2023 is closing out, providing a time to pause to celebrate everyone who promotes the understanding and conservation of Wisconsin’s inland seas, our treasured Great Lakes. Here is a year in review of Sea Grant initiatives, along with others by our sister organization, the University of Wisconsin Water Resources Institute.
News Releases | Wisconsin Sea Grant
News Releases | Wisconsin Sea Grant
https://www.seagrant.wisc.edu/news/2023-year-in-review/
2023 is closing out, providing a time to pause to celebrate the researchers and water managers who promote understanding and conservation of Wisconsin’s liquid assets. Here is a year in review of University of Wisconsin Water Resources Institute projects, along with others by our sister organization, the Wisconsin Sea Grant College Program.
News Release | WRI
https://www.wri.wisc.edu/news/2023-year-in-review/
Sturgeon can live 50 years or more in rivers and lakes, but the first six months of one sturgeon’s life will be spent in Katie Bryant’s seventh grade science classroom.
The kids love the program, and they’re “all about feeding the fish and taking care of the fish,” Bryant said.
The post Kids raise prehistoric fish as a science lesson first appeared on Great Lakes Echo.Great Lakes Echo
http://greatlakesecho.org/2023/12/12/kids-raise-prehistoric-fish-as-a-science-lesson/
On December 6, 2023, the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (“EPA”) took an important step in protecting public health by proposing to significantly strengthen national drinking water regulations for toxic lead and copper. Most notably, U.S. EPA is proposing a requirement to remove lead service lines within 10 years for most water systems.
Lead is a heavy metal and neurotoxin that harms the brain and nervous system, leading to slowed growth and development, learning and behavior problems, and hearing and speech problems in children. Lead is also linked to negative health impacts in adults, such as reproductive problems, increased risk of high blood pressure, cardiovascular effects, and harm to the kidneys. Experts widely agree that there is no safe level of lead exposure.
For decades, lead was used in service lines, fixtures and solder throughout water systems; it was not until 1986 that Congress banned the use of new lead pipes and fixtures. Following the Flint tragedy that helped propel the issue of lead in drinking water as a national priority, advocates including the Alliance for the Great Lakes have been calling on local, state and federal officials to get the lead out of water systems. A major focus has been to mandate the removal of lead service lines that are often the largest contributors to lead levels in home drinking water.
U.S. EPA is now proposing a national mandate that water systems remove their lead service lines, with a default timeline for removal of 10 years. However, that mandate is substantially weakened by a proposed exception to the time frame for cities with the most lead service lines – including a number of cities in the Great Lakes region. Under the proposed rule, these cities could get decades more to remove lead service lines, including over 40 years for Chicago. It’s unacceptable that EPA would allow this pollution to persist for so long in some of the most impacted communities in our region.
In addition to calling for removal of lead service lines, advocates have called on U.S. EPA to strengthen requirements around water sampling for lead and copper, including the levels that trigger a response by a water system (known as the “action levels”) and what actions water systems must take when sampling exceeds the action levels. Advocates also have demanded enhanced public notice and engagement, to ensure that communities have a real say in how their water utilities respond to high levels of lead and copper. Along with mandating removal of lead service lines, U.S. EPA’s proposed rule strengthens the sampling requirements and action levels while enhancing public notice and participation requirements. The Alliance will be seeking additional improvements in these areas in our comments to U.S. EPA.
To help address lead in drinking water, Congress has increased the amount of federal money that is available for lead service line removal. For example, the Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act of 2021 (IIJA) included $15 billion nationally for lead service line removal. EPA has been distributing this increased funding for lead service line removal to states for the last two years through the Drinking Water State Revolving Fund, with three more years of funding distributions left. That said, the need for additional action on funding for lead service line removal is significant – based on current lead line inventories, estimates for full removal range from $45-60 billion nationally.
U.S. EPA is accepting comments on the proposal through February 5, 2024, and is holding a virtual public hearing on the proposal on January 16, 2024 (to register, click here). The Alliance and our coalition partners will submit comments supporting, and requests for strengthening, the proposed rule. We hope U.S. EPA will move expeditiously to consider comments and adopt the strongest final rule possible, and we look forward to working closely with communities and water systems to ensure robust and speedy compliance.
The post Proposed EPA rule would strengthen protections against lead in drinking water, but timetable leaves too many Great Lakes residents in danger appeared first on Alliance for the Great Lakes.
News - Alliance for the Great Lakes
News - Alliance for the Great Lakes
https://greatlakes.org/2023/12/proposed-epa-rule/
According to an annual report by the Great Lakes Commission, water use from the Great Lakes basin dropped 3% in 2022 compared to the year before. Water usage from the Great Lakes may have declined, but it was still a staggering amount — more than 40 billion gallons per day — nearly all of it returned to the basin. Read the full story by Michigan Radio.
