Natural populations of oil-degrading bacteria could help to clean up freshwater rivers and lakes after spills from pipelines and trains, researchers have found after experiments that simulated spills in a Canadian lake. Read the full story by Great Lakes Now.
Great Lakes Commission
https://www.glc.org/dailynews/20210802-oil-degrading-bacteria
A water advocate from the Saugeen and Kettle and Stony Point First Nations is on a paddling mission to raise awareness about climate change. Read the full story by The Toronto Star.
Great Lakes Commission
https://www.glc.org/dailynews/20210802-water-advocate
Small fish called alewives are washing up on the shores of Lake Michigan in Kewaunee County, Wisconsin. According to Wisconsin Department of Natural Resources, alewife die offs are common this time of year. Read the full story by WFRV-TV – Algoma, WI.
Great Lakes Commission
https://www.glc.org/dailynews/20210802-alewives
Numerous organizations and governmental agencies are working to identify, control, and/or eradicate Michigan’s worst invasive species while scientists, field workers, and ordinary citizens are using various means to address the situation. Read the full story by The Northern Express.
Great Lakes Commission
https://www.glc.org/dailynews/20210802-invasive-species
A certified diver and maritime archaeologist in the Wisconsin Historical Society’s historic preservation division is transposing her underwater sketches and measurements of Wisconsin shipwrecks into scaled drawings that can help guide water-ready tourists to wrecks and provide historical background on the doomed boats. Read the full story by the Wisconsin State Journal.
Great Lakes Commission
https://www.glc.org/dailynews/20210802-shipwrecks
The Windsor-Essex County (Ontario) Health Unit (WECHU) has issued a blue-green algae bloom advisory for the south shores of Lake St. Clair. The advisory is based on recent lab results for microcystins in Lake St. Clair by the local municipal water treatment plants. Read the full story by the Windsor Star.
Great Lakes Commission
https://www.glc.org/dailynews/20210802-algae-bloom-advisory
Cougar habitat in North America has been shrinking due to development, land fragmentation and “human-induced mortality,” wildlife researchers warn.
The post Mapping pathways for roaming cougars first appeared on Great Lakes Echo.Great Lakes Echo
http://greatlakesecho.org/2021/08/02/mapping-pathways-for-roaming-cougars/
Current Watches, Warnings and Advisories for Brown (WIC009) Wisconsin Issued by the National Weather Service
https://alerts.weather.gov/cap/wwacapget.php?x=WI1261B19E86C4.AirQualityAlert.1261B19FD650WI.GRBAQAGRB.95772b461ecdeafcc9c0642321d118ec
Current Watches, Warnings and Advisories for Brown (WIC009) Wisconsin Issued by the National Weather Service
https://alerts.weather.gov/cap/wwacapget.php?x=WI1261AD745F9C.SpecialWeatherStatement.1261AD7487D8WI.GRBSPSGRB.11cad83779f11a7a6cf529f552f3af1d
Current Watches, Warnings and Advisories for Brown (WIC009) Wisconsin Issued by the National Weather Service
https://alerts.weather.gov/cap/wwacapget.php?x=WI1261AD743A1C.SpecialWeatherStatement.1261AD7460C8WI.GRBSPSGRB.8277e56207786573290cdaabd01b78b5
Current Watches, Warnings and Advisories for Brown (WIC009) Wisconsin Issued by the National Weather Service
https://alerts.weather.gov/cap/wwacapget.php?x=WI1261AD743378.AirQualityAlert.1261B19EA3ACWI.GRBAQAGRB.95772b461ecdeafcc9c0642321d118ec
Current Watches, Warnings and Advisories for Brown (WIC009) Wisconsin Issued by the National Weather Service
https://alerts.weather.gov/cap/wwacapget.php?x=WI1261AD726C00.AirQualityAlert.1261AD745510WI.GRBAQAGRB.95772b461ecdeafcc9c0642321d118ec
Current Watches, Warnings and Advisories for Brown (WIC009) Wisconsin Issued by the National Weather Service
https://alerts.weather.gov/cap/wwacapget.php?x=WI1261AD64FBC4.AirQualityAlert.1261AD72F580WI.GRBAQAGRB.95772b461ecdeafcc9c0642321d118ec
July 30, 2021
