Wisconsin Water Library
https://waterlibrary.aqua.wisc.edu/indigenous-women-in-stem-part-3-individuals/
The fall of salmon in the Great Lakes can be seen as a good thing ecologically as some people prefer native species, said a Michigan biologist and author.
But the personal perspective and the local impact often is forgotten.
The post Upcoming book exposes local impact on introduction and loss of salmon in Great Lakes first appeared on Great Lakes Echo.Great Lakes Echo
http://greatlakesecho.org/2024/03/07/upcoming-book-exposes-local-impact-on-introduction-and-loss-of-salmon-in-great-lakes/
By Juanpablo Ramirez-Franco, WBEZ
This coverage is made possible through a partnership between WBEZ and Grist, a nonprofit, independent media organization dedicated to telling stories of climate solutions and a just future. Sign up for WBEZ newsletters to get local news you can trust.
Great Lakes Now
https://www.greatlakesnow.org/2024/03/illinois-lawmakers-seek-to-protect-state-wetlands/
The Great Lakes Commission, Great Lakes Fishery Commission, and International Joint Commission are all tasked with varying aspects of management in the Great Lakes. On Wednesday, they all gathered ahead of a Washington, D.C. event honoring the region to sign a groundbreaking formal agreement. Going forward, the three organizations will work together to protect local ecosystems and the economies that depend on them.
Great Lakes Now
https://www.greatlakesnow.org/2024/03/great-lakes-commissions-announce-partnership-to-advance-restoration/
NOAA Great Lakes Environmental Research Laboratory
NOAA Great Lakes Environmental Research Laboratory
https://noaaglerl.blog/2024/03/06/noaa-glerl-physical-scientist-receives-noaa-national-ocean-service-peer-recognition-award/
When we look back at the 2023-24 legislative session, there was no major erosion of environmental policy in Wisconsin. There weren’t any major advancements either. In that sense, it was pretty quiet. But we saw severe drought conditions in much of our state, punctuated by flooding caused by dramatic and all too-common heavy rain events. And once again, thousands of Wisconsinites still can’t drink their water due to PFAS and nutrient contamination.
When we need leadership in the face of a changing climate and a strong defense of our water, standing still is actually falling behind.
The state budget mostly maintained the status quo. It’s good we didn’t see the types of severe budget cuts we have seen in the past. However, considering inflation and a thinning staff, our Department of Natural Resources has less to work with than it did twenty years ago. Meanwhile, the workload has exploded due to PFAS, high-capacity wells, and CAFOs.
A bright spot in the state budget was the $125 million set aside in a PFAS trust fund intended to aid Wisconsinites with contaminated drinking water. However, state legislators did not give the DNR the authority to spend the funds. Instead, Senators Wimberger and Cowles authored Senate Bill 312.
While there is wide agreement that “innocent landowners,” municipalities, and individuals on contaminated private wells need help addressing the PFAS problem, what began as a simple exercise in defining how money should be spent to help Wisconsin families became a tug-of-war over language that could exempt some responsible parties for clean up.
As a result, more costs of dealing with PFAS could be passed along to taxpayers by weakening the ability of the DNR to enforce our spills law. In addition, SB 312 would not actually authorize the expenditure of the $125 million, meaning it would take additional action by the legislature to spend the money even if the bill became law.
That’s why watchdog groups like River Alliance of Wisconsin and those from affected communities had to say “no” to the bill. Fortunately, the DNR and Governor have made it clear that they will reject a bill with such limitations. Ultimately, the frustrating result is that there has been money available since July of last year that could have been helping people but instead is just sitting untouched.
There is a process that exists for the legislature to release the $125 million, and the Governor and DNR have repeatedly asked legislators to do so. To date, the legislature has refused.
Meanwhile, nutrient pollution continues to be a big and worsening problem with no significant action taken by the legislature to address it. Assembly Bill 220 would create a pilot program in Fenwood Creek to address nutrient pollution in that watershed. The bill passed out of committee with the funding cut in half, but It did not pass either house. Another bill that did not pass was AB 655 which would have created a pilot program to encourage farmers to convert to grazing. Both of these bills proposed pilot programs that originated in farmer-led efforts to improve soil health and water quality.
The state Senate continued to reject Governor Evers’ experienced appointees to the DNR’s Natural Resources Board. This board of Wisconsin citizens votes on policy issues, mostly regarding rule-making details and land purchases. The Senate’s actions are an attempt to hamstring the DNR, the end result being a disempowered agency with a more restricted capacity to protect the health of people and our environment.
