Illinois fishery managers rebrand four invasive species of carp as copi. They hope the new name will help the bountiful fish land on more restaurant menus and grocery lists and eventually slow the carp’s march toward the Great Lakes. Read the full story by WBUR-FM – Boston, MA.
Great Lakes Commission
https://www.glc.org/dailynews/20220706-copi
The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency and the Ohio EPA are at odds over the amount of phosphorus the city of Euclid’s wastewater treatment plant can discharge into Lake Erie, and the outcome of their disagreement could have broad repercussions for sewage plant operators elsewhere in Ohio. Read the full story by The Plain Dealer.
Great Lakes Commission
https://www.glc.org/dailynews/20220706-phosphorus-dishcarge
New York State Department of Environmental Conservation has proposed a plan to manage the Atlantic salmon population in Lake Ontario with an emphasis on improving the survival of stocked fish and increasing the number of adult Atlantic salmon that return to tributaries to spawn. Read the full story by WROC-TV – Rochester, NY.
Great Lakes Commission
https://www.glc.org/dailynews/20220706-atlantic-salmon
New York State Department of Environmental Conservation has proposed a plan to manage the Atlantic salmon population in Lake Ontario with an emphasis on improving the survival of stocked fish and increasing the number of adult Atlantic salmon that return to tributaries to spawn. Read the full story by WROC-TV – Rochester, NY.
Great Lakes Commission
https://www.glc.org/dailynews/20220706-atlantic-salmon
The Indiana Division of Fish & Wildlife recently completed spring trout and salmon stockings in Lake Michigan and its tributaries, into which it released more than half a million trout and salmon. Read the full story by The Times of Northwest Indiana.
Great Lakes Commission
https://www.glc.org/dailynews/20220706-trout-salmon-stock
A shipwreck that lies submerged in Lake Michigan, about 13 miles northeast of the Sheboygan Breakwater Lighthouse in Wisconsin, has been listed in the National Register of Historic Places. Read the full story the Sheboygan Press.
Great Lakes Commission
https://www.glc.org/dailynews/20220706-abiah
Every year, in early summer, fields of lupine erupt along the North Shore of Lake Superior, drawing love from many photographers, but over the past ten years the invasive plant has proliferated. Read the full story by Minnesota Public Radio.
Great Lakes Commission
https://www.glc.org/dailynews/20220706-lupine
Following its addition to Michigan’s invasive species watch list last year, beech leaf disease has been found in an area of St. Clair County, according to the Michigan departments of Natural Resources and Agriculture and Rural Development. Read the full story by the Detroit Free Press.
Great Lakes Commission
https://www.glc.org/dailynews/20220706-beech-leaf
By Kyla Russell, National Newspaper Association Foundation News Fellows Program
Great Lakes Now is publishing this story in conjunction with the National Newspaper Association Foundation’s News Fellows Program. In March, during NNA’s Community Newspaper Leadership Summit, a group of student journalists met with experts and policy leaders in Washington D.C.
Great Lakes Now
https://www.greatlakesnow.org/2022/07/indiana-changing-tone-toward-wind-energy/
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/2022/07/2022-forecast-harmful-algal-blooms-forecast-lake-erie/
Great Lakes Moment is a monthly column written by Great Lakes Now Contributor John Hartig. Publishing the author’s views and assertions does not represent endorsement by Great Lakes Now or Detroit Public Television.
Native freshwater mussels have experienced dramatic population declines in the Great Lakes due to habitat degradation, water pollution and the introduction of invasive species like zebra and quagga mussels.
Great Lakes Now
https://www.greatlakesnow.org/2022/07/great-lakes-moment-mussels-detroit-river/
In our newest TikTok, Echo reporter Caroline Miller discusses a recent study that documents the first sighting of an invasive species, European frogbit, in Wisconsin and says that it could threaten native plants, fish and invertebrates.
The post Rising water makes Lake Michigan wetlands vulnerable to invaders: TikTok edition first appeared on Great Lakes Echo.Great Lakes Echo
http://greatlakesecho.org/2022/07/04/rising-water-makes-lake-michigan-wetlands-vulnerable-to-invaders-tiktok-edition/
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:
Officials in Normal, Illinois, see Rivian’s growth and corporate culture as a key part of the city’s long-term sustainability plan.
