Erie County in Pennsylvania is renewing its efforts to have the waters of Lake Erie classified as a national marine sanctuary, a designation that would protect 76.6 miles of shoreline, 759 square miles of the lake’s central basin, and more than 100 shipwreck sites. Read the full story by the Erie Times-News.
Great Lakes Commission
https://www.glc.org/dailynews/20210222-erie-sanctuary
The State University of New York and officials at the New York State Office of Parks, Recreation & Historic Preservation were awarded almost $25,000 to use genetics to identify and restore native beach grass along Lake Ontario. Read the full story by the Great Lakes Echo.
Great Lakes Commission
https://www.glc.org/dailynews/20210222-dune-grass
Low-income neighborhoods and communities of color bear the burden of pollution and endure inadequate public services like water and sewer. These are environmental injustices, and President Joe Biden came into office pledging to correct them. Read the full story by Great Lakes Now.
Great Lakes Commission
https://www.glc.org/dailynews/20210222-environmental-justice
Georgian Bay Islands National Park is gearing up for the second active season of a fight against an aggressive reed that has been called the country’s worst invasive plant: Phragmites. Read the full story by the National Parks Traveler.
Great Lakes Commission
https://www.glc.org/dailynews/20210222-invasive-phragmites
The U.S. and Canadian Coast Guards continue to cooperate in the mouth of the St. Clair River as it flows into Lake Huron, to both break ice and provide commercial vessel escorts in the shipping canal. Read the full story by the Voice News.
Great Lakes Commission
https://www.glc.org/dailynews/20210222-icebreaking
The recent cold snap impacts invasive species in different ways. Read the full story by the WXPR – Wausau, WI.
Great Lakes Commission
https://www.glc.org/dailynews/20210222-invasive-species
An Ontarian argues that the administrative decision of the United States to block the Keystone XL pipeline will have a negative impact on the provinces of Ontario and Quebec. Read the full story by the Toronto Sun.
Great Lakes Commission
https://www.glc.org/dailynews/20210222-pipelines
The National Museum of the Great Lakes is celebrating Women’s History Month a week early with a new virtual lecture series called, ‘Ladies of the Light: Michigan Women in the U.S. Lighthouse Service’ that will honor women and their role in the industry. Read the full story by WTOL-TV – Toledo, OH.
Great Lakes Commission
https://www.glc.org/dailynews/20210222-lighthouse-lecture
A surfer from New York can be found riding the waves of Lake Ontario, even in the dead of winter. Read the full story by the Rochester City Newspaper.
Great Lakes Commission
https://www.glc.org/dailynews/20210222-ontario-surfer
As Michigan’s ice fishing season comes to an end, the Michigan Department of Natural Resources has set ice shanty removal deadlines for the state, beginning with Lake St. Clair this past weekend. Read the full story by WJRT-TV – Flint, MI.
Great Lakes Commission
https://www.glc.org/dailynews/20210222-ice-fishing
By Terri Cook, Eos
This story originally appeared in Eos and is republished here as part of Covering Climate Now, a global journalism collaboration strengthening coverage of the climate story.
During the mid-1930s, in the wake of devastating Dust Bowl–era storms, the U.S.
Great Lakes Now
https://www.greatlakesnow.org/2021/02/big-benefits-from-experimental-watersheds/
The next River Talk will take place via Zoom at 7 p.m. (Central Time) Wednesday, March 3. During “A River of Poems,” a dozen poets from around the world and across the country will read their powerful, provocative and beautiful poems about rivers – the St. Louis River or others. This event is free and open to the public. Come experience a different perspective on waterways!
