This year, Consumers Energy plans to sell 13 hydroelectric dams on five Lower Michigan rivers. Read the full story by MLive.
Great Lakes Commission
https://www.glc.org/dailynews/20240205-hydrodam-bids
A Michigan photographer wrote, designed and published Lighthouses of Michigan-Lower Peninsula, a new book featuring Michigan lighthouse photography, to fulfill a childhood dream. Read the full story by Great Lakes Echo.
Great Lakes Commission
https://www.glc.org/dailynews/20240205-lighthouse-photobook
A $3.6 million grant will expand the Native American history shared at Straits State Park in Michigan’s Upper Peninsula by incorporating a learning commons for exhibits and meeting space, powwow grounds structures, and a community kitchen pavilion. Read the full story by MLive.
Great Lakes Commission
https://www.glc.org/dailynews/20240205-native-american-history
As of Worlds Wetlands Day on February 2, four wetland sites totaling over 940 hectares in Ontario are now permanently protected, helping to sustain at-risk species. Read the full story by CJUK – Thunder Bay, ON.
Great Lakes Commission
https://www.glc.org/dailynews/20240205-wetland-protection
In 2023, the Timberland Invasives Partnership worked across jurisdictional boundaries to manage and control nine different invasive species in northeast Wisconsin using grant funding. Read the full story by NEW Media Inc.
Great Lakes Commission
https://www.glc.org/dailynews/20240205-invasive-species
Michigan’s office of Environment, Great Lakes, and Energy approved nearly $66 million in grants to help upgrade infrastructure in several cities, including Detroit. Read the full story by WDET – Detroit, MI.
Great Lakes Commission
https://www.glc.org/dailynews/20240205-water-infrastructure
The oldest living Great Lakes piping plover has survived another migration journey, and is alive and well in her preferred winter stomping grounds in Georgia. Read the full story by MLive.
Great Lakes Commission
https://www.glc.org/dailynews/20240202-greatlakes-pipingplover
The St. Lawrence Seaway had a busy year during its longest shipping season ever – nearly 38 million tons of cargo transited the binational system in 2023, which was an overall increase of more than 3.4 percent. Read the full story by WWTI-TV – Watertown, NY.
Great Lakes Commission
https://www.glc.org/dailynews/20240202-stlawrenceseaway-shippingseason-2023
An engineering company being sued by Flint residents over consultation it provided following the city’s switch to the Flint River for drinking water will settle the case for $25 million — a decision that comes about two weeks before class action litigation was set to go to a second trial. Read the full story by The Detroit News.
Great Lakes Commission
https://www.glc.org/dailynews/20240202-veolia-settlement-flintwatercrisis
The Bay of Green Bay could join a network of 30 designated coastal sites that protect and study estuaries. Read the full story by Wisconsin Public Radio.
Great Lakes Commission
https://www.glc.org/dailynews/20240202-bayofgreenbay-protected-researchreserve
Medicinal drugs polluting the St. Lawrence River are threatening aquatic wildlife, according to a new study. Read the full story by Newsweek.
Great Lakes Commission
https://www.glc.org/dailynews/20240202-stlawrenceriver-contaminated-toxicdrugs
The poor ice conditions on Wisconsin waters this winter continue to adversely affect winter fishing opportunities, including the cancellation of ice fishing tournaments. Read the full story by Milwaukee Journal Sentinel.
Great Lakes Commission
https://www.glc.org/dailynews/20240202-icefishing-poorconditions
This week’s windy, warmer winter weather helped to melt the ice cover around the Western Basin of Lake Erie and its Lake Erie Island area. That prompted the U.S. Coast Guard to suspend its rule requiring boaters to seek permission to 72 hours before they launch. Read the full story by The Plain Dealer.
Great Lakes Commission
https://www.glc.org/dailynews/20240202-lakeerie-anglers-ohio-fishingreport
A new report estimates it will cost several billion dollars to remove 12.7 million cubic yards of copper mining waste called stamp sands which are slowly smothering an important fish spawning reef in Lake Superior along the Keweenaw Peninsula coastline. Read the full story by MLive.
