Cleanup on the Kalamazoo River is about to begin after a repair project on the Morrow Dam allowed sediment to wash miles downstream. Survey crews were working along the river on Wednesday and the project could start as soon as this weekend. Read the full story by WOOD-TV- Kalamazoo, MI.
Great Lakes Commission
https://www.glc.org/dailynews/20210225-river-sediment
Although several local, regional and Great Lakes-centric walleye plans exist, the Michigan Department of Natural Resources has drafted the first statewide walleye plan focused on inland waters — and is asking the public’s help in finalizing it. Read the full story by the Iron Mountain Daily News.
Great Lakes Commission
https://www.glc.org/dailynews/20210225-walleye-plan
Toronto’s Trillium Park a key to revitalizing old entertainment venue.
The post Natural features of Toronto park help users design their own experience first appeared on Great Lakes Echo.Great Lakes Echo
http://greatlakesecho.org/2021/02/25/natural-features-of-toronto-park-help-users-design-their-own-experience/
CLOQUET, Minn. (AP) — Jason Goward was overjoyed to get a high-paying job on Enbridge’s Line 3 pipeline project.
The job, clearing ground with a contractor for the Canadian energy company, meant he could at last pay child support for his two young sons.
Great Lakes Now
https://www.greatlakesnow.org/2021/02/ap-enbridge-line-3-divides-indigenous-lands-people/
Great Lakes watchers were pleased that newly elected President Joe Biden’s first phone call to a foreign leader went to Canada’s Prime Minister Justin Trudeau, hoping the call signals the beginning of more harmonious relations in the basin.
The previous four years under Donald Trump had been rocky.
Great Lakes Now
https://www.greatlakesnow.org/2021/02/cross-border-biden-administration-canada-cooperation-great-lakes/
Legislation to simplify seawall permitting during high water periods on the Great Lakes and codify the state’s authority to regulate beach structures set off conflicts between Republicans who are upset the bill no longer allow property owners to install erosion protections without getting a permit. Read the full story by MLive.
Great Lakes Commission
https://www.glc.org/dailynews/20210223-thunder-bay
American shipping companies operating the U.S. Great Lakes fleet will invest nearly $87 million at shipyards and facilities across the region this year, according to new figures released by the Lake Carriers’ Association. Annual maintenance work to the U.S. “laker” vessels allows ships that are 40 and 50 years old, or even older, to continue to sail the Great Lakes. Read the full story by Lake Superior News.
Great Lakes Commission
https://www.glc.org/dailynews/20210224-laker-upgrades
An old amusement park in Ohio will see new life as a public park and wetland as it is repurposed to help reduce algal blooms from Chippewa Lake, Ohio’s largest glacial lake. The project is supported by the H2Ohio initiative. Read the full story by the Great Lakes Echo.
Great Lakes Commission
https://www.glc.org/dailynews/20210224-ohio-amusement-park
The Minnesota Pollution Control Agency wants to change the rules on water quality to increase the agency’s flexibility in classifying water quality as degraded. The rule changes are supported by numerous industry groups but have been opposed by environmental and tribal stakeholders. Read the full story by MinnPost.
Great Lakes Commission
https://www.glc.org/dailynews/20210224-mn-wq-rules
The Nature Conservancy began work on an ecosystem restoration project in Ohio. The 280-acre Sandhill Crane Wetlands project will restore a portion of the historic Irwin Wet Prairie, which played a role in naturally treating nutrient runoff into nearby streams which led to Lake Erie. Read the full story by WTOL-TV — Toledo, OH.
Great Lakes Commission
https://www.glc.org/dailynews/20210224-sandhill-crane-wetland
Canadian federal investments to upgrade water infrastructure in First Nation communities do not require that engineers consider and mitigate climate change-related risks, risking infrastructure failures during extreme weather that would limit indigenous communities’ access to safe drinking water. Read the full story by Canada’s National Observer.
Great Lakes Commission
https://www.glc.org/dailynews/20210224-1st-nations-water
Restored pine logs from Michigan’s 19th century logging boom were recovered from the bottom of Muskegon Lake and are now being turned into high-end electric guitars used by rock stars like the Rolling Stones and Aerosmith. Read the full story by WZZM-TV — Grand Rapids, MI.
