The International Joint Commission reported that Lake Michigan is in fair condition, meaning the health of the lake has not worsened but does not show signs of improvement either. Read the full story by WUWM – Milwaukee, WI.
Great Lakes Commission
https://www.glc.org/dailynews/20221118-lake-michigan-health
Less than 45 miles northwest of Northport and 16 miles southwest of Lake Michigan’s Gull Island lie the remains of the Great Lakes freighter the Carl D. Bradley. The freighter broke apart in 40-foot waves 64 years ago today. Read the full story by The Alpena News.
Great Lakes Commission
https://www.glc.org/dailynews/20221118-carl-d-bradley
The Indiana Department of Natural Resources will increase Chinook salmon stocked in Lake Michigan by 50,000 starting in spring 2023, per Lake Michigan Committee agreement. Read the full story by KPC News.
Great Lakes Commission
https://www.glc.org/dailynews/20221118-salmon-stocking
An Indiana man pleaded guilty and was ordered to pay $10,500 in restitution after illegally importing 2,600 pounds of live channel catfish into Illinois. Read the full story by The Southern Illinoisan.
Great Lakes Commission
https://www.glc.org/dailynews/20221118-dumping-catfish
By Matthew Daly, Associated Press
WASHINGTON (AP) — In a major action to address toxic wastewater from coal-fired power plants, the Environmental Protection Agency on Friday ordered an Ohio utility to stop dumping dangerous coal ash into unlined storage ponds and speed cleanup of the site.
The order to the Gen.
Great Lakes Now
https://www.greatlakesnow.org/2022/11/ap-epa-orders-ohio-power-plant-stop-dumping-coal-ash/
It’s back to the drawing board for scientists trying to come up with an accurate forecasting model for the annual harmful algal bloom in western Lake Erie. For the second year in a row, the severity of the bloom has been underestimated. Read the full story by the Sandusky Register.
Great Lakes Commission
https://www.glc.org/dailynews/20221118-algal-bloom
The U.S. and Ohio Environmental Protection Agencies, along with the U.S. Department of Justice, entered into consent decrees with two Northeast Ohio communities, mandating cities make modernizing repairs to their sewer systems to address sewer overflows into Lake Erie and Rocky River in Lakewood, and the Black River in Elyria, and bring both cities sewer systems into compliance with the Clean Water Act. Read and listen to the full story by WKSU – Kent, OH.
Great Lakes Commission
https://www.glc.org/dailynews/20221118-sewer-updates
Moxley Wildlife Area on Lake Erie’s Sandusky Bay, recently expanded by 99 acres after a donation by Ducks Unlimited, reports the Ohio Division of Wildlife, and increases the existing public wetland complex along Sandusky Bay. Read the full story by The Beacon.
Great Lakes Commission
https://www.glc.org/dailynews/20221118-sandusky-bay
Current Watches, Warnings and Advisories for Brown (WIC009) Wisconsin Issued by the National Weather Service
https://alerts.weather.gov/cap/wwacapget.php?x=WI126418902F20.SpecialWeatherStatement.126418909C80WI.GRBSPSGRB.3b84abab2a0e5f76f50745403b6c3daf
New York voters passed a $4.2 billion proposal on Election Day for water drinking protection, pollution mitigation, land conservation, waste management and other environmental projects.
The post New Yorkers approved $4.2 billion bond to prepare for climate change first appeared on Great Lakes Echo.Great Lakes Echo
http://greatlakesecho.org/2022/11/18/new-yorkers-approved-4-2-billion-bond-to-prepare-for-climate-change/
The Keweenaw Mountain Lodge in Michigan’s Upper Peninsula has been accepted into the International Dark-Sky Association, the third dark sky park in the state. Such areas are becoming more popular in the United States as people become more interested in ecotourism experiences.
The post Northern Michigan resort promotes dark skies first appeared on Great Lakes Echo.Great Lakes Echo
http://greatlakesecho.org/2022/11/18/northern-michigan-resort-promotes-dark-skies/
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/2022/11/uncertainty-michigan-rivers-residents-consumers-reconsiders-13-dams/
Current Watches, Warnings and Advisories for Brown (WIC009) Wisconsin Issued by the National Weather Service
https://alerts.weather.gov/cap/wwacapget.php?x=WI12641881D1C8.SpecialWeatherStatement.126418826BB0WI.GRBSPSGRB.cdc1ff113f80474f83c6e7685b61e187
Ask Jim Lubner about his 33-year career as a boating safety and education outreach specialist at Wisconsin Sea Grant (and what lead to those years), and he’ll tell you about Lake Michigan.
“Living in the Bay View area of Milwaukee, I’m never very far from Lake Michigan. I see it on a regular basis and spend many hours each year on its waters as well. I consider it very special and am always reminded of the significant part it has played in my life and that of my family. I’m thankful for all of those people, experiences and opportunities,” he said.
He grew up on a farm in Sheboygan County, which borders Lake Michigan, spending his high school and college years in Catholic school and the seminary. He enjoyed fishing in Lake Michigan and in the fairly large lake across the neighbor’s field using a small aluminum boat you could throw in the back of the pickup truck.
While fishing continued to hold its appeal, Lubner realized the seminary wasn’t the right direction for him and he secured a position at a Catholic middle school, teaching science and math for three years. It may not have been his ideal job.
