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
In Ohio, a city of Avon Lake council member presented at a recent meeting regarding stormwater runoff and allegations of heavy metals leaking into Lake Erie from the ongoing demolition of the Avon Lake Power Plant. Read the full story by the Sun Sentinel.
Great Lakes Commission
https://www.glc.org/dailynews/20240605-avon-lake-power-plant
On Tuesday, hundreds of Wisconsin residents congregated for a multi-session public hearing on the controversial Enbridge Line 5 pipeline project. The hearing focused on the proposed construction of a new segment of the pipeline, some 40 miles of which would be constructed around and upstream of the Bad River Reservation. Read the full story by the Wisconsin Examiner.
Great Lakes Commission
https://www.glc.org/dailynews/20240605-line-5
Beaver Island, a remote island off the coast of west Michigan, could become the testing ground for a new energy prototype that harnesses Lake Michigan’s tides. Read the full story by WJBK-TV – Detroit, MI.
Great Lakes Commission
https://www.glc.org/dailynews/20240605-wave-energy
1.6 million Wisconsin residents get their drinking water from Lake Michigan or Lake Superior, so why are we not doing more to protect this freshwater resource from continuous PFAS contamination? Read the full story by The Capital Times.
Great Lakes Commission
https://www.glc.org/dailynews/20240605-pfas
The United States Coast Guard says hundreds of gallons of diesel fuel spilled into Lake Superior on Wednesday morning, May 29. The Coast Guard estimates the quantity of the spill to be around 300 gallons, and it is now contained. The clean-up effort is still in effect as of May 30, and it’s unclear how long it will take. Read the full story by WCCO-TV – Minneapolis, MN.
Great Lakes Commission
https://www.glc.org/dailynews/20240603-oil-spill
Within the Great Lakes watershed there are 23 nuclear power plants, four sites for mining uranium, six for uranium processing and 12 places where nuclear waste is stored. An interactive map shows all the nuclear power operations within the Great Lakes watershed. Read the full story by MLive.
Great Lakes Commission
https://www.glc.org/dailynews/20240603-nuclear-sites
A piping plover egg has been spotted at Montrose Beach in Chicago and could hatch within the next month. The egg is a culmination of yearslong efforts by nature groups to boost the Great Lakes piping plover population, which has been listed as federally endangered since 1986. Read the full story by WTTW-TV – Chicago, IL.
Great Lakes Commission
https://www.glc.org/dailynews/20240603-plover-egg-spotting
In 2019, Ohio Governor Mike DeWine started a program called H2Ohio to encourage farmers to change the way they manage farm runoff to slow down the entry of phosphates into the Maumee River watershed. Currently, 2,600 producers have enrolled in the H2Ohio program, covering 1.8 million farm acres working to prevent heavy rain from washing out fertilizer and soil. Read the full story by WTOL-TV – Toledo, OH.
Great Lakes Commission
https://www.glc.org/dailynews/20240603-nutrient-pollution-program
Michigan’s Great Lakes and Fresh Water Week is back, running from June 1 to June 9 to celebrate the connection between water and wellness in the state. Free fishing weekend will take place from June 8 to June 9, and the Library of the Great Lakes is offering two free books through their inaugural Great Lakes, Great Read program. Read the full story by WOOD-TV – Grand Rapids, MI.
Great Lakes Commission
https://www.glc.org/dailynews/20240603-freshwater-week
The city of Highland Park, Michigan, has been grappling with a water debt crisis for years, owing millions of dollars to the Great Lakes Water Authority (GLWA). In October 2023, a tentative deal was reached between GLWA and Highland Park to end the dispute, but the agreement is still unsettled and needs approval from all parties involved. Read the full story by WDIV-TV – Detroit, MI.
Great Lakes Commission
https://www.glc.org/dailynews/20240603-water-debt
Great Lakes Tribes are reviving the population of wild rice, or manoomin, an ecologically important wetland species, after two centuries of decline. Today, rising temperatures threaten the rice’s future because the seeds are supposed to grow while submerged in snow and ice, but the lack of snow coverage has made that difficult. Read the full story by The Cool Down.
Great Lakes Commission
https://www.glc.org/dailynews/20240603-manoomin-restoration
In Oneida County, Wisconsin, Crescent Lake has an adequate adult population of walleye, but stakeholders are concerned about the lack of juvenile fish. While reproduction typically fluctuates, with a strong generation every three to four years, reproduction from those adult walleyes within the lake hasn’t been recorded for the last six years. Read the full story by WXPR – Rhinelander, WI.
Great Lakes Commission
https://www.glc.org/dailynews/20240603-walleye-reproduction
To commemorate the 50th anniversary of the sinking of the Edmund Fitzgerald in 2025, open water swimmers will have an opportunity to participate in a 17-stage, 411-mile relay swim from Lake Superior, where the shipwreck lies, to Detroit, the ship’s intended destination. Read the full story by WSTM-TV – Syracuse, NY.