Great Lakes Commission
https://www.glc.org/dailynews/20210224-rock-on-muskegon
Wisconsin Governor Tony Evers is looking to boost state funds to address and monitor PFAS contamination across Wisconsin in his budget, targeting so-called “forever chemicals” that have been found in all five of Madison’s lakes. Read the full story by The Capital Times.
Great Lakes Commission
https://www.glc.org/dailynews/20210224-pfas-wisc
Ice coverage on Lake Superior means that fishermen must adapt their fishing methods and use snowmobiles to reach their fishing nets set out on the frozen lake. Read the full story by the Daily Mail.
Great Lakes Commission
https://www.glc.org/dailynews/20210224-snowmobile-fishing
A decade after the death of bestselling author and conservationist, Sigurd F. Olson, his son found some of his loose-leaf journals in an unplugged refrigerator. The journals have since been turned into a book that will be published in June.
The post Famed outdoor writer’s journals found in old refrigerator to be published soon first appeared on Great Lakes Echo.Great Lakes Echo
http://greatlakesecho.org/2021/03/01/famed-outdoor-writers-journals-found-in-old-refrigerator-to-be-published-soon/
On Monday of this week, Wisconsin Sea Grant and the University of Wisconsin Water Resources Institute (WRI) conducted a fellows convocation and award event that conferred recognition on 20 master’s, Ph.D. or postdoctoral fellows; six undergraduate students who participated in the 2020 Sea Grant Community Engaged Internship Program, one of whom was also the winner of the Weston Scholarship; two federally elected officials; the first-ever Wisconsin Sea Grant Great Lakes Champion Award winner; and two people who have made a big difference in Green Bay estuary and took home the Wisconsin Sea Grant Actionable Science Award.
“It’s not news that COVID-19 has disrupted every part of our lives. Our biennial fellows convocation is just one of innumerable events that could not be held in person, but we were not prepared to let a pandemic stand in the way of honoring student accomplishments, and the contributions of U.S. Sen. Tammy Baldwin and Congressman Mike Gallagher who see the value of investing in, conserving and celebrating our amazing Great Lakes and other Wisconsin water assets,” said Jim Hurley, director of both Sea Grant and WRI.
Hurley acted as emcee of the virtual event that drew more than 70 participants from cities across the Badger State, as well as from spots such as Guam, Washington, D.C., and St. Petersburg, Florida.
“This is the third time we have held a fellows convocation. It was the first time needed to conduct it in a virtual setting. Of course, we wish it could have been in person, but the enthusiasm and well wishes made up for that loss of in-person conviviality. I’m pleased that so many people from near and far could join to celebrate water scholarship and positive impacts in our coastal communities,” he said.
For many years, Sen. Baldwin and Rep. Gallagher have used their positions in Congress to support the mission of Sea Grant and they each joined the event to collect a Friend of Wisconsin Sea Grant Award.
Dean Haen was named Wisconsin Sea Grant Great Lakes Champion for 2021, a new award that will be given every two years going forward to an individual, business, organization or program that demonstrates a long-term commitment to the care and concern for the Great Lakes.
2021 Wisconsin Sea Grant Great Lakes Champion Award Winner Dean Haen. Photo: Brown County Port
Haen is the director of the Brown County Port and Resource Recovery Department. He was lauded for economic and ecological contributions. More than 200 ships annually visit the port, hauling more than 2 million tons of cargo, generating jobs and economic impact.
Haen has also been integral to the restoration of the Cat Island Chain in Green Bay, which is bringing back 1,200 acres that provide shoreline protection and habitat for endangered reptiles and birds. The chain also acts as a storage facility for material dredged from the shipping lanes, beneficially using material that would otherwise require costly disposal.
The Wisconsin Sea Grant Actionable Science Award was presented to a couple who are not only a team in marriage but also in their devotion to cleanup of the Lower Fox River and Green Bay. Vicky and Hallet J. “Bud” Harris have spent decades in various environmental research and outreach roles and serve as volunteers for state and local conservation groups. Vicky Harris was a longtime Sea Grant water quality and habitat restoration specialist working in the program’s Green Bay Office. Bud Harris is a retired professor of natural and applied sciences at the University of Wisconsin-Green Bay.
