The Canadian Coast Guard has responded to just 20 requests for icebreaking on the Great Lakes this winter as ice coverage for the lakes is at a record low for this time of year. Read the full story by Blackburn News.
Great Lakes Commission
https://www.glc.org/dailynews/20230301-icebreaking-usage
The New York Power Authority announced Wednesday that preparations are underway to remove the Niagara River Ice Boom. Since 1964, the boom has been installed near the outlet of Lake Erie to reduce the amount of ice entering the Niagara River. Read the full story by WKBW-TV – Buffalo, NY.
Great Lakes Commission
https://www.glc.org/dailynews/20230301-ice-boom-removal
A water monitoring system called MiWaterNet is powered by participatory community scientists and provides real time data for researchers across northern Michigan. These data on small stream quality helps researchers answer important questions about a watershed’s condition. Read the full story by Great Lakes Echo.
Great Lakes Commission
https://www.glc.org/dailynews/20230301-water-monitoring
The State of Michigan continues to hold Community Resource Fairs in Benton Harbor for residents to learn about how they can keep themselves safe from lead in their homes. More than 100 people attended a fair Tuesday at the Virginia Edwards Community Center. Read the full story by WSJM – Benton Harbor, MI.
Great Lakes Commission
https://www.glc.org/dailynews/20230301-lead-resources
U.S. District Judge David Lawson has ordered Flint, Michigan, to replace any remaining lead or steel water lines by Aug. 1, the latest intervention after a series of missed deadlines. Judge Lawson signed off on an agreement between the city and the Natural Resources Defense Council, which represents residents in long-running litigation that began in 2016. Read the full story by The Associated Press.
Great Lakes Commission
https://www.glc.org/dailynews/20230301-flint-litigation
In August, Amy Stout of Petersburg, Michigan, became the second woman to complete the Lake Erie Solo Challenge in the event’s 16-year history. The 455-mile sailing event began in 2007, with just three women having attempted it thus far. Read the full story by The Monroe News.
Great Lakes Commission
https://www.glc.org/dailynews/20230301-sailing-challenge
By John Flesher, Associated Press
TRAVERSE CITY, Mich. (AP) — Even for the Thunder Bay area, a perilous swath of northern Lake Huron off the Michigan coast that has devoured many a ship, the Ironton’s fate seems particularly cruel.
The 191-foot (58-meter) cargo vessel collided with a grain hauler on a blustery night in September 1894, sinking both.
Great Lakes Now
https://www.greatlakesnow.org/2023/03/ap-long-lost-ship-found-in-lake-huron/
Current Watches, Warnings and Advisories for Brown (WIC009) Wisconsin Issued by the National Weather Service
https://alerts.weather.gov/cap/wwacapget.php?x=WI12663BE978BC.SpecialWeatherStatement.12663BE9EB30WI.GRBSPSGRB.3b77a733acfe35fc01f412b80021d336
Given improvements in electric motors, boats can handle larger lakes, but the trend has other benefits as well.
The post Electric boats expected to make a splash in Michigan this year first appeared on Great Lakes Echo.Great Lakes Echo
http://greatlakesecho.org/2023/03/01/electric-boats-expected-to-make-a-splash-in-michigan-this-year/
In the spirit of rehabbing my relationship with Midwest winters, it was high time I found recreation to keep me outside and moving.
After a summer of hiking, off-roading and even eFoiling I was in dire need of some fresh air adventure, but didn’t know where to start.
Great Lakes Now
https://www.greatlakesnow.org/2023/02/ian-outside-lets-go-ice-climbing/
Science Says What? is a monthly column written by Great Lakes now contributor Sharon Oosthoek exploring what science can tell us about what’s happening beneath and above the waves of our beloved Great Lakes and their watershed.
Microplastic pollution has been building up in the Great Lakes since at least the 1970s.
Great Lakes Now
https://www.greatlakesnow.org/2023/02/science-says-what-how-worried-should-we-be-about-microplastic-pollution/
Detroit water rates have gone up 407% over the last 20 years, and 120% in just the last 10 years.
