For the last two winters, historically low ice coverage on the Great Lakes made ice-fishing trips impossible for Wisconsin charter companies. This year, with winter just days away, Lake Michigan and Lake Superior are unseasonably warm again. Read the full story by Wisconsin Public Radio.
Great Lakes Commission
https://www.glc.org/dailynews/20241220-warm-lakes
Passing the Great Lakes Restoration Initiative Act of 2024 is urgently needed to maintain the successful work helping restore and protect the Great Lakes – work that is benefiting the environment and economy. Read the full story by the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel.
Great Lakes Commission
https://www.glc.org/dailynews/20241220-glri-bill
A U.S. District Judge is allowing the Ohio Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) to become a defendant in the landmark Lake Erie Total Maximum Daily Load lawsuit in Toledo, Ohio. The decision was made at the Ohio EPA’s request. Read the full story by The Blade.
Great Lakes Commission
https://www.glc.org/dailynews/20241220-epa-defendant
The Michigan Department of Natural Resources recently collected nearly 6.5 million wild coho salmon eggs in less than three weeks. The collection was part of a fall effort to accumulate eggs to stock fish in Michigan waters. Read the full story by the Detroit Free Press.
Great Lakes Commission
https://www.glc.org/dailynews/20241220-coho-eggs
The Ohio Department of Natural Resources recently revealed the results from the annual Lake Erie fish surveys with mixed hatch results. The annual trawl surveys revealed that walleye hatches were below average and yellow perch hatches were above average in two of three management zones. Read the full story by WKBN-TV – Youngstown, OH.
Great Lakes Commission
https://www.glc.org/dailynews/20241220-erie-walleye-perch
One of the Great Lakes’ famous locks at Sault Ste. Marie, Michigan, has closed for the season to allow maintenance, but visitors can still see the system’s larger lock in action until January. Read the full story by the Lansing State Journal.
Great Lakes Commission
https://www.glc.org/dailynews/20241220-locks-closed
The Theodore Too tugboat, a giant replica of a popular character on a CBC children’s series, is currently sitting at the bottom of the Welland Canal in St. Catharines, Ontario. The vessel started sinking Wednesday at a shipyard where it is docked for the winter. Read the full story by the CBC.
Great Lakes Commission
https://www.glc.org/dailynews/20241220-tugboat-sinking
“Beyond the Sea: The Hidden Life in Lakes, Streams, and Wetlands,” presents the lesser-known facts of freshwater ecosystems and how they affect our everyday lives. While celebrating their abundance of life the book doesn’t shy away from the serious threats and challenges that inland waters face. Read the full story by Great Lakes Echo.
Great Lakes Commission
https://www.glc.org/dailynews/20241220-inland-waters-book
The Tim S. Dool was re-floated Monday and taken in for inspection. The ship was carrying a load of wheat grain through the St. Lawrence River on November 23 when it ran aground in U.S. waters near Waddington, New York. Read the full story by WWNY-TV – Carthage, NY.
Great Lakes Commission
https://www.glc.org/dailynews/20241220-ship-freed
Researchers on Lake Superior have “rediscovered” the shortnose cisco, a Great Lakes fish species thought to have been extinct for decades. Read the full story by WXMI-TV – Grand Rapids, MI.
Great Lakes Commission
https://www.glc.org/dailynews/20241218-rediscovered-fish-species-lakesuperior
Snowy owls are arriving in the Great Lakes region earlier than usual this winter, marking what experts describe as an “early-season push.” This contrasts with a much slower migration in 2023. Read the full story by MLive.
Great Lakes Commission
https://www.glc.org/dailynews/20241218-greatlakes-early-season-push-snowyowls
The Great Lakes Fishery Commission said non-native predatory sea lamprey populations spiked due to reduced control during the COVID-19 pandemic. The commission said numbers rose when field crews were constrained in their ability to conduct sea lamprey control in 2020 and 2021. Read the full story by WWTV – Cadillac, MI.
Great Lakes Commission
https://www.glc.org/dailynews/20241218-invasivesealamprey-population-spike
MillerKnoll, a West Michigan office furniture manufacturer, has committed to eliminating PFAS from most of its products by next year. The company said all North American products will be free of any added per- and poly- fluoroalkyl substances beginning in May 2025. Efforts to reduce or eliminate PFAS in manufacturing could play a huge role in limiting further pollution of our lakes. Read the full story by MLive.
