You can fish on the Great Lakes, go boating, swim, and partake in water sports, all the while enjoying the spectacular views they provide. But how deep is each lake? You’d have to dive hundreds of feet below the surface to reach the bottom. Read the full story by the Akron Beacon Journal.
Great Lakes Commission
https://www.glc.org/dailynews/20240925-lake-facts
The Canadian federal government announced a “historic” $76 million in new funding for freshwater restoration on the Great Lakes, with investments targeted toward improving water quality and ecosystem health, as well as community-based science projects. Read the full story by the Windsor Star.
Great Lakes Commission
https://www.glc.org/dailynews/20240923-canadian-gov-funding-greatlakes
Volunteer divers are surveying the riverbed near Beauharnois, Quebec, in the Montérégie region, to remove hundreds of tires from the water that have been polluting the aquatic environment for decades. Read the full story by the Montreal Gazette.
Great Lakes Commission
https://www.glc.org/dailynews/20240923-stlawrenceriver-divers
The remains of the John Evenson, a wooden steam tug built in Milwaukee lie five miles northeast of Algoma, Wisconsin, 50 feet below Lake Michigan’s surface. Read the full story by the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel.
Great Lakes Commission
https://www.glc.org/dailynews/20240923-wisconsin-maritime-tugboat-lakemichigan
Of the 188 aquatic non-native species in the Great Lakes, the species jeopardizing areas of Lake Erie the most is the zebra mussel. Scientists say that they are a great threat to the Great Lakes and their threat should not be minimized due to the loss of the native habitat of the lakes. Read the full story by the Akron Beacon Journal.
Great Lakes Commission
https://www.glc.org/dailynews/20240923-sealamprey-quaggamussels-invasivespecies-lakeerie
Overlook Trail in Manistee County, Michigan, offers views of Lake Michigan from hundreds of feet above the shoreline at the end of a short, accessible trail through the woods. Read the full story by MLive.
Great Lakes Commission
https://www.glc.org/dailynews/20240923-lakemichigan-trail
A Great Lakes freighter flying under the Canadian flag destined for Bay City, Michigan, on Saturday, Sept. 21, has a storied – albeit misfortunate – sailing history. Read the full story by MLive.
Great Lakes Commission
https://www.glc.org/dailynews/20240923-greatlakesfreighter-baycity
Algal blooms beyond western Lake Erie aren’t particularly new, but they aren’t going away anytime soon, either. There are many lesser-known blooms closer to home for residents of Toledo, Ohio, that are short-lived yet still potentially serious with their own set of health advisories. Read the full story by the Toledo Blade.
Great Lakes Commission
https://www.glc.org/dailynews/20240923-algalblooms-fiftystates
A new virtual book club is starting up with a specific interest in the Great Lakes. Called Great Lakes Great Read, the initiative encourages people to read a children’s and/or an adult book with a connection to the Great Lakes and join the authors for upcoming webinars. Read the full story by CollingwoodToday.
Great Lakes Commission
https://www.glc.org/dailynews/20240923-greatlakes-bookclub-water
Instead of a swimming in the Chicago River, participants in the inaugural “Chicago River Swim” swam in Lake Michigan, raising $150,000 for ALS research and $50,000 to fund water safety lessons for 2,000 children in underserved communities. Read the full story by AP News.
Great Lakes Commission
https://www.glc.org/dailynews/20240923-chicagoriverswim-lakemichigan
Scientists from multiple agencies work together each spring and fall to help migrating sturgeon move around the first two of five hydroelectric dams on the Menominee River in Michigan. Read the full story by MLive.
Great Lakes Commission
https://www.glc.org/dailynews/20240923-sturgeon-elevator
In August, scientists with the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration’s Great Lakes Environmental Research Laboratory discovered around 40 large underwater features, most of which are about as long as an Olympic swimming pool. They’re cold, dark, and weirdly circular. Read the full story by WUWM – Milwaukee, WI.
Great Lakes Commission
https://www.glc.org/dailynews/20240920-lake-michigan-sinkholes
In the only available wild rice spot on Lake Superior, Natives from different nations gather for the wild rice harvest season. The Great Lakes Indian Fish and Wildlife Commission brought their expertise for a harvest alongside representatives from the Mashkiiziibii Natural Resource Department. Read the full story by WDIO – TV – Duluth, MN.
