The Michigan Department of Environment, Great Lakes, and Energy is planning a webinar series on invasive species and what Michiganders can do to help protect their environment. Read the full story by WSJM-FM – Benton Harbor, MI.
Great Lakes Commission
https://www.glc.org/dailynews/20240105-invasive-species-webinars
With little ice coverage so far this winter, the time is right to spot winter waterfowl that return to this region each year for a winter getaway. Audubon Great Lakes is declaring this the “season of the duck” in Michigan. Read the full story by the Manistee News Advocate.
Great Lakes Commission
https://www.glc.org/dailynews/20240105-winter-waterfowl
In the heart of Niagara Falls, New York, two ambitious development projects – including a living museum showcasing the wildlife of the Niagara River and the larger Great Lakes ecosystem – will bring transformation to an area that has languished for years. Read the full story by Advance Media New York.
Great Lakes Commission
https://www.glc.org/dailynews/20240105-niagara-falls-projects
Red-eared sliders are one of the most common pet turtle species in the world. But they can grow to the size of dinner plates and can live around 40 years. Because of that, people often release their pet turtles into the wild. That causes a big problem. Listen the full story by the Interlochen Public Radio.
Great Lakes Commission
https://www.glc.org/dailynews/20240105-turtle-takeover
With winter in the Great Lakes still on standby, so too are icebreakers needed to keep the marine freighters moving for as long as possible through the cold season. The Canadian Coast Guard has strategically docked an icebreaker in downtown Windsor, Ontario, ready for the potential of freezing waterways. Read the full story by the Windsor Star.
Great Lakes Commission
https://www.glc.org/dailynews/20240105-windsor-icebreakers
Researchers say wolf range in the Great Lakes region is unlikely to be negatively affected by projected human land use and climate change. Read the full story by The Wildlife Society.
Great Lakes Commission
https://www.glc.org/dailynews/20240105-resilient-wolves
The two-year plan aims to create tangible and achievable goals moving forward into 2024 and each initiative reflects a priority concern within the maritime domain. Read the full story by The Sault News.
Great Lakes Commission
https://www.glc.org/dailynews/20240105-coast-guard-plan
The Great Lakes had the smallest amount of ice cover this New Year’s Day in at least the past 50 years. The Lakes are on track to see less ice cover than the seasonal average this winter, according to the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration’s Great Lakes Environmental Research Laboratory. Read the full story by The Washington Post.
Great Lakes Commission
https://www.glc.org/dailynews/20240103-ice-cover
Four Michigan tribes are appealing the Michigan Public Service Commission’s decision to allow Canadian oil company Enbridge to move forward with building a tunnel around Line 5 beneath the Straits of Mackinac. Read the full story by WLUC-TV – Marquette, MI.
Great Lakes Commission
https://www.glc.org/dailynews/20240103-permit-appeal
By this time of year, Sainte-Anne-de-la-Pérade, Québec, is usually teeming with thousands of visitors eager to angle for tomcod that swim upstream from the St. Lawrence River estuary every winter. The start of the season can attract as many as 15,000 visitors and at least $1 million in revenue. But this year’s ice fishing season is lacking a key element: ice. Read the full story by CBC News.
Great Lakes Commission
https://www.glc.org/dailynews/20240103-ice-fishing
This winter’s mild temperatures and lack of ice are making the end of the shipping season much smoother for the Port of Duluth-Superior. The ships will be able to travel through the Soo Locks at a much faster speed and the Port will have its latest closure date in history. Read the full story by KBJR-TV – Superior, WI.
Great Lakes Commission
https://www.glc.org/dailynews/20240103-shipping-season
A recently discovered chemical compound that makes it difficult for invasive sea lamprey to find their breeding grounds may be a new tool for controlling this parasite that threatens Great Lakes fish. Read the full story by Midland Daily News.
Great Lakes Commission
https://www.glc.org/dailynews/20240103-sea-lamprey-control
Proposed legislation that would create a statewide water affordability program in Michigan is drawing backlash from several Macomb County communities who worry it will raise rates for all users and say a Great Lakes Water Authority (GLWA) program already exists to help those in need. Sponsors of the legislation said the proposed water affordability program would actually subsidize the program already in place through the GLWA. Read the full story by The Detroit News.
