Researchers from SUNY Oswego and SUNY Cortland in New York will work with the U.S. Geological Survey and other entities on a conservation and restoration project focused on native fish species in the Great Lakes, funded by the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency’s Great Lakes Restoration Initiative. Read the full story by The Citizen.
Great Lakes Commission
https://www.glc.org/dailynews/20230623-suny-students
In New York, a high school teacher is about to embark on a Great Lakes journey as she was selected nationally among 15 other teachers from Great Lakes states to participate in the Federal EPA’s research vessel on Lake Ontario for a workshop on board the Lake Guardian ship. Read the full story by WKBW-TV – Buffalo, NY.
Great Lakes Commission
https://www.glc.org/dailynews/20230623-biology-teacher
Steel production ticked up by 4,000 tons in the Great Lakes region last week, according to the American Iron and Steel Institute. Read the full story by the Times of Northwest Indiana.
Great Lakes Commission
https://www.glc.org/dailynews/20230623-steel-production
For the past few months the city has been entertaining the idea making Buffalo, New York, a port city for Great Lakes cruises and has commissioned a study to determine whether that option is viable. Read the full story by WGRZ-TV – Buffalo, NY.
Great Lakes Commission
https://www.glc.org/dailynews/20230623-buffalo-cruises
The Ohio Division of Wildlife’s brand-new fish cleaning stations in Marblehead, Huron and Avon Lake are up and running, and so is one constructed by the Cleveland Metroparks at Cleveland Lakefront State Park in Cleveland Harbor. Read the full story by the Plain Dealer.
Great Lakes Commission
https://www.glc.org/dailynews/20230623-fish-cleaning
Although there is no schedule for the traffic through the Soo Locks, which connects Lake Superior to the lower Great Lakes, there are several ways to find out which freighters will pass through the Poe and MacArthur locks, traversing between lakes Superior and Huron. Read the full story by MLive.
Great Lakes Commission
https://www.glc.org/dailynews/20230623-soo-locks
For the past two years, a multi-institutional collaborative research team has worked on developing new technology to collect data and make discoveries in the ocean and the Great Lakes. The researchers will present that work as part of the Thunder Bay National Marine Sanctuary Lecture Series. Read the full story by the Alpena News.
Great Lakes Commission
https://www.glc.org/dailynews/20230623-sonar-data
Current Watches, Warnings and Advisories for Brown (WIC009) Wisconsin Issued by the National Weather Service
https://alerts.weather.gov/cap/wwacapget.php?x=WI12664F1B41A4.AirQualityAlert.12664F381680WI.GRBAQAGRB.c90dc8bd1b197d8d45aac32ba47fa0f9
Current Watches, Warnings and Advisories for Brown (WIC009) Wisconsin Issued by the National Weather Service
https://alerts.weather.gov/cap/wwacapget.php?x=WI12664F1AD318.AirQualityAlert.12664F28D440WI.GRBAQAGRB.95772b461ecdeafcc9c0642321d118ec
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/2023/06/judge-orders-segment-enbridges-line-5-shut-down-moved-native-land/
The Fox-Wolf Watershed Alliance is growing! Join Us!
The Fox-Wolf Watershed Alliance is currently seeking the right person to join our team as Agriculture Outreach Coordinator!
Ag Outreach Coordinator – Full-Time
In support of Fox-Wolf Watershed Alliance’s mission, the Ag Outreach Coordinator is responsible for providing outreach support to further the awareness of Fox-Wolf’s work to advance water quality through agricultural initiatives and supporting the Climate Smart Commodities grant project. This position requires a motivated individual with an ability to develop outreach materials that connect with their intended audience. We are looking for a self-motivated, independent and detail-oriented individual who is passionate about the mission of Fox-Wolf.
