Head of Alliance for the Great Lakes praises Milwaukee initiative to stop overflows by 2035. Read the full story by the Wisconsin Public Radio.
Great Lakes Commission
https://www.glc.org/dailynews/20220418-overflow
Michigan is home to five national parks: Isle Royale park, Keweenaw park, Sleeping Bear Dunes, Pictured Rocks national lakeshore and River Raisin park. These five gems are rich in both history and scenery. Read the full story by the WDIV -TV – Detroit, MI.
Great Lakes Commission
https://www.glc.org/dailynews/20220418-national-parks
The West Michigan Tourist Association has once again released its Lake Michigan Lighthouse map. Read the full story by MLive.
Great Lakes Commission
https://www.glc.org/dailynews/20220418-lighthouses
DNR teams completed more than 260 fisheries surveys across Michigan in 2021. DNR fisheries staff surveyed 152 inland lakes and 115 streams. Read the full story by The Detroit News.
Great Lakes Commission
https://www.glc.org/dailynews/20220418-dnr-survey
The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service has partnered with other Michigan organizations to sponsor and oversee the restocking of lake sturgeon in the Saginaw Bay watershed and other bodies of water feeding into Lake Huron. Read the full story by the Huron Daily Tribune.
Great Lakes Commission
https://www.glc.org/dailynews/20220418-sturgeon
Researchers have found that a common wetland plant native to Australia can remove toxic “forever chemicals” from the surrounding environment. Read the full story by Great Lakes Now.
Great Lakes Commission
https://www.glc.org/dailynews/20220418-pfas
Scientists studying the bay this summer, including George Bullerjahn, a biology professor at Bowling Green State University who has studied the bay’s algae for years, hope to figure out why Sandusky Bay’s algal bloom problem suddenly went away in 2020 and 2021,. Read the full story by The Advertiser-Tribune.
Great Lakes Commission
https://www.glc.org/dailynews/20220418-sandusky-bay
The Indiana DNR is busy stocking steelhead trout in the St. Joseph River, a tributary of Lake Michigan. Read the full story by WNDU – TV – South Bend, IN.
Great Lakes Commission
https://www.glc.org/dailynews/20220418-trout
MADISON, Wis. (AP) — The state Department of Natural Resources has restarted efforts to set standards for bacteria in groundwater after conservatives on the agency’s policy board killed the attempt in February.
The Wisconsin State Journal reported that the board on Wednesday authorized a public hearing and comment period on a new rule-making process to set groundwater standards for E.
Great Lakes Now
https://www.greatlakesnow.org/2022/04/ap-dnr-effort-bacteria-standards-groundwater/
“Volunteers are visible. People notice what they’re doing. And that visibility is important to the Great Lakes. When one person steps up, the people around them pay attention, and more of those folks step up. Even elected officials and businesses pay attention when they see people working on behalf of the Great Lakes.”
Joel Brammeier, President & CEO
Our volunteers do amazing things for the Great Lakes. Whether they’re an Adopt-a-Beach volunteer that helps remove thousands of pounds of trash from Great Lakes shorelines or an Ambassador who connects with community members across the region, they make an impactful difference.
In honor of all volunteers and in recognition of National Volunteer Week, we want to thank you. No matter where you live, work or play in the region, one thing is for sure – the Great Lakes connect us all. Every day, we are reminded that there is power in numbers, which is especially true when a tremendous unifier like the Great Lakes can bring amazing people together to make a difference.
Last month, we asked some of our community members and partners to share the impact our volunteers make, and their responses did not disappoint. Read a few below.
“I would like to tell you what a privilege it is to work with the Alliance for the Great Lakes Ambassador volunteers. I have had the honor of working with them for several years as they present to my Great Lakes Ecosystems class. For each presentation, they are poised, prepared, very knowledgeable, and very enthused about their work with the Alliance. They bring new information to my graduate students in an engaging manner. They are a highlight of the class. Thank you for sharing your talent and love of the Lakes with us.”
A. Kovacs, Senior Manager of Graduate Programs and Partnerships at Chicago Zoological Society
“The partnership we have with Alliance for the Great Lakes allows us to engage even more community members in our Lake Erie conservation efforts. Thank you, Adopt-a-Beach volunteers, for taking action and protecting our shoreline!”
