The water around the U.S. Steel plant in Northwest Indiana does not pose a human health risk after a large discharge of iron into Lake Michigan over the weekend, according to state and federal government officials. Read the full story by the Chicago Sun Times.
Great Lakes Commission
https://www.glc.org/dailynews/20211001-iron-spill
About 9 million Chinook and coho salmon eggs will be collected, fertilized and hatched this fall at Michigan weirs to maintain the Great Lakes’ region’s world-class fisheries. Read the full story by MLive.
Great Lakes Commission
https://www.glc.org/dailynews/20211001-salmon
The Detroit River Protection Ordinance was approved Tuesday by the Detroit City Council and goes into effect next July, where companies operating along Detroit’s riverfront will face increased inspections and maintenance rules. Read the full story by The Detroit News.
Great Lakes Commission
https://www.glc.org/dailynews/20211001-detroit-river
Trails that can accommodate strollers, wheelchairs with tank treads, and baby changing stations in men’s bathrooms are part of a push to accommodate a surge of new visitors at Michigan state parks. Read the full story by the Great Lakes Echo.
Great Lakes Commission
https://www.glc.org/dailynews/20211001-michigan-dnr
After several incidents of chemical discharge from the U.S. Steel Midwest plant, including a recent leak this past Sunday, residents and environmentalist are pushing for stricter compliance. Read the full story by WBEZ-TV – Chicago, IL.
Great Lakes Commission
https://www.glc.org/dailynews/20211001-indiana-dunes
Although not as common as the blue-green algae found in the Lake Erie basin, National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration scientists warn that treatment plants should also be on the look out for “yellow water”, which is a result of hypoxic conditions. Read the full story by the Toledo Blade.
Great Lakes Commission
https://www.glc.org/dailynews/20211001-yellow-water
Waterspouts, an atmospheric phenomenon that resembles a tornado-like column of swirling air on water, were spotted on Lake Ontario Wednesday. Read the full story by WHAM-TV – Rochester, NY.
Great Lakes Commission
https://www.glc.org/dailynews/20211001-waterspout
Efforts are underway to encourage future nesting of the federally endangered piping plover, a small migratory shorebird, who makes its home on the sandy beaches of Lake Erie’s Headlands Dunes State Nature Preserve in Lake County, Ohio. Read the full story by WEWS-TV – Cleveland, OH.
Great Lakes Commission
https://www.glc.org/dailynews/20211001-plovers
Current Watches, Warnings and Advisories for Brown (WIC009) Wisconsin Issued by the National Weather Service
https://alerts.weather.gov/cap/wwacapget.php?x=WI1261BD8A45A4.DenseFogAdvisory.1261BD8B4A30WI.GRBNPWGRB.afc0541be0b70121476dcbf129a52611
Trails that can accommodate strollers, wheelchairs with tank treads and baby changing stations in men’s bathrooms are part of a push to accommodate a surge of new visitors at Michigan state parks.
The post Michigan DNR expanding accessibility for more visitors first appeared on Great Lakes Echo.Great Lakes Echo
http://greatlakesecho.org/2021/10/01/michigan-dnr-expanding-accessibility-for-more-visitors/
Current Watches, Warnings and Advisories for Brown (WIC009) Wisconsin Issued by the National Weather Service
https://alerts.weather.gov/cap/wwacapget.php?x=WI1261BD8906E4.DenseFogAdvisory.1261BD8B4A30WI.GRBNPWGRB.6d4734d4757bb77873e1b8ee80fec746
This summary proceedings provides a detailed report on the presentations and discussions that occurred during a 2021 symposium and workshop on exploring science-based strategies for environmental dredging windows in Lake Michigan. The document also includes a discussion of common themes, findings and next steps to inform future work in the area of environmental dredging windows.
Great Lakes Commission
https://www.glc.org/library/2021-env-dredging-windows
MINNEAPOLIS (AP) — Enbridge announced Wednesday that construction on the upgrade of its Line 3 crude oil pipeline across Minnesota is “substantially complete” and that the company will start filling it with oil later this week.