This position reports to the Lower Fox Director and will work on the following tasks:
● Engage members of the public in water quality efforts to increase community knowledge of water quality issues and the impact of agriculture
● Work closely with Fox-Wolf agriculture team to further the adoption of soil health practices across the region
● Support partner Land and Water Conservation Department staff in tracking and reporting adoption and environmental and financial outcomes resulting from the adoption of climate smart agricultural practices
● Maintain and build relationships with conservation partners by providing training and support for conservation staff, documenting partner achievements, and promoting the importance of boots on the ground
● Support the Lower Fox Director in managing the Climate Smart Commodities grant project including data collection and management and commodity market development
To apply, email resume and cover letter to jessica@fwwa.org
The post Now hiring! Agriculture Outreach Coordinator appeared first on Fox-Wolf Watershed Alliance.
Fox-Wolf Watershed Alliance
https://fwwa.org/2023/06/21/ag-outreach-coordinator/?utm_source=rss&utm_medium=rss&utm_campaign=ag-outreach-coordinator
An emerging Indigenous leader aims to compile the Indigenous knowledge of climate change adaptation throughout the country, and share it with tribal and non-tribal people to create the next Status of Tribes and Climate Change Report. Read the full story by WUWM – Milwaukee, WI.
Great Lakes Commission
https://www.glc.org/dailynews/20230621-indigenousknowledge-climatechange
In a project funded by the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration’s Ocean Exploration Program, three universities have teamed up to explore the depths of Lake Huron’s Thunder Bay near Alpena, Michigan. Their goal is to develop methods to deploy autonomous underwater robots to search for shipwrecks, and then survey shipwrecks with their sensors. Read the full story by The Alpena News.
Great Lakes Commission
https://www.glc.org/dailynews/20230621-autonomousvessels-thunderbay
Michigan’s drought conditions have put increased demand on water providers, stressed vegetation and sharply increased the risk of wildfire. Read the full story by MLive.
Great Lakes Commission
https://www.glc.org/dailynews/20230621-drought-wildfires
Residents of Paradise, Michigan, say a legacy dump site has been ignored for decades. The site is slowly releasing toxic chemicals into Lake Superior, and there doesn’t appear to be a plan to stop it. Read the full story by Interlochen Public Radio.
Great Lakes Commission
https://www.glc.org/dailynews/20230621-contaminatedsite-lakesuperior
Today marks the summer solstice and the official start to summer, but scientists warn Lake Erie beachgoers to beware of harmful algae blooms that grow extremely fast this time of year. Read the full story by WEWS-TV – Cleveland, OH.
Great Lakes Commission
https://www.glc.org/dailynews/20230621-summer-lakeerie-habs
Those in Michigan who want the Line 5 oil and gas pipeline shut down believe a recent ruling from a federal judge in Wisconsin could impact a pending legal case against Enbridge and disrupt company plans. Read the full story by MLive.
Great Lakes Commission
https://www.glc.org/dailynews/20230621-wisconsin-line5-shutdown-disruptpipelinefight
There is a lot of dredging work to be done in Lake Michigan harbors after an uptick in severe storms and a drop in shoreline ice during winter. The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers currently is overseeing 24-hour dredging in Grand Haven, Michigan, when weather is favorable to remove sand shoaling that blocks the harbor from commercial vessels. Read the full story by MLive.
Great Lakes Commission
https://www.glc.org/dailynews/20230621-strongstorms-lakemichigan
It’s finally starting to feel like summer in Michigan, but officials are reminding residents and visitors that it will still be a bit before water temperatures are considered safe. U.S. Coast Guard officials took to social media to remind the public about the risks of cold water, including hypothermia and “cold shock.” Read the full story by MLive.
Great Lakes Commission
https://www.glc.org/dailynews/20230621-greatlakes-coldshock-summer
Summertime means beach time, and in Michigan that means the freshwater beaches of the Great Lakes. But which kind of beach is better: lakeside or oceanside? Read and listen to the full story by Michigan Radio.
Great Lakes Commission
https://www.glc.org/dailynews/20230621-greatlakesbeaches-oceanbeaches
NCEI News Feed
https://www.ncei.noaa.gov/news/noaa-and-international-hydrographic-organization-collaborate-digital-bathymetry-data
Current Watches, Warnings and Advisories for Brown (WIC009) Wisconsin Issued by the National Weather Service
https://alerts.weather.gov/cap/wwacapget.php?x=WI12664EFC96DC.AirQualityAlert.12664F28D440WI.GRBAQAGRB.95772b461ecdeafcc9c0642321d118ec
This article was republished here with permission from Great Lakes Echo.
