This lesson will introduce students to the phenomena of buoyancy and water displacement by helping them understand why a boat floats, learn about how boats have been made out of various materials—including wood—over the years, and engineer a boat according to certain constraints to hold a certain amount of weight.
Great Lakes Now
https://www.greatlakesnow.org/2022/02/episode-1029-great-lakes-now-floats-my-boat/
By Kelly House, Bridge Michigan
The Great Lakes News Collaborative includes Bridge Michigan; Circle of Blue; Great Lakes Now at Detroit Public Television; and Michigan Radio, Michigan’s NPR News Leader; who work together to bring audiences news and information about the impact of climate change, pollution, and aging infrastructure on the Great Lakes and drinking water.
Great Lakes Now
https://www.greatlakesnow.org/2022/02/grand-rapids-lake-road-salt/
HANCOCK, Mich. (AP) — More than $1.1 million in grants have been awarded to 17 coastal management projects and programs in Michigan.
Michigan’s Department of Environment, Great Lakes, and Energy says the funding will help protect, preserve, enhance and wisely develop the state’s coastal resources.
Recipients are located across Michigan and include $45,000 for Hancock to do a feasibility analysis for nature-based shore protection and restoration.
Great Lakes Now
https://www.greatlakesnow.org/2022/02/ap-michigan-coastal-management/
By Matthew Brown and John Flesher, Associated Press
BILLINGS, Mont (AP) — A judge restored federal protections for gray wolves across much of the U.S. on Thursday, after their removal in the waning days of the Trump administration exposed the predators to hunting that critics said would undermine their rebound from widespread extermination early last century.
Great Lakes Now
https://www.greatlakesnow.org/2022/02/ap-judge-protections-gray-wolves/
By Emma McIntosh, The Narwhal
This story first ran on The Narwhal, a non-profit news organization that publishes in-depth stories about Canada’s natural world.
The final resting place of Canada’s most radioactive nuclear waste could be a cave about as deep below the surface as the CN Tower is tall.
Great Lakes Now
https://www.greatlakesnow.org/2022/02/canada-old-pileup-nuclear-waste/
Urban areas around the Midwest struggle with food deserts and dense populations, a problem exacerbated by climate change impacts and the conversion of farmlands to residential developments. However, a potential solution can be found in hydroponics facilities being established in cities around the Great Lakes region like Detroit, Cleveland, Toronto and Chicago.
Great Lakes Now
https://www.greatlakesnow.org/2022/02/hydroponic-greenhouses-urban-food-deserts/
As the U.S. EPA prepares to expand its Great Lakes Restoration Initiative with the $1 billion-dollar windfall from the infrastructure bill, Ojibwe Tribal executive Michael “Mic” Isham has a vision to bolster the program.
Isham wants an increased emphasis on protection of the Great Lakes with a priority for Lake Superior, which Isham says is the “cultural and historic center” of the Ojibwe tribes.
Great Lakes Now
https://www.greatlakesnow.org/2022/02/federal-great-lakes-restoration-program-protection-flexibility/
By John Raby, Associated Press
CHARLESTON, W.Va. (AP) — Nearly $725 million in federal funding is available this fiscal year to 22 states and the Navajo Nation for the reclamation of abandoned coal mines and cleanup of acid mine drainage, the U.S. Department of the Interior announced Monday.
Great Lakes Now
https://www.greatlakesnow.org/2022/02/ap-biden-abandoned-coal-mines/
By Ed White, Associated Press
DETROIT (AP) — A judge awarded about $40 million Friday to the lead attorneys in a $626 million settlement for Flint residents and property owners whose water was contaminated with lead, but millions in additional legal fees will also be carved out as claimants get paid.
Great Lakes Now
https://www.greatlakesnow.org/2022/02/ap-lawyers-flint-settlement/
The lower Detroit River is a unique urban refugium where the tapestry of life has been woven with elegance, where the music of life has been rehearsed to perfection for thousands of years, where nature’s colors are most vibrant and engaging, where time is measured in seasons, and where the canvasback race across the water takes center stage.
Great Lakes Now
https://www.greatlakesnow.org/2022/02/great-lakes-moment-ducks-detroit-river/
By John Flesher, Associated Press
TRAVERSE CITY, Mich. (AP) — What’s happening in the Great Lakes during those long, frigid months when they’re often covered partially or completely with ice? A casual observer — and even experts — might be inclined to say, “Not much.”