“I won’t say that I was necessarily good at it, but it was an early opportunity to get involved in education. In the back of my mind I really knew that if I was going to shift away from the seminary that I was going to pursue education, likely in the sciences,” he said.
And pursue education he did. Lubner received a master’s degree in zoology and a Ph.D. in biological sciences from the University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee. He became a teaching assistant during his master’s program, as most graduate students do, until another student suggested he find a program with the resources to support him in other ways. The Center for Great Lakes Studies was the only program that came to mind, and Lubner secured a position there.
During a graduate student seminar at the Center for Great Lakes Studies, Lubner was approached by a Ph.D. student with ship time who was studying pelagic zooplankton. He proposed that Lubner take on studying the benthos, allowing them to share the work of collecting samples and the ship time. Sea Grant was funding that project and Lubner joined right in.
Sea Grant was funding some projects that supported his master’s degree, and he was encouraged to submit a proposal for his Ph.D. project, which was funded for several years.
Lubner assumed he was headed for the classic tenure-track academic position, but nothing seemed to fit. When a position became available at Sea Grant, he decided to give it a try.
“Opportunities present themselves and sometimes you take a leap,” he said. “I have no idea what the heck I’m doing, but sometimes, it turns into something that maybe soon or maybe way far down the road and you say, ‘Geez, I’m glad I did that.’”
That opportunity turned into a 33-year career at Sea Grant, specializing in boating safety and, most of the time, education, even including an adjunct faculty position.
An early emphasis of the job was boating safety. Kim Bro (the Sea Grant field agent in the Lake Superior office) suggested partnering with an established organization with a solid track record, so Lubner joined the U.S. Coast Guard Auxiliary in 1979. He taught courses in boating safety to several thousand adults and young people and continues his membership in the Coast Guard Auxiliary to this day.
Over the course of working with the Coast Guard, Lubner started a pilot program for charter boat operators to help them with licensing and other requirements and wrote up a guidebook published by Sea Grant. Today there is a national-level program for charter boat captains (not as a direct result of the earlier program) that Lubner remains involved with.
Another long-lasting relationship resulted from an invitation to join the local emergency planning committee, which oversees the planning for spills of hazardous materials within a county. He’s been on that committee in Milwaukee county for 32 years.
For the education side of the position, there was a project already underway in Milwaukee when Lubner first accepted the job in 1977. The project focused on kids in Milwaukee and was funded by Sea Grant and led by a professor from the UW-Milwaukee Department of Curriculum and Instruction along with a UW Extension staff member with close ties to the inner city community in Milwaukee. The program ran its course, but it gave Lubner an inroad that turned into an adjunct position in the School of Education, Department of Curriculum and Instruction.
Then the Reagan era arrived, and many entities shifted their focus away from education. The same was true for Sea Grant’s national priorities. At one point Lubner received a letter from Bob Ragotzkie, the Sea Grant director at that time, stating very clearly that education was no longer in his job description.
Lubner said, “It is to his everlasting credit that Al Miller [the Sea Grant assistant director of outreach at the time] found creative ways to involve me in education, knowing full well that it was officially not my job description.”
As the interest in education projects started to rise again with a different administration, Lubner discovered that what the program needed was not better education proposals to biennial Sea Grant competitions but a better review process. Education projects can’t be evaluated fairly using the same criteria as research project.
Lubner with students at an education event in 2006.
Lubner said, “When you ticked off the boxes that a reviewer would tick off (related to an education proposal), there weren’t enough science boxes. So even if it was a good proposal, it didn’t rate as high as the science proposals.” He set to work creating a review process for education projects that resulted in the funding of many successful education projects.
In addition to his boating safety work and his role as education coordinator, Lubner served as an adjunct professor, largely teaching middle and high school teachers about Great Lakes, ocean and climate topics. He described two-week teacher trainings as “the most exhausting and exhilarating experience I ever had.”
In addition to his work as a Sea Grant educator, Lubner also taught a course called “Environmental Education for Teachers” at UW-Milwaukee that was a requirement for teacher certification in Wisconsin. The teachers who enrolled primarily taught middle school, but then UW-Milwaukee’s approach to teacher certification changed, resulting in more early-childhood majors appearing in his classes.
He was rather dismayed with this development, saying that they “scared the heck out of me because I didn’t really know anything about early-childhood educational principles and practices.”
He soon realized that he loved the enthusiasm and dedication of these teachers and the way their energy and knowledge influenced the interests of the kids. “Early childhood is really just about awareness,” he said. “It’s helping them make the connection they can make at that level so that five years from now, 10 years from now, the teacher in the classroom can help them make a higher-level connection.”
Lubner in 2011
Starting environmental education early can make all the difference. Lubner said, “I remember one young teacher who said, ‘I teach kindergarten. What can I do?’ And one of the other teachers looked at her and said, ‘I’m a middle-school teacher, and what you do for those young kids, that sets the tone for what they are by the time they get to me.’”
As Lubner looks back at what changed over the span of his career, he noted a couple of changes that have benefited education—an increased emphasis on accountability and an increase in enthusiasm for outreach. As government budgets became tighter, officials wanted to be sure their dollars were having the most impact. How can you ensure that the research you’re funding has a real-world impact? Outreach and education became important aspects of that accountability.