The Canadian-based company’s president and CEO, Al Monaco, said in a statement that the pipeline “will soon deliver the low-cost and reliable energy that people depend on every day.”
The project was completed despite stiff opposition from tribes, environmentalists and others who argued that the 1,097 mile (1,765-kilometer) pipeline — including the 337-mile (542-kilometer) segment across Minnesota — would violate treaty rights, worsen climate change and risk spills in waters where Native Americans harvest wild rice.
Great Lakes Now
https://www.greatlakesnow.org/2021/09/ap-enbridge-line-3-replacement-complete/
LANSING, Mich. (AP) — Gov. Gretchen Whitmer on Wednesday signed off on $55 billion in spending to complete the state budget, hailing the bipartisan bills as an example of finding common ground with Republicans despite partisan tension during the coronavirus pandemic.
“This budget shows that divided government doesn’t have to be dysfunctional government,” the Democrat said at Lansing Community College.
Great Lakes Now
https://www.greatlakesnow.org/2021/09/ap-whitmer-budget-bipartisanship/
This rat snake is a preserved museum specimen with snake fungal disease that was collected in Tennessee in 1973. (Credit: Jeff Lorch, USGS)
Wild snakes are critical to ecosystem health and biodiversity, but snake fungal disease puts some snake populations at risk. Scientists with the U.S. Geological Survey and University of Kentucky examined 524 snake specimens in two museum collections to determine how long snake fungal disease has been in North America. They found evidence of snake fungal disease in specimens dating back to 1945, about 55 years before the disease was first reported in the U.S.
“Our discovery that snake fungal disease was present but undetected for so long suggests that other factors like climate change and environmental conditions may be driving recent outbreaks,” said Jeff Lorch, a USGS scientist and the study’s lead author. “Pinpointing the factors that cause outbreaks can inform management decisions to better protect snake populations.”
Scientists first documented snake fungal disease in wild snakes in North America in 2008. The disease has since been found throughout the eastern U.S. and was detected in Europe. Caused by the fungus Ophidiomyces ophidiicola, snake fungal disease can lead to skin lesions, scabs and crusty scales, which can be deadly for some snakes. Affected species include threatened snakes such as the eastern massasauga rattlesnake, eastern indigo snake and Louisiana pinesnake.
“Natural history museum collections can provide valuable historical samples that could not otherwise be obtained,” said Laura Monahan, Curator of Collections at the University of Wisconsin-Madison Zoological Museum. “Dr. Lorch’s work highlights the modern research that can be done with very old museum specimens.”
The researchers examined preserved snake specimens from the University of Wisconsin Zoological Museum and Morehead State University Museum Collection. They found visual signs of snake fungal disease in 47, or 9%, of the specimens. The scientists further analyzed 12 of those 47 specimens and found microscopic evidence of skin damage in seven samples and DNA from the O. ophidiicola fungus in three samples.
“Our study highlights the importance of examining preserved specimens in museum collections to trace the origin of fungal pathogens like Ophidiomyces ophidiicola,” said Steven Price, an associate professor in the Department of Forestry and Natural Resources at the University of Kentucky College of Agriculture, Food and Environment.
The study is published in the journal Emerging Infectious Diseases. For more information about USGS wildlife disease research, please visit the USGS National Wildlife Health Center website.
These images are examples of snake fungal disease on a broad-banded watersnake. (Credit: USGS)
USGS News: Region 3: Great Lakes Region
USGS News: Region 3: Great Lakes Region
https://www.usgs.gov/news/destructive-snake-disease-discovered-museum-specimens
Ann Arbor, Mich. – The Great Lakes Commission (GLC) announced today that it will award more than $1.5 million in grants to reduce the runoff of sediment, nutrients, and other pollutants into the Great Lakes and their tributaries through the Great Lakes Sediment and Nutrient Reduction Program.
“The Great Lakes Commission is proud to help our state and local communities improve water quality through the Great Lakes Sediment and Nutrient Reduction Program,” said Sharon M. Jackson, chair of the GLC and deputy general counsel to Indiana Governor Eric Holcomb. “This year we are thrilled to celebrate 30 years of conservation efforts and partnerships through this unique program. Over the last three decades, these projects have prevented millions of pounds of phosphorus and tons of sediment from reaching the Great Lakes. Congratulations to the 2021 grantees; your work contributes to a healthy Great Lakes basin.”