Lake scientists have long considered winter a season when aquatic activity slows.
Great Lakes Now
https://www.greatlakesnow.org/2022/02/ap-scientists-data-warming-great-lakes/
By Julie Riddle, The Alpena News
This article is part of a collaboration between The Alpena News and Great Lakes Now at Detroit Public Television to bring audiences stories about the Great Lakes, especially Lake Huron and its watershed.
ALPENA – An Alpena company will snag a piece of more than $241 million in grants awarded to upgrade U.S.
Great Lakes Now
https://www.greatlakesnow.org/2022/02/grant-aid-lafarge-port-upgrades/
By John Flesher, Associated Press
Beef produced at a small Michigan farm was found to contain toxic “forever chemicals” after the cattle were fed crops grown with fertilizer made from contaminated wastewater biosolids, state officials said Friday.
A consumption advisory issued by state agencies stopped short of a recall, noting there are no government standards for the substances in beef.
Great Lakes Now
https://www.greatlakesnow.org/2022/02/ap-forever-chemicals-michigan-beef/
PORTER, Ind. (AP) — The National Park Service has approved an entrance fee for Indiana Dunes National Park beginning on March 31 to help fund parking and transportation improvements, visitor services and a bike trail.
The fees vary depending on the method used to enter the national park.
Great Lakes Now
https://www.greatlakesnow.org/2022/02/ap-indiana-dunes-national-park-entry-fee/
By Kari Lydersen
This story was first published on the Energy News Network and was republished here with permission.
A two-year-old economic development partnership is helping to draw attention — and investment dollars — to sustainability projects in the Great Lakes region.
Great Lakes Now
https://www.greatlakesnow.org/2022/02/great-lakes-platform-green-projects/
By Drew Costley, Associated Press
The Department of Interior is spending $1.15 billion to cap abandoned oil and gas wells across the United States.
There are over 3 million abandoned oil and gas wells in the U.S., according to the Environmental Protection Agency. And Interior officials say that wells have been exposing millions of people to air and water pollution for decades.
Great Lakes Now
https://www.greatlakesnow.org/2022/02/ap-interior-department-abandoned-wells/
By Frank Jossi
This story was first published on the Energy News Network and was republished here with permission
St. Paul last week joined a growing list of Minnesota cities passing climate resolutions aimed at adding urgency to state and local climate actions.
Great Lakes Now
https://www.greatlakesnow.org/2022/02/minnesota-cities-climate-resolutions/
From lead pipes to PFAS, drinking water contamination is a major issue plaguing cities and towns all around the Great Lakes. Cleaning up contaminants and providing safe water to everyone is an ongoing public health struggle.
Keep up with drinking water-related developments in the Great Lakes area.
Click on the headline to read the full-story:
Illinois:
Legislators in Illinois are looking favorably upon a bill that may improve water quality for a large portion of the nation.
Great Lakes Now
https://www.greatlakesnow.org/2022/02/water-quality-bill-mine-wetland/
By Michael Phillis, Associated Press
ST. LOUIS (AP) — Angela Stamps won’t drink water from her faucet, showers less and no longer takes the baths she once found relaxing. She doesn’t cook with tap water and sometimes skips rinsing her produce.
Even though the amount of lead in Flint, Michigan’s tap water has been well below a key state threshold for several years, she hasn’t been able to stop worrying since going through the trauma of the city’s lead crisis.
Great Lakes Now
https://www.greatlakesnow.org/2022/01/us-pushes-better-tap-water/
By Tim Lydon, The Revelator
This story originally appeared in The Revelator and is republished here as part of Covering Climate Now, a global journalism collaboration strengthening coverage of the climate story.
In July 2021 federal agents in New Orleans abruptly ordered the 600-foot cargo ship Pan Jasmine to leave U.S.
Great Lakes Now
https://www.greatlakesnow.org/2022/01/cargo-invasive-species/
Keep up with energy-related developments in the Great Lakes area with Great Lakes Now’s biweekly headline roundup.
