The Michigan Department of Health and Human Services recently advised people living near or visiting Michigan waters in the summer or fall to be aware of the potential for harmful algal blooms. Read the full story by C&G Newspapers.
Great Lakes Commission
https://www.glc.org/dailynews/20210809-spot-toxins
State of Michigan officials say potentially harmful green-blue algae blooms have been found in Swan Lake in Cheshire Township. Read the full story by WOOD-TV – Grand Rapids, MI.
Great Lakes Commission
https://www.glc.org/dailynews/20210809-algae-bloom
A Member of Parliament from Windsor, Ontario, has called on the Canadian federal government to honor its commitment to Great Lakes funding. Read the full story by Blackburn News.
Great Lakes Commission
https://www.glc.org/dailynews/20210809-funding
There are museums, books, and even songs about shipwrecks on the Great Lakes, but there are also more than 100 airplanes that sank to the bottom of Lake Michigan. Read the full story by Michigan Radio.
Great Lakes Commission
https://www.glc.org/dailynews/20210809-sunken-aircraft
Ohio’s Ottawa County Regional Water Treatment Plant has started detecting toxic microcystins for the first time this year in its Lake Erie raw water intake. Read the full story by Fremont News-Messenger.
Great Lakes Commission
https://www.glc.org/dailynews/20210806-algae-hab
The Invasive Species Centre in Sault Ste. Marie, Ontario, hosted virtual information sessions for anglers, commercial fishermen, boaters and cottagers concerned about the looming threat from invasive grass carp, and asked people to report sightings of the fish to the Invasive Species Hotline. Read the full story by SooToday.com
Great Lakes Commission
https://www.glc.org/dailynews/20210806-carp
When you visit the Great Lakes, whether it’s a sandy beach or a rocky coastline, it’s hard to imagine how lakes so big are affected so profoundly by alien invasive species, pollution, or climate change. Listen to the full story by Michigan Radio.
Great Lakes Commission
https://www.glc.org/dailynews/20210806-great-lakes-peril
Two sailing drones are on the Great Lakes right now on a mission to collect data, scanning for fish and meteorological data. Read the full story by WGTU-TV – Traverse City, MI.
Great Lakes Commission
https://www.glc.org/dailynews/20210806-drone-shipping
The U.S. Air Force plans to install a pollution cleanup system at the former Wurtsmith Air Force Base in Michigan to prevent PFAS chemicals from entering Van Etten Lake. Read the full story by MLive.
Great Lakes Commission
https://www.glc.org/dailynews/20210806-pfas-pollution
The vessel Captain Henry Jackman set a new record cargo size for grain loaded at Ontario’s Port of Thunder Bay on the ship’s very first voyage, carrying Canadian Western Red Spring Wheat grown in southwestern Manitoba destined for international markets. Read the full story by Lake Superior News.
Great Lakes Commission
https://www.glc.org/dailynews/20210806-shipping
Running buffalo clover, a native plant that had been considered extinct, is being removed from the federal endangered species list after bouncing back in a half-dozen states east of the Mississippi River. Read the full story by The Associated Press.
Great Lakes Commission
https://www.glc.org/dailynews/20210806-endangered-species
Since the summer began, partiers in Toronto, Ontario, have been breaking into a conservation area in Tommy Thompson Park to host all-night raves, leaving garbage and human waste behind, says a conservation group called Friends of The Spit. Read the full story by CBC News.
Great Lakes Commission
https://www.glc.org/dailynews/20210806-habitat
The Volunteer Shoreline Harmful Algae Bloom Monitoring Program for New York’s Canandaigua Lake identified early intermittent algal blooms through June and July. Read the full story by MPNnow.
Great Lakes Commission
https://www.glc.org/dailynews/20210806-algae
The Great Lakes are Michigan’s most precious resource, but plastic pollution and PFAS chemicals in our waterways are actively harming the state’s wildlife and residents. Read and hear the full story by WDET -Detroit, MI.
Great Lakes Commission
https://www.glc.org/dailynews/20210804-plastic-pollution
The piping plovers of Sleeping Bear Dunes National Lakeshore had their best-ever breeding season since plover recovery work began at the park, according to officials. Read the full story by Coastal News Today.
Great Lakes Commission
https://www.glc.org/dailynews/20210804-piping-plovers
This summer, a slew of scientists are converging to try to figure out why toxic algae is appearing in Lake Superior and to learn whether science can help control what, so far, has only been an occasional nuisance. Read and hear the full story by WUWM – Milwaukee, WI.
Great Lakes Commission
https://www.glc.org/dailynews/20210804-algae-research
The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency has awarded $7 million of Great Lakes Restoration Initiative money to the Northeast Ohio Regional Sewer District so it can perform improvements on the main stem of West Creek that will boost the Cuyahoga River’s water quality. Read the full story by The Plain Dealer.
