If your summer plans include time at your favorite Michigan lake, there’s an easy and rewarding way to show your lake some love: help the MiCorps Cooperative Lakes Monitoring Program gather valuable information about water quality and fish habitat conditions. Read the full story by the Iosco County News-Herald.
Great Lakes Commission
https://www.glc.org/dailynews/20220325-monitoring
Will maritime containers take off in Duluth-Superior? How does the invasion of Ukraine impact grain? And what to expect for iron ore, icebreaking in 2022-23. Read the full story by the Duluth News Tribune.
Great Lakes Commission
https://www.glc.org/dailynews/20220325-shipping-questions
The U.S. Coast Guard continues to work on a tugboat that’s partially underwater in the Duluth Harbor to remove fuel and water from the sinking vessel. Read the full story by Bring Me The News.
Great Lakes Commission
https://www.glc.org/dailynews/20220325-tugboat
The most recent bald eagle census from the Ohio Department of Natural Resources Division of Wildlife estimates 806 nests in the state. Lake Erie and other large waterbodies host the highest number of eagles because of easy access to food resources. Read the full story by The Delaware Gazette.
Great Lakes Commission
https://www.glc.org/dailynews/20220325-bald-eagles
When it comes to water levels on Lake Ontario and the St. Lawrence River, no news is good news and 2022 is shaping up as a ‘no news’ year. According to the International Lake Ontario – St. Lawrence River Board, All the indicators are that we’re in the normal band of forecasted water levels. Read the full story by WWNY-TV – Watertown, NY.
Great Lakes Commission
https://www.glc.org/dailynews/20220325-water-levels
The 2022 shipping season is underway as the first shipment of cargo arrived into the Port of Green Bay March 18. Read the full story by WFRV-TV – Green Bay, WI.
Great Lakes Commission
https://www.glc.org/dailynews/20220325-port-of-green-bay
Due to the US and Canadian pandemic border crossing closures, U.S. and Canadian joint sea lamprey treatment programs were much harder to complete. In 2020, 93 Great Lakes tributaries and 11 standing bodies of water were scheduled with only 26 tributaries and six standing bodies of water treated. Read the full story by Great Lakes Echo.
Great Lakes Commission
https://www.glc.org/dailynews/20220323-fish-lamprey
In response to the growing awareness of microfibre pollution being discharged in wastewater, a group of Canadian organizations focused on protecting freshwater resources are calling on all Ontario provincial parties to support action on mass-scale washing machine filters. Read the full story by the Georgian Bay Forever.
Great Lakes Commission
https://www.glc.org/dailynews/20220323-plastic-pollution
Debra Shore, the new administrator of the Environmental Protection Agency’s Great Lakes Region 5, wants to create vast demonstration projects that knit together various agencies’ work to address climate change, promote resiliency, and protect environmental justice and public health. Read the full story by Bloomberg Law.
Great Lakes Commission
https://www.glc.org/dailynews/20220323-epa-projects
Michigan’s health department is recommending people eat no more than one serving per month of Lake Superior smelt, due to elevated levels of PFOS. Read the full story by WNMU – Lansing, MI.
Great Lakes Commission
https://www.glc.org/dailynews/20220323-fish-pfas
The damage to public groundwater resources in Minnesota from missteps during construction of the Line 3 oil pipeline is more severe than previously known. Enbridge Energy crews ruptured three groundwater aquifers while building the 340-mile pipeline across northern Minnesota releasing nearly 300 million gallons of groundwater last year. Read the full story by The Associated Press.
Great Lakes Commission
https://www.glc.org/dailynews/20220323-enbridge-line-3
The Minnesota Pollution Control Agency announced a new statewide monitoring system for per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances (PFAS) which will start by focusing on water testing and air emissions reporting at 379 potential emitter facilities across the state. Read the full story by KSTP – Minneapolis, MN.
Great Lakes Commission
https://www.glc.org/dailynews/20220323-pfas
A multi-disciplinary team of US Forest Service employees gathered at Michigan’s Gooseneck Lake to help Hiawatha National Forest fisheries biologists install forty “fish cribs” on the ice, providing increased cover and habitat after the ice melts in the spring. Read the full story by Radio Results Network.