L. Lisner, Director of Volunteer Services, Cleveland, OH
“Volunteers with the Alliance’s Adopt-a-Beach program are crucial partners of the Chicago Park District in our combined efforts to combat the effects of human-caused pollution in the Great Lakes. In 2021 alone, there were 100 cleanup events at Chicago’s public beaches that contributed to approximately 8,000 pounds of litter diverted from entering Lake Michigan. As we look to the future and explore new ways to keep garbage out of our Great Lake, Adopt-a-Beach and its volunteers will continue to play an essential role in improving water quality. Thank you for being part of the solution – your efforts are greatly appreciated.”
K. Anderson, Project Manager at Chicago Park District – Chicago, IL
“Harbor City International School is proud to participate in the Alliance for the Great Lakes’ Adopt-a-Beach cleanups. About 145 students and staff have participated in these beach cleanups over the past 7 school years. Each event usually consists of Adopt-a-Beach student veterans completing their 2nd, 3rd, or 4th beach cleanup and students who are participating in their first. This past fall, I reached out to Love Creamery, a local ice cream shop that makes delicious treats from scratch in their store, to see if they would be willing to donate gift cards as a fun treat for the students who participated in the Adopt-a-Beach cleanup. Nicole Wilde, Love Creamery’s founder, and owner, donated gift cards so that each student participant would be rewarded with a delicious ice cream treat for their hard work on the beach. Another important aspect of this event is speaking with students about how the data we collect, as we meticulously count each cigarette butt or piece of microplastic, is gathered, analyzed, and used to advocate for policies and legislation that help protect our Great Lakes. We are looking forward to participating in our next Adopt-a-Beach cleanup this May!”
B. Scott, Harbor City International School, Duluth, MN
“Having Alliance Ambassador volunteers at our Great Lakes Experience event was a great opportunity to broadly share information about Alliance for the Great Lakes and ways in which actions can contribute to protecting Lake Erie and the Great Lakes. The event got huge attendance (thousands!!) of citizens of all ages, and it was a fantastic way to bring these citizens on our journey.”
M. Jabot, Alliance Ambassador, Dunkirk, NY.
These and many other poignant, personal memories remind us how shared experiences help strengthen connections and draw support. It’s clear that Great Lakes residents, just like you, are passionate about protecting our lakes.
Our volunteers’ commitment and belief in our work keep us fired up and focused on stopping plastic pollution, protecting nature, and ensuring everyone has access to Great Lakes water for generations to come. Today, and every day, thank you for the selfless giving of your time and talents to a cause greater than your own. Thank you for the ownership you take in making our volunteer programs what they are, and most importantly, thank you for using the Alliance as your avenue to be a beacon of change.
The post Celebrating our Volunteers – Testimonials from Around the Region appeared first on Alliance for the Great Lakes.
News - Alliance for the Great Lakes
News - Alliance for the Great Lakes
https://greatlakes.org/2022/04/celebrating-our-volunteers-testimonials-from-around-the-region/
Some dives are so pivotal that they permanently fuse themselves into my memory bank.
I’ll never forget my first open water dive in the St. Clair River under my family’s dock, or the first time I looked for a drowning victim as a member of the St. Clair County Sherriff Department Dive Rescue and Recovery team.
Great Lakes Now
https://www.greatlakesnow.org/2022/04/round-goby-great-lakes/
A free online video game for children about a Great Lakes shipwreck is now available. “The Legend of the Lost Emerald,” is a point-and-click adventure game designed for players grades 4-6. It was developed by the University of Wisconsin-Madison’s Field Day Lab in partnership with Wisconsin Sea Grant, PBS Wisconsin Education and the Wisconsin Historical Society. Teacher fellows offered insights at every step of the game’s development. Funding was provided by PBS Wisconsin Education with additional help from the Wisconsin Coastal Management Program and Sea Grant.
Players must use critical thinking and historical inquiry skills to find the wreck as they step into the shoes of Jules, a maritime archaeologist, with help from a cast of diverse family members. Players dive underwater to gather clues, build evidence and uncover the real treasure – stories of shipwrecks inspired by Great Lakes history. It takes two classroom sessions to complete (about 2 hours).