Great Lakes Commission
https://www.glc.org/dailynews/20231211-water-use
The Icebreaker Wind Project, a pilot project to put six wind turbines in Lake Erie about eight miles off Cleveland, Ohio, has been put on hold amid rising costs and other challenges that have delayed progress and dimmed its chances of success. Read the full story by The Plain Dealer.
Great Lakes Commission
https://www.glc.org/dailynews/20231211-erie-wind
London, Ontario residents and downstream communities may soon be able to see in near real-time when wastewater is being dumped during high rainfall events into the Thames River, which drains into Lake St. Clair. The city hopes to have a website with overflow and bypass event data online early next year. Read the full story by CBC News.
Great Lakes Commission
https://www.glc.org/dailynews/20231211-thames-overflows
Despite opposition from local environmental justice advocates, the Michigan Department of Environment, Great Lakes and Energy has approved an air pollution permit for a new slag grinding plant near Zug Island on the Rouge and Detroit rivers, in River Rouge, Michigan. Read the full story by MLive.
Great Lakes Commission
https://www.glc.org/dailynews/20231211-slag-grinder
The Jones Island Water Reclamation Facility in Milwaukee, Wisconsin cleans wastewater and returns the clean water back to Lake Michigan. Milwaukee was a pioneer in this, becoming the first city in the country to do so in the 1920s. Read the full story by WDJT-TV – Milwaukee, WI.
Great Lakes Commission
https://www.glc.org/dailynews/20231211-water-reclamation
Though western Lake Erie’s 2023 algal bloom season is finally over, a Wisconsin researcher points out that the public view on algal bloom seasonality needs to change as scum formations continue to form earlier, hang around longer, and become more prominent throughout the Great Lakes region and the rest of the world. Read the full story by The Toledo Blade.
Great Lakes Commission
https://www.glc.org/dailynews/20231211-algal-blooms
Some of the people who worked to draft a binational agreement to protect the Great Lakes gathered at the University of Michigan in Ann Arbor, Michigan in December to mark the 15th anniversary of the approval of the Great Lakes Water Resources Compact which governs how the states manage the Great Lakes basin’s water supply. Read the full story by Michigan Radio.
Great Lakes Commission
https://www.glc.org/dailynews/20231211-water-compact
Researchers from Central Michigan University surveyed native mussels in the upper reaches of the Tittabawassee River watershed in mid-Michigan and found declines in populations since the last survey performed in the region 40 years ago. Read the full story by The Morning Sun.
Great Lakes Commission
https://www.glc.org/dailynews/20231211-mussel-survey
Two townships on Beaver Island, Michigan, Lake Michigan’s largest island, are exploring the feasibility of building solar power generation to provide electricity for the island’s roughly 600 year-round residents and the thousands who visit during the summer tourism season. The overall goals are better energy security and to transition away from fossil fuels. Read the full story by MLive.
Great Lakes Commission
https://www.glc.org/dailynews/20231211-island-solar
Released into the wild, the humble goldfish can grow to a monstrous size and destroy habitats for native species. Canadian researchers are tracking the fish, so that they might be culled. Read the full story by The New York Times.
Great Lakes Commission
https://www.glc.org/dailynews/20231211-giant-goldfish
By Izzy Ross, Interlochen Public Radio
This coverage is made possible through a partnership with IPR and Grist, a nonprofit independent media organization dedicated to telling stories of climate solutions and a just future.
Four tribes in Michigan will receive funding from the U.S.
Great Lakes Now
https://www.greatlakesnow.org/2023/12/four-michigan-tribes-receive-funding-to-support-recycling-initiatives/
Will connect Wisconsinites to the Great Lakes basin through reading
The Wisconsin Water Library (WWL) at the University of Wisconsin-Madison and the Wisconsin Library Association (WLA) today announced plans for Great Lakes, Great Read, a basin-wide community read program scheduled to launch in 2024.
The WWL is supported by the University of Wisconsin Water Resources Institute and its sister program, Wisconsin Sea Grant. Water Library director Anne Moser said the program is based on the need for greater education about the Great Lakes as an important natural resource. While approximately 34 million people in the U.S. and Canada live in the Great Lakes basin, recent surveys, such as the International Joint Commission Great Lakes Regional Poll in 2021, show a lack of understanding of the threats facing the greatest freshwater resource in the world.
“It’s difficult to care about something you know nothing about,” said Moser. “Education, in this case, environmental literacy, is central to cultivating stewardship of the Great Lakes and of water resources more broadly.”
WLA Executive Director Laura Sauser said the “one book, one community” model, already adopted by many libraries, is a natural fit for the idea of a basin-wide community read, and Wisconsin is the perfect state to pilot this idea, catalyzing other Upper Midwestern states and and Canadian provinces to engage and inspire passion and connection to the freshwater seas through reading.
Laura Sauser. Contributed photo.
“Wisconsinites have a deep connection to water through culture, economy, tourism and way of life. This connection, coupled with the WLA’s network of academic, public and special libraries, gives us a strong foundation for success,” Sauser said.