Great Lakes Commission
https://www.glc.org/dailynews/20240103-water-affordability-program
Each fall and winter, the Milwaukee River receives runs of brown trout from Lake Michigan. The fish, among the largest of the species available to river anglers anywhere on the planet, travel upriver on spawning migrations and provide world-class fishing opportunities. Read the full story by the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel.
Great Lakes Commission
https://www.glc.org/dailynews/20240103-fishing-opportunities
The water level of most of the Great Lakes has been falling. Lake Superior’s water level is down 4 inches in the last month and down a very significant 8 inches in the last year, leading it to be 2 inches below its December average level. Read the full story by WOOD-TV – Grand Rapids, MI.
Great Lakes Commission
https://www.glc.org/dailynews/20240103-water-levels
Upcoming changes to the fishing regulations in part of northeastern Ontario are drawing mixed reactions from anglers. A particular point of contention in the changes, which took effect on January 1, 2024, is a reduction in the keeping size of walleye in Fisheries Management Zone 10. Read the full story by CBC News.
Great Lakes Commission
https://www.glc.org/dailynews/20240103-fishing-regulations
The mysterious disappearance of a commercial fishing boat in Lake Michigan, and the 18-month-long search that followed, is the topic of the next program in the Maritime Speaker Series offered by the Door County Maritime Museum in Wisconsin. The public can attend the program on January 4 in person at the museum or see it online via Zoom. Read the full story by the Green Bay Press Gazette.
Great Lakes Commission
https://www.glc.org/dailynews/20240103-shipwreck-program
An acquisition by the Little Traverse Conservancy and 150 donors ensures preservation for the biggest piece of undeveloped Lake Michigan shoreline in the northwest corner of Michigan’s Lower Peninsula. The 56-acre nature preserve is slated to open next year and is named Enji-minozhiiyaamigak, “The Place of Peacefulness,” in the language of the Anishinaabe. Read the full story by The Detroit Free Press.
Great Lakes Commission
https://www.glc.org/dailynews/20231222-new-preserve
The State of Michigan’s 2023 State of the Great Lakes report is a long list of concerns and proposed solutions. The report takes an expansive view of the Great Lakes, including streams, wetlands, and groundwater issues. Read the full story by Michigan Radio.
Great Lakes Commission
https://www.glc.org/dailynews/20231222-michigan-report
Saginaw Valley State University (SVSU) will build a $10 million environmental science research station along the Saginaw River in Bangor Township, Michigan, following the approval of $7.5 million in funding by the state of Michigan. Read the full story by The Midland Daily News.
Great Lakes Commission
https://www.glc.org/dailynews/20231222-huron-station
The new head of the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency’s Great Lakes office in Chicago is optimistic about cleaning up contaminated sediment sites in the region by 2030 but emphasizes the challenge of achieving this goal due to the need for more non-federal financial support. Read the full story by Great Lakes Now.
Great Lakes Commission
https://www.glc.org/dailynews/20231222-epa-goal
Ice cover has increasingly become an elusive feature of the Great Lakes as warming winters disrupt normal processes of the lakes freezing over. Tracking ice coverage for the 2023-2024 winter is still on the early side, but there are early signs this year will be below the average. Read the full story by WJBK-TV – Detroit, MI.
Great Lakes Commission
https://www.glc.org/dailynews/20231222-ice-cover
Between 2015 and 2023, paddlers in the nonprofit organization Standup for Great Lakes completed paddleboard journeys across every one of the Great Lakes to raise money for Great Lakes issues. Read the full story by The Milwaukee Journal Sentinel.
Great Lakes Commission
https://www.glc.org/dailynews/20231222-paddleboard-charity
The Lake Erie Energy Development Corporation recently made the decision to indefinitely halt the Icebreaker offshore wind project off the coast of Cleveland, Ohio. Inflation, increasing costs, lengthy permitting processes, as well as litigation by opponents were cited as reasons for stopping development. Read the full story by The Cleveland Scene.
Great Lakes Commission
https://www.glc.org/dailynews/20231222-icebreaker-shelved
The Great Lakes and St. Lawrence Governors and Premiers recently announced that three Northeast Wisconsin companies have signed a pledge to use 100% of the fish they catch to reduce waste. Read the full story by WTAQ-WLUK – Green Bay, WI.