Great Lakes Commission
https://www.glc.org/dailynews/20240202-lakesuperior-miningwaste
The Biden administration is poised to lend $1.5 billion for what would be the first restart of the shuttered Palisades nuclear plant in Covert, Michigan, on the shore of Lake Michigan, the latest sign of strengthening federal government support for the atomic industry. Read the full story by The Associated Press.
Great Lakes Commission
https://www.glc.org/dailynews/20240131-palisades-nuclear
Lake Erie is the first of the Great Lakes getting connected to the internet with a series of offshore “smart” buoys via the Smart Lake Erie Watershed Initiative. The buoy project is providing invaluable data to researchers and anglers. Read the full story by Great Lakes Echo.
Great Lakes Commission
https://www.glc.org/dailynews/20240131-smart-buoys
Ohio Governor Mike DeWine is partnering with a Columbus-based company to destroy stockpiles of toxic firefighting foams containing PFAS. The program will destroy the aqueous foam and return PFAS-contaminated wastewater to non-detectable levels. Read the full story by Ideastream Public Media.
Great Lakes Commission
https://www.glc.org/dailynews/20240131-pfas-annihilator
Progress is well underway on the $27.5 million Freshwater Research & Innovation Center just north of Traverse City, Michigan. Read the full story by Crain’s Detroit Business.
Great Lakes Commission
https://www.glc.org/dailynews/20240131-research-center
A bill unanimously passed by an Indiana Senate committee would require the installation of ring life buoys on Lake Michigan piers and public access points. The goal is to have one life ring for every quarter mile of Indiana’s 26 miles of publicly accessible beach. Read the full story by WNDU-TV – South Bend, IN.
Great Lakes Commission
https://www.glc.org/dailynews/20240131-rescue-equipment
The Michigan Department of Environment, Great Lakes and Energy has designated 250 miles of shoreline along Lakes Michigan, Superior, and Huron as high risk for erosion. The debate on how states should protect the shoreline is complex, and is highlighted in Douglas, Michigan, where 200 sandbags protect the beach. Read the full story by Great Lakes Now.
Great Lakes Commission
https://www.glc.org/dailynews/20240131-beach-erosion
Due to an unprecedented lack of ice, Michigan fisheries officials are trying to decide whether to cancel sturgeon season on Black Lake near Onaway, Michigan. Read the full story by MLive.
Great Lakes Commission
https://www.glc.org/dailynews/20240131-sturgeon-season
The Fox River in Green Bay, Wisconsin, contributes more phosphorus to Lake Michigan than any other tributary. And while Wisconsin has strict rules to limit the amount of phosphorus flowing into its waterways, a new report shows that it hasn’t been enough to turn the tide on the problem. Read the full story by the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel.
Great Lakes Commission
https://www.glc.org/dailynews/20240131-fox-phosphorus
A 25-year project, planned through 2031, aims to reintroduce lake sturgeon to Lake Michigan waters and help them once again call the Milwaukee River home. Read the full story by Urban Milwaukee.
Great Lakes Commission
https://www.glc.org/dailynews/20240131-milwaukee-sturgeon
The amount of ice on the Great Lakes has been steadily and significantly decreasing over the past five decades. Those who have built their lives around the ice are now hanging in the balance. Read the full story by WTVG-TV – Toledo, OH.
Great Lakes Commission
https://www.glc.org/dailynews/20240131-ice-culture
United States Army Corps of Engineers researchers looked across 24 sites and over 20 years of data to determine the frequency of certain scale seiches. Research on seiche is important because it helps residents and agencies to prepare for strong surge, which can create flash flooding-like hazards. Read the full story by WTVG-TV – Toledo, OH.
Great Lakes Commission
https://www.glc.org/dailynews/20240129-seiche-research
A project that encompasses Ohio, Illinois and Wisconsin is getting a $15 million National Science Foundation regional innovation engine award for a project to develop smart water recovery systems that will save water and make Great Lakes manufacturing more sustainable. Read the full story by The Plain Dealer.
Great Lakes Commission
https://www.glc.org/dailynews/20240129-sustainable-manufacturing
Massena, New York’s tourism director says millions of dollars have flowed into towns and villages along the St. Lawrence River due to the success of bass fishing tournaments. State officials indicated that the tournaments have generated $140 million of revenue for communities along the St. Lawrence River. Read the full story by North Country Now.
