A growing number of Ontario’s Niagara-region winemakers are embracing sustainable practices in the face of extreme weather and climate change. Read the full story by CBC News.
Great Lakes Commission
https://www.glc.org/dailynews/20221012-winemakers
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.
This month, The Catch features a new bulk freighter that is making waves in Great Lakes shipping.
Great Lakes Now
https://www.greatlakesnow.org/2022/10/the-catch-new-freighter-in-town/
Pioneering researcher of Green Bay, Paul Sager, recently died. He built understanding of the bay and shaped whole-ecosystem policies. Photo courtesy of UW-Green Bay.
A Great Lakes champion and respected researcher, Paul Sager, passed away in late August. Sager had 20 of his research projects funded by Sea Grant. He was instrumental in the early days of the program’s history in Green Bay and establishing a foundational understanding of the bay and its influence on Lake Michigan.
He served as a member of the Sea Grant Advisory Council, as well as the Sea Grant Green Bay Subcommittee Steering Committee.
Sager took emeritus status at the University of Wisconsin-Green Bay in 2000. Prior to that, he taught 13 different courses and filled numerous administrative roles on the campus for 33 years.
Longtime Sea Grant Advisory Council Member Hallett J. “Bud” Harris said, “Professor Sager’s research has been instrumental in the identification and formation of policy initiatives that have led to improvements in the overall quality of the Green Bay ecosystem.”
Sager contributed the Fox River Remedial Action Plan and the Wisconsin Department of Natural Resources’s Total Maximum Daily Load plan.
He is survived by his wife, daughter, son, sister and five grandchildren.
The post A Great Lakes champion and prolific researcher of Green Bay dies first appeared on Wisconsin Sea Grant.
News Releases | Wisconsin Sea Grant
News Releases | Wisconsin Sea Grant
https://www.seagrant.wisc.edu/news/a-great-lakes-champion-and-prolific-researcher-of-green-bay-dies/?utm_source=rss&utm_medium=rss&utm_campaign=a-great-lakes-champion-and-prolific-researcher-of-green-bay-dies
The Ohio Department of Natural Resources (DNR) and Environmental Protection Agency have demonstrated a new technology designed to reduce harmful algal blooms as part of a wide range of efforts on both sides of the Canada-U.S. border to address the threat of Eutrophication on the Great Lakes and other inland bodies of water.
The post New technology provides hope for the Great Lakes’ polluted waters first appeared on Great Lakes Echo.Great Lakes Echo
http://greatlakesecho.org/2022/10/12/new-technology-provides-hope-for-the-great-lakes-polluted-waters/
By Andrian Lee, University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee and Melissa Scanlan, University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee, The Conversation
is an independent and nonprofit source of news, analysis and commentary from academic experts.
When storms like Hurricane Ian strike, many people have to cope afterward with losing water service.
Great Lakes Now
https://www.greatlakesnow.org/2022/10/money-drinking-water-sewer-upgrades-communities-need-most/
Participants of an accessible birding event spot birds on Barker’s Island in Superior, Wisconsin. Image credit: Marie Zhuikov, Wisconsin Sea Grant
Barker’s Island in the Duluth-Superior Harbor was the site of a free, bird-focused morning recently. People of all ages and ability levels attended an accessible birding outing led by experts from the Hawk Ridge Bird Observatory and the Friends of the Lake Superior Reserve.
The group met at the Lake Superior Estuarium on the island in Superior. They were welcomed by Luciana Ranelli, education coordinator for the Lake Superior National Estuarine Research Reserve. She explained the three options for learning about birds. First was inside the Estuarium, where staff from the University of Wisconsin-Extension Upham Woods Learning Center had arranged bird artifacts and learning stations. Second was a spotting scope behind the Estuarium staffed by Pat Collins, a volunteer birding expert with the Friends of the Lake Superior Reserve. This was designed for birders with mobility issues or anyone who preferred a more stationary option. The third was a guided tour along the Barker’s Island boardwalk with Margie Menzies, educator director for the Hawk Ridge Bird Observatory in Duluth.
