Biologists released lake sturgeon into the Great Lakes this June. The ancient species is a longtime resident of the regional waters around Michigan and efforts have been ongoing to conserve their numbers. Read the full story by WJBK-TV – Detroit, MI.
Great Lakes Commission
https://www.glc.org/dailynews/20250627-sturgeon-recovery-efforts
As the Fourth of July approaches, travelers are heading to the Great Lakes to celebrate. In Michigan, Lake Michigan near Saint Joseph has warmed up due to recent hot weather, making it more appealing for swimmers, while Lake Huron near Caseville remains quite chilly. Read the full story by WDIV-TV – Detroit, MI.
Great Lakes Commission
https://www.glc.org/dailynews/20250627-water-temperatures
The Inland Seas Education Association is kicking off a fundraising campaign that will be used to develop a new campus, expand their ship capacity, enhance facilities, grow staff, and give students the opportunity to learn about the Great Lakes in a unique way. Read the full story by WPBN-TV – Traverse City, MI.
Great Lakes Commission
https://www.glc.org/dailynews/20250627-great-lakes-learning
A Superior, Wisconsin, native, Mike McCoshen, was sworn in as the new top official at the Great Lakes St. Lawrence Seaway Development Corp. Read the full story by the Duluth News Tribune.
Great Lakes Commission
https://www.glc.org/dailynews/20250627-new-official
Transgender swimmer, Lev Goldberg, is training for a record-setting swim across the Great Lakes, with the goal of increasing trans representation and inspiring trans youth. Read the full story by CBC News.
Great Lakes Commission
https://www.glc.org/dailynews/20250627-record-setting-swimmer
In Gary, Indiana, Audubon and partners are working on a vision for restoration rooted in community and climate resilience. Partners have come together to restore a 400-acre natural area as part of a broader 2,500-acre revitalization vision for the West Branch of the Little Calumet River. Read the full story by Audubon.
Great Lakes Commission
https://www.glc.org/dailynews/20250627-river-restoration
Wakeboard boats are gaining popularity in the Great Lakes region. Lakeshore residents are alarmed at the resulting shoreline erosions it causes and what it means for their property over time. Read the full story by Bridge Michigan.
Great Lakes Commission
https://www.glc.org/dailynews/20250627-wake-boats
President Donald Trump signed a presidential memo on May 9th acknowledging the dangers of invasive carp. But Great Lakes leaders remain concerned about the consequences of cuts in federal funding. Read the full story by the Herald Times Reporter.
Great Lakes Commission
https://www.glc.org/dailynews/20250627-federal-cuts
U.S. Representative Dave Joyce (OH-14) says that while Great Lakes ports may not always make headlines, they are central to our national security, economic efficiency, and domestic supply chain resilience. As the federal government considers infrastructure priorities, investing in the Great Lakes port system must be a top-tier objective. Read the full story by The Washington Times.
Great Lakes Commission
https://www.glc.org/dailynews/20250625-great-lakes-ports
The Ohio legislature has proposed severe cuts to the H2Ohio program, and yet the initiative that works to reduce farm runoff into Lake Erie is showing the first signs that it may be working; a recent analysis estimates the amount of “dissolved reactive phosphorus” flowing into the lake during the spring has declined about 30% since 2008. Read the full story by The Plain Dealer.
Great Lakes Commission
https://www.glc.org/dailynews/20250625-budget-cuts
The draft environmental impact statement details serious environmental concerns linked to the proposed Line 5 tunnel beneath the Straits of Mackinac, including permanent loss of wetlands and vegetation, disruption of groundwater systems, and harm to aquatic wildlife from noise and vibration. Read the full story by The Manitoulin Expositor.
Great Lakes Commission
https://www.glc.org/dailynews/20250625-line-five-plan
Three climate monitoring and maritime safety buoys have been deployed for the season from the south shore of Lake Superior to collect important navigation and climate planning data including wave height, wind speed, and water temperature. Read the full story by The Newberry News.
Great Lakes Commission
https://www.glc.org/dailynews/20250625-monitoring-buoys
According to a new study, toxins deposited on the shoreline by Lake Erie’s annual summer algae blooms can concentrate on the beach and persist for almost a month. Read the full story by MLive.
