Great Lakes maritime transport brings in thousands of tons of crucial materials for infrastructure projects, but massive freighters also carry a threat to the health of the waterway. Read the full story by Bridge Detroit.
Great Lakes Commission
https://www.glc.org/dailynews/20240529-invasive-species-transport
The combination of heat and storms is increasing Great Lakes basin residents’ exposure to a host of health threats, from waterborne pathogens that formerly couldn’t survive this far north, to bacteria-laden sewer overflows and toxic algae blooms. Read the full story by Michigan Public Radio
Great Lakes Commission
https://www.glc.org/dailynews/20240529-warming-threats
Researchers and bird enthusiasts are working to better understand and limit bird causalities in the Great Lakes region. Some reasons for the recent increase in causalities include diseases like bird flu and botulism in addition to collisions with buildings and cars and outdoor cats. Read the full story by Michigan Public Radio.
Great Lakes Commission
https://www.glc.org/dailynews/20240529-great-lakes-birds
The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers will be hosting an information session for residents to learn more about the recommended plan to create a barrier against the invasive sea lamprey in Conneaut Creek in Albion. The meeting will be held on Thursday, May 30 from 5:30-7 p.m. Read the full story by Erie News Now.
Great Lakes Commission
https://www.glc.org/dailynews/20240529-sea-lamprey-barrier
The warmer than normal air temperatures in April and so far in May are boosting most of the Great Lakes’ water temperatures. While the southern Great Lakes are really heating up, Lake Superior remains amazingly cold. Read the full story by MLive.
Great Lakes Commission
https://www.glc.org/dailynews/20240524-water-temperature
A massive underground project in St. Clair Shores, Michigan, will protect Lake St. Clair by preventing raw sewage from being diverted directly into the lake to avoid flooding. Read the full story by WDIV-TV – Detroit, MI.
Great Lakes Commission
https://www.glc.org/dailynews/20240524-flooding-prevention
The University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee School of Freshwater Sciences has made its mark on Great Lakes research as the only graduate school of freshwater sciences in the United States. The school’s main research vessel, the Neeskay, is the only one out on the Great Lakes year-round. Read the full story by the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel.
Great Lakes Commission
https://www.glc.org/dailynews/20240524-research-vessel
The Wisconsin Maritime Museum’s newest exhibit, “Wisconsin’s Shipwreck Coasts,” features more than 100 artifacts from Wisconsin shipwrecks dating back to the mid-1800s, including personal items, family heirlooms and cargo salvaged in the 1970s. Many of the treasures in this 3,000-square-foot permanent exhibit are on public display for the first time. Read the full story by the Herald Times Reporter.
Great Lakes Commission
https://www.glc.org/dailynews/20240524-shipwreck-exhibit
Hundreds of cruise ship passengers will once again have the chance to explore the northeast Wisconsin city of Algoma when the cruise ship Viking Octantis makes its first of eight stops there on May 29. Read the full story by WLUK-TV – Green Bay, WI.
Great Lakes Commission
https://www.glc.org/dailynews/20240524-cruise-destinations
The New York State Department of Environmental Conservation has announced that this year’s muskellunge, or muskie, fishing season for Great Lakes waters — which include Lake Erie, the Upper Niagara River, the Lower Niagara River, Lake Ontario, the St. Lawrence River and tributaries to these waters — will begin on June 15. Read the full story by North Country Public Radio.
Great Lakes Commission
https://www.glc.org/dailynews/20240524-muskie-season
A Tulane University professor explored the idea of Duluth being an ideal location for climate migration in a 2019 study that has been receiving greater attention recently. Duluth’s proximity to Lake Superior, among other social and environmental factors, made the city stand out. Read the full story by WDIO-TV – Duluth, MN.
Great Lakes Commission
https://www.glc.org/dailynews/20240524-climate-migration
Cruise season will officially get underway in Cleveland during Memorial Day weekend. On Sunday, ships from Viking and Pearl Seas will dock at the Port of Cleveland, giving passengers a full day’s worth of opportunities to explore the area. Read the full story by WKYC-TV – Cleveland, OH.
Great Lakes Commission
https://www.glc.org/dailynews/20240524-cruise-season
A Michigan man who holds 53 world records has set the new state record for catching a white perch in Lake St. Clair last month. It weighs 2 pounds, 5.92 ounces and measured 16.25 inches, beating the previous state record white perch – 2 pounds, 13.57 inches, that was caught in 2015. Read the full story by WXYZ-TV – Detroit, MI.