Each year, the Great Lakes Sediment and Nutrient Reduction Program provides competitive grants to local, state and tribal governments and nonprofit organizations to install erosion and nutrient control practices in the Great Lakes basin. These practices are important to preventing harmful algal blooms and dead zones. The program supports projects not typically funded by other federal cost-share programs, including innovative and unique practices. The 2021 projects generally focus on three approaches: long-term sediment and nutrient management through engagement with the agricultural community, streambank restoration, and green infrastructure.
The following grants have been awarded:
|
Project |
Grantee |
Amount |
State |
|
St. Joseph Riverbank Stabilization at Riverside Drive |
City of South Bend Department of Public Works – Division of Engineering |
$200,000 |
Indiana |
|
Reintroducing Wetlands to the Pierson Drain |
Muskegon County Water Resources Commissioner |
$200,000 |
Michigan |
|
Owasco Lake Nutrient Reduction Project |
Cayuga County Soil & Water Conservation District |
$149,246 |
New York |
|
Eighteenmile Creek Sediment and Nutrient Reduction Project |
Erie County Soil & Water Conservation District |
$200,000 |
New York |
|
Sediment and Nutrient Reduction in the Headwaters of the Oswego River Watershed |
Yates County Soil & Water Conservation District |
$195,227 |
New York |
|
Converting Cropland to Restored Floodplain in the Howard Run-Blanchard River Watershed |
Blanchard River Watershed Partnership |
$129,070 |
Ohio |
|
Fulton Williams Conservation Initiative (Beaver Creek, Brush Creek, Deer Creek, Mill Creek) |
Fulton Soil & Water Conservation District |
$196,925 |
Ohio |
|
Two-Stage Ditch and Filter Strip Installation in AI Creek Watershed |
Toledo Area Sanitary District |
$26,878 |
Ohio |
|
Increase Adoption of Soil Health Conservation Systems in the Rat River Watershed |
Fox-Wolf Watershed Alliance |
$199,366 |
Wisconsin |
Funding for the Great Lakes Sediment and Nutrient Reduction Program is provided by the U.S. Department of Agriculture – Natural Resources Conservation Service under the Great Lakes Restoration Initiative (GLRI). Since it was first funded in 2010, the GLRI has provided more than $4 billion to fund more than 5000 projects across the Great Lakes region. The projects have cleaned up toxic hot spots, restored wetlands, helped to prevent the spread of aquatic invasive species and reduced harmful sediment and excess nutrients to the most significant surface freshwater resource on the planet, the Great Lakes.
More information about the projects is available at www.nutrientreduction.org.
The Great Lakes Commission, led by chair Sharon M. Jackson, Deputy General Counsel for Governor Eric J. Holcomb of Indiana, is a binational government agency established in 1955 to protect the Great Lakes and the economies and ecosystems they support. Its membership includes leaders from the eight U.S. states and two Canadian provinces in the Great Lakes basin. The GLC recommends policies and practices to balance the use, development, and conservation of the water resources of the Great Lakes and brings the region together to work on issues that no single community, state, province, or nation can tackle alone. Learn more at www.glc.org.
Great Lakes Commission
https://www.glc.org/news/glsnrp-093021
Current Watches, Warnings and Advisories for Brown (WIC009) Wisconsin Issued by the National Weather Service
https://alerts.weather.gov/cap/wwacapget.php?x=WI1261B94FF240.SpecialWeatherStatement.1261B9501D38WI.GRBSPSGRB.69e072274b32f9f36240c8746945ba4c
The revamped stormwater pond at Barker’s Island Marina. Before the improvements, the pond often used to flood. Image credit: Marie Zhuikov, Wisconsin Sea Grant
The River Talks, a series of informal science presentations, returns for the season with “Greener and Cleaner: How a Marina Takes Big Strides Toward Cleaner Water,” an in-person tour of environmental improvements on Barker’s Island in Superior.
