For the first time in 103 years, the Manitou Island Transit ferry service is not sailing to North and South Manitou Islands in Lake Michigan. High water levels caused unsafe and poor dockage on the islands, causing the company owners to cease operations for 2020. Read the full story by The Detroit News.
Great Lakes Commission
https://www.glc.org/dailynews/20200706-manitou-ferry
Wisconsin Coastal Management Program awarded more than $100,000 to support coastal management and restoration projects along the Lake Michigan coastline near Kenosha and Racine. Read the full story by the Kenosha News.
Great Lakes Commission
https://www.glc.org/dailynews/20200706-kenosha
NOAA is interested in extending the Lake Ontario National Marine Sanctuary into part of the St. Lawrence River to protect two shipwrecks not currently covered within the boundary. Read the full story by North Country Now.
Great Lakes Commission
https://www.glc.org/dailynews/20200706-st-lawrence-ships
The Michigan Department of Health and Human Services (MDHHS) issued a reminder to residents avoid eating fish from the Huron River and avoid foam on Michigan lakes and rivers known to have per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances (PFAS) in the water. Read the full story by WEYI – TV – Saginaw, MI.
Great Lakes Commission
https://www.glc.org/dailynews/20200706-pfas
Michigan closed 11 beaches over contamination concerns linked to an unexplained spike in the bacteria count in the water of one inland lake beach, and possible toxic algal blooms in multiple spots in the Upper Peninsula. Read the full story by MLive.
Great Lakes Commission
https://www.glc.org/dailynews/20200706-beaches
A new farm water management system installed in Monroe County, Michigan will help conserve water on the farm field and keep Lake Erie cleaner this summer. Read the full story by the Monroe News.
Great Lakes Commission
https://www.glc.org/dailynews/20200706-farm-management-system
Habitat managers at Mentor Marsh State Nature Preserve in Ohio are fighting the spread of invasive phragmites and flower rush to ensure the park maintains its unique biodiversity of flora and fauna. Read the full story by The News Herald.
Great Lakes Commission
https://www.glc.org/dailynews/20200706-mentor-marsh
Michigan has reviewed soil and sediment sample data collected in follow-up to the recent Midland and Saginaw area flooding event and are not recommending additional soil clean-up or management requirements beyond those already in place. Read the full story by WEYI – TV – Flint, MI.
Great Lakes Commission
https://www.glc.org/dailynews/20200702-midland-dam-soil
A legal battle has been brewing surrounding a Michigan couple seeking to protect their home from high waters and the Department of Environment, Great Lakes, and Energy, over “water’s edge” jurisdiction. Read the full story by UpNorthLive.
Great Lakes Commission
https://www.glc.org/dailynews/20200702-high-water-edge
Island communities stay open and resilient for tourism amidst adjusting to a season with added precautions surrounding COVID-19. Read the full story by Great Lakes Now.
Great Lakes Commission
https://www.glc.org/dailynews/20200702-island-tourism-covid
A nuclear reactor along Lake Erie lost offsite power on Wednesday night as a result of a mayfly swarms, according to the U.S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission. Read the full story by WOIO-TV – Cleveland, OH.
Great Lakes Commission
https://www.glc.org/dailynews/20200702-nuclear-mayflies
Citing threats to the climate as well as the land, water and residents, dozens of people urged environmental regulators to prevent a Canadian company from rerouting an oil pipeline through northern Wisconsin. Read the full story by Wisconsin State Journal.
Great Lakes Commission
https://www.glc.org/dailynews/20200702-wisconsin-line5
The Michigan PFAS Action Response Team today announced it has awarded approximately $2.5 million in grant funding to municipal airport operators to support monitoring and testing for per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances contamination. Read the full story by WLUC-TV – Lansing, MI.
Great Lakes Commission
https://www.glc.org/dailynews/20200702-pfas-michigan
One of many abolitionist Great Lakes captains using their vessels to aid the Underground Railroad, James Nugent captain of the schooner Home, listed as an operator in “The Underground Railroad from Slavery to Freedom,” aided runaways from Detroit to Canada; the wreck of Home can still be found in the waters of Lake Michigan. Read the full story by USA TODAY.