In public hearings for NRB appointees, the well-qualified volunteers were grilled by Senators over issues including “breaking” the REINS Act, a law passed during the Walker Administration in 2017 when the legislature amended administrative procedures. The act states that if compliance costs of a rule are more than $10 million in any two-year period, the agency must stop work on a rule and ask the legislature to give them permission to proceed.
Rules such as groundwater standards for PFAS and those to replace lead pipes could cost more than $10 million. Urgent solutions to toxins in our drinking water are the expensive result of unchecked pollution. Now our DNR is without a leader, has unconfirmed NRB appointees, and has stopped progress on groundwater standards due to the REINS Act. Yet the legislature has taken no action to make progress. The Governor asked the DNR to put in a formal request and funding plan to the Legislature’s Joint Finance Committee to release the $125 million set aside in the budget to address PFAS contamination. There has been no action on this request as of this writing.
The legislature did pass a problematic bill that would transfer public trust lakebed lands to private owners. This issue has been around for years, but we do not think giving away public lands, as this bill does, is the way to move forward and hope the Governor will veto the bill.
Another problematic bill that passed both houses would allow towns to withdraw from county zoning. The bill was amended to protect floodplain and shoreland zoning, but there is no similar provision to protect the Farmland Preservation Program which would make it more difficult for farmers to engage in conservation efforts.
Thanks to pressure created by the state’s highest court, we now have more competitive electoral maps, which could change the makeup of the state legislature. Hopefully this will make a path for water policy that helps people rather than creating loopholes for profit-driven pollution.
Ultimately we cannot wait for solutions from the State Capitol. That’s why our Wisconsin Water Agenda-inspired work to create a comprehensive, integrated water plan for the Central Wisconsin Basin is moving forward. The North Central Regional Planning Commission is interested in taking on this idea, so stay tuned.
– Bill Davis, Senior Legal Analyst
This message is made possible by generous donors who believe people have the power to protect and restore water. Support our work with your contribution today.
The post Wisconsin water policy wrap up: when standing still means falling behind appeared first on River Alliance of WI.
Blog - River Alliance of WI
https://wisconsinrivers.org/2023-24-legislative-wrap-up/
WASHINGTON, D.C. – In a ceremony held today, the Great Lakes Commission (GLC), Great Lakes Fishery Commission (GLFC), and International Joint Commission (IJC) formally signed the first-ever memorandum of understanding between them. The agreement sets a clear path for advancing the commissions’ existing shared goals and objectives, such as developing a Great Lakes science plan, coordinating science vessel activities, and promoting annual Great Lakes Day events. Photos from the ceremony are available here.
Each commission plays a different but complementary role in Great Lakes management and represent important stakeholders in advancing sound policies and projects. The IJC helps Canada and the United States prevent and resolve issues over the use of the waters they share, including through the Great Lakes Water Quality Agreement; the GLC represents the interests of the Great Lakes provinces and states on priority issues; and the GLFC ensures fishery management is based on science and highly coordinated among the state, provincial, and U.S. tribal jurisdictions in the basin.
“The GLC is excited to formalize our existing relationship with the other Great Lakes commissions,” said Erika Jensen, executive director of the GLC. “Together we can build upon our decades of coordination to further a strong regional economy and healthy environment, and to achieve the balanced and sustainable use of Great Lakes-St. Lawrence River basin water resources.”
“Our three commissions, although having different mandates and missions, very much benefit from joining forces to achieve our shared objectives: Great Lakes restoration and management based on rigorous science,” said Marc Gaden, executive secretary of the GLFC. “While we have worked well together for decades, this MOU steps up our level of collaboration and renews our commitment to each other to seek synergies, share information, and support each other’s work.”
“This MOU strengthens existing partnerships to create an even greater position of strength for all three commissions,” said Heather Stirratt, director of the Great Lakes Regional Office of the IJC. “Having the additional insights and perspectives from experts at the three commissions will set us all on a clearer path for advancing the goals and objectives of the Great Lakes Water Quality Agreement and other work to the benefit of all in the region.”
The agreement was signed following the Semiannual Meeting of the Great Lakes Commission, and in advance of Thursday’s annual Great Lakes Day celebration, including the Great Lakes Day Congressional Breakfast Reception. This event will feature remarks by regional leaders and members of Congress who play a critical role in shaping Great Lakes policies.