Bud and Vicky Harris, winners of the 2021 Wisconsin Sea Grant Actionable Science Award. Contributed photo.
As the for the impressive roster of students who received recognition, they fill many roles in many places, including:
-Three Dean John A. Knauss Fellows who each have a master’s degree and have, or will devote a year of service in Washington, D.C., in either the executive or legislative branch on ocean, coastal or Great Lakes topics.
– Eight fellows who have a master’s degree, are working toward a Ph.D. or have recently completed a Ph.D. and are placed, or will soon be placed, with partner state agencies and completing important work such as setting health standards for human exposure to PFAS, determining groundwater levels in central Wisconsin and protecting coastal property and infrastructure. It’s a mutually beneficial agreement that sees the agency gaining cutting-edge knowledge from these young scholars and the young people benefitting from mentors within agencies—the Wisconsin Coastal Management Program, department of administration, department of natural resources or department of health services.
– Four fellows who have a master’s degree, are working toward a Ph.D. or have recently completed a Ph.D. and are placed at the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency to assess toxicological threats to people and the environment.
– Two students who are engaged in ongoing research, and efforts leading to publications to further share science with a wider community. One fellow is working at the University of Wisconsin Stevens Point Northern Aquaculture Demonstration Facility and the other is based at the University of Wisconsin-Madison, analyzing PFAS in state waters.
-A 2020-21 NOAA Coastal Management Fellow stationed in Guam where she and partners are updating a plan for the Seashore Reserve. Another student is winding down her fellowship with the Wisconsin Coastal Management Program and a third is working to understand and mitigate community flooding with the Association of State Floodplain Managers, a national organization based in Madison.
Celeste Gunderson is a junior working toward degrees in geography and environmental studies at the University of Wisconsin-Madison. She is the 2021 recipient of the Carl J. Weston Scholarship, made possible by the generous gift of Dr. and Mrs. Carl B. Weston in honor of their son. The scholarship goes to undergraduate student pursuing freshwater studies as part of a Wisconsin Sea Grant project.
Gunderson was also part of a summer community engaged internship program in 2020 that saw another six undergraduates working on issues as diverse as science communication, wild rice conservation flooding and aquatic invasive species. The program is designed to provide diverse students with hands-on experience under the mentorship of a career professional.
The post Friends, fellows, undergrads, a champion and a duo of change agents: an afternoon of celebration first appeared on Wisconsin Sea Grant.
News Releases – Wisconsin Sea Grant
News Releases – Wisconsin Sea Grant
https://www.seagrant.wisc.edu/news/friends-fellows-undergrads-a-champion-and-a-duo-of-change-agents-an-afternoon-of-celebration/
On Monday of this week, Wisconsin Sea Grant and the University of Wisconsin Water Resources Institute (WRI) conducted a fellows convocation and award event that conferred recognition on 20 master’s, Ph.D. or postdoctoral fellows; six undergraduate students who participated in the 2020 Sea Grant Community Engaged Internship Program, one of whom was also the winner of the Weston Scholarship; two federally elected officials; the first-ever Wisconsin Sea Grant Great Lakes Champion Award winner; and two people who have made a big difference in Green Bay estuary and took home the Wisconsin Sea Grant Actionable Science Award.
“It’s not news that COVID-19 has disrupted every part of our lives. Our biennial fellows convocation is just one of innumerable events that could not be held in person, but we were not prepared to let a pandemic stand in the way of honoring student accomplishments, and the contributions of U.S. Sen. Tammy Baldwin and Congressman Mike Gallagher who see the value of investing in, conserving and celebrating our amazing Great Lakes and other Wisconsin water assets,” said Jim Hurley, director of both Sea Grant and WRI.
Hurley acted as emcee of the virtual event that drew more than 70 participants from cities across the Badger State, as well as from spots such as Guam, Washington, D.C., and St. Petersburg, Florida.
“This is the third time we have held a fellows convocation. It was the first time needed to conduct it in a virtual setting. Of course, we wish it could have been in person, but the enthusiasm and well wishes made up for that loss of in-person conviviality. I’m pleased that so many people from near and far could join to celebrate water scholarship and positive impacts in our coastal communities,” he said.