Mick MacKenzie (right) talks birds with Pat Collins. Image credit: Marie Zhuikov, Wisconsin Sea Grant
Superior resident and former city council member Mick MacKenzie recently had hip surgery, so the second station appealed to him. He said he came to the event because he’s “enjoying life. It’s good to be out in nature.”
After discussing the population health of kingfishers in the estuary with Collins, MacKenzie said, “When I was a kid, there was nothing down here on Barker’s Island. We’d come here to explore and play, so all this new development is really something to see: the whaleback and the hotel . . .”
MacKenzie was interrupted by Collins. “There’s a hummingbird right here!” Collins said.
MacKenzie expressed surprise that the birds were still around in September.
“They migrate through starting this time of year,” Collins said. “As long as there are flowers in bloom, they’ll stick around.”
Meanwhile, Menzies’ group got oriented to their binoculars and began their walk on the boardwalk. Sightings of the ubiquitous herring gulls around the island prompted Menzies to discuss a rare bird that steals gulls’ food: the parasitic jaeger. An annual Jaeger Birding Festival is held on nearby Wisconsin Point annually this time of year because it’s a prime time for spotting jaegers during their migration south from the arctic.
Her discussion was interrupted when two pigeons landed on the Estuarium roof. “When you look at birds, particularly from a distance, what do you notice about that bird that helps you think about what it is. What kinds of diagnostic clues can you look at on that bird?” Menzies asked.
Someone mentioned the pigeons’ orange feet.
“Yes, those red-orangey feet are a dead giveaway for pigeons. And a nice chunky body,” Menzies added.
The group moved farther along the boardwalk, following the shoreline of the island to the public beach, which is surrounded by native plants. Along the way, they spotted a turkey vulture, common mergansers, mallards, cormorants and warblers.
Kate McCall (right) and another birder look at cormorants off Barker’s Island. Image credit: Marie Zhuikov, Wisconsin Sea Grant
Kate McCall, a member of the board of directors for the Friends of the Lake Superior Reserve group, said she attended the event because, “This is the stuff I love.” She is interested in making the outdoors more accessible for people of differing abilities and attended an accessibility training session offered by the Reserve previously.
Just one of the things she learned was that cormorants don’t shed water off their backs as easily as other birds after they’ve been diving. “That’s why they’re so clumsy when they fly afterwards,” McCall said. “I always wondered about that. It’s fun to learn more, not just about the habitat of birds, but their patterns of flight, as well. I just really enjoyed it.”
This free event was made possible through the University of Wisconsin–Madison Dean’s Innovation Grant to collaborators from Upham Woods Outdoor Learning Center, the Reserve, Wisconsin Sea Grant, University of Wisconsin-Extension, and Bayfield and Ashland counties.
The post Accessible birding event delivers first appeared on Wisconsin Sea Grant.News Releases | Wisconsin Sea Grant
News Releases | Wisconsin Sea Grant
https://www.seagrant.wisc.edu/news/accessible-birding-event-delivers/?utm_source=rss&utm_medium=rss&utm_campaign=accessible-birding-event-delivers
In August, the “Poisonous Ponds: Tackling Toxic Coal Ash” student reporting initiative investigated the complicated policy and impacts of coal ash in the Great Lakes. The special collaboration included Great Lakes Now, The Energy News Network, and Northwestern University’s Medill School of Journalism, Media, Integrated Marketing Communications.
Keep up with more coal ash news published by The Energy News Network as part of this project:
How Puerto Rico’s banned coal ash winds up in rural Georgia
After Puerto Rico banned coal ash storage, the toxic waste from its coal plant is being quietly shipped through Florida to Georgia.