Great Lakes Commission
https://www.glc.org/dailynews/20200702-great-lakes-underground-railroad
Gov. Tony Evers announced $1.5 million in grants to both protect and improve Great Lakes resources across Wisconsin’s coastal communities through the Wisconsin Coastal Management Program. Read the full story by WSAW-TV – Wausau, WI.
Great Lakes Commission
https://www.glc.org/dailynews/20200702-coastal-communities
The House approved a $1.5 trillion plan Wednesday to rebuild the nation’s crumbling infrastructure, pouring hundreds of billions of dollars into projects. The measure also would reauthorize the Great Lakes Restoration Initiative and protect access to safe drinking water by investing $25 billion in a state revolving fund. Read the full story by The Associated Press.
Great Lakes Commission
https://www.glc.org/dailynews/20200702-infrastructure
The first round of herbicide treatment to remove Invasive Eurasian watermilfoil in northwest Michigan’s Crystal Lake has been postponed to allow the watershed association to answer some questions raised about the treatment. Read the full story by Laredo Morning Times.
Great Lakes Commission
https://www.glc.org/dailynews/20200701-watermilfoil
The International Joint Commission and the Lake Ontario-St. Lawrence River Board continue to regulate outflows at the Moses-Saunders dam according to Plan 2014 taking into account multiple different interests, including the homeowners on Lake Ontario, the shipping industry, the boating industry, hydro-electric power, drinking water quality, the environment, and others. Read the full story by WROC-TV – Rochester, NY.
Great Lakes Commission
https://www.glc.org/dailynews/20200701-water-levels
Parts of the Illinois Waterway will close for three months for major repairs to aging navigation infrastructure. The shutdowns will affect barge traffic through this major waterway, which carries more than 29 million tons of cargo each year — mainly agricultural and industrial products — and consists of rivers, lakes and canals that provide a shipping link between Lake Michigan and the Mississippi River. Read the full story by WEEK-TV – East Peoria, IL.
Great Lakes Commission
https://www.glc.org/dailynews/20200701-waterway
Twin Metals Minnesota announced it has received the U.S. Bureau of Land Management (BLM) Notice of Intent to scope and prepare an Environmental Impact Statement for the proposed copper-nickel-cobalt-platinum group metals mine in northeast Minnesota. Read the full story by The Ely Echo.
Great Lakes Commission
https://www.glc.org/dailynews/20200701-eis
A Michigan regulatory panel on Tuesday refused to grant quick permission to run a new oil pipeline beneath a channel that connects two of the Great Lakes, deciding instead to conduct a full review. Read the full story by The Associated Press.
Great Lakes Commission
https://www.glc.org/dailynews/20200701-pipeline
The Michigan Department of Agriculture and Rural Development is asking Michiganders to keep an eye out for the spotted lanternfly, which can damage or kill more than 70 different types of crops and plants including grapes, apples, hops and hardwood trees. Read the full story by Great Lakes Echo.
Great Lakes Commission
https://www.glc.org/dailynews/20200701-invasive
In New York, a $1.06 million grant from the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, obtained by the Buffalo Urban Development Corp. in conjunction with the Great Lakes Commission, will cover engineering and design costs associated with shoreline restoration and aquatic habitat improvement in part of the Niagara River Area of Concern. Read the full story by The Buffalo News.
Great Lakes Commission
https://www.glc.org/dailynews/20200701-restoration
The Northeast Ohio Areawide Coordinating Agency clean water plan proposal aims to maintain water quality improvements, protect and restore water, and help manage stormwater runoff and sewage treatment systems across Cuyahoga, Geauga, Lake, Lorain and Medina counties. Read the full story by The Plain Dealer.