Great Lakes Now
https://www.greatlakesnow.org/2022/07/energy-news-roundup-prices-hikes-solar-struggle/
Great Lakes Now episodes often explore the human element of the Great Lakes along with the critters residing in the waters.
In “Homes, Invaders,” learn about how sea lampreys are an invasive and dangerous species and the efforts that are being done to control the sea lamprey population in the Great Lakes.
Great Lakes Now
https://www.greatlakesnow.org/2022/07/homes-invaders-episode-quiz/
A recent study from the University of Wisconsin-Madison found that only about half the people in the Great Lakes states are aware of fish consumption advisories and around five million people exceed the recommended fish intake. Read the full story by Great Lakes Echo.
Great Lakes Commission
https://www.glc.org/dailynews/20220701-fish-advisories
With more than 12.8 million tons of recyclable plastic packaging materials landfilled every year, cleaning up and ending that waste and litter from entering the Great Lakes watershed is the top priority of a Council of the Great Lakes Region initiative. Read the full story by the Welland Tribune.
Great Lakes Commission
https://www.glc.org/dailynews/20220701-plastic-waste
Michigan Governor Gretchen Whitmer announced 16 K-12 institutions, school districts and educational partnerships have been awarded $205,028 to develop Great Lakes-based science, technology, engineering, and math (STEM) educational programs for students. Among the awardees is the Charlevoix-Emmet Intermediate School District, which will receive $20,000 to help propel new Project Based Learning units in local schools. Read the full story by the News-Review.
Great Lakes Commission
https://www.glc.org/dailynews/20220701-stem-education
A public meeting will be held in Michigan’s Upper Peninsula town of Lake Linden Tuesday, July 12 to present plans for removing vast amounts of crushed copper mining ore that’s slowly swallowing a stretch of Lake Superior coastline. Read the full story by MLive.
Great Lakes Commission
https://www.glc.org/dailynews/20220701-lake-superior-reef
The piping plover is making its last stand along northern Michigan’s west coast, with many of these small shorebirds annually nesting in Michigan’s Manistee and Benzie counties. Read the full story by Midland Daily News.
Great Lakes Commission
https://www.glc.org/dailynews/20220701-plovers
Michigan health officials are reminding people to avoid surface water foam that could contain harmful chemicals ahead of the Fourth of July weekend. Read the full story by MLive.
Great Lakes Commission
https://www.glc.org/dailynews/20220701-foam
Since 2014, the Regional Science Consortium has worked to test the waters of Lake Erie for harmful algal blooms, and they’ve shared the test results with state and local authorities to warn the public of potential dangers but without grant funding, their work cannot be done. Read the full story by WJET-TV – Erie, PA.
Great Lakes Commission
https://www.glc.org/dailynews/20220701-hab-impact
The Natural Resources Research Institute in Duluth, Minnesota has been awarded a $3 million grant from the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency to continue studying the bottom of the food chain in the Great Lakes — work that includes collecting water samples and boring into lake sediment to learn hundreds of years of history. Read the full story by the Star Tribune.
Great Lakes Commission
https://www.glc.org/dailynews/20220701-phytoplankton
This Fourth of July holiday weekend, Wisconsin DNR staff and volunteers with Clean Boats, Clean Waters will be at boat launches statewide for their 2022 Landing Blitz, reminding the public of ways boaters can help prevent the spread of aquatic invasive species, which pose great risks to the health of our lakes and fisheries. Read the full story by the Antigo Times.
Great Lakes Commission
https://www.glc.org/dailynews/20220701-ais
Harmful algae blooms are predicted to be smaller than average this year in Lake Erie. Although the bloom may be smaller, smaller blooms can still be toxic and affect drinking water. Read the full story at WTOL-TV – Toledo, OH.
Great Lakes Commission
https://www.glc.org/dailynews/20220701-hab
By Christopher Bonasia, The Energy Mix
This story originally appeared in The Energy Mix and is republished here as part of Covering Climate Now, a global journalism collaboration strengthening coverage of the climate story.