Great Lakes Commission
https://www.glc.org/dailynews/20240524-fishing-record
In Wisconsin, Enbridge’s Line 5 pipeline crosses sovereign lands of the Bad River Band of the Lake Superior Tribe of Chippewa Indians. Enbridge seeks to construct a tunnel under the Straits of Mackinac, keeping the pipeline running for the years it will take for approval and construction. Michigan and the tribe are fighting to shut down the pipeline and prevent the tunnel. Read the full story by Bridge Michigan.
Great Lakes Commission
https://www.glc.org/dailynews/20240524-pipeline-concern
More than 700 freshwater researchers and practitioners are attending the International Association for Great Lakes Research’s 67th annual conference in Windsor, Ontario. Presentation topics include algal blooms, climate change, the emergence of PFAS chemicals, and pollution caused by microplastics. Read the full story by The Toledo Blade.
Great Lakes Commission
https://www.glc.org/dailynews/20240522-iaglr-2024
Michigan’s most popular state park is launching a new electronic beach warning system that can automatically alert authorities of a drowning. The system is the latest effort to keep swimmers safe amid a spate of drowning deaths. Read the full story by Bridge Michigan.
Great Lakes Commission
https://www.glc.org/dailynews/20240522-beach-tech
Over 20,000 individual cruise passengers are expected on the Great Lakes this year—double the number from 2014. There will be six cruise lines operating in the Great Lakes that are expected to make about 600 port visits this year. Read the full story by Bridge Michigan.
Great Lakes Commission
https://www.glc.org/dailynews/20240522-cruising-expectations
The Hamilton-Oshawa Port Authority has reached an agreement with the owner of the decommissioned Somerset Generation Station to build a new Lake Ontario “short sea shipping corridor” and port at the 1,800-acre site in Barker, New York. Read the full story by the Niagara Gazette.
Great Lakes Commission
https://www.glc.org/dailynews/20240522-ontario-port
Concrete and steel casks storing spent nuclear fuel rods await relocation to a permanent underground chamber for indefinite cooling. Until that facility is built, they slowly accumulate on concrete pads along the Michigan coast. Read the full story by MLive.
Great Lakes Commission
https://www.glc.org/dailynews/20240522-nuclear-waste
Bald eagles are back in a big way: after 50 years of conservation efforts, the Ontario government made the bald eagle’s recovery official in 2023, announcing them no longer at risk. What’s happened to bald eagles is a story of recovery, but only if we actually learn from it. Read the full story by Bridge Michigan.
Great Lakes Commission
https://www.glc.org/dailynews/20240522-bald-eagles
Scientists have been discovering small changes on Lake Michigan that could lead to big impacts on fishing, tourism and those who make their livelihood on the water. A slightly warmer, windier, and wetter climate has already begun to change the footprint of the lake and its impact on West Michigan. Read the full story by WOOD-TV – Grand Rapids, MI.
Great Lakes Commission
https://www.glc.org/dailynews/20240522-michigan-changes
The impact of maritime trade is multifaceted, from affecting the air quality of the surrounding Detroit River corridor to the arrival of invasive species. A series of initiatives are in motion to assess carbon emissions from port operations and bolster efforts to protect the waterway. Read the full story by Bridge Detroit.
Great Lakes Commission
https://www.glc.org/dailynews/20240522-detroit-maritime
This year, a joint effort by various non-profits and government organizations raised over 11,500 coho salmon to combat invasive alewives. Over the past 50 years they have released over 1 million coho salmon into the Manitowoc River in Manitowoc, Wisconsin. Read the full story by WFRV-TV – Manitowoc, WI.
Great Lakes Commission
https://www.glc.org/dailynews/20240522-wisconsin-coho
A judge is limiting development near the shoreline on Carleton Island in the St. Lawrence River near Cape Vincent, New York. The Thousand Islands Land Trust filed a lawsuit earlier this spring to stop a neighboring property owner from development that it argues violates a conservation easement. Read the full story by North Country Public Radio.
Great Lakes Commission
https://www.glc.org/dailynews/20240522-carleton-island
Each year, the Great Lakes attract several million tourists from the U.S. and around the world. The Great Lakes hold one-fifth of all the fresh water on the Earth’s surface with a combined coastline extending for over 10,000 miles. However, those are some rather basic facts – whether it’s pirates, shipwrecks, or Babe Ruth’s first official home run, these fascinating tidbits are a bit less straightforward. Read the full story by Classic City News.