Great Lakes Commission
https://www.glc.org/dailynews/20220323-fish-habitat
Michigan’s Alpena Township is prepared to borrow $15.8 million to invest into its water system. Funds would be used to pay for large projects that include replacing approximately 2,600 water service pipes from the water main to the curb. Read the full story by The Alpena News.
Great Lakes Commission
https://www.glc.org/dailynews/20220323-water-infrastructure
The communities of St. Clair and Clay Township in St. Clair County, Michigan, are getting major awards in federal infrastructure funding, one that could kick off millions’ worth of water plant improvements and another aiming to bolster sewer access for new development. Read the full story by Port Huron Times Herald.
Great Lakes Commission
https://www.glc.org/dailynews/20220323-infrastructure
U.S. Rep. Marcy Kaptur on Thursday introduced legislation that would establish a new federal entity called the “Great Lakes Authority” that would promote regional development in Ohio, Illinois, Indiana, Michigan, Minnesota, New York, Pennsylvania, and Wisconsin. Read and hear the full story by The Plain Dealer.
Great Lakes Commission
https://www.glc.org/dailynews/20220321-great-lakes
Data from the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration’s Great Lakes Environmental Research Laboratory shows Lake Michigan has dropped nearly 3 feet since setting its record high in the summer of 2020. Read the full story by WOOD – TV – Green Bay, WI.
Great Lakes Commission
https://www.glc.org/dailynews/20220321-lake-michigan
Michigan officials are finalizing the state’s plan to meet Gov. Gretchen Whitmer’s goal to make the state carbon neutral by 2050. Read the full story by MLive.
Great Lakes Commission
https://www.glc.org/dailynews/20220321-climate-plan
Earlier this month, the Great Lakes Shipwreck Historical Society (GLSHS) announced the discovery of the wreck of the Atlanta, a schooner-barge that sank in Lake Superior in 1891. Days later, GLSHS found a letter from one of the two survivors. Read the full story by MLive.
Great Lakes Commission
https://www.glc.org/dailynews/20220321-shipwreck
United States Coast Guard icebreakers will begin fracturing ice separating Mackinac Island and St. Ignace next week. Read the full story by the WWTV – TV – Cadillac, MI.
Great Lakes Commission
https://www.glc.org/dailynews/20220321-coast-guard
The comment period on a draft analysis of the environmental impact of rerouting an oil and gas pipeline around an American Indian reservation in northern Wisconsin will run for an additional month, state regulators announced Wednesday. Read the full story by The Associated Press.
Great Lakes Commission
https://www.glc.org/dailynews/20220321-enbridge
The Ohio Supreme Court is expected to hand down a decision soon on whether the proposed Icebreaker wind farm in Lake Erie can go forward. Read the full story by WKSU – Kent, OH.
Great Lakes Commission
https://www.glc.org/dailynews/20220321-wind-farm
New flood maps may help communities in Cayuga County, New York and elsewhere become better prepared for rising water along the Lake Ontario. Read the full story by The Citizen.
Great Lakes Commission
https://www.glc.org/dailynews/20220321-flood-maps
The province of Ontario is investing $1.1 million to help reduce sewage discharge in Lake Ontario, help fight pollution and ensure cleaner drinking water in Cobourg and Port Hope for generations to come, says the local MPP. Read the full story The Northumberland News.
Great Lakes Commission
https://www.glc.org/dailynews/20220321-funding
This year marks the 50th year of the Clean Water Act. Several environmental groups argue that promises of the landmark law are half-kept at the half-century mark. Fifty percent of the country’s total miles of streams and rivers are classified as “impaired” because of pollution. Read the full story by Michigan Radio.
Great Lakes Commission
https://www.glc.org/dailynews/20220321-cwa
House Democrats reintroduced legislation to expand protections for Michigan’s water supply and close a loophole in state law allowing corporations to bottle Michigan’s water and ship it elsewhere. Read the full story by Michigan Advance.