Great Lakes Commission
https://www.glc.org/dailynews/20250625-algae-study
Five years after record-high Great Lakes water levels, legislation to curb construction on coastal dunes or make it easier for homeowners to protect their homes with temporary barriers have failed to gain traction. Read the full story by Bridge Michigan.
Great Lakes Commission
https://www.glc.org/dailynews/20250625-coastal-policies
Researchers have launched a first-of-its-kind community health project to find out if people who live, work or recreate on or near a harmful algal bloom are being exposed to airborne toxins in ways that could impact their long-term health – and how to better prevent, diagnose and treat potential effects. Read the full story by The Beacon.
Great Lakes Commission
https://www.glc.org/dailynews/20250625-toxin-study
Wisconsin boaters are encouraged to do their part to help stop the spread of invasive plants and animals during the Great Lakes Blitz, which will take place from June 30 through July 13. Read the full story by WLUK-TV – Green Bay, WI.
Great Lakes Commission
https://www.glc.org/dailynews/20250625-landing-blitz
The final day for the public to comment on a federal environmental review of the Line 5 tunnel is approaching on June 30. The draft report details the impacts of building a 3.6-mile tunnel under the lakebed in the Straits of Mackinac. Read the full story by Interlochen Public Radio.
Great Lakes Commission
https://www.glc.org/dailynews/20250623-line-5-review
The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers awarded more than $95 million to an Ohio firm tasked with completing the third phase of construction on a new Soo Lock. Read the full story by WJBK – Detroit, MI.
Great Lakes Commission
https://www.glc.org/dailynews/20250623-soo-locks-funding
Whitefish have remained a staple in the Great Lakes for millennia and after decades of slow decline, the fish are now on the brink of collapse in most of lakes Michigan and Huron. Read the full story by Bridge Michigan.
Great Lakes Commission
https://www.glc.org/dailynews/20250623-whitefish-crisis
The crew of Lake Guardian and Environmental Protection Agency scientists are in the process of taking water samples in the Great Lakes to see if the water is safe to drink, swim and fish. Read the full story by ABC News.
Great Lakes Commission
https://www.glc.org/dailynews/20250623-water-testing
Isle Royale National Park is partnering with the Michigan Department of Natural Resources to conduct a creel survey of the Isle Royale-Lake Superior fishery, asking anglers to voluntarily report their catch rates, species, and fishing methods. Read the full story by MLive.
Great Lakes Commission
https://www.glc.org/dailynews/20250623-isle-royale-study
Due to environmental, species, and economic shifts in the Great Lakes region, aquaculture may be one method to help fill the gap left by a decline in commercial fishing. Read the full story by Great Lakes Echo.
Great Lakes Commission
https://www.glc.org/dailynews/20250623-aquaculture
A lake trout tagged as part of the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service’s Great Lakes Mass Marking Program indicated the fish was 39 years old, making it the oldest coded wire tagged lake trout observed in the program. Read the full story by MLive.
Great Lakes Commission
https://www.glc.org/dailynews/20250623-oldest-trout
As the Great Lakes Piping Plover recovery effort nears the 40-year mark, the growing population – a record 81 pairs, up from a low of just 12 – is reclaiming long-abandoned nesting territory across the region. Read the full story by Audubon Magazine.
Great Lakes Commission
https://www.glc.org/dailynews/20250623-piping-plovers
The unique geography and maritime history support a massive iron ore port and legacy in Two Harbors, Minnesota. Read the full story by Journée Mondiale.
Great Lakes Commission
https://www.glc.org/dailynews/20250623-two-harbors-iron
The National Museum of the Great Lakes will reveal a recent expansion to the public, including a community education center, leadership center, and additional areas for temporary exhibits. Read the full story by the Toledo Blade.
Great Lakes Commission
https://www.glc.org/dailynews/20250623-gl-museum-expansion
Political-driven changes are disrupting U.S. scientific institutions and creating challenges for science in Canada, with Canadian scientists attempting to preserve their work to assert scientific sovereignty in the face of unprecedented destabilization. Read the full story by CBC News.