Lubner said, “When I was working, except for the last number of years, scientists did their work and assumed that somebody would recognize the value for policy decisions down the road. Then finally somebody figured out if we don’t get policy experts in there who can tell the political decision makers what the benefits are for their constituents and make these social connections, they won’t care about the science, no matter how good it is.”
He went on to explain that Sea Grant has always tried to serve as a bridge between scientists and the general public, and in the early days it was one of a very few organizations serving that purpose. He’s found that younger scientists seem to have more of a desire to reach out and get their message across to a wider audience, and he thinks the work that Sea Grant has done helped lay the foundation.
“To some extent we can take credit for showing the importance of [outreach]. It adds to the number of people who are actually doing it, which is a good thing,” he said.
In addition to his enduring roles at the U.S. Coast Guard Auxiliary and the local emergency planning committee, Lubner is well known for his work with the Lake Sturgeon Bowl. He brought the competition to Milwaukee—somewhat by accident. A group from the National Ocean Sciences Bowl requested a meeting with J. Val Klump, formerly associate dean of the School of Freshwater Sciences. Klump was unable to attend and asked Lubner to attend instead. Lubner, Klump and UW-Milwaukee formed a strong partnership with the national organization and created the Lake Sturgeon Bowl. The program allowed Lubner to work closely with the Bowl’s regional coordinators. He finished his Sea Grant career working with Liz Sutton of the School of Freshwater Sciences, regional coordinator for the Bowl, and he continues volunteer work with outreach and education activities in his retirement.
“I still have an office at the School of Freshwater Sciences, so when I do a tour, I tell people I’ve had an office in that building since 1977. They haven’t thrown me out yet,” he said.
The post A Lifetime of Education—Retired Outreach Specialist James Lubner first appeared on Wisconsin Sea Grant.News Releases | Wisconsin Sea Grant
News Releases | Wisconsin Sea Grant
https://www.seagrant.wisc.edu/news/a-lifetime-of-education-retired-outreach-specialist-james-lubner/?utm_source=rss&utm_medium=rss&utm_campaign=a-lifetime-of-education-retired-outreach-specialist-james-lubner
Image courtesy of Zazzle.com
Gov. Tony Evers announced “Wisconsin Waters” as the theme for the 2022 state capitol holiday tree and invited students to contribute handmade ornaments celebrating what Wisconsin’s waterways mean to them.
“From the first Indigenous people who hunted and gathered in our freshwater sources before Wisconsin became a state, to our farmers who have been the backbone of our economy for generations, to our proud maritime and shipbuilding history, to our outdoor recreators and anglers hoping to hook one of our mammoth lake sturgeon and muskies, water has always been essential for our way of life here in Wisconsin,” wrote Gov. Evers in a letter sent to students and educators. “So, when it comes to our waterways, we’ve got a lot to celebrate—and that means we have a lot to protect, too!”
The capitol holiday tree is displayed in the rotunda of the Wisconsin State Capitol throughout the holiday season and serves as a centerpiece of festivity for those visiting and working at the Capitol Building. Each year, the tree is decorated with handmade ornaments from kids, students, and families from every corner of the state. This year, students are encouraged to explore Wisconsin’s waterways for inspiration, including the wildlife that call the state’s waterways home, Wisconsin’s rich maritime history, and the recreational and outdoor activities enjoyed by Wisconsinites across the state, like fishing and boating.
All students and families are welcome to submit ornaments celebrating “Wisconsin Waters” and should mail ornaments by Tues., Nov. 22, 2022, to:
Emily Gorman
Wisconsin Department of Administration
Division of Facilities and Transportation Services
17 West Main Street, Suite 119
Madison, WI 53703
Students are asked to make ornaments from non-breakable material. They must be strong enough to hold up during shipping and to be handled while the tree is being decorated. It is recommended students do not use fragile items or paper cutouts that may tear easily and that ornaments are 4-6 inches in size and are made from a color that contrasts with the color of the tree so they can easily be seen and enjoyed by all visitors. Please attach a ten-inch loop of ribbon or string from which each ornament will hang.
If you have any questions about an ornament, please contact the Facilities Management Information Center at (608) 266-1485. Please note that ornaments will not be returned.
The post Gov. Evers Announces invites students and families to create ornaments celebrating “Wisconsin Waters” for state capital holiday tree first appeared on Wisconsin Sea Grant.Blog | Wisconsin Sea Grant
https://www.seagrant.wisc.edu/blog/gov-evers-announces-invites-students-and-families-to-create-ornaments-celebrating-wisconsin-waters-for-state-capital-holiday-tree/?utm_source=rss&utm_medium=rss&utm_campaign=gov-evers-announces-invites-students-and-families-to-create-ornaments-celebrating-wisconsin-waters-for-state-capital-holiday-tree
Election day was a little more than a week ago. Seven of the eight Great Lakes states had gubernatorial elections. Six had U.S. Senate races on the ballot. All seats in the U.S. House of Representatives were up for election. And numerous state and local offices were on ballots.
Joel Brammeier, the Alliance’s President & CEO, and Don Jodrey, our Director of Director of Federal Relations, explain what the midterm election results mean for the Great Lakes. To hear more, listen to our Lakes Chat post-election podcast.
Q: How did things change for the Great Lakes?