The sudden rise in fertilizer prices since Russia’s invasion of Ukraine could have implications for global emissions by reducing how much of it farmers use in their fields.
Great Lakes Now
https://www.greatlakesnow.org/2022/07/soaring-fertilizer-prices-emissions-farmers/
COLUMBIA CITY, Ind. (AP) — State Department of Natural Resources fisheries biologists have collected fish and water samples at a northeastern Indiana lake as the result of a fish kill involving thousands of crappies, the agency said June 23.
The fish kill began last week at Loon Lake in Whitley and Noble counties.
Great Lakes Now
https://www.greatlakesnow.org/2022/07/ap-crappie-kill-loon-lake/
Green Bay, WI
https://www.weather.gov/www.noaa.gov/news-release/us-supercomputers-for-weather-and-climate-forecasts-get-major-bump
July is our warmest month, its steamy days and sticky nights giving us a little taste of the tropics. When we look for ways to beat July’s heat, we often end up in the water – sprinklers, backyard pools, or one of Michigan’s many lakes. So let’s take a few minutes on this hot July day to think about how cool water is.
The post July: Stay cool first appeared on Great Lakes Echo.Great Lakes Echo
http://greatlakesecho.org/2022/07/01/july-stay-cool/
By Kelly House, 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/borrow-free-camping-gear-michigan/
Ann Arbor, Mich. – Hundreds of organizations across the region will be working together to educate the public about aquatic invasive species (AIS) during the fourth annual Great Lakes AIS Landing Blitz, to be held July 1-10, 2022. Volunteers and professional inspectors will show boaters how to prevent the spread of AIS, ways to identify AIS, and how to report AIS, which are recognized as one of the most significant threats to the ecological and economic health of the Great Lakes. This annual event is sponsored by state and provincial agencies with the support of the Great Lakes Commission (GLC) and partner organizations.
“Aquatic invasive species don’t respect political boundaries, so the states and provinces must continue to work together through successful partnerships like the annual AIS Landing Blitz to prevent new invasions and reduce the damage from species already here,” said GLC Chair Todd Ambs of Wisconsin. “The GLC is proud to support this partnership to communicate directly with the public at landing sites across the basin.”
New this year, digital marketing strategies and coordinated social media outreach will help broaden the public reach of the event and continue to promote participation. Targeted audience outreach will work to ensure that as many boaters in the Great Lakes region are aware of the event and informed about how to clean, drain, dry, and disinfect their boat and gear.
For more information on the Great Lakes AIS Landing Blitz, including educational materials, location, and volunteer opportunities, visit www.glc.org/blitz.
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/ais-blitz-july-063022
This lesson will explore the phenomenon of invasive species in the Great Lakes, specifically the sea lamprey, to help students learn how predator-prey relationships affect populations in an ecosystem, why invasive species like the sea lamprey pose a threat to the Great Lakes, and which efforts can most successfully control them.
Great Lakes Now
https://www.greatlakesnow.org/2022/06/2206-invasive-species-lesson-plan/
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/bird-flu-killed-threatened-caspian-terns/
Chicago, IL (June 30, 2022) – Earlier today, NOAA and its research partners released the annual western Lake Erie harmful algal bloom forecast. In response, Alliance for the Great Lakes Agriculture and Restoration Policy Director Tom Zimnicki made the following statement:
“Each summer, western Lake Erie is plagued by harmful algal blooms fueled by nutrient pollution flowing off upstream agricultural lands. While this year’s bloom is forecasted to be relatively mild compared to past years, even a smaller bloom can turn toxic and threaten drinking water safety. The cost burden of these blooms on ratepayers is real. According to new research from the Alliance for the Great Lakes, a family of five in Toledo is paying roughly an additional $100/year in their water bill because of this pollution. The Alliance remains committed to addressing water pollution in western Lake Erie and working with Ohio lawmakers to solve this problem. Downstream ratepayers should not have to shoulder the financial burden or health impacts of this pollution problem.”
