The Cheboygan Lock in Cheboygan, Michigan, will close for much of the fall and winter for restoration work, reopening in late spring 2025, according to the Michigan Department of Natural Resources. Read the full story by the Detroit Free Press.
Great Lakes Commission
https://www.glc.org/dailynews/20240916-lock
Microsoft is building a massive data center on a huge piece of property in the Racine County village of Mount Pleasant, Wisconsin. There are deep concerns about the power and water demands tied to the Microsoft project. Read the full story by the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel.
Great Lakes Commission
https://www.glc.org/dailynews/20240916-racine
If you want a say in how the dunes, trails and campsites at Petoskey State Park are managed, the Michigan Department of Natural Resources is hosting a virtual public meeting on Sept. 17 to gather feedback. Read the full story by the Petoskey News-Review.
Great Lakes Commission
https://www.glc.org/dailynews/20240916-petoskey
After a long search for a new owner, the Tahquamenon Falls Train and Riverboat Tours company in McMillan Township, Michigan, has officially shut their doors for good. Read the full story by WCMU Public Media.
Great Lakes Commission
https://www.glc.org/dailynews/20240916-riverboat
The Michigan Department of Natural Resources is busy passing coho salmon through the lower weir on the Platte River at the Sleeping Bear Dunes National Lakeshore with the onset of the annual fall migratory spawning run. Read the full story by MLive.
Great Lakes Commission
https://www.glc.org/dailynews/20240916-platte
The Canadian government says it’s trying to slow the spread of invasive species through a regulation that partly took effect this week. But the rule is drawing some flack from American commercial shippers in the Great Lakes. Read the full story by WCMU Public Radio.
Great Lakes Commission
https://www.glc.org/dailynews/20240916-invasive-species-spread
In Ohio, the Maumee River and other Toledo-area waterways are one step closer to meeting restoration goals outlined by a 1987 U.S.-Canada agreement, in part because Glass City Metropark is being used for some of the soil dug out of the Toledo shipping channel. Read the full story by The Toledo Blade.
Great Lakes Commission
https://www.glc.org/dailynews/20240916-river-restoration
An elementary school at Naval Station Great Lakes that needs significant improvements including AC installation and accessible drinking water, is being demolished and rebuilt. Read the full story by WGN – TV – Chicago, OH.
Great Lakes Commission
https://www.glc.org/dailynews/20240916-school-rebuild
The peach-blossom jellyfish appears to be growing and expanding its northern range in British Columbia thanks to recent warm summers. There isn’t enough data yet to say for sure, but the population’s recent growth could pose a threat to juvenile salmon food sources. Read the full story by My Cowichan Valley Now.
Great Lakes Commission
https://www.glc.org/dailynews/20240916-invasive-jellyfish
Lake Erie, the smallest of the Great Lakes by volume, recently put on a show when it turned a vibrant green, a stark departure from its usual deep-blue hue. The green tone of the water poses a serious health risk, as it is the result of a dangerous algae bloom growing in the lake. Read the full story by The Travel.
Great Lakes Commission
https://www.glc.org/dailynews/20240916-erie-algae-bloom
Researchers have uncovered fascinating insights into the lives of prehistoric Native Americans who made camp in the Great Lakes region around 13,000 years ago. Read the full story by Newsweek.
Great Lakes Commission
https://www.glc.org/dailynews/20240916-native-american-history
The Great Lakes Museum director emeritus, Mr. Gillcrist, made significant efforts to preserve Great Lakes history over the past 25 years which earned him the 2024 C. Patrick Labadie Award for Historic Preservation from the Association for Great Lakes Maritime History Read the full story by The Toledo Blade.
Great Lakes Commission
https://www.glc.org/dailynews/20240916-museum-director-award
A harmful algae bloom has formed on Ford Lake bordering the city of Ypsilanti in Michigan. The County Health Department says people and pets should avoid swimming in water that has scum or mats of algae. Read the full story by The Detroit News.
Great Lakes Commission
https://www.glc.org/dailynews/20240916-harmful-algae-ford-lake
Earlier this weekend, an intense X-class flare happened on the sun’s surface which could spark a strong wave of Northern Lights activity over the Great Lakes early this week. Read the full story by MLive.
Great Lakes Commission
https://www.glc.org/dailynews/20240916-geomagnetic-activity
The Biden administration on Friday asked an appeals court to revive a Trump-era rule that lifted remaining Endangered Species Act protections for gray wolves in the U.S. Read the full story by WLUK – TV – Green Bay, WI.