By Jake Christie, Great Lakes Echo
Researchers have located a promising underground region in the Midwest that could have stores of fuel.
But they’re not looking for oil. They’re looking for hydrogen.
Great Lakes Now
https://www.greatlakesnow.org/2023/06/potential-hydrogen-source-power-trucks-reducing-greenhouse-gases/
Visitors to the Wisconsin Maritime Museum in Manitowoc can now get up close and personal with one of the Great Lake’s most infamous invasive fish, the sea lamprey. The new exhibit, entitled “Attack of the Sea Lampreys,” was made possible through a collaboration between Wisconsin Sea Grant and the Great Lakes Fishery Commission and tells the story of how sea lamprey were introduced to the Great Lakes, their impact and the ongoing efforts to manage them.
The entrance to “Attack of the Sea Lampreys,” a new exhibit at the Wisconsin Maritime Museum. Photo: Kevin Cullen
Chief curator Kevin Cullen and the education team revamped an invasive species lab on the museum’s lower level to house the new exhibit. The space was largely dormant and full of locked cabinets. Said Cullen, “People would just pass by it, so it became a really good opportunity to enhance a space that was already there.”
The redesigned space provides a more interactive, sensory experience. Visitors can now open the cabinet doors to find answers to questions about sea lamprey, such as how many eggs they lay or bones they have. Content is written at a middle-school reading level, and many items are meant to be touched and handled, making the exhibit ideal for kids and families.
The irrefutable stars of the show, however, are the lamprey. Thanks to support and a custom-built tank from the Great Lakes Fishery Commission, museum-goers can enjoy watching over a dozen lamprey hanging out, their toothy maws suctioned to the side of the glass.
Cullen said initial feedback has been positive. “[Visitors] love it. I think they’re creeped out by these things and fascinated to see them.”
The creep factor is due largely to how sea lamprey feed. A parasitic fish, sea lamprey latch onto larger fish and suck out blood and body fluids. Their mouths are disc-shaped and ringed with rows of horned teeth to better grab flesh. Once suctioned onto a host, sea lamprey then use their sharp tongue to bore a hole in the fish, usually near its heart. A single lamprey can kill up to 40 pounds of fish.
A sea lamprey suctions its mouth onto the walls of a glass tank at the Wisconsin Maritime Museum. Photo: Kevin Cullen
For many, the story of sea lamprey is the stuff of nightmares—or at least a low-budget horror film. Titus Seilheimer, the fisheries specialist with Wisconsin Sea Grant who helped the museum secure the lamprey tank, hopes the exhibit helps visitors see another story.
“It’s one of the great success stories of invasive species management,” said Seilheimer.
Originally from the Atlantic Ocean, sea lamprey arrived in the Great Lakes via shipping canals, landing in Lakes Michigan and Superior by the 1930s and 1940s. By the mid-twentieth century, the lamprey population exploded, devastating the Great Lakes fishery and ecosystem. It wasn’t until the discovery of TFM, a chemical that selectively kills lamprey, that numbers decreased.
The population of sea lamprey is now 90% lower than what it was at its peak. But because lamprey can lay up to 100,000 eggs, that success is tenuous. Said Seilheimer, “If you take your foot off the gas, you see lamprey numbers increase.” Continuous management is required to keep the population in check.
The exhibit is a reminder of how humans have shaped and continue to shape the Great Lakes ecosystem. Said Cullen, “I hope [visitors] have a sense of responsibility when they leave that how they behave in the Great Lakes basin affects others.”
“Attack of the Sea Lampreys” at the Wisconsin Maritime Museum is now open to the public.
The post New exhibit at Wisconsin Maritime Museum showcases history and management of sea lamprey in the Great Lakes first appeared on Wisconsin Sea Grant.News Releases | Wisconsin Sea Grant
News Releases | Wisconsin Sea Grant
https://www.seagrant.wisc.edu/news/new-exhibit-at-wisconsin-maritime-museum-showcases-history-and-management-of-sea-lamprey-in-the-great-lakes/?utm_source=rss&utm_medium=rss&utm_campaign=new-exhibit-at-wisconsin-maritime-museum-showcases-history-and-management-of-sea-lamprey-in-the-great-lakes
Some great news if you love water, music, and great company. The De Pere and Little Kaukauna locks will be open extended hours on Tuesdays this summer for two community music festivals.
