One of the most common and repeated claims was that the Detroit River was once so polluted that it lit on fire. But did that happen? Read the full story by WDIV-TV – Detroit, MI.
Great Lakes Commission
https://www.glc.org/dailynews/20231115-detroitriver-fire
The Detroit Riverfront Conservancy recently unveiled a half-mile expansion to Detroit’s Riverwalk that allows visitors to walk or bike 3.5 miles along the river, without interruption, from the Joe Louis Arena to the Belle Isle Bridge. Read the full story by WDET – Detroit, MI.
Great Lakes Commission
https://www.glc.org/dailynews/20231115-detroit-riverwalk
A Libertyville, Illinois, high school science teacher, known for incorporating real-world applications in her AP Environmental Science class, attended a weeklong workshop aboard the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency research vessel Lake Guardian on Lake Ontario. Read the full story by the Daily Herald.
Great Lakes Commission
https://www.glc.org/dailynews/20231115-environmental-teacher
Wisconsin environmental regulators are proposing to add 51 new water bodies to the state’s list of polluted waters for 2024, as well as 81 new listings for pollutants in waterways. Phosphorus and aquatic plants account for the majority of pollution under new listings. Read the full story by Wisconsin Public Radio.
Great Lakes Commission
https://www.glc.org/dailynews/20231113-wisconsindnr-pollutedwaterways
An effort to block invasive grass carp from spawning in the Sandusky River will be explained during a public information session in Fremont, Ohio, on Monday. Officials are doing a study to see if sound waves, bubble curtains, and other barriers can deter the fish from spawning. Read the full story by the Toledo Blade.
Great Lakes Commission
https://www.glc.org/dailynews/20231113-efforts-deter-grasscarp-spawning
It’s a tricky balance: get enough salt on the roads to protect drivers, but also be environmentally conscious. Salt alternatives — like beet juice, or sugar and corn by-products — are an option, but not a cheap option. Read the full story by WXYZ-TV – Detroit, MI.
Great Lakes Commission
https://www.glc.org/dailynews/20231113-beetjuice-salt-michigan-roads-winter
After spring spawning runs, walleye return to shallow waters of Lake Erie’s western basin and up into the river during the fall season, leading to good reports of walleye catches. Read the full story by CBC News.
Great Lakes Commission
https://www.glc.org/dailynews/20231113-walleyeseason-lakeerie-fall
Old dredge spoils may be the culprit in private well PFAS contamination around Wolverine Worldwide’s corporate offices in Courtland Township, Michigan. Read the full story by MLive.
Great Lakes Commission
https://www.glc.org/dailynews/20231113-pollutionprobe-wolverineworldwide
Manoomin is the word in Native language Anishinaabemowin for wild rice, which is on the cusp of being designated Michigan’s state native grain. It is perhaps the most culturally significant plant species among Great Lakes tribes. Read the full story by MLive.
Great Lakes Commission
https://www.glc.org/dailynews/20231113-tribalefforts-wildrice-mi-state-symbol
Southeast Chicago residents joined members of the Alliance of the Southeast and Friends of the Parks to protest the 25-foot-tall waste dump the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers wants to build on the existing confined disposal facility off of Steelworkers Park. Read the full story by WBBM – Chicago, IL.
Great Lakes Commission
https://www.glc.org/dailynews/20231113-toxicwaste-environmental-rejectedplan
The St. Lawrence Seaway announced Friday the shipping channel’s St. Lawrence River section will close on January 5, 2024. That’s the latest scheduled closing since the Seaway opened in 1959. Read the full story by North Country Public Radio.
Great Lakes Commission
https://www.glc.org/dailynews/20231113-stlawrence-seaway-latestclosingdate
Check your car, kayak or a nearby rail car – it might be providing free transportation for an invasive pest or plant. And you can be part of a renewed effort to stop the invaders as the Midwest Invasive Species Information Network needs help finding and identifying invasive species. Read the full story by The Mining Journal.
Great Lakes Commission
https://www.glc.org/dailynews/20231113-land-water-invasivespecies
The American Courage, a 617-foot U.S.-flagged bulk freighter, was refloated from its grounding in the St. Clair River with the help of several tugboats around 7 p.m. on Tuesday, November 7. The ship grounded Tuesday morning around 7:20 a.m. while attempting to make port at the St. Clair Aggregates dock in Marine City, Michigan. Read the full story by MLive.