Great Lakes Commission
https://www.glc.org/dailynews/20250623-scientific-sovereignty
The lake sturgeon population in Michigan and the Great Lakes is on the rebound thanks in part to a collaborative effort between many entities. While efforts span the Great Lakes overall, the sturgeon population in Cheboygan County’s Black Lake has doubled from about 600 to around 1,200 since the start of restoration and stocking efforts more than two decades ago. Read the full story by WILX-TV – Onondaga, MI.
Great Lakes Commission
https://www.glc.org/dailynews/20250620-sturgeon-restoration
Researchers have identified a species of blue-green algae in the Duluth-Superior harbor that’s capable of producing harmful algal blooms, which may lead to better monitoring. Read the full story by Wisconsin Public Radio.
Great Lakes Commission
https://www.glc.org/dailynews/20250620-algal-toxin-research
Temperatures across Michigan are expected to hit the 90s through the weekend, warm enough to tempt people to swim in the Great Lakes. Lake Erie and Lake Huron have posted readings at or near 70 degrees Fahrenheit, although lake temperatures typically don’t peak until late summer/early fall, according to GLISA. In Lake Superior, though, the high temperatures were in the 58-degrees Fahrenheit range in some places. Read the full story by The Sault Ste. Marie Evening News.
Great Lakes Commission
https://www.glc.org/dailynews/20250620-lake-temperatures
According to the New York State Department of Environmental Conservation, large die-offs of alewives are typical this time of year. The invasive fish species is sensitive to sudden temperature changes, which can occur as they move from the deeper waters of the lake toward shore in the spring to spawn. Read the full story by WXXI – Rochester, NY.
Great Lakes Commission
https://www.glc.org/dailynews/20250620-fish-die-off
The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers says it may dredge the Grand Haven inner harbor this fall as planned after reaching a compromise with Michigan state regulators to avoid certain areas suspected to contain toxic PFAS contaminants. Read the full story by MLive.
Great Lakes Commission
https://www.glc.org/dailynews/20250620-pfas-testing
Lakewood, Ohio’s 100-year-old sewer system wasn’t designed to handle large storms. So as part of its efforts to address combined sewer overflows and meet Clean Water Act requirements for its high-rate system at the city’s wastewater treatment facility, the city is planning a $40 million sewer overflow storage tank. Read the full story by The Plain Dealer.
Great Lakes Commission
https://www.glc.org/dailynews/20250620-sewage-overflow-storage
Shallow-water ciscoes, a native fish species extirpated from Lake Erie in the mid-20th century, have been rediscovered in a lake in northeastern Pennsylvania. Efforts are underway to determine if the lost native species of fish in Lake Erie can be reintroduced from its descendants. Read the full story by the Erie Times-News.
Great Lakes Commission
https://www.glc.org/dailynews/20250620-fish-reintroduction
The U.S. Department of Energy is helping to restart Palisades nuclear power plant in Covert, Michigan, with a loan worth up to $1.52 billion. Local residents say the history of safety problems at Palisades, some of which date back nearly two decades, are cause for concern as the plant is restarted. Read the full story by Michigan Public.
Great Lakes Commission
https://www.glc.org/dailynews/20250620-nuclear-restart-concerns
The Michigan Maritime Museum in South Haven is offering a rare chance to step into the role of a Great Lakes scientist with some expedition cruises coming up this month. The limited-engagement event in partnership with the Annis Water Resources Institute, will give everyone a chance to climb aboard the W.G. Jackson, a working research vessel, to join researchers collecting Lake Michigan data. Read the full story by WSJM – Benton Harbor, MI.
Great Lakes Commission
https://www.glc.org/dailynews/20250620-research-cruise
Michigan’s first surf shop is hosting its second annual freshwater festival, Beryl Days, which runs June 20-22 at various locations including the Sleeping Bear Surf Shop, Empire Public Beach Lighthouse and South Bar Lake. Funds will go toward beach cleanups, scholarships for the shop’s junior waterman camps and surf lessons, and lobbying trips to Washington D.C. with the Great Lakes Business Network. Read the full story by MLive.
Great Lakes Commission
https://www.glc.org/dailynews/20250620-freshwater-festival
NOAA is partnering with university scientists on a forecasting model to help predict where and when the western Lake Erie basin is most prone to develop spikes of algal toxin. Read the full story by the Toledo Blade.