A: There are 28 new members of Congress representing Great Lakes residents. Two of them are senators – Republican J.D. Vance in Ohio, and Democrat John Fetterman in Pennsylvania. The other 26 are representatives – 11 Democrats and 15 Republicans. Most Great Lakes incumbents who ran were re-elected.
Q: What Great Lakes issues will the new Congress need to tackle next year?
A: Annual spending bills. We’ll be looking for Congress to address additional investments in water infrastructure, the Great Lakes Restoration Initiative, and all the other federal programs that the Alliance for the Great Lakes supports.
The Farm Bill. This is important for the Great Lakes because it deals with federal support for programs that can reduce agricultural runoff in Lake Erie and other Great Lakes waters. The Farm Bill comes up for renewal only once every five years.
Q: On a national level, it was a very close race. Democrats kept control of the Senate, with one more seat to be decided by a December runoff in Georgia. Republicans have taken control of the House. How will the new makeup of Congress affect the Great Lakes?
A: “Having the majority in the House or the Senate really does matter. It allows you to set the legislative agenda. It allows you to decide which bills are debated and come up for a vote. It allows you to determine the makeup of the committees, and the committees write the legislation for the Congress to consider. The bills that tend to go forward are bills that have originated in the committee structure.”
~ Don Jodrey, the Alliance’s Director of Federal Relations
Q: How did things change for the Great Lakes?
A: Josh Shapiro, a Democrat, was elected to fill the open seat for governor in Pennsylvania. Incumbents won re-election in Illinois (J.B. Pritzker), Michigan (Gretchen Whitmer), Minnesota (Tim Walz), New York (Kathy Hochul), Ohio (Mike DeWine), and Wisconsin (Tony Evers).
Q: What Great Lakes issues will individual states tackle next year?
A: “Governor DeWine in Ohio has been focused on agriculture issues in a big way. The biggest source of Lake Erie’s agricultural pollution is in Ohio. I think you’ll see a renewed push for follow-through on the pollution diet that’s being written for Lake Erie in Ohio.
“Governor Whitmer in Michigan has an emphasis on dealing with that state’s water infrastructure challenges. Governor Evers in Wisconsin has focused on issues around water infrastructure and agriculture.
“In all the Great Lakes states, we’re seeing a major investment in water infrastructure that’s been unseen since the seventies. But there’s a lot of work to do over the next four years to make sure that those funds go to where they’re needed most. All the states need to be really smart and strategic about how to get the best clean water outcomes for the largest number of people, and make sure that communities that have been disinvested in for decades, get the support that they need.”
~ Joel Brammeier, the Alliance’s President & CEO
Q: Great Lakes states have a long history of bipartisan cooperation across the region. What issues will the states need to work on together?
A: Stopping invasive carp. The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers has begun designing a critical project in Illinois to stop invasive carp from reaching Lake Michigan. The first year of construction will be covered by federal funds, but there will need to be some agreements on how to pay for the local share of later construction across state lines. Governors Whitmer and Pritzker will need to continue working together to ensure that this project, which is a priority for both states, actually gets the funding it needs.
Maintaining the Great Lakes Compact. The Compact is the state-level law that governs how Great Lakes water can be used. It makes very limited exceptions for water to be diverted and returned to the Great Lakes. All Great Lakes governors need to work together to maintain the integrity of the Compact.
In New York State, voters approved a $4.2 billion environmental bond act. In Cook County, Illinois, where Chicago is located, voters approved an increased tax levy to support the local forest preserves. Each measure passed by a wide margin – about two out of three voters were in support.
Q; In an era where everything seems so divided, when environmental issues stand alone on a ballot, they seem to be pretty successful. Why do you think that’s the case?
A: “Voters understand that a good environment leads to healthy people, healthy families, healthy neighbors and a good quality of life. They’re willing to invest in something that’s going to help their community, improve their own health, and protect clean water and clean air for generations to come.” ~ Joel Brammeier, the Alliance’s President & CEO
“Environmental investments are also investments in a robust economy and a growing economy. I think people realize that, and that’s why they’re willing to make them. You can have a healthy environment and a healthy economy. Actually investing in the environment is a good economic base, and pays good economic dividends,” ~ Don Jodrey, the Alliance’s Director of Federal Relations
Note: The Alliance for the Great Lakes is a 501(c)3 nonprofit organization, which means that we cannot and do not endorse candidates for office. However, we can – and do – educate candidates about Great Lakes issues.
The post What the 2022 Midterms Mean for the Great Lakes appeared first on Alliance for the Great Lakes.
News - Alliance for the Great Lakes
News - Alliance for the Great Lakes
https://greatlakes.org/2022/11/what-the-2022-midterms-mean-for-the-great-lakes/
The Alliance for the Great Lakes has been awarded two top charitable ratings in recognition of the organization’s financial health, accountability, and transparency.
Charity Navigator, America’s largest independent charity evaluator, awarded the Alliance for the Great Lakes a top Four-Star Rating. Charity Navigator analyzes nonprofit performance based on four key indicators, referred to as beacons. Currently, nonprofits can earn scores for the Impact & Results, Accountability & Finance, Culture & Community, and Leadership & Adaptability beacons. This rating designates the Alliance as an official “Give with Confidence” charity, indicating that our organization is using its donations effectively based on Charity Navigator’s criteria.