Great Lakes Commission
https://www.glc.org/dailynews/20231110-freighter-refloated
Student conservationists planted 3,000 bunches of beachgrass at Westcott Beach State Park in Henderson, New York, to fortify the dunes in case of more high-water events, like those of 2017 and 2019. The project is a repair of a planting done last fall that was hit by a storm in May, causing many of the grasses to be washed away. Read the full story by the Watertown Daily Times.
Great Lakes Commission
https://www.glc.org/dailynews/20231110-dune-protection
In St. Helena Island, Michigan, a historic island lighthouse in the Straits of Mackinac will be more accessible with the installation of a new roll-out dock extension. Previously accessible only by dingy, boats of all sizes will be able to visit the St. Helena Island Light Station when the dock is extended by 48 feet to a total of 140 feet from shore. Read the full story by MLive.
Great Lakes Commission
https://www.glc.org/dailynews/20231110-dock-extension
The Wisconsin Department of Natural Resources (DNR) announced it is proceeding with the process to allow commercial fishing for lake trout in Lake Michigan. The DNR’s decision to give a “yes” in principle to commercial take of lake trout in Lake Michigan is a significant change for Wisconsin fisheries management. Read the full story by the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel.
Great Lakes Commission
https://www.glc.org/dailynews/20231110-commercial-trout-take
The Biinaagami initiative is an Anishinaabek call to action to protect and sustain the Great Lakes water resources. The initiative urges the adoption of a “two-eyed seeing” philosophy, harmonizing Indigenous and Western sciences, ensuring our actions are guided by a comprehensive and inclusive vision for the Great Lakes-St. Lawrence watershed. Read the full story by Canadian Geographic.
Great Lakes Commission
https://www.glc.org/dailynews/20231110-indigenous-initiative
This year, the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration’s Great Lakes Environmental Research Laboratory is going to test out brand new buoys on the waters of Lake Michigan that are built to survive the harsh conditions on the lakes during the wintertime. They are smaller, stronger buoys that can withstand the ice buildup on the lakes and will hopefully supply weather and water information year-round. Read the full story by MLive.
Great Lakes Commission
https://www.glc.org/dailynews/20231110-winter-buoys
Although it is not part of the Milwaukee Metropolitan Sewerage District’s charge, the agency got involved in a local movement to clean up the decades-old, two million cubic yards of contaminated sediment in the Milwaukee Estuary. Formed at the junction of three rivers that empty to Lake Michigan from Wisconsin, the estuary is on a federal 1987 list of officially designated Areas of Concern still to be remediated. Read the full story by Great Lakes Now.
Great Lakes Commission
https://www.glc.org/dailynews/20231110-sediment-cleanup
A new study conducted by University of Toronto researchers identified that nearly 90 percent of the surface water sampled across the Great Lakes have high levels of microplastics, which are extremely small pieces of plastic that occur in the environment as a consequence of plastic pollution. Read the full story by WXMI-TV – Grand Rapids, MI.
Great Lakes Commission
https://www.glc.org/dailynews/20231110-microplastics-study
The Indigenous communities that call the Great Lakes region home have been practicing good land stewardship and sharing that message with others. But for too long, that message hasn’t been heard. The tribes believe their traditional ecological knowledge is critical to safeguarding resources and cleaning up the land, air, and water for everyone. Read the full story by the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel.
Great Lakes Commission
https://www.glc.org/dailynews/20231110-traditional-ecological-knowledge
Forty-eight years after the Edmund Fitzgerald sank to the bottom of Lake Superior, the Great Lakes Shipwreck Museum in Whitefish Point, Michigan, is hosting a memorial event to mark the maritime tragedy. This year’s event, on Friday, November 10 at 7 p.m., is closed to the public but will be livestreamed. Read the full story by MLive.
Great Lakes Commission
https://www.glc.org/dailynews/20231110-edmund-fitzgerald-anniversary
Now that western Lake Erie’s algae season is finally over, scientists will spend the next several months taking heed of what just happened in hopes of making the region more resilient to climate change impacts they believe are here now. Read the full story by the Toledo Blade.
Great Lakes Commission
https://www.glc.org/dailynews/20231108-algal-bloom-gone
Consumers Energy has been asking the community in Manistee County, Michigan, what they’d like to do with Tippy Dam as the company explores the future of its 13 hydroelectric dams in the state. Read the full story by the Manistee News Advocate.