The Great Lakes Commission, led by chair Mary Mertz, director of the Ohio Department of Natural Resources, 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/mou-030624
The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) is proposing adding a site in and near Ann Arbor, Michigan, to the Superfund National Priorities List. The “Gelman plume,” primarily 1,4-dioxane, an industrial solvent, is slowly moving through groundwater and threatening a source of Ann Arbor’s water supply. Read the full story by Michigan Public.
Great Lakes Commission
https://www.glc.org/dailynews/20240306-gelman-plume
The upcoming Great Lakes cruising season is expected to bring 20,000 visitors and $200 million in economic impact to the region. The region’s cruise marketing program announced its forecast for the 2024 cruising season, which follows a record-breaking season in 2023. Read the full story by MLive.
Great Lakes Commission
https://www.glc.org/dailynews/20240306-cruise-forecast
The Superior Watershed Partnership and Land Conservancy has bought over 200 acres of land along Lake Superior and the Gratiot River in the Keweenaw Peninsula of Michigan’s Upper Peninsula to link five conservation areas in a large, contiguous block. The organization is now planning to create a trail network for hiking, skiing, and environmental education. Read the full story by WJMN-TV – Marquette, MI.
Great Lakes Commission
https://www.glc.org/dailynews/20240306-keweenaw-trails
Imagine if the world’s longest trail in Canada connected people even further, into another country, via Michigan’s longest trail. That happened last month when the Windsor Detroit Bridge Authority announced that the Gordie Howe International Bridge would become part of a binational trail system. Read the full story by Great Lakes Now.
Great Lakes Commission
https://www.glc.org/dailynews/20240306-binational-trail
The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service recently announced $3.85 million in grant awards for fish and wildlife restoration efforts across several Great Lakes states. Michigan received more grant money than any other state under the Great Lakes Fish and Wildlife Restoration Act. Read the full story by MLive.
Great Lakes Commission
https://www.glc.org/dailynews/20240306-research-funded
At Lake Simcoe in southern Ontario, February has traditionally been the peak of ice fishing season. But this year, the lake’s freezing cycle is in purgatory, continuing to fuel what many locals are calling Ontario’s worst ice fishing season in decades. Read the full story by Great Lakes Echo.
Great Lakes Commission
https://www.glc.org/dailynews/20240306-ice-fishing
With the help of community members, the John Ball Zoo in Grand Rapids, Michigan, is monitoring migratory suckers like the longnose and white sucker. By tracking sucker migration from Lake Michigan to inland rivers and streams, zoo officials are hoping to aid their conservation. Read the full story by WZZM-TV – Grand Rapids, MI.
Great Lakes Commission
https://www.glc.org/dailynews/20240306-tracking-suckers
A tank barge that has been grounded in Lake St. Clair near Peche Island in Windsor, Ontario, since Monday has been successfully lightened and is once again floating. The tank barge Margaret ran aground in soft mud in American waters on Monday while carrying approximately 15 million liters of diesel fuel. Read the full story by the CBC.
Great Lakes Commission
https://www.glc.org/dailynews/20240306-grounded-barge
A Northern Michigan beach town’s decades-long struggle to bring restrooms to its popular waterfront continues as plans for a $560,000 building come under fire. Read the full story by MLive.
Great Lakes Commission
https://www.glc.org/dailynews/20240306-bathroom-pushback
Despite what has been an unusual winter, water level changes in the Great Lakes over the past month have been business as usual and around average. In February, water levels were slightly below average in the Lake Superior basin and slightly above average in the Michigan-Huron basin. Read the full story by SooToday.
Great Lakes Commission
https://www.glc.org/dailynews/20240306-lake-levels
March 6, 2024
By Jenna Mertz
A WRI-funded study is determining the health risk of pathogens found in private wells in southwestern Wisconsin. The research builds upon the findings of the Southwest Wisconsin Groundwater and Geology (SWIGG) project, which found livestock manure and human wastewater in private well water from Grant, Iowa and Lafayette counties in 2018 and 2019.
The new research will also shed light on the relationship between groundwater, human and livestock waste, and antibiotic resistance.
Maureen Muldoon, a hydrogeologist with the Wisconsin Geological and Natural History Survey, is leading the study. Having previously worked on the SWIGG study, she’s now investigating how local geology and well construction influence the contamination of private wells.
She says wells in the southwestern part of Wisconsin are particularly vulnerable to contamination due to fractured bedrock, which has a lot of holes and cracks.
“When you drive down Highway 151 towards Iowa and you look on the sides of the road and it just looks like Swiss cheese, kind of yellowy-brown Swiss cheese, that is [fractured bedrock],” said Muldoon. “You can imagine how quickly stuff moves through that.”