Great Lakes Commission
https://www.glc.org/dailynews/20210804-cuyahoga-funding
The Michigan PFAS Action Response Team (MPART) hosted a virtual community meeting on July 20, for which updates on PFAS contamination in Lake Huron were provided by the Michigan departments of Environment, Great Lakes and Energy (EGLE), Health and Human Services (MDHHS) and Natural Resources (DNR). Read the full story by Iosco County News-Herald.
Great Lakes Commission
https://www.glc.org/dailynews/20210804-pfas
Researchers at the University of Toledo in Ohio are looking at how microcystin impacts wildlife. Read the full story by WTVG-TV – Toledo, OH.
Great Lakes Commission
https://www.glc.org/dailynews/20210804-algal-blooms
The Ohio Department of Transportation (ODOT) will solicit projects for the $11 million in grant funding the state legislature allocated in fiscal year 2022, along with an additional $12 million allocated in 2023 at the same time as part of its Ohio Maritime Assistance Program (MAP). Read the full story by the Waterways Journal Weekly.
Great Lakes Commission
https://www.glc.org/dailynews/20210804-map-funding
The United States Coast Guard is celebrating another year of being “Always Ready”. Read the full story by WWTI -TV- Watertown, NY.
Great Lakes Commission
https://www.glc.org/dailynews/20210804-coast-guard
Officials are warning people to stay off piers during high wave days with an example of what can happen when just 6 inches of water sweeps across them. Read the full story by MLive.com.
Great Lakes Commission
https://www.glc.org/dailynews/20210804-michigan-pier
Scientists are studying methods of genetic control to prevent invasive mussels from surviving and spreading in the Great Lakes while protection other mollusk species from potentially harmful chemical controls. Read the full story by the Chicago Tribune.
Great Lakes Commission
https://www.glc.org/dailynews/20210802-invasive-mussels
Harmful algae is now starting to grow on the surface of Lake Erie. NOAA has put out its first warning on where the harmful algae lies, and what you should know about safety precautions. Read the full story by MLive.
Great Lakes Commission
https://www.glc.org/dailynews/20210802-hab
Treacherous migrations for the Great Lakes piping plovers have been made worse by the climate crisis. Around the Great Lakes, warming water temperatures and flash flooding of plover nesting areas are among the climate change threats to navigate. Read the full story by The Globe and Mail.
Great Lakes Commission
https://www.glc.org/dailynews/20210802-piping-plovers
The Wisconsin Department of Natural Resources uncovered two new populations of invasive New Zealand mudsnails in Southern Wisconsin streams. Read the full story by WMTV-TV – Madison, WI.
Great Lakes Commission
https://www.glc.org/dailynews/20210802-new-zealand-mudsnails
Natural populations of oil-degrading bacteria could help to clean up freshwater rivers and lakes after spills from pipelines and trains, researchers have found after experiments that simulated spills in a Canadian lake. Read the full story by Great Lakes Now.
Great Lakes Commission
https://www.glc.org/dailynews/20210802-oil-degrading-bacteria
A water advocate from the Saugeen and Kettle and Stony Point First Nations is on a paddling mission to raise awareness about climate change. Read the full story by The Toronto Star.
Great Lakes Commission
https://www.glc.org/dailynews/20210802-water-advocate
Small fish called alewives are washing up on the shores of Lake Michigan in Kewaunee County, Wisconsin. According to Wisconsin Department of Natural Resources, alewife die offs are common this time of year. Read the full story by WFRV-TV – Algoma, WI.
Great Lakes Commission
https://www.glc.org/dailynews/20210802-alewives
Numerous organizations and governmental agencies are working to identify, control, and/or eradicate Michigan’s worst invasive species while scientists, field workers, and ordinary citizens are using various means to address the situation. Read the full story by The Northern Express.
Great Lakes Commission
https://www.glc.org/dailynews/20210802-invasive-species
A certified diver and maritime archaeologist in the Wisconsin Historical Society’s historic preservation division is transposing her underwater sketches and measurements of Wisconsin shipwrecks into scaled drawings that can help guide water-ready tourists to wrecks and provide historical background on the doomed boats. Read the full story by the Wisconsin State Journal.
Great Lakes Commission
https://www.glc.org/dailynews/20210802-shipwrecks
The Windsor-Essex County (Ontario) Health Unit (WECHU) has issued a blue-green algae bloom advisory for the south shores of Lake St. Clair. The advisory is based on recent lab results for microcystins in Lake St. Clair by the local municipal water treatment plants. Read the full story by the Windsor Star.
Great Lakes Commission
https://www.glc.org/dailynews/20210802-algae-bloom-advisory
Scientists are carefully monitoring the bed of Lake Michigan to determine if small scale experiments to remove mussels from fish spawning habitat are working. Read the full story by the Chicago Tribune.
Great Lakes Commission
https://www.glc.org/dailynews/20210730-mussels
MLive released a documentary titled: “The Fight for Environmental Justice in Michigan.” The 10-minute video tells a powerful story of how marginalized communities are saddled with some of the worst environmental circumstances in Michigan. Read the full story by MLive.
