Ice coverage on the Great Lakes dropped significantly in recent days as temperatures have been consistently above 32 degrees Fahrenheit. The Great Lakes were at 19.13% coverage as of March 12 according to the National Oceanic Atmospheric Administration. Read the full story by the Detroit Free Press.
Great Lakes Commission
https://www.glc.org/dailynews/20260313-ice-cover
This year marked the 20th anniversary of Great Lakes Day, an annual convening of environmentalists, policy experts, scientists, and small business owners on Capitol Hill. A top priority this year is the reauthorization of the federal Great Lakes Restoration Initiative (GLRI), as its five-year authorization is set to expire on September 30. Read the full story by Circle of Blue.
Great Lakes Commission
https://www.glc.org/dailynews/20260311-great-lakes-day
The Ford government of Ontario is moving ahead with its plan to merge 36 conservation authorities into nine—two more than originally proposed—and it has created an agency with a $20-million budget to see it through. Notably, the Lake Erie Regional Conservation Authority and a Huron-Superior Regional Conservation Authority have each been split into two. Read the full story by The Narwhal.
Great Lakes Commission
https://www.glc.org/dailynews/20260311-conservation-authority-merge
According to local officials, a sewage leak in Olcott, New York, is now under control after more than 1 million gallons of raw, untreated sewage leaked into the Olcott Harbor. For six days, sewage had poured into the Eighteen Mile Creek in Olcott, just feet from where the creek leads into Lake Ontario. Read the full story by WKBW-TV – Buffalo, NY.
Great Lakes Commission
https://www.glc.org/dailynews/20260311-sewage-leak
In a Tuesday social media post, President Trump said he is collaborating with Michigan Governor Gretchen Whitmer to fight against invasive carp in the Great Lakes, following a recent meeting with the governor. Read the full story by WLNS-TV – Lansing, MI.
Great Lakes Commission
https://www.glc.org/dailynews/20260311-invasive-carp-collaboration
Spending three days in Washington, D.C., last week, Waukegan Mayor Sam Cunningham and 23 other municipal leaders from the U.S. and Canada spoke to officials at the White House and members of Congress about the importance of fresh water and economic stability. Both Cunningham and Benton Harbor, Michigan, Mayor Marcus Muhammad talked to members of Congress about the importance of the State Revolving Fund programs, which provide low-cost financing for water quality infrastructure, including lead service line replacement. Read the full story by the Chicago Tribune.
Great Lakes Commission
https://www.glc.org/dailynews/20260311-mayoral-advocacy
The U.S. Coast Guard began ice-breaking operations Monday across key Great Lakes waterways to clear shipping channels ahead of the 2026 commercial navigation season. Coast Guard Sector Northern Great Lakes launched the operations in Duluth, Minnesota, and on the St. Marys River, targeting areas critical for vessel traffic when the shipping season begins. Read the full story by WISC-TV – Madison, WI.
Great Lakes Commission
https://www.glc.org/dailynews/20260311-ice-breaking
Once written off as too polluted to support many whitefish, Green Bay, Wisconsin has produced an unlikely population boom in recent years, even as the iconic species vanishes from most of the lower Great Lakes. As scientists work to understand what makes Green Bay unique, their findings could aid whitefish recovery efforts throughout the Great Lakes. Read the full story by Bridge Michigan.
Great Lakes Commission
https://www.glc.org/dailynews/20260311-whitefish-recovery
Lorain Mayor Jack Bradley spent part of last week in Washington, D.C., joining municipal leaders from the United States and Canada to advocate for the future of the Great Lakes. While at the event, Bradley met with congressional offices to urge federal leaders to continue investing in programs that protect the lakes while supporting the communities and industries that depend on them. Read the full story by The Plain Dealer.
Great Lakes Commission
https://www.glc.org/dailynews/20260311-municipal-advocacy
The Michigan Department of Natural Resources (DNR) is working on a possible sea lamprey barrier project in Alger County. The project would see a seasonal sea lamprey control barrier installed on the Sucker River as a joint plan between the DNR, the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service and other groups. Read the full story by WLUC-TV – Marquette, MI.
Great Lakes Commission
https://www.glc.org/dailynews/20260311-lamprey-barrier
A proposed $5.6 million plan to repair the Black River Canal in Port Huron, Michigan, now depends on whether neighboring townships agree to help fund the project. The canal connects Lake Huron to the Black River and has long served recreational boaters and waterfront businesses. Read the full story by the Port Huron Times Herald.
