Great Lakes Echo
http://greatlakesecho.org/2020/08/03/short-drive-to-the-wilderness/
Current Watches, Warnings and Advisories for Brown (WIC009) Wisconsin Issued by the National Weather Service
https://alerts.weather.gov/cap/wwacapget.php?x=WI125F5DB059CC.LakeshoreFloodAdvisory.125F5DC00B60WI.GRBCFWGRB.d2d37d944ebabad2ccdfaa9ab064c276
What does it mean to live near a hazardous waste facility? Many residents of Detroit and Hamtramck know the answer all too well. From being nauseated and suffering a loss of appetite due to fumes and odors, to high levels of dust particles aggravating asthma and denying families the ability to open their windows to enjoy fresh air, the impacts are real and severe.
Worse is the unequal distribution of the risks inherent to hazardous waste arriving at facilities in Michigan every year. In its 2007 follow up to the seminal “Race and Toxic Waste,” researchers found Michigan to have the most egregiously disproportionate toxic waste burden in the nation.
Little has changed since. In 2017 316,548 tons of hazardous waste was received by Michigan’s eight hazardous waste facilities accepting offsite hazardous waste. While only 25% of the statewide population, minorities make up 65% of the communities residing within 3 miles of one of the eight facilities. Seven of eight are licensed in a location where the percentage of minorities within a three-mile radius is at or above the statewide average.
In effect, the continued siting of hazardous waste facilities among communities of color has labeled their neighborhoods as sacrificial zones, bearing the burden of society’s collective generation of hazardous waste.
The most recent siting decision highlights the ever-mounting threats to the health and justice of Michigan’s communities of color. The U.S. Ecology North facility is situated in Detroit near the city’s border to southeast Hamtramck. 80% of residents within a 3-mile radius are minorities, the highest of any facility in the state. At the same time, the area encompasses some of the most densely populated immigrant communities in the state.
U.S. Ecology North received over 22,000 tons of hazardous waste in 2017. 98.7% was imported from outside of Wayne County. Yet, after five years of community resistance, the Michigan Department of Environment, Great Lakes, and Energy (EGLE) granted a license alteration that allows the facility to expand its storage capacity from 76,118 tons to 676,939 tons, a nearly 9-fold increase. Additionally, the license enables U.S. Ecology to convert three 30,000-gallon pits for the treatment of hazardous waste.
On Monday, July 27, the Great Lakes Environmental Law Center submitted a discrimination complaint to EGLE on behalf of community members seeking to finally put an end to the practices that have allowed this discriminatory burden to mount. At its core, this complaint seeks not only to ensure compliance with the federal civil rights law to which it is bound but also to aid EGLE in achieving its mission of assuring environmental justice for all Michiganders.
The complaint includes firsthand testimony of victims, scientific studies, and analysis of dozens of datasets, as well as historical and legal context. In all, the complaint builds an eye-opening case for our state to alter its practices to protect the people, no matter their race or national origin, from predatory corporations perpetuating our nation’s history of racist practices in pursuit of millions of dollars for executives at the expense of Michigan’s people of color.
Through this complaint, we hope to be one step closer to standing side-by-side with EGLE and state leadership in unwaveringly putting into practice a deeply held belief that black and brown lives do matter.
News - Great Lakes Environmental Law Center
News - Great Lakes Environmental Law Center
https://www.glelc.org/our-blog/2020/8/2/community-residents-environmental-justice-advocates-call-on-the-michigan-department-of-environment-great-lakes-and-energy-to-address-discrimination-in-location-of-hazardous-waste-facilities
Current Watches, Warnings and Advisories for Brown (WIC009) Wisconsin Issued by the National Weather Service
https://alerts.weather.gov/cap/wwacapget.php?x=WI125F5DA3AD44.LakeshoreFloodAdvisory.125F5DC00B60WI.GRBCFWGRB.d2d37d944ebabad2ccdfaa9ab064c276
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/2020/07/pfas-new-compound-artic-seawater-michigan-rules/
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 ory:
Indiana:
The White River Alliance, the premier organization for regional water resource protection in Indiana, is going virtual for the third annual Indiana Water Summit, a forum developed to examine the complex interests and issues that face Indiana’s water supply.