Guidestar, the worlds’ largest source of nonprofit information, awarded the Alliance for the Great Lakes the Platinum Seal of Transparency, the highest level of recognition. The award recognizes organizations with a high level of fiscal and programmatic accountability and transparency.
These ratings demonstrate the Alliance’s commitment to responsible and careful stewardship of financial donations to ensure the biggest impact for the Great Lakes. We are truly grateful for every supporter who entrusts us with their donation to protect the Great Lakes, our region’s most precious resource.
The post Alliance Earns Two Top Charity Ratings; Charity Navigator Four-Star Rating and Guidestar’s Platinum Seal of Transparency appeared first on Alliance for the Great Lakes.
News - Alliance for the Great Lakes
News - Alliance for the Great Lakes
https://greatlakes.org/2022/11/alliance-earns-two-top-charity-ratings-charity-navigator-four-star-rating-and-guidestars-platinum-seal-of-transparency/
The research collaboration among the Medical College of Wisconsin, the Inter-Tribal Council of Michigan and the Chippewa Ottawa Resource Authority in Sault Ste. Marie, Michigan has demonstrated how an advisory program designed for the Anishinaabe is a useful tool for tracking fish consumption in Great Lakes tribes.
The post Study shows value of culturally appropriate environmental health resources first appeared on Great Lakes Echo.Great Lakes Echo
http://greatlakesecho.org/2022/11/17/study-shows-value-of-culturally-appropriate-environmental-health-resources/
Attorney general candidates backed by environmental groups claimed the majority of seats in Great Lakes state elections. Attorney generals play an important role in litigation over environmental policy and regulations, climate and enforcement of state environmental laws.
The post A win for environmental groups in state attorney general races first appeared on Great Lakes Echo.Great Lakes Echo
http://greatlakesecho.org/2022/11/17/a-win-for-environmental-groups-in-state-attorney-general-races/
In the week before Thanksgiving, Wisconsin Sea Grant is considering gratitude. Why are we thankful? 2022 marked a yearlong 50th anniversary commemoration. We have been grateful for the opportunity to provide decades of service to Wisconsin’s coastal communities, promote freshwater learning and contribute research findings to benefit the whole Great Lakes Basin.
A brand-new 50 years video celebrates this past and looks to Great Lakes science for our future through reflections from staff members collected throughout the past 12 months.
A new video celebrates Wisconsin Sea Grant’s 50-year legacy.
“Wisconsin was the first state in the Great Lakes region to develop a Sea Grant program,” said Moira Harrington, Sea Grant’s assistant director for communications. “In a state with a long history of environmental stewardship and the home of such environmental giants as John Muir, Aldo Leopold and the founder of Earth Day, Gaylord Nelson, we are particularly proud to have also embraced the Sea Grant model to use research, education and outreach to better understand, use and protect our globally significant freshwater assets. We’re also proud to share this video that recounts the history.”
The new six-minute video uses archival video to revisit touchpoints such as the 1963 proposal from scientist Athelstan Spilhaus to establish a national Sea Grant College Program, Congress’s adoption of the program in 1966 and ratification of the binational Great Lakes Water Quality Agreement during the Nixon administration.
In vintage footage, the video also depicts unfortunate chapters of the lakes—the arrival of the nonnative sea lamprey and its negative effects on the fishery, pollution shutting down beaches due to open pipes gushing contaminants and nutrient runoff tainting waters.
Nonnative sea lamprey have had an effect on the Great Lakes food web. The video has footage of the fish. Photo by Titus Seilheimer.
The somewhat grainy footage then shifts, giving way to contemporary shots of Sea Grant-funded research and education and extension initiatives. A concluding quote best summarizes what probably all of us could get behind, “I really believe that we need to talk about hope. We have to give people a strong vision of where we want things to do because as soon as we do that we start moving toward it rather than focusing on the negative things that have happened in the past,” Julia Noordyk, water quality and coastal communities specialist said.
The post Wisconsin Sea Grant gratitude for 50 years shines in a new 50th anniversary video first appeared on Wisconsin Sea Grant.
News Releases | Wisconsin Sea Grant
News Releases | Wisconsin Sea Grant
https://www.seagrant.wisc.edu/news/wisconsin-sea-grant-gratitude-for-50-years-shines-in-a-new-50th-anniversary-video/?utm_source=rss&utm_medium=rss&utm_campaign=wisconsin-sea-grant-gratitude-for-50-years-shines-in-a-new-50th-anniversary-video
MONACA, Pa. (AP) — Years in the works, a massive petrochemical refinery in western Pennsylvania fed by the vast natural gas reservoir underneath Appalachia became fully operational Tuesday, oil and gas giant Shell plc said.
The refinery, built on the site of a former zinc smelter along the Ohio River some 30 miles (48 kilometers) northwest of Pittsburgh, will produce 3.5 billion pounds (1.6 billion kilograms) of polyethylene annually when it ramps up to full production by the second half of 2023, Shell said.
Great Lakes Now
https://www.greatlakesnow.org/2022/11/ap-shell-ethane-cracker-starts-up/
Consumers Energy is considering whether to keep its 13 hydropower dams on Michigan rivers. The dams are environmentally and financially costly, and deliver little energy, but their reservoirs are beloved for recreation. The outcome could dramatically alter Michigan’s rivers and surrounding communities. Read the full story by Bridge Michigan.