Great Lakes Now
https://www.greatlakesnow.org/2022/10/more-from-poisonous-ponds-tackling-toxic-coal-ash/
NCEI News Feed
https://www.ncei.noaa.gov/news/national-climate-202209
NCEI News Feed
http://www.ncei.noaa.gov/news/national-climate-202209
Fashion and the environment are linked in more ways than consumers may expect. Fashion designers are taking steps to reduce the clothing industry's impact on the environment.
The post A road to sustainable fashion: up-cycling t-shirts first appeared on Great Lakes Echo.Great Lakes Echo
http://greatlakesecho.org/2022/10/11/a-road-to-sustainable-fashion-up-cycling-t-shirts/
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.
This month, The Catch features a story on the return of 100 acres to the Onondaga Nation.
Great Lakes Now
https://www.greatlakesnow.org/2022/10/the-catch-historic-land-transfer/
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:
Indiana:
Prior to the approximately $12 million project that connected Plumville and Crooked Creek water treatment plants, most residents in the area as well as the school district relied on well water.
Great Lakes Now
https://www.greatlakesnow.org/2022/10/drinking-water-news-roundup-new-water-infrastructure-funding-projects-programs/
Historically, Michigan’s Rouge River has been one of the most polluted in the Great Lakes. Today, it’s being transformed into a cherished natural resource and a national model of urban watershed restoration. Read the full story by Great Lakes Now.
Great Lakes Commission
https://www.glc.org/dailynews/20221010-rouge-river
Enbridge’s’ proposed Line 5 tunnel continues to face opposition, including from the Michigan environmental group Oil and Water Don’t Mix, who call the plan a recipe for disaster. Read and listen to the full story by WXPR – Rhinelander, WI.
Great Lakes Commission
https://www.glc.org/dailynews/20221010-line-5
The sale by Discovery World Museum of Wisconsin’s flagship schooner to an organization in Boston, Massachusetts leaves many local supporters in Milwaukee “heartbroken” and leaves questions about the deal unanswered. Read the full story by the Shepherd Express.
Great Lakes Commission
https://www.glc.org/dailynews/20221010-denis-sullivan
Zebra mussels have already wreaked havoc in the Great Lakes and now the invasive species has been detected in the St. John River watershed in Lac Témiscouata, just across the border in Québec. Read the full story by CBC News.
Great Lakes Commission
https://www.glc.org/dailynews/20221010-zebra-mussles
Researchers at the University of Michigan are developing web-based tools in anticipation of a future influx in climate migration. The tools will be an important part in helping Great Lakes communities prepare and plan for the future, which may include many new residents. Read the full story by Michigan Radio.
Great Lakes Commission
https://www.glc.org/dailynews/20221010-population-growth
A new report calling the conditions in Lake Erie poor may have some questioning whether it is safe to consume fish from the lake. The New York Department of Health provides guidelines for individual species and how frequently they can be consumed. Read the full story by WYRX – Buffalo, NY.
Great Lakes Commission
https://www.glc.org/dailynews/20221010-fish-safty
Responding to the Ohio Lake Erie Commission’s and Ohio EPA’s recommendations from earlier this year, U.S. EPA has agreed to remove the “Restrictions on Fish and Wildlife Consumption” Beneficial Use Impairment from the Maumee Area of Concern. Read the full story by the Sentinel Tribune.
Great Lakes Commission
https://www.glc.org/dailynews/20221010-maumee-river
Of all the rivers in the world, the St. Lawrence River is undeniably one of the most challenging for mariners, resulting in several thousand wrecks hidden below the river’s surface. New expeditions continue to explore the notable wrecks. Read the full story by The Conversation.
Great Lakes Commission
https://www.glc.org/dailynews/20221010-shipwrecks
As of this week, 95 percent of Benton Harbor’s 4,500 water lines have either been replaced or verified as non-lead. The milestone comes exactly one year after state officials, with a big push from activists, began trucking cases of bottled water to the Michigan city that began struggling with elevated lead levels in 2018. Read the full story by MLive.
