Lake Ontario has received a new designation as a National Marine Sanctuary and with it added protections and emphasis on its historic and cultural resources. Read the full story by Lockport Union-Sun & Journal.
Great Lakes Commission
https://www.glc.org/dailynews/20240617-marine-sanctuary
E.M.I.L.Y. is a remote-controlled robot that zips over waves to help struggling swimmers, which is being introduced on a pair of Lake Michigan beaches this summer. Supporters of the technology say it could save lives. Read the full story by MLive.
Great Lakes Commission
https://www.glc.org/dailynews/20240617-rescue-robot
The oldest freighter still active on the Great Lakes arrived on the Saginaw River on Friday after departing Detroit on Thursday morning. The SS Alpena is a 519-foot cement carrier built in 1942. Read the full story by MLive.
Great Lakes Commission
https://www.glc.org/dailynews/20240617-oldest-freighter
With summer just around the corner and a heat wave predicted for Michigan, there’s no better time for a trip to the beach. The Berrien County, Michigan, sheriff’s office shared several tips for beach goers to keep them safe. Read the full story by MLive.
Great Lakes Commission
https://www.glc.org/dailynews/20240617-beach-safety
Commercial fishing on the Great Lakes began 150 years ago, and fishermen once numbered in the thousands. Now, only a handful of businesses are still at it, and many are aging out. Read the full story by Spectrum News 1.
Great Lakes Commission
https://www.glc.org/dailynews/20240614-fishing-workforce
Several government, labor and science leaders are calling on Illinois Governor J.B. Pritzker to sign an agreement to keep invasive carp from spreading to the Great Lakes. July 1 is the deadline for Illinois, Michigan and the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers to sign the Protect Partnership Agreement. Read the full story by WBBM – Chicago, IL.
Great Lakes Commission
https://www.glc.org/dailynews/20240614-carp-protection
Mayflies and walleyes are species scientists use as an indicator of lake health; good populations of both normally indicate healthy Lake Erie water conditions. Read the full story by WTOL-TV – Toledo, OH.
Great Lakes Commission
https://www.glc.org/dailynews/20240614-indicator-species
A beef farmer from Michigan is the first to be shut down by state standards of acceptable PFAS in biosolids. The farmer is now one of many across the country threatening to sue the U.S. EPA because the farm’s fertilizer was both approved and recommended for use on the farm by EPA. Read the full story by Great Lakes Now.
Great Lakes Commission
https://www.glc.org/dailynews/20240614-pfas-litigation
For the first time in its history, the Sault Ste. Marie Tribe of Chippewa Indians opened its walleye fish hatchery to the public. People were invited to learn about walleye rearing efforts as the fishery’s staff prepare to transport and release upwards of one million walleye fingerlings into nearby lakes and streams. Read the full story by WWTV-TV – Cadillac, MI.
Great Lakes Commission
https://www.glc.org/dailynews/20240614-walleye-hatchery
Two neighborhoods in Buffalo Grove, Illinois, will soon have access to Lake Michigan water, eliminating the current well-water system. Lake County Board officials said the aging well system would have been more expensive to repair than connecting the neighborhoods to lake water. Read the full story by WBBM-TV – Chicago, IL.
Great Lakes Commission
https://www.glc.org/dailynews/20240614-water-source
The Great Lakes Maritime Heritage Center in Alpena, Michigan, offers tours of ‘Shipwreck Alley,’ enabling participants to view nearly one hundred shipwrecks in the Thunder Bay National Marine Sanctuary in Lake Huron. Read the full story by WPBN-TV – Traverse City, MI.
Great Lakes Commission
https://www.glc.org/dailynews/20240614-shipwreck-tour
Cenovus Energy, in partnership with the University of Minnesota-Duluth and the University of Toledo, will invest $100,000 for research on the effects of ice cover in Lake Superior and Lake Erie, including its effects on harmful algae blooms. Read the full story by KQDS-TV – Duluth, MN.
Great Lakes Commission
https://www.glc.org/dailynews/20240614-ice-research
After a quarter century, the Conservation Resource Alliance has completed its “Free Spanning the Maple River” initiative. From beginning to end, all infrastructure such as dams and culverts have been removed from the Maple River in northern Michigan to allow for an entirely free flowing river. Read the full story by the Petoskey News-Review.