Great Lakes Commission
https://www.glc.org/dailynews/20241218-millerknoll-pfas-eliminate-north-america
In the early hours on Friday, Dec. 13, the Michigan Senate passed five bills that would, together, overhaul Michigan’s environmental remediation program to prioritize physical removal over allowing pollution to remain in the ground but limiting human contact. Read the full story by MLive.
Great Lakes Commission
https://www.glc.org/dailynews/20241218-michigan-sentate-cleanup-efforts
The Michigan Department of Natural Resources recently awarded Park Township, a town located on the Lake Michigan shoreline near Holland, Michigan, two grants totaling $826,700 to fund improvements. The grants will be used at Park Township’s Winstrom Park and the new Community Park. Read the full story by MLive.
Great Lakes Commission
https://www.glc.org/dailynews/20241218-lake-michigan-improvement-grants
The Wisconsin Department of Natural Resources has opened an investigation into a spill of more than 69,000 gallons of crude oil from a pipeline along Enbridge Energy’s Line 6. Read the full story by KTTV – Green Bay, WI.
Great Lakes Commission
https://www.glc.org/dailynews/20241218-wisconsin-dnr-oil-spill-line6
Environmental writer Dave Dempsey, who has authored numerous academic titles about the Great Lakes, has taken a more accessible and entertaining approach with his most recent book, “The Great Lakes: Fact or Fake.” Read the full story by City Pulse.
Great Lakes Commission
https://www.glc.org/dailynews/20241218-test-great-lakes-knowledge
This winter, artists are invited to take part in a long-established tradition of interpreting Isle Royale National Park, which is a remote Lake Superior island. Read the full story by MLive.
Great Lakes Commission
https://www.glc.org/dailynews/20241218-isle-royale-artists
The US Environmental Protection Agency plans to finalize more than $200 million in grant funding in the coming weeks to accelerate the clean energy transition at three Great Lakes shipping ports. Read the full story by Clean Technica.
Great Lakes Commission
https://www.glc.org/dailynews/20241216-shipping-grants
One year after the proposed Icebreaker Wind demonstration project in Lake Erie got shelved, there continues to be talk — but little movement — toward erecting commercial-scale offshore wind turbines in the Great Lakes. Read the full story by The Toledo Blade.
Great Lakes Commission
https://www.glc.org/dailynews/20241216-offshore-wind
An Enbridge Energy pipeline in Jefferson County, Wisconsin spilled nearly 70,000 gallons of crude oil underground on November 11th according to federal officials. The spill is Enbridge’s worst in Wisconsin, surpassing a 2012 incident that spilled 50,000 gallons in Adams County. Read the full story by the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel.
Great Lakes Commission
https://www.glc.org/dailynews/20241216-pipeline-leak
Joel Brammeier, CEO of Alliance for the Great Lakes, has two words for those feeling anxiety about what’s in store for the Great Lakes during the incoming Trump administration: Don’t panic. Despite expected rollbacks on key environmental initiatives, the Great Lakes region has been here before. Read the full story by The Toledo Blade.
Great Lakes Commission
https://www.glc.org/dailynews/20241216-new-administration-advice
A proposed Michigan copper mine on the shores of Lake Superior is sparking fierce debate over environmental and economic priorities, as the state’s House Appropriations Committee approved $50 million in taxpayer subsidies for the controversial project. Read the full story by Newsweek.
Great Lakes Commission
https://www.glc.org/dailynews/20241216-copper-mine
The Brandon Road Interbasin Project at the Brandon Road Lock and Dam in Michigan is designed to keep invasive carps out of the Great Lakes. It’s a half mile long underwater obstacle course containing a bubble curtain, noise emitting speakers, electrified water and a navigation lock designed to flush fish downstream. Read the full story by Bloomberg Businessweek.
Great Lakes Commission
https://www.glc.org/dailynews/20241216-carp-barrier
Michigan Democrats are considering legislation to increase fees for hunting, fishing and boating by 30% or more to raise funding for the state Department of Natural Resources whose fish and wildlife programs have endured budget cuts amid funding shortages. Read the full story by Great Lakes Now.
Great Lakes Commission
https://www.glc.org/dailynews/20241216-fee-increase
Have you ever wondered where the fish you eat comes from? Only a fraction of the fish consumed today in the Badger State is caught locally. Read the full story by the Herald Times Reporter.