Great Lakes Commission
https://www.glc.org/dailynews/20260311-canal-repair
Two next-generation turbines powered by river currents are set to be lowered into the St. Lawrence Seaway off Montreal this autumn, marking the first installation of the pioneering renewable energy technology in Canada. Read the full story by Canada’s National Observer.
Great Lakes Commission
https://www.glc.org/dailynews/20260309-stlawrence-turbines
Michigan lawmakers are taking yet another stab at addressing system failures across the state. Read the full story by Michigan Advance.
Great Lakes Commission
https://www.glc.org/dailynews/20260309-michigan-septic
Ontario Premier Doug Ford thinks a man-made island in Lake Ontario could be the spot for Toronto’s new convention centre, but the idea is already creating confusion and concern among city officials. Read the full story by Canada’s National Observer.
Great Lakes Commission
https://www.glc.org/dailynews/20260309-ford-lake-ontario
An ice jam caused the Bighead River to spill over a retaining wall in Meaford, Ontario, on Saturday afternoon. Read the full story by the Owen Sound Sun Times.
Great Lakes Commission
https://www.glc.org/dailynews/20260309-ice-jam
Two Tree River, a small river on St. Joesph Island in Ontario, has been identified as a Key Biodiversity Area because it is the home of Canada’s northernmost population of Redside Dace, an acrobatic minnow famous for being the only fish in Canada that leaps out of the water to catch flying insects. Read the full story by SooToday.
Great Lakes Commission
https://www.glc.org/dailynews/20260309-two-tree-river
The U.S. Coast Guard is set to begin spring ice-breaking operations on the St. Marys River Monday, as preparations ramp up for the Great Lakes commercial shipping season. Read the full story by WSMH-TV – Flint, MI.
Great Lakes Commission
https://www.glc.org/dailynews/20260309-stmarys-ice
Michigan’s outdoor recreation economy is growing, but not as fast as it is for much of the rest of the country. Read the full story by The Associated Press.
Great Lakes Commission
https://www.glc.org/dailynews/20260309-michigan-outdoor-economy
After some new ice formed over Lake Erie on Feb. 26, the U.S. National Ice Center says that the ice coverage on Lake Erie is back to 70 percent. Read the full story by the Erie-Times News.
Great Lakes Commission
https://www.glc.org/dailynews/20260309-erie-ice
Volunteers are being recruited to help safeguard lake sturgeon during their spawning season along the Black River in Michigan’s Cheboygan County through early June. Read the full story by MLive.
Great Lakes Commission
https://www.glc.org/dailynews/20260309-sturgeon-spawning
Cold, deep waters have preserved thousands of Great Lakes shipwrecks, captured in eerie photos of the intact wrecks still hidden beneath the surface. Read the full story by the Detroit Free Press.
Great Lakes Commission
https://www.glc.org/dailynews/20260309-shipwreck-photos
On Great Lakes Day, the Great Lakes Commission convened in Washington, D.C., to discuss future policies impacting the lakes with leaders and lawmakers. The Michigan Department of Environment, Great Lakes, and Energy is working against invasive species and threats to the Great Lakes. Read the full story by WDIV-TV – Detroit, MI.
Great Lakes Commission
https://www.glc.org/dailynews/20260306-egle-greatlakes-partners-stronger-freshwater-protections
A coalition representing more than 400 mayors and cities across the Great Lakes and St. Lawrence region met with members of congress and senators to share top priorities, including the impact proposed port fees would have on Great Lakes shipping and regional economies in the U.S. and Canada. Read the full story by The St. Catharines Standard.
Great Lakes Commission
https://www.glc.org/dailynews/20260306-strong-future-together-great-lakes-mayors
For decades, a key provision of the Clean Water Act has allowed states to weigh in on, and sometimes derail, federal water permits. Now the Trump administration is poised to roll back that power. Opponents of the move, including Minnesota, say it could imperil their ability to protect clean water. Read the full story by The Minnesota Star Tribune.
Great Lakes Commission
https://www.glc.org/dailynews/20260306-epa-curb-state-input-water-permits
The proposed Great Lakes Way trail system in southeast Michigan still lacks a permanent organization to coordinate and steward the project, raising concerns about long-term management and promotion. Supporters say establishing a dedicated lead group is essential to maintain the trail network and fully realize its tourism and economic benefits. Read the full story by Crain’s Detroit Business.
