By Daniel Wanschura
Points North is a biweekly podcast about the land, water and inhabitants of the Great Lakes.
This episode was shared here with permission from Interlochen Public Radio.
Minnesota is known as the “Land of 10,000 Lakes”.
Great Lakes Now
https://www.greatlakesnow.org/2025/05/points-north-my-lakes-are-better-than-your-lakes/
Proposed federal budget cuts to the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration could pull the plug on a vital data network for Lake Michigan, impacting everything from boater safety and fishing forecasts to beach monitoring and drinking water intakes. Read the full story by Ottawa News Network.
Great Lakes Commission
https://www.glc.org/dailynews/20250505-trump-budget-cuts
Utility companies DTE Energy and Consumers Energy are entering the fourth year of a high-stake legal battle with the company they hired for the overhaul of the Ludington Pumped Storage Plant. Read the full story by MLive.
Great Lakes Commission
https://www.glc.org/dailynews/20250505-utility-court-battle
The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers has released a new, shorter timeline for its environmental review of the Line 5 tunnel project, reducing the public comment period to 30 days instead of 60. Read the full story by Interlochen Public Radio.
Great Lakes Commission
https://www.glc.org/dailynews/20250505-line5-schedule
Lake trout in some northern Ontario lakes aren’t as big as they used to be, and new findings have shown that when lake trout consume rainbow smelt it can lead to heart issues and thymine deficiency. Read the full story by CBC News.
Great Lakes Commission
https://www.glc.org/dailynews/20250505-ontario-smelt
The Pennsylvania Fish and Boat Commission held its quarterly meeting in April, during which the commissioners took action on several issues affecting anglers throughout the commonwealth, especially those in the northwest. Read the full story by Times Observer.
Great Lakes Commission
https://www.glc.org/dailynews/20250505-pfbc-meeting
The National Park Service has put another Lake Michigan shipwreck on the National Register of Historic Places, but most of the boat’s history remains unknown. Read the full story by Great Lakes Echo.
Great Lakes Commission
https://www.glc.org/dailynews/20250505-shipwreck
The first cruise ship of the season, Victory I, of Victory Cruise Lines, has visited the Soo Locks in Sault Ste. Marie, Michigan. Read the full story by MLive.
Great Lakes Commission
https://www.glc.org/dailynews/20250505-soo-cruise
To the delight of sailors across the country, a Michigan company has become the exclusive manufacturer of the Sunfish sailboat, launching the first U.S.-built Sunfish in years. Read the full story by the Macomb Daily.
Great Lakes Commission
https://www.glc.org/dailynews/20250505-sunfish-sailboats
CHICAGO, IL (May 2, 2025) – Efforts to keep the Great Lakes healthy and ensure the drinking water for 40 million people is safe to consume would be deeply harmed by the Trump Administration’s budget proposal announced today.
“We’re disappointed to see the President’s budget rejects core funding to restore safe drinking water, protect our communities from sewage and flooding, and implement federal clean water protections. We look forward to working with Congress to fund these vital Great Lakes programs,” said Joel Brammeier, President and CEO of the Alliance for the Great Lakes.”
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Contact: Don Carr, Media Director, Alliance for the Great Lakes dcarr@greatlakes.org
The post Trump Budget Puts Great Lakes at Risk appeared first on Alliance for the Great Lakes.
News - Alliance for the Great Lakes
News - Alliance for the Great Lakes
https://greatlakes.org/2025/05/trump-budget-puts-great-lakes-at-risk/
A 16-year-old piping plover named Gabby returned to her home shoreline on Michigan’s Sleeping Bear Dunes National Lakeshore this month, just in time for breeding season. Read the full story by MLive.
Great Lakes Commission
https://www.glc.org/dailynews/20250502-oldest-piping-plover
Using fish waste as a fertilizer is a tradition that goes back centuries for some Native American tribes, including those who lived in the Great Lakes. Grand Traverse Band has gained international recognition in the wake of recent efforts to transform fish waste from local fishing operations into a high-quality fertilizer. Read the full story by Rural Innovation Exchange.
Great Lakes Commission
https://www.glc.org/dailynews/20250502-fish-recycling
Michigan officials say years of waves and extreme weather have led to significant erosion along the coastline. Parts of shorelines along Lakes Michigan, Superior and Huron have been designated as high-risk erosion areas, where a foot or more of terrain is lost every year. Read the full story by Fox News Network.