Great Lakes Commission
https://www.glc.org/dailynews/20221010-benton-harbor
While Tribal Nations will receive $720 million for climate and energy funding via the Inflation Reduction Act, true partnership means respecting tribal treaty rights and defending tribal sovereignty against fossil fuel projects. In Michigan and other states, agencies must consult in a meaningful way with Tribal Nations. Read and listen to the full story by Newsweek.
Great Lakes Commission
https://www.glc.org/dailynews/20221010-indigenous-peoples-day
Wisconsin Water Library
https://waterlibrary.aqua.wisc.edu/7032-2/
A new book details the decades-long cleanup of Detroit's River Rogue, which was once one of the most polluted watersheds in America. However, there is still more work to be done.
The post Book details how a watershed community rescued one of the nation’s most polluted rivers first appeared on Great Lakes Echo.Great Lakes Echo
http://greatlakesecho.org/2022/10/10/book-details-how-a-watershed-community-rescued-one-of-the-nations-most-polluted-rivers/
Current Watches, Warnings and Advisories for Brown (WIC009) Wisconsin Issued by the National Weather Service
https://alerts.weather.gov/cap/wwacapget.php?x=WI12641200F964.FreezeWarning.12641201AFD0WI.GRBNPWGRB.43c148fcb84ad2850842d9bc95e54946
Current Watches, Warnings and Advisories for Brown (WIC009) Wisconsin Issued by the National Weather Service
https://alerts.weather.gov/cap/wwacapget.php?x=WI12641200115C.FreezeWarning.12641201AFD0WI.GRBNPWGRB.43c148fcb84ad2850842d9bc95e54946
Current Watches, Warnings and Advisories for Brown (WIC009) Wisconsin Issued by the National Weather Service
https://alerts.weather.gov/cap/wwacapget.php?x=WI126411F36858.FreezeWarning.12641201AFD0WI.GRBNPWGRB.43c148fcb84ad2850842d9bc95e54946
Current Watches, Warnings and Advisories for Brown (WIC009) Wisconsin Issued by the National Weather Service
https://alerts.weather.gov/cap/wwacapget.php?x=WI126411F2EB58.FreezeWarning.12641201AFD0WI.GRBNPWGRB.43c148fcb84ad2850842d9bc95e54946
When a commercial fisherman pulled four grass carp out of the lower Sandusky River 10 years ago, biologists who monitor Lake Erie became suspicious. Today, a multi-million-dollar effort funded by Congress, partly through the Great Lakes Restoration Initiative, is underway to keep the invasive carp at bay. Read the full story by the Cleveland Plain Dealer.
Great Lakes Commission
https://www.glc.org/dailynews/20221007-grass-carp
Public comment is being accepted on a multi-year action plan regarding New York’s Great Lakes. The plan would guide restoration and conservation, and foster sustainable, resilient, communities in New York’s Great Lakes region. Read the full story by WRFA – Jamestown, NY.
Great Lakes Commission
https://www.glc.org/dailynews/20221007-new-york-plan
The City of Ann Arbor, Michigan says an estimated 1.38 million gallons (5.2 million liters) of partially treated wastewater flowed into the Huron River during maintenance at its treatment plant. Read the full story by Great Lakes Now.
Great Lakes Commission
https://www.glc.org/dailynews/20221007-huron-river
If the Supreme Court rules for the Sacketts, swaths of the country’s wetlands could lose protections under the Clean Water Act. Read the full story by Milwaukee Journal Sentinel.
Great Lakes Commission
https://www.glc.org/dailynews/20221007-sackett-epa
The International Lake Ontario-St. Lawrence River Board (ILOSLR) will be reducing outflow through the Moses-Saunders dam this weekend to give boaters on Lake St. Lawrence an opportunity to remove their boats from the water. Read the full story by WROC-TV – Rochester, NY.
Great Lakes Commission
https://www.glc.org/dailynews/20221007-ijc-action
Meteorology students at SUNY Oswego are taking part in a multi-million-dollar project funded by the National Science Foundation to study lake effect lightning events east of Lake Ontario. Read the full story by WROC-TV – Rochester, NY.