Great Lakes Commission
https://www.glc.org/dailynews/20221116-hydropower
In Michigan, plans for The Docks development on Muskegon Lake that include a new marina and 240 homes are the subject of a public hearing hosted by the state’s water resources division. Read the full story by MLive.
Great Lakes Commission
https://www.glc.org/dailynews/20221116-thedocks-marina-lakemidevelopment
In Hammond, Indiana, Perch America has stocked Wolf Lake 24 times, adding an estimated 124,000 advanced-growth walleye to the lake over the years. Read the full story by The Times of Northwest Indiana.
Great Lakes Commission
https://www.glc.org/dailynews/20221116-greatlakes-noaaship
Exploring new territory, the commanding officer of the NOAA ship Thomas Jefferson and his crew have discovered multiple shipwrecks on the lakebed of the Great Lakes. The ship surveyed Lake Erie and Lake Ontario last spring for the first time in over 30 years. Read the full story by Great Lakes Echo.
Great Lakes Commission
https://www.glc.org/dailynews/20221116-greatlakes-noaaship
While Great Lakes fish populations are constantly in a state of flux, one species has declined precipitously in the last decade: lake whitefish. But Great Lakes leaders and fisheries managers are looking ahead in planning to do more with less. Read the full story by Great Lakes Now.
Great Lakes Commission
https://www.glc.org/dailynews/20221116-greatlakes-iceland-whitefisheffort
Studying pollution in the St. Lawrence River reveals information about relationships between societies and nature. What changes inside the water as it travels past cities, farms, islands, ports, factories? Read the full story by CBC News.
Great Lakes Commission
https://www.glc.org/dailynews/20221116-water-pollution
Four days after a proposed agreement to improve western Lake Erie management efforts was opened for public comment, the state of Ohio held a webinar on developments with the H2Ohio program that aims to improve water quality. Read the full story by The Toledo Blade.
Great Lakes Commission
https://www.glc.org/dailynews/20221116-h2ohioprogram-fouryears
Agricultural producers and landowners in the Western Lake Erie Basin interested in implementing conservation practices are able to apply for funding through the Tri-State Regional Conservation Partnership Program. The funding opportunity was recently announced by the U.S. Department of Agriculture’s Natural Resources Conservation Service. Read the full story by The Daily Telegram.
Great Lakes Commission
https://www.glc.org/dailynews/20221116-funds-agproducers-nrcs
On Nov. 15, 1938, the James E. McAlpine was in Milwaukee loading cargo. Vintage photographs from the Wisconsin Marine Historical Society and Milwaukee Public Library provide a glimpse into the ship’s history. Read the full story by On Milwaukee.
Great Lakes Commission
https://www.glc.org/dailynews/20221116-portmilwaukee
Great Lakes shipping remains down, depressed by 5.15% so far this year despite an increase in transits. Read the full story by The Times of Northwest Indiana.
Great Lakes Commission
https://www.glc.org/dailynews/20221116-greatlakes-cargo
The Laboratory for Infectious Disease and the Environment (usgs.gov/LIDE) recently launched the Well Water Advisory Forecast study in Northeast Wisconsin.
Wisconsin
http://www.usgs.gov/labs/laboratory-for-infectious-disease-and-the-environment/news/launch-northeast-wisconsin-well?utm_source=comms&utm_medium=rss&utm_campaign=news
Current Watches, Warnings and Advisories for Brown (WIC009) Wisconsin Issued by the National Weather Service
https://alerts.weather.gov/cap/wwacapget.php?x=WI126418718E1C.SpecialWeatherStatement.12641871F0F0WI.GRBSPSGRB.3b77a733acfe35fc01f412b80021d336
Current Watches, Warnings and Advisories for Brown (WIC009) Wisconsin Issued by the National Weather Service
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Current Watches, Warnings and Advisories for Brown (WIC009) Wisconsin Issued by the National Weather Service
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Exploring new territory, the commanding officer of the National Oceanographic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) ship Thomas Jefferson and his crew have discovered multiple shipwrecks on the lakebed of the Great Lakes.
The post What lies on the lakebed of the Great Lakes? NOAA ship conducts survey mission first appeared on Great Lakes Echo.Great Lakes Echo
http://greatlakesecho.org/2022/11/16/what-lies-on-the-lakebed-of-the-great-lakes-noaa-ship-conducts-survey-mission/
Election Day has come and gone, and the results show that green-backed candidates for governor won in six Great Lakes states. They won in Michigan, Wisconsin, Illinois, Minnesota, Pennsylvania and New York, but lost in Ohio. All are Democrats.
The post Green-backed candidates for governor fair well in Great Lakes states first appeared on Great Lakes Echo.Great Lakes Echo
http://greatlakesecho.org/2022/11/16/green-backed-candidates-for-governor-fair-well-in-great-lakes-states/
Current Watches, Warnings and Advisories for Brown (WIC009) Wisconsin Issued by the National Weather Service
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Current Watches, Warnings and Advisories for Brown (WIC009) Wisconsin Issued by the National Weather Service
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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/2022/11/pfas-news-roundup-states-take-on-forever-chemicals-with-bans-and-lawsuits/
While Great Lakes fish populations are constantly in a state of flux, one species has declined precipitously in the last decade: lake whitefish. But Great Lakes leaders and fisheries managers are looking ahead in planning to do more with less.
And in the case of whitefish, a lot more.