Great Lakes Commission
https://www.glc.org/dailynews/20250618-forecast-model-detect-lakeerie-algalblooms-advance
Governor Tony Evers’s Office and the Wisconsin Department of Administration announced the creation of the Wisconsin Great Lakes Coastal Leadership Academy after the Wisconsin Coastal Management Program received a $209,894 grant through NOAA’s Project of Special Merit competition. Read the full story by Seehafer News.
Great Lakes Commission
https://www.glc.org/dailynews/20250618-federalgrant-new-academy-greatlakes-management
Michigan Attorney General Dana Nessel has filed a lawsuit against two Wixom-based automotive suppliers for allegedly continuing to release harmful chemicals into the Huron River after multiple violation notices. Read the full story by Michigan Public.
Great Lakes Commission
https://www.glc.org/dailynews/20250618-state-sues-michigan-companies-toxic-chemicals
Increasingly, residents, legislators and freshwater advocacy groups are calling for municipalities to more carefully consider where the water that supplies data centers will come from and how it will be managed. Even in the water-rich Great Lakes region, those are important questions as erratic weather patterns fueled by climate change affect water resources. Read the full story by Great Lakes Now.
Great Lakes Commission
https://www.glc.org/dailynews/20250618-data-centers-illinois
Some passengers on a cruise ship are getting their first taste of the U.P. Tuesday morning, Victory Cruise Lines’ Victory II docked at Lower Harbor in Marquette around 6:30 a.m. Read the full story by WLUC-TV – Negaunee, MI.
Great Lakes Commission
https://www.glc.org/dailynews/20250618-victory-docks-marquette-greatlakes-voyage
The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service will begin applying lampricides to the Cass River in Tuscola and Saginaw counties to kill sea lamprey larvae starting Tuesday, June 17. The applications, which target larvae burrowed in the stream bottom, will be conducted between June 17-26 in accordance with permits from the state of Michigan. Read the full story by the Huron Daily Tribune.
Great Lakes Commission
https://www.glc.org/dailynews/20250618-sea-lamprey-tuscola-county-cass-river
Peter Frank, 23 years old, left his home in Escanaba, Michigan on June 27, 2024 in the Upper Peninsula and headed east along the shore of Lake Michigan. He paddled through Canada and cut through Lake Ontario before taking rivers to the Atlantic Ocean and down the east coast to Florida. Now he is starting the long journey northward and back home. Read the full story by MLive.
Great Lakes Commission
https://www.glc.org/dailynews/20250618-michigan-adventurer-upper-peninsula-to-florida
More land at the tip of Ontario’s Bruce Peninsula has been protected as a nature reserve, with two levels of government providing funding to buy the approximately one kilometre section of shoreline. Read the full story by CBC News.
Great Lakes Commission
https://www.glc.org/dailynews/20250618-conservationgroup-indigenous-name
A groundwater report made public by the Pennsylvania Department of Environmental Protection indicates contamination from the shuttered Erie Coke site is migrating toward Lake Erie. Read the full story by YourErie.com.
Great Lakes Commission
https://www.glc.org/dailynews/20250618-contamination-erie-coke-dep-reports
Federal and Michigan state officials joined to mark the opening of a resort on a former Superfund site in Houghton this week. The Keweenaw Waters Resort is a 25-acre waterfront campground on the former Michigan Smelter Tailings site. Read the full story by WNMU-TV – Marquette, MI.
Great Lakes Commission
https://www.glc.org/dailynews/20250618-resort-opens-superfund-site
Great Lakes piping plovers are getting busy replenishing the species’ numbers. With 82 pairs confirmed, conservation officials stated this year is a record-breaking nesting season for the federally endangered shorebird. Read the full story by MLive.
Great Lakes Commission
https://www.glc.org/dailynews/20250616-plover-record
As a major transportation hub for plastic, Lake Erie’s water system is prone to plastic exposure. This summer scientists are studying how pre-production plastics can leach chemicals when they find their way into water systems. Read the full story by The Toledo Blade.
Great Lakes Commission
https://www.glc.org/dailynews/20250616-erie-plastic-research
A new book explores wild rice’s role in Indigenous cuisine, its habitats and its deep connection to Indigenous identity in the Great Lakes region. Read the full story by Great Lakes Echo.
Great Lakes Commission
https://www.glc.org/dailynews/20250616-new-book