Great Lakes Commission
https://www.glc.org/dailynews/20220318-bottled-water
In 1962, Chicago city workers dumped 100 pounds of dye into the river flowing through downtown Chicago. It left the river emerald green for an entire week and kick-started an annual tradition. The city celebrated the 60th anniversary of the event this past weekend. Read the full story by National Public Radio.
Great Lakes Commission
https://www.glc.org/dailynews/20220318-green-chicago-river
With more than 4,000 vessels traveling through the Soo Locks each year, sometimes the biggest mystery when the huge chambers are emptied for annual maintenance is what treasures might be found at the bottom. Now we’ve got answers, thanks to recent finds being shared by the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers’ Detroit District. Read the full story by MLive.
Great Lakes Commission
https://www.glc.org/dailynews/20220318-empty-soo-locks
The tourism industry on the north shore of Lake Superior is getting a boost from the Northern Ontario Heritage Fund Corporation with $450,000 in funding for the Town of Marathon to develop the Pebble Beach tourist area. Read the full story by TB News Watch.
Great Lakes Commission
https://www.glc.org/dailynews/20220318-superior-beach
The Great Lakes Shipwreck Historical Society had one of its most successful seasons ever in 2021 while searching for wrecks. Read the full story by WJBK-TV – Ferndale, MI.
Great Lakes Commission
https://www.glc.org/dailynews/20220318-shipwreck
Starting April 1, underwater spearfishing in Michigan will expand to include the chance to harvest additional species, according to the Michigan Department of Natural Resources. Read the full story by MLive.
Great Lakes Commission
https://www.glc.org/dailynews/20220318-spearfishing
The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, Detroit District, Soo Area Office will open the Poe Lock at 12:01 a.m., March 25, marking the 2022 Great Lakes shipping season start. Read the full story by WLUC-TV – Suite Ste. Marie, MI.
Great Lakes Commission
https://www.glc.org/dailynews/20220318-soo-locks-open
The Save Our Great Lakes project aims to improve storm water management on Barker’s Island off the Lake Superior coast of Wisconsin. Read the full story by the Superior Telegram.
Great Lakes Commission
https://www.glc.org/dailynews/20220318-island-storm-water
The sites include a plastics manufacturer in Wyandotte, a sewage treatment plant in Jackson, an ice-cream maker in Ludington and a petroleum fuel terminal in St. Clair, according to a recent federal report that reviewed climate risks throughout the nation. Read the full story by Bridge Michigan.
Great Lakes Commission
https://www.glc.org/dailynews/20220318-climate-change
Icebreaking efforts are continuing on the St. Lawrence River in anticipation of the start of the 2022 navigation season. While ice-breaking activity is ongoing, residents are urged to stay off the ice. Officials stated that icebreaking will dislodge pack ice and pose severe dangers to those on the river. Read the full story by InformNNY.com.
Great Lakes Commission
https://www.glc.org/dailynews/20220318-ice-breaking
The U.S. and Canadian Coast Guards recently signed to an updated version of Great Lakes Geographic Annex agreement between the two coast guards, an environmental partnership. Read the full story by WIMS – Michigan City, IN.
Great Lakes Commission
https://www.glc.org/dailynews/20220316-coast-guard
In January, the U.S. Army Corps announced $226 million to complete design on the Brandon Road Interbasin Project, an $858 million effort to keep carp out of the Great Lakes. But Great Lakes advocates say more work is needed to close off other pathways for potential invasion, from Great Lakes freighters to recreational boats and online pet shops. Read the full story by Great Lakes Now.
Great Lakes Commission
https://www.glc.org/dailynews/20220316-carp
As several groups of researchers race to bring back Great Lakes grayling, one program recently got a big assist with a $70,000 grant to find the best design for an incubator to produce the fish that hasn’t been in Michigan waters since 1936. Read the full story by Great Lakes Echo.