Great Lakes Commission
https://www.glc.org/dailynews/20240920-wild-rice-harvest
It’s been more than six weeks since the initial sighting of the Lake Erie alligator. There have been no confirmed sightings since. Wildlife experts review challenges the gator could face with the cold months ahead. Read the full story by the Erie Times-News.
Great Lakes Commission
https://www.glc.org/dailynews/20240920-erie-alligator
In addition to serving as picturesque areas for watersports and relaxation, wetlands serve many purposes including flood control and water quality preservation. Today, many different governments, groups, and organizations are working to preserve and restore these crucial ecosystems in Southeast Michigan. Read the full story by Planet Detroit.
Great Lakes Commission
https://www.glc.org/dailynews/20240920-wetland-restoration-detroit
The Alliance for the Great Lakes says there is momentum growing across the country to shift the responsibility of the trash burden of plastic production from consumers to producers, and manufacturers need to be a part of the solution. Read the full story by Great Lakes Now.
Great Lakes Commission
https://www.glc.org/dailynews/20240920-sustainable-manufacturing
Less than 15% of the Great Lakes are mapped at high resolution but Michigan Tech aims to change that to better preserve and protect the lakes into the future. Read the full story by WDIV-TV-Detroit, MI.
Great Lakes Commission
https://www.glc.org/dailynews/20240920-lake-mapping
Cyanobacteria blooms are not normal for Lake Superior as the lake is nutrient-poor and the coldest of the Great Lakes, but warming temperatures and increased flooding have overridden its natural barrier against algal blooms. Read the full story by Great Lakes Echo.
Great Lakes Commission
https://www.glc.org/dailynews/20240920-algal-bloom-reporting
In a significant stride toward bolstering environmental journalism, Michigan Public is amplifying its coverage of the Great Lakes and drinking water issues, thanks to a generous $200,000 grant. This funding breathes new life into the Great Lakes News Collaborative. Read the full story by Michigan Public Radio.
Great Lakes Commission
https://www.glc.org/dailynews/20240920-great-lakes-news-funding
Marquette’s Great Lakes Climate Corps is wrapping up its summer of projects. The team of young adults improves the environment with community-based projects around Michigan’s upper peninsula. Read the full story by WLUC – TV – Marquette, MI.
Great Lakes Commission
https://www.glc.org/dailynews/20240920-climate-corps-projects
More than three months after the Michipicoten sustained a rupture to its hull on Lake Superior, the Canadian-flagged bulk carrier remains dockside in Superior, Wisconsin. Read the full story by TBnewswatch.
Great Lakes Commission
https://www.glc.org/dailynews/20240920-idle-freighter
Ohio-based plaintiffs seeking strict limits on agricultural runoff allowed into Lake Erie streams and tributaries have been given until Monday to tell a U.S. District Judge how they would like the case to proceed. The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency approved the state’s first-ever Total Maximum Daily Load for the lake’s western basin last year, but plaintiffs claim it wasn’t strong enough and renewed their lawsuit. Read the full story by The Toledo Blade.
Great Lakes Commission
https://www.glc.org/dailynews/20240918-algal-bloom-litigation
In Michigan, Chinook and Coho salmon pick up on decreasing day length and cooler temperatures as signals to migrate into river systems to spawn. Warmer temperatures don’t always bode well for fishermen looking to land salmon as they make their fall run, though decreasing daylight will allow water temperatures to drop. Read the full story by WZZM-TV – Grand Rapids, MI.
Great Lakes Commission
https://www.glc.org/dailynews/20240918-salmon-run
The Neeskay, a Milwaukee-based research vessel, got its start more than 70 years ago as a supply vessel in the Korean War. Today, it travels Lake Michigan on various research projects for UW-Milwaukee’s School of Freshwater Sciences and other agencies, helping scientists in the state gather valuable data. Read the full story by Wisconsin Public Radio.
Great Lakes Commission
https://www.glc.org/dailynews/20240918-research-vessel
Construction crews began to replace the Union Street Dam in Traverse City, Michigan, with a unique structure called FishPass which is designed to enable native fish migration while stopping invasive species. The Great Lakes Fishery Commission is spearheading the project that is expected to finish in 2027. Read the full story by MLive.
