A stalled movement to give the invasive Asian carp a more palatable name has regained momentum, and the big reveal is now set for June 22. Read the full story by WTTW – Chicago, IL.
Great Lakes Commission
https://www.glc.org/dailynews/20220603-asiancarp
Shepler’s Ferry is kicking off its Lighthouse Cruises and Night Sky Cruises this month with one new kind of cruise and some other fresh sights added into an always-popular lineup departing from Mackinaw City, Michigan. Read the full story by MLive.
Great Lakes Commission
https://www.glc.org/dailynews/20220603-sheplers
Always clean, drain, and dry your boat and fishing gear, says the New York State Department of Environmental Conservation, and check your boats and gear for aquatic hitchhikers. Read the full story by the Times Herald-Record.
Great Lakes Commission
https://www.glc.org/dailynews/20220603-invasive
Lighthouses traditionally warn sailors away from land, but this year, the oldest continuously operating lighthouse on the Great Lakes — Marblehead Lighthouse in Ohio — will be attracting visitors like moths to a flame. Read the full story by the Columbus Dispatch.
Great Lakes Commission
https://www.glc.org/dailynews/20220603-marblehead
Didymo, most commonly referred to as rock snot, is a kind of algae that continues to spread in Michigan’s Manistee River. The appearance of rock snot was first reported last fall, and it still continues to be a problem. Read the full story by WWTV-TV – Cadillac, MI.
Great Lakes Commission
https://www.glc.org/dailynews/20220603-rocksnot
Great Lakes cruising has returned to the Port of Cleveland with the first ships dropping anchor in Northeast Ohio last month. Read the full story by WEWS-TV – Cleveland, OH.
Great Lakes Commission
https://www.glc.org/dailynews/20220603-clevelandcruise
The North American Sea Glass Association held its 16th Annual Sea Glass Festival at Maumee Bay State Park Lodge on Lake Erie – the first time it wasn’t held at a saltwater venue.
“This is probably the crème de la crème of festivals,” said Beverly Vinch, of Washed Ashore Jewelry, based in Avon Lake, Ohio.
Great Lakes Now
https://www.greatlakesnow.org/2022/06/great-lakes-sea-glass/
Keep up with energy-related developments in the Great Lakes area with Great Lakes Now’s biweekly headline roundup.
Click on the headline to read the full story:
Illinois:
In September, Illinois lawmakers passed a watershed clean energy law which established the state as a leader for its efforts to decarbonize.
Great Lakes Now
https://www.greatlakesnow.org/2022/06/energy-news-roundup-impending-energy-crisis/
All through the spring, baby fish hatch and laze in the sun-warmed shallows, bird chicks take their first wobbly flights, bunnies get their first taste of the greens in my garden and seedlings sprout and reach for the sky. And then they die.
The post June: The Cruelest Month? first appeared on Great Lakes Echo.Great Lakes Echo
http://greatlakesecho.org/2022/06/03/june-the-cruelest-month/
This article was republished here with permission from Great Lakes Echo.
By Caroline Miller, Great Lakes Echo
High water and ice scouring has shifted native wetlands inland and opened a door to invasive species along Wisconsin’s Lake Michigan coast.
A new study documents the first sighting of the invasive species, European frogbit, in Wisconsin and says that it could threaten native plants, fish and invertebrates.
Great Lakes Now
https://www.greatlakesnow.org/2022/06/rising-water-lake-michigan-wetlands-invaders/
MADISON, Wis. (AP) — Marshfield and Adams have joined the list of Wisconsin cities that have shut down municipal wells due to PFAS contamination.
Wisconsin Public Radio reported that the state Department of Natural Resources announced Thursday that sampling in the two cities has detected PFAS high enough to concern state health officials.
Great Lakes Now
https://www.greatlakesnow.org/2022/06/ap-wisconsin-wells-pfas-pollution/
By Zahra Ahmad, Bridge Michigan
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/2022/06/michigan-great-lakes-summer/
A recent sunny morning on the Memorial Union Terrace of the University of Wisconsin-Madison seemed a literal representation of the sunny outlook of the nine undergraduate students assembled to kick off their 10-week summer freshwater research experiences.
Students were nationally recruited and hail from Michigan Technological University, University of the Sciences, James Madison University, North Carolina State University, Skidmore College and Beloit College. Three students didn’t have to travel far. They are currently enrolled at UW-Madison. Six of the students self-identify as underrepresented.