Three speakers –Theresa Qualls with the Wisconsin Clean Marina Program, Eric Thomas with Barker’s Island Marina and Michael Krick with the city of Superior – will describe new projects designed to control stormwater runoff and prevent pollution on the island at 5 p.m. Wednesday, Oct. 13.
Marinas attract customers who care deeply about sustaining water quality. With support from the Clean Marina Program, the city of Superior and many partners, Barker’s Island Marina has taken great strides over the past few years to install an engineered wetland and a large boat wash station. Tour participants will visit these innovative projects and learn more about the Clean Marina Program.
Meet at the marina’s Ship Store. Parking for this can be found in the northwest corner of the Barker’s Inn Resort parking lot (see map below). The tour will involve a round-trip walk on easy, paved surfaces from the Ship Store to the service center (three-fourths of a mile). It will last until 6 p.m. and will include time for Q&A.
In case of rain, the presentations will be held in the Lake Superior Estuarium on Barker’s Island (3 Marina Dr.).
Other River Talks will be held Nov. 10, 2021, and Jan. 12, Feb. 19, March 9, April 13 and May 10, 2022. The March talk will be held in conjunction with the St. Louis River Summit and the date may change. For more information, visit the River Talks page: go.wisc.edu/4uz720.
The River Talks are sponsored by The Lake Superior National Estuarine Research Reserve and the Wisconsin Sea Grant Program.
News Releases | Wisconsin Sea Grant
News Releases | Wisconsin Sea Grant
https://www.seagrant.wisc.edu/news/river-talks-resume-with-barkers-island-tour/?utm_source=rss&utm_medium=rss&utm_campaign=river-talks-resume-with-barkers-island-tour
A recent study of museum snake specimens shows that snake fungal disease, a skin infection threatening many important snake populations, existed in the U.S. over 50 years earlier than previously thought.
Region 3: Great Lakes
http://www.usgs.gov/news/national-news-release/destructive-snake-disease-discovered-museum-specimens
Current Watches, Warnings and Advisories for Brown (WIC009) Wisconsin Issued by the National Weather Service
https://alerts.weather.gov/cap/wwacapget.php?x=WI1261B94FB230.SpecialWeatherStatement.1261B94FF628WI.GRBSPSGRB.b4d31ffd76ba18e395d693ea5e2d0c73
Current Watches, Warnings and Advisories for Brown (WIC009) Wisconsin Issued by the National Weather Service
https://alerts.weather.gov/cap/wwacapget.php?x=WI1261B94EEAF8.DenseFogAdvisory.1261B94FC360WI.GRBNPWGRB.a97d2f32a5f22cfa331160bec2fb8694
Fish and Wildlife Service News
Fish and Wildlife Service News
http://www.fws.gov/news/ShowNews.cfm?ref=%0Aus-fish-and-wildlife-service-releases-final-recovery-plan-to-save-a-&_ID=37020
The post HOW Letter to Representatives: Support Comprehensive Infrastructure Legislation appeared first on Healing Our Waters Coalition.
Healing Our Waters Coalition
https://healthylakes.org/how-letter-to-representatives-support-comprehensive-infrastructure-legislation/
NCEI News Feed
http://www.ncei.noaa.gov/news/september-2021-regional-climate-impacts-and-outlooks
Around the Great Lakes region, shipyards are busy. The need for vessels, maintenance and retrofits, and necessary infrastructure improvements, have led to a hike in activity for some shipbuilders. Read the full story by Marine Log.
Great Lakes Commission
https://www.glc.org/dailynews/20210929-shipyards
Conservationists in the Thousand Islands Region have been awarded millions of dollars to restore wetlands on the St. Lawrence River. The funds will be used to increase bird populations and wetland habitat while supporting local economies. Read the full story by WWTI-TV- Watertown, NY.
Great Lakes Commission
https://www.glc.org/dailynews/20210929-wetlands
Earlier this year the CEO of John Ball Zoo announced zoo leaders were in the exploratory phase of a plan that could result in a new major tourist destination for the Grand Rapids area. The project involves the Zoo building, a large-scale, off-site aquarium that would rival and compete with aquariums in cities like Chicago, Atlanta and Monterey. Read the full story by WZZM-TV- Grand Rapids, MI.