This porous, Swiss cheese-like bedrock means wastewater from septic systems and agriculture can quickly enter the aquifer, carrying pathogens that can end up in private wells. The SWIGG study found viral, bacterial and protozoan pathogens in 66 of 138 private wells sampled, including norovirus, salmonella, and multiple species of Cryptosporidium.
Just how many people could get sick from these pathogens is what Tucker Burch, a research engineer with the U.S. Department of Agriculture, is trying to figure out. Using archived water samples collected during SWIGG, Burch can estimate the risk of gastrointestinal illness using a tool called quantitative microbial risk assessment, or QMRA. He likened it to a weather report.
“It’s a forecasting method; it’s a modeling approach,” said Burch. “We’re using the data we have to make an estimate about what’s going to happen.”
In addition to determining the public’s risk of gastrointestinal illness, Burch and the research team will identify whether pathogens came from human or livestock waste in the upper or lower parts of the aquifer.
Muldoon said well location matters when it comes to water quality. The lower aquifer is generally more protected from contaminants than the upper aquifer due to a layer of rock that restricts the downward flow of water. Certain types of well construction, however, allow water to pass through to the lower aquifer.
“It is not good to connect the upper and lower aquifer in this environment because we are exporting water quality problems to the deep, relatively protected aquifer,” said Muldoon. She is currently gathering and analyzing construction reports for the 138 wells used in the study.
In addition to microbes that cause gastrointestinal illness, the research team is also testing the water for antibiotic resistance genes (ARGs) to learn more about where they come from. ARGs are the building blocks of antibiotic resistance.
“Antibiotic resistance, like any other biological trait, is mitigated by genes,” said Burch. “So bacteria have specific genes that give them different mechanisms to fight the antibiotics.”
Joel Stokdyk, a biologist with the U.S. Geological Survey leading the research team’s inquiry into ARGs, emphasizes that the study isn’t delving into the impacts of ARGs on human health or antibiotic resistant infections.
“A point worth making is that the detection of the antibiotic resistance gene in someone’s drinking water does not mean it’s in a pathogen, does not mean it could make them sick, but it does help us address these other questions.”
One of those questions concerns how many ARGs come from humans versus livestock. Stokdyk said that’s what makes this research novel.
“The research field knows antibiotic resistance genes come from these sources, but we don’t know how much from each. So that’s one of the gaps we’re trying to address,” said Stokdyk.
Although the research team is currently in the data collection and lab phase of the study, they’re already excited about the results. Knowing the amount and source of ARGs could help tailor current manure management strategies and shape future research in livestock production or human medicine.
Said Burch, “There [are] people out there in the real world that take these results and turn around and use them. And that’s always very satisfying. We’re not just running numbers across a computer screen.”
The post Investigating private well water contamination in southwest Wisconsin first appeared on WRI.News Release | WRI
https://www.wri.wisc.edu/news/investigating-private-well-water-contamination-in-southwest-wisconsin/
Two Pennsylvania farmers have been found guilty of poisoning over two dozen migratory birds with a restricted substance.
Many species of birds are declining in North America and many are at risk of extinction, Macdonald said.
The post Pennsylvania farmers convicted of poisoning over two dozen migratory birds first appeared on Great Lakes Echo.Great Lakes Echo
http://greatlakesecho.org/2024/03/06/pennsylvania-farmers-convicted-of-poisoning-over-two-dozen-migratory-birds/
By Levi Rickert, Native News Online
This article originally appeared on Native News Online. Founded in 2011, Native News Online reaches millions of Native and non-Native readers annually including American Indians, Alaska Natives, Native Hawaiians and others interested in Native American concerns.
In a critical response to the U.S.
Great Lakes Now
https://www.greatlakesnow.org/2024/03/native-farm-bill-coalition-leaders-critical-of-usda-equity-commission-final-report/
NEW YORK (AP) — Where will you be watching the April 8 total solar eclipse? There are just a few weeks left to pick your spot to see the skies darken along a strip of North America, whether by land, sea or air.