For many years, Sen. Baldwin and Rep. Gallagher have used their positions in Congress to support the mission of Sea Grant and they each joined the event to collect a Friend of Wisconsin Sea Grant Award.
Dean Haen was named Wisconsin Sea Grant Great Lakes Champion for 2021, a new award that will be given every two years going forward to an individual, business, organization or program that demonstrates a long-term commitment to the care and concern for the Great Lakes.
2021 Wisconsin Sea Grant Great Lakes Champion Award Winner Dean Haen. Photo: Brown County Port
Haen is the director of the Brown County Port and Resource Recovery Department. He was lauded for economic and ecological contributions. More than 200 ships annually visit the port, hauling more than 2 million tons of cargo, generating jobs and economic impact.
Haen has also been integral to the restoration of the Cat Island Chain in Green Bay, which is bringing back 1,200 acres that provide shoreline protection and habitat for endangered reptiles and birds. The chain also acts as a storage facility for material dredged from the shipping lanes, beneficially using material that would otherwise require costly disposal.
The Wisconsin Sea Grant Actionable Science Award was presented to a couple who are not only a team in marriage but also in their devotion to cleanup of the Lower Fox River and Green Bay. Vicky and Hallet J. “Bud” Harris have spent decades in various environmental research and outreach roles and serve as volunteers for state and local conservation groups. Vicky Harris was a longtime Sea Grant water quality and habitat restoration specialist working in the program’s Green Bay Office. Bud Harris is a retired professor of natural and applied sciences at the University of Wisconsin-Green Bay.
Bud and Vicky Harris, winners of the 2021 Wisconsin Sea Grant Actionable Science Award. Contributed photo.
As the for the impressive roster of students who received recognition, they fill many roles in many places, including:
-Three Dean John A. Knauss Fellows who each have a master’s degree and have, or will devote a year of service in Washington, D.C., in either the executive or legislative branch on ocean, coastal or Great Lakes topics.
– Eight fellows who have a master’s degree, are working toward a Ph.D. or have recently completed a Ph.D. and are placed, or will soon be placed, with partner state agencies and completing important work such as setting health standards for human exposure to PFAS, determining groundwater levels in central Wisconsin and protecting coastal property and infrastructure. It’s a mutually beneficial agreement that sees the agency gaining cutting-edge knowledge from these young scholars and the young people benefitting from mentors within agencies—the Wisconsin Coastal Management Program, department of administration, department of natural resources or department of health services.
– Four fellows who have a master’s degree, are working toward a Ph.D. or have recently completed a Ph.D. and are placed at the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency to assess toxicological threats to people and the environment.
– Two students who are engaged in ongoing research, and efforts leading to publications to further share science with a wider community. One fellow is working at the University of Wisconsin Stevens Point Northern Aquaculture Demonstration Facility and the other is based at the University of Wisconsin-Madison, analyzing PFAS in state waters.
-A 2020-21 NOAA Coastal Management Fellow stationed in Guam where she and partners are updating a plan for the Seashore Reserve. Another student is winding down her fellowship with the Wisconsin Coastal Management Program and a third is working to understand and mitigate community flooding with the Association of State Floodplain Managers, a national organization based in Madison.
Celeste Gunderson is a junior working toward degrees in geography and environmental studies at the University of Wisconsin-Madison. She is the 2021 recipient of the Carl J. Weston Scholarship, made possible by the generous gift of Dr. and Mrs. Carl B. Weston in honor of their son. The scholarship goes to undergraduate student pursuing freshwater studies as part of a Wisconsin Sea Grant project.
Gunderson was also part of a summer community engaged internship program in 2020 that saw another six undergraduates working on issues as diverse as science communication, wild rice conservation flooding and aquatic invasive species. The program is designed to provide diverse students with hands-on experience under the mentorship of a career professional.
The post Friends, fellows, undergrads, a champion and a duo of change agents: an afternoon of celebration first appeared on Wisconsin Sea Grant.