Great Lakes Commission
https://www.glc.org/dailynews/20200701-plan
Last August, over four tons of tires were removed from Mattson Lower Harbor in in a public underwater cleanup in Marquette, Michigan, and this year, the goal is to pick up all the remnant tires still anchoring at the bottom of Lake Superior. Read the full story by The Mining Journal.
Great Lakes Commission
https://www.glc.org/dailynews/20200701-underwater
Last December, the Michigan Department of Environment, Great Lakes, and Energy asked the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency for help with hexavalent chromium that seeped onto the shoulder of a Madison Heights highway. Work is being done to make sure the source of the contamination is cleaned up permanently. Read the full story by WDIV-TV – Detroit, MI.
Great Lakes Commission
https://www.glc.org/dailynews/20200701-cleanup
As part Michigan’s Aquatic Invasive Species Week, a Landing Blitz will occur at over 30 boat launches throughout the state to remind watercraft owners they should follow best practices and clean their boats, trailers, and equipment to help control the spread of invasive species. Read the full story by Cadillac News.
Great Lakes Commission
https://www.glc.org/dailynews/20200630-landing-blitz
$220 million in EPA federal funding will be used to provide safe drinking water to New York’s Upstate communities. Read the full story by WENY-TV – Elmira, NY.
Great Lakes Commission
https://www.glc.org/dailynews/20200630-water-infrastructure
Enbridge has still not determined how an anchor support holding up the eastern segment of the Line 5 pipeline was damaged; however, they are considering the possibility that a boat anchor caused the damage. Read the full story by Michigan Advance.
Great Lakes Commission
https://www.glc.org/dailynews/20200630-line-5-damage
On the eve of a major hearing in Michigan that could decide the fate of the Great Lakes region’s most controversial pipeline, Enbridge Line 5, Ohio Attorney General Dave Yost has asked the hearing’s judge to reopen the pipeline to avoid potential job loss. Read the full story by the Toledo Blade.
Great Lakes Commission
https://www.glc.org/dailynews/20200630-reopen-pipeline
Illinois’ Joliet City Council members last week showed mixed inclinations on whether they want the city to build its own water pipeline to Lake Michigan or let the city of Chicago build it. Read the full story by The Herald-News.
Great Lakes Commission
https://www.glc.org/dailynews/20200630-water-options
Tip of the Mitt Watershed Council and the Land Information Access Association in Petoskey, Michigan, are hosting a free virtual workshop on coastal dynamics and resilience planning that will provide a broad overview of coastal dynamics, resilience planning, and how changes in climate are impacting communities. Read the full story by the Cheboygan Daily Tribune.
Great Lakes Commission
https://www.glc.org/dailynews/20200630-coastal-resiliency
New York Sea Grant and H. Lee White Maritime Museum of Oswego, New York, have announced a Virtual Exhibit Experience that showcases New York State’s lighthouses, shipwrecks, naval military battles, and 100 years of freshwater boating. Read the full story by Oswego County Today.
Great Lakes Commission
https://www.glc.org/dailynews/20200630-maritime-heritage
A panel of technical experts was tasked with getting to the bottom of how the Edenville and Sanford dams in mid-Michigan failed and how this kind of catastrophe can be prevented in the future. However, confronting and solving the problems that led to this disaster requires more than a panel of experts. Read the full story by the Detroit Free Press.
Great Lakes Commission
https://www.glc.org/dailynews/20200630-dam-experts-panel
The heat may cause lake goers to see mirages on Lake Michigan this week. Mirages over Lake Michigan typically appear upside down and above the horizon and are known as “superior” mirages. Read the full story by WOOD-TV – Grand Rapids, MI.
Great Lakes Commission
https://www.glc.org/dailynews/20200630-mirages
The Wisconsin Department of Natural Resources reported that the number of fishing licenses sold to residents has increased by nearly 100,000 this year compared to last year as fishing has been considered a safe activity during the COVID-19 pandemic. Read the full story by WSAW-TV – Mosinee, WI.