Great Lakes Now
https://www.greatlakesnow.org/2020/07/drinking-water-lead-pittsburgh-ny-stream-protection/
ALBANY, N.Y. (AP) — Clean water activists hope that water suppliers will remove an industrial pollutant under new water standards adopted Thursday in New York.
The state’s Public Health and Health Planning Council adopted standards that set a maximum level for how much of the hard-to-remove chemical 1,4-Dioxane can be in drinking water: 1 part per billion.
Great Lakes Now
https://www.greatlakesnow.org/2020/07/ny-activists-rules-pollutants-drinking-water/
Chicago, IL (July 31, 2020) – Earlier today, the U.S. House of Representatives passed the Defense, Commerce, Justice, Science, Energy and Water Development, Financial Services and General Government, Labor, Health and Human Services, Education, Transportation, Housing, and Urban Development Appropriations Act, 2021. The bill includes provisions that would advance efforts to keep invasive Asian Carp from reaching the Great Lakes. Funding and language urging the U.S. Army Corp of Engineers to use the funds for the next phase of work at Brandon Road Lock and Dam (Preconstruction, Engineering and Design) is included in the bill.
Alliance for the Great Lakes Vice President for Policy Molly Flanagan released this statement in response:
“Today’s action shows Congress is serious about preventing invasive Asian Carp from reaching the Great Lakes. These harmful fish would damage our regional economy and devastate the Great Lakes ecosystem. Building additional protection measures at the Brandon Road Lock and Dam, which is located near Joliet, IL, and a critical choke point in the waterways leading to the Great Lakes, is the best chance to stop these aggressive fish. We look forward to quick action by the U.S. Senate.
We urge Illinois Governor Pritzker to immediately sign the Design Agreement that would allow the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers to proceed to the next phase of the project—Preconstruction, Engineering and Design. Continued delay unnecessarily puts the Great Lakes at risk.”
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For media inquiries contact Jennifer Caddick, jcaddick@greatlakes.org.
The post House Action on Appropriations Bills Moves Great Lakes Region One Step Closer to Preventing Invasive Asian Carp appeared first on Alliance for the Great Lakes.
News – Alliance for the Great Lakes
News – Alliance for the Great Lakes
https://greatlakes.org/2020/07/house-action-on-appropriations-bills-moves-great-lakes-region-one-step-closer-to-preventing-invasive-asian-carp/
A major grant from the Charles Stewart Mott Foundation will allow Great Lakes Now to further increase television programming and digital news coverage of the Great Lakes, drinking water safety, infrastructure and affordability issues across the region.
“Protecting the Great Lakes has always been a cornerstone of Mott’s Environment program, and this grant will help to advance that cause,” said Ridgway White, president and CEO of the Foundation.
Great Lakes Now
https://www.greatlakesnow.org/2020/07/mott-foundation-fund-great-lakes-now/
The International Joint Commission has started an early review of its Lake Ontario water management plan. The review is overseen by a board that includes some of its most ardent critics who are upset by the extensive flooding along the lake’s shoreline last year. Read the full story by Great Lakes Now.
Great Lakes Commission
https://www.glc.org/dailynews/20200731-ijc
A landmark case over how hard the state of Ohio must crack down on farmers and others who allow algae-feeding phosphorus to flow off their land finished Thursday and awaits a decision. Read the full story by The Toledo Blade.
Great Lakes Commission
https://www.glc.org/dailynews/20200731-lake-erie-case
A bipartisan coalition of state lawmakers from Northeast Ohio sent a letter to the Ohio Power Siting Board requesting that they reconsider the terms of the permit granted to the Lake Erie Energy Development Company’s 20.7-megawatt demonstration offshore wind project. The permit restricts the hours of the year the proposed wind farm can operate. Read the full story by Great Lakes Now.
Great Lakes Commission
https://www.glc.org/dailynews/20200731-ohio-wind
In a victory for Flint, Michigan, residents whose health and homes were harmed by lead-contaminated water, the Michigan Supreme Court allowed a class-action lawsuit against public officials to proceed. Read the full story by The Associated Press.