The Little Kaukauna lock will be open until 9:30 p.m. on June 27, July 11, July 25, August 8, and August 22 for Wrightstown’s Tunes on Tuesdays concerts. For more info, please visit https://www.foxcities.org/events/tunes-on-tuesday/ .
Also on Tuesdays, the De Pere lock will be open until 9:30 for Knights on the Fox, the free community concert at St. Norbert College. The concerts are on July 11, July 18, July 25, August 1, and August 8. Boaters can take in the fun from the water, or dock at the Thompson Marina on campus. For more information, please visit https://www.snc.edu/community/communityprograms/kotf.html
Blog – Fox Locks
https://foxlocks.org/blog/boat-to-the-beat/
A community fights for a cleaner future, creatively tackling food waste, and The Catch.
Great Lakes Now
https://www.greatlakesnow.org/2023/06/a-better-future-episode-2306/
Every year, tens of thousands of Wisconsinites and visitors take to the water in early July to celebrate summer and the 4th of July, the state’s busiest boating holiday. Starting this summer, our long running Clean Boats Clean Waters Landing Blitz has been fulling incorporated into the Great Lakes Landing Blitz, joining all of the Great Lakes states and provinces in the effort to educate boaters that simple clean up steps and draining water from the boat and live wells can help to prevent the spread of aquatic invasive species (AIS).
In Wisconsin, from June 30-July 9, many boaters will be greeted at landings and access points by volunteers and regional aquatic invasive species prevention partners sharing the simple but powerful message: YOU can protect lakes and rivers form aquatic invasive species impacts. Clean Boats Clean Waters boat inspectors
will give out a brand new red, white, and blue boat trailer sticker with a boat graphic showing people all the places where plants, tiny animals and potentially contaminated water can hide.
“It only takes a minute to remove plants, animals, mud or debris from boats, trailers and equipment and to drain all water from bilges, livewells and bait buckets,” said Erin McFarlane, the Statewide CBCW Educator with Extension Lakes. “These simple steps help keep invasive species from hitching a ride from one lake or river to another.”
Do your part to keep Wisconsin waters healthy and stop the spread of AIS by following these easy steps:
Following these steps helps boaters comply with Wisconsin state law which prohibits the transport of aquatic invasive species. To learn more about invasive species and their impacts to Wisconsin’s waters and economy, visit the DNR’s Aquatic Invasive Species Efforts webpage.
Photo Credit: Alyssa Reinke (FWWA)
Questions? Comments? Contact Chris Acy, the AIS Coordinator covering Brown, Outagamie, Fond du Lac, Calumet, and Winnebago Counties at (920) 460-3674 or chris@fwwa.org!
Follow the Fox Wolf Watershed Alliance’s Winnebago Waterways Program on our Winnebago Waterways Facebook page or @WinnWaterways on Twitter! You can also sign-up for email updates at WinnebagoWaterways.org.
Winnebago Waterways is a Fox-Wolf Watershed Alliance program. The Fox-Wolf Watershed Alliance is an independent nonprofit organization that identifies and advocates effective policies and actions that protect, restore, and sustain water resources in the Fox-Wolf River Basin.
Check out the Keepers of the Fox Program at https://fwwa.org/watershed-recovery/lower-fox-recovery/
Reporting invasive species is a first step in containing their spread. Maintaining and restoring our waters and landscapes can reduce the impacts even when we don’t have other management options to an invasive species.
The post Ready for the Blitz? 2023 Great Lakes Landing Blitz June 29-July 9 appeared first on Fox-Wolf Watershed Alliance.
