The Great Lakes Basin will continue receiving funding with the reauthorization of the Great Lakes Fish and Wildlife Restoration Act. It was approved in the U.S. House with bipartisan support this week. Read the full story by WSJM-TV – Benton Harbor, MI.
Great Lakes Commission
https://www.glc.org/dailynews/20220429-great-lakes-fish
Man-made rock armoring installed to prevent beach erosion may actually make the problem worse, according to research conducted by the Michigan Geological Survey.
The post Commentary: Rocky beaches are not fun first appeared on Great Lakes Echo.Great Lakes Echo
http://greatlakesecho.org/2022/04/29/commentary-rocky-beaches-are-not-fun/
HARRISBURG, Pa. (AP) — Coal-related interests sued on April 28 to block the centerpiece of Gov. Tom Wolf’s plan to fight climate change, a carbon-pricing policy that will impose a cost for emitting planet-warming carbon dioxide from fossil fuel-fired power plants.
The lawsuit filed in Commonwealth Court by owners of coal-fired power plants, owners of coal mines and labor unions that mine coal and maintain the power plants say the regulation written by Wolf’s administration is “patently unlawful.”
The regulation took effect Saturday after a long regulatory vetting process and fights with a hostile Legislature controlled by Republicans who are historically protective of Pennsylvania’s coal and natural gas industries.
Great Lakes Now
https://www.greatlakesnow.org/2022/04/coal-interests-carbon-policy/
Healing Our Waters-Great Lakes Coalition
Contact:
Lindsey Bacigal, BacigalL@nwf.org, (734) 887-7113
Jordan Lubetkin, Lubetkin@nwf.org, (734) 904-1589
Great Lakes Coalition Releases Funding Priorities in Letters to House Appropriations Leaders
ANN ARBOR, MICH. (April 28, 2022)—The Healing Our Waters-Great Lakes Coalition and more than 90 of its member organizations released its 2023 fiscal year congressional investment priorities to restore and protect the Great Lakes and provide clean, safe, and affordable drinking water to communities, in letters to U.S. House appropriations leaders.
“Federal investments to restore the Great Lakes and provide clean, safe, and affordable dinking water are producing results in communities around the region,” said Laura Rubin, director of the Healing Our Waters-Great Lakes Coalition. “Yet serious threats remain. The ongoing presence of drinking water restrictions, fish consumptions advisories, and beach closures – as well as the rising cost of water – underscore that the federal government cannot let up now. Congress needs to keep funding solutions that protect our drinking water and the health of communities. We look forward to working with the Great Lakes delegation to ensure that we are doing all we can to protect the Great Lakes and the millions of people in the region, especially the communities that have been most impacted by pollution and harm.”
The Healing Our Waters-Great Lakes Coalition is calling on members of Congress to fund:
Since 2004, the Healing Our Waters-Great Lakes Coalition has been harnessing the collective power of more than 170 groups representing millions of people, whose common goal is to restore and protect the Great Lakes. Learn more at HealthyLakes.org or follow us on Twitter @HealthyLakes.
The post Great Lakes Coalition Releases Funding Priorities in Letters to House Appropriations Leaders appeared first on Healing Our Waters Coalition.
Healing Our Waters Coalition
https://healthylakes.org/great-lakes-coalition-releases-funding-priorities-in-letters-to-house-appropriations-leaders/
The Great Lakes region may be best known for its freshwater resources, but another resource it has in abundance is its maple syrup. Canada is the world’s leading producer of maple syrup, generating 75% of the global supply. Within Canada, the province of Quebec is the top producer (96.4%) of maple syrup products followed by Ontario.
Great Lakes Now
https://www.greatlakesnow.org/2022/04/mapping-the-great-lakes-sugar-maples/
An ovenbird rests on a branch in the St. Louis River Estuary. Image credit: National Lake Superior Estuarine Research Reserve
On April 13, River Talks featured Alexis Grinde from the University of Minnesota Duluth’s Natural Resources Research Institute and Cole Wilson from the University of Wisconsin-Madison. Together, they presented “Black Ash and Birds: Conserving Critical Habitat in the St. Louis River Estuary.” This River Talk gave an in-depth look into the duo’s research and conservation efforts.
Grinde spoke first, highlighting her particular interest in black ash, a tree species abundant in Minnesota, and the organisms that interact with black ash. “At a global scale, we are in the midst of massive losses of biodiversity,” said Grinde. She explained that as we lose biodiversity in different ecosystems, those ecosystems begin to function differently, which in turn causes their resilience to decrease.
This decrease in biodiversity can be attributed to factors like habitat degradation and invasive species. A specific invasive species Grinde mentioned is the emerald ash borer, a wood-boring beetle that attacks native black ash trees. “Because this is an invasive species, all of our ash trees in North America have no defense against this emerald ash borer,” said Grinde, “If an emerald ash borer gets into a tree here in North America, it’s basically a 100% mortality rate.”