Undergraduate summer research students, mentors and Sea Grant Director Jim Hurley gather for a kick off meeting of the 10 week experience. Photo: Bonnie Willison
The cohort is the inaugural group of a new program to offer student research opportunities to enhance workforce development skills and expose undergraduates to graduate studies across the University of Wisconsin System and under the auspices of Water@UW-Madison, which connects water scholars across the state’s flagship campus.
“I’m thinking about going to graduate school and this internship will prepare me for freshwater research in both the lab and the field,” said Lily Wagner who smiled through a conversation despite being jetlagged following her return just hours earlier from a semester abroad in Copenhagen studying environmental sciences of the Arctic.
She will join the lab of Christy Remucal of the Department of Civil and Environmental Engineering to understand the degradation rate of the aquatic pesticide 3-trifluoromethyl-4-nitrophenol, which is used to control populations of invasive sea lamprey in the Great Lakes watershed.
Faculty mentors also have high hopes for the pilot research program. “This is a fantastic opportunity for our Water@UW-Madison community to come together in a different way; to share research with a new generation of water scientists,” said Grace Wilkinson, Center for Limnology.
Wilkinson reported being undaunted by the lack of a track record on the program and is looking forward to shepherding a student through a project that will look at how nutrient-rich waters in Dane County are transforming, storing or moving organic material and how the cycle is affected by climate change and anthropogenic pressures.
Her student, Victoria Wright, has experience in science communication. Wilkinson said she’ll tap into Wright’s expertise in creating communications products that will be used as part of a community science monitoring program based at two urban ponds in Middleton.
In remarks to the group, Wisconsin Sea Grant and University of Wisconsin Water Resources Institute (WRI) Director Jim Hurley called out features of the Memorial Union’s surroundings that are emblematic of UW-Madison’s leadership in water—nearby buildings, including the Center for Limnology and the Water Science and Engineering Laboratory; Lake Mendota, known as the world’s most-studied lake; and a plaque commemorating former UW-Madison President Edward A. Birge, often cited as the founder of the study of limnology.
A plaque on the UW-Madison campus details a history of water research.
Hurley said through the years countless research ideas have been sparked sitting alongside Lake Mendota, over beverages and in the company of enthusiastic scientific peers, and he was confident the 2022 Water@UW-Madison summer research students would be similarly inspired.
Sea Grant and its sister organization WRI are funding the program, as well as the Freshwater Collaborative of Wisconsin. The Freshwater Collaborative is part of a statewide initiative with support from the Wisconsin Legislature and Gov. Evers that is tackling 10 grand water challenges, as well as curriculum development, undergraduate research opportunities, career development and field training experiences for students with an interest in water-related offerings on UW System campuses. The collaborative is also a partnership of universities, connecting with industry, local communities, policymakers and advocacy groups. Its mission is to establish Wisconsin as a world leader in freshwater science, technology, entrepreneurship and economic growth.
The post Summer of research kicks off first appeared on Wisconsin Sea Grant.
News Releases | Wisconsin Sea Grant
News Releases | Wisconsin Sea Grant
https://www.seagrant.wisc.edu/news/summer-of-research-kicks-off/?utm_source=rss&utm_medium=rss&utm_campaign=summer-of-research-kicks-off
In our newest TikTok, Echo reporter Shelby Frink discusses the results of a recent study published in Agricultural and Resources Economic Review that explores how climate change impacts milk and feed production.
The post Climate change increases milk production: TikTok edition first appeared on Great Lakes Echo.Great Lakes Echo
http://greatlakesecho.org/2022/06/02/climate-change-increases-milk-production-tiktok-edition/
This month of The Catch features stories from our partners in the Great Lakes News Collaborative. The collaborative’s investigation of the cost of water in the Great Lakes region was the focus of the latest episode.
Toronto-based journalist Andrew Reeves discusses a piece he wrote for Great Lakes Now about the history and current issues in Canadian water infrastructure.
Great Lakes Now
https://www.greatlakesnow.org/2022/06/the-catch-canadian-water-infrastructure/
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/2022/06/toxic-hot-spots-michigan-great-lakes-states/
The massive Viking Octantis cruise ship is due to make its first-ever stop at the small Michigan Upper Peninsula town of Houghton on Wednesday, June 1. Read and hear the full story by MLive.