“The goal of the game is to connect students with the maritime history in their own state – to go beyond the story of the Titanic,” said Anne Moser, senior special librarian and education coordinator for Wisconsin Sea Grant. “It includes topics like lake ecology, maritime archaeology, trade and commerce.”
The post Online shipwreck game educates players first appeared on Wisconsin Sea Grant.News Releases | Wisconsin Sea Grant
News Releases | Wisconsin Sea Grant
https://www.seagrant.wisc.edu/news/online-shipwreck-game-educates-players/?utm_source=rss&utm_medium=rss&utm_campaign=online-shipwreck-game-educates-players
Current Watches, Warnings and Advisories for Brown (WIC009) Wisconsin Issued by the National Weather Service
https://alerts.weather.gov/cap/wwacapget.php?x=WI1263EED69D7C.SpecialWeatherStatement.1263EED72760WI.GRBSPSGRB.3b77a733acfe35fc01f412b80021d336
The Biden administration made secret plans to weaken protection for whooping cranes, and documents obtained through an open records request show officials “seem to have been deliberately misleading the public,” an environmental group says.
The documents show that U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service plans to propose changing the only natural flock’s status from endangered to threatened, the Center for Biological Diversity said in a news release linking to some of the papers.
Great Lakes Now
https://www.greatlakesnow.org/2022/04/ap-weaken-whooping-crane-protection/
By Enrique Saenz, Indiana Environmental Reporter
Researchers have found that a common wetland plant native to Australia can remove toxic “forever chemicals” from the surrounding environment.
In a 190-day greenhouse experiment, a team of Chinese and Australian researchers found that Juncus sarophorus, a wetland plant also known as the broom rush, could tolerate and accumulate PFOS, PFOA and PFHxS, three of the most commonly studied PFAS chemicals.
Great Lakes Now
https://www.greatlakesnow.org/2022/04/researchers-wetland-plant-pfas-chemicals/
![The Catch: Interlochen Public Radio podcast finds ‘[Un]Natural Selection’ in nature](https://www.greatlakesnow.org/wp-content/uploads/2017/01/Unnatural-Selection-Logo-240x135.jpg){kind=logo}
Broadcasting in our monthly PBS television program, The Catch is a Great Lakes Now series that brings you more news about the lakes you love. Go beyond the headlines with reporters from around the region who cover the lakes and drinking water issues. Find all the work HERE.
Turns out what used to be natural selection is becoming a bit unnatural.
Great Lakes Now
https://www.greatlakesnow.org/2022/04/the-catch-unnatural-selection/
In the next two years, cruise lines are expecting more than 50,000 people to get aboard Great Lake cruises as local travel has become more popular during the pandemic. Read the full story by WPBN-TV – Traverse City, MI.
Great Lakes Commission
https://www.glc.org/dailynews/20220415-cruise
Researchers warn dangerous algae blooms and warming water around the Great Lakes will impact Metro Detroit more intensely and for longer as climate change continues to heat up around the globe. Read the full story by WWJ – Detroit, MI.
Great Lakes Commission
https://www.glc.org/dailynews/20220415-climate
Earlier this week, the first Great Lakes piping plover to be seen back in Michigan this spring was spotted at Sleeping Bear Dunes National Lakeshore. Read the full story by MLive.
Great Lakes Commission
https://www.glc.org/dailynews/20220415-plover
Ohio Governor Mike DeWine has a decision on his hands whether to sign into law or veto a bill approved by the Legislature last week that would ease the way Ohio’s ephemeral streams are regulated. Read the full story WEWS-TV – Cleveland, OH.
Great Lakes Commission
https://www.glc.org/dailynews/20220415-ephemeral-stream
The town of Evans, New York, is hoping for a total reconstruction of the Sturgeon Point Marina harbor wall along the Lake Erie Shoreline. Read the full story by WGRZ-TV – Buffalo, New York.