Great Lakes Commission
https://www.glc.org/dailynews/20200731-flint
A study of fish diets in Lake Michigan salmon and trout revealed changes in diets in response to changing lake ecosystems and available food sources. Read the full story by the Chicago Sun-Times.
Great Lakes Commission
https://www.glc.org/dailynews/20200731-lake-salmon
With warmer than average surface water temperatures on the Great Lakes this year, researchers are asking the public to help spot any harmful algal blooms on Lake Superior. Read the full story by Wisconsin Public Radio.
Great Lakes Commission
https://www.glc.org/dailynews/20200731-warm-waters-habs
A new research and monitoring buoy installed by University of Wisconsin–Milwaukee researchers allows the public to view lake conditions and underwater footage of Lake Michigan near Sleeping Bear Dunes National Lakeshore near Traverse City, Michigan. Read the full story by MLive.
Great Lakes Commission
https://www.glc.org/dailynews/20200731-sleeping-bear-buoy
The Great Lakes Maritime Heritage Museum is live-streaming virtual events this weekend to showcase the Thunder Bay National Marine Sanctuary as part of NOAA’s annual Get Into Your Sanctuary event. Read the full story by The Alpena News.
Great Lakes Commission
https://www.glc.org/dailynews/20200731-nms
The approval of the Water Resources Development Act authorizes federal funding for measures intended to help keep invasive carp out of the Great Lakes. Read the full story by WOOD-TV – Grand Rapids, MI.
Great Lakes Commission
https://www.glc.org/dailynews/20200731-invasive-carp
The National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration Thursday unveiled a new, 10-year plan for further examination of acidification of the country’s oceans, coastline and Great Lakes. The plan includes expanding monitoring and research on the impacts of Great Lakes acidification. Read the full story by WGRZ-TV – Grand Rapids, MI.
Great Lakes Commission
https://www.glc.org/dailynews/20200731-noaa-plan
The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, Detroit District, awarded more than $2 million to a Sturgeon Bay, Wisconsin, company to dredge the Duluth-Superior Harbor and use the dredged material to rebuild eroded shoreline and dune habitat in Minnesota. Read the full story by the Green Bay Press-Gazette.
Great Lakes Commission
https://www.glc.org/dailynews/20200731-dredge
ANN ARBOR, MICH. (July 31, 2020) — The Healing Our Waters–Great Lakes Coalition applauds the passage of the U.S. House spending package (H.R. 7617) this afternoon, the second package key to funding Great Lakes programs across the region in fiscal year 2021, which begins Oct. 1. The two packages (the first of which cleared the House last week) include modest year-over-year increases that are bolstered substantially by more than $11 billion in emergency supplemental funding for clean water programs.
“The Healing Our Waters-Great Lakes Coalition supports the House funding package that was passed today,” said Chad Lord, policy director for the Healing Our Waters – Great Lakes Coalition. “The two packages together substantially boost federal investments in clean water priorities that will accelerate progress in restoring the Great Lakes, protecting our drinking water, improving access to affordable water, safeguarding public health, and bolstering the economy.”
“The priorities in this bill are long-standing Coalition priorities, and we look forward to working with bipartisan members in the Senate to pass this legislation to better our environment, economy, and to protect our public health.”
Regular Appropriations:
Additional Emergency Supplemental Funding:
The post Second Major Funding Package Clears U.S. House, Includes Great Lakes, Clean Water Priorities appeared first on Healing Our Waters Coalition.
Healing Our Waters Coalition
https://healthylakes.org/second-major-funding-package-clears-u-s-house-includes-great-lakes-clean-water-priorities/
Great Lakes Echo
http://greatlakesecho.org/2020/07/31/the-deadly-disease-that-wiped-out-90-of-the-upper-peninsulas-bats-and-a-new-hope-for-one-species/
Image credit: Marie Zhuikov, Wisconsin Sea Grant
Beach management in 2020 has been anything but usual. A webinar on Aug. 12 offers the opportunity for beach managers and outdoor recreation professionals to share how COVID-19 has impacted their jobs on state and local levels, followed by a question-and-answer session.