Fox-Wolf Watershed Alliance
https://fwwa.org/2023/06/20/ready-for-the-blitz-2023-great-lakes-landing-blitz-june-29-july-9/?utm_source=rss&utm_medium=rss&utm_campaign=ready-for-the-blitz-2023-great-lakes-landing-blitz-june-29-july-9
PFAS, short for per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances, are a group of widespread man-made chemicals that don’t break down in the environment or the human body and have been flagged as a major contaminant in sources of water across the country.
Keep up with PFAS-related developments in the Great Lakes area.
Great Lakes Now
https://www.greatlakesnow.org/2023/06/pfas-news-roundup-everyday-items-found-contaminated-pfas-removal-minnesota-estimated-billions/
U.S. District Judge William Conley has ordered Canadian energy company Enbridge to shutter portions of an oil pipeline that runs through Bad River Band land in Wisconsin within three years and to pay the tribe nearly $5.2 million for trespassing plus a portion of its profits until the shutdown is completed. Read the full story by Reuters.
Great Lakes Commission
https://www.glc.org/dailynews/20230619-pipeline-ruling
The Supreme Court’s recent ruling to significantly reduce Clean Water Act wetlands protections has caused alarm among environmental advocates who fear it will endanger crucial habitats and human health and safety. Michigan’s wetlands may fare better than other states because of strong state regulations, including part 303 of Michigan’s Natural Resources and Environmental Protection Act that regulates wetlands not covered by federal law. Read the full story by Planet Detroit.
Great Lakes Commission
https://www.glc.org/dailynews/20230619-wetland-protections
On Friday, Drew Gronewald, an associate professor with the School for Environment and Sustainability at the University of Michigan, delivered his annual presentation on the current state of Great Lakes water levels. After a couple years of record highs, followed by a marked dip, Lake Michigan-Huron in 2023 is relatively unchanged from 2022; however, two factors that influence lake levels, evaporation and precipitation, are increasing in intensity. Read the full story by WTTW-TV – Chicago, IL.
Great Lakes Commission
https://www.glc.org/dailynews/20230619-water-levels
The Lincoln Township Beach on Lake Michigan in Stevensville, Michigan, has been closed for almost three years after high water levels in 2019 made for unfit parking conditions and eroded half of the parking lot and pavilion. In an effort to save one of its only public beaches, Stevensville city officials say they’re putting together plans to revive it. Read the full story by WNDU-TV – South Bend, IN.
Great Lakes Commission
https://www.glc.org/dailynews/20230619-beach-restoration
After years of leasing Lady Michigan to the Friends of the Thunder Bay National Marine Sanctuary for the shipwreck excursions, the owner of the boat decided not to lease it any longer and intended to move it to another location or sell it. On Thursday, Alpena developer Jeff Konczak announced that he and his wife, Tina, purchased the Lady Michigan, ensuring its long-term future in Alpena. Read the full story by The Alpena News.
Great Lakes Commission
https://www.glc.org/dailynews/20230619-shipwreck-boat-sale
The New York State Department of Environmental Conservation has made awards ranging from $25,000 to $50,000 available for local communities to restore and protect water quality in the Finger Lakes watershed. The grants are supported by the state’s Environmental Protection Fund and administered through the DEC’s Finger Lakes Watershed Grant Program. Read the full story by Finger Lakes Times.
Great Lakes Commission
https://www.glc.org/dailynews/20230619-water-quality-grants
On May 18, the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) announced that the Lake Erie Quadrangle was officially under consideration for designation as a National Marine Sanctuary. This nomination has been in the works since 2015 and has the potential to transform Erie, Pennsylvania, economically and environmentally. Read the full story by The Erie Reader.
Great Lakes Commission
https://www.glc.org/dailynews/20230619-sanctuary-designation
The Viking Polaris arrived Friday in Algoma, Wisconsin, making its only stop in the state on the ship’s 15-day Great Lakes excursion tour between Duluth and Toronto. Since last fall, the community has been preparing for passengers on the city’s first cruise ship and those that will come on the eight other ships of the summer. Read the full story by WLUK-TV – Green Bay, WI.
Great Lakes Commission
https://www.glc.org/dailynews/20230619-cruise-stop
The Front Range Lighthouse in downtown Cheboygan, Michigan, has been an active aid to navigation since it was built in 1880. Now owned by the Great Lakes Lighthouse Keepers Association (GLLKA), the lighthouse is being restored to the 1940s time period, when bright red daymarks were added to the tower. Read the full story by Cheboygan Daily Tribune.