Grinde warned of a bleak future for black ash trees. She noted that since 2002, the emerald ash borer has spread across North America and wiped out the majority of black ash trees. A method of minimizing this issue is to enact quarantines that prohibit the movement of trees or firewood into an area that is home to these trees. This would hopefully reduce the spread of invasive species like the emerald ash borer but has not been very successful thus far.
In Minnesota, where there are nearly 1 million acres of black ash forests, this issue is especially relevant. While emerald ash borers were first found in southern Minnesota, they are migrating north where the majority of the black ash forests are located. This could result in extreme consequences since black ash is a foundational species. This means it regulates ecosystem processes and isn’t easily replaced.
While the black ash population has a multitude of effects on neighboring species in its ecosystem, Wilson decided to delve into the impacts on breeding birds in the St. Louis River Estuary. Wilson focused on both species richness and abundance of birds in black ash forests, planning to use his data to determine the best mode of land management for the future.
“What we know is that the black ash are inevitably going to die off,” Wilson said, “What can we take from these studies to apply to future management and restoration efforts?”
Wilson used 10-minute point counts to characterize breeding bird communities. This means that he and his team occupied a certain space for 10 minutes at a time and recorded everything they observed and heard. In addition, they also recorded vegetation, black ash dominance, and canopy cover. The sites Wilson researched ranged from 50% black ash dominance to over 90% black ash dominance.
The results from the study asserted there is a positive correlation between the abundance of black ash trees in a given area and the total number of bird species observed. “Black ash are these really important species ecologically and they provide habitat for a wide range of birds,” said Wilson.
Looking forward, Wilson emphasized the importance of recognizing invasive species as a threat to black ash, as well as finding a new species suitable to replace them when they inevitably die out. However, black ash trees are not just important to ecosystem function, but also to Indigenous culture.
“It’s important that we include Indigenous knowledge into choosing a replacement species,” Wilson said. He mentioned that black ash trees have been a part of Ojibwe culture for many years.
All in all, supporting black ash communities and conductivity are essential for proper ecosystem function. Determining a viable replacement species for black ash is imperative for a variety of people and wildlife, and both Alexis Grinde and Cole Wilson’s work will help achieve these goals.
To watch a video of this presentation, visit the Lake Superior Estuarine Research Reserve’s YouTube site. The final River Talk of the season will feature a celebration of Wisconsin Sea Grant’s 50th anniversary and will be held May 11. For more information, visit the River Talks page: go.wisc.edu/4uz720.
The post A comprehensive look into the future of black ash and birds from a conservation perspective first appeared on Wisconsin Sea Grant.
Blog | Wisconsin Sea Grant
https://www.seagrant.wisc.edu/blog/a-comprehensive-look-into-the-future-of-black-ash-and-birds-from-a-conservation-perspective/?utm_source=rss&utm_medium=rss&utm_campaign=a-comprehensive-look-into-the-future-of-black-ash-and-birds-from-a-conservation-perspective
NCEI News Feed
http://www.ncei.noaa.gov/news/gridded-climate-and-enso-normals-products-released
There are debates on social media about the harm of disclosing favorite hiking locations: Does sharing favorite locations on social media cause more harm than good? Turns out, there's a lot to consider.
The post Commentary: Does social media threaten our special places? first appeared on Great Lakes Echo.Great Lakes Echo
http://greatlakesecho.org/2022/04/28/commentary-does-social-media-threaten-our-special-places/
By Matthew Brown, Associated Press
BILLINGS, Mont. (AP) — U.S. wildlife officials have agreed to craft a new habitat plan for the snow-loving Canada lynx that could include more land in Colorado and other western states where the rare animals would be protected, according to a legal agreement made public Tuesday.
Great Lakes Now
https://www.greatlakesnow.org/2022/04/ap-canada-lynx-protections-deal/
As the nation prepares to pour billions of federal dollars into rescuing water systems, the Great Lakes News Collaborative investigates the true cost of water in Michigan with a special series of reports and events during May. Reporters from Bridge Michigan, Circle of Blue, Great Lakes Now, and Michigan Radio have combined their resources for the most extensive coverage on the cost of water in Michigan to date.
Great Lakes Now
https://www.greatlakesnow.org/2022/04/great-lakes-news-collaborative-waters-true-cost/
By Emma McIntosh, The Narwhal
This story first ran on The Narwhal, a non-profit news organization that publishes in-depth stories about Canada’s natural world.
When the Doug Ford government first announced plans to expand Ontario’s Greenbelt, it called the move a “once in a generation opportunity.”