Here is the Zoom link and info:
https://uwmadison.zoom.us/j/93264788373?pwd=amRqSWgvT1ZxNW03WFBnU2ZYclZUQT09
Meeting ID: 932 6478 8373
Passcode: 776905
The selected poets are:
Tyler Dettloff (Michigan) “My Stars”
Heather Dobbins (Arkansas) “I Held us on for 36 Hours after the Levee Broke to Hell”
Ben Green (New Mexico) “Immersion: A Prayer of Intent”
Lorraine Lamey (Michigan) “Catching Your Drift”
Joan Macintosh (Newfoundland) “The Current Feels”
Kate Meyer-Currey (England) “Timberscombe”
Rebecca Nelson (California) “Of the St. Louis River”
Stephanie Niu (New York) “To the Beaver’s Eyes”
Diana Randolph (Wisconsin) “Knowing the Way”
Ron Riekki (Florida) “It Took a Long Time to Discover”
Derold Sligh (South Korea) “Rogue River”
Lucy Tyrell (Wisconsin) “Talking Water”
Held in conjunction with the St. Louis River Summit, the reading will last an hour and will include time for comments and questions. The talk will be recorded and posted afterward on the Reserve’s Facebook page and YouTube. A summary will also be posted on Wisconsin Sea Grant’s blog.
Remaining River Talks will be held on April 14 and May 12. For more information, visit the River Talks page: go.wisc.edu/4uz720.
River Talks are sponsored by The Lake Superior National Estuarine Research Reserve and the Wisconsin Sea Grant Program.
The post A River of Poems first appeared on Wisconsin Sea Grant.
News Releases – Wisconsin Sea Grant
News Releases – Wisconsin Sea Grant
https://www.seagrant.wisc.edu/news/a-river-of-poems/
The seed grant could lead to large scale application across the Great Lakes
The post Scientists identify genetics of native beach grass to help protect dunes first appeared on Great Lakes Echo.Great Lakes Echo
http://greatlakesecho.org/2021/02/22/scientists-identify-genetics-of-native-beach-grass-to-help-protect-dunes/
Current Watches, Warnings and Advisories for Brown (WIC009) Wisconsin Issued by the National Weather Service
https://alerts.weather.gov/cap/wwacapget.php?x=WI12618F1B6630.SpecialWeatherStatement.12618F1BEE20WI.GRBSPSGRB.54e5ef070b45e49081402cfe9ce09122
Current Watches, Warnings and Advisories for Brown (WIC009) Wisconsin Issued by the National Weather Service
https://alerts.weather.gov/cap/wwacapget.php?x=WI12618F1B148C.SpecialWeatherStatement.12618F1B78F0WI.GRBSPSGRB.6fc20bf70889aab619ae6ac651c361d8
Current Watches, Warnings and Advisories for Brown (WIC009) Wisconsin Issued by the National Weather Service
https://alerts.weather.gov/cap/wwacapget.php?x=WI12618F1ABB7C.SpecialWeatherStatement.12618F1B2AD0WI.GRBSPSGRB.6fc20bf70889aab619ae6ac651c361d8
Current Watches, Warnings and Advisories for Brown (WIC009) Wisconsin Issued by the National Weather Service
https://alerts.weather.gov/cap/wwacapget.php?x=WI12618F1A6DC0.SpecialWeatherStatement.12618F1B099CWI.GRBSPSGRB.fd6b8400684a8b2ed6eb466beb255c39
Current Watches, Warnings and Advisories for Brown (WIC009) Wisconsin Issued by the National Weather Service
https://alerts.weather.gov/cap/wwacapget.php?x=WI12618F0E0F58.SpecialWeatherStatement.12618F0EA7B0WI.GRBSPSGRB.3b77a733acfe35fc01f412b80021d336
Current Watches, Warnings and Advisories for Brown (WIC009) Wisconsin Issued by the National Weather Service
https://alerts.weather.gov/cap/wwacapget.php?x=WI12618EF02524.AirQualityAlert.12618F0E5990WI.GRBAQAGRB.7118a5f2f3c17804807f229e440aef7e
This article was republished here with permission from Great Lakes Echo.
By Taylor Haelterman, Great Lakes Echo
High school students, community groups and Lake Superior State University will use landscaping this summer to reduce pollution flowing into the St. Marys River.
The project recently received $250,000 from the United States Forest Service as part of the Great Lakes Restoration Initiative, a program that protects Great Lakes drinking water and habitat.
Great Lakes Now
https://www.greatlakesnow.org/2021/02/university-st-marys-river-clean-green-boost/
By Brett Walton, Circle of Blue
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/2021/02/water-biden-administration-deliver-environmental-justice-pledges/
As we approach the end of our cold spell, people won’t have many more chances to hit Lake Erie for some ice fishing. The popular winter hobby has drawn hundreds over the past two weeks. Read the full story by WTOL-TV – Toledo, OH.