The event is organized by the Wisconsin Coastal Beaches Working Group, which was organized in 2015 for professionals, researchers and funders involved in managing and improving Wisconsin’s Great Lakes beaches.
Webinar presenters include Ryan Wozniak, Wisconsin Department of Health Services; Holly Glainyk, Waukesha County Parks; and Sara Hudson, City of Ashland Parks and Recreation. To sign up for the webinar, please visit the Eventbrite page.
Interested in joining the working group? Membership is open to anyone involved in issues related to the management, safety or quality of coastal beaches in Wisconsin. Subscribe to the listserv by sending an email to join-wicoastalbeaches@lists.wisc.edu.
News Releases – Wisconsin Sea Grant
News Releases – Wisconsin Sea Grant
https://www.seagrant.wisc.edu/news/managing-beaches-during-a-pandemic-a-webinar-opportunity/
The International Joint Commission has started an early review of its Lake Ontario water management plan, overseen by a board that includes some of its most ardent critics, in response to extensive flooding and outcry from the lake’s shoreline communities.
The IJC— the international body that regulates waterways between the United States and Canada — has received $1.5 million in funding from the U.S., with an additional $1.5 million in matched funds from Canada, for the expedited review of Plan 2014.
Great Lakes Now
https://www.greatlakesnow.org/2020/07/review-underway-ijc-lake-ontario-flooded-shoreline/
By John Funk, Energy News Network, through the Institute for Nonprofit News network
A bipartisan coalition of 32 state lawmakers from Northeast Ohio has interceded on behalf of the Lake Erie Energy Development Company’s 20.7-megawatt demonstration offshore wind project, now before state regulators.
In a strongly worded letter to Sam Randazzo, chair of the Ohio Power Siting Board, the lawmakers objected to the board’s ruling in May granting a permit — if LEEDCo agreed to shut down the wind farm’s six turbines from dusk to dawn eight months out of the year, Mar.
Great Lakes Now
https://www.greatlakesnow.org/2020/07/ohio-lawmakers-offshore-wind-ruling-revisited/
Lac Supérieur is the Twitter handle for Lake Superior, an account run by a human who speaks not on behalf of the lake but as the lake, in a brash, anthropomorphic way, brimming with a mix of swagger and silliness. Read the full story by WTTW -TV-Chicago, IL.
Great Lakes Commission
https://www.glc.org/dailynews/20200730-lake-superior
Scientists have focused on ocean acidification, called “climate change’s evil twin,” while overlooking the acidification of lakes and rivers, so not much is known about what carbon pollution means for the Great Lakes. Read the full story by Nexus Media.
Great Lakes Commission
https://www.glc.org/dailynews/20200730-carbon-pollution
Saturday marked the 10th anniversary of Enbridge’s spilling almost a million gallons of heavy tar-sands oil into Michigan’s Kalamazoo River from its 41-year-old Line 6B — causing one of the worst inland oil spills in U.S. history. Now Enbridge is touting its proposed oil pipeline tunnel under the Great Lakes as a quick-and-simple fix to Line 5. Read the full story by The Detroit News.
Great Lakes Commission
https://www.glc.org/dailynews/20200730-kalamazoo-spill
After suburban communities like Lake Forest, Winnetka and Evanston were established in the mid-19th century, the North Shore became a haven for summer visitors. But the North Shore’s engineered shoreline and man-made beaches have proved to be no match for Lake Michigan. Read the full story by the Pioneer Press.
Great Lakes Commission
https://www.glc.org/dailynews/20200730-erosion
Some water-quality groups say Michigan needs to take a stronger stance against Enbridge for its refusal to assume responsibility for losses related to a Line 5 oil pipeline failure in the Great Lakes. Read the full story by WHMI – Howell, MI.
Great Lakes Commission
https://www.glc.org/dailynews/20200730-line-5
Senator Tammy Baldwin and Lt. Governor Mandela Barnes were among the Wisconsin politicians taking part in a climate change town hall on Wednesday. Read and view the full story by WAOW – TV – Wausau, WI.