Great Lakes Commission
https://www.glc.org/dailynews/20220415-harbor-wall
As of Thursday evening, The Sullivans, a WW II destroyer, could be seen listing (tilting in the water) and the rear deck has started to go underwater. Read and view the full story by WGRZ-TV – Buffalo, New York.
Great Lakes Commission
https://www.glc.org/dailynews/20220415-the-sullivans
More than 150 inches of snow fell on the Grand Marais area of Minnesota this winter, creating powerful waterfall along the North Shore of Lake Superior. Read the full story by Star Tribune.
Great Lakes Commission
https://www.glc.org/dailynews/20220415-waterfalls
The Thousand Islands Land Trust reached an agreement with Blind Bay Associates to buy the property on the St. Lawrence River that the U.S. Customs and Border Protection was eyeing for a new facility, but that they deemed environmentally sensitive. Read the full story by WWNY-TV – Carthage, NY.
Great Lakes Commission
https://www.glc.org/dailynews/20220415-blind-bay
The Legault government has unveiled a new, more modest vision of its “third link” tunnel that would connect Québec City and the city of Lévis, on the south shore of the St. Lawrence River. Read the full story by CBC News.
Great Lakes Commission
https://www.glc.org/dailynews/20220415-tunnel
Perch and other fish native to the Great Lakes have dwindled in part due to invasive species. UWM School of Freshwater Sciences’ Osvaldo Jhonatan Sepulveda Villet says the solution might be to farm these fish through genetically improved lines that breed fish that grow bigger faster. Read the full story WUWM – Milwaukee, Wisconsin.
Great Lakes Commission
https://www.glc.org/dailynews/20220415-perch
Shipping season is underway on the Great Lakes, but some of the big lakers are bunched up in a group just off the Marquette coastline today, apparently waiting out some big winds whipping across Lake Superior. Read the full story by Mlive.com.
Great Lakes Commission
https://www.glc.org/dailynews/20220415-gale-winds
From lead pipes to PFAS, drinking water contamination is a major issue plaguing cities and towns all around the Great Lakes. Cleaning up contaminants and providing safe water to everyone is an ongoing public health struggle.
Keep up with drinking water-related developments in the Great Lakes area.
Click on the headline to read the full story:
Illinois:
On March 11, IDOC and the Illinois Department of Public Health released a joint press release announcing that Legionella bacteria had been detected in two prisons—Stateville Correctional Center and Joliet Treatment Center.
Great Lakes Now
https://www.greatlakesnow.org/2022/04/drinking-water-news-roundup-epa-rocket-fuel-prison-water-contaminated/
Although flying cars aren't currently in the sky, they could be very soon. Michigan legislators have introduced bills that would establish an “Advanced Air Mobility Study Committee” to review current laws that affect the aeronautics industry.
The post Legislature eyes futuristic ‘highway in the sky’ first appeared on Great Lakes Echo.Great Lakes Echo
http://greatlakesecho.org/2022/04/15/legislature-eyes-futuristic-highway-in-the-sky/
Current Watches, Warnings and Advisories for Brown (WIC009) Wisconsin Issued by the National Weather Service
https://alerts.weather.gov/cap/wwacapget.php?x=WI1263EEA76728.SpecialWeatherStatement.1263EEA7E5B8WI.GRBSPSGRB.3b77a733acfe35fc01f412b80021d336
By Eva Ryan, University of Wisconsin-Madison
The Sea Grant Knauss Fellowship is a nationally competitive opportunity that sends graduate students interested in ocean, coastal and Great Lakes resources and policy to the historical hub that is Washington, D.C. There, these students are paired with a congressional member or committee or placed within a federal program in order to learn more about the policies surrounding our natural resources.
Next in the lineup of introductions of the 2022 Wisconsin Sea Grant Knauss fellows is Elizabeth McNamee.
While pursuing her master’s degree in soil science and agroecology at the University of Wisconsin-Madison, McNamee enrolled in environmental biophysics, a course taught by Chris Kucharik.
“It completely changed how I see the world,” said McNamee, “I fell in love with biophysics.” McNamee carried on to describe how she would notice things that before taking environmental biophysics, at which she would not have batted an eye.
“I learned why fog gathers after a cool night or why it’s so dry indoors in the winter. Minor things that altered my perspective and showed me how physics is everywhere,” she said.