The initial concept, presented by Municipal Affairs Minister Steve Clark in February 2021, involved ambitious plans to include waterways under the Greenbelt’s protection and stretch its boundaries to encompass a large swath of land west of Toronto.
Great Lakes Now
https://www.greatlakesnow.org/2022/04/doug-fords-expansion-ontario-greenbelt/
The Great Lakes Water Quality Agreement between Canada and the U.S. celebrated its 50th anniversary. The agreement has improved and protected the water quality of the Great Lakes and also improved the lives of millions across the basin. Read the full story by The Welland Tribune.
Great Lakes Commission
https://www.glc.org/dailynews/20220427-50th-anniversary
The Great Lakes and St. Lawrence Cities Initiative announced this past week that it will expand its Resilient Coastal Projects Initiative to include shoreline in West Michigan. The initiative will partner with mayors along the Lake Michigan shoreline to create funding-ready implementation frameworks for priority coastal protection projects with the goal of advancing coastal resilience. Read the full story by News-Review.
Great Lakes Commission
https://www.glc.org/dailynews/20220427-coastal-protection
On the eighth anniversary of the beginning of the Flint water crisis, the city of Flint, Michigan, announced the completion of its $17 million water pipeline project. The new system will ensure the city has a backup water source in case of an emergency. Read the full story by Flint Beat.
Great Lakes Commission
https://www.glc.org/dailynews/20220427-flint
Despite 50 years of working jointly to address water quality challenges, the U.S. and Canada are far from declaring “mission accomplished.” We are still up against toxic algal blooms undermining access to safe drinking water, thousands of tons of plastics and microplastics ending up in our waterways and invasive species wreaking havoc on our fisheries and infrastructure. Read the full story by The Hamilton Spectator.
Great Lakes Commission
https://www.glc.org/dailynews/20220427-great-lakes
A Michigan woman started with the goal to pick up one million pieces of trash and instead launched Great Lakes Great Responsibility, a nonprofit dedicated to protecting Great Lakes freshwater sources. Read the full story by WXYZ-TV – Detroit, MI.
Great Lakes Commission
https://www.glc.org/dailynews/20220427-pollution
Started by a former National Parks Service ranger, the first and only tour service authorized to lead tours into the wilderness areas of Sleeping Bear Dunes National Lakeshore is educating and bringing small groups to observe piping plovers. Read the full story by The Ticker.
Great Lakes Commission
https://www.glc.org/dailynews/20220427-piping-plover
The Minnesota Pollution Control Agency is hoping not to see a repeat of last year when it comes to air quality. Much of the smoke that afflicted Minnesotans drifted south from Canada pooling over Lake Superior and then was being cycled back into the Duluth area. Read the full story by Duluth News-Tribune.
Great Lakes Commission
https://www.glc.org/dailynews/20220427-minnesota
The Biggest Week in American Birding is just a week and a half away, and that means tens of thousands of people are flocking to northwest Ohio to view the return of migratory birds. Read the full story by WTVG-TV – Toledo, OH.
Great Lakes Commission
https://www.glc.org/dailynews/20220427-birding
Great Lakes research vessels will be visiting ports across the Great Lakes this year as a part of the Michigan Department of Natural Resources’ effort to conducting annual fish surveys. Read the full story by The Daily Press.
Great Lakes Commission
https://www.glc.org/dailynews/20220427-ship
As a diver, Tamara Thomsen can see not only down through the waves but also into the past. As it turns out, following a recreational frolic last summer using a type of underwater scooter, she can see quite far into the past.
Tamara Thomsen beams while standing over a water-filled crib that holds the 1,200-year-old dugout canoe she discovered. The canoe is undergoing a preservation process in the water that will ready it for eventual public display. Photo: Moira Harrington
That day in June 2021 Thomsen, a maritime archeologist with the Wisconsin Historical Society (WHS) and longtime Wisconsin Sea Grant collaborator, discovered a 1,200-year-old dugout canoe, the oldest intact shipwreck found in Wisconsin. It also had artifacts with it.
Thomsen knows shipwrecks. She has prepped dozens of nominations for lakes Michigan and Superior shipwrecks for listing on the National Register of Historic Places. She is the driving force behind the popular WHS/Sea Grant joint website wisconsinshipwrecks.org. She has been inducted into the Women Divers Hall of Fame. Along with fellow marine archeologist Caitlin Zant, she recently worked with educators to create six distinct maritime educational activities based on data from previous Sea Grant projects on Wisconsin maritime archaeology. With Sea Grant project support, in 2021 Zant and Thomsen delivered 11 maritime historic preservation presentations that reached nearly 530 people.