This week: Indigenous Activists Journey with A Totem Pole Across the US Calling Attention to Environmental Issues + Public Comments Requested on Asphalt Plant Proposed Near Flint, Michigan + Drought in Minnesota Drying Up Creeks and Wells + Federal Bill to Regulate Forever Chemicals Passes the U.S. House + Training Builds Skills to Promote Water Testing Program
Members of the Lummi Nation have spent the month of July on a journey with a 25-foot totem pole, traveling from Washington State to Washington DC, with eight stops along the way, including Mackinaw City on July 27th. At each stop along the Red Road to DC, they are hosting ceremonies and events to raise awareness and protect sacred land from threats such as industrial development and the over extraction of resources. During their stop in Mackinaw City, they joined the Bay Mills Indian Community and other tribal nations in the area to draw attention to the threat to water from the 68-year old oil and gas pipeline on the bottom of the Straits of Mackinac. The totem pole will finish its journey across the country with an exhibition in the Smithsonian from July 29th-31st.
Asphalt plants emit toxic pollutants that can cause health problems such as respiratory illnesses and heart disease. A new plant is proposed near Flint, that due to its proximity may increase exposure of Flint residents to environmental pollutants from the facility. The Michigan Department of Environment, Great Lakes, and Energy is hosting an informational session and a virtual public hearing on August 3, 2021 at 6 p.m. In addition, in-person comments can be shared from 6-8 p.m. Aug. 11, 2021, at the Genesee Township Hall. Written comments about the proposal will be accepted until August 16, 2021. Stay tuned for an action alert with Freshwater Future concerns about this proposed asphalt plant.
Under a new bill that recently passed the U.S. House, national drinking water standards would be required for two of the forever chemicals, PFOA and PFOS, which are the two most common forms of PFAS. If the bill passes in the U.S. Senate, the Environmental Protection Agency will be required to set the drinking water standards within two years and the forever chemicals will be classified as hazardous substances through the Federal Superfund law. Also included in the bill, $200 million per year would be administered to treat wastewater and the chemicals would be considered air pollutants, requiring limits on discharges.
In related news, Illinois issued a health advisory for a fifth form of PFAS and they are testing community water supplies for PFAS.
While areas of the Great Lakes region have been dealing with extreme rain events and flooding, Minnesota is in a moderate to extreme drought. The lack of precipitation has dried up wells and greatly reduced inland lake levels impacting recreation, even reducing waterfalls to trickles. Along the North Shore of Lake Superior creeks and rivers with decreased flow are harming trout and salmon populations.
Freshwater Future staff joined the staff at the Flint Community Lab this week to provide training to build confidence and communications in promoting the water testing service to Flint residents. Together they visited several neighborhoods and distributed water test kits that will be collected and analyzed for lead, providing information to help residents rebuild trust in their tap water.
Blog – Freshwater Future
https://freshwaterfuture.org/freshwater-weekly/freshwater-future-weekly-july-30-2021/
Natalie Chin, Wisconsin Sea Grant’s Climate and Tourism Outreach Specialist based in Superior, was recently appointed by Governor Tony Evers to the Wisconsin Council on Tourism.
“We’re working to make sure our state and our economy continue to recover from the coronavirus pandemic, and the Wisconsin Council on Tourism will play an important role in advising the Secretary of the Department of Tourism in the weeks and months ahead,” said Governor Evers. “Our tourism industry and workforce are a critical part of our state’s economy, and I’m proud of the work we’ve done through my first two budgets and targeted federal assistance to help support tourism in Wisconsin and ensure this industry can bounce back from this pandemic.”
Natalie Chin. Image credit: Bonnie Willison, Wisconsin Sea Grant.