Great Lakes Commission
https://www.glc.org/dailynews/20210219-ice-fishing-erie
Deep winter snow and prolonged ice cover on Upper Peninsula inland lakes can create conditions that present unique habitat challenges to fish. Staffers from the Michigan Department of Natural Resources Fisheries Division annually survey lakes in late winter to determine if habitat variables are suitable for survival of fish stocked. Read the full story by the Iron Mountain Daily News.
Great Lakes Commission
https://www.glc.org/dailynews/20210219-breathing-ice
Salt-speckled sidewalks, driveways and highways are synonymous with winter in the Great Lakes region. But while road salt is highly effective at deicing surfaces, the safety that salt provides for humans places a heavy burden on freshwater ecosystems. Read the full story by Michigan Radio.
Great Lakes Commission
https://www.glc.org/dailynews/20210219-road-salt
Wisconsin and the rest of the nation have endured frigid temperatures in recent weeks, but officials with the Apostle Islands National Lakeshore say it won’t be enough for the ice caves to form on Lake Superior this winter. The park announced the ice caves would remain closed for the remainder of the season. Read the full story by Wisconsin Public Radio.
Great Lakes Commission
https://www.glc.org/dailynews/20210219-ice-caves
In a deeply personal project, Detroit photographer and writer Amy Sacka combines black-and-white images, evocative words and family memories to appreciate ice fishing and its hardy enthusiasts. Read the full story by Deadline Detroit.
Great Lakes Commission
https://www.glc.org/dailynews/20210219-last-ice
Nestlé Waters North America and its controversial Ice Mountain bottled water operations in Michigan are being sold to a pair of New York private equity firms — and that has water advocates who’ve knocked heads with Nestlé for years, alleging environmental impacts from its water extraction, worried about what comes next. Read the full story by the Detroit Free Press.
Great Lakes Commission
https://www.glc.org/dailynews/20210219-nestle
Hundreds of visitors are flocking to the shores of Lake Michigan and Lake Huron near the Straits of Mackinac to view huge piles of thick ice, which is crystal clear and features a deep blue tint. Read the full story by The Detroit News.
Great Lakes Commission
https://www.glc.org/dailynews/20210219-blue-ice
In New York, there’s optimism that the north country could dodge a summer of flooding along Lake Ontario and the St. Lawrence River. After years of flooding and property damage, the group that controls water levels is voicing optimism for 2021. Read the full story by WWNY-TV – Watertown, NY.
Great Lakes Commission
https://www.glc.org/dailynews/20210219-flooding
Arctic air has blanketed the Midwest through most of February; as a result, ice coverage over the Great Lakes has increased rapidly. Read the full story by WFRV-TV – Grand Rapids, MI.
Great Lakes Commission
https://www.glc.org/dailynews/20210219-ice-cover
They are more common January through March, the breeding and pup-rearing season.
The post New York warns residents of coyote encounters first appeared on Great Lakes Echo.Great Lakes Echo
http://greatlakesecho.org/2021/02/19/new-york-warns-residents-of-coyote-encounters/
A mysterious decades-old home movie chronicles a Great Lakes freighter journey, and our team of experts answer some questions about the film. Can our audience help with more information? And a journalist wondered how much PFAS was in his blood, his home, and his cat so he tested everything and shared the results.
Great Lakes Now
https://www.greatlakesnow.org/2021/02/history-mystery-and-chemistry-episode-1022/
The years-long saga surrounding Nestlé and its Michigan groundwater withdrawals comes to an end – in a way – as Nestlé withdraws from the situation, selling its North American water brands to another corporation.
Nestlé announced this week that it unloaded a number of U.S. and Canadian brands, including Poland Spring Brand 100% Natural Spring Water, Ice Mountain Brand 100% Natural Spring Water and Pure Life.
Great Lakes Now
https://www.greatlakesnow.org/2021/02/nestle-north-america-bottled-water-brands-sold-investment-firm/
More than an expected 100 water managers and researchers will gather virtually March 3 and 4 for the annual American Water Resources Association Wisconsin Section meeting to discuss and strategize regarding water challenges and opportunities. Adam Bechle, Wisconsin Sea Grant’s coastal engineer, will deliver a plenary talk.