Supported by a grant from WiLS, the Great Lakes, Great Read program will officially kick off on Feb. 1. The selected titles will be announced on Earth Day (April 22) 2024. Two books, one for adults and one for children, with themes related to the Great Lakes will be announced.
All Wisconsinites will be encouraged to read these titles, and libraries around the state will be encouraged to engage their residents through book discussions and related activities. While program designs are still being finalized, Moser said the plan is to host public presentations by the selected authors and to host a website that includes book discussion questions and other ideas for engagement for anyone interested.
Join the Great Lakes, Great Read 2024 email list for program updates: Great Lakes, Great Read email list.
The post Great Lakes, Great Read program announced first appeared on Wisconsin Sea Grant.News Releases | Wisconsin Sea Grant
News Releases | Wisconsin Sea Grant
https://www.seagrant.wisc.edu/news/great-lakes-great-read-program-announced/
Fertilizer is an essential resource for farmers, but as prices rise, paying for it makes their job more difficult.
A 2023 study by the MSU Agriculture Product Center showed that fertilizer accounts for the highest cost per acre compared to other products, such as seed and machinery repairs.
The post High fertilizer costs hit Michigan farmers first appeared on Great Lakes Echo.Great Lakes Echo
http://greatlakesecho.org/2023/12/11/high-fertilizer-costs-hit-michigan-farmers/
Joint statement from the Alliance for the Great Lakes and the National Wildlife Federation Great Lakes Regional Center
Ann Arbor, MI (October 8, 2023) – Fifteen years after federal approval of an historic Compact to protect Great Lakes water from diversion and unwise use, conservation groups are celebrating the revolutionary water management regime that secures the Great Lakes for future generations.
“For the past fifteen years, the Great Lakes Compact has served as a beacon to the world of how to manage freshwater resources.” said Marc Smith, policy director for the National Wildlife Federation Great Lakes Regional Center. “While we continue to face the unpredictable impacts of climate change, the Compact protects the Great Lakes from increasing demands from a thirsty world, and does this in a way that sustains Great Lakes water use that protects our economy and way of life.”
“The Compact is an enduring example of what our region can accomplish when we work together to protect the Great Lakes,” said Molly Flanagan, Vice President for Programs for the Alliance for the Great Lakes. “The Compact is working to protect the lakes from diversion threats from other parts of the country and the world. We must remain vigilant to ensure that the Great Lakes states are each doing their part to uphold the Compact and protect the lakes at home.”
This month marks the fifteenth anniversary of former President Bush signing into law the Great Lakes-St. Lawrence River Basin Water Resources Compact. The eight-state water management pact—known as the Compact—protects the nation’s largest surface fresh water resource from depletion and diversions. A companion agreement, the Great Lakes-St. Lawrence River Basin Sustainable Water Resources Agreement, was signed in December 2005 by the Governors of the Great Lakes states and Premiers of the Canadian provinces of Ontario and Quebec.
Together, the Compact and Agreement required the eight Great Lakes states of Illinois, Indiana, Michigan, Minnesota, New York, Ohio, Pennsylvania and Wisconsin and the two Canadian provinces of Ontario and Quebec to develop water conservation and efficiency goals and programs for all users, created and implemented comprehensive water management programs and established baselines for water use.
Since enacted in 2008, the Great Lakes Compact has faced challenges to its strength and effectiveness. In 2016, the eight Great Lakes states voted to approve Waukesha, Wisconsin’s Lake Michigan diversion request. After a rigorous process that involved multiple revisions, multiple changes and robust public participation, the Compact Council made several changes and approved Waukesha’s proposal with conditions. Ultimately, the Great Lakes Governors showed that the Great Lakes Compact works and ensured that the first diversion proposal met the high standards of the Compact.
The Great Lakes contain more than 90 percent of the fresh surface water in the United States, and 20 percent of the world’s supply. Seemingly abundant, less than 1 percent of the Great Lakes water is renewed each year. This leaves the health of the lakes vulnerable to diversion and unwise use.
The National Wildlife Federation and the Alliance for the Great Lakes and many other regional and state conservation organizations played major roles for over five years of negotiations, three years of making its way through each of the Great Lakes states and provinces, and final passage in Congress. This process enjoyed an unprecedented level of cooperation among state and provincial leaders in developing the Compact and Agreement and working with numerous and diverse stakeholders to finally enact this Agreement.
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Media contact: Don Carr, Alliance for the Great Lakes, dcarr@greatlakes.org
The post Great Lakes Compact Celebrates 15th Anniversary appeared first on Alliance for the Great Lakes.
News - Alliance for the Great Lakes
News - Alliance for the Great Lakes
https://greatlakes.org/2023/12/great-lakes-compact-celebrates-15th-anniversary/
By Ellie Katz
Points North is a biweekly podcast hosted by Daniel Wanschura and Morgan Springer about the land, water and inhabitants of the Upper Great Lakes.
This episode was shared here with permission from Interlochen Public Radio.