Great Lakes Commission
https://www.glc.org/dailynews/20250502-crumbling-shorelines
Sixth graders released more than a hundred chinook salmon into the Paw Paw River off the shoreline of Lake Michigan, learning lessons about conservation, ecosystems and wildlife management. Read the full story by WZZM-TV-Grand Rapids, MI.
Great Lakes Commission
https://www.glc.org/dailynews/20250502-salmon-release
A long-standing study in Lake Michigan and other Great Lakes has sought to determine the abundance of prey fish species, invasive species, and other forage species to determine the health of the lakes and their ability to support larger predator fish. Read the full story by the Ludington Daily News.
Great Lakes Commission
https://www.glc.org/dailynews/20250502-lake-health-study
In partnership with the Erie Bird Observatory, the lights on the Bicentennial Tower in downtown Erie, Pennsylvania, will be turned off to reduce lighting during a time of peak bird migration. Read the full story by TalkErie.com.
Great Lakes Commission
https://www.glc.org/dailynews/20250502-lights-out
By Zaria Johnson, Ideastream Public Media
This story was originally published by Ideastream.
An exhibition at the Cleveland Botanical Garden features more than 30 artists whose work explores the role nature plays in overcoming painful emotions and experiences.
The botanical garden partnered with local gallery Deep Roots Experience to bring together The Nature of Healing, an exhibition exploring ways the outdoors can help process grief and trauma.
Great Lakes Now
https://www.greatlakesnow.org/2025/05/nature-as-a-spiritual-salve-for-grief-cleveland-botanical-garden-looks-at-healing-power-of-outdoors/
Some of the woody debris from northern Michigan’s recent ice storms might go to places like landscaping businesses to use as mulch. But they’re also selling it to biomass facilities nearby, which will turn that into energy. Read the full story by Interlochen Public Radio.
Great Lakes Commission
https://www.glc.org/dailynews/20250502-ice-storm-energy
The Lake Sturgeon, a prehistoric fish, has long been deemed a protected species. Experts now hope that the ongoing restoration efforts will be successful. Read the full story by Oscoda Press.
Great Lakes Commission
https://www.glc.org/dailynews/20250502-sturgeon-restoration
State and federal officials said they are working with a chemical manufacturing plant in Wyandotte, Michigan, on a “two-pronged approach” to limit the flow of contaminated groundwater into the Detroit River. Read the full story by The Detroit News.
Great Lakes Commission
https://www.glc.org/dailynews/20250502-river-pollution
Michigan’s cruising season is underway. The 665-foot Viking Octantis got things started on Friday when it docked in Detroit. Read the full story by MLive.
Great Lakes Commission
https://www.glc.org/dailynews/20250502-cruise-ships
Research into centuries-old fire-scarred trees in northern Wisconsin is helping shape current fire management practices for tribal and state partners. The project, We are all gathering around the fire, or Nimaawanji’idimin giiwitaashkodeng in Anishinaabemowin, combines dendrochronology, Native Experiential Knowledge (NEK), and community engagement to uncover the intertwined ecological and cultural history of this Lake Superior coastal landscape.
The two-year Wisconsin Sea Grant-funded project, featured in a new video, confirmed something long known in Indigenous communities but rarely acknowledged in scientific literature: the beloved red pine forests on Wisconsin and Minnesota Points were not shaped by nature alone, but by people who used fire to care for the landscape. Red pine struggles to produce new generations without fire.
Wisconsin and Minnesota Points are Lake Superior coastal peninsulas off the shores of Duluth, Minnesota, and Superior, Wisconsin.
Dendrochronologist and Professor Evan Larson sands a wood sample to get it ready for the microscope.
The exclusion of Indigenous perspectives and burning practices in the forest management has led to reduced ecosystem resiliency, biodiversity, and a drop in the pine tree population. In order to prove that people, and not natural phenomena like lightning, set fires to the landscape, the team looked for centuries-old fire scars from tree samples collected on the Points. The data confirm what the team expected.
“The fires on both Points ceased abruptly after the signing of the 1842 and 1854 treaties,” said Evan Larson, professor at the University of Wisconsin-Platteville. “It is undeniable that the reason that we love the Points and protected the pine forest is because of the fires that people were setting,” Larson said. “That act of ‘protecting’ – moving people out of that space – is literally dooming the things that we’re hoping to protect.”