Great Lakes Commission
https://www.glc.org/dailynews/20210929-zoo-aquarium
A mix of local, state and federal partners are wrapping up a $320,000 restoration project funded through the Great Lakes Restoration Initiative as part of a broader years-long effort to slow the flow of runoff into the Chequamegon Bay of Lake Superior. Read the full story by Wisconsin Public Radio.
Great Lakes Commission
https://www.glc.org/dailynews/20210929-slow-flow
Hot summer weather and drier than average conditions have led to a lowering of Lake Superior water levels. The International Lake Superior Board of Control (ILSBC) said water levels had declined and reached the seasonal long-term average for the first time since April 2014. Read the full story by CBC News.
Great Lakes Commission
https://www.glc.org/dailynews/20210929-superior-level
Cook County, Minnesota is one step closer to having another state-recognized Scientific and Natural Area. The newest addition will be known as the Icelandite Coastal Fen, a 25-acre site just east of Colvill. Read the full story by North Shore Community Radio.
Great Lakes Commission
https://www.glc.org/dailynews/20210929-natural-area
A Finger Lakes Community College graduate spotted a snowy plover at Sandy Island Beach State Park on Lake Ontario. This spotting is significant because it is the first record of the species for the State of New York. Read the full story by the Daily Messenger.
Great Lakes Commission
https://www.glc.org/dailynews/20210929-snowy-plover
A Lakehead University researcher says it won’t be long before data on the amount of plastic in the water at the Thunder Bay harbour can be compared to other areas on the Great Lakes. Read the full story by CBC News.
Great Lakes Commission
https://www.glc.org/dailynews/20210929-seabin-plastics
While the overall water temperatures of the Great Lakes are still warmer than normal, watch out at any one specific spot. The wind could have pushed warm surface water out into the middle of a lake and replaced it with colder water from below. Read the full story by MLive.
Great Lakes Commission
https://www.glc.org/dailynews/20210929-michigan-cold
U.S. Steel temporarily shuttered operations at a northwest Indiana plant Monday after it leaked an orange substance into a Lake Michigan tributary, prompting the closure of a water treatment facility and several nearby beaches. Read the full story by the Associated Press.
Great Lakes Commission
https://www.glc.org/dailynews/20210929-us-steel
The U.S. Geological Survey has finalized an agreement with a consortium of eight universities and natural resource organizations to form the Midwest CASC.
The Midwest CASC consortium will be hosted at the University of Minnesota’s Institute on the Environment and will include the University of Wisconsin, the College of the Menominee Nation, the Great Lakes Indian Fish and Wildlife Commission, Michigan State University, Indiana University, the University of Illinois and the Nature Conservancy. Member organizations were selected after an open competition and extensive review by scientific experts.
“In order to address the climate crisis, we need to be guided by the best available science. Integrated collaboration with educational and natural resource organization partners ensures that federal, Tribal and state resource managers have access to the collective wisdom of world renowned experts. The Midwest Climate Adaptation Science Center will better position us to mitigate climate impacts while focusing needed attention to Tribal and state resources that are particularly vulnerable to climate change,” said Secretary of the Interior Deb Haaland.
“We are excited to bring climate-focused innovation and scholarship to America’s heartland, where the next generation of students stands ready to tackle the challenges facing the Great Lakes, mighty rivers, fertile prairies and abundant natural resources of the region,” said Doug Beard, USGS National Chief of Climate Adaptation Science Centers.
The Midwest CASC will support management and protection of land, water and natural resources with actionable climate science, innovation and decision support tools. It will pay special attention to Tribal concerns and build off the unique and robust experience of Midwest Tribes with adaptation science and practice. This includes a fellowship program for graduate students and a summer research experience for undergraduates focused on Tribal participation. Another focus will be the interplay of natural resources, forestry, streams and wetlands, with agricultural and urban areas, land uses that are prominent in the Midwest.
The partnership will be effective immediately, with a formal ribbon cutting celebration planned on the University of Minnesota-Twin Cities campus later this fall.