Great Lakes Now
https://www.greatlakesnow.org/2023/12/points-north-the-prince-fish/
Complaints have flown online in recent weeks about a plastic-like taste and smell to the water in south London, Ontario – an area served by the same drinking water system that draws from Lake Erie. Read the full story by The London Free Press.
Great Lakes Commission
https://www.glc.org/dailynews/20231208-smelly-water
A Michigan environmental group will be testing four different data collection methods to assess chloride contamination in the Rouge River this winter, thanks to grant funding from the Michigan Department of Environment, Great Lakes, and Energy. Read the full story by the Southfield Sun.
Great Lakes Commission
https://www.glc.org/dailynews/20231208-road-salt
As researchers scrolled through “camera trap” images, they saw many of the common species found in the Apostle Islands in Lake Superior. But a series of photos collected after dark in July 2022 were different, and featured the state-endangered American marten. Read the full story by the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel.
Great Lakes Commission
https://www.glc.org/dailynews/20231208-endangered-marten
There are 55 lighthouses along Wisconsin’s shores, the majority dating back to the 1800s. For centuries, the beacons of light ensured the safe passage of ships crossing the Great Lakes. Read the full story by Up North News.
Great Lakes Commission
https://www.glc.org/dailynews/20231208-wisconsin-lighthouses
Michigan Governor Gretchen Whitmer’s plans to generate all of Michigan’s energy from renewable sources by 2040 may have positive and negative consequences for the state’s waters. Read the full story by Great Lakes Now.
Great Lakes Commission
https://www.glc.org/dailynews/20231208-energy-plan
There are multiple ways PFAS can be absorbed by beef, dairy, poultry, and fish, including by sewage sludge that has been contaminated with PFAS and applied to the land as fertilizer. Ground and surface water can act as another source for PFAS contamination. Read the full story by Michigan Advance.
Great Lakes Commission
https://www.glc.org/dailynews/20231208-pfas-contamination
Engineers will install more defenses to keep invasive fish from getting past a crucial choke point at the Brandon Road Lock and Dam along the Des Plaines River in Joliet, Illinois. The plan includes using noisemakers, a bubble curtain, an electric barrier, and flushing lock. Read the full story by Wisconsin Public Radio.
Great Lakes Commission
https://www.glc.org/dailynews/20231208-invasive-carp
DTE Energy and The Nature Conservancy have partnered to remove close to 150 acres of invasive phragmites on the Fermi 2 nuclear power plant property in Newport, Michigan. The large, perennial reeds found in wetlands are putting the Great Lakes at risk. Read the full story by Monroe Evening News.
Great Lakes Commission
https://www.glc.org/dailynews/20231208-phragmites-removal
NCEI News Feed
https://www.ncei.noaa.gov/news/national-climate-202311
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/2023/12/will-energy-from-manure-help-or-harm-water-quality-in-michigan/
Euan Reavie presents at River Talks. Image credit: Michael Anderson
Harmful algal blooms are becoming more of a concern in the St. Louis River Estuary and Lake Superior. The reasons behind this were described during the November River Talk by Euan Reavie, senior research associate at the University of Minnesota’s Natural Resources Research Institute.
Harmful algal blooms, also known as HABs, appear as mats of bright green algae that float on the surface of the water or sometimes lay on the bottoms of large rivers or lakes. Not all algal blooms are toxic, but some are, and scientists are looking into what triggers the release of toxins in the blooms.
“Based on anecdotal and real observations, it does seem to be something that’s getting worse in Western Lake Superior,” Reavie said. “Whoever thought we’d be getting algal blooms out in the nutrient-poor waters of Lake Superior, making their way all the way up to the Apostle Islands?”
Water quality in the St. Louis River has improved over the years thanks to sanitary sewer districts coming online in Duluth and Superior in the 1970s, environmental regulations, and cleanup efforts. However, excess nutrients such as phosphorus and nitrogen are still of concern and are a focus of attention from management agencies.
Reavie’s research team came into the picture in the early 2010s when they were asked to research nutrient levels in hopes of confirming that they were decreasing. They collected sediment samples (cores) to reconstruct the history of nutrients in the estuary. The scientists analyzed the samples for different types of fossil algae, which offer signals about what types of nutrients were available in the past because different algae species prefer different levels of nutrients.
Diatoms are the most abundant type of algae in the Western Lake Superior system. Reavie showed how the assemblages of these species changed after European settlement and after water cleanup efforts in the 1970s.
Over the past several years, algae blooms have been noted along the shore of Lake Superior near Cornucopia, Wisconsin, and in the estuary at Barker’s Island and Allouez Bay. Reavie said that sediment samples from the present day in sheltered bays like Allouez Bay show diatom species that like high levels of nutrients. He said the data show a “fairly consistent” increase in phosphorus in the system. “Not good news for the bays in the estuary,” he said.