The post Detroiters can get another 1,125 gallons of water under discount program first appeared on Great Lakes Echo.Great Lakes Echo
http://greatlakesecho.org/2023/02/28/detroiters-can-get-another-1125-gallons-of-water-under-discount-program/
Current Watches, Warnings and Advisories for Brown (WIC009) Wisconsin Issued by the National Weather Service
https://alerts.weather.gov/cap/wwacapget.php?x=WI1266378E6048.SpecialWeatherStatement.1266378F6AB0WI.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=WI1266378DF8C4.SpecialWeatherStatement.1266378EA760WI.GRBSPSGRB.3b77a733acfe35fc01f412b80021d336
I Speak for the Fish is a monthly column written by Great Lakes Now Contributor Kathy Johnson, coming out the third Monday of each month. Publishing the author’s views and assertions does not represent endorsement by Great Lakes Now or Detroit Public Television.
Great Lakes Now
https://www.greatlakesnow.org/2023/02/i-speak-for-the-fish-courting-sunfish/
This network provides valuable, real time data on a stream’s water quality, level and temperature.
The post MiWaterNet monitors quality of northern Michigan streams first appeared on Great Lakes Echo.Great Lakes Echo
http://greatlakesecho.org/2023/02/27/miwaternet-monitors-quality-of-northern-michigan-streams/
Current Watches, Warnings and Advisories for Brown (WIC009) Wisconsin Issued by the National Weather Service
https://alerts.weather.gov/cap/wwacapget.php?x=WI126637811BCC.WinterWeatherAdvisory.1266378DBD00WI.GRBWSWGRB.363ce9566a6206ae6a7861e2b75f6f9d
PFAS are the latest concern in Lake Superior, where fishing is central to the lifeways of the Red Cliff Band and other Indigenous nations. Read the full story by Wisconsin Watch.
Great Lakes Commission
https://www.glc.org/dailynews/20230227-native-fishing-rights
Canada’s Minister of Transport Omar Alghabra last week announced funding of C$12.5m ($9.2m) to launch the Ballast Water Innovation Program, part of its Oceans Protection Plan. Read the full story by Splash 24/7.
Great Lakes Commission
https://www.glc.org/dailynews/20230227-canada-ballast-water
Gov. Tony Evers is hoping to use some of Wisconsin’s 2023-25 budget to address environmental issues. Read the full story by the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel.
Great Lakes Commission
https://www.glc.org/dailynews/20230227-wisconsin-budget
The relationship between residents of coastal communities and their local water heritage can advance restoration efforts, create recreational opportunities and promote tourism and economic growth, a new study says. At the same time, that relationship can create tensions between environmental and economic interests, it says. Read the full story by the Capital News Service.
Great Lakes Commission
https://www.glc.org/dailynews/20230227-coastal-tourism
Eleven environmental groups are urging the Michigan Supreme Court to reverse a ruling that stops the state from placing more permit restrictions on manure and other animal waste from large concentrated animal feeding operations (CAFOs). Read the full story by Michigan Public Radio.
Great Lakes Commission
https://www.glc.org/dailynews/20230227-cafo-litigation
About $74 million in taxpayer dollars aims to slow down the impact of erosion at Illinois Beach State Park in Zion, Illinois. The project is the largest capital project in the Department of Natural Resources history. Read the full story by The Center Square.
Great Lakes Commission
https://www.glc.org/dailynews/20230227-erosion-protection
An Ohio island conservancy and park district are asking for donations to preserve a historic home site and nearly 30 acres of forest, meadow and bayfront property on South Bass Island. Read the full story by the Fremont News Messenger.
Great Lakes Commission
https://www.glc.org/dailynews/20230227-put-in-bay
A recent study has revealed just how toxic eating fish from lakes in New York State can be. Read the full story WYRK – Buffalo, NY.
Great Lakes Commission
https://www.glc.org/dailynews/20230227-fish-contamination
The public is invited to give their input on a proposal that sets the stage for environmental cleanup and restoration in the Saginaw Bay watershed. Read the full story by MLive.
Great Lakes Commission
https://www.glc.org/dailynews/20230227-restoration-settlement
A decline of ice cover on the five Great Lakes is becoming a normal occurrence over the years. NOAA has been documenting this since 1973. Read the full story by WITI – TV – Milwaukee, WI.