Great Lakes Now
https://www.greatlakesnow.org/2024/03/ap-where-will-you-be-for-the-april-8-total-solar-eclipse-theres-still-time-to-grab-a-spot/
Healing Our Waters-Great Lakes Coalition
Contact: Lindsey Bacigal, BacigalL@nwf.org, (734) 887-7113
Jordan Lubetkin, Lubetkin@nwf.org, (734) 904-1589
WASHINGTON, D.C. (March 5, 2024)—Great Lakes supporters are in Washington, D.C., this week with the Healing Our Waters-Great Lakes Coalition, to urge members of Congress to continue their support for federal investments to protect the drinking water, public health, jobs, and quality of life for the millions of people in the eight-state region of Illinois, Indiana, Michigan, Minnesota, New York, Ohio, Pennsylvania, and Wisconsin.
“Federal investments to restore and protect the Great Lakes are producing results, but serious threats remain,” said Laura Rubin, director of the Healing Our Waters-Great Lakes Coalition, which organizes the two-day event. “We look forward to continuing our bipartisan work with Congress and the Biden Administration to ensure that every person in the region has access to clean, safe and affordable water. We cannot let up now. There are still many communities that are affected by the serious health impacts of pollution and environmental harm. Cutting funding to core clean water programs will only make the problems worse and more expensive to solve.”
Great Lakes advocates are promoting a policy agenda that asks Congress to:
Support the reauthorization of the Great Lakes Restoration Initiative to extend the program through 2031 and authorizes the federal government to invest $500 million annually in restoration and protection action.
Fund the Great Lakes Restoration Initiative at no less than $450 million to clean up toxic pollution, restore fish and wildlife habitat, reduce farm and city runoff pollution, and prevent and manage invasive species.
Fully fund the Clean Water State Revolving Fund and Drinking Water State Revolving Fund at $4.6 billion and $4.1 billion, respectively, to support community efforts to upgrade wastewater and drinking water infrastructure, targeting the biggest problems and the communities hardest hit by pollution and environmental harm.
Support clean water protections by strengthening the Clean Water Act and addressing legacy and emerging contaminants such as toxic PFAS, lead, and plastics.
Support clean water in the Farm Bill by increasing funding for conservation programs, rejecting cuts to climate smart agriculture efforts, and tying payments and incentives for farmers to clean water outcomes and the implementation of sustainable practices that protect soil and water quality.
The visit to Washington, D.C., for nearly 100 Great Lakes advocates comes as the U.S. Congress tries to hammer out a budget compromise to get through the current fiscal year 2024 budget and in anticipation of President Joe Biden’s proposed budget for fiscal year 2025. The Healing Our Waters-Great Lakes Coalition is pushing to maintain federal investments in both budget cycles.
“These policies will benefit millions of people in the region,” said Rubin. “Robust investments in clean water coupled with strong clean water protections are essential to protect the health of our communities. The bottom line is: We have solutions, and it’s time to use them, so that we can one day put an end to drinking water restrictions, beach closures, and fish consumption advisories.”
Since 2004, the Healing Our Waters-Great Lakes Coalition has been harnessing the collective power of more than 185 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, Facebook, Bluesky, Mastodon, and Threads @HealthyLakes.
Latest Updates - Healthy Lakes
Latest Updates - Healthy Lakes
https://www.healthylakes.org/latest-updates/2024-great-lakes-advocates-in-dc-to-protect-lakes-drinking-water-public-health
At Lake Simcoe in southern Ontario, February has traditionally been the peak of ice fishing season.
But this year, the lake’s freezing cycle is in purgatory, continuing to fuel what many locals are calling Ontario’s worst ice fishing season in decades.
The post Ontario anglers watch their ice fishing community melt. Is there hope? first appeared on Great Lakes Echo.Great Lakes Echo
http://greatlakesecho.org/2024/03/05/ontario-anglers-watch-their-ice-fishing-community-melt-is-there-hope/
Washington, D.C. – A binational coalition of regional agencies, Indigenous Nations, legislators, local communities, and business, maritime and environmental groups today released shared priorities for restoring the Great Lakes and supporting the region’s economy. The priorities were released in advance of Great Lakes Day, an annual event that brings together regional leaders and members of Congress who play a critical role in shaping Great Lakes policies.
Restoring and protecting the Great Lakes is an enduring, bipartisan priority for the nation and for Great Lakes and St. Lawrence River basin communities,” the priorities read. “Our organizations support the following priorities to accelerate progress, foster equity, build resilience, and ensure the Great Lakes are a source of drinking water, an environmental treasure, and an economic engine for North America.