Great Lakes Commission
https://www.glc.org/dailynews/20231222-fish-pledge
During the 2023 cruising season, 2,500 passengers visited West Michigan, which received a profit of nearly $700,000 in economic impact. Read the full story by WWMT-TV – Kalamazoo, MI.
Great Lakes Commission
https://www.glc.org/dailynews/20231222-cruise-revenue
Usually, you’ll find Santa riding his sleigh in December; but in Northern Michigan, he’s riding the waves. Read the full story by WWTV-TV – Cadillac, MI.
Great Lakes Commission
https://www.glc.org/dailynews/20231222-surf-michigan
The Museum of Science and Industry in Chicago brought a hands-on learning experience to Racine, Wisconsin, students last week, teaching them about water pollution and microplastics in the Great Lakes. Read the full story by The Journal Times.
Great Lakes Commission
https://www.glc.org/dailynews/20231222-racine-microplastics
A University of Wisconsin-Madison doctoral student lost a $10K remote controlled research craft after it stopped communicating with the controller on the west side of Lake Michigan. After a treacherous 15-day journey the craft was recovered 120 miles in the other direction. Read the full story by MLive.
Great Lakes Commission
https://www.glc.org/dailynews/20231220-research-vessel
Many species of ducks, geese and swans migrate from as far north as the Arctic tundra to the Great Lakes during the winter when the waterfowl’s usual northern waters freeze. Read the full story by WDIV-TV – Detroit, MI.
Great Lakes Commission
https://www.glc.org/dailynews/20231220-weird-ducks
Experts are asking people to do their part to prevent the spread of invasive species in northern Ontario after the province added 10 new species to its restricted and prohibited lists. Read the full story by CBC News.
Great Lakes Commission
https://www.glc.org/dailynews/20231220-invasive-registry
As a father-daughter duo chugged along the shoals of Green Island, Michigan, their boat’s sonar delivered images of a pattern far too regular to have been fashioned by erosion or waves. Read the full story by The New York Times.
Great Lakes Commission
https://www.glc.org/dailynews/20231220-1871-shipwreck
The Line 5 oil pipeline that snakes through Wisconsin and Michigan won a key permit this month allowing a new section of pipeline to be built underneath the Great Lakes despite widespread Indigenous opposition. Read the full story by Grist.
Great Lakes Commission
https://www.glc.org/dailynews/20231220-line5-tribal-opposition
At the Michigan Department of Environmental, Great Lakes, and Energy’s fourth annual Great Lakes PFAS Summit, attendees shared information regarding all aspects of PFAS pollution. This year’s event broke attendance records with over 2000 participants representing all 50 states and nine countries. Read the full story by Great Lakes Now.
Great Lakes Commission
https://www.glc.org/dailynews/20231220-pfas-crisis
Officials from Michigan want to reduce phosphorus pollution going into Lake Erie, but they’re not exactly sure how or when they’ll reach their goal. At a conference this week, state government leaders, researchers, and not-for-profits outlined a strategy to lower Michigan’s share of phosphorus feeding Lake Erie. Read the full story by Great Lakes Now.
Great Lakes Commission
https://www.glc.org/dailynews/20231220-phosphorus-reduction
‘Twas the night before Christmas, and all through the lakes, not a creature was stirring, not even a drake; The poles were all strung by the river with care, in hopes a big salmon went cruising by there… Read the full poem by Great Lakes Now.
Great Lakes Commission
https://www.glc.org/dailynews/20231220-fishmas-poem
The Great Lakes may contain 84% of North America’s fresh surface water, but experts caution against thinking about dipping into them as a thirsty continent’s salvation from drought as the climate warms. Read the full story by the Detroit News.
Great Lakes Commission
https://www.glc.org/dailynews/20231218-diversions
The U.S. Brig Niagara, based in Erie, Pa., will get maintenance and upgrade work in the coming year in preparation for sailing Pennsylvania’s northwest coast in 2026 when the United States and the Commonwealth celebrate the nation’s 250th anniversary. Read the full story by the Patriot News.