Click on the headline to read the full story:
Illinois:
Aiming to increase diversity in wind and solar jobs, a proposed measure in the Illinois General Assembly would require more transparent reporting on the level of participation of minority-owned businesses in clean energy jobs.
Great Lakes Now
https://www.greatlakesnow.org/2022/01/energy-news-roundup-nuclear-bill-natural-gas/
In November 2020, shortly after President Joe Biden was elected, Great Lakes Now talked with University of Detroit Mercy associate professor Nick Schroeck about the opportunities and challenges facing the president-elect.
Schroeck is an environmental law attorney and urban policy expert who has a background in transboundary legal issues between the U.S.
Great Lakes Now
https://www.greatlakesnow.org/2022/01/bidens-first-year/
As the Great Lakes experience more harmful algal blooms due to climate change, real time monitoring of drinking water for toxins is becoming increasingly urgent.
Warm water temperatures, increased rainfall and fertilizer run-off from farm fields are providing fuel for blooms that can taint water.
This spring, a floating sensor for monitoring drinking water drawn from the Detroit River will begin giving real-time data on potentially toxic blue-green algae, along with other water quality data such as temperature, pH and dissolved oxygen.
Great Lakes Now
https://www.greatlakesnow.org/2022/01/detroit-river-algal-bloom-threat/
Great Lakes Now tries to make every episode interesting and educational.
In “Restore, Release,” volunteers work to preserve a historic Great Lakes lighthouse, a Chicago community finds new life through embracing its past, and high school students learn about Native American culture with the help of lake sturgeon.
Great Lakes Now
https://www.greatlakesnow.org/2022/01/restore-release-test-great-lakes-now-episode-quiz-2201/
Go right to the list of lighthouses here.
For Patrick McKinstry, his love of lighthouses began when he was 4 or 5 years old.
He was on a family trip at the Old Mackinac Point Lighthouse in Mackinaw City, Michigan, and asking his mother what it was and if he could go in.
Great Lakes Now
https://www.greatlakesnow.org/2022/01/visit-a-lighthouse/
This article was republished here with permission from Great Lakes Echo.
By Danielle James, Great Lakes Echo
Even as community water systems are praised by the state for maintaining fluoride levels, others are still holding out.
Fluoride strengthens teeth and reduces cavities by about 25% in children and adults, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC).
Great Lakes Now
https://www.greatlakesnow.org/2022/01/communities-michigan-fluoridation/
Huge breezes are commonplace around the Great Lakes, which is part of why the region makes a good location for wind turbines.
Though wind power has been utilized for centuries, it has only been harnessed as a widespread alternative energy source as recently as the 1990s.
In 2016, the United States Geological Survey began tracking wind turbines.
Great Lakes Now
https://www.greatlakesnow.org/2022/01/wind-turbines-great-lakes/
If you’re new to Great Lakes Now, find our latest episode below and ALL our monthly shows here.
If you’re a regular viewer of our monthly program on your local PBS station or our YouTube channel, thanks!
If you were looking for our show on Detroit Public Television on Wednesday, Jan.
Great Lakes Now
https://www.greatlakesnow.org/2022/01/our-latest-episode/
By Timberly Ferree, Indiana Environmental Reporter
A new Duke University-led study has found that the anti-fogging sprays and cloths used to prevent condensation on eyeglasses contain toxic PFAS chemicals.
Researchers tested five top-rated anti-fogging cloths and four top-rated anti-fogging sprays sold on Amazon and found all the products to contain fluorotelomer alcohols (FTOHs) and fluorotelomer ethoxylates (FTEOs).
Great Lakes Now
https://www.greatlakesnow.org/2022/01/elevated-levels-pfas-sprays-cloths/
By Anna Liz Nichols, Associated Press
LANSING, Mich. (AP) — Michigan will build clean energy infrastructure and invest in green programs over the next 30 years with the goal of becoming carbon neutral by 2050 to confront climate change, a draft of a state plan says.
Gov.
Great Lakes Now
https://www.greatlakesnow.org/2022/01/ap-plan-draft-carbon-neutrality/
The project to construct a new Soo Lock has been fully funded as of Wednesday, when the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers released its Fiscal Year 2022 budget, which included $479 million directed to the new lock.
“In Michigan, we know how vital the Locks are to our economy and our national defense,” Sen.