Chin works on issues related to climate change, tourism and outdoor recreation within the context of the sustainable use of the Great Lakes. She also serves as one of the North Central Region representatives for the National Extension Tourism Network; is co-leading the Tourism and Outdoor Recreation Working Group for the Wisconsin Initiative on Climate Change Impacts; and is a member of the Wisconsin Department of Tourism’s Diversity, Equity, Accessibility and Inclusion Committee.
“It’s truly an honor to be appointed to the council,” Chin said. “The Great Lakes are a key part of the state’s tourism industry and will certainly play an important role in its recovery. I can’t wait to contribute to the council’s efforts to support and advise the Department of Tourism.”
Evers also appointed three others to the Wisconsin Council on Tourism:
The 21-member council, which includes 14 gubernatorial appointees and 7 ex-officio members, represents varied geography and wide-ranging expertise that includes, but is not limited to, recreation and attraction business owners, hospitality and service industry business owners, convention and visitor bureaus, economic development specialists, industry thought leaders, legislators and leaders of arts, historic and cultural destinations. Despite the pandemic, the tourism industry supported more than 157,000 jobs and drove $17.3 billion in total business sales in 2020.
The post Sea Grant staffer appointed to Wisconsin Council on Tourism first appeared on Wisconsin Sea Grant.News Releases | Wisconsin Sea Grant
News Releases | Wisconsin Sea Grant
https://www.seagrant.wisc.edu/news/sea-grant-staffer-appointed-to-wisconsin-council-on-tourism/?utm_source=rss&utm_medium=rss&utm_campaign=sea-grant-staffer-appointed-to-wisconsin-council-on-tourism
Scientists are carefully monitoring the bed of Lake Michigan to determine if small scale experiments to remove mussels from fish spawning habitat are working. Read the full story by the Chicago Tribune.
Great Lakes Commission
https://www.glc.org/dailynews/20210730-mussels
MLive released a documentary titled: “The Fight for Environmental Justice in Michigan.” The 10-minute video tells a powerful story of how marginalized communities are saddled with some of the worst environmental circumstances in Michigan. Read the full story by MLive.
Great Lakes Commission
https://www.glc.org/dailynews/20210730-documentary
The two surviving chicks reared by Monty and Rose, Chicago’s famous piping plovers, will soon have official names. Read the full story by WTTW-TV- Chicago, IL.
Great Lakes Commission
https://www.glc.org/dailynews/20210730-plover
A start-up water company is seeking approval to tap into an artesian well near the Apostle Islands in Wisconsin. Local residents are concerned about the environmental impacts of drawing water. Read the full story by WUWM- Milwaukee, WI.
Great Lakes Commission
https://www.glc.org/dailynews/20210730-water-bottle
The Thunder Bay National Marine Sanctuary is part of a system of underwater reserves around the country. Run by the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, the system will celebrate its 50-year anniversary in 2022. Read the full story by The New York Times.
Great Lakes Commission
https://www.glc.org/dailynews/20210730-park-water
A fish pulled from Lake Ontario in 2015 contained 915 particles—a mix of microplastics, synthetic materials containing flame retardants or plasticizers, dyed cellulose fibers, and more—in its body, the most particles ever recorded. Read the full story by Environmental Health News.
Great Lakes Commission
https://www.glc.org/dailynews/20210730-harmful-particles
Protecting our Great Lakes is not only about stopping oil spills, reducing runoff that causes toxic algae blooms and reducing contaminants from flowing into our waters. Plastic pollution is a growing problem that must be addressed by our leaders. Read the full story by Crain’s Detroit Business.
Great Lakes Commission
https://www.glc.org/dailynews/20210730-plastic-bags
There are dozens of potential on-the-water experiences to be had in hundreds of locations across the Great Lakes, and many on-the-water experiences can be had with minimal costs, in the $15 to $20 range. Read the full story by Great Lakes Now.