After two years of research, engagement, and outreach, the team has shown the importance of fire and NEK to Wisconsin and Minnesota Points. This has allowed them to take important steps to return cultural fire to the landscape.
Melonee Montano, project leader and University of Minnesota-Twin Cities Forestry Department graduate student, talks about the deep significance that Wisconsin and Minnesota Points hold to the Anishinaabe people.
Fire helps red pines, like the ones pictured here on Wisconsin Point, regenerate.
“One thing that has made this research extremely successful is the funding from Wisconsin Sea Grant, because that’s been our starting point for all of this,” says project and tribal leader Melonee Montano. Throughout the project, Larson, Montano, and their students talked to local residents about the history of fire and the possibility of returning it. “The funding made it possible for us to go out and actually build these relationships on the ground, in people’s homes, at their kitchen tables, and at the city meetings.”
Larson and Montano have been surprised by the amount of support they’ve gotten from the community. “Through this work, we’re seeing, in ways that I can’t put into words, that it’s time for fire to come back,” says Montano. The city of Superior is now in advanced discussions with fire experts from the Fond du Lac Band of Lake Superior Chippewa about burning practices on Wisconsin Point.
“A lot of this really has only been possible because of this grant, which is really weird for my mind to process,” reflects Montano. “It’s strange to think that it took a grant – a piece of paper, some money – to bring these folks together to actually start tearing down through the layers of trauma to figure out what is at the base and what really happened.”
While the Sea Grant funding has come to a close, the team continues their work supported by a grant from the National Science Foundation. They will be broadening their research to encompass the whole Great Lakes region.
The post Watch: How tree rings and community conversations are bringing fire back first appeared on Wisconsin Sea Grant.News Releases | Wisconsin Sea Grant
News Releases | Wisconsin Sea Grant
https://www.seagrant.wisc.edu/news/watch-how-tree-rings-and-community-conversations-are-bringing-fire-back/
By Izzy Ross, Interlochen Public Radio
This coverage is made possible through a partnership between Interlochen Public Radio and Grist, a nonprofit environmental media organization.
At a giant dirt lot off a side road in Emmet County, the air smells sharply of pine.
Great Lakes Now
https://www.greatlakesnow.org/2025/05/northern-michigan-moves-to-clean-up-ice-storm-debris-by-making-energy/
By Lester Graham, Michigan Public
The Great Lakes News Collaborative includes Bridge Michigan, Circle of Blue, Great Lakes Now at Detroit PBS, Michigan Public and The Narwhal 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/2025/04/prairies-on-fire/
By Leah Borts-Kuperman, The Narwhal
The Great Lakes News Collaborative includes Bridge Michigan, Circle of Blue, Great Lakes Now at Detroit PBS, Michigan Public and The Narwhal 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/2025/04/meet-the-people-trying-to-keep-a-prehistoric-fish-alive/
The Ohio House recently approved a state budget bill that would heavily cut H2Ohio, the clean water program that aims to scale back harmful algal blooms in Lake Erie. The measure would reduce Governor DeWine’s proposal of about $270 million over two years to about $150 million. Read the full story by the Review Times.
Great Lakes Commission
https://www.glc.org/dailynews/20250430-water-cuts
A federal judge in Detroit has ended litigation against one of the companies that consulted with the city of Flint when lead contamination led to a drinking water crisis 10 years ago. Read the full story by Michigan Advance.
Great Lakes Commission
https://www.glc.org/dailynews/20250430-flint-settlement
Regulators from the Michigan Department of Environment, Great Lakes and Energy are demanding that BASF, an international chemical manufacturing company, stop the flow of contaminated groundwater into the Detroit River, alleging the company is violating a 39-year-old consent agreement with the state. Read the full story by The Detroit News.
Great Lakes Commission
https://www.glc.org/dailynews/20250430-contamination-regulation
In New York state, the Onondaga County Water Authority has embarked on the biggest expansion of the regional water system since it was first built in the 1960s. Micron Technology’s planned semiconductor manufacturing complex in Clay, New York, and the growth expected to follow, could more than double the amount of water the authority draws from Lake Ontario. Read the full story by The Post-Standard.
Great Lakes Commission
https://www.glc.org/dailynews/20250430-water-supply-expansion
The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, Detroit District, has established a safety zone extending 150 feet downstream of the Soo Locks Hydro Plant to ensure the safety of all mariners. The area immediately downstream of the power plant has many boils and whirlpools, making it unsafe for vessels. Read the full story by Soo Leader.