Great Lakes Commission
https://www.glc.org/dailynews/20240614-river-flow
The Ohio Department of Health reported that Multiple Lake Erie beaches in Northeast Ohio were put under a bacteria contamination advisory this week, which indicates the level of bad bacteria in the water has reached unsafe levels and could make you sick. Read the full story by WJW-TV – Cleveland, OH.
Great Lakes Commission
https://www.glc.org/dailynews/20240614-bacteria-advisory
The Biden Administration is providing $60 million for climate-adaptation training to students living in nine ecosystems, including the western Lake Erie shoreline in Ohio. Ohio State University is getting $4.85 million of Inflation Reduction Act funding to make first-ever “climate-ready” training affordable. Read the full story by The Toledo Blade.
Great Lakes Commission
https://www.glc.org/dailynews/20240612-climate-training
The Great Lakes freighter Michipicoten hobbled near Isle Royale, Michigan, over the weekend suffered a 13-foot crack in its hull, but the mishap likely wasn’t caused by an underwater collision as originally thought. Now, the Coast Guard suspects a stress fracture. Read the full story by the Star Tribune.
Great Lakes Commission
https://www.glc.org/dailynews/20240612-freighter-crack
From the electrification of major cargo ports to sustainability improvements for Great Lakes ferries, a first-of-its-kind statewide “maritime strategy” could offer a roadmap toward a potential green future for shipping and boating in Michigan. Read the full story by MLive.
Great Lakes Commission
https://www.glc.org/dailynews/20240612-green-shipping
In 2021, a start-up was denied a county permit that would’ve allowed the start-up to operate a pumping facility in Bayfield County, Wisconsin, near Lake Superior. The Wisconsin Court of Appeals’ decision to prevent pumping is the latest development in a years-long legal battle. Read the full story by Wisconsin Public Radio.
Great Lakes Commission
https://www.glc.org/dailynews/20240612-pumping-denied
A total of seven ‘significant’ spills have occurred on Algoma Steel property on the St. Marys River in Sault Ste. Marie, Ontario, in the past five years. A local environmentalist says he has uncovered additional spills that have not yet been reported to the public. Read the full story by SooToday.
Great Lakes Commission
https://www.glc.org/dailynews/20240612-algoma-spills
Some Michigan communities have considered a technology that’s just beginning to be used in the United States: floating solar panels. Researchers at Cornell University are testing the technology. Read the full story by Bridge Michigan.
Great Lakes Commission
https://www.glc.org/dailynews/20240612-water-panels
The Detroit River Watershed Management Plan, developed in response to the 2021 summer rainstorms and flooding, aims to improve water quality and address flood risks in Detroit. Supported by local and federal agencies, the plan encourages residents to engage in green infrastructure projects and promotes the creation of climate-resilient neighborhoods. Read the full story by Bridge Detroit.
Great Lakes Commission
https://www.glc.org/dailynews/20240612-detroit-watershed-plan
Vessels in the Detroit River don’t have to dock to get deliveries; the J.W. Westcott company brings mail and supplies right to them as they travel along the river. The company turns 150 years old this year. Read the full story by the CBC.
Great Lakes Commission
https://www.glc.org/dailynews/20240612-river-mail
An adaptive sailing program on Lake Michigan provides people with disabilities the opportunity to sail using specialized equipment and boats. Started 34 years ago, the program has become a transformative experience for participants. Read the full story by WFLD-TV – Chicago, IL.
Great Lakes Commission
https://www.glc.org/dailynews/20240612-adaptive-sailing
On June 11, 1908, Dan Seavey commandeered a Great Lakes cargo ship and sailed it to Chicago. “Roaring” Dan Seavey is known as the only man to be arrested as a pirate on Lake Michigan. Read the full story by WWTV-TV – Cadillac, MI.
Great Lakes Commission
https://www.glc.org/dailynews/20240612-great-lakes-pirate
A nearly 700-foot-long bulk carrier hauling taconite struck an underwater object on Lake Superior causing the ship to take on water and the crew to evacuate. Read the full story by The Plain Dealer.