Great Lakes Commission
https://www.glc.org/dailynews/20220601-cruise
The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency has set a goal of completing work to delist 22 of the 25 remaining Areas of Concern in the Great Lakes region. Of the three remaining AOCs that won’t be completely cleaned up, two are in Michigan. Read and hear the full story by Michigan Radio.
Great Lakes Commission
https://www.glc.org/dailynews/20220601-aoc-cleanup
The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers forecasts that water levels will be above the long-term average for most of the Great Lakes except Lake Superior. Read and listen to the full story by Wisconsin Public Radio.
Great Lakes Commission
https://www.glc.org/dailynews/20220601-water-levels
High water and ice scouring has shifted native wetlands inland and opened a door to invasive species along Wisconsin’s Lake Michigan coast. Read the full story by Great Lakes Echo.
Great Lakes Commission
https://www.glc.org/dailynews/20220601-invasives
Monty, the beloved Great Lakes piping plover who died earlier this month at Montrose Beach in Chicago, Illinois, suffered from a severe fungal respiratory infection, officials announced Tuesday. Read the full story by Block Club Chicago.
Great Lakes Commission
https://www.glc.org/dailynews/20220601-monty
The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency announced Tuesday it’s awarding Ohio with a $225,000 grant to monitor water quality at the state’s beaches. Read the full story by Spectrum News 1.
Great Lakes Commission
https://www.glc.org/dailynews/20220601-water-monitoring
The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers is using harbor dredge material to shore up Lake Michigan beaches this summer. Read the full story by The Holland Sentinel.
Great Lakes Commission
https://www.glc.org/dailynews/20220601-dredge
A man raising funds to benefit youth mental health and suicide prevention, has become the first person with a physical disability to ever travel from one country to another on a paddleboard. Read the full story by the Toronto Sun.
Great Lakes Commission
https://www.glc.org/dailynews/20220601-paddleboard
A new form of biological control against the invasive garlic mustard, Alliaria petiolate, has been identified in the form of a tiny aphid. Read the full story by The Detroit Free Press.
Great Lakes Commission
https://www.glc.org/dailynews/20220601-biocontrol
For the first time in 35 years, the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) has a ship operating in the Great Lakes, working to map the lakebed of Lake Erie. Read the full story by WKYC- TV – Cleveland, OH.
Great Lakes Commission
https://www.glc.org/dailynews/20220601-noaa
Despite overwhelming public opposition based on public comments received by the Ohio Department of Natural Resources, the agency approved a water withdrawal and consumptive use permit for Massachusetts-based Aquabounty on March 14.
The permit will allow operators to pull about 28 million gallons from the Michindoh Aquifer to fill tanks at its state-of-the-art Atlantic salmon rearing facility in Pioneer, Ohio.
Great Lakes Now
https://www.greatlakesnow.org/2022/06/salmon-farm-ohio-dnr/
Ann Arbor, Mich. – The Great Lakes HABs Collaborative today released two new fact sheets on the impacts of harmful algal blooms (HABs) on human health. The GLC released the fact sheets in advance of HABs season in the Great Lakes basin; early season projections for the annual bloom in Lake Erie began in May and are accessible on NOAA’s website and also shared on Blue Accounting’s website.
The first fact sheet summarizes emerging research on chronic HABs toxin exposure on the body, including on the respiratory, neurological and cardiovascular systems. According to recent lab studies, HAB toxins may cause inflammation in the lungs and disrupt lung cell structure; may damage neurons and disrupt normal brain cell function; and can lead to cardiac inflammation and tissue scarring. Frequency of exposure, dose, and personal health conditions play an important role in how any of the various toxins that may be produced by a HAB can affect a person’s health. When spending time along Great Lakes coasts and inland waters, it is important to be aware of any signs posting local health advisories, which may include warnings related to the presence of a HAB.
The second fact sheet summarizes the current understanding of the effects of inhalation of HABs aerosols: when a HAB is agitated (by waves, wind, or boat traffic), it may release aerosols into the air, and aerosols generated from water with HABs have been found to contain HAB toxins. Some animal studies have demonstrated negative health consequences such as inflammation from the inhalation of HABs aerosols and some water users have reported respiratory irritation. An epidemiological study found respiratory symptoms were more likely in humans exposed to high levels of HAB aerosols.