News Releases – Wisconsin Sea Grant
News Releases – Wisconsin Sea Grant
https://www.seagrant.wisc.edu/news/friends-fellows-undergrads-a-champion-and-a-duo-of-change-agents-an-afternoon-of-celebration/
Current Watches, Warnings and Advisories for Brown (WIC009) Wisconsin Issued by the National Weather Service
https://alerts.weather.gov/cap/wwacapget.php?x=WI12618F3A5554.SpecialWeatherStatement.12618F3AC0C0WI.GRBSPSGRB.cacb0ae376626c061b4519ac7e028b39
Current Watches, Warnings and Advisories for Brown (WIC009) Wisconsin Issued by the National Weather Service
https://alerts.weather.gov/cap/wwacapget.php?x=WI12618F3A0DD8.SpecialWeatherStatement.12618F3A5748WI.GRBSPSGRB.cacb0ae376626c061b4519ac7e028b39
The park will preserve local history while fighting harmful algae blooms.
The post Old Ohio amusement park becomes new wetland restoration project first appeared on Great Lakes Echo.Great Lakes Echo
http://greatlakesecho.org/2021/02/24/old-ohio-amusement-park-becomes-new-wetland-restoration-project/
Wisconsin Water Week—March 8 to 12—is almost upon us, and this year’s theme is “Navigating in Turbulent Times.” A virtual conference organized by the Wisconsin Lakes Partnership will explore many facets of this precious resource and give attendees a chance to network with others interested in water.
Several Wisconsin Sea Grant staff and fellows are involved as presenters, virtual exhibitors or session organizers. To help you take advantage of Sea Grant-connected offerings during Wisconsin Water Week, we’ve pulled together the handy list below.
To learn more about the conference, you can watch a teaser video on YouTube, or view the agenda and registration link.
Wisconsin Sea Grant participation in Wisconsin Water Week 2021:
Exhibitors with booths March 8-10: Sharon Moen (Eat Wisconsin Fish), Anne Moser (Wisconsin Water Library)
Monday, March 8
12-12:45 p.m.
Wisconsin Coastal Management Program and Living on the Edge: Updating the Coastal Processes Manual to Promote Resiliency on Wisconsin’s Great Lakes Shorelines
Speakers: Lydia Salus and Adam Arend
12:45-1:30 p.m. (Exhibitor: Eat Wisconsin Fish)
Let’s eat trout: cooking demo and discussion
Sharon Moen
Tuesday, March 9
10:40-11 a.m. (Exhibitor: Eat Wisconsin Fish)
Wisconsin’s fish farmers and commercial fishers: presentation and discussion
Sharon Moen
3-3:30 p.m. (Exhibitor: Eat Wisconsin Fish)
Let’s eat smoked fish: cooking demo and discussion
Sharon Moen
3:30-4:30 p.m. Lightning talks
AIS Messaging Frames
Speaker: Tim Campbell
Wednesday, March 10
8:30-9:30 a.m. Combined Session
The aquatic invasive species prevention knowledge, behaviors, and beliefs of Wisconsin boaters
Speaker: Tim Campbell
9:30-10 a.m. (Exhibitor: Eat Wisconsin Fish)
Wisconsin’s fish farmers and commercial fishers: presentation and discussion
Sharon Moen
10-11 a.m.
Behind the Scenes of Introduced: a Podcast about Aquatic Invaders and Wisconsin’s Changing Waters
Speakers: Bonnie Willison and Sydney Widell
11 a.m.-noon
Tackling Wisconsin’s Water Challenges through UW Water Science-Policy Fellowships and Agency Partnerships
Speakers: Jen Hauxwell and Aquatic Sciences Center fellows
Noon-12:45 p.m. (Exhibitor: Eat Wisconsin Fish)
Let’s eat lake whitefish: cooking demo and discussion
Sharon Moen
Thursday, March 11
10:35-11:15 a.m.
Tourism futures: adapting outdoor recreation & tourism to climate change & changing visitation in Northern Wisconsin
Moderator/organizer: Natalie Chin
1:15-2:15 p.m.
Building Resilience in the Lake Superior Basin: Using Green Infrastructure & Natural Management to Reduce Flood Impacts
Moderator/organizer: Natalie Chin
1:15-2:15 p.m.
Showcasing the Coastal Resource Hub
Speakers: Deidre Peroff and Amy Lentz
The post Sea Grant staff active in Wisconsin Water Week first appeared on Wisconsin Sea Grant.