Great Lakes Commission
https://www.glc.org/dailynews/20240918-fish-pass-construction
Enbridge, a Canadian energy company, is still waiting for a permit from the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers to build its proposed tunnel that would house a segment of its Line 5 pipeline. As Anishnaabe and environmental groups in the U.S. continue to ask for the complete closure of the pipeline, a delayed environmental impact statement is pushing the start of construction until at least 2026. Read the full story by CBC News.
Great Lakes Commission
https://www.glc.org/dailynews/20240918-pipeline-tunnel
The Wisconsin Department of Natural Resources received 195 reports of algal blooms and related illnesses on Wisconsin lakes as of September 9, exceeding the 178 reports received last year. The DNR confirmed around 72 percent were cyanobacteria, or blue-green algae blooms, that may have been caused by heavy rains earlier this summer carrying more nutrients into lakes. Read the full story by Wisconsin Public Radio.
Great Lakes Commission
https://www.glc.org/dailynews/20240918-algal-bloom-reports
The Leelanau Historical Society and Museum in Leelanau County, Michigan, is hosting its 3rd annual Maritime History Festival. The event will feature displays showcasing the maritime culture of the area through lighthouse and ship models, a shipwreck exhibit, and the 19th annual live exhibit “Wood Boats on the Wall” which will feature classic wooden boats from around the region. Read the full story by WPBN-TV – Traverse City, MI.
Great Lakes Commission
https://www.glc.org/dailynews/20240918-maritime-history-festival
At an upcoming event on efforts to remediate the St. Clair River Area of Concern, speakers will provide information on microplastics in the Great Lakes, efforts to restore the St. Clair River aquatic environment, and the four remaining beneficial use impairments on the St. Clair River. Read the full story by Windsor News Today.
Great Lakes Commission
https://www.glc.org/dailynews/20240918-restoration-presentation
A historic lifeboat was dedicated in a ceremony at the popular Great Lakes Shipwreck Museum site on Whitefish Point, Michigan, on Saturday. Read the full story by Soo Leader.
Great Lakes Commission
https://www.glc.org/dailynews/20240918-museum-artifact
The Cheboygan Lock in Cheboygan, Michigan, will close for much of the fall and winter for restoration work, reopening in late spring 2025, according to the Michigan Department of Natural Resources. Read the full story by the Detroit Free Press.
Great Lakes Commission
https://www.glc.org/dailynews/20240916-lock
Microsoft is building a massive data center on a huge piece of property in the Racine County village of Mount Pleasant, Wisconsin. There are deep concerns about the power and water demands tied to the Microsoft project. Read the full story by the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel.
Great Lakes Commission
https://www.glc.org/dailynews/20240916-racine
If you want a say in how the dunes, trails and campsites at Petoskey State Park are managed, the Michigan Department of Natural Resources is hosting a virtual public meeting on Sept. 17 to gather feedback. Read the full story by the Petoskey News-Review.
Great Lakes Commission
https://www.glc.org/dailynews/20240916-petoskey
After a long search for a new owner, the Tahquamenon Falls Train and Riverboat Tours company in McMillan Township, Michigan, has officially shut their doors for good. Read the full story by WCMU Public Media.
Great Lakes Commission
https://www.glc.org/dailynews/20240916-riverboat
The Michigan Department of Natural Resources is busy passing coho salmon through the lower weir on the Platte River at the Sleeping Bear Dunes National Lakeshore with the onset of the annual fall migratory spawning run. Read the full story by MLive.
Great Lakes Commission
https://www.glc.org/dailynews/20240916-platte
The Canadian government says it’s trying to slow the spread of invasive species through a regulation that partly took effect this week. But the rule is drawing some flack from American commercial shippers in the Great Lakes. Read the full story by WCMU Public Radio.
Great Lakes Commission
https://www.glc.org/dailynews/20240916-invasive-species-spread
In Ohio, the Maumee River and other Toledo-area waterways are one step closer to meeting restoration goals outlined by a 1987 U.S.-Canada agreement, in part because Glass City Metropark is being used for some of the soil dug out of the Toledo shipping channel. Read the full story by The Toledo Blade.
Great Lakes Commission
https://www.glc.org/dailynews/20240916-river-restoration
An elementary school at Naval Station Great Lakes that needs significant improvements including AC installation and accessible drinking water, is being demolished and rebuilt. Read the full story by WGN – TV – Chicago, OH.