About CASCs
Climate Adaptation Science Centers are each hosted by a public university, composed of a multi-institution consortium and managed by the National CASC that oversees the nationwide network and pursues multi-region projects of national significance. These partnerships ensure access to a broad range of scientific expertise, production of high-quality science and sharing of funds, resources and facilities. University involvement also allows the CASCs to introduce students to the idea of “co-producing” science, in which scientists and decision-makers work closely together to ensure scientific research and products are usable and directly address real-world problems. Learn more about the history of CASCs.
###
USGS News: Region 3: Great Lakes Region
USGS News: Region 3: Great Lakes Region
https://www.usgs.gov/news/department-interior-announces-host-midwest-climate-adaptation-science-center
The fall season of Wisconsin’s Sea Grant’s “Lake Talks” continues on Thursday, Oct. 14, from 7-8 p.m. Speaker Caitlin Zant, a maritime archaeologist with the Wisconsin Historical Society, will focus on “Shipwrecks of Wisconsin.”
A diver examines the wreck of the Australasia, which sank in Lake Michigan in 1896 following a fire on board. Fortunately, no lives were lost. (Photo: Wisconsin Historical Society)
The virtual event, held on Zoom, is open to everyone, though registration is required. (Register for this event now.) The hour includes time for audience questions.
Attendees will discover hidden history beneath our waters and explore some of Wisconsin’s 750 Great Lakes shipwrecks. Learn how maritime archaeologists document these time capsules and help preserve and protect Wisconsin’s rich maritime past. Of any state, Wisconsin has the most individually listed shipwrecks on the National Register of Historic Places.
Zant has been a maritime archaeologist at the Historical Society since 2014. She holds a master’s degree in maritime studies and underwater archaeology from East Carolina University in Greenville, North Carolina. Prior to that, she earned a bachelor’s degree in history, geography and earth sciences at Carthage College in Kenosha, Wisconsin. She holds the RPA credential from the Register of Professional Archaeologists.
Caitlin Zant talks to Girl Scouts at the Wisconsin Maritime Museum about shipwrecks and the aquatic sciences. (Photo: Wendy Lutzke)
She is also a Wisconsin Sea Grant-funded investigator currently working on a project called “Boatloads of Lumber,” which includes both the development of educational materials for kids of all ages and a field school to train recreational divers and archaeology enthusiasts in proper techniques for surveying and documenting shipwrecks.
Remaining Lake Talks in the fall season will focus on Great Lakes children’s literature by Native American authors (November) and a conversation with Minnesota-based poet Moheb Soliman, who draws upon his Great Lakes travels in his work, including his most recent poetry collection, HOMES (December). Those talks will also be delivered via Zoom.
For Lake Talks event and registration information, visit the Sea Grant website, or follow Wisconsin Sea Grant on Facebook or Twitter. You can register for Caitlin Zant’s shipwreck presentation now.
For questions about this series, contact Wisconsin Sea Grant science communicator Jennifer Smith.
The post Lake Talks series to explore Wisconsin shipwrecks with maritime archaeologist first appeared on Wisconsin Sea Grant.News Releases | Wisconsin Sea Grant
News Releases | Wisconsin Sea Grant
https://www.seagrant.wisc.edu/news/lake-talks-series-to-explore-wisconsin-shipwrecks-with-maritime-archaeologist/?utm_source=rss&utm_medium=rss&utm_campaign=lake-talks-series-to-explore-wisconsin-shipwrecks-with-maritime-archaeologist
PORTAGE, Ind. (AP) — U.S. Steel says a northwestern Indiana plant’s discharge of elevated levels of iron were the cause of an orange plume that entered a Lake Michigan tributary, prompting the closure of several nearby beaches and a water treatment facility.
Company spokeswoman Amanda Malkowski said in a statement late Monday that an analysis of the discharge from the U.S.
Great Lakes Now
https://www.greatlakesnow.org/2021/09/ap-us-steel-plant-orange-plume-elevated-iron/
Twenty bicycles, miles of fishing line, antique cans, knives and sparkplugs – these are just some of the many things that Detroit magnet fisher Jason Vanderwal and his family have fished out of the waters.