Blog – Wisconsin Sea Grant
https://www.seagrant.wisc.edu/blog/sea-grant-staff-active-in-wisconsin-water-week/
The shipyard in Thunder Bay was purchased in 2017 and became part of the Heddle trajectory of growth from Hamilton, Newfoundland, Thunder Bay and then Port Weller in St. Catherine, opening what Ted Kirkpatrick, Heddle’s director of business, called a “good fit.” Read the full story by the Thunder Bay Chronicle Journal.
Great Lakes Commission
https://www.glc.org/dailynews/20210223-thunder-bay
With diving the warmer waters of international tropical destinations off the table this year and Humber Bay now the only water not frozen over, this is where Mark has been heading for weekly dives. And he figures he might as well help with some trash clean-up while he’s down there. Read the full story by blogTO.
Great Lakes Commission
https://www.glc.org/dailynews/20210223-toronto
When the sun came out Sunday and there was a hint of temperatures above freezing, people returned to Presque Isle State park to venture onto frozen Presque Isle Bay or explore wave dunes along the lake. Read the full story by Pittsburgh Magazine.
Great Lakes Commission
https://www.glc.org/dailynews/20210223-presque-isle
There was a big drop in Great Lakes ice extent on Monday. The Great Lakes as a whole dropped from 42.9% to 34.6%. This was mainly due to brisk winds breaking up the ice and we may have seen our greatest ice extent this winter. Read the full story by WOOD-TV- Grand Rapids, MI.
Great Lakes Commission
https://www.glc.org/dailynews/20210223-ice-break-up
Just over a year ago, the now-famous English Bulldog named ‘Tuff’ fell through the ice, but was saved thanks to the South Milwaukee Fire Department. Following Tuff’s rescue, the fire department launched a fundraiser to purchase water rescue equipment and to make a donation to the K9 for Warriors organization. Read the full story by WTMJ-TV- Milwaukee, WI.
Great Lakes Commission
https://www.glc.org/dailynews/20210223-fire-department
The recent cold spell has meant ice fishing at more lakes in Michigan. Some anglers go after a tiny fish called smelt in the cold water. In the past, people went after them during spawning runs using dip nets. But smelt populations have crashed. Read the full story by the Associated Press.
Great Lakes Commission
https://www.glc.org/dailynews/20210223-smelt-population
Anglers and researchers are noticing a number of changes on inland lakes in the upper Midwest. Sometimes you can’t catch the fish you always found in your favorite lake in the past. Read the full story by Great Lakes Now.
Great Lakes Commission
https://www.glc.org/dailynews/20210223-ice-fishing
The Lake Huron shore is currently lined with inviting mountains of ice and snow, but residents should never attempt to climb on them, warns Sarnia Deputy Fire Chief. The hills may appear solid but they aren’t. Read the full story by The Sarnia Journal.
Great Lakes Commission
https://www.glc.org/dailynews/20210223-shore-ice
In 2014 and 2015 the Apostle Islands Ice Caves drew thousands of people to the icy shores of Lake Superior. However, despite the recent cold snap, the National Park Service says the lake ice isn’t stable enough to allow people to view the ice caves. Opportunities to view the ice caves from frozen Lake Superior are becoming rarer. Read the full story by WXPR-Rhinelander, WI.
Great Lakes Commission
https://www.glc.org/dailynews/20210223-apostle-island
Officials say they believe they’re getting closer to the next phase of groundwater contamination testing at Pellston Regional Airport in Pellston Michigan. Once completed, the testing will help experts understand the level of danger to Pellston residents and necessary strategies to mitigate the problem. Read the full story by the Cheboygan Daily Tribune.
Great Lakes Commission
https://www.glc.org/dailynews/20210223-pfas
Some residents in southwestern Michigan and the Detroit area will get plumbing repairs in their homes as part of Michigan’s Department of Environment, Great Lakes, and Energy’s “Water Leak Pilot” program, which is a new initiative to reduce water waste. Read the full story by the Associated Press.