The team also found cyanopigments in the samples, which indicate recent increases in algae. “There appear to be some new problems in these nearshore areas despite the fact that we’ve reduced the flux of nutrients into the system. Something new is going on here,” Reavie said.
One culprit could be more intense storms due to climate change. Storms wash a lot of nutrients from the land into the water and then the currents carry them through the estuary and harbor, and out into Lake Superior along its South Shore.
“Just knowing that the blooms tend to follow storms is not enough. There’s probably a seasonal aspect to all this, as well,” he said. Warmth is one factor, but Reavie said there have also been algae blooms under the ice. Low dissolved oxygen levels in water could be another factor, resulting in a chemical reaction that releases stored nutrients in sediments.
His team has begun developing an early warning system to sort out what is going on. It involves incorporating weather data, water quality data and algae data from eight stations in the estuary. They hope to offer initial findings at the March 2024 St. Louis River Summit.
For more information, visit the team’s website.
The next River Talk is scheduled for March 13, 2024. Brandon Krumwide with the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration will present, “What Lies Below? Underwater Mapping of the Great Lakes,” at 6:30 p.m. in the Lake Superior Estuarium (3 Marina Drive, Superior, Wisconsin).
The post Understanding harmful algal blooms in the St. Louis River Estuary presents challenges first appeared on Wisconsin Sea Grant.Blog | Wisconsin Sea Grant
https://www.seagrant.wisc.edu/blog/understanding-harmful-algal-blooms-in-the-st-louis-river-estuary-presents-challenges/
An announcement was made earlier this week that the EPA wants to get rid of lead pipes that provide drinking water within the next decade. However, the EPA mandate makes an exception for places where it would be almost impossible to replace all of the lead pipes within 10 years, including Chicago. Read the full story by Grist.
Great Lakes Commission
https://www.glc.org/dailynews/20231206-lead-pipes
Stand Up for Great Lakes, a group of three men who’ve paddle boarded across all of five of the Great Lakes, said on Tuesday they have donated $25,200 to the Cooperative Institute for Great Lakes Research. Read the full story by WPBN-TV – Traverse City, MI.
Great Lakes Commission
https://www.glc.org/dailynews/20231206-stand-up-for-great-lakes
The Army Corps of Engineers is set to start building a barrier near Chicago to keep invasive carp out of the Great Lakes next October. But Illinois still has not signed a Project Partnership agreement that would make it responsible for problems that arise such as environmental cleanups. Read the full story by Michigan Radio.
Great Lakes Commission
https://www.glc.org/dailynews/20231206-invasive-carp-barrier
A pair of filmmakers who spent two years shooting footage for a documentary about invasive mussels in the Great Lakes accidentally discovered a 128-year-old shipwreck that vanished in 1895.The wreck is believed to be the Africa, which disappeared in 1895. Read the full story by Business Insider.
Great Lakes Commission
https://www.glc.org/dailynews/20231206-lake-huron-shipwreck
The Minnesota Department of Natural Resources announced Friday that officials caught 296 silver carp, 23 grass carp and four bighead carp in what the agency called the largest single capture of invasive carp in Minnesota to date. DNR staff think it is likely the fish moved upstream and didn’t hatch in Minnesota waters. Read the full story by WCCO-TV – Minneapolis, MN.
Great Lakes Commission
https://www.glc.org/dailynews/20231206-invasive-carp
Gov. Gretchen Whitmer’s plan to generate all of Michigan’s energy from renewable sources by 2040 is meant to limit climate change gases. But the development of a new renewable energy sector to produce methane from liquid manure produced by large livestock feeding operations, also has consequences on the state’s waters. Read the full story by Michigan Radio.
Great Lakes Commission
https://www.glc.org/dailynews/20231206-manure-energy
The Ohio Department of Natural Resources Office of Coastal Management has launched two new online resources to help Ohioans and visitors discover publicly accessible parklands and protected lands along Ohio’s 312-mile Lake Erie shore and along the major rivers that flow into the lake. Read the full story by The Beacon.
Great Lakes Commission
https://www.glc.org/dailynews/20231206-erie-shoreline-map
Ohio Rep. Dave Joyce introduced a bill to reauthorize the Harmful Algal Bloom and Hypoxia Research and Control Amendments Act through 2028. The bill would develop and coordinate effective responses to harmful algal blooms and monitor the blooms. Read the full story by the Star Beacon.
Great Lakes Commission
https://www.glc.org/dailynews/20231206-hab-bill
Minnesota Gov. Tim Walz and Wisconsin Gov. Tony Evers say a critical bridge between the bordering states on Lake Superior needs to be replaced. Their transportation departments have requested over $1 billion in federal funding to rebuild the John A. Blatnik Bridge, which connects Duluth, Minnesota, and Superior, Wisconsin. Read the full story by CBS News.