“We already knew that the annual bloom in Western Lake Erie, and other HABs across the Great Lakes, have adverse effects on the environment and economy in communities across the basin,” said Todd L. Ambs, chair of the Great Lakes Commission, which leads the Great Lakes HABs Collaborative in partnership with the U.S. Geological Survey – Great Lakes Science Center. “Now emerging science is showing us that the human health effects of HABs can be broad and serious as well. This is more evidence that we need to act now on a federal, regional, jurisdictional, and local level to combat HABs in the Great Lakes basin.”
Freshwater HABs are an annual occurrence during the summer and fall in the nearshore areas of the Great Lakes, as well as in inland waterbodies, and have the potential to disrupt ecosystems, impact water and air quality, and deter recreation. The Great Lakes HABs Collaborative is working to establish a common agenda on science and management needs to help the region work together to prevent and manage HABs.
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/habs-factsheets-060122
Since 2019, just over a dozen inner-city families in the heart of Minneapolis have cared for small prairies full of native plants in the boulevard strips adjacent to their homes. The project is aimed at increasing urban biodiversity. It is called City Backyard Science and is funded by the University of Minnesota Institute on the Environment.
The post Urban ecology is in the hands of Minnesota citizens first appeared on Great Lakes Echo.Great Lakes Echo
http://greatlakesecho.org/2022/06/01/urban-ecology-is-in-the-hands-of-minnesota-citizens/
This month of The Catch features stories from our partners in the Great Lakes News Collaborative. The collaborative’s investigation of the cost of water in the Great Lakes region was the focus of the latest episode.
Michigan Radio‘s Lester Graham discusses a story he’s been following in northern Michigan on Elk Lake, where plant life and E.Coli are showing up in previously crystal-clear water.
Great Lakes Now
https://www.greatlakesnow.org/2022/05/the-catch-septic-systems/
In today’s episode, we’re chatting with Dr. Sherri Mason, a leading expert on plastic pollution. Her award-winning work has drawn international attention to the threat of microplastics in our waters and led to the passage of national legislation banning microbeads. She serves as Director of Sustainability at Penn State Erie, The Behrend College.
Dr. Mason shares some fascinating perspectives on plastic pollution in the Great Lakes:
Resources
Plastic-Free Great Lakes
The post Dr. Sherri Mason – Plastic Pollution appeared first on Alliance for the Great Lakes.
News - Alliance for the Great Lakes
News - Alliance for the Great Lakes
https://greatlakes.org/2022/05/dr-sherri-mason-plastic-pollution/
Green Bay, WI
https://www.weather.gov/www.weather.gov/safety/safeboating
Green Bay, WI
https://www.weather.gov/www.weather.gov/safety/safeboating
NCEI News Feed
http://www.ncei.noaa.gov/news/goes-18-observes-earth-and-space
European frogbit, an invasive species, has been documented in Wisconsin, where it could threaten native plants, fish and invertebrates. The small, green, heart-shaped lily pad, forms dense mats along the surface of the water, blocking out sunlight that submergent plants need to survive.
The post Rising water makes Lake Michigan wetlands vulnerable to invaders first appeared on Great Lakes Echo.Great Lakes Echo
http://greatlakesecho.org/2022/05/31/rising-water-makes-lake-michigan-wetlands-vulnerable-to-invaders/
Current Watches, Warnings and Advisories for Brown (WIC009) Wisconsin Issued by the National Weather Service
https://alerts.weather.gov/cap/wwacapget.php?x=WI1263F5847180.AirQualityAlert.1263F591DF00WI.GRBAQAGRB.ec8586610c017e3b61503aff62a72b6b
Fifteen businesses, including Ford Motor Co., General Mills, General Motors and two West Michigan microbreweries, have written to Michigan Gov. Gretchen Whitmer in support of her administration’s carbon neutrality goals.
The post Businesses signal support of Michigan’s climate goals first appeared on Great Lakes Echo.Great Lakes Echo
http://greatlakesecho.org/2022/05/30/businesses-signal-support-of-michigans-climate-goals/
By Janet McConnaughey, Associated Press
NEW ORLEANS (AP) — About $33 million of the $1 trillion bipartisan infrastructure plan recently signed into law by President Joe Biden will go toward cleanning up 277 of an estimated 15,000 abandoned oil and gas wells on federal land, the nation’s interior secretary said Wednesday.