Great Lakes Commission
https://www.glc.org/dailynews/20240129-fishing-revenue
Under the recent period of colder air advecting from the North Pole, shorelines along every Great Lake experienced notable ice accumulation, though ice cover remains historically low. A number of reasons exist for the shortage of sea ice this year within the lakes, most notably the mild temperatures brought on by a strong and persistent El Niño pattern. Read the full story by WBND-TV – South Bend, IN.
Great Lakes Commission
https://www.glc.org/dailynews/20240129-ice-conditions
Residents in Lakeshore, Ontario, have experienced increased flooding as warmer temperatures caused ice jams on Puce River and runoff from rain caused water levels to rise. The regional Conservation Authority noted that drains across the county are observed to be slow draining and are nearly or entirely full. Read the full story by CBC News.
Great Lakes Commission
https://www.glc.org/dailynews/20240129-ice-jams
The Narwhal’s Ontario bureau became the fifth member of the Great Lakes News Collaborative, a group of news outlets working together to enhance coverage of the Great Lakes basin. Funded by the Michigan-based Charles Stewart Mott Foundation, the collaborative was established in 2020 and has collectively already achieved a 47-percent increase in the number of Great Lakes and water-related stories published by the outlets. Read the full story by The Narwhal.
Great Lakes Commission
https://www.glc.org/dailynews/20240129-news-collaborative
More than 100 environmentalists turned up for Save the River’s 35th annual Winter Environmental Conference in Clayton, New York to discuss topics like contaminants, slaughterhouses, and eels. Read the full story by WWNY-TV – Carthage, NY.
Great Lakes Commission
https://www.glc.org/dailynews/20240129-environmental-conference
The Wisconsin Department of Natural Resources and University of Wisconsin-Extension are asking anglers to help prevent the spread of aquatic invasive species in Wisconsin’s lakes and rivers while fishing this winter. Aquatic invasive species such as curly-leaf pondweed and Eurasian watermilfoil remain hardy under the ice in the winter, giving them an advantage over native aquatic plants. Read the full story by the Lake Geneva Regional News.
Great Lakes Commission
https://www.glc.org/dailynews/20240129-invasive-species-prevention
This year’s Lake Superior Ice Festival in Superior, Wisconsin, had more ice than snow, though with temperatures right around freezing, it was cold enough to keep the ice sculptures from melting. Although most activities were landlocked this year, select portions of the ice were open for fishing and even skating. Read the full story by KBJR-TV – Superior, WI.
Great Lakes Commission
https://www.glc.org/dailynews/20240129-ice-festival
Fifth graders at Lake Superior Elementary School in Superior, Wisconsin, picked up trash at Billings Park this fall for a coastal cleanup. The students tested the water quality of Lake Superior, learning that Lake Superior is a healthy lake. Read the full story by Superior Telegram.
Great Lakes Commission
https://www.glc.org/dailynews/20240129-coastal-cleanup
To prevent invasive carp from spilling out of Illinois’ waterways and into Lake Michigan and beyond, the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers is planning to build a $1.416 billion high-tech suite of barricades to deter the fish from moving upstream. Read the full story by WBEZ – Chicago, IL.
Great Lakes Commission
https://www.glc.org/dailynews/20240126-carp-barricade
The U.S. Department of Defense plans to install two more groundwater treatment systems at a former Michigan military base to control contamination from PFAS and to prevent spread to nearby waterways. Read the full story by the Associated Press.
Great Lakes Commission
https://www.glc.org/dailynews/20240126-michigan-pfas
Of 20 people stranded on an ice floe in Lake Erie near Catawba Island, Ohio, nine were rescued by the Coast Guard, four were rescued by the local fire department, and seven were able to “self-rescue” by their own airboat. Read the full story by The National Desk.
Great Lakes Commission
https://www.glc.org/dailynews/20240126-erie-ice
In a visit to Superior, Wisconsin, President Joe Biden proclaimed the country to be in an “infrastructure decade,” touting renewals of roadways, water pipes and more thanks to a massive financing plan approved during his presidency. Biden highlighted a new $1 billion infusion toward replacement of the John A. Blatnik Memorial Bridge, a key but crumbling corridor connecting Minnesota and Wisconsin. Read the full story by Minnesota Public Radio.