###
Media Contact: Jennifer Caddick, jcaddick@greatlakes.org
The post Alliance Statement on the 2022 Western Lake Erie Harmful Algal Bloom Forecast appeared first on Alliance for the Great Lakes.
News - Alliance for the Great Lakes
News - Alliance for the Great Lakes
https://greatlakes.org/2022/06/alliance-statement-on-the-2022-western-lake-erie-harmful-algal-bloom-forecast/
This month of The Catch features a look at shoreline shipwrecks in Michigan.
Author and editorial director of MichiganTrailMaps.com Jim DuFresne published a “Landlubbers Guide to Shoreline Shipwrecks,” and takes Great Lakes Now on a virtual tour of some of his favorites which include wrecks on the shores of Sleeping Bear Dunes and Isle Royale National Park.
Great Lakes Now
https://www.greatlakesnow.org/2022/06/the-catch-shoreline-shipwrecks/
The study in the journal “Science of the Total Environment” found that five million people exceeded the recommended fish intake of two meals or 12 ounces per week, as suggested by the Environmental Protection Agency. Notably, women, nonwhites, younger residents and those with lower education levels were less aware of fish advisories, and thus more prone to eat more than the recommended amount.
The post Only half of Great Lakes residents are aware of advisories for safely eating fish first appeared on Great Lakes Echo.Great Lakes Echo
http://greatlakesecho.org/2022/06/30/only-half-of-great-lakes-residents-are-aware-of-advisories-for-safely-eating-fish/
NCEI News Feed
http://www.ncei.noaa.gov/news/humans-ncei-sarah-morison
A lakeside view and twittering morning avian chorus make for a great combination, and all along the Great Lakes there are plenty of great locations to experience both those things.
Installing a bird feeder is an easy way to enjoy birds right outside your door, but county parks and birding walks are a great way to learn about birds too, Kimberly Kaufman said in an interview with Great Lakes Now.
Great Lakes Now
https://www.greatlakesnow.org/2022/06/trails-for-best-view-of-birds/
By Ed White, Associated Press
DETROIT (AP) — The Michigan Supreme Court on Tuesday threw out charges against former Gov. Rick Snyder and others in the Flint water scandal, saying a judge sitting as a one-person grand jury had no power to issue indictments under rarely used state laws.
Great Lakes Now
https://www.greatlakesnow.org/2022/06/ap-court-kills-flint-water-charges-ex-governor/
The National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration has awarded the University of Michigan a five-year, $53 million grant to continue and expand the Cooperative Institute for Great Lakes Research, which leads research for sustainability in the Great Lakes. Read the full story by The Detroit News.
Great Lakes Commission
https://www.glc.org/dailynews/20220629-um-research
The Lake Michigan and Lake Huron waters governed by an 1836 treaty are at the heart of negotiations between Michigan, the federal government and Native American tribes to determine how much and what kinds of fish can be harvested by recreational, state-licensed and Native American commercial fishers. Read the full story by Great Lakes Echo.
Great Lakes Commission
https://www.glc.org/dailynews/20220629-fishing-rights
A representative of the Great Lakes Fishery Commission is cautiously optimistic that sea lamprey populations will be held in check in the next couple of years in the Great Lakes, even though control measures had to be curtailed recently due to the pandemic. Read the full story by The Manitoulin Expositor.
Great Lakes Commission
https://www.glc.org/dailynews/20220629-lamprey
After a hiatus of nearly a decade, it’s a novelty for the port of Duluth-Superior to welcome cruise ships. The experience is just as novel for the guests disembarking to spend a day in the Twin Ports. Read the full story by the Duluth News Tribune.
Great Lakes Commission
https://www.glc.org/dailynews/20220629-cruise
High water levels along Lake Michigan could increase the danger of toxic contamination from industrial facilities along Wisconsin’s lakefront as climate change is expected to cause more intense storms, according to a new report. Read the full story by Wisconsin Public Radio.
Great Lakes Commission
https://www.glc.org/dailynews/20220629-contamination
Wildlife biologists are finding whole colonies of birds dead or dying on islands in Lake Michigan. They are Caspian terns, which are listed as threatened in Michigan and endangered in Wisconsin. Read and hear the full story by Michigan Public Radio.