Great Lakes Commission
https://www.glc.org/dailynews/20240610-carrier-hits-object
Local legends and anecdotal observations often describe the Great Lakes’ water levels as having a tidal quality. However, scientific examination reveals that these changes are due to different mechanisms. Read the full story by CIND – Toronto, ON.
Great Lakes Commission
https://www.glc.org/dailynews/20240610-great-lakes-tides
The joro, or “parachute” spider, is a species native to eastern Asia, but has been observed cropping up in the southeastern United States for the past decade. Environmental research has found that the creatures could comfortably live much further north, with the potential to inhabit the Great Lakes, St. Lawrence region. Read the full story by CTV News.
Great Lakes Commission
https://www.glc.org/dailynews/20240610-joro-spider
Over the last century, natural erosion of Lake Michigan’s shoreline has exposed logs from an ancient, buried forest, spilling them onto the beaches among modern driftwood near Manitowoc, Wisconsin. Read the full story by the Herald Times Reporter.
Great Lakes Commission
https://www.glc.org/dailynews/20240610-hidden-forest
A recent outbreak of biting flies has been creating horrible conditions on Lake Michigan beaches in northwest Indiana and southwest Michigan. Read the full story by WBBM – Chicago, IL.
Great Lakes Commission
https://www.glc.org/dailynews/20240610-biting-flies
A WWII training plane was recovered from the bottom of Lake Michigan in 2012 after spending 68 years submerged. After a decade of restoration by Air Zoo Aerospace & Science Museum volunteers and staff, the WWII era plane is now restored. Read the full story by the MLive.
Great Lakes Commission
https://www.glc.org/dailynews/20240610-plane-restoration
A fire last year shutdown of the Cheboygan Tissue Plant in Cheboygan, Michigan, which is now causing fluctuating water levels on the inland waterway. Without the factory’s generator, precise changes in water level can no longer be made. Read the full story by WPBN/WGTU – Traverse City, MI.
Great Lakes Commission
https://www.glc.org/dailynews/20240610-water-fluctuation
A recent study reveals that rain has played a large role in spreading PFAS into all five Great Lakes. Commonly found in household products such as cleaners or personal care products, PFAS chemicals resist breaking down in the environment. Read the full story by the Quetico Superior Foundation.
Great Lakes Commission
https://www.glc.org/dailynews/20240610-pfas
There are five Michigan beaches closed or under contamination advisories due to high bacteria levels resulting from stormwater runoff, wildlife, and other unknown sources. Read the full story by the MLive.
Great Lakes Commission
https://www.glc.org/dailynews/20240610-beach-closed
Eastern Lake Ontario has been designated a national marine sanctuary. The designation recognizes the national significance of the area’s historical, archeological, and cultural resources. Read the full story by the WWNY – Watertown, NY.
Great Lakes Commission
https://www.glc.org/dailynews/20240610-marine-sanctuary
The National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration this week designated a 1,722-square-mile area in eastern Lake Ontario as America’s 16th national marine sanctuary. The Lake Ontario National Marine Sanctuary is the first such sanctuary in New York, and only the third in the Great Lakes region. Read the full story by The Post-Standard.
Great Lakes Commission
https://www.glc.org/dailynews/20240607-marine-sanctuary
Emissions targets set by the International Maritime Organization mean the shipping industry must find a way to decarbonize by 2050. A new, cleaner ship points way as U.S. ports in the Great Lakes region are spending millions on upgrades in pursuit of net zero. Read the full story by The Guardian.
Great Lakes Commission
https://www.glc.org/dailynews/20240607-shipping-emissions
Rain and contaminated air are major sources of PFAS contamination detected by a team of researchers in the Great Lakes. Airborne concentrations of PFAS are much higher near Chicago and other urban areas than at rural monitoring stations in northern Michigan and upstate New York. Read the full story by the Chicago Tribune.
Great Lakes Commission
https://www.glc.org/dailynews/20240607-pfas-rain
Governor Gretchen Whitmer had pledged to crack down on bottled water companies taking water at the same time Flint, Michigan, faced a water crisis. Six years later and in her second term, little has changed. Read the full story by ProPublica.