Great Lakes Commission
https://www.glc.org/dailynews/20240916-grey-wolve-hunting
According to a recent study, the presence of algal blooms or E. coli in Ohio’s waterways can drive away visitors and the tourism dollars they bring with them. Researchers studied the economic impact of beach closures in Lake Erie in 2019 when Lake Erie beaches saw a 20% reduction in visitors, costing the area around $22 million in tourism dollars. Read the full story by WOUB-TV – Athens, OH.
Great Lakes Commission
https://www.glc.org/dailynews/20240913-tourism-impacts
Two marine historians in Wisconsin discovered sinkholes in Lake Michigan that are 500 feet underwater and 600 feet wide. Theories on the formation of the sinkholes range from glaciers to ages of intense pressure. Read the full story by WTMJ-TV – Milwaukee, WI.
Great Lakes Commission
https://www.glc.org/dailynews/20240913-lake-sinkholes
Steelhead experts in Erie, Pennsylvania, believe anglers should expect to see large, heavy fish this fall and winter as the Pennsylvania Fish and Boat Commission (PFBC) works on a plan to get back to stocking 1 million fish each year. This year, the PFBC reduced its annual stocking by about 20% as it works on a plan to raise more fish solely in the Lake Erie water basin. Read the full story by the Erie Times-News.
Great Lakes Commission
https://www.glc.org/dailynews/20240913-steelhead-stocking
The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, Detroit District’s New Lock at the Soo project awarded a $222.7 million contract for the next construction phase to Kokosing Alberici Traylor, LLC of Westerville, Ohio. The contract award will allow for construction to proceed to have a fully functional lock with a completion date in 2030. Read the full story by WPBN-TV – Traverse City, MI.
Great Lakes Commission
https://www.glc.org/dailynews/20240913-lock-construction
Offshore from Evanston, Illinois, Northwestern University set up a yellow turbidity curtain – which may be mistaken for an oil spill contamination boom – in Lake Michigan. The curtain will prevent silt and sediment from flowing out of a construction zone and protect the shoreline from erosion. Read the full story by Evanston Now.
Great Lakes Commission
https://www.glc.org/dailynews/20240913-erosion-protection
The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers awarded a $1.5 million contract to Michigan-based Ryba Marine Construction Co. to dredge the federal navigation channel in Barcelona Harbor on Lake Erie near Westfield, New York. Dredging will focus on the mouth of the harbor and address shoals currently impacting navigation. Read the full story by WRFA – Jamestown, NY.
Great Lakes Commission
https://www.glc.org/dailynews/20240913-dredging-contract
The Little Traverse Bay Bands of Odawa Indians and the Tip of the Mitt Watershed Council are hosting the annual Nmé Celebration on Saturday in Wolverine, Michigan. The event will include a farewell to “Gimiwan,” the Watershed Discovery Center’s resident sturgeon, which will be released into the Sturgeon River along with hundreds of juvenile sturgeon. Read the full story by the Cheboygan Daily Tribune.
Great Lakes Commission
https://www.glc.org/dailynews/20240913-sturgeon-release
Erieau, Ontario, residents are worried erosion will erase Rondeau Bay’s so-called “barrier beach” because the pier at Erieau prevents sand from naturally moving east to build up the barrier. Residents are calling on upper levels of government for help because a quarter of the beach falls under the Canadian federal government’s domain. Read the full story by The Chatham Voice.
Great Lakes Commission
https://www.glc.org/dailynews/20240913-beach-erosion
Lake Ontario from Cape Vincent to Pultneyville, New York, has been declared a National Marine Sanctuary. The federal designation by the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration is the 16th so-called “underwater park” in the country and the first in New York waters. It protects more than 1,700 square miles of lakebed while still allowing for shipping, boating, fishing, and other recreational activities. Read the full story by WSLG – Gouverneur, NY.
Great Lakes Commission
https://www.glc.org/dailynews/20240913-marine-sanctuary
At Kettle Moraine Springs Hatchery in Sheboygan County, Wisconsin, hundreds of thousands of salmon and trout are raised each year, playing a critical role in sustaining the fish population in Lake Michigan. The hatchery raises 340,000 steelhead for Lake Michigan, stocking 25 different tributaries to the lake. Read the full story by WISN-TV – Milwaukee, WI.