Great Lakes Now
https://www.greatlakesnow.org/2022/01/army-corps-millions-great-lakes-coastal-resiliency-soo-locks-invasive-carp/
By Lester Graham, Michigan Radio
The Great Lakes News Collaborative includes Bridge Michigan; Circle of Blue; Great Lakes Now at Detroit Public Television; and Michigan Radio, Michigan’s NPR News Leader; who work together to bring audiences news and information about the impact of climate change, pollution, and aging infrastructure on the Great Lakes and drinking water.
Great Lakes Now
https://www.greatlakesnow.org/2022/01/homeowners-money-fix-septic-systems/
Recently released Ohio Department of Natural Resources yellow perch hatch results indicate more of the same: overall mediocrity, leaning toward the not-so-good side.
That’s the result of an average hatch in the Western Basin and a very poor hatch in the Central Basin from Huron, Ohio, to Conneaut, Ohio.
Great Lakes Now
https://www.greatlakesnow.org/2022/01/2022-perch-outlook/
SAULT STE. MARIE, Mich. (AP) — The Soo Locks in Sault Ste. Marie are shutting down to marine traffic to allow the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers to perform critical maintenance.
The locks on the St. Marys River between Lake Superior and Lake Huron are expected to be closed from Saturday to March 25, according to the Army Corps of Engineers.
Great Lakes Now
https://www.greatlakesnow.org/2022/01/ap-soo-locks-close-winter/
By Michigan Radio
The Great Lakes News Collaborative includes Bridge Michigan; Circle of Blue; Great Lakes Now at Detroit Public Television; and Michigan Radio, Michigan’s NPR News Leader; who work together to bring audiences news and information about the impact of climate change, pollution, and aging infrastructure on the Great Lakes and drinking water.
Great Lakes Now
https://www.greatlakesnow.org/2022/01/low-ice-coverage/
BENTON HARBOR, Mich. (AP) — More than 400 water service lines in Benton Harbor have been replaced or verified to be free of lead, according to state officials.
City officials also are reviewing bids from contractors for removal of an estimated 3,900 lead service lines, Michigan’s Department of Health and Human Services said this week in a release.
Great Lakes Now
https://www.greatlakesnow.org/2022/01/ap-lead-water-lines-benton/
Just like serious birders and all manner of naturalists, many divers keep a life list of the species they have seen. Typically, the more elusive the species, the more coveted the sighting. Size also plays a role in desirability, whether it’s a condor or a blue whale.
When it comes to impressively large and elusive freshwater species, a couple come to mind.
Great Lakes Now
https://www.greatlakesnow.org/2022/01/meeting-mysterious-muskie/
From lead pipes to PFAS, drinking water contamination is a major issue plaguing cities and towns all around the Great Lakes. Cleaning up contaminants and providing safe water to everyone is an ongoing public health struggle.
Keep up with drinking water-related developments in the Great Lakes area.
Click on the headline to read the full-story:
Indiana:
The increasingly warm air and heavy rain showers have caused a rise in toxic algae blooms, which has led to fish sickness, beach closures, and drinking water pollution.
Great Lakes Now
https://www.greatlakesnow.org/2022/01/drinking-water-news-roundup-toxic-algae-blooms/
For Professor Nancy Langston, our intransigence in protecting struggling species like caribou and others is a puzzle. These species exist in our memories and culture, and we’ve invested in protecting them, so why do their populations continue to crash?
That’s the question at the core of Langston’s latest book, “Climate Ghosts: Migratory Species in the Anthropocene”.
Great Lakes Now
https://www.greatlakesnow.org/2022/01/climate-ghosts-author/
By Lindsay Campbell with photography by Johnny C. Lam, The Narwhal
This story first ran on The Narwhal, a non-profit news organization that publishes in-depth stories about Canada’s natural world.
Those who choose a life in commercial fishing on the Great Lakes are granted a front row seat to the natural world.
Great Lakes Now
https://www.greatlakesnow.org/2022/01/lake-ontario-lake-erie-families-fisheries/
By Lindsay Campbell with photography by Johnny C. Lam, The Narwhal
This story first ran on The Narwhal, a non-profit news organization that publishes in-depth stories about Canada’s natural world.
