When Americans think of our coastlines, most picture the beaches of the Atlantic, the Pacific or the Gulf. But the Great Lakes are America’s fourth coast — a 2,300-mile expanse. Read the full story by The Time of Northwest Indiana.
Great Lakes Commission
https://www.glc.org/dailynews/20250915-greatlakes-american-maritime
On Friday, Traverse City business and education leaders broke ground on the Freshwater Research and Innovation Center at Discovery Pier in Elmwood Township, which they hope will attract the “blue tech” sector to northern Michigan. Read the full story by Interlochen Public Radio.
Great Lakes Commission
https://www.glc.org/dailynews/20250915-traversecity-woodhole-greatlakes
A new documentary showcasing the underwater beauty of the Great Lakes and the impact that invasive mussels are having on the lakes’ ecosystems is getting its Detroit premiere. The free screening is set for Oct. 8 at 7 p.m. at the Detroit Film Theatre (DFT) at the Detroit Institute of Arts. Read the full story by Bridge Michigan.
Great Lakes Commission
https://www.glc.org/dailynews/20250915-greatlakes-underwater-secrets
Over the last 30 years, Lake Superior has uniquely held off large-scale invasive mussel infestations which have protected the lake’s population of lake whitefish. Read the full story by Great Lakes Now.
Great Lakes Commission
https://www.glc.org/dailynews/20250912-lake-superior-mussels
According to EPA records, Great Lakes Cheese violated its discharge permit at least 20 times since it opened in November 2024, releasing wastewater and other contaminants into Ischua Creek in Franklinville, New York. Read the full story by WGRZ-TV – Buffalo, NY.
Great Lakes Commission
https://www.glc.org/dailynews/20250912-discharge-violations
The Pennsylvania Steelhead Association is looking for anglers to report catches that include a Shasta rainbow trout. The organization is hopeful anglers will find Shasta rainbow trout that were stocked two years ago returning in some Lake Erie tributaries. Read the full story by the Erie Times-News.
Great Lakes Commission
https://www.glc.org/dailynews/20250912-erie-steelhead
Manistee, a Northern Michigan beach town, is looking to make its award-winning beaches even better. Read the full story by MLive.
Great Lakes Commission
https://www.glc.org/dailynews/20250912-upnorth-beaches
Michigan health officials warned the public this week to avoid eating any fish caught from four bodies of water in Kent County. Read the full story by Lansing State Journal.
Great Lakes Commission
https://www.glc.org/dailynews/20250912-kentcounty-fish-warnings
Across Lake Michigan and Lake Huron, lake whitefish populations have been on the verge of collapse. But in Green Bay, Wisconsin, lake whitefish have been unexpectedly thriving. Read the full story by Interlochen Public Radio.
Great Lakes Commission
https://www.glc.org/dailynews/20250912-greenbay-whitefish
Following the shorelines of the Great Lakes, monarch butterflies are gradually leaving Michigan as their instincts take them south. Read the full story by Detroit Free Press.
Great Lakes Commission
https://www.glc.org/dailynews/20250912-monarch-migration
The Great Lakes usually start their seasonal water level decrease in August, as evaporation is highest over the Great Lakes in the fall. Read the full story by MLive.
Great Lakes Commission
https://www.glc.org/dailynews/20250912-lake-levels
In Ohio, the port of Cleveland is poised to set a modern-day record for cruise passengers in 2025, with 8,000 people on 53 sailings disembarking in downtown this year. Read the full story by The Plain Dealer.
Great Lakes Commission
https://www.glc.org/dailynews/20250912-cleveland-cruises
September marks 150 years since Singapore, a bustling Michigan lumber town near the mouth of the Kalamazoo River north of Saugatuck and Douglas, was deserted. It’s cultural relevance − and ghost town lore − are perhaps even more famous now. Read the full story by MLive.
Great Lakes Commission
https://www.glc.org/dailynews/20250912-singapore-michigan
The newest state budget contained sweeping cuts to H2Ohio. In addition to slashing funds from the Ohio Department of Agriculture and Environmental Protection Agency, it halved the amount of money allocated to the Department of Natural Resources for wetlands restoration work. Read the full story by The Statehouse News Bureau.
Great Lakes Commission
https://www.glc.org/dailynews/20250910-h2ohio-fundingcuts-future-wetland-restoration
A recent report warns the region is not prepared for the unprecedented, growing demand from data centers and other big water users like agriculture. Read the full story by the Chicago Tribune.