Great Lakes Commission
https://www.glc.org/dailynews/20221007-oswego-study
Great Lakes steel production fell by 16,000 tons, while steel capacity utilization ticked up last week, according to the American Iron and Steel Institute. Read the full story by The Times of Northwest Indiana.
Great Lakes Commission
https://www.glc.org/dailynews/20221007-steel-production
Despite being some of the sea’s most exotic creatures, jellyfish have become an increasingly common sight in the Great Lakes region, including near Brighton, Michigan. Read the full story by FOX 2- TV – Detroit, MI.
Great Lakes Commission
https://www.glc.org/dailynews/20221007-jellyfish
The city of Flint, Michigan says it’s preparing for a return to using water from the Great Lakes Water Authority pipeline following a transmission main break that forced it to use its backup water source for more than seven weeks. Read the full story by MLive.
Great Lakes Commission
https://www.glc.org/dailynews/20221007-flint-water
Michigan and seven other coastal states have signed an agreement to pay for a comprehensive federal study of the Great Lakes shoreline. Read the full story by MLive.
Great Lakes Commission
https://www.glc.org/dailynews/20221007-coastal-study
Editor’s Note: 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. This month’s article is a combination of excerpts and a preview of his new book, “Rouge River Revived: How People are Bringing Their River Back to Life,” which chronicles how citizens are leading an effort to restore their river in metropolitan Detroit.
Great Lakes Now
https://www.greatlakesnow.org/2022/10/great-lakes-moment-rouge-river-revived/
Current Watches, Warnings and Advisories for Brown (WIC009) Wisconsin Issued by the National Weather Service
https://alerts.weather.gov/cap/wwacapget.php?x=WI126411F1B468.FreezeWarning.12641201AFD0WI.GRBNPWGRB.43c148fcb84ad2850842d9bc95e54946
It’s October, and the stink bugs are moving into my house for the winter. So many things stink in a deliberate attempt to be repulsive. Other things stink to be attractive, but because they’re not trying to attract us, we may not like their aromas.
The post October: The smells of autumn first appeared on Great Lakes Echo.Great Lakes Echo
http://greatlakesecho.org/2022/10/07/october-the-smells-of-autumn/
ANN ARBOR, Mich. (AP) — The City of Ann Arbor says an estimated 1.38 million gallons (5.2 million liters) of partially treated wastewater flowed into the Huron River during maintenance Tuesday at its treatment plant.
The wastewater had received all treatment except disinfection, the city announced Wednesday in a news release.
Great Lakes Now
https://www.greatlakesnow.org/2022/10/ap-ann-arbor-sends-partially-treated-wastewater-into-river/
Sending out a huge thank you to everyone who went through the locks this season! The Fall Colors Weekend on October 1 & 2 was a big success and it was great to see all of you. Also, a big shout out to our lock tenders–they make sure you continue to have access to this historic navigation system. Please stay tuned to our website and our Facebook page for updates on the 2023 season and operational hours. See you when the ice melts!
Check out this short video from our Fall Colors Weekend!
Blog – Fox Locks
http://foxlocks.org/2022/10/06/thank-you-for-cruising-with-us/
Ann Arbor, Mich. – The Great Lakes Commission (GLC) announced today that it will award more than $1.2 million in grants to reduce the runoff of sediment, nutrients, and other pollutants into the Great Lakes and their tributaries through the Great Lakes Sediment and Nutrient Reduction Program.
“The Great Lakes Sediment and Nutrient Reduction Program continues to assist communities across the Great Lakes basin as they improve water quality and tackle pollution,” said Todd L. Ambs, chair of the Great Lakes Commission. “The Great Lakes Commission is proud to partner with these local project leads through this unique program. Throughout its three decade history, projects with the GLSNRP have prevented millions of pounds of phosphorus and tons of sediment from reaching the Great Lakes. We are looking forward to seeing this new cohort of 2022 grantees work toward a healthier Great Lakes.”