Great Lakes Commission
https://www.glc.org/dailynews/20240520-greatlakes-facts
A Lake Erie documentary series produced in Erie is up for a prestigious award. ‘Lake Erie, Our Kin,’ a two-part series produced by Erie-based filmmakers John C. Lyons and Melissa A. Troutman has been nominated for two Emmy Awards in the Societal Concerns category in the 55th annual Central Great Lakes Emmy Awards. Read the full story by WJET-TV – Erie, PA.
Great Lakes Commission
https://www.glc.org/dailynews/20240520-lakeerie-documentary-emmyawards
Dog owners beware, harmful algal bloom season could be near. The first blooms that exceeded the threshold for dog swimming advisories last year were discovered in late May. Read the full story by Erie Times-News.
Great Lakes Commission
https://www.glc.org/dailynews/20240520-lakeerie-bloomseasoncoming
The S.S. Badger is back in service after a longer-than-expected offseason. It’s a sound that people in Manitowoc have waited 10 months for; the blowing horn of the S.S. Badger. The ferry, which is the largest one to cross Lake Michigan, arrived in Manitowoc at noon Friday. Read the full story by WTAQ-TV – Green Bay, WI.
Great Lakes Commission
https://www.glc.org/dailynews/20240520-ssbadger-lakemichigancrossings
A new robot meant to save lives is coming to the shores of Lake Michigan. The high-tech tool is a battery-powered and remote-controlled boat, which can be used at beaches for drowning prevention and water rescue. Read the full story by MLive.
Great Lakes Commission
https://www.glc.org/dailynews/20240520-lakemichigan-lifesaving-robot
Michigan Clean Water Corps organization held its annual Cooperative Lakes Monitoring Program on Saturday in Crystal Falls, Michigan. The purpose of the program is to help volunteers monitor indicators of water quality in their lakes. The program aims to teach attendees how to do things like measuring the clarity of the water. Read the full story by WLUC-TV – Negaunee, MI.
Great Lakes Commission
https://www.glc.org/dailynews/20240520-michigancleanwatercorp-lakemonitoringefforts
More than $77 million in infrastructure and expansion projects are now being developed at Ports of Indiana-Burns Harbor as a record construction season kicks off in the Lake Michigan port. Read the full story by Maritime Logistics Professionals.
Great Lakes Commission
https://www.glc.org/dailynews/20240520-maritime-projects-lakemichigan
Fourth and fifth-grade students from Rogers City, Michigan Elementary took a field trip to the Carmeuse calcite operations quarry on Monday to release the Chinook salmon they’ve taken care of since November. Read the full story by The Alpena News.
Great Lakes Commission
https://www.glc.org/dailynews/20240520-releasingsalmon-lakehuron
The toxic algae blooms that befoul Lake Erie and other regional waterways each summer are stinky, ugly and dangerous. They’ve killed dogs, sickened boaters and triggered rashes and respiratory problems for beachgoers — and there’s little doctors can do to help. However, there’s hope that medicine will eventually be available for people who are regularly exposed to the toxin. Read the full story by Bridge Michigan.
Great Lakes Commission
https://www.glc.org/dailynews/20240517-greatlakes-algae-sickness
It’s taken over 30 years to restore Michigan’s Muskegon Lake and while many Muskegon residents are excited about the revitalized lake, others are concerned that the restored areas will attract high-end development and lead to less public access of the water. Read the full story by Great Lakes Echo.
Great Lakes Commission
https://www.glc.org/dailynews/20240517-pfas-in-rain
A considerable amount of “forever chemicals” are making their way into the Great Lakes via the air and rain, a new study says. Findings published in Environmental Science and Technology, show that rain is primary way PFAS end up in Lake Superior, offering a stark reminder that even the lake that’s considered the most pristine isn’t safe from the toxic chemicals. Read the full story by the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel.
Great Lakes Commission
https://www.glc.org/dailynews/20240517-pfas-in-rain
In an interview, the executive director of a Chicago-based water innovation hub discusses the need to focus on innovation and why water abundance is a double-edged sword. Read the full story by Great Lakes Now.
Great Lakes Commission
https://www.glc.org/dailynews/20240517-chicago-city-water
Montréal played host to a landmark agreement as officials from Montréal, Québec City, and Milwaukee inked a pledge to turn the Great Lakes and St. Lawrence River Basin into an economic hub with a focus on sustainability. Read the full story by Hoodline.
Great Lakes Commission
https://www.glc.org/dailynews/20240517-blue-green-economic-conference
Factors such as weather patterns, local bird or geese populations, and water flow can all impact E. coli levels, but the true source can be hard to pinpoint. Read the full story by Erie Times-News.
