Program under the Great Lakes Restoration Initiative. Read the full story by WIMS – Michigan City, IN.
Great Lakes Commission
https://www.glc.org/dailynews/202202011-glri-grant
According to NOAA’s Great Lakes Regional Coordinator, the designation of an area in Lake Ontario waters as a national marine sanctuary to protect a nationally significant collection of shipwrecks is about to enter its final stage. Read the full story by the Watertown Daily Times.
Great Lakes Commission
https://www.glc.org/dailynews/202202011-marine-sanctuary
Pennsylvania’s Coastal Resources Management Program has awarded Erie County over $250,000 for coastal projects to address increasing pressure from development, erosion, biodiversity loss, and pollution. Read the full story by Erie News Now.
Great Lakes Commission
https://www.glc.org/dailynews/202202011-coastal
Some Ohio residents have mounted a legal challenge to the wind project being deliberated by the Ohio Supreme Court citing concerns about the turbines’ environmental impact. Read the full story by Spectrum News1.
Great Lakes Commission
https://www.glc.org/dailynews/202202011-wind-farm
Forty-three species of native freshwater mussels exist in Michigan, but up to 75 percent of them are endangered or threatened. The native freshwater mussels are an important factor in maintaining thriving rivers and lakes, so how can we better protect them? Read the full story by WWTV-TV – Cadillac, MI.
Great Lakes Commission
https://www.glc.org/dailynews/202202011-mussels
The government of Québec Premier François Legault is taking a step back and will re-evaluate its megaproject of a tunnel between Québec City and Lévis under the St. Lawrence River that was originally proposed to have 6 lanes and cost $10 billion. Read the fully story by the Montreal Gazette.
Great Lakes Commission
https://www.glc.org/dailynews/202202011-tunnel
Historical satellite imagery from Google Earth shows how erosion along the Lake Michigan shoreline in Wisconsin counties has affected public spaces, as well as lakefront homes. Read the full story the Wisconsin State Journal.
Great Lakes Commission
https://www.glc.org/dailynews/202202011-erosion