Great Lakes Commission
https://www.glc.org/dailynews/20210730-boating
Great Lakes Water Authority has selected engineering firms to look at system operations during heavy rainstorms that left thousands of basements and dozens of streets flooded in the Detroit area. Read the full story by the Associated Press.
Great Lakes Commission
https://www.glc.org/dailynews/20210730-glwa
Natural populations of oil-degrading bacteria could help to clean up freshwater rivers and lakes after spills from pipelines and trains, researchers have found after experiments that simulated spills in a Canadian lake.
Vince Palace, who led the work at the International Institute for Sustainable Development’s Experimental Lakes Area in western Ontario, said that the methods currently in use for cleaning up spills in rivers and lakes – mostly digging up and dumping contaminated soil – are not particularly effective.
Great Lakes Now
https://www.greatlakesnow.org/2021/07/bacteria-nature-clean-up-oil-spills/
Piping plovers, a small white-and-gray shorebird with striking orange legs, are making a comeback this summer – on the beach and at the bar.
The post Birds and Brews: Pour one out for the piping plover first appeared on Great Lakes Echo.Great Lakes Echo
http://greatlakesecho.org/2021/07/30/birds-and-brews-pour-one-out-for-the-piping-plover/
MILWAUKEE (AP) — Strong thunderstorms caused widespread damage across Wisconsin, left tens of thousands without power and triggered tornado warnings.
The severe weather stretched from the Mississippi River to Lake Michigan and began Wednesday evening in northwestern Wisconsin. By 2 a.m. Thursday, the numerous tornado warnings around the state had expired.
Great Lakes Now
https://www.greatlakesnow.org/2021/07/ap-severe-weather-wisconsin-widespread-damage/
Green Bay, WI
https://www.weather.gov/grb/072821_severe_event
The Great Lakes are great for many reasons – their economic power, the lifestyle they provide millions of residents, as a getaway for tens of millions visitors and the livelihood it offers hundreds of thousands in lakes-related industries.
And then there’s the water. Summer sees the lakes filled with people soaking, swimming, skiing – and boating.
Great Lakes Now
https://www.greatlakesnow.org/2021/07/boating-budget-great-lakes-recreation/
WASHINGTON (AP) — In a major step against climate change, President Joe Biden is proposing a return to aggressive Obama-era vehicle mileage standards over five years, according to industry and government officials briefed on the plan. He’s then aiming for even tougher anti-pollution rules after that to forcefully reduce greenhouse gas emissions and nudge 40% of U.S.
Great Lakes Now
https://www.greatlakesnow.org/2021/07/ap-biden-mileage-rule-obama-climate-goal/
Current Watches, Warnings and Advisories for Brown (WIC009) Wisconsin Issued by the National Weather Service
https://alerts.weather.gov/cap/wwacapget.php?x=WI1261AD53E8AC.SpecialWeatherStatement.1261AD54A3C8WI.GRBSPSGRB.3b77a733acfe35fc01f412b80021d336
Current Watches, Warnings and Advisories for Brown (WIC009) Wisconsin Issued by the National Weather Service
https://alerts.weather.gov/cap/wwacapget.php?x=WI1261AD53255C.SevereThunderstormWatch.1261AD53ADB0WI.GRBWCNGRB.ad1d80ecab44b04a240f99f4963d960f
Current Watches, Warnings and Advisories for Brown (WIC009) Wisconsin Issued by the National Weather Service
https://alerts.weather.gov/cap/wwacapget.php?x=WI1261AD52A21C.SevereThunderstormWatch.1261AD53ADB0WI.WNSWOU9.ce7fb45095801d2966249396304c51b4
Current Watches, Warnings and Advisories for Brown (WIC009) Wisconsin Issued by the National Weather Service
https://alerts.weather.gov/cap/wwacapget.php?x=WI1261AD52A21C.SevereThunderstormWatch.1261AD53ADB0WI.WNSWOU9.88ae0cc9ff30bb1dd7fda01ed8f45ed2
Monroe County Health officials say the beach was shut down because of New York state-mandated clarity issues that could lead to high levels of E. coli. Read the full story by WHEC-TV – Rochester, NY.