Great Lakes Commission
https://www.glc.org/dailynews/20240517-e-coli
The Wisconsin Department of Natural Resources and the Lake Michigan Fisheries Forum will host a public meeting to discuss current and future rules governing the trawling for lake whitefish in Lake Michigan. Read the full story by Lake Geneva News.
Great Lakes Commission
https://www.glc.org/dailynews/20240517-lake-whitefish
St. Lawrence Seaway officials and guests gathered in Massena, New York Monday to celebrate the official opening of a new $7 million visitor center. The new facility includes a museum with 38 exhibits and a three-story viewing platform overlooking one of the Seaway’s two locks for huge ocean-going freighters. Read the full story by North Country Public Radio.
Great Lakes Commission
https://www.glc.org/dailynews/20240517-visitor-center
A bill containing $12 million to install a barrier in the Mississippi River in southern Minnesota to prevent invasive carp from swimming upstream is headed to Governor Tim Walz. If signed funding will become available July 1. Read the full story by Minnesota Public Radio.
Great Lakes Commission
https://www.glc.org/dailynews/20240517-invasive-carp
The Coast Guard warns that water temperatures in the St. Lawrence River range from 49 to 50 degrees Fahrenheit, and despite the recent warm weather, boaters should follow safety precautions to prevent hypothermia. Read the full story by WWTI-TV – Watertown, NY.
Great Lakes Commission
https://www.glc.org/dailynews/20240517-cold-water-st-lawrence
The story of two intrepid explorers crossing the Georgian Bay on foot during a freeze-up highlights the disquieting future of the Great Lakes without ice coverage. Read the full story by Biinaagami.
Great Lakes Commission
https://www.glc.org/dailynews/20240517-ice-cover
The winner of a Great Lakes water quality competition is tackling microplastics pollution one washing machine at a time. Ten finalists from the United States and Canada presented their work to a four-judge panel at the AquaHacking Challenge at Northwestern Michigan College in Traverse City, Michigan. Projects dealt with PFAS, lead contamination, microplastics, and nutrients. Read the full story by Interlochen Public Radio.
Great Lakes Commission
https://www.glc.org/dailynews/20240515-water-innovation-challenge
Purvis Fisheries located on Ontario’s Manitoulin Island in Lake Huron is one of 24 fisheries operating on the Great Lakes that have joined the 100% Great Lakes Fish Pledge. Through the project, signatories have committed to using 100 percent of their fish by 2025. The Manitoulin Island fishery’s commitment to make better use of its catch will create more value for the company while also improving its impact on the environment. Read the full story by BayToday.
Great Lakes Commission
https://www.glc.org/dailynews/20240515-fishery-sustainable-pledge
An upcoming celebration of Great Lakes sturgeon is no big fish story, as the Friends of the St. Clair River will host its annual Sturgeon Fest on June 1 in Port Huron, Michigan. Those who attend the festival can experience the Great Lakes’ largest fish via a live sturgeon touch tank and hands-on activities. Read the full story by The Voice.
Great Lakes Commission
https://www.glc.org/dailynews/20240515-sturgeon-festival
FishPass is a project aiming to reconnect the Ottaway or Boardman River in Traverse City, Michigan, to Lake Michigan. With recent money granted the project is slated to start in June, marking the start of a long process to make dams smarter and capable of sorting beneficial fish species from invasive species. Read the full story by WMNN-TV – Cadillac, MI.
Great Lakes Commission
https://www.glc.org/dailynews/20240515-new-fishpass-project
The Huron River Watershed Council recently estimated the 148-year-old Peninsular Dam in Ypsilanti, Michigan, could come down in 2025 or 2026. The plan includes investing $10 million to revitalize a nearby public park that will grow as the river narrows. Read the full story by Great Lakes Echo.
Great Lakes Commission
https://www.glc.org/dailynews/20240515-dam-removal
There are a few active large fires in southern Canada. Due to upper air flow the smoke from those fires will be blown into the Midwest. Satellite images show the milky white haze of smoke moving from the Dakotas into the western portion of the Great Lakes basin. Read the full story by MLive.
Great Lakes Commission
https://www.glc.org/dailynews/20240515-early-wildfires
Look fast or you may miss an elusive 170-year-old sunken schooner off the coast of Baileys Harbor, Wisconsin. The vessel comes in and out of view depending on the cyclical motion of sand in Lake Michigan. Read the full story by Great Lakes Echo.
Great Lakes Commission
https://www.glc.org/dailynews/20240515-shipwreck-visible