Great Lakes Commission
https://www.glc.org/dailynews/20210223-water-waste
With America’s water infrastructure in a dire situation, several Healing Our Waters – Great Lakes Coalition Leaders submitted letters and testimony to the US House of Representatives’ Transportation and Infrastructure Subcommittee on Water Resources and Environment urging them to fully fund wastewater infrastructure programs.
Click here to see the live testimony of Milwaukee Water Commons co-executive director Brenda Coley before the US House of Representatives’ Transportation and Infrastructure Subcommittee on Water Resources and Environment.
Click here to read Brenda Coley’s testimony.
Click here to read a letter submitted by Ohio Environmental Council
Click here to read a letter submitted by Citizens’ Campaign for the Environment
Click here to read a letter submitted by the Minnesota Environmental Partnership and Fix the Pipes.
Click here to read comments from the Healing Our Waters – Great Lakes Coalition.
The Great Lakes region faces a water infrastructure crisis, and the Coalition supports ramping up federal investments in drinking water and sewage treatment infrastructure. Grappling with crumbling and unsafe drinking water and wastewater infrastructure, communities need a staggering $188 billion over the next 20 years to improve, upgrade, and repair drinking water, wastewater, and stormwater systems.
This work is increasingly prohibitive with costs too often being passed on to our most vulnerable communities that are least able to afford it. Investing in water infrastructure protects public health and the environment, improves climate resiliency of our communities, reduces maintenance and operational costs, and creates good-paying local jobs.
Charged with protecting the nation’s water resources, this subcommittee handles important decisions having to do with wastewater infrastructure. Together, these decisions account for billions of dollars in investments and improvements to the nuts-and-bolts infrastructure that millions of Americans rely upon for clean water.
The post Coalition Leaders Urge Congress to Act on Water Infrastructure appeared first on Healing Our Waters Coalition.
Healing Our Waters Coalition
https://healthylakes.org/coalition-leaders-urge-congress-to-act-on-water-infrastructure/
After spending several months reporting on the PFAS crisis, an alarming realization hit — taco night might be poisoning me.
I learned that the type of nonstick pans that I used to fry the fish usually contain the toxic chemicals, also called per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances. Research alerted me to their use in some types of parchment paper used to roll tortillas, while the aluminum foil in which I wrapped leftovers raised a red flag with its “nonstick” label.
Great Lakes Now
https://www.greatlakesnow.org/2021/02/pfas-home-testing-pets-blood-household/
With warming temperatures, fluctuating water levels and a series of extreme storms, Lake Superior is undergoing dramatic alterations amid climate change.
Great Lakes Now
https://www.greatlakesnow.org/2021/02/future-lake-superior-climate-disruption-climate-change/
Warming waters are hard on some fish, such as walleye, and more favorable to others, such as smallmouth bass. With so many environmental stresses, it’s difficult to gauge the future of individual lakes.
Great Lakes Now
https://www.greatlakesnow.org/2021/02/michigan-inland-lakes-ice-fishing-fish-less-ice/
Intense storm events and flooding are changing the ecology of rivers in the Great Lakes region.
Great Lakes Now
https://www.greatlakesnow.org/2021/02/intense-storms-climate-change-harming-michigan-streams-rivers/
The idea is to showcase a vision of transforming communities in a way that prioritizes employees, children and the planet’s well-being, organizers say.
The post Chicago activists and artists color environmental justice first appeared on Great Lakes Echo.Great Lakes Echo
http://greatlakesecho.org/2021/02/23/chicago-activists-and-artists-color-environmental-justice/
Current Watches, Warnings and Advisories for Brown (WIC009) Wisconsin Issued by the National Weather Service
https://alerts.weather.gov/cap/wwacapget.php?x=WI12618F2A3408.SpecialWeatherStatement.12618F2ABB30WI.GRBSPSGRB.cdc1ff113f80474f83c6e7685b61e187
Current Watches, Warnings and Advisories for Brown (WIC009) Wisconsin Issued by the National Weather Service
https://alerts.weather.gov/cap/wwacapget.php?x=WI12618F29FFB0.SpecialWeatherStatement.12618F2A6D10WI.GRBSPSGRB.169e525967fffcb56364c00ce5e3eb1d
ANN ARBOR – The Great Lakes Commission today issued a request for proposals (RFP) for the 2021 Great Lakes Sediment and Nutrient Reduction Program grant program.