Great Lakes Commission
https://www.glc.org/dailynews/20210728-ecoli-beach
MI Clean Water Action is the statewide coordinator of the Oil and Water Don’t Mix campaign, and is focused on shutting down Enbridge Energy’s Line 5 pipeline, among other initiatives. Read the full story by Lansing City Pulse.
Great Lakes Commission
https://www.glc.org/dailynews/20210728-michigan-waters
An Ohio farmer as a part of Ohio’s H2Ohio program found that applying nitrogen-infused fertilizer to his fields three times in a growing season instead of all at once helped his crops use the nutrient more efficiently causing less nitrogen to end up in rivers and streams. Read the full story by The Columbus Dispatch.
Great Lakes Commission
https://www.glc.org/dailynews/20210728-oh2o-pollution
Food and water safety officials at Hamilton Public Health Services in Ontario announced the beach closure after the algae was discovered during a routine observation by city staff and tests later confirmed its identity. Read the full story by CBC News.
Great Lakes Commission
https://www.glc.org/dailynews/20210728-toxic-algae
Since 2019 the City of Duluth and the Corps agreed on a five-year plan to use some dredged material in an anti-erosion “beach nourishment” program, in this time the program ended up depositing sharp debris and has now been found to violate a 1978 court settlement favoring placement of dredge spoils away from shorelines where it would not end up in water. Read the full story by MinnPost.
Great Lakes Commission
https://www.glc.org/dailynews/20210728-beach-dredging
NASA’s Minority University Research and Education Project Ocean Biology and Biogeochemistry has awarded a grant to a multi-institution project led by Texas State University to study the vulnerability of the Lake Huron ecosystem to global change. Read the full story by Corridor News.
Great Lakes Commission
https://www.glc.org/dailynews/20210728-nasa-vulnerability-change
There have been a few reports of blue-green algae on Lake Superior over the years with a first confirmed sighting in 2012. This summer researchers from universities, state and federal agencies from around the region are undertaking a coordinated effort to intensively study and monitor Lake Superior to determine when and where blooms occur on the lake.. Read the full story by MPR News.
Great Lakes Commission
https://www.glc.org/dailynews/20210728-algae-blooms
Dan Egan, Journalist in residence at the University of Wisconsin’s School of Freshwater Sciences and author of “The Death and Life of the Great Lakes” discusses the impact of climate change on Chicago and Lake Michigan. Listen to the full story by NPR.
Great Lakes Commission
https://www.glc.org/dailynews/20210728-climate-chicago
The head of Great Lakes Water Authority announced this week that she will resign, weeks after thousands of homes were damaged by sewage backups during a tremendous storm. Read the full story by Associated Press and Crain’s Detroit Business.
Great Lakes Commission
https://www.glc.org/dailynews/20210728-flooding
Current Watches, Warnings and Advisories for Brown (WIC009) Wisconsin Issued by the National Weather Service
https://alerts.weather.gov/cap/wwacapget.php?x=WI1261AD45D4C4.HydrologicOutlook.1261AD534438WI.GRBESFGRB.9a74e37923d995b15714a656c5ebca0a
Sea Grant won two communications awards in an international competition sponsored by Apex. Awards are based on excellence in graphic design, editorial content, and the ability to achieve overall communications effectiveness. APEX Grand Awards honor the outstanding works in each main category, while APEX Awards of Excellence recognize exceptional entries in each of the individual subcategories.
The Trash Trunk, marine debris teaching tool, won a Grand Award in one-of-a-kind publications. The material was designed by Yael Gen, edited by Elizabeth White and written by education specialist Ginny Carlton, with contributions from other educators throughout the Great Lakes Basin.
The video Past, Present and Future Ciscoes: Wisconsin Sea Grant Research, produced by Bonnie Willison, won an Award of Excellence about this prevalent and varied fish species in Great Lakes waters.