Great Lakes Commission
https://www.glc.org/dailynews/20250430-marine-safety
According to a recent study, recreational fishing trips in the Great Lakes generate $884 million per year. It found that almost 9 million people over age 18 were licensed to fish in one of the Great Lakes at the time of the study’s data request during the 2020 season. Read the full story by the Capital News Service.
Great Lakes Commission
https://www.glc.org/dailynews/20250430-angling-research
U.S. Senator Todd Young (R-IN) on April 30 reintroduced bipartisan legislation, known as the SHIPS Act, that intends to revitalize shipbuilding in the U.S. and close the ship vessel gap between America and foreign adversaries, such as China. Read the full story by The Indianapolis Star.
Great Lakes Commission
https://www.glc.org/dailynews/20250430-shipbuilding-bill
In Ontario, lake sturgeon is a culturally significant and nutritionally important species for many communities. It’s also Ontario’s oldest fish, but that legacy could blink out without help and dedicated conservation. Read the full story by The Narwhal.
Great Lakes Commission
https://www.glc.org/dailynews/20250430-sturgeon-conservation
The Steamship William G. Mather, a 618-foot freighter, opens for public tours on Saturday, May 3, and celebrates 100 years on lakes Erie, Huron and Superior on May 23. Once the working flagship of Cleveland Cliffs, Inc., the Mather now serves as a museum behind the Great Lakes Science Center in Cleveland. Read the full story by The Plain Dealer.
Great Lakes Commission
https://www.glc.org/dailynews/20250430-steamship-anniversary
Ontario’s government wants to “unleash” its resources with sweeping changes to its laws on protecting species at risk aimed at speeding up environmental approvals. The government has portrayed the current system as slow and cumbersome, driving away resource and development companies from Ontario, but the new bill is raising alarms from environmental groups. Read the full story by CBC News.
Great Lakes Commission
https://www.glc.org/dailynews/20250430-species-protections
Green Bay, WI
https://weather.gov/grb/20250428_Shawano_Tornadoes
This article was republished here with permission from Great Lakes Echo.
By Dylan Engels, Great Lakes Echo
A new fishing season started this month, and that means Michigan’s Department of Natural Resources has plans for stocking sport fish in the state’s waters.
Great Lakes Now
https://www.greatlakesnow.org/2025/04/what-to-expect-with-the-start-of-2025s-fishing-season/
By Akielly Hu
This story was originally published by Canary Media.
As electric and gas bills rise across the country, a poll released today finds that an overwhelming majority of people in the U.S. are concerned about growing energy costs — and experiencing greater financial stress because of them.
Great Lakes Now
https://www.greatlakesnow.org/2025/04/rising-utility-bills-have-americans-worried/
Chequamegon Bay plays a significant role in our human lives, including past residents like the Huron and Ottawa; and current residents, the Ojibwe-Anishinaabeg, who have gathered and made history there for a millennia. An oblong, shallow bay (61 feet at the deepest point), on the south shore of Lake Superior, the water also holds dark history as a federal Superfund site.
Great Lakes Now
https://www.greatlakesnow.org/2025/04/chequamegon-bay-superfund-site-history-impact-importance-to-indigenous-communities/
The Michigan Department of Natural Resources manages more dams than any other owner in the state. What happens as the dams continue to age? Read the full story by MLive.
Great Lakes Commission
https://www.glc.org/dailynews/20250428-dams-michigan-failing
The Minnesota Fishing Opener is less than two weeks away, but there are new fish consumption guidelines to be aware of before hitting the water. Read the full story by WDIO-TV – Duluth, MN.
Great Lakes Commission
https://www.glc.org/dailynews/20250428-addressing-pfas-local-lakes
The Toledo-Lucas County Port Authority announced earlier this week that Victory Cruise Lines’ 296-foot Victory I cruiser ship would dock in downtown Toledo, Ohio, on May 30. Toledo has a deep maritime culture and heritage that deserves to be celebrated. Read the full story by the Toledo Blade.
Great Lakes Commission
https://www.glc.org/dailynews/20250428-celebrating-greatlakes
A reborn Victory Cruise Lines christened the Victory I on Sunday in Toronto, Ontario, and will follow with the Victory II on May 12 in Chicago, Illinois, marking a return of Victory Cruise Lines to the Great Lakes. Read the full story by Travel Weekly.