Great Lakes Commission
https://www.glc.org/dailynews/20200730-wisconsin-town-hall
Young plovers born near Green Bay Wisconsin this summer were transferred Friday to Illinois Beach State Park in Zion to avoid an outbreak of botulism at the plovers’ Wisconsin nesting site. Read the full story by the Chicago Tribune.
Great Lakes Commission
https://www.glc.org/dailynews/20200730-piping-plovers
The Minnesota Department of Natural Resources will use a $1.1 million grant from the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration to support the work of Minnesota’s Lake Superior Coastal Program, fund three significant local projects and continue the program’s quarterly short-term action request grants, according to a news release from the DNR. Read the full story by the Duluth News Tribune.
Great Lakes Commission
https://www.glc.org/dailynews/20200730-coastal-program
Algae blooms on Lake Superior have caused a lot of public concern in recent years and now researchers from the University of Minnesota – Duluth believe they know why they’ve been happening. Read and view the full story by WDIO – TV- Duluth, MN.
Great Lakes Commission
https://www.glc.org/dailynews/20200730-algal-blooms
The city of Joliet, Illinois will hold a virtual stakeholders meeting Thursday on its alternative water source program. Read the full story by The Herald-News.
Great Lakes Commission
https://www.glc.org/dailynews/20200730-joliet
Thirty-two Northeast Ohio lawmakers from both parties asked a top state utility regulator Wednesday for a reconsideration of a ruling they claim would doom the construction of Icebreaker Wind, the nation’s first freshwater offshore wind farm, in Lake Erie. Read the full story by The Plain Dealer.
Great Lakes Commission
https://www.glc.org/dailynews/20200730-wind-farm
A bill that authorizes various water projects and contains several important provisions for central New York has been approved by the House of Representatives. Read the full story by The Auburn Citizen.
Great Lakes Commission
https://www.glc.org/dailynews/20200730-water-bill
DETROIT (AP) — Flint residents whose health and homes were harmed by lead-contaminated water scored a legal milestone Wednesday when the Michigan Supreme Court said they could proceed with a lawsuit against public officials for the disastrous decisions that caused the scandal.
Great Lakes Now
https://www.greatlakesnow.org/2020/07/ap-court-flint-class-action-lead-water/
NCEI News Feed
http://www.ncei.noaa.gov/news//news/assessing-extremes-how-ncei-vets-potential-state-climate-records
NCEI News Feed
http://www.ncei.noaa.gov/news/assessing-extremes-how-ncei-vets-potential-state-climate-records
ANN ARBOR, Mich. (July 29, 2020) — The House of Representatives today passed the Water Resources Development Act of 2020 by a voice vote. The Healing Our Waters-Great Lakes Coalition supports several core Great Lakes and clean water priorities in the bill that help stop Asian carp, halt toxic algal outbreaks, and create incentives for nature-based solutions to flooding and other environmental problems. The bill also calls for expanding an existing study to look at the impact of record high lake levels on coastal flooding, storm damage, ecosystem restoration and recreation.
“This bill advances solutions to confront serious threats facing the Great Lakes and communities—and the investments it makes in clean water priorities will benefit our environment and economy,” said Chad Lord, policy director for the Healing Our Waters-Great Lakes Coalition. “We thank members of the Great Lakes congressional delegation for standing up for our Great Lakes, drinking water, public health, and quality of life.”
The Senate Committee on Environment and Public Works passed similar water infrastructure legislation in April, which not only included the Water Resources Development Act, but also supported critical investments in stormwater, drinking water, and wastewater infrastructure.
“Water infrastructure legislation is moving in both the House and Senate,” continued Lord. “Clean water is a basic need. Now is the time for Congress to come together and pass a water infrastructure bill that helps Great Lakes communities ensure everyone has access to safe, affordable water.”
The Water Resources Development Act (H.R. 7575) authorizes the construction of the Brandon Road Lock and Dam to prevent invasive Asian Carp from entering the Great Lakes and wreaking environmental and economic harm.
The bill also contains provisions to study and combat the rise of toxic algal blooms, which can poison drinking water and threaten the health of communities which rely on the Great Lakes for water.
In addition, the 2020 Water Resources Development Act includes provisions for:
The Coalition sent a letter to the Senate Committee outlining provisions it supports in April. You can read it here.