Great Lakes Commission
https://www.glc.org/dailynews/20250910-surging-number-data-centers-great-lakes-water-shortages
The Ontario government is handing provincial parklands over to the town of Wasaga Beach, Ontario, in hopes of boosting the local economy. Residents wonder whether the beach will still be welcoming to endangered birds like piping plovers and the public. Read the full story by The Narwhal.
Great Lakes Commission
https://www.glc.org/dailynews/20250910-wasaga-beach-piping-plovers-ontario
Beware when heading out onto Lake Michigan — legend says ships are known to vanish in what’s known as the Lake Michigan Triangle, or do they? Read the full story by the Detroit Free Press.
Great Lakes Commission
https://www.glc.org/dailynews/20250910-great-lakes-mystery-triangle-disappearances
From September 8-11, residents of Burlington, Ontario, may see catamaran boats on the waters of Lake Ontario, as more than 50 of the world’s best sailors take to the lake. The Hobie 14 North American Championship is an internationally-recognized event, with both European and World Championships using the world’s very first sports catamaran to compete. Read the full story by Burlington Today.
Great Lakes Commission
https://www.glc.org/dailynews/20250910-catamarans-lakeontario-sailingevent
The Ontario government is committing $180,000 to projects aimed at restoring and protecting waterways on Manitoulin Island, part of the Lake Huron watershed. The investment will help improve water quality, strengthen fish habitats and biodiversity, and support both environmental and economic resilience in the region. Read the full story by Wire Service Canada.
Great Lakes Commission
https://www.glc.org/dailynews/20250910-ontario-invests-waterways-manitoulin-island
The Canadian company Enbridge wants to move a section of its 645-mile gas and oil line that’s been operating for decades near Lake Superior within the Reservation of the Bad River Band of Lake Superior Chippewa. The change would move the section outside tribal land but still fall within the region’s stream- and wetland-rich landscape. Last November, the Wisconsin Department of Natural Resources approved Enbridge’s plan – but tribal and environmental groups are pushing back. Read the full story by WUWM – Milwaukee, WI.
Great Lakes Commission
https://www.glc.org/dailynews/20250910-pipeline-project-habitat-rich-northern-wisconsin
The Cedar Creek watershed encompasses nearly 175,000 acres in northeast Indiana, spanning three counties and creating a unique and diverse ecosystem. Now, a plan to improve the quality of the watershed, put forth by the City of Fort Wayne Utilities is awaiting approval from the state. Cedar Creek is the largest watershed feeding into the St. Joseph River. The creek flows into the Maumee River, and ultimately into Lake Erie. Read the full story by WBOI – Fort Wayne, IN.
Great Lakes Commission
https://www.glc.org/dailynews/20250910-cedarcreek-state-awaiting-approval
When strong winds push Lake Erie’s water east or west, shorelines can be left dry or flooded in a matter of hours, resulting in the water levels drastically decreasing in a short amount of time. However, that water must go somewhere, and that “somewhere” is the opposite lakeshore. Read the full story by WGRD – Grand Rapids, MI.
Great Lakes Commission
https://www.glc.org/dailynews/20250910-greatlakes-strange-seiche-phenomenon
The new Pennsylvania Fish and Boat Commission Lake Erie Research Unit facility is located on the grounds of the Fairview State Fish Hatchery in Erie County, Pennsylvania, and it contains a research laboratory, library, conference room, and modern office space for three full-time biologists, seasonal biologist aides, and a Waterways Conservation Officer. Read the full story by PennWatch Media.
Great Lakes Commission
https://www.glc.org/dailynews/20250910-pa-fish-boat-lakeerie-research-unit
Michigan’s Invasive Species Grant Program is now accepting proposals for the 2025 funding cycle, with an anticipated $3.6 million available to applicants. The program – a joint effort among multiple state agencies – is a statewide initiative launched in 2014 to help prevent, detect and control invasive species in Michigan. Read the full story by The Alpena News.
Great Lakes Commission
https://www.glc.org/dailynews/20250908-invasive-species-grants
Analysis of water samples collected as part of a long-term monitoring project by the Minnesota Department of Natural Resources have shown small but measurable numbers of zebra mussel larvae in multiple inland lakes in St. Louis County, Minnesota. Read the full story by The Ely Echo.
Great Lakes Commission
https://www.glc.org/dailynews/20250908-zebra-mussel-collection
The historic USS Cobia, a Gato-class submarine that arrived in Manitowoc, Wisconsin, in 1970, has left its home at the Wisconsin Maritime Museum for the first time since the 1990s. The submarine will soon arrive in Sturgeon Bay, Wisconsin, to undergo maintenance. Read the full story by WGBA-TV – Green Bay, WI.