Great Lakes Commission
https://www.glc.org/dailynews/20210730-documentary
The two surviving chicks reared by Monty and Rose, Chicago’s famous piping plovers, will soon have official names. Read the full story by WTTW-TV- Chicago, IL.
Great Lakes Commission
https://www.glc.org/dailynews/20210730-plover
A start-up water company is seeking approval to tap into an artesian well near the Apostle Islands in Wisconsin. Local residents are concerned about the environmental impacts of drawing water. Read the full story by WUWM- Milwaukee, WI.
Great Lakes Commission
https://www.glc.org/dailynews/20210730-water-bottle
The Thunder Bay National Marine Sanctuary is part of a system of underwater reserves around the country. Run by the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, the system will celebrate its 50-year anniversary in 2022. Read the full story by The New York Times.
Great Lakes Commission
https://www.glc.org/dailynews/20210730-park-water
A fish pulled from Lake Ontario in 2015 contained 915 particles—a mix of microplastics, synthetic materials containing flame retardants or plasticizers, dyed cellulose fibers, and more—in its body, the most particles ever recorded. Read the full story by Environmental Health News.
Great Lakes Commission
https://www.glc.org/dailynews/20210730-harmful-particles
Protecting our Great Lakes is not only about stopping oil spills, reducing runoff that causes toxic algae blooms and reducing contaminants from flowing into our waters. Plastic pollution is a growing problem that must be addressed by our leaders. Read the full story by Crain’s Detroit Business.
Great Lakes Commission
https://www.glc.org/dailynews/20210730-plastic-bags
There are dozens of potential on-the-water experiences to be had in hundreds of locations across the Great Lakes, and many on-the-water experiences can be had with minimal costs, in the $15 to $20 range. Read the full story by Great Lakes Now.
Great Lakes Commission
https://www.glc.org/dailynews/20210730-boating
Great Lakes Water Authority has selected engineering firms to look at system operations during heavy rainstorms that left thousands of basements and dozens of streets flooded in the Detroit area. Read the full story by the Associated Press.
Great Lakes Commission
https://www.glc.org/dailynews/20210730-glwa
Monroe County Health officials say the beach was shut down because of New York state-mandated clarity issues that could lead to high levels of E. coli. Read the full story by WHEC-TV – Rochester, NY.
Great Lakes Commission
https://www.glc.org/dailynews/20210728-ecoli-beach
MI Clean Water Action is the statewide coordinator of the Oil and Water Don’t Mix campaign, and is focused on shutting down Enbridge Energy’s Line 5 pipeline, among other initiatives. Read the full story by Lansing City Pulse.
Great Lakes Commission
https://www.glc.org/dailynews/20210728-michigan-waters
An Ohio farmer as a part of Ohio’s H2Ohio program found that applying nitrogen-infused fertilizer to his fields three times in a growing season instead of all at once helped his crops use the nutrient more efficiently causing less nitrogen to end up in rivers and streams. Read the full story by The Columbus Dispatch.
Great Lakes Commission
https://www.glc.org/dailynews/20210728-oh2o-pollution
Food and water safety officials at Hamilton Public Health Services in Ontario announced the beach closure after the algae was discovered during a routine observation by city staff and tests later confirmed its identity. Read the full story by CBC News.
Great Lakes Commission
https://www.glc.org/dailynews/20210728-toxic-algae
Since 2019 the City of Duluth and the Corps agreed on a five-year plan to use some dredged material in an anti-erosion “beach nourishment” program, in this time the program ended up depositing sharp debris and has now been found to violate a 1978 court settlement favoring placement of dredge spoils away from shorelines where it would not end up in water. Read the full story by MinnPost.
Great Lakes Commission
https://www.glc.org/dailynews/20210728-beach-dredging
NASA’s Minority University Research and Education Project Ocean Biology and Biogeochemistry has awarded a grant to a multi-institution project led by Texas State University to study the vulnerability of the Lake Huron ecosystem to global change. Read the full story by Corridor News.
Great Lakes Commission
https://www.glc.org/dailynews/20210728-nasa-vulnerability-change
There have been a few reports of blue-green algae on Lake Superior over the years with a first confirmed sighting in 2012. This summer researchers from universities, state and federal agencies from around the region are undertaking a coordinated effort to intensively study and monitor Lake Superior to determine when and where blooms occur on the lake.. Read the full story by MPR News.
Great Lakes Commission
https://www.glc.org/dailynews/20210728-algae-blooms
Dan Egan, Journalist in residence at the University of Wisconsin’s School of Freshwater Sciences and author of “The Death and Life of the Great Lakes” discusses the impact of climate change on Chicago and Lake Michigan. Listen to the full story by NPR.
Great Lakes Commission
https://www.glc.org/dailynews/20210728-climate-chicago
The head of Great Lakes Water Authority announced this week that she will resign, weeks after thousands of homes were damaged by sewage backups during a tremendous storm. Read the full story by Associated Press and Crain’s Detroit Business.
Great Lakes Commission
https://www.glc.org/dailynews/20210728-flooding