Great Lakes Commission
https://www.glc.org/dailynews/20200630-fishing-licenses+
In response to widespread interest in the upcoming public hearing on Enbridge Energy’s proposed relocation of the Line 5 pipeline in Ashland, Bayfield, and Iron counties, the Wisconsin Department of Natural Resources is hosting a virtual public hearing on Wednesday, July 1. Read the full story by the Spooner Advocate.
Great Lakes Commission
https://www.glc.org/dailynews/20200629-line-relocation
As Chicago moves into another phase of reopening, two federally endangered shorebirds are entering their own new phase of trying to save their species. Read the full story by the Chicago Tribune.
Great Lakes Commission
https://www.glc.org/dailynews/20200629-plovers
After years of sleuthing, a descendent of a ship’s mate on the Hartford, found the final resting place of the boat at Sandy Island Beach State Park in New York. Read the full story by Watertown Daily News.
Great Lakes Commission
https://www.glc.org/dailynews/20200629-ship-remains
Registrations are being accepted to take part in a free public webinar July 9 to discuss the forecast for harmful algae blooms on western Lake Erie this summer. Read the full story by The Monroe News.
Great Lakes Commission
https://www.glc.org/dailynews/20200629-Erie-algae
Even before last month’s momentous flooding event that struck Midland County after the failure of the Edenville Dam, the owner of the dam system had feuded with the State of Michigan for years over how to regulate the Tittabawassee River ecosystem. Read the full story by the Midland Daily News.
Great Lakes Commission
https://www.glc.org/dailynews/20200629-dam-owners
The company that operates Morrow Dam near Comstock, Michigan faces a state investigation for letting large amounts of sediment wash into the Kalamazoo River, endangering fish habitats and possibly kicking up contaminants. Read and listen to the full story by WMUK- Kalamazoo, MI.
Great Lakes Commission
https://www.glc.org/dailynews/20200629-dam-polluting
Summers in Huron County, Michigan bring plenty of locals and tourists to the waterside. Not just for beaches and boating, but for learning about the history of the Great Lakes through lighthouses. Read the full story by the Huron Daily Tribune.
Great Lakes Commission
https://www.glc.org/dailynews/20200629-lighthouses
Novel coronavirus has been dominating the headlines in the early part of 2020. But a few recent stories — with no connection to COVID-19 — reminded us that the Great Lakes are vital natural resources that must be regularly monitored and evaluated. Read the full story by The News-Herald.
Great Lakes Commission
https://www.glc.org/dailynews/20200629-monitor-evaluate
With admissions expected to take a six-figure hit this year, the National Museum of the Great Lakes is relying substantially on fundraising events to stay afloat. Read the full story by the Toledo Blade.
Great Lakes Commission
https://www.glc.org/dailynews/20200629-freighter-raffle
Officials and volunteers are raising awareness about aquatic invasive species at events in eight states, including Michigan, and two Canadian provinces. Read the full story by WLNS-TV- Lansing, MI.
Great Lakes Commission
https://www.glc.org/dailynews/20200629-boaters
While aquatic invasive species have already cost Great Lakes governments and industries tens of billions of dollars in recent decades, the push to identify, stop, mitigate and/or eliminate them is a constant battle that often involves obscure species we don’t really hear much about. Read the full story by Great Lakes Now.
Great Lakes Commission
https://www.glc.org/dailynews/20200626-invasives
Fish biologists from the U.S. Fish & Wildlife Service are performing sea lamprey surveys in the upper peninsula of Michigan. Read the full story by WLUC – TV – Marquette, MI
Great Lakes Commission
https://www.glc.org/dailynews/20200626-lamprey
Residents are resorting to temporary, low-cost, seawalls to reduce shoreline erosion in Michigan. Read the full story by the White Lake Beacon.
Great Lakes Commission
https://www.glc.org/dailynews/20200626-erosion
Fish Biologist Chris Freiburger reflects on a species of panfish that has become widely distributed in the lakes of southern Michigan. Read the full story by the Traverse City Record Eagle.
Great Lakes Commission
https://www.glc.org/dailynews/20200626-redear-fishing