The agenda urges Congress and the Biden administration to: capitalize on investments in Great Lakes restoration, including by appropriating no less than $450 million for the Great Lakes Restoration Initiative (GLRI) in FY 2025; ensure water infrastructure investments tackle historic inequities; enhance the Great Lakes’ resiliency to the impacts of climate change; develop coordinated regional science plans; strengthen Great Lakes ports and the maritime transportation system; support federal actions to address harmful algal blooms; take action to address emerging contaminants; and protect the Great Lakes basin from invasive carp and other aquatic invasive species.
The priorities are endorsed by the Great Lakes Commission, Great Lakes Fishery Commission, Healing Our Waters-Great Lakes Coalition, Great Lakes and St. Lawrence Cities Initiative, Chippewa Ottawa Resource Authority, Great Lakes Metro Chambers Coalition, American Great Lakes Ports Association, Great Lakes-St. Lawrence Legislative Caucus, Great Lakes Business Network, and Lake Carriers’ Association.
The Great Lakes Commission, led by chair Mary Mertz, director of the Ohio Department of Natural Resources, 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/joint-priorities-030424
Imagine if the world’s longest trail (located in Canada) connected people even further, into another country, via Michigan’s longest trail. That happened last month when the Windsor Detroit Bridge Authority announced that the Gordie Howe International Bridge would become part of a binational trail system.
When the initial discussions for a potential new bridge connecting Windsor and Detroit started about a decade ago, residents of Windsor and Detroit, and a coalition of organizations, came together to envision cross-border linkages.
Great Lakes Now
https://www.greatlakesnow.org/2024/03/great-lakes-moment-gordie-howe-international-bridge-becomes-part-of-binational-trail-system/
Great Lakes Commission
https://www.glc.org/staff/jack-guirey
This week, the Great Lakes Commission, the Great Lakes Fishery Commission, and the International Joint Commission expect to sign a memorandum of understanding in Washington, D.C. The new agreement will help the organizations coordinate on things like research vessels and information-sharing, especially as climate change research increases in the Great Lakes. Read the full story by Interlochen Public Radio.
Great Lakes Commission
https://www.glc.org/dailynews/20240304-gl-commission-agreement
The latest Great Lakes Fishing Decree has taken effect, and its guidelines for certain Great Lakes fisheries in Michigan will be in place soon. The new decree includes many updates, including which areas tribal commercial fishers can use, as well as the reporting requirements for the fishing industry. Read the full story by WLNS-TV – Lansing, MI.
Great Lakes Commission
https://www.glc.org/dailynews/20240304-gl-fishing-decree
To keep our Great Lakes great, congressional members are pushing to extend the Great Lakes Restoration Initiative. The fund helps projects target the biggest threats to our Great Lakes, like invasive species, contamination and protecting native habitats. Read the full story by WICU-TV – Erie, PA.
Great Lakes Commission
https://www.glc.org/dailynews/20240304-glri-extension
A congressional lawmaker and Coast Guard officials were in Green Bay Friday to advocate for the expansion of icebreaking to keep the Great Lakes region’s economy afloat. Read the full story for WLUK-TV – Green Bay, WI.
Great Lakes Commission
https://www.glc.org/dailynews/20240304-icebreaking-expansion
In Wisconsin, Madison’s lakes officially thawed out this week, and it happened faster than almost any other time in the last 170 years. Read the full story by Wisconsin Public Radio.
Great Lakes Commission
https://www.glc.org/dailynews/20240304-madison-lakes
Starting March 1, 2024, the sport fishing guide license is required in Michigan for anyone guiding on any water except the Great Lakes, Great Lakes connecting waters and bodies of water with a surface area of less than 5 acres. Read the full story by the Manistee News Advocate.
Great Lakes Commission
https://www.glc.org/dailynews/20240304-guide-fishing-license
A busy trail inside Michigan’s Sleeping Bear Dunes National Lakeshore has been shut down through the summer season due to invasive hemlock woolly adelgid. Read the full story by WDIV-TV – Detroit, MI.
Great Lakes Commission
https://www.glc.org/dailynews/20240304-sleeping-bear-dunes
A study, published Monday in the journal Limnology and Oceanography Letters, examined 194 lakes in Wisconsin, Minnesota, and Michigan’s Upper Peninsula to assess changes in walleye spawning. The study has found climate change is affecting walleye’s ability to thrive by disrupting when frozen lakes thaw each year. Read the full story by Wisconsin Public Radio.
Great Lakes Commission
https://www.glc.org/dailynews/20240304-walleye
A map of the underwater substrate near the Superior Harbor Entry with Wisconsin Point in the middle, western Lake Superior. Image by Brandon Krumwiede, NOAA.