Floating onto this already impressive scene is the dugout canoe. The tale of its first sighting is a lesson in serendipity and the value of strong-arming a colleague to double-check on a chance encounter that Thomsen describes with a chuckle as, “Swimming around under the water, I don’t see logs, I see dugout canoes.”
That discovery day, after she spotted what she thought was a partially submerged-in-sediment canoe in 26 feet of water, Thomsen needed to return to land because her underwater scooter partner at the time had reached the designated turn-around point for the air volume in her tank. Thomsen, however, was itching to go back and pursue her hunch that this was more than any old chunk of wood. On that same Saturday, Thomsen convinced a colleague, Amy Rosebrough, to accompany her in a boat back to the site following the coordinates she had noted on the first go-round.
Rosebrough is not a diver. She is a WHS terrestrial archeologist, but Thomsen knew she would make a good sounding board for assessing the site. At the marked location, Thomsen descended in her diving gear once more, gently shifting sediment to get a better look at the sunken craft. She also resurfaced with seven flat stones, some notched, which had been resting in the canoe. After Rosebrough’s examination, Thomsen replaced the stones in the canoe, and replaced sediment around the canoe to offer it protection.
The pair returned to shore and Rosebrough spent the evening pondering the assortment of rocks, which she then deduced were sinker weights for a fishing net, a net long since lost in the waters of Lake Mendota, one of Madison, Wisconsin’s, four lakes.
The seven rocks recovered with the canoe are pictured to the left on a large electronic display in the room where the canoe is being preserved. On the right side of the screen is a 3-D image of the canoe. Photo: Moira Harrington
The canoe’s discovery fell at a time of transition for the WHS. James Skibo, the state archeologist, had just come onboard. While giving him a few weeks to settle into his new role, Thomsen and Zant also kept reminding him about the canoe, soon fully enlisting his help in further investigation. Skibo and Thomsen went back to the lake and retrieved what Skibo termed a piece of wood “about the size of a piece of hair” for radiocarbon dating.
The check was necessary, he said, “Because we didn’t want to be fooled. The canoe could have been a Boy Scout project from the 1950s.”
The results showed not a replica built by pre-teen boys but the real deal, a canoe from AD 800. From that point on, Skibo said, WHS Director Christian Overland was all-in with support for recovering, preserving and sharing this amazing object. That is also certainly in keeping with Skibo’s own ethic, as he explained, in his role serving as the people’s archeologist.
On Nov. 2, 2021, after weeks of planning, preparation and involvement by WHS staff and the Dane County Sheriff’s Office Dive Team, the canoe was recovered from the lake. A WHS video details the process. Recovery was deemed necessary because as sediment had shifted and the canoe was partially uncovered, disintegration would quickly follow.
Bringing the canoe into shore from Lake Mendota in Madison, Wisconsin, represented the culmination of weeks of planning and team contributions. Photo: Wisconsin Historical Society
Skibo said at every step of the process since discovery, Wisconsin’s Indigenous leaders have been consulted, and they also supported the removal, and now, preservation work. Further, Skibo said, repatriating human remains and sacred objects is a well-established practice of the WHS. In this instance, the canoe was in the public domain, is state property and had neither human remains nor sacred objects as part of the site.
On a recent visit to a WHS preservation facility, this writer was fortunate to see the canoe. The old adage, “if this object could talk, what would it say,” came to mind. It was a powerful moment to reflect that it had been more than a millennium since people had used this vessel, which resembles a slightly charred version of a modern-day paddleboard, but one with narrow and shallow sides. It is 15 feet long, weighs 280 pounds and has a gaping and practically symmetrical hole in the base of one end, likely the damage that sealed its sinking fate. At the other end of the canoe, the one that had been exposed from the lakebed and originally caught Thomsen’s eye, it is slightly split.
Its beginnings? It was hewn from a felled white oak tree. Fire was perhaps used to assist in hollowing it out. It probably sank near to where it was made, offshore from a small seasonal village of a woodland people who hunted, fished and tended gardens of corn, sunflowers and squash. These people were also mound builders.
Its future? The canoe is now resting in a wood-framed crib-like structure layered with three pond liners and filled with 15 inches of purified water as part of a nearly three-year-long preservation process that includes replacing the water that is essentially the only thing maintaining the canoe’s structure via osmosis with polyethylene glycol, which will coat and strengthen the canoe’s interior cells. At the end of the process, the canoe will be freeze-dried at minus 22 degrees Celsius to remove any remaining water.
It is expected that this ancient shipwreck will be given a place of pride in a new WHS museum anticipated to open in 2026 in Madison. Upon display, this writer looks forward to experiencing the powerful feelings the canoe first elicited. It is also a celebration of the ingenuity and dedication of WHS staff who have done and will continue to tell the story of this canoe and the people who created it.