Great Lakes Commission
https://www.glc.org/dailynews/20230227-low-ice
Current Watches, Warnings and Advisories for Brown (WIC009) Wisconsin Issued by the National Weather Service
https://alerts.weather.gov/cap/wwacapget.php?x=WI12663780C640.SpecialWeatherStatement.126637813FBCWI.GRBSPSGRB.81061bca7152616c788efd5b32b5f0df
Current Watches, Warnings and Advisories for Brown (WIC009) Wisconsin Issued by the National Weather Service
https://alerts.weather.gov/cap/wwacapget.php?x=WI1266378086F8.SpecialWeatherStatement.12663780FD54WI.GRBSPSGRB.cdc1ff113f80474f83c6e7685b61e187
Current Watches, Warnings and Advisories for Brown (WIC009) Wisconsin Issued by the National Weather Service
https://alerts.weather.gov/cap/wwacapget.php?x=WI1266377FE798.WinterWeatherAdvisory.1266378DBD00WI.GRBWSWGRB.363ce9566a6206ae6a7861e2b75f6f9d
Current Watches, Warnings and Advisories for Brown (WIC009) Wisconsin Issued by the National Weather Service
https://alerts.weather.gov/cap/wwacapget.php?x=WI1266377ED178.WinterWeatherAdvisory.1266378DBD00WI.GRBWSWGRB.363ce9566a6206ae6a7861e2b75f6f9d
Current Watches, Warnings and Advisories for Brown (WIC009) Wisconsin Issued by the National Weather Service
https://alerts.weather.gov/cap/wwacapget.php?x=WI126637722CC0.WinterWeatherAdvisory.1266378DBD00WI.GRBWSWGRB.742079b9d866a9026c6d6352c4ddc7d6
Current Watches, Warnings and Advisories for Brown (WIC009) Wisconsin Issued by the National Weather Service
https://alerts.weather.gov/cap/wwacapget.php?x=WI126637613F8C.SpecialWeatherStatement.12663761B584WI.GRBSPSGRB.e1ae724017be2a10443f5b652ce3656c
Current Watches, Warnings and Advisories for Brown (WIC009) Wisconsin Issued by the National Weather Service
https://alerts.weather.gov/cap/wwacapget.php?x=WI12663760EB90.SpecialWeatherStatement.126637616188WI.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=WI126637607408.SpecialWeatherStatement.12663760EC58WI.GRBSPSGRB.3b77a733acfe35fc01f412b80021d336
A federal judge has given Michigan Attorney General Dana Nessel another chance to argue that her lawsuit seeking to shut down the Line 5 petroleum pipeline is best heard in state court. The issue of which court holds jurisdiction over the lawsuit has become a crucial detail in the legal battle over Enbridge Energy’s pipeline in the Straits of Mackinac. Read the full story by Great Lakes Now.
Great Lakes Commission
https://www.glc.org/dailynews/20230224-line-5-litigation
The governors of Michigan and Illinois are proposing to jointly pay $114 million toward an infrastructure project that would stop invasive silver and bighead carp from moving into the Great Lakes via Chicagoland waterways. Combined, the two state appropriations would cover the total non-federal share of current estimated project costs for the Brandon Road Lock and Dam. Read the full story by MLive.
Great Lakes Commission
https://www.glc.org/dailynews/20230224-carp-funding
Last year the Lake Michigan Commercial Fishing Board made a formal request to begin netting lake trout on Lake Michigan. To that end, the Wisconsin DNR formed the Lake Michigan Lake Trout Commercial Harvest Stakeholder Group, made up of about a dozen state residents, to provide input on the commercial harvest of lake trout. Read the full story by Milwaukee Journal Sentinel.
Great Lakes Commission
https://www.glc.org/dailynews/20230224-lake-trout-netting
The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers (USACE) Detroit District and Great Lakes Fishery Commission (GLFC) have announced the completion of a $1.67 million permanent sea lamprey trap on the East Branch AuGres River in National City, Michigan. The finalization of the project represents a long-standing partnership between USACE and GLFC to control invasive sea lampreys and protect the $7 billion Great Lakes fishery. Read the full story by Oscoda Press.
Great Lakes Commission
https://www.glc.org/dailynews/20230224-lamprey-trap
A restoration plan is close to being finalized for the Tittabawassee River, Saginaw River, and Saginaw Bay watershed to compensate the public for the loss of natural habitats and recreation opportunities, due to decades of industrial activity and pollution. The project, which will restore and preserve thousands of acres of wetlands and other natural habitats is funded by a nearly $6 million settlement with Dow Chemical and General Motors. Read the full story by Michigan Radio.