Great Lakes Commission
https://www.glc.org/dailynews/20231218-niagara
Once considered a promising location for offshore wind development, no commercial offshore wind turbines have yet to be installed in the Great Lakes region. Will this change? Read the full story by the Public News Service.
Great Lakes Commission
https://www.glc.org/dailynews/20231218-offshore-wind
Giant goldfish are happily living in Lake Erie and other bodies of water crowding out native fish and wildlife. Here is why it is never okay to release the pet into the wild. Read the full story by the Akron Beacon Journal.
Great Lakes Commission
https://www.glc.org/dailynews/20231218-the-peoria
The Peoria, a cargo ship that ended up returning to the scene of its accident, and sinking yet again, is the most recent shipwreck in Door County, Wisconsin to be recognized and protected by the state. Read the full story by the Green Bay Press Gazette.
Great Lakes Commission
https://www.glc.org/dailynews/20231218-the-peoria
The Michigan Department of Natural Resources is seeking landowners in the Lake Erie and Saginaw Bay watersheds willing to add wetlands to their property. The DNR is hosting a webinar on Friday, Jan. 12 to talk with property owners interested in helping restore wetlands. Read the full story by MLive.
Great Lakes Commission
https://www.glc.org/dailynews/20231218-wetland-restoration
Ice-covered lakes are used for recreation during the winter. No matter whether large or small, many waterways are experiencing ice coverage that is below normal. The Great Lakes usually have around 3% ice coverage in mid-December, but data from NOAA indicates coverage is just above 0% this year. Read the full story by FOX Weather.
Great Lakes Commission
https://www.glc.org/dailynews/20231218-thin-ice
Lifeguards at Presque Isle, Pennsylvania play a crucial role in making sure people can enjoy the park without harm but staffing those beaches has been difficult. The Lifeguard Association at Presque Isle, they’ve been doing everything they can to stay competitive with those other organizations and offer a unique experience. Read the full story by WJET-TV – Erie, PA.
Great Lakes Commission
https://www.glc.org/dailynews/20231218-presque-isle-lifeguards
The United States Environmental Protection Agency recently approved the Wisconsin Department of Natural Resources Northeast Lakeshore Total Maximum Daily Loads for Total Phosphorus and Total Suspended Solids study. The study will investigate ways to reduce the amount of nutrients entering waters within the Lake Michigan watershed. Read the full story by the Door County Pulse.
Great Lakes Commission
https://www.glc.org/dailynews/20231218-tc-phosphorus
TC Energy has an ambitious plan for Georgian Bay: to draw water up through a clay escarpment, store it in a reservoir, then send it down back into the bay past underwater turbines to create power for southern Ontario when it’s needed. To make this happen, the Calgary-based oil and gas behemoth wants the greenlight from multiple groups, including the Saugeen Ojibway Nation. Read the full story by The Narwhal.
Great Lakes Commission
https://www.glc.org/dailynews/20231218-tc-energy
Ohio Gov. Mike DeWine plans to include the health of the state’s large rivers in the ongoing H2Ohio program aimed at water efforts. The H2Ohio program will expand to research PFAS contamination, remove eroding dams, conserve forest buffers and more. Read the full story by the Cleburne Times-Review.
Great Lakes Commission
https://www.glc.org/dailynews/20231218-h2ohio
An annual survey by New York’s Thousand Islands International Tourism Council shows that nearly 80% of tourism operators were either satisfied or pleased with the 2023 tourist season, a large increase from how operators felt in 2020. Read the full story by the Watertown Daily Times.
Great Lakes Commission
https://www.glc.org/dailynews/20231218-thousand-islands-tourism
Researchers documented two baby lake sturgeon in the Grand River in 2022, indicating that the species is successfully reproducing in that river. During the 2023 research season, the team documented an additional 15 sturgeon in the river. Read the full story by Michigan Radio.
Great Lakes Commission
https://www.glc.org/dailynews/20231215-lakesturgeon-grandriver
The Michigan Department of Natural Resources is investing $4 million to advance wetland restoration and reduce harmful algal blooms in both Lake Erie and Saginaw Bay watersheds to improve drinking water and wildlife habitat. Read the full story by WXYZ-TV – Detroit, MI.
Great Lakes Commission
https://www.glc.org/dailynews/20231215-dnr-michiganwetlands-investment-habs