Great Lakes Commission
https://www.glc.org/dailynews/20260306-greatlakes-way-threatens-regional-tourism
A shipwreck hunter discovered the wreck of the Lac La Belle, a luxury steamer that sank in 1872 in Lake Michigan, about 20 miles off the Wisconsin coast, after searching for nearly 60 years. The well-preserved wreck, first located in 2022 and recently documented with dives and 3D imaging, offers historians a rare underwater “time capsule” from the era of Great Lakes passenger steamships. Read the full story by Wisconsin Public Radio.
Great Lakes Commission
https://www.glc.org/dailynews/20260306-shipwreck-hunter-luxury-ship-found
An agreement approved by some Wisconsin counties would allow the oil company Enbridge to reimburse local law enforcement for equipment, training, and policing costs related to potential protests during construction of a rerouted section of the Line 5 pipeline. Critics argue the arrangement could bias police toward the company and increase tensions with Indigenous groups and environmental activists opposing the project. Read the full story by WXPR – Rhinelander, WI.
Great Lakes Commission
https://www.glc.org/dailynews/20260306-enbridge-pipeline-wisconsin
U.S. Coast Guard ice-breaking operations on the Great Lakes have been reduced after two cutters experienced mechanical failures, limiting the fleet’s ability to keep shipping routes open during heavy winter ice. The breakdowns occurred in Sault Ste. Marie, Michigan, forcing the Coast Guard to operate with fewer vessels while crews work to repair the equipment and maintain key navigation channels. Read the full story by WBKB-TV – Alpena, MI.
Great Lakes Commission
https://www.glc.org/dailynews/20260306-coast-guard-ice-breaking-equipment-failures-great-lakes
In New York, a dedicated group of local conservationists is making positive waves in Dunkirk Harbor on Lake Erie, all with the goal of bringing more steelhead back to local waters for years to come. Read the full story by the Dunkirk Observer.
Great Lakes Commission
https://www.glc.org/dailynews/20260306-floating-fish-pen-steelhead
The Nature Conservancy in Ohio will host two open houses to share updates and answer community members’ questions about coastal wetland developments and plans in Sandusky Bay. The projects are part of the Sandusky Bay Initiative, an effort to improve the health of the Lake Erie watershed. Read the full story by the Fremont News-Messenger.
Great Lakes Commission
https://www.glc.org/dailynews/20260306-conservancy-group-sandusky-bay-updates
The Great Lakes Children’s Museum in Traverse City, Michigan, has opened a new exhibit that allows children to explore maritime history through hands-on investigation of a Great Lakes shipwreck. Read the full story by MLive.
Great Lakes Commission
https://www.glc.org/dailynews/20260306-traversecity-shipwreck-exhibit-museum
A Grand Bend, Ontario, resident made a simple commitment to pick up one bag of garbage a day for a whole month along the Lake Huron shoreline. The one-month pledge never ended, and she has now picked up 1,300 bags of garbage to show her love and gratitude for the lake. Read the full story by the Price Albert Daily Herald.
Great Lakes Commission
https://www.glc.org/dailynews/20260304-shoreline-clean-up
The New York State Department of Environmental Conservation and New York Sea Grant have $200,000 available for projects benefiting New York’s Great Lakes basin by demonstrating the application of ecosystem-based management approaches to local watershed challenges. Read the full story by the Finger Lakes Times.
Great Lakes Commission
https://www.glc.org/dailynews/20260304-shoreline-restoration-funding
New state grants will fund student-led water stewardship projects and provide transportation for K-12 field trips to Michigan’s Great Lakes and inland waterways. Read the full story by Environmental Protection.
Great Lakes Commission
https://www.glc.org/dailynews/20260304-freshwater-literacy-funding
Roughly 653 registered anglers from 10 states gathered to participate in the 2026 Black Lake sturgeon season in northern Michigan. Within 48 minutes, six sturgeon were caught, and anglers were told that the tightly managed season had already come to a close. Read the full story by Great Lakes Echo.
Great Lakes Commission
https://www.glc.org/dailynews/20260304-sturgeon-season
Arctic grayling were once abundant in Michigan’s waters. But almost a century ago, habitat destruction, overfishing, and predation by introduced species decimated their populations. Today an effort is underway to restore self-sustaining populations of this long-lost fish. Read the full story by the Great Lakes Now.