Great Lakes Commission
https://www.glc.org/dailynews/20240913-fish-hatchery
By Hope Dzik, Freshwater Collaborative summer research student
This summer, 35 undergraduate students from across the country conducted research with Freshwater@UW, the University of Wisconsin’s cross-site, cross-discipline research opportunities program. Freshwater@UW is supported by the Freshwater Collaborative, Wisconsin Sea Grant, Water@UW–Madison, the Water Resources Institute and the University of Wisconsin–Madison Graduate School. In the final weeks of the program, students reflected on what they learned. Here’s Hope Dzik, an undergraduate sophomore in environmental biology and plant biology from the Michigan State University, who worked with Amy Workman at UW–Madison.
Dzik holds a water sample from Wisconsin River at Upham Woods. Image credit: Amy Workman
I applied to the Freshwater@UW Program in hopes of getting a deeper understanding of aquatic invasive species research. I was extremely excited for the opportunity to experience the process of field work. I’d not been able to do that at my home university.
When I found out I was accepted, I was both anxious and excited to meet everyone else involved in the Freshwater@UW Program. My experience with meeting other cohort members, grad students, professors and many others involved was one of the best parts of my summer. I made so many professional connections and met future environmental scientists from around the country.
Our orientation events allowed us to become acquainted with Madison and each other — the best part was pulling out invasive plants together and sitting exhausted in the shade afterward. Madison is also an amazing place during summer. I loved biking around the city on my free bike (shoutout to the Red Bicycle Project) and swimming in the lake.
Everyone involved in this program took time to get to know us, and I felt extremely taken care of. All the professionals I met, and the sense of community this program brought, made the stressful or confusing aspects of my research worth every mosquito bite or failed experiment.
Dzik takes a water sample for invasive carp DNA testing. Image credit: Amy Workman
My project objective was to refine a protocol for collection and analysis of invasive carp eDNA. Bighead and silver carp can indirectly harm native fish populations and are threats to Wisconsin’s fresh water, so being able to detect a population of either species in a body of water can aid in monitoring the growth of their population. I worked with both Upham Woods Outdoor Learning Center and the University of Wisconsin Biotechnology Center. My method development was a frustrating but gratifying process. It involved finding the best way to collect river samples from the Upham Woods campus, developing the most efficient way to extract DNA, and refining techniques to analyze the DNA samples. The complete protocol will be used for teaching high school groups, which is one of the reasons I selected this project. I wanted to show that biological research isn’t intimidating and is open to all types of people.
This project was an amazing opportunity; it allowed me to learn important skills like science communication and self-advocacy. I discovered how much I enjoy field biology and ecology while applying course concepts. The water collection process was a great experience, and I loved being outside in the river. Grad school does not seem as intimidating anymore, either. I arrived at Madison this summer questioning my post-undergraduate plans, and now I have started to plan my future in biological research. It has allowed me to narrow my career goals, and I hope to continue field research in the future.
The post Invasive fish genetics project ignites passion for field work first appeared on Wisconsin Sea Grant.Blog | Wisconsin Sea Grant
https://www.seagrant.wisc.edu/blog/invasive-fish-genetics-project-ignites-passion-for-field-work/
By Juanpablo Ramirez-Franco, WBEZ
This coverage is made possible through a partnership between WBEZ and Grist, a nonprofit, independent media organization dedicated to telling stories of climate solutions and a just future. Sign up for WBEZ newsletters to get local news you can trust.
Great Lakes Now
https://www.greatlakesnow.org/2024/09/major-federal-funding-aims-to-speed-transition-to-clean-energy-in-the-rural-midwest/
Six states were selected by the U.S. Centers for Disease Control (CDC), to be awarded $5 million in order to test residents for environmental chemical exposures — like PFAS. Four out of the six states are located along the Great Lakes including Michigan, Minnesota, Wisconsin, and New York. These biomonitoring grants start September 2024 and go until 2027.
Great Lakes Now
https://www.greatlakesnow.org/2024/09/pfas-roundup-four-great-lakess-states-selected-to-test-residents-annually-for-environmental-chemical-exposure/
NCEI News Feed
https://www.ncei.noaa.gov/news/global-climate-202408
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https://www.ncei.noaa.gov/news/global-climate-202408
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https://www.ncei.noaa.gov/news/global-climate-202408
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https://www.ncei.noaa.gov/news/global-climate-202408
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https://www.ncei.noaa.gov/news/global-climate-202408
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https://www.ncei.noaa.gov/news/global-climate-202408
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