“Both Yael and Bonnie are masters of their craft. They understand how best to reach audiences with engaging and informative pieces,” said Moira Harrington, assistant director for communications. “We are so proud of them. These awards only serve to confirm what we already know—they help us act as better stewards of the Great Lakes because they elevate our collective understanding of the freshwater seas.”
An invitation designed by Yael Gen for an event commemorating Groundwater Awareness Week also won an Award of Excellence that went to Sea Grant’s sister organization, the University of Wisconsin Water Resources Institute.
The competition drew nearly 1,200 entries from around the world, including from Fortune 500 companies, nonprofits and academic units.
The post Sea Grant wins communications awards first appeared on Wisconsin Sea Grant.News Releases | Wisconsin Sea Grant
News Releases | Wisconsin Sea Grant
https://www.seagrant.wisc.edu/news/sea-grant-wins-communications-awards-2/?utm_source=rss&utm_medium=rss&utm_campaign=sea-grant-wins-communications-awards-2
The University of Wisconsin Water Resources Institute (WRI) won a communications award in an international competition sponsored by Apex. Awards are based on excellence in graphic design, editorial content and the ability to achieve overall communications effectiveness. APEX Grand Awards honor the outstanding works in each main category, while APEX Awards of Excellence recognize exceptional entries in each of the individual subcategories.
An invitation created by WRI’s graphic designer Yael Gen for an event commemorating Groundwater Awareness Week won an Award of Excellence in design.
“We are honored to have been recognized for the effectiveness of this piece, which calls attention to an important topic—the value of our groundwater,” said Moira Harrington, assistant director for communications. “Yael is a talented designer, and her work ensures critical audiences, in this case state legislators and staff, learned more about this asset that feeds lakes and streams, and serves households along with agriculture and manufacturing needs.”
WRI’s sister organization, Sea Grant, also won awards for a marine debris teaching tool and a video about research on cisco, a Great Lakes fish.
The competition drew nearly 1,200 entries from around the world, including from including from Fortune 500 companies, non-profits and academic units.
The post Groundwater Awareness Week communication piece wins award first appeared on WRI.
News Release – WRI
https://www.wri.wisc.edu/news/groundwater-awareness-week-communication-piece-wins-award/
This article was republished here with permission from Great Lakes Echo.
By Hannah Brock, Great Lakes Echo
Toxins from harmful algal blooms are known to pollute water, but now researchers are looking at how they harm Great Lakes air.
And that also could have implications for human health, they say.
Great Lakes Now
https://www.greatlakesnow.org/2021/07/great-lakes-algae-threatens-air-quality/
Parks around the Great Lakes are expecting a spike in visitation this season as the United States and Canada continue to distribute COVID-19 vaccines.
The post Second Spike: Great Lakes parks anticipate increased visitation this summer first appeared on Great Lakes Echo.Great Lakes Echo
http://greatlakesecho.org/2021/07/28/second-spike-great-lakes-parks-anticipate-increased-visitation-this-summer/
SIOUX FALLS, S.D. (AP) — Two companies seeking to build thousands of miles of pipeline across the Midwest are promising the effort will aid rather than hinder the fight against climate change, though some environmental groups remain skeptical.
The pipelines would stretch from North Dakota to Illinois, potentially transforming the Corn Belt into one of the world’s largest corridors for a technology called carbon capture and storage.
Great Lakes Now
https://www.greatlakesnow.org/2021/07/ap-carbon-capture-pipelines-offer-climate-aid-activists-wary/
ST. IGNACE, Mich. (AP) — Enbridge said Monday it had retrieved an anchor that broke away from a maintenance vessel while on the bottom of the Straits of Mackinac.
The mishap occurred last Wednesday as a contractor for the pipeline company was doing seasonal work on the underwater section of Line 5, an oil line that runs between Superior, Wisconsin, and Sarnia, Ontario.
Great Lakes Now
https://www.greatlakesnow.org/2021/07/ap-enbridge-anchor-michigan-straits-mackinac/