Wisconsin has a wealth of water—1.2 quadrillion gallons of groundwater; lakes Michigan and Superior; the Mississippi, Wisconsin and St. Croix rivers; more than 5 million acres of wetlands; and more than 15,000 lakes—yet all that volume does not guarantee it’s without challenges and opportunities. That is especially true when balancing agriculture, the environment and public health.
The meeting will feature 80 presentations by researchers from the state’s University System schools, non-governmental agencies, water-related businesses and federal and state agencies.
There will be two plenary sessions. Bechle’s talk will take place at 8:30 a.m. Thursday, March 4. He will explore the reasons behind record-high water levels on the Great Lakes and what the future may bring.
Lake Michigan’s high water levels have had an effect on natural and manmade structures.
At 8:40 a.m. Wednesday, March 3, two speakers will discuss tracking COVID-19 through wastewater as well as how viruses move through groundwater.
Anyone is welcome to attend and registration is here.
The meeting is sponsored by the Freshwater Collaborative of Wisconsin with additional conference support from the University of Wisconsin Water Resources Institute, Sea Grant’s sister organization.
The post Sea Grant’s coastal engineer to discuss Great Lakes levels first appeared on Wisconsin Sea Grant.
News Releases – Wisconsin Sea Grant
News Releases – Wisconsin Sea Grant
https://www.seagrant.wisc.edu/news/sea-grants-coastal-engineer-to-discuss-great-lakes-levels/
More than an expected 100 water managers and researchers will gather virtually March 3 and 4 for the annual American Water Resources Association Wisconsin Section meeting to discuss and strategize regarding water challenges and opportunities.
Wisconsin has a wealth of water—1.2 quadrillion gallons of groundwater; lakes Michigan and Superior; the Mississippi, Wisconsin and St. Croix rivers; more than 5 million acres of wetlands; and more than 15,000 lakes—yet all that volume does not guarantee it’s without challenges and opportunities. That is especially true when balancing agriculture, the environment and public health.
The meeting will feature 80 presentations by researchers from the state’s University System schools, non-governmental agencies, water-related businesses and federal and state agencies.
There will be two plenary sessions. At 8:40 a.m., Wednesday, March 3, two speakers will discuss tracking COVID-19 through wastewater as well as how viruses move through groundwater. At 8:30 a.m. Thursday, March 4 a Wisconsin Sea Grant coastal engineer will dissect the causes and effects of record-high water levels on the Great Lakes, and what the lakes’ future might bring.
Anyone is welcome to attend and registration is here.
The meeting is sponsored by the Freshwater Collaborative of Wisconsin with additional conference support from the University of Wisconsin Water Resources Institute.
The post State’s leading water managers and researchers meeting first appeared on WRI.
News Release – WRI
https://www.wri.wisc.edu/news/states-leading-water-managers-and-researchers-meeting/
Eagle Creek Renewable Energy which operates Morrow Dam near Kalamazoo, MI has stated it’s almost ready to dredge a small amount of sediment from the Kalamazoo River. But the company’s overall timetable for cleaning up the silt that poured out of the dam’s reservoir last year has not satisfied state regulators. Read the full story by WMUK – FM – Kalamazoo, MI.
Great Lakes Commission
https://www.glc.org/dailynews/20210218-michigan-dam-dredge
The Michigan Department of Environment, Great Lakes and Energy will lower the dam’s Tobacco River spillway Feb. 24 by more than 20 feet, which will drop water levels about 12 feet upstream of the dam by mid-March. The decreased water levels will make ice formations hazardous in those areas as the water recedes, according to a department statement. Read the full story by The Detroit News.
Great Lakes Commission
https://www.glc.org/dailynews/20210218-michigan-dam
Construction of the $20 million FishPass project is on hold. FishPass construction was supposed to start in January, however a judge has ruled that there’s enough evidence to argue it might need to go to a public vote. Read to the full story by WWTV – TV – Cadillac, MI.