Elizabeth McNamee, one of four Knauss Fellows from Wisconsin in 2022-23. Submitted photo.
Kucharik, in collaboration with previous research fellow Mallika Nocco (Nocco is now a cooperative extension specialist), developed a project that involves applied science and answering scientific questions useful to farmers. The project became a Ph.D. opportunity for McNamee at the University of Wisconsin-Madison, where she has studied agronomy.
The research that McNamee has conducted as part of her Ph.D. so far revolves around applied science, water conservation and agriculture, all of which contain information that could be used to directly inform water conservation policy and improve farmers’ environmental impacts.
McNamee discovered the Knauss Fellowship opportunity through a friend and colleague. “I’m really interested in the intersection of science and policy,” said McNamee, making the Knauss Fellowship a perfect fit for her.
Eager to cultivate her current knowledge as well as explore new concepts in the field of policy, McNamee is most excited to improve her scientific translation skills in order to cater to broader audiences, and gain insight into how scientists can further apply their expertise outside of academia.
“I’m hoping to gain exposure to how policy is created and how science can support it,” she said. “I’m excited to learn about something completely new. My position will be focused on coastal resilience.” She is serving her one-year fellowship in the National Centers for Coastal Ocean Science in the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration.
With a background in agronomy, McNamee certainly has unique perspectives to bring the fellowship. These perspectives coupled with her strong devotion to her studies are bound to make a splash in Washington, D.C.
McNamee, along with the other 73 fellows, began the Knauss Fellowship on Feb. 1.
The post Meet the Knauss Fellows: Elizabeth McNamee first appeared on Wisconsin Sea Grant.News Releases | Wisconsin Sea Grant
News Releases | Wisconsin Sea Grant
https://www.seagrant.wisc.edu/news/meet-the-knauss-fellows-elizabeth-mcnamee/?utm_source=rss&utm_medium=rss&utm_campaign=meet-the-knauss-fellows-elizabeth-mcnamee
Current Watches, Warnings and Advisories for Brown (WIC009) Wisconsin Issued by the National Weather Service
https://alerts.weather.gov/cap/wwacapget.php?x=WI1263EE9B0B7C.WindAdvisory.1263EEA73DC0WI.GRBNPWGRB.31b85542b4fabd1bb9537696917df979
By Tracy Samilton, 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/2022/04/research-pfas-wastewater-treatment-plants/
HARRISBURG, Pa. (AP) — Gov. Tom Wolf’s administration has asked the state’s highest court to let the centerpiece of his plan to fight climate change take effect and make Pennsylvania the first major fossil fuel state to adopt a carbon pricing policy.
The filing late Thursday in the state Supreme Court appealed a two-day old decision by the lower Commonwealth Court which, in a one-line unsigned order, barred the official publication of the Democratic governor’s regulation “pending further order.”
The regulation had been scheduled to be published on Saturday, making it official.
Great Lakes Now
https://www.greatlakesnow.org/2022/04/ap-governor-appeals-court-order-carbon-emissions/
Editor’s Note: This is part two of a two-part story. Read the first part here.
Ed Matusik and his wife were in their new summer vacation trailer for just a month at Bay Point Resort and Marina in 2006 when they received an eviction letter: the investment group which recently purchased the site had plans for a new development in that section of the resort.
Great Lakes Now
https://www.greatlakesnow.org/2022/04/trailer-parks-campgrounds-waterfront-developments/
By Marc Levy, Associated Press
HARRISBURG, Pa. (AP) — Republican Bill McSwain pledges to be a pro-energy governor by “turning on the spigot of natural gas.” Another hopeful, Dave White, says he wants Pennsylvania “to be the energy capital of the world.” A third candidate, Lou Barletta, says having a glut of natural gas in the ground without a pipeline is “like being in college and having a keg of beer without a tap.”
In Pennsylvania, the No.