“We have found all sorts of things in the Detroit River, 14 guns, all sorts of cutlery, horseshoes and even three large ngangas,” Vanderwal said.
Great Lakes Now
https://www.greatlakesnow.org/2021/09/magnet-fishing-attracting-junk-cleaning-up-local-waterways/
WASHINGTON - The Department of the Interior today announced the location of the newest Climate Adaptation Science Center (CASC), the ninth and final CASC in the national network dedicated to providing science to help managers of the country's fish and wildlife resources adapt to climate change.
Region 3: Great Lakes
http://www.usgs.gov/news/national-news-release/department-interior-announces-host-midwest-climate-adaptation-science
A program that gives low-income Michigan residents fresh fruit and vegetables and a path to healthier nutrition recently got a $2 million boost from state lawmakers.
The post Fresh produce more accessible for low-income Michigan residents first appeared on Great Lakes Echo.Great Lakes Echo
http://greatlakesecho.org/2021/09/29/fresh-produce-more-accessible-for-low-income-michigan-residents/
PORTAGE, Ind. (AP) — U.S. Steel temporarily shuttered operations at a northwest Indiana plant Monday after it leaked an orange substance into a Lake Michigan tributary, prompting the closure of a water treatment facility and several nearby beaches.
The U.S. Steel Midwest plant in Portage has been idled as a precaution “after experiencing an upset condition with the finishing line wastewater treatment plant,” U.S.
Great Lakes Now
https://www.greatlakesnow.org/2021/09/ap-us-steel-indiana-plant-wastewater-discharge/
At the 2020 Cleveland Boat Show, just before the pandemic struck, big changes were already afoot in the industry.
“I brought a huge lawn into the Cleveland Boat Show in 2020 so that people could stand around and play cornhole and relax, people could sit around a picnic table and drink beer and kids could run around,” said Michelle Burke, president of the Lake Erie Marine Trades Association.
Great Lakes Now
https://www.greatlakesnow.org/2021/09/summer-boat-shows-change/
Birders on Wisconsin Point look for rare jaegers. Image credit: Marie Zhuikov, Wisconsin Sea Grant
The third weekend in September is traditionally a time for beach cleanups by communities in the Great Lakes. Volunteers scour beaches and shorelines for trash as part of the International Coastal Cleanup. Our Sea Grant staff members got in the spirit, participating in cleanups spanning across the state, from Wisconsin Point in Lake Superior, to Madison, to Manitowoc on Lake Michigan.
Marie Zhuikov and Russ Maron on Wisconsin Point. Image credit: Russ Maron
The event on Wisconsin Point featured a twist: birding. Besides being a good time to collect trash, this season offers a narrow window for Wisconsin birders to see parasitic jaegers, fast-flying pirates of the water bird world, as they migrate past Wisconsin Point from the arctic tundra to southern climes.
The “parasitic” part of their name comes from their food-stealing habits. They are categorized as “kleptoparasites,” which means they steal food from other seabirds.
The Friends of the Lake Superior Reserve (FOLSR) took advantage of the timing to invite Jaegerfest birders and FOLSR members to cleanup the beach when they weren’t on the lookout for birds.
Science communicator Marie Zhuikov and her husband have attended many beach cleanups in the past, but never one that combined jaeger-watching. On a calm and quiet Saturday morning, they joined the professional birders and their high-powered spotting scopes.
Dried bee balm flowers. Image credit: Yael Gen, Wisconsin Sea Grant
Zhuikov and her husband had better luck finding trash than birds. Alas, no jaegers were to be seen, although many ring-billed and herring gulls floated serenely in the lake. The duo moved to the end of the point and collected two bags of trash from the beach. The most interesting finds? A single Birkenstock sandal and fireworks debris.
Their efforts became even more impressive with the addition of four other bags of garbage plus a car bumper that others had collected and left bagged near the parking lot. All total, their haul weighed 160 pounds!
Their colleagues editor Elizabeth White, educator Ginny Carlton and graphic designer Yael Gen participated in a more botanical cleanup at the Lakeshore Nature Preserve on the Madison campus. They began by collecting seeds from dried bee balm plants. Gen said they pulled the seed heads off and saved them in paper bags. “If you turn one upside down and shake it, the seeds resemble ground pepper,” she said. The seeds will be used for a class and to reseed other areas of the preserve.