Great Lakes Now
https://www.greatlakesnow.org/2022/11/great-lakes-iceland-connection-through-whitefish-effort/
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/2022/11/michiganders-lobby-state-on-possibility-of-a-hunt/
Equity is top of mind for the newest J. Philip Keillor Wisconsin Coastal Management-Sea Grant Fellow, Hannah Paulson. Over the next year, she’ll bring that lens to bear in her efforts at the Wisconsin Department of Administration’s Coastal Management Program (WCMP), where she’s helping communities build their resilience to coastal hazards like bluff erosion and flooding.
Hannah Paulson (submitted photo)
For Paulson, a native of Manitowoc, Wisconsin, thinking about equity and vulnerable populations encompasses many factors. “While there are many ways to define social equity and social vulnerability, for me, it incorporates everything: socioeconomic status, age, accessibility to public areas, historical redlining and exclusionary practices… I want to be as inclusive as possible as we look ahead toward what resilience will mean in Wisconsin.”
During graduate studies at the University of Michigan, Paulson came to see how vulnerable people were sometimes not factored into community planning. Working with five other students in her program, she helped conduct over 50 interviews with coastal leaders in the Great Lakes region on both the U.S. and Canada sides.
Some of those leaders were disconnected from changing demographics in their communities. As a result, said Paulson, underserved populations are “not really incorporated into planning, and it just leads to more issues down the road.”
In many cases, it was limited capacity that hindered local leaders’ ability to factor equity issues into planning. “These are huge issues that require a significant amount of money to address the root cause, and sometimes local leaders don’t have the money or the staff capacity to get grants (to address these problems),” Paulson acknowledged. “Some communities are working with very little resources.”
During her time with WCMP, Paulson’s main project is contributing to the ongoing work on the Coastal Processes Manual. Her mentors there are Kate Angel, Todd Breiby and Lauren Leckwee. She’s also working with Sea Grant Coastal Engineering Specialist Adam Bechle, with whom she’s collaborating on a chapter about erosion and shoreline recession, which covers topics like the physics of bluff erosion.
Although she is interested in potentially working on marine issues someday, an affinity for Great Lakes coastal communities comes naturally to Paulson, who grew up near Lake Michigan. In college, she “came to appreciate how unique the freshwater resources we have here are.”
In addition to equity concerns, Paulson also has a strong interest in nature-based solutions for stabilizing shorelines, such as restoring wetlands and incorporating natural structures to absorb wind and wave action.
Paulson is eager to make the most of the professional development opportunities offered by her Keillor Fellowship year, such as learning more about how state governments and the federal government interact. “I’m seeking out every webinar, every conference and every field experience,” she said, as well as lining up informational interviews to learn more about coastal career paths.
Having started in late August, Paulson is already a couple of months into her fellowship experience. She’s finding it a rewarding way to continue her career development after earning her bachelor’s degree in conservation biology at the University of Wisconsin and master’s in ecosystem science and management at Michigan.
As Paulson summed it up, “Like Emily (Rau, her predecessor in the fellowship), I looked at other fellowship programs and ended up here since the staff is so supportive and so fantastic. They are committed to making sure this is a mutually beneficial experience. I’m already very happy with my choice.”
The post For new Keillor Fellow, social equity is an important element of coastal community resilience first appeared on Wisconsin Sea Grant.News Releases | Wisconsin Sea Grant
News Releases | Wisconsin Sea Grant
https://www.seagrant.wisc.edu/news/for-new-keillor-fellow-social-equity-is-an-important-element/?utm_source=rss&utm_medium=rss&utm_campaign=for-new-keillor-fellow-social-equity-is-an-important-element
As Alliance for the Great Lakes president and CEO, Joel Brammeier oversees all aspects of the organization, leads a team of professionals across five locations, along with a base of more than 15,000 volunteers around the region dedicated to protecting clean water and building a sustainable future for the Great Lakes. Since joining the Alliance in 2001, Joel has become a leading voice on invasive species and water protection issues across the Great Lakes region. He has testified before Congress on invasive species solutions and advises state governors and Canadian provincial premiers on the implementation of the Great Lakes Compact, a binational agreement that ensures Great Lakes water stays in the basin.
As the Director of Federal Relations in Washington, D.C., Don Jodrey represents the Alliance and its federal priorities while building upon and maintaining its relationships with members of Congress, their staff, and federal agencies.
The post 2022 Post Midterm Election Recap – What It Means for the Great Lakes Region appeared first on Alliance for the Great Lakes.
News - Alliance for the Great Lakes
News - Alliance for the Great Lakes
https://greatlakes.org/2022/11/2022-post-midterm-election-recap-what-it-means-for-the-great-lakes-region/
NCEI News Feed
https://www.ncei.noaa.gov/news/global-climate-202210
An aerospace engineering team at the University of Michigan is researching hybrid-electric aircraft to dramatically reduce carbon emissions. The U-M aviation program will follow a design similar to the way hybrid-electric cars use batteries.
The post The future of sustainable aviation could be electric first appeared on Great Lakes Echo.Great Lakes Echo
http://greatlakesecho.org/2022/11/15/the-future-of-sustainable-aviation-could-be-electric/
Election Day was a winning day for many Great Lakes candidates endorsed by environmental groups for U.S. House seats. Among them were Democrats Jonathan Jackson of Illinois, Hillary Scholten of Michigan, Angie Craig of Minnesota and Marcy Kaptur of Ohio.