Great Lakes Commission
https://www.glc.org/dailynews/20260304-grayling-restoration
Glen Arbor, Michigan, a city located on the eastern shoreline of Lake Michigan, earned the Tree City USA designation from the Arbor Day Foundation in late February, becoming the latest in a line of communities to achieve national recognition for its commitment to urban forestry. Read the full story by MLive.
Great Lakes Commission
https://www.glc.org/dailynews/20260304-tree-city
In northwest Indiana, there’s a stretch of Lake Michigan that’s super industrial but also great for surfing. After a chemical spill impacted surfers’ health, the surfers decided to do something about it. Read the full story by Interlochen Public Radio.
Great Lakes Commission
https://www.glc.org/dailynews/20260304-water-pollution
We are on the cusp of the start of the seasonal water level rise on the Great Lakes. Snowmelt over the past few weeks has started the water level rise on Lake Michigan and Lake Huron, but Lake Superior hasn’t risen or fallen in the past month. Read the full story by MLive.
Great Lakes Commission
https://www.glc.org/dailynews/20260304-water-levels
The City of Port Huron, Michigan, is moving ahead with ice breaking operations along the Black River in an effort to reduce the risk of spring flooding. Read the full story by WPHM – Port Huron, Michigan.
Great Lakes Commission
https://www.glc.org/dailynews/20260304-flood-prep
Lake Superior has its highest percentage of ice cover this season, researchers say, as ice on the Great Lakes remains above 50% for the season. Read the full story by the Detroit Free Press.
Great Lakes Commission
https://www.glc.org/dailynews/20260304-great-lakes-ice
Governor of Michigan, Gretchen Whitmer, said the Gordie Howe International Bridge “will open,” just weeks after President Donald Trump said he would prevent it. Read the full story by MLive.
Great Lakes Commission
https://www.glc.org/dailynews/20260302-gordie-howe-bridge
This winter’s extreme conditions along New York’s Great Lakes are amplifying the natural action of wind, water, ice, and storms that can cause significant shoreline erosion and economic damage to coastal businesses and personal properties, structures, and operations. New York Sea Grant is encouraging shoreline property owners to reach out for free assistance in planning how to identify the best options for remediation and restoration from winter’s impact. Read the full story by the Finger Lakes Times.
Great Lakes Commission
https://www.glc.org/dailynews/20260302-ny-erosion
Lake Erie’s flow and hydraulic residence time helps explain how long contaminants stay in Lake Erie’s system. Read the full story by The Plain Dealer.
Great Lakes Commission
https://www.glc.org/dailynews/20260302-erie-pollution
The fight over mining near the Boundary Waters Canoe Area Wilderness in Minnesota has reached a critical turning point as the U.S. Senate prepares to take up H.J. Res. 140. This resolution seeks to overturn the 20-year mineral withdrawal that currently protects roughly 225,000 acres of the Superior National Forest within the Rainy River watershed. Read the full story by Quetico Superior Wilderness News.
Great Lakes Commission
https://www.glc.org/dailynews/20260302-boundarywaters-mining
The City of Grand Rapids in Michigan has been awarded $1,092,000 in federal funding to modernize its wastewater treatment facility with a state-of-the-art ultraviolet disinfection system. Read the full story by Spectrum News.
Great Lakes Commission
https://www.glc.org/dailynews/20260302-uv-water-disinfection
As federal trappers remove thousands of beavers each year — including from prized trout streams — Wisconsin regulators face calls to weigh the critter’s flood-control benefits against long-standing views of them as a nuisance. Read the full story by Wisconsin Watch.
Great Lakes Commission
https://www.glc.org/dailynews/20260302-beavers
Lake Michigan hasn’t completely frozen over in recorded history, but it does produce a lot of unusual ice formations. Read the full story by WUWM – Milwaukee, WI.
Great Lakes Commission
https://www.glc.org/dailynews/20260302-ice-formations
As boating season approaches, the Ohio Department of Natural Resources and the Ohio Clean Marinas Program are reminding boaters to recycle shrink wrap this spring instead of having it end up in landfills or waterways. Read the full story by Spectrum News 1.
Great Lakes Commission
https://www.glc.org/dailynews/20260302-boaters-shrinkwrap
On February 25th, data from the U.S. National Ice Center showed that ice on Lake Erie has decreased to 70%, though upcoming cold temperatures may refreeze some areas. Read the full story by the Erie-Times News.
Great Lakes Commission
https://www.glc.org/dailynews/20260302-erie-ice