Great Lakes Commission
https://www.glc.org/dailynews/20231206-blatnik-bridge
Application deadline: January 15, 2024 | Download PDF
The Great Lakes Commission (GLC) has an immediate opening for a geographic information system (GIS) specialist. This person will work under the direction of the GIS project manager to support projects involving mapping and geospatial analysis. The primary focus of this position will be to support GLC’s work with the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency and other partners to gather, update and curate data to support planning and response activities under the Oil Pollution Act. A smaller proportion of time will be dedicated to supporting projects related to other priority areas included in the GLC’s strategic plan, such as aquatic invasive species and water quality.
The GIS specialist will be responsible for a variety of activities including the acquisition of data from federal, state, provincial and nongovernmental sources throughout the Great Lakes-St. Lawrence River region; the creation and editing of geospatial data in the ESRI GIS environment; data analysis; the production of maps, charts, graphs and written reports; and the publication of data through online mapping services and web-based map viewers.
Specific responsibilities include:
Applicants should possess a bachelor’s degree in geography, data science, natural resources, or another related field with exposure to GIS applications, or an equivalent amount of work experience, and the following qualifications:
The ideal candidate will also bring one or more of the following skills and experience to the position:
Position Classification
The position is classified as full-time, limited term as defined by the GLC’s personnel policies. The appointment term is one year with the potential to extend based on mutual interest and continued funding availability. The desired starting time for this position is February 2024.
Compensation and Benefits
The salary for this position is $56,000 for one year. The position is eligible for certain benefits, including leave time, flexible and telework schedules, and medical, dental and vision insurance.
Work Environment
The location for this position is the GLC office in Ann Arbor, Michigan. A partial telework schedule may be considered under the GLC’s flexible schedule and telework policy.
Applicants must submit a cover letter and resume stating their interest in and qualifications for the position in a single e-mail to vacancy@glc.org. Please use the subject line “Vacancy: GIS.” All required items must be provided for an application to receive consideration. No phone calls, please.
The Great Lakes Commission 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.
Equal Opportunity Employer
The Great Lakes Commission strives to create an inclusive, diverse and non-discriminatory workplace. The Great Lakes Commission is an equal opportunity employer; the Great Lakes Commission complies with applicable federal, state and local laws prohibiting discrimination. It is Great Lakes Commission policy that no person shall be discriminated against, as an employee or applicant for employment, because of race, color, religion, age, sex, national origin, disability status, genetics, protected veteran status, marital status, political affiliation, sexual orientation, gender identity or expression, or any other characteristic protected by federal, state or local laws.
Great Lakes Commission
https://www.glc.org/news/position-available-gis-specialist-2023
Application deadline: April 15, 2024 | Download PDF
The Great Lakes Commission (GLC) has an immediate opening for a financial operations specialist to assist with administrative and financial duties for the GLC. The GLC manages dozens of federal and nonfederal grants and contracts, ranging in size from $10,000 to $10 million. A significant portion of this funding is passed through to local partners and contractors annually for habitat restoration, invasive species prevention and control, and nutrient reduction. This position will work under the direction of the financial operations manager, providing support for general financial operations and assisting other staff in financial administration of grants and contracts managed by the GLC.
The financial operations specialist will be responsible for various daily, monthly, and annual accounting activities, record keeping, establishing, and ensuring compliance to policies and procedures, conducting financial reconciliations and reports for grants and contracts, and other administrative tasks. In addition, the financial operations specialist will be responsible for improving coordination among the Commission’s financial, programmatic, and administrative operations by assisting staff with project budgeting and financial reporting.
Specific responsibilities include:
The ideal candidate will have a degree in accounting, finance, or business with some relevant work experience involving accounting, financial management, grant management, and administrative duties, and generally meet the following qualifications:
Position Classification and Compensation
The position is classified as regular, full-time as defined by the GLC’s personnel policies. The starting salary range for this position is $55,000 – $58,000 per year depending on education, skills, and experience. The GLC offers a competitive salary and comprehensive benefits, including leave time, flexible schedules, medical, dental, and vision insurance.
Work Environment
The location for this position is the GLC office in Ann Arbor, Michigan. A partial telework schedule may be considered under the GLC’s flexible schedule and telework policy.
Applicants must submit a cover letter and resume stating their interest in and qualifications for the position in a single email to vacancy@glc.org. Please use the subject line “Vacancy: Finance.” All required items must be provided for an application to receive consideration. No phone calls, please.
The Great Lakes Commission 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.
Equal Opportunity Employer
The Great Lakes Commission strives to create an inclusive, diverse, and non-discriminatory workplace. The Great Lakes Commission is an equal opportunity employer; the Great Lakes Commission complies with applicable federal, state, and local laws prohibiting discrimination. It is Great Lakes Commission policy that no person shall be discriminated against, as an employee or applicant for employment, because of race, color, religion, age, sex, national origin, disability status, genetics, protected veteran status, marital status, political affiliation, sexual orientation, gender identity or expression, or any other characteristic protected by federal, state or local laws.
Great Lakes Commission
https://www.glc.org/news/position-available-financial-2024
A recent study discovered a fast evolution of coronavirus in free-ranging white-tailed deer throughout Ohio. It implied possible animal-to-human transmission.