Great Lakes Commission
https://www.glc.org/dailynews/20220316-grayling
After decades of failure, the tide has finally turned in the battle against invasive species in the Great Lakes. Scientists say the main reason is mandatory saltwater flushing of ship ballast tanks. Read the full story the Anthropocene.
Great Lakes Commission
https://www.glc.org/dailynews/20220316-ballast-water
In the nationwide search for extra nuclear submarine maintenance capability, one proposal would transform two sites located on the shores of Lake Erie in rural Ohio into a big, integrated naval maintenance center. Read the full story by Forbes.
Great Lakes Commission
https://www.glc.org/dailynews/20220316-navy-shipyard
A proposed wind farm, located about eight miles off the coast of Cleveland and first pitched in 2009, would bring six wind turbines to Lake Erie, making it the first freshwater wind farm in North America. But the project is as hated as much as it is loved. Read the full story by the Cleveland Magazine.
Great Lakes Commission
https://www.glc.org/dailynews/20220316-wind-turbine
An environmental bill that would require the removal of pollutants near the shores of Lake Michigan is advancing in the Illinois General Assembly, despite objections from opponents who argue the legislation singles out one company unfairly. Read the full story by the Daily Herald.
Great Lakes Commission
https://www.glc.org/dailynews/20220316-power-plant
Ottawa County, Michigan, is hoping to nearly double the size of Rosy Mound Natural Area, a rustic park popular among beachgoers and hikers. Read the full story by MLive.
Great Lakes Commission
https://www.glc.org/dailynews/20220316-park
Permitted users in the cities of Two Harbors and Grand Marais, Minnesota, take an average of 50 million gallons per day out of Lake Superior, the largest of those users being Northshore Mining. Read the full story WTIP – Grand Marias, MN.
Great Lakes Commission
https://www.glc.org/dailynews/20220316-lake-superior
Permitted users in the cities of Two Harbors and Grand Marais, Minnesota, take an average of 50 million gallons per day out of Lake Superior, the largest of those users being Northshore Mining. Read the full story WTIP – Grand Marias, MN.
Great Lakes Commission
https://www.glc.org/dailynews/20220316-lake-superior
U.S. Secretary of Commerce Gina M. Raimondo announced Tuesday that the Department’s Economic Development Administration is awarding a $2.7 million CARES Act Recovery Assistance grant to the Great Lakes Boat Building School, in Cedarville, Michigan, to construct a 10,000-square-foot school expansion, establish new boat-docking infrastructure, and purchase additional marine electronics testing equipment. Read the full story by WLUC-TV – Marquette, MI.
Great Lakes Commission
https://www.glc.org/dailynews/20220316-boating-school
U.S. Secretary of Commerce Gina M. Raimondo announced Tuesday that the Department’s Economic Development Administration is awarding a $2.7 million CARES Act Recovery Assistance grant to the Great Lakes Boat Building School, in Cedarville, Michigan, to construct a 10,000-square-foot school expansion, establish new boat-docking infrastructure, and purchase additional marine electronics testing equipment. Read the full story by WLUC-TV – Marquette, MI.
Great Lakes Commission
https://www.glc.org/dailynews/20220316-boating-school
The state of Michigan has scrapped a risk study on Enbridge’s Line 5 and fired a researcher working on the study just a week before a first draft was to be released. Read the full story by Michigan Public Radio.
Great Lakes Commission
https://www.glc.org/dailynews/20220316-deq
A wholesale fish dealer from Platteville has been convicted of illegally selling invasive carp in Wisconsin. As the state’s first case involving illegal sale of bighead, grass and silver carp, Li Fish Farm, LLC was ordered to pay more than $13,000 in penalties. Read the full story by Milwaukee Journal Sentinel.
Great Lakes Commission
https://www.glc.org/dailynews/20220314-carp-conviction
Enbridge’s plan to relocate a portion of its Line 5 pipeline in northern Wisconsin could involve a controversial drilling method, Horizontal Directional Drilling, which the company admits may release toxic chemicals into surrounding waters. Read the full story by Public News Service.
Great Lakes Commission
https://www.glc.org/dailynews/20220314-line-5