Great Lakes Commission
https://www.glc.org/dailynews/20241216-commercial-fishing
Getting rid of the legacy coal ash deposits from the NRG Generating State power plant along Lake Michigan in Waukegan got a little more likely with a recent U.S. Supreme Court decision keeping the green light illuminated for enforcement of a federal regulation mandating such a cleanup. Read the full story by the Chicago Tribune
Great Lakes Commission
https://www.glc.org/dailynews/20241216-coal-ash-ruling
Lake Michigan surface temperatures peaked at over 6 degrees above normal last month, the warmest they have been in November since 1995 when record keeping began at the National Oceanic and Atmospherec Administration. Read the full story by the Chicago Tribune.
Great Lakes Commission
https://www.glc.org/dailynews/20241216-lake-warming
A northern Wisconsin tribe along with a coalition of groups moved Dec. 12 to block plans to reroute an aging pipeline around the tribe’s reservation, arguing state regulators have underestimated the environmental damage that construction would cause. Read the full story by the Associated Press.
Great Lakes Commission
https://www.glc.org/dailynews/20241213-line5-reroute
A bipartisan duo is pushing the House to pass a Great Lakes conservation bill that has already cleared the Senate. The bill would reauthorize the Great Lakes Restoration Initiative (GLRI), a program that spans the lakes and is set to expire in fiscal 2026. Read the full story by Politico.
Great Lakes Commission
https://www.glc.org/dailynews/20241213-glri
Researchers, companies and farmers are developing and deploying systems that can control agricultural runoff, benefiting landowners, water consumers and the environment alike. These controlled drainage structures have resulted in a 20 to 50% reduction in nitrate loads coming out of drainage outlets. Read the full story by Great Lakes Now.
Great Lakes Commission
https://www.glc.org/dailynews/20241213-drainage
Earlier this year the Michigan Strategic Fund approved a $50 million grant for a controversial copper mine in the Upper Peninsula. Now, the state House Appropriations Committee has given its support, too. A major point of concern is the potential for mine waste to escape into Lake Superior, less than two miles away from the mine site. Read the full story by Interlochen Public Radio.
Great Lakes Commission
https://www.glc.org/dailynews/20241213-up-copper-mine
The St. Clair River is a 40-mile watery conduit that connects Lake Huron and Lake St. Clair. It is a vital part of the Great Lakes and provides not only transportation for commerce, but habitat for wildlife, a recreational shoreline for human use, a supply of drinking water, and a place to boat and fish. One of the people trying to protect the river is the executive director of the Friends of the St. Clair River. Read the full story by Second Wave Media.
Great Lakes Commission
https://www.glc.org/dailynews/20241213-st.clair-river
Cleaner water could have negative impacts on certain types of fish in Lake Erie, a study by researchers at Ohio State and other universities found. This is due to reduced nutrients impacting food creation for species like yellow perch. Read the full story by WOSU – Columbus, OH.
Great Lakes Commission
https://www.glc.org/dailynews/20241213-lake-erie-fish
The landmark Lake Erie case in federal court could be expanded again. The latest parties trying to become part of it are Lake Erie Waterkeeper and two national environmental groups, the New York-based Waterkeeper Alliance, and the Washington-based Food & Water Watch. Read the full story by The Blade.
Great Lakes Commission
https://www.glc.org/dailynews/20241213-lake-erie-case
The mayor of the Detroit suburb of Troy is the new chair of the Great Lakes Fishery Commission, an agency responsible for fishery management, leading a science program, and controlling invasive sea lamprey. Read the full story by The Sault News.
Great Lakes Commission
https://www.glc.org/dailynews/20241213-glfc
Crews have started work on a new attempt to refloat a cargo ship that ran aground in the St. Lawrence River near Morrisburg, Ontario, nearly three weeks ago. The U.S. Coast Guard says the operation to remove cargo from the vessel could take several days. Read the full story by CTV News.
Great Lakes Commission
https://www.glc.org/dailynews/20241213-stuck-cargo-ship
The Wisconsin Department of Natural Resources has announced plans to no longer stock splake in Lake Superior. The fish is popular among anglers, and the move received considerable attention during their Lake Superior Fisheries Management meeting. Read the full story by Northern News Now.
Great Lakes Commission
https://www.glc.org/dailynews/20241213-splake-stocking
By delivering 1,200 Christmas trees from Northern Michigan to Chicago families, the crew aboard the U.S. Coast Guard cutter Mackinaw was carrying on the tradition of the Rouse Simmons. The worn-out schooner helmed by a man nicknamed “Captain Santa” and heavily weighed down by a load of Christmas trees bound for Chicago sank while running that route in 1912. Read the full story by MLive.