Great Lakes Commission
https://www.glc.org/dailynews/20230224-watershed-rehabilitation
A special training program will take place over the weekends of April 22-23 and May 20-21, 2023 in South Haven, Michigan and is free with membership in the Michigan Maritime Museum in South Haven. Participants who complete both weekends will be eligible to join the crew of the museum’s own tall ship, “Friends Good Will.” Read the full story by MLive.com.
Great Lakes Commission
https://www.glc.org/dailynews/20230224-tall-ship-training
Last September, Hoverlink Ontario Inc. held an open house to announce its plan to build the first-ever hovercraft transit service in North America. It plans to carry 180 passengers at a time across Lake Ontario between Toronto and Niagara Falls in just 30 minutes. Read the full story by Great Lakes Echo.
Great Lakes Commission
https://www.glc.org/dailynews/20230224-hovercraft-travel
On Feb. 15, the Michigan Department of Environment, Great Lakes and Energy (EGLE) sent the U.S. Air Force a request for installation of several new interim cleanup systems to remove toxic PFAS chemicals from the groundwater and soil. Advocates and state officials are now pushing the U.S. military to build more stopgap systems to clean up groundwater contamination around the former Wurtsmith Air Force base while a slow-moving investigation continues. Read the full story by MLive.
Great Lakes Commission
https://www.glc.org/dailynews/20230224-pfas-cleanup
In his new book, “The Devil’s Element: Phosphorus and a World out of Balance,” Dan Egan sounds alarms on both the scarcity and overabundance sides of the phosphorus-human equation. Thanks to heavy use of phosphorus in fertilizers, many experts foresee it becoming a scarce resource. But too much phosphorus in the wrong places — in the runoff to lakes, ponds and rivers — leads to toxic algae blooms that ravage bodies of water, kill tourism and make people sick. Read the full story by Milwaukee Journal Sentinel.
Great Lakes Commission
https://www.glc.org/dailynews/20230224-phosphorus-book
Using trail cameras, FOX 2 photojournalist Coulter Stuart spotted a beaver at an inlet on Stony Island in the Detroit River. Once the home base for a massive project that transformed the Detroit River and Great Lakes shipping traffic, the 100-acre plot of land is slowly being reclaimed by wildlife; the reemergence of beavers is a sign of that progress. Read the full story by WJBK-TV – Detroit, MI.
Great Lakes Commission
https://www.glc.org/dailynews/20230224-beaver-habitat-restoration
The Kewaunee Marina is working toward certification in the Clean Marina Program. Image credit: Theresa Qualls, Wisconsin Clean Marina Program
Staff at the city marina in Kewaunee, Wisconsin, were interested in voluntarily gaining certification as a clean marina, but several challenges faced them. Lucky for them, the Wisconsin Clean Marina Program not only certifies marinas in the state as environmentally friendly, it also helps them get to that point by providing guidance, training and technical assistance in adopting best management practices (BMPs) that reduce pollution and protect Wisconsin’s waterways.
The Kewaunee Marina sits on Lake Michigan at the base of the Door County peninsula. This 104-slip full-service facility is operated by the city, and features a public boat launch, parking lot, fish cleaning station and campground.
The marina would need to undertake several difficult and costly projects to improve coastal resilience and stay open during high-lake-level years. That’s where Clean Marina Program Coordinator Theresa Qualls comes in. Her program wrote a grant proposal to the Fund for Lake Michigan for money to develop a plan for two big-ticket items the marina needs: a boat washing station and stormwater improvements. The proposal was successful, and the engineering plan is now almost complete.
Once implemented, the boat washing station and stormwater improvements are expected to have major positive impacts on water quality and flooding. Qualls explained that boat washing stations are used at the end of the boating season in the fall. Boats are hauled out on land and their bottoms are pressure-washed to remove dirt and any growths that have accumulated. This usually takes place over the course of a month and involves many boats.
Once implemented, a new boat washing station and stormwater improvements are expected to have major positive impacts on water quality and flooding at the Kewaunee Marina. Image credit: Theresa Qualls
“Traditionally, all of that material would get washed right back into the lake, and the bottom paint kind of sloughs off,” said Qualls. “It can contain metals such as copper. It’s not good for the environment or for water quality and wildlife. So, practices are needed to either collect and treat the wastewater or divert it so it can settle in a different area.”
The plan for Kewaunee Marina involves installing a new boat washing station and directing the wash water into a rain garden, which will naturally clean the water as it filters through the sand and is soaked up by plant roots. The proposed station will also allow boaters to remove aquatic invasive species from their watercraft.