Great Lakes Commission
https://www.glc.org/dailynews/20240126-biden-wisconsin
A team of researchers is studying how well water treatment plants are removing microplastics from Lake Erie water, especially smaller nanoplastics, and whether certain treatment configurations work better than others. Read the full story by The Plain Dealer.
Great Lakes Commission
https://www.glc.org/dailynews/20240126-erie-microplastics
The use of rock salt may be critically important when it comes to clearing snow and ice from roads in the winter, but it’s also a growing threat to the environment, including the freshwater fauna of Lake Erie. Read the full story by The Plain Dealer.
Great Lakes Commission
https://www.glc.org/dailynews/20240126-erie-salt
The Pennsylvania Department of Environmental Protection awarded Coastal Zone Grants totaling more than $268,000 to five projects in Pennsylvania’s northwest region. The grants go toward projects that protect and restore critical habitat in the Lake Erie Coastal Zone. Read the full story by The Meadville Tribune.
Great Lakes Commission
https://www.glc.org/dailynews/20240126-erie-grants
Shelf ice develops every winter along the Lake Michigan shoreline. While it may look photogenic, it is quite dangerous, especially with the recent rise in temperatures. Read the full story by WSBT-TV – South Bend, IN.
Great Lakes Commission
https://www.glc.org/dailynews/20240126-shelf-ice
Lake Huron water levels were down slightly in December as it continued its seasonal decline. The lake’s December water level was down nearly three inches from November’s level, but a little more than three inches above the December 2022 level. Read the full story by True North Radio Network.
Great Lakes Commission
https://www.glc.org/dailynews/20240126-huron-levels
Great Lakes St. Lawrence Governors and Premiers is building toward 100% use of fish caught in the Great Lakes, highlighted by a recent “head to tail” Great Lakes fish cooking challenge at Kendall College in Chicago. Read the full story by the Chicago Sun-Times.
Great Lakes Commission
https://www.glc.org/dailynews/20240126-cooking-challenge
On Monday, the Conference of Great Lakes St. Lawrence Governors and Premiers organized a head-to-tail cook-off that challenged culinary students at Kendall College in Chicago to use the entire fish in their dishes. The event was the latest effort in a push toward utilizing 100% of the fish caught in the Great Lakes. Read the full story by WBBM – Chicago, IL.
Great Lakes Commission
https://www.glc.org/dailynews/20240124-100-percent-fish
The Michigan Department of Natural Resources’ Fisheries Division will be hiring a full-time malacologist – a biologist who studies mollusks, including mussels and clams – which will kickstart a two-year project to centralize mussel data collected across the state. Read the full story by Michigan Public.
Great Lakes Commission
https://www.glc.org/dailynews/20240124-mussel-research
Steel production at mills in the Great Lakes region, clustered mainly along the south shore of Lake Michigan in Northwest Indiana, fell by 10,000 tons last week, representing a decrease of 1.5%. Read the full story by The Times of Northwest Indiana.
Great Lakes Commission
https://www.glc.org/dailynews/20240124-steel-production
Lake Erie is behind its typical freezing schedule, which depends on different weather patterns, according to National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration officials. The recent cold snap has helped Lake Erie freeze at a faster pace, though if temperatures warm, it can thaw just as quickly. Read the full story by WKSU – Kent, OH.
Great Lakes Commission
https://www.glc.org/dailynews/20240124-erie-ice-cover
Large freighters were on the move in Door County, Wisconsin, on Monday morning to find somewhere to go during the winter season. The Winter Fleet will remain in port typically until the Soo Locks on Lake Superior open again for the season; this year, that’s scheduled for April 24. Read the full story by WTAQ – Green Bay, WI.
Great Lakes Commission
https://www.glc.org/dailynews/20240124-freighter-winter
Last Friday, northeast Illinois and northwest Indiana were hit with an extremely localized but intense band of lake-effect snow created by whirlwinds known as mesovortexes. They are formed by convergence, or a gathering of winds near the ground, and are akin to tiny low pressure systems. Read the full story by The Washington Post.
Great Lakes Commission
https://www.glc.org/dailynews/20240124-mesovortex-snow