Great Lakes Now
https://www.greatlakesnow.org/2022/05/ap-infrastructure-plan-clean-up-wells/
By Enrique Saenz, Indiana Environmental Reporter
Final results of the first phase of statewide community water system testing confirmed the presence of PFAS chemicals in the treated drinking water of nearly a dozen Indiana communities.
The presence of PFAS chemicals in drinking water could be exposing thousands of Hoosiers to a series of adverse health conditions ranging from increased risk of kidney and testicular cancers to high cholesterol levels.
Great Lakes Now
https://www.greatlakesnow.org/2022/05/testing-confirms-forever-chemicals-water-systems/
Great Lakes Now episodes are packed with important information on current topics.
In “Water’s True Cost,” learn about the aging infrastructure problem in Michigan and how many households struggle to pay their water bills. And in “The Catch” we look at the same problem in Ontario, the problem of Michigan’s lacking sewer regulations, and a new series on Great Lakes policy.
Great Lakes Now
https://www.greatlakesnow.org/2022/05/waters-true-cost-the-great-lakes-now-episode-quiz/
Inflation, increased labor costs and supply chain issues have ballooned the estimated cost of a major reconstruction project at the Soo Locks shipping complex according to lawmakers, who say the pricey effort has doubled or tripled in price from current projections. Read the full story by Mlive.com
Great Lakes Commission
https://www.glc.org/dailynews/20220527-soo-locks
Today, the Marblehead Lighthouse, the oldest continuously operating lighthouse in the Great Lakes located along the south shore of Lake Erie, is as much tourist attraction as navigational aid, due to GPS and other on-shore landmarks. Read the full story by The Plain Dealer.
Great Lakes Commission
https://www.glc.org/dailynews/20220527-lighthouse
NOAA and other organizations are actively monitoring Great Lakes algae. The Harmful Algal Bloom (HAB) Monitoring System has been operational for several years. A new system was just launched in April of 2022 called Seagull. Both are expected to continue to be updated with new features and functionality. Read the full story by Thumbwind.
Great Lakes Commission
https://www.glc.org/dailynews/20220527-algal-blooms
An ORV park on Michigan’s west side is temporarily restricting access to a small area for the sake of protecting a nesting pair of endangered Great Lakes piping plovers. Read the full story by MLive.
Great Lakes Commission
https://www.glc.org/dailynews/20220527-piping-plovers
A federal appeals court has declined to disturb an Indiana Supreme Court ruling, later codified into Indiana law, which declared that Lake Michigan’s shoreline is — and always has been — owned by the state for the public’s use. Read the full story by the Associated Press.
Great Lakes Commission
https://www.glc.org/dailynews/20220527-indiana-shoreline
A federal appeals court has declined to disturb an Indiana Supreme Court ruling, later codified into Indiana law, which declared that Lake Michigan’s shoreline is — and always has been — owned by the state for the public’s use. Read the full story by the Associated Press.
Great Lakes Commission
https://www.glc.org/dailynews/20220527-coal
Geneva-on-the-Lake, Ohio is working to preserve its Lake Erie shoreline and the village is finishing the first phase of its erosion protection project at the Township Park. Read the full story by WEWS – TV – Cleveland, OH.
Great Lakes Commission
https://www.glc.org/dailynews/20220527-erosion
Reducing levels of the nutrient phosphorus to control harmful algal blooms in places like Lake Erie is actually advantageous to toxic cyanobacteria strains, which can lead to an increase in toxins in the water, according to a new modeling study. Read and hear the full story by Phys.org.
Great Lakes Commission
https://www.glc.org/dailynews/20220527-phosphorus
While forests are known to enhance the water quality of nearby watersheds, oftentimes people don’t recognize forests’ role in providing clean drinking water, according to a new study from Michigan State University. Read the full story by Great Lakes Echo.
Great Lakes Commission
https://www.glc.org/dailynews/20220527-forests
Birders, biologists, conservationists and those who happened to be swept up in the tale of two little birds gathered this week at Montrose Beach in Chicago, Illinois to mark the end of one story — while another was just beginning. Read the full story by The Chicago Tribune.
Great Lakes Commission
https://www.glc.org/dailynews/20220527-monty-rose