Great Lakes Commission
https://www.glc.org/dailynews/20241211-christmas-ship
The Michigan Department of Health and Human Services is investigating contamination near BASF’s Wyandotte site, not far from the city’s water intake facility. The site has a history of pollution stretching back decades, with hazardous chemicals like mercury, PFAS, and DDT reportedly seeping into the surrounding environment. Read the full story by WDIV-TV – Detroit, MI.
Great Lakes Commission
https://www.glc.org/dailynews/20241211-groundwater-contamination-prevention
Canada-based McKeil Marine converted one of its ships to water-lubricated propeller shaft and grease-free rudder bearings to ensure the vessel does not discharge oil or grease into the Great Lakes. Following this conversion, many other Great Lakes operating vessels converted to Thordon Bearings, helping to raise the profile of the Burlington, Ontario-headquartered company across the global shipping industry. Read the full story by the Burlington Gazette.
Great Lakes Commission
https://www.glc.org/dailynews/20241211-shipping-conversion
A Huron Pines community educator recently appealed to the city council of East Tawas, Michigan, to consider the Lake Huron Forever Pledge to prioritize water quality protection and preservation with a long-term view of sustainability of Lake Huron for future generations. So far, three Michigan communities have taken the Pledge – Bay City, Au Gres, and Alpena. Read the full story by the Iosco County News-Herald.
Great Lakes Commission
https://www.glc.org/dailynews/20241211-protection-pledge
Since the start of the shipping season, total cargo shipments on the St. Lawrence Seaway came to more than 32 million metric tons. The totals are proportional to last year’s numbers, showing consistency in the waterway system. Read the full story by KBJR-TV – Superior, WI.
Great Lakes Commission
https://www.glc.org/dailynews/20241211-cargo-tonnage
Over the summer, Force Blue, a nonprofit organization made up of veterans transitioning to civilian life, worked with the Thunder Bay National Marine Sanctuary to install and remove mooring buoys at eight different shipwrecks in Lake Huron. They also assisted with the fresh water acidification project to study how the water is changing in Lake Huron which could affect fish feeding behaviors and reproductive abilities. Read the full story by Interlochen Public Radio.
Great Lakes Commission
https://www.glc.org/dailynews/20241211-nonprofit-research
Audubon Great Lakes, the Wisconsin Department of Natural Resources, and several local partners began planning to restore coastal wetland in Allouez Bay in Superior, Wisconsin, three years ago. This week, the first phase of construction was completed as part of the Marsh Bird Restoration Project which aims to transform dense stands of invasive cattails into a more diverse and dynamic marsh environment for marsh birds, waterfowl, fish and people. Read the full story by the Superior Telegram.
Great Lakes Commission
https://www.glc.org/dailynews/20241211-restoration-project
A new book, The Lives of Lake Ontario: An Environmental History, explores how the Lake Ontario ecosystem has shifted over the years, and how anthropogenic climate change is shattering its defenses. Read the full story by The Narwhal.
Great Lakes Commission
https://www.glc.org/dailynews/20241211-lake-ontario-book
The Soo Locks Children’s Museum in Sault Ste. Marie, Michigan, is intended to be an educational resource to help kids get acquainted with one of the most significant pieces of infrastructure in Michigan’s Upper Peninsula and the science behind how the locks work. Museum officials said they hope to open to the public sometime in 2025. Read the full story by The Sault Ste. Marie Evening News.
Great Lakes Commission
https://www.glc.org/dailynews/20241211-soo-museum
Under a portion of the state’s environmental protection laws, the Michigan Department of Environment, Great Lakes, and Energy has been banned from updating rules to deal with certain kinds of water pollution. Bills to restore the agency’s authority are before the lame duck session of the legislature. Read the full story by Michigan Public.
Great Lakes Commission
https://www.glc.org/dailynews/20241209-michigan-environmental-laws
It’s a fish story with a big, unexpected plot twist. A native Great Lakes whitefish thought extinct for nearly 40 years has been rediscovered by scientists in Lake Superior. Read the full story by the Detroit Free Press.
Great Lakes Commission
https://www.glc.org/dailynews/20241209-cisco-found
This is the last November anglers casting from some popular fishing spots along Lake Michigan can catch whitefish using a wide range of tackle. Read the full story by The Detroit News.
Great Lakes Commission
https://www.glc.org/dailynews/20241209-whitefish-limits