The post A visit to Wisconsin’s oldest intact shipwreck first appeared on Wisconsin Sea Grant.News Releases | Wisconsin Sea Grant
News Releases | Wisconsin Sea Grant
https://www.seagrant.wisc.edu/news/a-visit-to-wisconsins-oldest-intact-shipwreck/?utm_source=rss&utm_medium=rss&utm_campaign=a-visit-to-wisconsins-oldest-intact-shipwreck
The Healing Our Waters-Great Lakes Coalition and a multitude of partners have sent five letters in support of Great Lakes priorities as part of the annual appropriations process. These letters highlight Great Lakes priorities in the annual appropriations process, ensuring our members of Congress understand the wide array of funding priorities essential to clean water and Great Lakes restoration. The letters were sent to five of the twelve Appropriations Committees in Congress, specifically those that fund Coalition priorities.
Read the letters by clicking the links below:
Interior, Environment, and Related Agencies Committee
This subcommittee has jurisdiction over the EPA and the DOI (including USGS and FWS). This includes funding for the GLRI, the USGS and FWS’s invasive species activities and research, and the array of EPA clean water and water infrastructure grant programs. The letter details the importance of these programs and makes our respective FY2023 funding requests.
Energy and Water Development, and Related Agencies Committee
This subcommittee has jurisdiction over funding for the U.S. Army Corp of Engineers. This includes the Corps role in protecting the basin from invasive carp through investments in Brandon Road PED, in addition to enhancing Great Lakes restoration and resiliency through research and coastal infrastructure improvements. The letter details these programs and makes our respective FY2023 funding requests.
Commerce, Justice, Science, and Related Agencies
This subcommittee has jurisdiction over NOAA programs. This includes funding for the Great Lakes Environmental Research Lab, Marine Debris, research into HABs, and several grant programs like Sea Grant and the Coastal Zone Management Grants. The letter details these programs and makes our respective FY2023 funding requests.
Agriculture, Rural Development, Food and Drug Administration, and Related Agencies
This subcommittee has jurisdiction over the USDA and Farm Bill programs. This includes the Natural Resources Conservation Service (NRCS) and its programs important for providing the technical assistance and investments needed to reduce agricultural runoff and its impact on water quality and the growing threat of HABs. The letter details these programs and makes our respective FY2023 funding requests.
State, Foreign Operations, and Related Agencies
This subcommittee has jurisdiction over the State Department who funds and operates the Great Lakes Fisheries Commission. The letter details this program and makes our respective FY2023 funding request.
The post FY2023 Appropriations Letters appeared first on Healing Our Waters Coalition.
Healing Our Waters Coalition
https://healthylakes.org/fy2023-appropriations-letters/
NCEI News Feed
http://www.ncei.noaa.gov/news/humans-ncei-juan-rodriguez
In the last few decades, fluctuating temperatures in the late winter or early spring have harmed blueberry production across the state. More of that kind of trouble – and more often – may be in store for the state’s fruit-growers.
The post Commentary: Blueberries, climate and loss of community first appeared on Great Lakes Echo.Great Lakes Echo
http://greatlakesecho.org/2022/04/27/commentary-blueberries-climate-and-loss-of-community/
Green Bay, WI
https://www.weather.gov/grb/NewShortTermProbabilisticRiverForecastGuidance
“Listen to your elders” is something we often hear, and what could be more of an elder than a 2,500-year-old fungus that’s alive and well in the Great Lakes region.
In 1992, scientist and forest pathologist Johann Bruhn discovered a very large mycelium – the root-like structure forming a fungal colony – in Crystal Falls, Michigan.
Great Lakes Now
https://www.greatlakesnow.org/2022/04/life-lessons-big-mushroom/
By Marc Levy, Associated Press
HARRISBURG, Pa. (AP) — More than two years after he started work on it, Gov. Tom Wolf is set to enact the centerpiece of his plan to fight climate change, making Pennsylvania the first major fossil fuel state to adopt a carbon pricing policy — but it might be a short-lived victory.
Great Lakes Now
https://www.greatlakesnow.org/2022/04/ap-greenhouse-gas-state-climate-step/
MADISON, Wis. (AP) — Gov. Tony Evers on Friday signed an executive order creating a new office of environmental justice, announcing the move on Earth Day.
Republicans last year removed the office from Evers’ proposed budget. But the Democrat up for reelection this November got around them by creating it through an executive order.
Great Lakes Now
https://www.greatlakesnow.org/2022/04/ap-evers-office-environmental-justice/
BILLINGS, Mont. (AP) — As climate change bakes the planet, dozens of nations and many local governments are putting a price tag on greenhouse gas emissions that are increasing flooding, droughts and other costly catastrophes.
Pennsylvania on Saturday becomes the first major fossil fuel-producing state in the U.S.