Great Lakes Commission
https://www.glc.org/dailynews/20240603-shipwreck-journey
The National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration has designated a National Estuarine Research Reserve bordering Green Bay on Lake Michigan. It is the 31st national site along the Great Lakes, coastal states, and territories. Read the full story by Public News Service.
Great Lakes Commission
https://www.glc.org/dailynews/20240531-green-bay
A cross-border collaboration between stakeholders on both sides of the St. Mary’s River aims to further protect the Great Lakes by bolstering research into oil spills and their impacts upon freshwater environments. Read the full story by Soo Today.
Great Lakes Commission
https://www.glc.org/dailynews/20240531-oil-spills
3rd Coast Cruising, a sailing academy, has helped hundreds of Chicagoans, many over the age of 50, discover new adventures on the lake. Read the full story by the Chicago Sun-Times.
Great Lakes Commission
https://www.glc.org/dailynews/20240531-sailing-academy
A new study by researchers at the University of Indiana has broken down how PFAS circulates through the Great Lakes and shows that the so-called forever chemicals are building up in Lake Michigan. Read the full story by WOOD-TV – Grand Rapids, MI.
Great Lakes Commission
https://www.glc.org/dailynews/20240531-pfas-study
Before you head out, check this list of Michigan beaches closed or under contamination advisories for water quality that’s unsafe or questionable for human contact. Read the full story by MLive.
Great Lakes Commission
https://www.glc.org/dailynews/20240531-michigan-beaches
Both state and federal organizations are working to keep Lake Erie and surrounding streams healthy, but an invasive species called the sea lamprey threatens local ecosystems. Many groups are involved in making sure sea lampreys are held in check and they’re bringing in more measures to combat them in west Erie County, Pennsylvania. Read the full story by WJET-TV – Erie, PA.
Great Lakes Commission
https://www.glc.org/dailynews/20240531-invasive-species
Yellow perch used to be a common catch in Saginaw Bay and people would come to Michigan’s Thumb from all over to fish for them. Now, the population is dwindling and the DNR is working to boost their numbers. Read the full story by the Midland Daily News.
Great Lakes Commission
https://www.glc.org/dailynews/20240531-perch-numbers
The David R. Obey Northern Great Lakes Visitor Center near Ashland, Wisconsin, will be closed to the public from June 3 to June 29. During this time, the Center parking lot and entrance drive will be re-paved. Read the full story by the Ashland Daily Press.
Great Lakes Commission
https://www.glc.org/dailynews/20240531-visitor-center
It will likely be a few more weeks before anything is physically done on site about the Black River Canal gate since winter floods damaged it and rendered the waterway impassable to boaters this season. However, city officials in Port Huron, Michigan, said that a host of preparations are going on behind the scenes. Read the full story by the Times Herald.
Great Lakes Commission
https://www.glc.org/dailynews/20240531-canal-gate
The state of Michigan said it’s willing to step in and oversee property repairs at 1,900 homes in Flint where water pipes have been inspected or replaced but the grounds remain a mess. In March, the City of Flint was found in civil contempt by a judge after blowing past deadlines to get the work done, years after a water switch in 2014 caused lead to leach off old pipes, spoiling the drinking water system. Read the full story by WOOD-TV – Grand Rapids, MI.
Great Lakes Commission
https://www.glc.org/dailynews/20240531-flint-properties
Officials in Toronto and many residents ask why the province of Ontario is turning a Lake Ontario waterfront park over to an Austrian spa operator. Read the full story by the New York Times.
Great Lakes Commission
https://www.glc.org/dailynews/20240529-ontario-place
Kayakers and boaters heading out to the Apostle Islands in Lake Superior will soon be able to check on real-time wave and temperature conditions on the water with the help of solar-powered smart buoys. Read the full story by Wisconsin Public Radio.
Great Lakes Commission
https://www.glc.org/dailynews/20240529-smart-bouys
It’s no big secret that there’s a pollution problem in the Great Lakes. Plastic containers floating in the water or washed up on shore. However, the bigger threat to the lakes comes from the smaller plastic pollution — some of it smaller than you can see with the naked eye. Read the full story by Yahoo! News.
Great Lakes Commission
https://www.glc.org/dailynews/20240529-plasitc-pollution
Despite the decline in Lake Sturgeon populations in the Great Lakes caused by overfishing and dam construction which limited access to spawning grounds, these fish have been able to recover in the Detroit River with the help of stocking programs and other regulations. Read the full story by The Detroit News.
Great Lakes Commission
https://www.glc.org/dailynews/20240529-sturgeon-recovery
A public-access beach in Arenac County, Michigan, is going on its fifth day of being closed for high bacteria levels. This is the eleventh time this has happened since 2003. Read the full story by WNEM – Saginaw, MI.
Great Lakes Commission
https://www.glc.org/dailynews/20240529-beach-bacteria
In New York state, SUNY Oswego has announced the formation of a new institute to promote a greater understanding and awareness of the Great Lakes. Read the full story by Oswego County News Now.
Great Lakes Commission
https://www.glc.org/dailynews/20240529-oswego-institute
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