Great Lakes Commission
https://www.glc.org/dailynews/20240607-bottled-water
Scientists at University of Toledo’s (UToledo) Lake Erie Center have studied lake ecology for years, but after the 2014 water crisis, the center has added new goals for water safety: protecting the water supply and understanding the toxins harmful algae produce. Read the full story by WTOL-TV – Toledo, OH.
Great Lakes Commission
https://www.glc.org/dailynews/20240607-utoledo-science
Fish fly season has begun, bringing thousands, if not millions, of the winged insects to swarm the backyards, screen doors and car windows of metro Detroiters. Considered by many to be a messy inconvenience, the mayfly swarms are an indicator of nearby freshwater ecosystems’ health. Read the full story by The Detroit Free Press.
Great Lakes Commission
https://www.glc.org/dailynews/20240607-fish-flies
Global warming is fueling the spread of the nonnative peach blossom jellyfish in the Great Lakes region. Researchers urge the public to submit sightings to various online databases so that their changing distribution can be understood. Read the full story by The Mining Journal.
Great Lakes Commission
https://www.glc.org/dailynews/20240607-invasive-jellyfish
The Clyde S. VanEnkevort, an integrated tug and barge, spilled red dye diesel into Lake Superior in Silver Bay, Minnesota, on May 29. The cleanup of nearly 400 gallons of fuel is complete. Read the full story by the Duluth News Tribune.
Great Lakes Commission
https://www.glc.org/dailynews/20240607-diesel-cleaned
Health officials recently closed nine Michigan beaches due to high E. coli levels. Of these, eight beaches are back open and four additional beaches are either closed or under contamination advisories. Swimmers should stay out of water infested with high levels of E. coli or risk getting sick. Read the full story by Bridge Michigan.
Great Lakes Commission
https://www.glc.org/dailynews/20240607-ecoli-levels
A U.S. Fish and Wildlife assessment crew will conduct a sea lamprey assessment project at the Long Lake outlet in Alpena County, Michigan, this month. The study will estimate the abundance of sea lampreys and determine if there is a need for population control operations. Read the full story by The Alpena News.
Great Lakes Commission
https://www.glc.org/dailynews/20240607-lamprey-study
More than 31,000 Atlantic salmon raised in a Michigan fish hatchery had to be killed after failing to recover from a bacterial kidney disease, officials said Tuesday. The unhealthy fish would have posed a risk to other fish if they had been released into Michigan waters. Read the full story by the Associated Press.
Great Lakes Commission
https://www.glc.org/dailynews/20240605-slamon-disease
Scientists studying unregulated “emerging contaminants” say Ontario and the federal government need a coordinated plan to protect our water and health. Read the full story by The Narwhal.
Great Lakes Commission
https://www.glc.org/dailynews/20240605-drug-microplastics-pfas
The federal government’s premiere Great Lakes restoration program, the Great Lakes Restoration Initiative, has improved the health of rivers and lakes across the region, but has sometimes overlooked environmental justice goals, according to a new audit from a federal watchdog. Read the full story by Bridge Michigan.
Great Lakes Commission
https://www.glc.org/dailynews/20240605-glri-audit
This year’s Michigan Great Lakes and Fresh Water Week, which will take place June 1 – June 9, will focus on events and resources related to physical, mental, and spiritual wellness as a result of connecting with water, as well as continuing to dive into enjoyment, recreation, appreciation, stewardship, and protection of the Great Lakes, their environment, and their communities. Read the full story by WHMI – Howell, MI.
Great Lakes Commission
https://www.glc.org/dailynews/20240605-fresh-water-week
Researchers at the University of Michigan have received a $6.5 million grant to serve as a hub for studies investigating how climate change is impact on the harmful algal blooms on the Great Lakes and the overall impact on human health. Read the full story by WOOD-TV – Grand Rapids, MI.
Great Lakes Commission
https://www.glc.org/dailynews/20240605-algal-blooms
Health officials closed seven Michigan beaches on Friday after water testing showed high levels of E. coli. Read the full story by Bridge Michigan.
Great Lakes Commission
https://www.glc.org/dailynews/20240605-beach-closures