Great Lakes Commission
https://www.glc.org/dailynews/20220629-bird-flu
The Lake Michigan Coastal Program is looking for public input on funding priorities for 2023 grants, the Indiana Department of Natural Resources announced. Read the full story by WBND-TV- South Bend, IN.
Great Lakes Commission
https://www.glc.org/dailynews/20220629-coastal-program
New research into Great Lakes water levels looks farther into the future to predict how much climate change will increase lake levels in four of the five Great Lakes. Read the full story by Great Lakes Now.
Great Lakes Commission
https://www.glc.org/dailynews/20220629-water-levels
A new report said steel walls near the Michigan City, Indiana coal plant aren’t keeping coal ash waste from getting into Lake Michigan and Trail Creek — and it will likely get worse over time. But the northern Indiana utility NIPSCO — which owns the plant — said info in the report has been “cherry-picked.” Read the full story by WVPE– Elkhart, IN.
Great Lakes Commission
https://www.glc.org/dailynews/20220629-coal-ash
Lake Ontario is clean enough for swimming, says Toronto Public Health, but an unofficial survey by CBC News has found few people are taking the plunge this early in the season because it’s so cold. Read the full story by CBC News.
Great Lakes Commission
https://www.glc.org/dailynews/20220629-lake-ontario
This week, the House Appropriations Committee is looking at various draft budget bills for Fiscal Year 2023, including the Interior, Environment, and Related Agencies funding bill, which is proposing robust funding increases for the Department of Interior and the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA). The bill contains $368 million for the Great Lakes Restoration Initiative, $20 million above current funding levels. The funding bill also contains $2.88 billion for the Clean Water and Drinking Water State Revolving Funds, which help communities pay for wastewater and drinking water infrastructure projects, respectively. Funding for the two SRF programs represent about an $118 million increase over current budget levels.
The Healing Our Waters-Great Lakes Coalition is pleased to see increases for the Great Lakes Restoration Initiative (GLRI) and the State Revolving Funds (SRFs), as these programs are at the heart of cleaning up the Great Lakes region and providing safe, clean drinking water for all.
Though increases are something to celebrate, unfortunately, the GLRI and SRFs were not funded at fully authorized levels: $400 million for the GLRI and $2.75 billion for each SRF program ($5.5 billion total authorization). The failure to budget for the full authorized amount – essentially leaving money on the table – is concerning, as there remains much work to do to tackle serious threats in the region, including toxic pollution, degraded fish and wildlife habitat, invasive species, and farm and city runoff pollution. The longer it takes for these problems to be solved, the worse and more expensive they will get.
The backlog of infrastructure work is well-known. The eight-state region of Illinois, Indiana, Michigan, Minnesota, New York, Ohio, Pennsylvania, and Wisconsin needs more than $188 billion over 20 years to fix, repair, and update its drinking water and wastewater infrastructure. The Coalition heralded last year’s bipartisan infrastructure law as a game-changer not only for the sizeable investment it was making now – but also because the law was dramatically increasing the amount the U.S. Congress could invest every year during the annual appropriations process. The failure to follow through is a missed opportunity.
Of note, full authorization of the GLRI has bipartisan support in the U.S. House of Representatives. Just in late spring, a bipartisan group of 47 members of the House sent a letter to subcommittee chairs advocating for such, recognizing the importance of the program and its positive impact on the environmental and economic health of the region.
Approved by the subcommittee, the draft funding bill is now going to full markup in the House Appropriations Committee, and we hope to see the funding numbers go up to their fully authorized amounts.
The post House Committees to Take Up Spending Bills This Week appeared first on Healing Our Waters Coalition.
Healing Our Waters Coalition
https://healthylakes.org/house-committees-to-take-up-spending-bills-this-week/
Current Watches, Warnings and Advisories for Brown (WIC009) Wisconsin Issued by the National Weather Service
https://alerts.weather.gov/cap/wwacapget.php?x=WI1263FB6A58A8.SpecialWeatherStatement.1263FB6AA6C8WI.GRBSPSGRB.3b77a733acfe35fc01f412b80021d336