Great Lakes Commission
https://www.glc.org/dailynews/20250908-submarine-maintenance
The New York State Department of Environmental Conservation (DEC) has identified potential water quality violations linked to wastewater discharges from the Great Lakes Cheese facility in Franklinville, New York, which led to a large fish and wildlife die-off in Ischua Creek. Since the DEC’s initial response, water quality in Ischua Creek has shown significant improvements, the state said. Read the full story by WGRZ-TV – Buffalo, NY.
Great Lakes Commission
https://www.glc.org/dailynews/20250908-fish-die-off
The inaugural Anishinaabe Canoe Migration set out over the weekend as 19 paddlers travelled down the St. Louis River. The project hopes to launch an even larger canoe migration intended to share cultural revitalization, Indigenous healing, and community empowerment in the future. Read the full story by KBRJ-TV – Superior, WI.
Great Lakes Commission
https://www.glc.org/dailynews/20250908-canoe-migration
WBGU-PBS is premiering a three-part docuseries that explores the history and legacy of eight Ohio lighthouses on Lake Erie and the people working to preserve them. The series is scheduled to air at 9 p.m. Thursdays starting September 11 and at 3:30 p.m. Saturdays beginning September 13. Read the full story by the Port Clinton News Herald.
Great Lakes Commission
https://www.glc.org/dailynews/20250908-lighthouse-docuseries
The Michigan Department of Natural Resources is halfway through completion of a $5 million grant project to remove 27 stream barriers to conserve and restore aquatic and terrestrial ecosystems, improve resilience to flooding and other threats, and expand community access to nature. Read the full story by The Newberry News.
Great Lakes Commission
https://www.glc.org/dailynews/20250908-dam-removal-project
Ohio State University’s Stone Laboratory on Gibraltar Island, Ohio, offers scholarships for students enrolled in classes each summer through its Research Experience for Undergraduate (REU) program. One project collected close to 11,000 fish to better understand the influence of invasive round gobies on native darters in Lake Erie. Read the full story by the Sandusky Register.
Great Lakes Commission
https://www.glc.org/dailynews/20250908-invasive-species-project
The Great Lakes Museum in Kingston, Ontario, is celebrating its 50th anniversary since its founding in 1975 by a group of divers conducting underwater archaeology in Lake Ontario. Since then, the museum has grown significantly and is a National Historic Site. Read the full story by The Kingston Whig Standard.
Great Lakes Commission
https://www.glc.org/dailynews/20250908-museum-anniversary
The Great Lakes saw at least 27 confirmed, fair-weather waterspouts/funnels — and more may have spawned beyond view — on Sunday, including on Lake Erie and Lake Ontario, according to reports by the International Centre for Waterspout Research, a nonprofit that tracks the phenomena. Read the full story by the Detroit Free Press.
Great Lakes Commission
https://www.glc.org/dailynews/20250908-waterspout-reports
Airborne toxins from the annual harmful algal bloom on Lake Erie are the subject of two studies by researchers at the University of Toledo. The studies are the first of their kind in the Great Lakes. Read the full story by the Port Clinton News Herald.
Great Lakes Commission
https://www.glc.org/dailynews/20250905-asthma-algal
The Pennsylvania Fish and Boat Commission (PFBC) opened a new research facility for local biologists to conduct proper lab testing on Lake Erie’s native species and learn more about them. Read the full story by WJET-TV – Erie, PA.
Great Lakes Commission
https://www.glc.org/dailynews/20250905-pfbc-facility
As fishing for burbot, a native Great Lakes fish species, has grown increasingly popular, anglers and researchers believe the population is disappearing. Researchers say invasive zebra mussels siphoning nutrients from the water are to blame. Read the full story by WJBK-TV – Detroit, MI.
Great Lakes Commission
https://www.glc.org/dailynews/20250905-burbot-fishing
A recent grant aims to support waterway navigation training and cultural reconnection to Anishinaabe canoeing for the Fond du Lac Band of Lake Superior Chippewa. Read the full story by the Duluth News Tribune.
Great Lakes Commission
https://www.glc.org/dailynews/20250905-anishinaabe-canoe
The Ohio State University and Ohio Sea Grant program are celebrating the 100-year anniversary of the Franz Theodore Stone Laboratory through an open house this weekend. The lab, which moved to its current location on Gibraltar Island in 1925, dates to the late 1800s, making it the oldest freshwater biological field station in the country. Read the full story by MLive.