Great Lakes Now
https://www.greatlakesnow.org/2022/04/climate-change-pricing-carbon/
NCEI News Feed
http://www.ncei.noaa.gov/news/whats-automated-surface-observing-system-asos
This lesson will explore the phenomenon of fungal networks in the city of Crystal Falls, MI to help students learn some of the science of the fungi kingdom. They will learn how fungi help plants to communicate with each other and contribute to everyday foods we enjoy. Learners will engage in experiments to investigate the factors that affect mold growth on bread, how temperature influences yeast growth, and create a model to explain fungal networks.
Great Lakes Now
https://www.greatlakesnow.org/2022/04/2204-fungus-lesson-plan/
Connor is a program specialist with GLC’s water quality and water infrastructure program. In this role, he helps to manage the GLSNRP grant program, support water quality working groups, and assist with Blue Accounting’s water content.
Prior to the Commission, Connor spent time as a watershed educator in West Virginia and as a communications associate with the Great Lakes NOAA B-WET program. He holds a master’s degree in environmental education and communication from the University of Michigan and a bachelor’s degree in environmental science from the University of Virginia.
Great Lakes Commission
https://www.glc.org/staff/connor-roessler
The final River Talk for this season turns its focus to series partner Wisconsin Sea Grant, as the organization celebrates its 50th anniversary year.
On Wednesday, May 11, from 6:30 to 9 p.m. in person at the Lake Superior Estuarium (3 Marina Dr., Superior, Wisconsin) and from 7 to 8 p.m. on Zoom, Sea Grant Director Jim Hurley will present, “Sea Grant at 50: Looking Back, Moving Forward,” examining the formation of this science-based organization devoted to the sustainable use and protection of Great Lakes resources. He’ll also discuss Sea Grant’s current work and where it is headed as it looks ahead to the next 50 years.
The in-person event will begin with social time featuring cake and refreshments. Hurley’s presentation will begin at 7 p.m. and will be available virtually (see Zoom link below).
Hurley is also a professor in the Department of Civil and Environmental Engineering at the University of Wisconsin-Madison. His research interests include the cycling of mercury in the Great Lakes. He is the third director in Wisconsin Sea Grant’s history, having taken the helm in 2012. From 2017 to 2019, he also served as president of the national Sea Grant Association.
“I’m fortunate to be able to build on the foundation laid by my predecessors, founding director Bob Ragotzkie and Anders Andren,” Hurley said. “As the Sea Grant program was being created on the national level in the 1960s, Ragotzkie really stood up for the Great Lakes to ensure that these inland seas were a part of the program, and not just our ocean coasts. We are still reaping the benefits of his vision. We’re also actively considering how we can best serve the people of Wisconsin and the Great Lakes in our present moment and moving forward.”
Wisconsin Sea Grant works in many areas, from commercial fisheries and aquaculture, to aquatic invasive species, to dealing with emerging contaminants in our water. It is a program of the University of Wisconsin System, with headquarters on the Madison campus and additional staff at field offices around the state, including Superior, Green Bay, Manitowoc, Milwaukee and Kenosha County.
The organization also funds a robust portfolio of Great Lakes- and water-related research conducted at campuses around the state.
Zoom link:
https://uwmadison.zoom.us/j/95345823876?pwd=QlplY1o3TnJDbXBGRG40U1o3UW1idz09
Meeting ID: 953 4582 3876
Passcode: 306955
One tap mobile
+13017158592,,95345823876# US (Washington DC)
+13126266799,,95345823876# US (Chicago)
The River Talks are sponsored by The Lake Superior National Estuarine Research Reserve and the Wisconsin Sea Grant Program.
The post River Talk series ends season with exploration of Sea Grant’s past and future first appeared on Wisconsin Sea Grant.News Releases | Wisconsin Sea Grant
News Releases | Wisconsin Sea Grant
https://www.seagrant.wisc.edu/news/river-talk-series-ends-season-with-exploration-of-sea-grants-past-and-future/?utm_source=rss&utm_medium=rss&utm_campaign=river-talk-series-ends-season-with-exploration-of-sea-grants-past-and-future
Suburban ponds are experiencing ecosystem changes due to fertilizers, lawn treatments, and human waste and population. Climate change could also play a role.
The post Commentary: Suburban ponds threaten dog walkers and water quality first appeared on Great Lakes Echo.Great Lakes Echo
http://greatlakesecho.org/2022/04/26/commentary-suburban-ponds-threaten-dog-walkers-and-water-quality/
Throughout the Great Lakes region and across the United States, water systems are aging.
In some communities, this means water bills that residents can’t afford or water that’s unsafe to drink. It’s also leading to increased pollution in some of Michigan’s most pristine lakes. From shrinking older cities and small towns to the comparatively thriving suburbs, the true cost of water has been deferred for decades.