Great Lakes Commission
https://www.glc.org/dailynews/20231108-tippy-dam
Michigan’s Natural Resources Commission is considering a new limit to the number of steelhead people can harvest. The proposal is causing a stir. Read the full story by Interlochen Public Radio.
Great Lakes Commission
https://www.glc.org/dailynews/20231108-steelhead-limit
Wild rice reseeding projects across Wisconsin have spread seeds across the water’s surface, placed sinking seeded mudballs at lake bottoms, and integrated other traditional ecological knowledge into restoration plans. Read the full story by the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel.
Great Lakes Commission
https://www.glc.org/dailynews/20231108-wild-rice-revitalization
A clutch of six trumpeter swans, an endangered species in Indiana, was found along a busy interstate. The swans were rescued, rehabilitated, and released, helping to contribute to their species’ success. Read the full story by The Times of Northwest Indiana.
Great Lakes Commission
https://www.glc.org/dailynews/20231108-trumpeter-swan-rehabilitation
An initiative to improve water quality throughout Ohio and Lake Erie is gaining ground near Cleveland on the banks of Chippewa Lake, Ohio’s largest inland lake. Read the full story by Great Lakes Echo.
Great Lakes Commission
https://www.glc.org/dailynews/20231108-wetland-restoration
Rising global temperatures are causing harmful algal blooms in the Great Lakes which can lead to the emergence of toxins in the water. Researchers at the University of Windsor in Ontario, Canada, are looking at ways to prevent these toxins from entering the drinking water supply. Read the full story by CTV News.
Great Lakes Commission
https://www.glc.org/dailynews/20231108-drinking-water-toxins
Earthworms are not “native” inhabitants of any place in North America covered by glaciers during the last Ice Age and there is no evidence that earthworms ever inhabited the Great Lakes region before European settlement. So what’s a responsible angler to do? Read the full story by The Plain Dealer.
Great Lakes Commission
https://www.glc.org/dailynews/20231108-exotic-earthworms
The Endangered Species Act has saved hundreds of species from extinction and continues to protect and preserve some of the Great Lakes region’s most beloved animals and plants, including the so-called “living dinosaur,” the lake sturgeon. Read the full story by Great Lakes Now.
Great Lakes Commission
https://www.glc.org/dailynews/20231108-endangered-species-act
Amid rising concerns over the increasing frequency and severity of flooding in the Great Lakes region, new research unveils crucial insights into six Great Lake states’ preparedness. Read the full story by Great Lakes Now.
Great Lakes Commission
https://www.glc.org/dailynews/20231108-mitigating-flood-risk
While cornfields are abundant throughout the state, Michigan produces a variety of other crops. The area’s climate, heavily influenced by the Great Lakes, affects how certain specialty crops grow in different areas of the state. Read the full story by The Daily Telegram.
Great Lakes Commission
https://www.glc.org/dailynews/20231108-microclimate-crops
A large-scale effort is underway to connect water quality sensors on buoys and other equipment across Lake Erie using low-power radio signal networked from buoy to buoy rather than relying on inconsistent cellular signal. Read the full story by Michigan Radio.
Great Lakes Commission
https://www.glc.org/dailynews/20231106-smart-lake-erie
The Great Lakes St. Lawrence Governors and Premiers recently called for 250 million more trees to be planted around the Great Lakes region by 2033. Read the full story by the Toledo Blade.
Great Lakes Commission
https://www.glc.org/dailynews/20231106-tree-planting
Illinois and Chicago leaders announced the dispersal of $336 million to Chicago to aid efforts in removing lead service lines across the city. There are about 9 million lead service lines nationally, of which 400,000 are in Chicago. Read the full story by WGN-TV – Chicago, IL.
Great Lakes Commission
https://www.glc.org/dailynews/20231106-chicago-water
House Bill 5108, introduced in October, would overhaul Michigan’s outdated commercial fishing statute to add popular game fish such as walleye, lake trout and yellow perch to the state’s Great Lakes commercial fishing allowance. Read the full story by MLive.
Great Lakes Commission
https://www.glc.org/dailynews/20231106-michigan-fishing
There’s a growing effort to reintroduce wild rice to the state of Michigan after years of damage caused by logging, development, and wildlife wiped out the plant in some parts of the state.