Great Lakes Commission
https://www.glc.org/dailynews/20250428-ontariocounty-victorycruiseline-greatlakes
Ontario County’s Department of Public Works estimates up to 70 lifeguards will be needed for the beaches and community pools across Ontario County, New York, this year. To try to attract more applicants, the county is participating in a state-funded program that reimburses the costs of lifeguard training and certification, which can run as high as $300. Read the full story by the WXXI – Rochester, NY.
Great Lakes Commission
https://www.glc.org/dailynews/20250428-ontariocounty-reimbursementprogram-lifeguards
The Watershed Center Grand Traverse Bay emphasized the importance of everyday environmental stewardship by hosting a cleanup event at West End Beach located in Traverse City, Michigan. Read the full story by WPBN-TV – Traverse City, MI.
Great Lakes Commission
https://www.glc.org/dailynews/20250428-greatlakes-cleanup-event-westendbeach
As the temperatures increase in April, the water levels in the Great Lakes begin to rise from the winter decline. The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers predicts that April is the beginning of the seasonal rise for all the Great Lakes. Read the full story by the Erie Times-News.
Great Lakes Commission
https://www.glc.org/dailynews/20250428-greatlakes-waterlevels-april
The SS Badger Lake Michigan car ferry is set to travel to Sturgeon Bay, Wisconsin, on April 29 for essential repairs before the start of the sailing season on May 16. Read the full story by WPBN-TV – Traverse City, MI.
Great Lakes Commission
https://www.glc.org/dailynews/20250428-ss-badger-sturgeonbay-sailingseason
Even if you aren’t in need of a break from driving, Michigan’s roadside parks offer incredible views, sandy beaches and other attractions that make them worth a stop. Read the full story by The Sault News.
Great Lakes Commission
https://www.glc.org/dailynews/20250428-mi-roadside-park-reopen-soon
During the COVID-19 pandemic, when disruptions to life and work took hold, the sea lampreys took hold, too. We need to fortify our Great Lakes — and the $7 billion-plus fishery, 75,000 jobs, lifestyle and ecological safety they provide. Read the full story by the Traverse City Record-Eagle.
Great Lakes Commission
https://www.glc.org/dailynews/20250428-editorial-sealamppreys-suck
When it comes to art, perhaps you feel like Wisconsin Sea Grant’s invasive species outreach specialist, Tim Campbell.
“My background is in science. I feel like I’ve always been a science-logic person,” he said. “I don’t make any art. I don’t feel like I have any artistic bones in my body.”
Astrid Hooper Lofton’s big, stuffed biocontrol beetle enjoys some sun. Photo: Astrid Hooper Lofton
But are science and art really that different, or can they be used to achieve common goals? This is one of the core questions driving the latest season of Introduced, Wisconsin Sea Grant’s aquatic invasive species podcast. Co-hosts Bonnie Willison and Jenna Mertz explore the relationship between science and art by talking with artists weaving AIS — both figuratively and literally — into their work.
“This season, we wanted to bring listeners stories about community and communication, and art bridges both those themes,” said Willison. “It’s really good at grabbing people’s interest who may otherwise never have thought about AIS before. It’s also a lot of fun, and the artists we interviewed are incredibly talented.”
This season features three artists creating AIS-inspired work:
Tim Campbell’s art (Crayons, marker; circa 2024). Credit: Tim Campbell
Campbell also appears on the podcast as a guest host and resident left-brainer. In addition to showcasing his own artistic endeavors, he reflects on how scientists can lean on art to better connect with audiences.
“We all think people are rational beings that collect data and facts — they weigh the pros and cons and make the decision that’s best for them. But there’s these things called emotions and feelings that get in the way and influence decision making. And I probably can’t make anyone feel anything with just data alone, except maybe bored,” laughed Campbell.
Art alongside science, however, can cast a wider net. Those not captivated by spreadsheets might gravitate towards a colorful mural or sculpture and learn something new about the issues impacting their community.
“And when everyone is engaged, good things can happen for invasive species management and the Great Lakes,” said Campbell.
Listen to the current season on our website or wherever you get your podcasts.
The post When art and science join forces first appeared on Wisconsin Sea Grant.
News Releases | Wisconsin Sea Grant
News Releases | Wisconsin Sea Grant
https://www.seagrant.wisc.edu/news/when-art-and-science-join-forces/