The next River Talk will be at 6:30 p.m. Wednesday, March 13, with “What Lies Below? Underwater Mapping Near and in the St. Louis River Estuary,” an in-person and virtual presentation by Brandon Krumwiede with the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration. His talk will be held at the Lake Superior Estuarium (3 Marina Dr., Superior, Wis.). Refreshments will be provided.
Brandon Krumwiede. Image credit: National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration
Krumwiede’s work as a Great Lakes geospatial coordinator is varied and interesting. One day, he might analyze satellite data, the next, he might give a public presentation like River Talks. Krumwiede enjoys finding the connections between people, the land and the water. In his talk, Krumwiede will describe current efforts and technologies used to improve understanding of the underwater world near and in the estuary and its importance in coastal natural resources management.
To join by Zoom, please pre-register at this link:
https://uwmadison.zoom.us/meeting/register/tJcvcumrrj8vGNer4dHKwdZpxEoIVief60nR
For accessibility accommodations related to sound, language and translation, mobility or anything else to make engagement possible, please contact Luciana at 715-399-4085 or Luciana.Ranelli@wisc.edu, as soon as possible.
The final River Talk of the season will be held April 10. For more information, visit the River Talks page: go.wisc.edu/4uz720.
The River Talks are sponsored by the Lake Superior National Estuarine Research Reserve and the Wisconsin Sea Grant Program.
The post What Lies Below? Underwater Mapping first appeared on Wisconsin Sea Grant.
News Releases | Wisconsin Sea Grant
News Releases | Wisconsin Sea Grant
https://www.seagrant.wisc.edu/news/what-lies-below-underwater-mapping/
By Michael Livingston, Interlochen Public Radio
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.
Sometime in the mid-1900s, Henry J.
Great Lakes Now
https://www.greatlakesnow.org/2024/03/points-north-the-legend-of-heikes-tombs/
Driving through the Ottawa National Forest north of Land O’Lakes towards Dinner Lake you’ll see snow-covered piles stacked up every few feet in the woods along the road.
Many of the piles are wood debris and branches left over from logging operations on the Ottawa.
Some of the piles have been waiting there for two years as the Forest Service let them dry out.
Great Lakes Now
https://www.greatlakesnow.org/2024/03/ottawa-national-forest-creates-shaded-fuel-brakes-to-help-protect-communities-from-wildfires/
This week, a group of 30 tribal nations sent a letter to President Joe Biden asking the administration to fulfill its commitment to support tribal sovereignty. In December, the 7th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals requested federal input in a legal battle regarding Enbridge Line 5, but the Biden administration has yet to respond. Read the full story by the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel.
Great Lakes Commission
https://www.glc.org/dailynews/20240301-sovereignty-letter
Lake Superior College in Duluth, Minnesota, received a designation from the U.S. Department of Transportation’s Maritime Administration which will provide more opportunities for students who want to work in the maritime industry. Read the full story by KBJR-TV – Duluth, MN.
Great Lakes Commission
https://www.glc.org/dailynews/20240301-maritime-college
The Canadian federal government is earmarking $50 million for predevelopment work at the Bruce Power site on Lake Huron in Tiverton, Ontario, for what would be the first new nuclear construction project in Canada in 30 years, if approved. Read the full story by The Sun Times (Owen Sound).
Great Lakes Commission
https://www.glc.org/dailynews/20240301-bruce-power
The nascent cruise industry in Cleveland, Ohio will take a hit this summer as one of the major players in Great Lakes cruising, American Queen Voyages, is going out of business. Last year, its two ships made as many as 30 stops in Cleveland – far more than any other cruise line. Read the full story by The Plain Dealer.
Great Lakes Commission
https://www.glc.org/dailynews/20240301-erie-cruising
Lake sturgeon have been listed as threatened in Michigan for decades, but now the federal government is considering a petition to list sturgeon as endangered throughout the region. The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service will decide whether the petition moves forward to public comment by the end of June. Read the full story by WPBN-TV – Traverse City, MI.
Great Lakes Commission
https://www.glc.org/dailynews/20240301-sturgeon-petition
Starting July 1, service charges for water and wastewater services are going up 3-3.25% in southeast Michigan under a new budget approved by the region’s water authority to make up for cost hikes absorbed in the past. Read the full story by The Detroit News.
Great Lakes Commission
https://www.glc.org/dailynews/20240301-water-charges
A new documentary, “Bad River,” details the fight of the Bad River Band of Lake Superior Chippewas to shut down the Line 5 oil pipeline that traverses their ancestral land. An interview with the filmmaker dives into the details of the film. Read the full story by Great Lakes Now.