Great Lakes Commission
https://www.glc.org/dailynews/20250905-island-lab
The Northeast Ohio Regional Sewer District is studying how to prevent the release of untreated water and sewage into Lake Erie which occurred three times this summer at the waters of Edgewater Beach. Read the full story by WEWS-TV – Cleveland, OH.
Great Lakes Commission
https://www.glc.org/dailynews/20250905-sewer-district
Construction is underway on Milwaukee’s $17 million South Shore Cruise Dock, which will be Milwaukee’s third designated cruise dock. It will have the capacity to serve the Great Lakes’ largest cruise ships and is expected to open ahead of the 2026 cruise season, which in Milwaukee typically starts in April or early May and runs through October. Read the full story by the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel.
Great Lakes Commission
https://www.glc.org/dailynews/20250905-cruise-dock
The Michigan Maritime Museum in South Haven will host a presentation this month on a major effort to restore lake sturgeon to the Big Manistee River. Read the full story by WSJM – Benton Harbor, MI.
Great Lakes Commission
https://www.glc.org/dailynews/20250905-sturgeon-presentation
Environmental agencies are searching for the source of pollution that has created two contaminated hot spots in the lower Clinton River. Samples taken in 2017 and 2019 showed high levels of polychlorinated biphenyls (PCBs) from two sites in the lower Clinton River in Mount Clemens, Michigan. Read the full story by The Detroit News.
Great Lakes Commission
https://www.glc.org/dailynews/20250905-clinton-pollution
The New York State Department of Environmental Conservation confirmed the Great Lakes Cheese factory in Franklinville, New York, was not in compliance with its discharge permit and has paused discharges from its wastewater treatment facility following a significant fish kill on Ischua Creek last week. Read the full story by WGRZ-TV – Buffalo, NY.
Great Lakes Commission
https://www.glc.org/dailynews/20250905-cheese-discharge
The Franklin-St. Lawrence NYSUT United Retirees will host a boat tour with Clayton Island Tours to Rock Island Lighthouse on the St. Lawrence River in a glass-bottom boat on Monday, September 8. The event is open to all teacher retirees and spouses. Read the full story by the Watertown Daily Times.
Great Lakes Commission
https://www.glc.org/dailynews/20250903-lighthouse-tour
Michigan’s Great Lakes could see powerful waves up to 14 feet high throughout Friday, September 5, according to the National Weather Service. Gale warnings, small craft advisories and high swim risks are in place for select beaches of Lake Michigan, Lake Superior and Lake Huron. Read the full story by the Detroit Free Press.
Great Lakes Commission
https://www.glc.org/dailynews/20250903-gale-warning
Thunder Bay National Marine Sanctuary in Alpena, Michigan, will host a community lecture on Lake Trout Restoration on September 18 at the Great Lakes Maritime Heritage Center. The conversation will center around a conservation effort to build a series of artificial reefs to promote fish spawning. Read the full story by the Alpena News.
Great Lakes Commission
https://www.glc.org/dailynews/20250903-lake-trout-lecture
The Fourth Annual Great Lakes Tribal Economic Summit will be held on September 16 and 17, at the Gun Lake Casino Resort in Wayland, Michigan. The event will bring together tribal leaders and Native business executives to discuss timely insights into navigating federal policies amid significant political shifts as well as the latest tribal economic developments. Read the full story by Native News Online.
Great Lakes Commission
https://www.glc.org/dailynews/20250903-tribal-economic-summit
Michigan lawmakers are trying a different route to secure funding for a controversial copper mine in the western Upper Peninsula after grant dollars did not get approved last year. Read the full story by MLive.
Great Lakes Commission
https://www.glc.org/dailynews/20250903-copper-mine-funding
Boat captains today have far more information about weather conditions, thanks to buoys and other data sources. Federal funding cuts could jeopardize those safety advances. Read the full story by The Bemidji Pioneer.
Great Lakes Commission
https://www.glc.org/dailynews/20250903-shipwreck-prevention
Newly graduated Maritime Academy cadets have been in high demand after the coronavirus pandemic led to a wave of early retirements of merchant marine officers. The Trump administration has called for “resurrecting America’s maritime industry” giving the new graduates an optimistic outlook on their job prospects. Read the full story by Interlochen Public Radio.
Great Lakes Commission
https://www.glc.org/dailynews/20250903-maritime-industry