Great Lakes Now
https://www.greatlakesnow.org/2022/04/ap-energy-promises-face-limits/
NCEI News Feed
http://www.ncei.noaa.gov/news/global-climate-202203
Current Watches, Warnings and Advisories for Brown (WIC009) Wisconsin Issued by the National Weather Service
https://alerts.weather.gov/cap/wwacapget.php?x=WI1263EE9A33DC.WindAdvisory.1263EEA73DC0WI.GRBNPWGRB.31b85542b4fabd1bb9537696917df979
Current Watches, Warnings and Advisories for Brown (WIC009) Wisconsin Issued by the National Weather Service
https://alerts.weather.gov/cap/wwacapget.php?x=WI1263EE993E28.WindAdvisory.1263EEA73DC0WI.GRBNPWGRB.31b85542b4fabd1bb9537696917df979
The lifeguard shortage is expected to continue this summer, leading many local recreation leaders to combat inadequate staffing with increased wages or other incentives.
The post Lifeguard staffing struggles to stay afloat in 2022 first appeared on Great Lakes Echo.Great Lakes Echo
http://greatlakesecho.org/2022/04/14/lifeguard-staffing-struggles-to-stay-afloat-in-2022/
Current Watches, Warnings and Advisories for Brown (WIC009) Wisconsin Issued by the National Weather Service
https://alerts.weather.gov/cap/wwacapget.php?x=WI1263EE9859A4.WindAdvisory.1263EEA73DC0WI.GRBNPWGRB.31b85542b4fabd1bb9537696917df979
Green Bay, WI
https://www.weather.gov/www.weather.gov/grb/04152018_Blizzard
Green Bay, WI
https://www.weather.gov/www.weather.gov/grb/041518_blizzard
PFAS, short for per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances, are a group of widespread man-made chemicals that don’t break down in the environment or the human body and have been flagged as a major contaminant in sources of water across the country.
Keep up with PFAS-related developments in the Great Lakes area.
Great Lakes Now
https://www.greatlakesnow.org/2022/04/pfas-news-roundup-pennsylvania-regulations-climate-change-defend/
Current Watches, Warnings and Advisories for Brown (WIC009) Wisconsin Issued by the National Weather Service
https://alerts.weather.gov/cap/wwacapget.php?x=WI1263EE8B9F70.WindAdvisory.1263EEA73DC0WI.GRBNPWGRB.31b85542b4fabd1bb9537696917df979
Broadcasting in our monthly PBS television program, The Catch is a Great Lakes Now series that brings you more news about the lakes you love. Go beyond the headlines with reporters from around the region who cover the lakes and drinking water issues. Find all the work HERE.
Mount Baldy is moving inland.
Great Lakes Now
https://www.greatlakesnow.org/2022/04/the-catch-dune-moves-inland/
This article was republished here with permission from Great Lakes Echo.
By Yue Jiang, Great Lakes Echo
Global warming will produce more frequent high rainfall events in the Upper Great Lakes, according to a University of Guelph expert.
Rather than average water levels falling as previously assumed, it’s possible that the average will increase because of more precipitation, which will constrict the beach area, said emeritus professor Robin Davidson-Arnott of the Department of Geography, Environment & Geomatics.
Great Lakes Now
https://www.greatlakesnow.org/2022/04/global-warming-impact-great-lakes-beaches/
Sometimes called “the coral reefs of the northern forest,” vernal pools are bodies of water that hold the key to sustaining a multitude of plant and animal life, according to the Michigan Department of Natural Resources. They may at first appear as leaf-littered ponds, but a closer look reveals a magical array of species beneath the surface. Read the full story by the Iosco County News-Herald.
Great Lakes Commission
https://www.glc.org/dailynews/20220413-vernal-pools
In January, Michigan State University received a $1.9 million grant to look at toxicity in PFAS, and researcher professor Cheryl Murphy will lead the multi-institutional team of researchers conducting the study. Read the full story by Great Lakes Now.
Great Lakes Commission
https://www.glc.org/dailynews/20220413-pfas-study
As the Great Lakes Water Quality Agreement reaches its 50-year anniversary this week, much in terms of protections and improvements must still be tackled in the years ahead, according to a newly formed group of activists, the Citizens Environment Alliance. Read the full story by the Windsor Star.
Great Lakes Commission
https://www.glc.org/dailynews/20220413-great-lakes-agreement