Great Lakes Now
https://www.greatlakesnow.org/2022/04/waters-true-cost-events/
In this episode sneak peek watch party, join GLN Producer Anna Sysling for a preview of the May show and a conversation with several guests who all played a part in this episode’s story about the complicated financial, public health and infrastructural implications of our drinking water.
Catch more news at Great Lakes Now:
Join the Conversations: Events on “Water’s True Cost” will answer your questions about water infrastructure
The Catch: Benton Harbor’s lead pipes and the plan to replace them
Great Lakes Now
https://www.greatlakesnow.org/2022/04/waters-true-cost-watch-party/
Ann Arbor, Mich. – The Great Lakes Commission (GLC) today released a video highlighting work to restore natural shoreline at Brandenburg Park along Lake St. Clair in Michigan. A partnership led by the GLC and the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) replaced a failing metal sea wall with naturalized shoreline and offshore shoals to reduce wave energy and increase resiliency to varying water levels, improving fish and wildlife habitat and enhancing community access to the waterfront. Brandenburg Park’s pier is one of only a few in Metro Detroit from which individuals can fish and view wildlife on Lake St. Clair. Its public boat launch attracts boating and fishing enthusiasts from all over the county and throughout the region.
“Our Brandenburg Park project has improved fish and wildlife habitat, coastal resilience, and community access to Lake St. Clair,” said Todd Ambs, Chair of the Great Lakes Commission. “We’ve already seen an 84% increase in fish abundance and nearly 500% increase in water celery, an important native aquatic plant species. The GLC is proud to work with our federal, state, and local partners to implement exciting projects like this one across the region.”
Brandenburg Park is one of five projects that GLC and NOAA are leading in high priority coastal areas in the Great Lakes basin. A team including Chesterfield Township, the Michigan Department of Natural Resources, the Michigan Department of Energy, Great Lakes, and Environment, and OHM Advisors collaborated with GLC and NOAA to replace 740 linear feet of hardened shoreline, restore over three acres of nearshore habitat along Lake St. Clair and implement monitoring and outreach activities. The video, produced by Great Lakes Outreach Media, reviews prior conditions of the site, explains the restoration methods that were implemented, and highlights the use of long-term solutions to the basin-wide issue of shoreline erosion
For more information, visit https://www.glc.org/work/priorityareas/brandenburg.
The Great Lakes Commission, led by chair Todd L. Ambs, deputy secretary of the Wisconsin Department of Natural Resources (retired), 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/brandenburg-042522
By Beth Edwards, Indiana Environmental Reporter
Some northern Indiana residents remain skeptical that communities in the area will be free of contamination from toxic coal ash, despite a renewed commitment by government agencies and one of the state’s biggest energy companies to clean up polluted sites and transition to renewable energy sources.
Great Lakes Now
https://www.greatlakesnow.org/2022/04/indiana-residents-coal-ash-cleanup/
Volunteers gathered at Wendy Park in Cleveland to clean up the beach during Earth Day weekend. The litter picked up this year along the shores of the Great Lakes could put the total amount of trash that’s been kept out of our lakes at over half a million pounds. Read the full story by the Cleveland Plain Dealer.
Great Lakes Commission
https://www.glc.org/dailynews/20220425-beachcleanupwendypark
The Meijer company has donated $1 million toward cleaning up the Great Lakes. The money will be used by the Council of the Great Lakes Region to clean up beaches and waterways throughout the Midwest and to educate the public about plastics pollution. Read the full story by WGRT – Port Huron, MI.
Great Lakes Commission
https://www.glc.org/dailynews/20220425-beachcleanupdonation
In New York, nearly 300 Earth Week volunteers gathered at Hamburg’s Woodlawn Beach, hauling away a winter’s worth of debris deposited on shore. Read the full story by The Buffalo News.
Great Lakes Commission
https://www.glc.org/dailynews/20220425-earthweekcleanup
Algal blooms cause lower housing prices in Lake Erie communities, according to a study published earlier this year in the American Journal of Agricultural Economics. View the full video story by Great Lakes Echo.
Great Lakes Commission
https://www.glc.org/dailynews/20220425-housingprices
If you’re at a Great Lakes port this season, you might see one of the Michigan Department of Natural Resources’ large fisheries research vessels conducting annual fish surveys. The vessels are based out of Marquette, Alpena, Charlevoix and Harrison Township harbors in Michigan. Read the full story by WLUC-TV – Negaunee, MI.
Great Lakes Commission
https://www.glc.org/dailynews/20220425-fishpopulations
In light of the present crisis unfolding on The Sullivans – and the fact that epoxy is a temporary fix for holes in its hull that caused it to list severely last week – a larger plan to protect the future of the ship has risen in importance. Read the full story by the Buffalo News.