The marina’s large parking lot is prone to flooding, so other improvements include raising the level of the parking lot by 2 feet and planting three rain gardens that can help store up to an inch of rain from storms. “That will help with stormwater pollution as well, and should help solve the flooding issues,” said Qualls.
The engineering consulting company, Ruekert & Mielke, Inc., gathered public input on these plans last fall during a meeting held at the marina. “The people who came to the meeting were really engaged and stayed quite a while, and they had some good ideas,” Quall said.
The Kewaunee Marina engineering plan and cost estimates are expected to be completed by this March. Then Qualls will work with the city to find other grant opportunities for the on-the-ground work.
One hitch is that the boat washing station and the rain gardens can’t get put in until the parking lot gets raised. Qualls and the city will also be seeking funding for that. She is optimistic they can find a way to get all the work done.
“The city of Kewaunee and their public works department have been great partners,” she said. “The marina manager, Augie Kinjerski, has been just fabulous to work with. It’s been a great partnership. They’re all really supportive of this.”
Currently, the Clean Marina Program has 21 certified marinas and 24 pledged marinas. Certified marinas have implemented all the BMPs that are advised by the program. Pledged marinas are facilities that are in the process of becoming certified. Qualls said the Kewaunee Marina became pledged in 2021 and she expects they will become certified in the near future.
“We’ve found that boaters really care about the water and the water resources. They are supportive of this program. And we’ve found that these practices do help improve water quality. Marinas want to be part of it, and they’re really proud once they’re certified,” Qualls said.
For more information about the Clean Marina Program in Wisconsin and other Great Lakes states, take a look at this recent story and video.
The post Kewaunee Marina overcoming challenges for Clean Marina certification first appeared on Wisconsin Sea Grant.News Releases | Wisconsin Sea Grant
News Releases | Wisconsin Sea Grant
https://www.seagrant.wisc.edu/news/kewaunee-marina-overcoming-challenges-for-clean-marina-certification/?utm_source=rss&utm_medium=rss&utm_campaign=kewaunee-marina-overcoming-challenges-for-clean-marina-certification
Green Bay, WI
https://www.weather.gov/grb/February22-23WinterStorm
The Great Lakes Commission today issued a request for proposals for the 2023 Great Lakes Sediment and Nutrient Reduction Program (GLSNRP) grant program.
The Great Lakes Sediment and Nutrient Reduction Program has provided grants to reduce nutrients and sediments entering the Great Lakes for more than 30 years. This year’s program will continue to help local partners take action to reduce nutrient loads from agricultural watersheds and eroding shorelines and streambanks in the Great Lakes basin.
Through the program, nonfederal units of government, tribes, and incorporated nonprofit organizations are eligible to receive grants for up to $300,000, supporting work over a period of up to four years. Applicants are invited to submit proposals for activities associated with one of the following project types: agricultural non-point, or shoreline and streambanks.
Applications will be reviewed by representatives from the eight Great Lakes states, plus federal partners at the U.S. Department of Agriculture’s Natural Resource Conservation Service (NRCS) and U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (U.S. EPA). Final decisions on funded projects are anticipated in summer 2023. Selected projects would begin work not later than October 1, 2023.
The Great Lakes Commission has managed the GLSNRP for more than 30 years with funding support through the Great Lakes Restoration Initiative since 2010. Funded projects support progress toward the achievement of GLRI Action Plan objectives and goals. The program is a partnership with NRCS, U.S. EPA, and the Great Lakes states. Please visit www.nutrientreduction.org for more information.
The due date for applications is 5:00 p.m. Eastern on April 21, 2023. A webinar for applicants will be offered on March 14, 2023 at 10:00 a.m. Eastern to discuss funding priorities and the application process, receive tips for submitting competitive proposals, and ask questions of Great Lakes Commission staff. Information to join the webinar is below. For more information, please contact Connor Roessler at croessler@glc.org or 734-396-6085.
To register for the webinar, go to: https://bit.ly/3EaAEt5
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/glsnrp-022323
Current Watches, Warnings and Advisories for Brown (WIC009) Wisconsin Issued by the National Weather Service
https://alerts.weather.gov/cap/wwacapget.php?x=WI1266374434C8.SpecialWeatherStatement.126637447F00WI.GRBSPSGRB.3b77a733acfe35fc01f412b80021d336
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/2023/02/nessel-try-again-return-line-5-lawsuit-state-court/