Those who choose a life in commercial fishing on the Great Lakes are granted a front row seat to the natural world.
Great Lakes Now
https://www.greatlakesnow.org/2022/01/lake-ontario-lake-erie-families-fisheries/
By Matthew Daly, Associated Press
WASHINGTON (AP) — The Environmental Protection Agency is taking its first major action to address toxic wastewater from coal-burning power plants, ordering utilities to stop dumping waste into unlined storage ponds and speed up plans to close leaking or otherwise dangerous coal ash sites.
Great Lakes Now
https://www.greatlakesnow.org/2022/01/ap-epa-dangerous-coal-ash/
Inadequate regulations, infrastructure failures and developments, water quality and quantity, and climate migration were just some of the many pressing Great Lakes issues covered collectively by the Great Lakes News Collaborative over the past year.
With timely stories set to a backdrop of visually compelling photos and video, the goal for the Great Lakes News Collaborative was to give voice to what residents all over the region are already seeing at their doorsteps.
Great Lakes Now
https://www.greatlakesnow.org/2022/01/combined-effort-sierra-club-to-award-great-lakes-news-collaborative/
FLINT, Mich. (AP) — A judge on Monday refused to dismiss a lawsuit against an engineering company, which is accused of not doing enough to stop the flow of lead-contaminated water in Flint in 2015.
Four families are suing Veolia North America. The company did not participate in the recent $626 million settlement with Flint residents, mostly paid by the state.
Great Lakes Now
https://www.greatlakesnow.org/2022/01/ap-lawsuit-flint-water-contractor/
By Lester Graham, Michigan Radio
The Great Lakes News Collaborative includes Bridge Michigan; Circle of Blue; Great Lakes Now at Detroit Public Television; and Michigan Radio, Michigan’s NPR News Leader; who work together to bring audiences news and information about the impact of climate change, pollution, and aging infrastructure on the Great Lakes and drinking water.
Great Lakes Now
https://www.greatlakesnow.org/2022/01/red-bellied-snake-endangered/
By Michigan Radio
The Great Lakes News Collaborative includes Bridge Michigan; Circle of Blue; Great Lakes Now at Detroit Public Television; and Michigan Radio, Michigan’s NPR News Leader; who work together to bring audiences news and information about the impact of climate change, pollution, and aging infrastructure on the Great Lakes and drinking water.
Great Lakes Now
https://www.greatlakesnow.org/2022/01/flint-water-crisis-settlement-claims/
For 20 years, the mystery behind what was killing coho salmon in Seattle’s urban creeks seemed unsolvable.
Every time it rained, fish would begin swimming in circles, floating belly up just a few hours later. Scientists looked at heavy metals, various chemical contaminants, water temperature and oxygen levels, but none of these things were the problem.
Great Lakes Now
https://www.greatlakesnow.org/2022/01/great-lakes-fish-populations-tires/
By Drew Costley, Associated Press
The White House’s top official on environmental justice is stepping down a year after President Joe Biden took office with an ambitious plan to help disadvantaged communities and overhaul policies that have historically hurt them.
The departure Friday of Cecilia Martinez, senior director for environmental justice at the Council for Environmental Quality, puts a spotlight on both the administration’s successes and promises yet to be fulfilled.
Great Lakes Now
https://www.greatlakesnow.org/2022/01/ap-environmental-justice-official/
ESCANABA, Mich. (AP) — A paper mill in Michigan’s Upper Peninsula has agreed to pay nearly $250,000 to settle an investigation of a fish kill in the Escanaba River, state regulators said.
A “catastrophic pipe failure” at the Verso Corp. site in Escanaba resulted in a discharge of partially treated wastewater in August 2020, regulators said.
Great Lakes Now
https://www.greatlakesnow.org/2022/01/ap-ohio-company-pay-250k/
SOUTH HAVEN, Mich. (AP) — A southwestern Michigan town that swells with summer visitors is taking steps to keep people out of Lake Michigan during hazardous conditions.
The city council in South Haven agreed to install gates to close popular piers at certain times. Swimmers also could be fined if they’re in the lake, though surfers or kite boarders who embrace big wind and waves would be exempt.
Great Lakes Now
https://www.greatlakesnow.org/2022/01/ap-south-haven-restrictions/