Great Lakes Commission
https://www.glc.org/dailynews/20220425-thesullivans
After last year’s free parking program for beaches, the city has decided to charge $15 for the season. Trish Sorrenti, corporate executive administrator, said last year’s free parking program was a struggle for staff. Read the full story by the St. Catherines Standard.
Great Lakes Commission
https://www.glc.org/dailynews/20220425-beachparking
As the invasive tench tries to make inroads in the St. Lawrence River from east to west, another aquatic invasive critter, cousin to the round goby, is making its mark from the opposite direction. Read the full story by the Watertown Daily Times.
Great Lakes Commission
https://www.glc.org/dailynews/20220425-invasivegobies
In March, Gov. Gretchen Whitmer signed the Building Michigan Together Plan, which included the largest infrastructure investment in state history. Included in that investment is nearly $2 billion for water infrastructure. Read the full story by the Petoskey News-Review.
Great Lakes Commission
https://www.glc.org/dailynews/20220425-waterinfrastructure
An area like the Great Lakes that has rain and higher temperatures in the summer, followed by a cold, snowy winter, is best suited for maple production. But the Great Lakes maple season is evolving as climate change increasingly impacts maple syrup production with shorter harvest seasons, less sugar production and unreliable sap flow. Read the full story by Great Lakes Now.
Great Lakes Commission
https://www.glc.org/dailynews/20220425-sugaring
The spring season of Wisconsin’s Sea Grant’s “Lake Talks” series concludes Thursday, May 12, from 7-8 p.m. The event will focus on “Harmful algal blooms and your health.”
The online event is open to everyone, though registration is required. (Register for this Zoom event now.) The hour includes time for audience questions.
Jordan Murray gestures at some blue-green algae that has accumulated along the shoreline of Lake Monona at Brittingham Park in Madison. (Submitted photo)
Featured speaker Jordan Murray is a Wisconsin Water Resources Science-Policy Fellow. She serves as Harmful Algal Blooms Program Coordinator at the Wisconsin Department of Health Services (DHS) in its Division of Public Health. Her fellowship is jointly supported by DHS and the Aquatic Sciences Center at the University of Wisconsin-Madison.
Murray will give an overview of the harmful algal bloom (HAB) program at DHS and describe her role as coordinator. She’ll also cover how HABs can affect health. You’ll learn practical steps you can take to avoid exposure and keep yourself, your loved ones and pets healthy while enjoying Wisconsin’s abundant lakes.
The timing of Murray’s presentation is apt, as blue-green algae season typically begins in May as temperatures warm.
The presence of the algae—natural organisms found in all Wisconsin water bodies—is not bad in and of itself. However, problems arise when the algae grows to high levels and forms blooms that are often “scummy” or pea soup-like in appearance and pose health hazards.
Murray holds a master’s degree in public health, with a concentration in epidemiology, from the University of Toledo. A Toledo native, she remembers the period in 2014 when a major bloom in Lake Erie (source of the city’s drinking water) meant that residents were warned not to drink—or even touch—the water coming out of their taps.
“This public health issue is very personal to me,” she said, “so it’s fulfilling to do work around an issue that has so greatly affected my home and community.”
Murray’s scientific background and personal experience fuel her commitment to keeping people safe. With climate change leading to a warmer and wetter Wisconsin, bloom intensity is on the rise, making it important to raise public awareness about HABs.
For Lake Talks event and registration information, visit the Sea Grant website, or follow Wisconsin Sea Grant on Facebook or Twitter. You can register for Murray’s presentation on harmful algal blooms now.
For questions about this series, contact Wisconsin Sea Grant science communicator Jennifer Smith.
The post Learn how to stay safe from harmful algal blooms at “Lake Talks” presentation first appeared on Wisconsin Sea Grant.News Releases | Wisconsin Sea Grant
News Releases | Wisconsin Sea Grant
https://www.seagrant.wisc.edu/news/learn-how-to-stay-safe-from-harmful-algal-blooms-at-lake-talks-presentation/?utm_source=rss&utm_medium=rss&utm_campaign=learn-how-to-stay-safe-from-harmful-algal-blooms-at-lake-talks-presentation
By Seth Borenstein, AP Science Writer
With climate change, plastic pollution and a potential sixth mass extinction, humanity has made some incredible messes in the world.
But when people, political factions and nations have pulled together, they have also cleaned up some of those human-caused environmental problems, including healing the ozone hole, clearing perpetually smoggy air and saving many species from the brink of extinction.
Great Lakes Now
https://www.greatlakesnow.org/2022/04/ap-healing-ozone-hole-smog-eagles/