Great Lakes Commission
https://www.glc.org/dailynews/20230619-lighthouse-restoration
An iconic fixture on the Welland Canal in Port Colborne’s north end, the former Robin Hood Multifoods flour mill has a new owner who has plans to keep the existing workforce and expand the facility. London Agricultural Commodities (LAC) recently announced the purchase of Ceres Global Ag’s Port Colborne terminal (formerly Robin Hood) for $4 million (U.S.). Read the full story by the St. Catharines Standard.
Great Lakes Commission
https://www.glc.org/dailynews/20230619-grain-elevator-ownership
I Speak for the Fish is a monthly column written by Great Lakes Now Contributor Kathy Johnson, coming out the third Monday of each month. Publishing the author’s views and assertions does not represent endorsement by Great Lakes Now or Detroit Public Television.
Great Lakes Now
https://www.greatlakesnow.org/2023/06/i-speak-for-the-fish-searching-elusive-sculpin/
This article was republished here with permission from Great Lakes Echo.
By Jack Armstrong, Great Lakes Echo
NASA’s new satellite is a huge upgrade for measuring Earth’s surface water that could help scientists. It’s like swapping out your old iPhone for a new model with a better camera, and it could help us better understand the Great Lakes.
Great Lakes Now
https://www.greatlakesnow.org/2023/06/new-nasa-satellite-helps-scientists-understand-great-lakes/
A staggering 70 percent of children in Detroit have little to no swimming experience.
The post Free swim lessons part of larger Michigan effort to reduce drownings first appeared on Great Lakes Echo.Great Lakes Echo
http://greatlakesecho.org/2023/06/19/free-swim-lessons-part-of-larger-michigan-effort-to-reduce-drownings/
Green Bay, WI
https://www.weather.gov/www.weather.gov/grb/061522_severe_event
Green Bay, WI
https://www.weather.gov/www.weather.gov/grb/061522_severe_event
This article was republished here with permission from Planet Detroit.
By Brian Allnutt, Planet Detroit
The Supreme Court’s recent ruling to significantly reduce Clean Water Act wetlands protections has caused alarm among environmental advocates who fear it will endanger crucial habitats and human health and safety.
Great Lakes Now
https://www.greatlakesnow.org/2023/06/what-does-the-supreme-courts-wetland-ruling-mean-for-michigan/
Teachers in the Lake Ontario region have a chance to board an EPA research vessel for a week on the lake. Read the full story by WWNY – TV – Watertown, NY.
Great Lakes Commission
https://www.glc.org/dailynews/20230616-great-lakes-education
Great Lakes shipping is down slightly through the end of May as compared to the same time last year. Read the full story by The Times of Northwest Indiana.
Great Lakes Commission
https://www.glc.org/dailynews/20230616-shipping
Mayflies have begun to emerge in the western Lake Erie basin. Read the full story by WJBK – TV – Detroit, MI.
Great Lakes Commission
https://www.glc.org/dailynews/20230616-mayflies
Invasive, parasitic sea lampreys continue to hunt and kill Lake Superior fish above the levels biologists would like to see, especially after the COVID-19 pandemic caused parts of two summer seasons to be lost in the never-ending battle against the eel-like creatures. Read the full story by the Duluth News Tribune.
Great Lakes Commission
https://www.glc.org/dailynews/20230616-lampreys
Gray wolves are thriving at Isle Royale National Park five years after authorities began a last-ditch attempt to prevent the species from dying out on the Lake Superior island chain, scientists said Wednesday. Read the full story by the Associated Press.
Great Lakes Commission
https://www.glc.org/dailynews/20230616-wolves
The University of Minnesota – Duluth Natural Resources Research Institute has partnered with Lake Superior National Estuarine Research Reserve to take over 300 water samples from eight different locations in the St. Louis River estuary. Read the full story by WDIO – TV – Duluth, MN.
Great Lakes Commission
https://www.glc.org/dailynews/20230616-st-louis-river