Great Lakes Commission
https://www.glc.org/dailynews/20240301-bad-river
The Indiana House of Representatives on Tuesday unanimously passed a bill requiring life rings at Lake Michigan entry points. The Indiana Senate unanimously passed the bill earlier this month, meaning it will soon go to the Indiana governor. Read the full story by WBBM-TV – Chicago, IL.
Great Lakes Commission
https://www.glc.org/dailynews/20240301-indiana-life-rings
Ferries to Put-in-Bay and Middle Bass Island, Ohio, will start on March 2, nearly a month early, due to lack of ice on Lake Erie. The early start allows construction workers to get a head start on work and allows residents and businesses to re-stock supplies ahead of schedule. Read the full story by WJW-TV – Cleveland, OH.
Great Lakes Commission
https://www.glc.org/dailynews/20240301-erie-ferries
Ice clearing on the St. Lawrence River is scheduled to begin on Monday as part of preparations to open the Seaway for the season on March 22. Read the full story by WWNY-TV – Watertown, NY.
Great Lakes Commission
https://www.glc.org/dailynews/20240301-seaway-ice
Groundwater is an important source of drinking water in Wisconsin. Image credit: David Nevala
When you turn on a faucet and a stream of cool, clear water pours out, that convenience can mask where the water comes from—underground. It’s there, and in great quantities. In fact, Wisconsin has so much groundwater – 1.2 quadrillion gallons – that if it were on the surface, it would submerge Packer fans in 100 feet of the wet stuff.
Just because groundwater is out of sight, doesn’t mean it’s out of mind – or use. Where does your drinking water come from? For 70 percent of us in the state, it’s thanks to the vast stores of groundwater in aquifers that not only quench our thirst but also fuel the operations of our power plants, breweries, factories and farms. The remaining 30 percent of Wisconsinites get their drinking water from the Great Lakes.
Wisconsin has more than 800,000 private wells and in excess of 11,000 public water systems. In all, Wisconsin’s annual average water withdrawal is 1.91 trillion gallons (some of that comes from surface water, such as lakes Michigan and Superior).
With so much demand and use, groundwater is clearly valuable. And, just as in the case of surface water, we need to be responsible stewards of it. That’s worth noting as the 2024 Groundwater Awareness Week (March 4 – 10) rolls around.
One manifestation of that stewardship is the work done by our sister organization, the University of Wisconsin Water Resources Institute (WRI). WRI runs a statewide research competition through the Groundwater Research Advisory Council (GRAC). As its basic function, the GRAC ensures that Wisconsin citizens have an adequate supply of high-quality groundwater and it funds university scientists to look into current topics such as per- and polyfluoroalkyl (PFAS) in numerous Wisconsin communities and pathogens in drinking water in the Driftless Area.
An example of past impactful GRAC research looked into naturally occurring radium in drinking water serving residents of Waukesha, which led to a binational decision a few years ago to allow that city to secure water from Lake Michigan, even though it lies outside of the Great Lakes Basin.
WRI also offers a robust information transfer program highlighting the work of water scientists through news stories, podcasts and videos. Finally, the WRI supports the Wisconsin Water Library, a resource with more than 30,000 holdings of all types of water-related material free for circulation to any state resident. The library further curates and distributes water-themed learning kits for children in the K-12 educational system.
To access these resources about the veritable tide below your feet—groundwater—and other water information, visit wri.wisc.edu.
The post During Groundwater Awareness Week (March 4-10), consider the tide under your feet first appeared on Wisconsin Sea Grant.
Blog | Wisconsin Sea Grant
https://www.seagrant.wisc.edu/blog/during-groundwater-awareness-week-march-4-10-consider-the-tide-under-your-feet/
Meet our new winter hires at the Upper Midwest Water Science Center!
Upper Midwest Water Science Center
Upper Midwest Water Science Center
https://www.usgs.gov/centers/upper-midwest-water-science-center/news/meet-our-new-winter-hires?utm_source=comms&utm_medium=rss&utm_campaign=news
Congratulations to Biologist Joel Stokdyk who is a coauthor on a recent paper about antibiotic resistance in well water.
Upper Midwest Water Science Center
Upper Midwest Water Science Center
https://www.usgs.gov/centers/upper-midwest-water-science-center/news/quantitative-microbial-risk-assessment-ingestion?utm_source=comms&utm_medium=rss&utm_campaign=news