The study, published this year in August, found that the virus SARS-CoV-2 was introduced from humans to white-tailed deer more than 30 times in Ohio from November 2021 to March 2022.
The post Ohio white-tailed deer get coronavirus – from people first appeared on Great Lakes Echo.Great Lakes Echo
http://greatlakesecho.org/2023/12/06/ohio-white-tailed-deer-get-coronavirus-from-people/
By Siri Chilukuri, Grist
This story was originally published by Grist and was supported by the Economic Hardship Reporting Project. You can subscribe to Grist’s weekly newsletter here.
The announcement earlier this week — that the EPA wants to get rid of lead pipes that provide drinking water within the next decade — sounded like good news, especially in Chicago, which has the most lead water pipes of any city in the United States.
Great Lakes Now
https://www.greatlakesnow.org/2023/12/the-epa-is-aiming-to-get-rid-of-lead-pipes-in-10-years-but-not-in-chicago/
Great Lakes Moment is a monthly column written by Great Lakes Now Contributor John Hartig. Publishing the author’s views and assertions does not represent endorsement by Great Lakes Now or Detroit Public Television.
Southwest Detroit has long been known for its heavy industry.
Great Lakes Now
https://www.greatlakesnow.org/2023/12/great-lakes-moment-creating-a-green-oasis-in-southwest-detroit/
Sea Grant staff learned more about aquaponics from a tour of the Superior Fresh facility in Wisconsin. Here they stand in front of some Atlantic salmon being readied for market. From left to right: Sharon Moen, Jenna Mertz, Marie Zhuikov, Emma Hauser. Image credit: Kyle Woolever, Superior Fresh.
Superior Fresh knows what it takes to raise fish on land and plants in water.
The aquaponics business, located on 800 acres of rolling woodland and prairie in Hixton, Wisconsin, has been raising Atlantic salmon and growing salad greens in its indoor facilities since 2017. The business reports it’s the largest of its kind in the world, producing 1.5 million pounds of salmon per year plus organic-certified salad greens.
It’s a big operation, and one I had the chance to tour in late October with a small group from Wisconsin Sea Grant that included Sharon Moen, food-fish outreach coordinator; Emma Hauser, aquaculture outreach and education specialist with Wisconsin Sea Grant and the UW-Stevens Point Northern Aquaculture Demonstration Facility (NADF); and Marie Zhuikov, fellow science communicator.
It was good opportunity for me, a newcomer to Sea Grant and the world of aquaculture, to learn more about fish farming and Superior Fresh’s recirculating aquaculture system (RAS). Wisconsin Sea Grant supports aquaculture research, including Hauser’s work in outreach, education and workforce development at NADF. Many of the interns NADF hosts go on to work at Superior Fresh—a fact evidenced by all the friendly faces Hauser recognized during our tour.
After pulling plastic coverings over our shoes (which required some artful hopping on my part), we followed Kyle Woolever, director of operations and a UW-Stevens Point graduate, as he showed us around the facility, which recently experienced a 60,000-square-foot expansion. He explained that the building houses half a million fish, all of which are reared in and transferred between tanks based on fish size and stage of lifecycle. Salmon are raised from egg to market size—which is about 10 pounds in just over two years.
All those fish, of course, require a constant flow of water. Gesturing toward the big tanks, Woolever talked about the water footprint of the facility.
“Two small wells are raising all of what you’re going to see on 50 [gallons per minute],” he said. (Residential wells pump between five and 10 gallons per minute.)
How does Superior Fresh raise salmon using relatively little water? The answer is their RAS, which includes high-tech equipment and monitoring to effectively clean and recycle the water throughout the facility. This water is also used in the greenhouse, where leafy greens further remove the nutrients they need to grow. The water then returns to the fish, and the cycle restarts.
Superior Fresh captures all wastewater from the production system by irrigating over 50 acres of native grasses and alfalfa, while operating with zero wastewater discharge. The grasses and alfalfa are cut and baled several times annually and are used by local farmers for cattle bedding. The business also uses other regenerative farming practices, such as creating a soil amendment from digested fish manure, which can be injected into fields before planting.
After touring the aquaculture facility, Woolever led us to the greenhouse, where the thrum of churning water faded to the quiet sound of plants photosynthesizing. It’s here where the nutrient-rich fish water fuels the growth of Superior Fresh’s organic salad greens.
Entering the greenhouse was an arresting sight. Rows of white rafts filled with lettuce, kale, mustard, arugula and sorrel floated in long tanks of water. Sam Heward, greenhouse manager, explained how plants make a linear journey from one side of “the pond” to the other. Baby greens spend about three weeks on the water before harvest.
The greenhouse is warm and bright and, we joke, the perfect place to be in winter. And it’s not just plants and humans that enjoy the summer-like conditions.
“It’s a perfect environment for plants,” said Heward, “which makes it also a perfect environment for [plant] diseases.”