Great Lakes Commission
https://www.glc.org/dailynews/20240916-school-rebuild
The peach-blossom jellyfish appears to be growing and expanding its northern range in British Columbia thanks to recent warm summers. There isn’t enough data yet to say for sure, but the population’s recent growth could pose a threat to juvenile salmon food sources. Read the full story by My Cowichan Valley Now.
Great Lakes Commission
https://www.glc.org/dailynews/20240916-invasive-jellyfish
Lake Erie, the smallest of the Great Lakes by volume, recently put on a show when it turned a vibrant green, a stark departure from its usual deep-blue hue. The green tone of the water poses a serious health risk, as it is the result of a dangerous algae bloom growing in the lake. Read the full story by The Travel.
Great Lakes Commission
https://www.glc.org/dailynews/20240916-erie-algae-bloom
Researchers have uncovered fascinating insights into the lives of prehistoric Native Americans who made camp in the Great Lakes region around 13,000 years ago. Read the full story by Newsweek.
Great Lakes Commission
https://www.glc.org/dailynews/20240916-native-american-history
The Great Lakes Museum director emeritus, Mr. Gillcrist, made significant efforts to preserve Great Lakes history over the past 25 years which earned him the 2024 C. Patrick Labadie Award for Historic Preservation from the Association for Great Lakes Maritime History Read the full story by The Toledo Blade.
Great Lakes Commission
https://www.glc.org/dailynews/20240916-museum-director-award
A harmful algae bloom has formed on Ford Lake bordering the city of Ypsilanti in Michigan. The County Health Department says people and pets should avoid swimming in water that has scum or mats of algae. Read the full story by The Detroit News.
Great Lakes Commission
https://www.glc.org/dailynews/20240916-harmful-algae-ford-lake
Earlier this weekend, an intense X-class flare happened on the sun’s surface which could spark a strong wave of Northern Lights activity over the Great Lakes early this week. Read the full story by MLive.
Great Lakes Commission
https://www.glc.org/dailynews/20240916-geomagnetic-activity
The Biden administration on Friday asked an appeals court to revive a Trump-era rule that lifted remaining Endangered Species Act protections for gray wolves in the U.S. Read the full story by WLUK – TV – Green Bay, WI.
Great Lakes Commission
https://www.glc.org/dailynews/20240916-grey-wolve-hunting
According to a recent study, the presence of algal blooms or E. coli in Ohio’s waterways can drive away visitors and the tourism dollars they bring with them. Researchers studied the economic impact of beach closures in Lake Erie in 2019 when Lake Erie beaches saw a 20% reduction in visitors, costing the area around $22 million in tourism dollars. Read the full story by WOUB-TV – Athens, OH.
Great Lakes Commission
https://www.glc.org/dailynews/20240913-tourism-impacts
Two marine historians in Wisconsin discovered sinkholes in Lake Michigan that are 500 feet underwater and 600 feet wide. Theories on the formation of the sinkholes range from glaciers to ages of intense pressure. Read the full story by WTMJ-TV – Milwaukee, WI.
Great Lakes Commission
https://www.glc.org/dailynews/20240913-lake-sinkholes
Steelhead experts in Erie, Pennsylvania, believe anglers should expect to see large, heavy fish this fall and winter as the Pennsylvania Fish and Boat Commission (PFBC) works on a plan to get back to stocking 1 million fish each year. This year, the PFBC reduced its annual stocking by about 20% as it works on a plan to raise more fish solely in the Lake Erie water basin. Read the full story by the Erie Times-News.
Great Lakes Commission
https://www.glc.org/dailynews/20240913-steelhead-stocking
The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, Detroit District’s New Lock at the Soo project awarded a $222.7 million contract for the next construction phase to Kokosing Alberici Traylor, LLC of Westerville, Ohio. The contract award will allow for construction to proceed to have a fully functional lock with a completion date in 2030. Read the full story by WPBN-TV – Traverse City, MI.
Great Lakes Commission
https://www.glc.org/dailynews/20240913-lock-construction
Offshore from Evanston, Illinois, Northwestern University set up a yellow turbidity curtain – which may be mistaken for an oil spill contamination boom – in Lake Michigan. The curtain will prevent silt and sediment from flowing out of a construction zone and protect the shoreline from erosion. Read the full story by Evanston Now.
Great Lakes Commission
https://www.glc.org/dailynews/20240913-erosion-protection