The Great Lakes Sediment and Nutrient Reduction Program provides grants to reduce nutrients and sediments entering the Great Lakes. Through the program, nonfederal units of government, tribes, or incorporated nonprofit organizations are eligible to receive assistance for reducing phosphorus contributions to waters within the Great Lakes basin and other efforts to achieve measures of progress under the Great Lakes Restoration Initiative Action Plan III. Applicants are invited to submit proposals for sediment and nutrient reduction activities associated with one of three project types: 1) agricultural non-point; 2) stormwater; and 3) Great Lakes shoreline or streambanks.
The due date for applications is 5:00 p.m. Eastern on April 16, 2021. Applications will be reviewed by representatives from the U.S. Department of Agriculture’s Natural Resource Conservation Service (NRCS), the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (U.S. EPA), and the eight Great Lakes states. Final decisions on funded projects are anticipated in summer 2021. Selected projects would begin on October 1, 2021 (with potential for an earlier start) and may be up to three years in duration.
The Great Lakes Commission has managed the Great Lakes Sediment and Nutrient Reduction Program for more than 30 years. The program is a partnership with NRCS, U.S. EPA, and the Great Lakes states. Please visit www.nutrientreduction.org for more information.
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-rfp-2021
Current Watches, Warnings and Advisories for Brown (WIC009) Wisconsin Issued by the National Weather Service
https://alerts.weather.gov/cap/wwacapget.php?x=WI12618F1D88AC.SpecialWeatherStatement.12618F2A3084WI.GRBSPSGRB.f9ab95e28aa40927576a4cb6f8b23c3b
By Ilana Cohen, Climate Tracker
This story originally appeared in Climate Tracker and is republished here as part of Covering Climate Now, a global journalism collaboration strengthening coverage of the climate story.
Last November, youth climate activists helped elect U.S.
Great Lakes Now
https://www.greatlakesnow.org/2021/02/youth-climate-activists-biden-white-house/
BENTON HARBOR, Mich. (AP) — Some residents in southwestern Michigan and the Detroit area will get plumbing repairs in their homes as part of a new initiative to reduce water waste.
Michigan’s Department of Environment, Great Lakes, and Energy said the “Water Leak Pilot” program is expected to highlight the benefits of reducing water waste for consumers, water suppliers and the overall community.
Great Lakes Now
https://www.greatlakesnow.org/2021/02/ap-pilot-michigan-program-reduce-water-waste-homes/
Erie County in Pennsylvania is renewing its efforts to have the waters of Lake Erie classified as a national marine sanctuary, a designation that would protect 76.6 miles of shoreline, 759 square miles of the lake’s central basin, and more than 100 shipwreck sites. Read the full story by the Erie Times-News.
Great Lakes Commission
https://www.glc.org/dailynews/20210222-erie-sanctuary
The State University of New York and officials at the New York State Office of Parks, Recreation & Historic Preservation were awarded almost $25,000 to use genetics to identify and restore native beach grass along Lake Ontario. Read the full story by the Great Lakes Echo.
Great Lakes Commission
https://www.glc.org/dailynews/20210222-dune-grass
Low-income neighborhoods and communities of color bear the burden of pollution and endure inadequate public services like water and sewer. These are environmental injustices, and President Joe Biden came into office pledging to correct them. Read the full story by Great Lakes Now.
Great Lakes Commission
https://www.glc.org/dailynews/20210222-environmental-justice
Georgian Bay Islands National Park is gearing up for the second active season of a fight against an aggressive reed that has been called the country’s worst invasive plant: Phragmites. Read the full story by the National Parks Traveler.
Great Lakes Commission
https://www.glc.org/dailynews/20210222-invasive-phragmites
The U.S. and Canadian Coast Guards continue to cooperate in the mouth of the St. Clair River as it flows into Lake Huron, to both break ice and provide commercial vessel escorts in the shipping canal. Read the full story by the Voice News.
Great Lakes Commission
https://www.glc.org/dailynews/20210222-icebreaking
The recent cold snap impacts invasive species in different ways. Read the full story by the WXPR – Wausau, WI.
Great Lakes Commission
https://www.glc.org/dailynews/20210222-invasive-species