The team is vigilant about watching for root disease and will change varieties or flush the tank if problems arise.
By the end of the tour, it was clear that Superior Fresh is working so that Atlantic salmon don’t have to be airfreighted across oceans from Chile or northern Europe—they can come from your local community—and greens don’t have to be grown thousands of miles away in sun-soaked states. In other words, they’re successfully forging another way to eat Wisconsin fish (with a side of salad).
The post A peek inside Superior Fresh first appeared on Wisconsin Sea Grant.Blog | Wisconsin Sea Grant
https://www.seagrant.wisc.edu/blog/a-peek-inside-superior-fresh/
Canada is turning to Indigenous fire safety knowledge after record wildfires raged across the country last summer.
“One big issue with Indigenous services is there’s a gap,” Lazare said. “What we are doing is closing that gap to make sure First Nations are included.”
The post Indigenous firefighters lead fire safety efforts after record Canadian wildfires first appeared on Great Lakes Echo.Great Lakes Echo
http://greatlakesecho.org/2023/12/05/indigenous-firefighters-lead-fire-safety-efforts-after-record-canadian-wildfires/
Twenty-four animals were turned in at an exotic pet surrender event at the Ledgeview Nature Center in Calumet County on Sunday December 3rd. Included in the surrenders were a blue-tongue skink, two bearded dragons, 18 guinea pigs, a chameleon and two yellow bellied sliders!
Area organizations were on hand accepting fish, invertebrates, reptiles, pet birds, small mammals, and plants — no questions asked.
In some areas, there are no rehoming options for exotic animals such as fish, birds, and reptiles. Some pet owners that are unable to care for their pet may think that releasing the animal is the right thing to do, however, releasing a pet is harmful for the animal and the environment. Pet Surrender events are now being held across Wisconsin help provide an avenue to pet owners to rehome pets without harming the pet or the environment.
There are multiple places that are currently tackling issues from illegally released domestic and exotic animals. The most well known 
example are the Burmese pythons that have had an enormous impact on the Everglades in Florida. However, multiple cases of released pets causing problems in our waters occur every year including an alligator found on the shores of Lake Michigan just a few weeks ago! Released pets can easily become nuisance or invasive species if they start a breeding population.
The Pet Surrender event brought together a collection of area rehoming partners that provide responsible alternatives to release for exotic pet owners who are no longer able to care for their pets. J&R Aquatic Animal Rescue (JRAAR) hosted the December 3rd th event with help from the Fox-Wolf Watershed Alliance and University of Wisconsin Sea Grant/Water Resources Institutes.
Want to learn more about the Pet Surrender Network? Visit the J&R Aquatic Animal Rescue website at www.jraar.org.
Photo Credit: J&R Aquatic Animal Rescue
Questions? Comments? Contact Chris Acy, the AIS Coordinator covering Brown, Outagamie, Fond du Lac, Calumet, and Winnebago Counties at (920) 460-3674 or chris@fwwa.org!
Follow the Fox Wolf Watershed Alliance’s Winnebago Waterways Program on our Winnebago Waterways Facebook page or @WinnWaterways on X! You can also sign-up for email updates at WinnebagoWaterways.org.
Check out the Keepers of the Fox Program at https://fwwa.org/watershed-recovery/lower-fox-recovery/
Winnebago Waterways and Keepers of the Fox are Fox-Wolf Watershed Alliance programs. The Fox-Wolf Watershed Alliance is an independent nonprofit organization working to protect and restore water resources in the Fox-Wolf River Basin.
Reporting invasive species is a first step in containing their spread. Maintaining and restoring our waters and landscapes can reduce the impacts even when we don’t have other management options to an invasive species.
The post 24 Exotic Pets Rehomed Following Event in Chilton appeared first on Fox-Wolf Watershed Alliance.
Fox-Wolf Watershed Alliance
https://fwwa.org/2023/12/04/24-exotic-pets-rehomed-following-event-in-chilton/?utm_source=rss&utm_medium=rss&utm_campaign=24-exotic-pets-rehomed-following-event-in-chilton
By Lester Graham, Michigan Radio
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/2023/12/see-a-bear-den-the-michigan-dnr-wants-to-know-about-it/
Michigan’s three-person Public Service Commission approved a $500 million plan Friday to encase a portion of an aging oil pipeline in a protective tunnel that runs beneath a channel connecting two Great Lakes, leaving just one more regulatory hurdle for the contentious project. Read the full story by the Associated Press.
Great Lakes Commission
https://www.glc.org/dailynews/20231204-pipeline-tunnel-approved
Michigan Governor Gretchen Whitmer signed legislation this week to make manoomin – wild rice – the state’s official native grain. The keystone aquatic plant with special importance to Indigenous peoples is now a Michigan state symbol just like the Petoskey stone and white pine tree. Read the full story by MLive.
Great Lakes Commission
https://www.glc.org/dailynews/20231204-state-grain