Read the full story by the Detroit Free Press.
Great Lakes Commission
https://www.glc.org/dailynews/20231106-michigan-manoomin
According to a new study, 71% of water samples drawn from 450 private wells across Wisconsin in 2022 were contaminated with PFAS chemicals. About 96% of the contaminated samples contained PFAS levels below limits that the EPA is considering adopting. Read the full story by Spectrum News 1 – Milwaukee, WI.
Great Lakes Commission
https://www.glc.org/dailynews/20231106-wisconsin-pfas
A crumbling railroad grade abandoned nearly a century ago has been removed in a project aimed at protecting fish spawning habitat in Nebagamon Creek near Douglas, Wisconsin. The project rebuilt and naturalized 500 feet of Nebagamon Creek, the largest tributary to the Brule River, which is among the best spawning rivers for Lake Superior trout and salmon. Read the story by the Duluth News Tribune.
Great Lakes Commission
https://www.glc.org/dailynews/20231106-brule-river
According to new research, Ohio birds flying over Lake Erie like to use islands to guide them on their route. Read the full story by the Sandusky Register.
Great Lakes Commission
https://www.glc.org/dailynews/20231106-lake-erie-birds
Now that Waukesha, Wisconsin, has fully transitioned to Lake Michigan as its water source, some local businesses are starting to see the benefits, including an aquarium shop that relies on large quantities of water. The business’ reverse osmosis filter should function longer with less hard water in the system. Read the full story by Spectrum News 1 – Milwaukee, WI.
Great Lakes Commission
https://www.glc.org/dailynews/20231106-waukesha-business
Video footage shows frolicking river otters on the Milwaukee Riverwalk, which extends more than three miles along both sides of the Milwaukee River in Milwaukee, Wisconsin to Lake Michigan. Read the full story by WITI-TV – Milwaukee, WI.
Great Lakes Commission
https://www.glc.org/dailynews/20231106-milwaukee-otters
Flint residents have spent years trying and failing to get the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency to enforce laws that could prevent communities of color from bearing the brunt of pollution. They had hope when President Joe Biden took office, but then nothing happened. Read the full story by Bridge Michigan.
Great Lakes Commission
https://www.glc.org/dailynews/20231103-epa-environmentalracism-flint
The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, reversing a Trump-era decision, is restarting a human health assessment of nitrate and nitrite, a move that has potentially far-reaching regulatory implications for one of the country’s most pervasive drinking water contaminants. Read the full story by Circle of Blue.
Great Lakes Commission
https://www.glc.org/dailynews/20231103-epa-assessment-nitrate-drinkingwater
Michigan is close to having its first official state grain in manoomin, a naturally-occurring rice that holds special significance to the tribes and people of the Great Lakes region. Read the fully story by WWMT-TV – Kalamazoo, MI.
Great Lakes Commission
https://www.glc.org/dailynews/20231103-michigan-manoomin-officialstategrain
Federal money will help accelerate habitat protection near Ontario’s Bruce Peninsula National Park, one of 10 parks prioritized in a new program announced last week. The area surrounding the park is renown for its diversity of native orchids and ferns and is considered one of the Great Lakes’ biodiversity hot spots. Read the full story by The Shoreline Beacon.
Great Lakes Commission
https://www.glc.org/dailynews/20231103-nationalpark-federalfunds-greatlakes
Ever want to ride your horse along the Lake Michigan shoreline? The one-month long shoreline horseback riding season at Silver Lake State Park in Mears, Michigan is underway now. Read the full story by MLive.
Great Lakes Commission
https://www.glc.org/dailynews/20231103-horsebackriding-lakemichigan
A piece of Coast Guard history now calls the Great Lakes Shipwreck Museum in Whitefish Point, Michigan, its home after the installation of a restored lifeboat last month. Read the full story by The Sault News.
Great Lakes Commission
https://www.glc.org/dailynews/20231103-greatlakesshipwreckmuseum-lifeboat-exhibit
Ohio science students traveled to Stone Laboratory near Put-In-Bay, Ohio on Lake Erie recently to experience a hands-on approach to research and exploration. Read the full story by WKBN-TV – Youngstown, OH.
Great Lakes Commission
https://www.glc.org/dailynews/20231103-localstudents-lakeerie