Titus Seilheimer and his sons with one of their beach cleanup finds in Manitowoc. Image credit: Amy Seilheimer
Next, they got a workout clearing an invasive buckthorn thicket along the shores of Lake Mendota using loppers and saws.
Fisheries specialist Titus Seilheimer and his family worked on Silver Creek Beach in Manitowoc. “We typically organize two cleanups per year, spring and fall,” Seilheimer said. “We had two other volunteers for our cleanup for a total of six. We removed 68 pounds of trash. That included two tires for most of the weight. We found fairly typical trash with 40 cigarette butts, small pieces of foam and plastic, shotgun shells and wads, bottle caps and plastic bottles.”
Way to go, Sea Grant staff! You cleaned up 228 pounds of trash, plus gobs of unwanted plants and provided seeds for the future. A commendable effort for one morning in September.
The post Sea Grant staff collect commendable beach cleanup haul first appeared on Wisconsin Sea Grant.Blog | Wisconsin Sea Grant
https://www.seagrant.wisc.edu/blog/sea-grant-staff-collect-commendable-beach-cleanup-haul/?utm_source=rss&utm_medium=rss&utm_campaign=sea-grant-staff-collect-commendable-beach-cleanup-haul
Calling all leaf peepers: there is no better way to see the changing colors than from the Fox River. So this weekend, October 2 & 3, we are opening the locks FREE for all boaters! If you’re not a boater, stop down at the locks and chat with one of our great lock tenders (HINT: they may let you take a turn on the turnstyle to open or close the massive gates).
Dates are Saturday, October 2 and Sunday October 3 from 10 am – 6 pm. All locks on the system will be open except Rapide Croche and Menasha, which are closed to prevent invasive species from entering the system.
Don’t forget, the five locks in Kaukauna are open for the first time in decades. These locks provide beautiful vistas of the river and the most lockages in the shortest stretch of the system. For planning purposes, it takes about 15-20 minutes to go through a lock.
Hope to see you this weekend!
Blog – Fox Locks
http://foxlocks.org/2021/09/28/free-fall-colors-weekend/
Fish and Wildlife Service News
Fish and Wildlife Service News
http://www.fws.gov/news/ShowNews.cfm?ref=%0Aus-fish-and-wildlife-service%C2%A0and-wisconsin-department-of-natural-&_ID=37014
By Keith Schneider, Circle of Blue
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/2021/09/drought-irrigation-michigan/
Soil Erosion, Sedimentation and Water Quality in the Great Lakes Region: A report to the USDA – Soil Conservation Service.
Great Lakes Commission
https://www.glc.org/library/1988-soil-erosion-sedimentation-water-quality-in-the-great-lakes-region
The U.S. House of Representatives passed the National Defense Authorization Act which included provisions that strengthen U.S. national economic security and protects shoreline communities in the Great Lakes region. A vital component of the Fiscal Year 2022 NDAA was the inclusion of the “Great Lakes Winter Shipping Act” which would provide the U.S. Coast Guard with expanded icebreaking capabilities to keep vital shipping lanes on the Great Lakes open when ice endangers sailors and the North American supply chain. Read the full story by Lake Superior News.
Great Lakes Commission
https://www.glc.org/dailynews/20210927-defense-authorization
A research team from the University of Toronto has been using Seabins to capture trash that ends up in the lake to figure out where it accumulates in the water, determine what types of trash is getting deposited, and where it’s coming from in the first place. Read the full story by CBC News.
Great Lakes Commission
https://www.glc.org/dailynews/20210927-plastic
Contract fishers and various agencies removed, by 2020, 1,268,956 invasive carp, weighing 10,357,069 pounds. Removing invasive silver, bighead, grass, and black carp helps to prevent them from reaching the Great Lakes via the Chicago Area Waterway System. Read the full story by Chicago Sun-Times.
Great Lakes Commission
https://www.glc.org/dailynews/20210927-carp