Congress must reconcile the two bills this fall before sending final legislation to the President.
The post House Passes Bill, Bolstering Defenses Against Asian Carp, Toxic Algae appeared first on Healing Our Waters Coalition.
Healing Our Waters Coalition
https://healthylakes.org/house-passes-bill-bolstering-defenses-against-asian-carp-toxic-algae/
Chicago, IL (July 29, 2020) – Alliance for the Great Lakes Vice President for Policy Molly Flanagan released this statement in response to the passage of the Water Resources Development Act of 2020 by the US House of Representatives:
“The Great Lakes region is one step closer to keeping invasive Asian Carp out of the lakes. These harmful fish would damage our regional economy and devastate the Great Lakes ecosystem. We applaud the US House of Representatives’ passage of the Water Resources Development Act of 2020, which includes authorization for construction of additional invasive Asian carp protections at the Brandon Road Lock and Dam near Joliet, Illinois. Today’s action shows Congress is serious about preventing invasive Asian carp from reaching the Great Lakes. We look forward to quick action by the US Senate.”
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For more media inquiries, contact Jennifer Caddick, jcaddick@greatlakes.org.
The post Statement on Passage of the Water Resources Development Act of 2020 by the US House of Representatives appeared first on Alliance for the Great Lakes.
News – Alliance for the Great Lakes
News – Alliance for the Great Lakes
https://greatlakes.org/2020/07/statement-on-passage-of-the-water-resources-development-act-of-2020-by-the-us-house-of-representatives/
While New Zealand white rabbits do not normally spring to mind when you mention the fauna of Lake Michigan, a recently published paper in Limnology and Oceanography: Methods, a journal of the Association for the Science of Limnology and Oceanography, shows how this cotton-tailed creature plays a role in a newly validated method for assessing the lake’s food web, along with yielding surprising finds about the feeding habits of invasive spiny waterfleas.
Sea Grant-funded scientist John Berges, a University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee professor of biological sciences, and UW-M biology colleague Craig Sandren (now deceased), set about investigating the impact of invasive zooplankton on the big lake’s system. As they weighed and rejected three different research tools, Berges suggested an approach that he termed, “almost naively simple.”
Sea Grant-funded researcher John Berges on Lake Michigan for a study of the effects of invasive zooplankton on the food web. (contributed photo)
He harkened back to the 1970s for a process first used terrestrially to calculate what’s eating insects and what kind of insects are being eaten. Berges said the technique had seen limited use in the marine environment but that “this is really the first time it’s been used systematically in fresh waters.”
Berges noted, “What we like about it as opposed to some of the DNA techniques is that it’s pretty quick. It’s cheap. You don’t need big deep DNA sequencing. Most labs will be able to use this.” Additionally, he said, scientists—such as the University of Windsor’s Aaron Fisk—who are using stable isotopes to map food webs can use this process to corroborate findings.
So far, there’s been references to fish and bugs. Just where do the rabbits come into the picture? Berges provided a detailed rundown of this “simple” process: “You take the likely prey (of a spiny waterflea) and…you grind it up. You basically homogenize it, make a soup of it. You take that soup and you inject it into an animal. We’re going to use a bunny rabbit here. That bunny rabbit’s immune system goes nuts, making a whole bunch of antibodies against the proteins that are in the putative prey organism. You have a huge array, a suite, of antibodies which now recognize the proteins that are in that item that potential prey item, that you injected into it.”
There is then a rabbit blood draw—after six to 12 weeks, during which time the immune response has built up. In the lab, Berges’ team then took the antibody (also known as immunoglobulin IgG) fraction of the blood, “which is real easy to do, and you have basically stuff, the immunoglobulins, which are going to stick very, very precisely to the proteins that were in that particular (prey) organism. So, you have a nice little marker.”
The next step, he said, is to determine if any of the markers from the rabbit blood overlap with the predator, which is the spiny waterflea. “You grind up the predator (the spiny waterflea) and you let the immunoglobulin bind to all the predator’s proteins. You remove them (the predator’s antibody) …What we’ve got left over now is things that are going to react only to the prey and not to the predator.”