The post Green groups endorse winners of U.S. House seats in the Great Lakes region first appeared on Great Lakes Echo.Great Lakes Echo
http://greatlakesecho.org/2022/11/15/green-groups-endorse-winners-of-u-s-house-seats-in-the-great-lakes-region/
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:
The Illinois Environmental Protection Agency will make more than $70.6 million in water infrastructure loans to local governments and sanitary districts for the first quarter of Fiscal Year 2023.
Great Lakes Now
https://www.greatlakesnow.org/2022/11/drinking-water-news-roundup-illinois-drinking-water-projects-students-ohio-water-quality-research/
Wisconsin Water Library
https://waterlibrary.aqua.wisc.edu/spotlight-ojibwe-artists/
Script will soon be available for others to use
Actors Neil Brookshire and Cassandra Bissell perform “Me and Debry,” a play about marine debris held at the Door County Public Library in the Donald and Carol Kress Pavilion. Image credit: Marie Zhuikov, Wisconsin Sea Grant
What empowers people to help the environment and rhymes at the same time? Answer: “Me and Debry,” a half-hour, whimsical, audience-participation play about litter (marine debris) in the Great Lakes.
The play had its “world premiere” in Wisconsin’s Door County in October before a full house at the town library in Egg Harbor. Starring in it were two local actors: Cassandra Bissell and Neil Brookshire. They live just two blocks away from the library and the play was for a good cause, so lending their talents to it, “seemed like a no-brainer,” said Bissell.
Brookshire said he was drawn to the play because his father was an environmental economist who specialized in water resources research and his mother worked for the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service. “So, I have a personal family history of being aware of these kinds of issues and information. One of the reasons we live up here is we like nature. We like the water, so we naturally want to do anything we can to spread awareness to keep it clean.”
Wisconsin Sea Grant staff member Julia Noordyk (right) and her family members Ethan (left) and Zander (center) study their script for an audience participation part of the “Me and Debry” play. Image credit: Marie Zhuikov, Wisconsin Sea Grant
The actors described the play, produced by David Daniel with American Players Theater, as an “information play” and their parts as vaudevillian characters who banter with each other to lighten the subject matter and make the information easier for the audience to take in.
“I’m Jerry Bardo Apam Napat Sesquipedalian Cornelius Watershed Dubry,” said Bissell. “And in the vaudevillian act of the duo, I’m the really long-winded talky one. And Neil is…”
“Beck,” Brookshire deadpanned.
“He’s much more to the point and has fewer words,” Bissell said.
Brookshire highlighted the play’s audience participation, which includes prewritten parts for a kayaker, young person, crane and fish. “Any time you involve an audience, people are going to remember better because it wasn’t just something they observed, it was something they participated in.”
The project was led by Wisconsin Sea Grant’s Education Outreach Specialist Ginny Carlton, who described the variety of marine debris. “It’s a solid found in our waters. It’s not perhaps the most common pollutant that you think about when you think of pollution in our waters. It’s not oil slicks on the water. It’s these solid things that can be really tiny – like microplastics – or really big – like derelict fishing vessels.”
Carlton described the performance as “Wonderful. The actors really brought it to life with all the different nuances they added.”
After the play, audience members visited learning stations around the room that featured art and science activities involving marine debris. These included experiments to determine different types of microplastic pollution, a table with information about Milly Zantow, who helped create Wisconsin’s recycling mandate, and a station where people could decorate their own reusable tote bag.
Wisconsin Sea Grant Education Coordinator Anne Moser (center) staffs a water education station that was one of several learning activities available after the play. Image credit: Marie Zhuikov
Carlton said the play will be performed again next spring with the Gilmore Fine Arts Middle School in Racine and that the script will soon be available for other groups to perform.
Besides environmental messages, the play instills a sense of hope and empowerment in the audience.
“Now we know how we can help,” said Brookshire playing his Beck character. “You and I right here can always make a difference.”
“You are the difference,” said Bissell playing her character. “You’re what our watershed needs! One who knows their actions have impacts on the land and the inland sea.”
“If it’s to be, it’s up to me!” said Beck.
“That is the truest creed,” said Jerry Bardo Apam Napat Sesquipedalian Cornelius Watershed Dubry.
“Me and Debry,” (pronounced “debris”) is part of a two-year project funded by Wisconsin Sea Grant with grants from the National Sea Grant College Program, National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration Marine Debris Program, U.S. Department of Commerce, and the state of Wisconsin.
The project, called, “The Play’s the Thing: Using Drama as an Introduction to Marine Debris Prevention and Meaningful Stewardship Experiences” harnesses the power of storytelling to engage, educate and inspire performing artists and community members to be committed stewards of their Great Lakes watershed. In addition to the performance, the project includes marine debris prevention workshops, cleanup events, and public outreach and education activities.
Neil Brookshire and Cassandra Bissell practice their lines before the play. Image credit: Marie Zhuikov
News Releases | Wisconsin Sea Grant
News Releases | Wisconsin Sea Grant
https://www.seagrant.wisc.edu/news/whimsical-marine-debris-play-debuts-in-door-county/?utm_source=rss&utm_medium=rss&utm_campaign=whimsical-marine-debris-play-debuts-in-door-county