Great Lakes Commission
https://www.glc.org/dailynews/20210218-fishpass-michigan
Multiple studies dating back to the 1970s have shown that road deicing salt has a negative impact on soil, vegetation, wildlife, surface water, groundwater and human health. In December 2020, Michigan passed Public Act No. 310 which states in part that, “the department must implement a pilot program on the use of agricultural additives to control ice on public roads [and] … review the potential efficacy and environmental impacts of agricultural additives, while maintaining the safety and mobility of the motoring public.” Read the full story by Great Lakes Now.
Great Lakes Commission
https://www.glc.org/dailynews/20210218-road-salt-alternatives
A New York private equity firm, has purchased the bottled water brand as part of a $4.3 billion acquisition, which includes all of Nestle’s assets in Michigan, including a massive bottling factory in Mecosta County and several high-capacity groundwater extraction wells that have been the focus of intense criticism in recent years. Read the full story by MLive.
Great Lakes Commission
https://www.glc.org/dailynews/20210218-michigan-nestle-water
A researcher from the University of Missouri’s College of Agriculture, Food and Natural Resources has a plan to use Asian carp to address worldwide food insecurity. Read the full story by KPLR – TV – St. Louis, MO.
Great Lakes Commission
https://www.glc.org/dailynews/20210218-invasive-asian-carp
A collection of environmental experts is scheduled to dissect the effects of and plans to address the New Zealand mud snail under Michigan Trout Unlimited’s webinar series which will begin Feb. 24 and include monthly sessions through June. Read the full story by Record-Eagle.
Great Lakes Commission
https://www.glc.org/dailynews/20210218-invasive-snails-webinar
The Farmory raises the Green Bay strain of yellow perch in captivity because they need help to thrive as young fish. In the wild Green Bay yellow perch take two years to reach maturity but in these ideal conditions, the Farmory can grow them in a single year. Read the full story by WeAreGreenBay.com.
Great Lakes Commission
https://www.glc.org/dailynews/20210218-wisconsin-fish-perch
Premier Doug Ford says he can’t get through to Michigan Gov. Gretchen Whitmer over concerns about an estimated 3,000 Ontario refinery jobs that are at stake because of the state’s decision to close an underwater Enbridge pipeline through the Straits of Mackinac by May. Read and view the full story by Toronto Star.
Great Lakes Commission
https://www.glc.org/dailynews/20210218-line-5-pipeline
The Ontario government is planning to expand the Greenbelt to encompass more urban river valleys and the Paris-Galt Moraine, a rock formation that stretches across the northwestern Greater Toronto Area with what could be the largest addition since it was originally protected in 2005. Read the full story by Canada’s National Observer.
Great Lakes Commission
https://www.glc.org/dailynews/20210218-ontario-conservation-greenbelt
The Great Lakes Environmental Research Laboratory, a branch of the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, considered the entire Great Lakes 42% ice covered Tuesday which is about average. This represents an increase from last year at this time when only 14.2% of the lakes was iced over and is a little shy of 51.5% at this time in 2019. Read the full story by Duluth News Tribune.
Great Lakes Commission
https://www.glc.org/dailynews/2021021-ice-cover
By Kelly House, Bridge Michigan, through the Institute for Nonprofit News network
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/2021/02/pfas-fish-wildlife-researchers-michigan/
Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles made them a popular pet choice. But when owners tire of them, they release them into the wild.
The post Pennsylvania group to stop pet turtle invasion first appeared on Great Lakes Echo.Great Lakes Echo
http://greatlakesecho.org/2021/02/18/pennsylvania-group-to-stop-pet-turtle-invasion/
Across the Upper Midwest, anglers are noticing changes to the fish they catch every year. As climate change warms rivers and lakes in Michigan, cold-water fish such as cisco are disappearing from some lakes. Read the full story by Michigan Radio.
Great Lakes Commission
https://www.glc.org/dailynews/20210217-cc-fish
A fisheries biologist in Wisconsin accepted at least $20,000 in jars of lake sturgeon caviar in return for supplying to a caviar processor eggs that had been collected under the guise of research, a criminal complaint filed last week said. Lake sturgeon are a threatened species in North America and fishing sturgeon in Wisconsin is strictly regulated. Read the full story by the New York Times.
Great Lakes Commission
https://www.glc.org/dailynews/20210217-caviar