Berges continued, “We found a whole bunch of the predators and checked them out for 12 different prey and some of them we didn’t find. None of the predators had them and we can be pretty clear that the predators aren’t eating them. And other prey, almost everybody had some of the prey in them. Now, we have a fairly clear picture of what the spiny waterflea is eating and a couple surprises came out.”
A University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee research team collects samples that will later be used as part of a “almost naively simple” method to assess an ecosystem’s populations. The represents the first time the antibody-based method has been used systematically in fresh waters. (contributed photo)
There were two surprises. First was evidence that the spiny waterflea was consuming the larvae of invasive Dreissenid mussels, commonly known as zebra mussels or quagga mussels. “That’s a neat story. We have one invasive species eating another invasive species. Well, that’s kinda cool. But we think about it a little more and it doesn’t make an awful lot of sense because we have this great big predator why is it grazing on these tiny little larvae,” Berges said.
The researchers continued with their reasoning and are now confident that it’s a case of what is known as hyperpredation—the spiny water flea ate something that itself first ate the larval Dressenid mussel.
The second surprise was a 180-degree turn in the category of size—not a tiny food source like the Dreissenid mussel larvae, but a large organism. Evidence of a type of zooplankton called Limnocalanus macrurus, or one of the “big dogs in the lake” as Berges put it, was found to have been consumed by the spiny waterflea. In this instance, Berges said they reasoned the spiny waterflea was eating the juvenile and larval forms of the large copepod.
In the end and with the help of a few New Zealand white rabbits as interim hosts for ground-up zooplankton prey, Berges said, “We have reasonable explanations for those two strange things that we found, and a technique that now we’ve proven out.”
News Releases – Wisconsin Sea Grant
News Releases – Wisconsin Sea Grant
https://www.seagrant.wisc.edu/news/uw-milwaukee-researchers-enlist-antibodies-to-understand-spiny-waterflea-diet/
Representatives of the New York State Department of Environmental Conservation and the Niagara County Soil and Water Conservation District will meet with members of the public, albeit virtually, from noon to 1 p.m. Thursday to discuss lifting the longstanding ban on dredging Eighteen Mile Creek. A Beneficial Use Impairment (BUI) previously placed on Eighteen Mile Creek restricts dredging activities in the creek. Read the full story by Lockport Journal.
Great Lakes Commission
https://www.glc.org/dailynews/20200729-eighteen
An investigation into the collision between two vessels on the Welland Canal earlier this month could take to 450 days to complete, says the Transportation Safety Board of Canada. Read the full story by the Welland Tribune.
Great Lakes Commission
https://www.glc.org/dailynews/20200729-welland
A group of property owners seeking to gain control of a system of dams that released catastrophic floodwater across mid-Michigan anticipates repairs to the dam and surrounding lakes to cost upwards of $340 million. Read the full story by MLive.
Great Lakes Commission
https://www.glc.org/dailynews/20200729-dams
The Coastal Stewardship Coordinator with the Lake Huron Centre for Coastal Conservation says many of their team of Coastal Watchers are reporting the loss of large trees along the Lake Huron shoreline to erosion. Read the full story by the Blackburn News.
Great Lakes Commission
https://www.glc.org/dailynews/20200729-trees
Upwelling events can dramatically change water temperatures quickly. Buoys from University of Minnesota-Duluth Lake Superior provide real time water temperatures that can help beachgoers decide if it is a good time to swim. Read the full story by Minnesota Public Radio.
Great Lakes Commission
https://www.glc.org/dailynews/20200729-buoys
Toxic algae blooming in Lake Erie is creating safety concerns for humans and aquatic life prompting the state of Michigan to work with farmers to reduce the phosphorus levels in field runoff. Read the full story by WKAR- Lansing, Michigan.
Great Lakes Commission
https://www.glc.org/dailynews/20200729-michigan
Steel production has dropped by 20% for the year, while steel capacity utilization is down more than 20 percentage points as compared to the same time last year, largely as a result of the coronavirus pandemic that greatly gutted demand for steel in the short term. Read the full story by the Northwest Indiana Times.
Great Lakes Commission
https://www.glc.org/dailynews/20200729-steel