Each year, the Great Lakes Sediment and Nutrient Reduction Program provides competitive grants to local, state and tribal governments and nonprofit organizations to install erosion and nutrient control practices in the Great Lakes basin. These practices help to prevent harmful algal blooms and dead zones. The program supports projects not typically funded by other federal cost-share programs, including innovative and unique practices. The 2022 projects generally focus on three approaches: long-term sediment and nutrient management through engagement with the agricultural community, streambank restoration, and green infrastructure.
The following grants have been awarded:
| Project | Grantee | Amount | State |
| Spy Run Creek Streambank Restoration: Phase II | Fort Wayne Park Foundation | $200,000 | Indiana |
| Muskegon River Streambank Protection Initiative | Muskegon River Watershed Assembly | $87,909 | Michigan |
| Babbitt’s Farm Streambank Restoration | Genesee RiverWatch Inc. | $198,455 | New York |
| Skaneateles Lake Sub-Watershed Improvement Project for the Lake Ontario Great Lakes Basin | Skaneateles Lake Association, Inc. | $45,000 | New York |
| Grassed Waterways and Wetlands in St. Mary’s River | Mercer County Soil & Water Conservation District | $176,000 | Ohio |
| Keene Creek Resiliency Report – Irving Park Biofiltration Basin | City of Duluth | $121,000 | Minnesota |
| McCormick Ravine Improvements | The City of Lake Forest | $200,000 | Illinois |
| Forget Me Not Creek Stream Restoration Project | Woodland Dunes Nature Center and Preserve | $200,000 | Wisconsin |
Funding for the Great Lakes Sediment and Nutrient Reduction Program is provided by the U.S. Department of Agriculture – Natural Resources Conservation Service under the Great Lakes Restoration Initiative (GLRI). Since it was first funded in 2010, the GLRI has provided more than $4 billion to fund more than 6,000 projects across the Great Lakes region. The projects have cleaned up toxic hot spots, restored wetlands, helped to prevent the spread of aquatic invasive species and reduced harmful sediment and excess nutrients to the most significant surface, freshwater resource on the planet, our Great Lakes.
More information about the projects is available at www.nutrientreduction.org.
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-100622
A University of Windsor graduate student is creating erosion sensors, called transducers, for less than 5% of the commercial cost. The devices help researchers understand how boat wakes erode the shoreline.
The post UWindsor undergrad cuts research costs with DIY erosion sensors first appeared on Great Lakes Echo.Great Lakes Echo
http://greatlakesecho.org/2022/10/06/uwindsor-undergrad-cuts-research-costs-with-diy-erosion-sensors/
The State of the Great Lakes report, issued by the United States and Canada in July, assessed the overall condition of Lake Erie as poor and unchanging. Jill Jedlicka, Executive Director for the Buffalo Niagara Waterkeeper, believes that land use, development and individual decisions can change this trend for the better. Read the full story by WGRZ – Buffalo, NY.
Great Lakes Commission
https://www.glc.org/dailynews/20221005-erie-condition
In Milwaukee, Wisconsin, the Metropolitan Sewerage District and Ducks Unlimited are leading a multi-year, multi-watershed effort to mitigate climate change in southeastern Wisconsin. The Reforestation & Wetland Restoration Program aims to plant six million trees and restore 4,000 acres worth of wetlands. Read the full story by WUWM – Milwaukee, WI.
Great Lakes Commission
https://www.glc.org/dailynews/20221005-restoration-wetland-forest
The Butler County agriculture conservation education site, established in 2019, provides an eight-acre plot to teach Ohio farmers different practices to make their soil healthier such as grassed waterways, pollinator plots and cover crops. Read the full story by WVXU – Cincinnati, OH.
Great Lakes Commission
https://www.glc.org/dailynews/20221005-farm-education
Scarborough, Ontario’s Rouge Beach has been closed for repairs three times in six years, and Parks Canada has started a “stabilization strategy” which could involve hardening parts of the shoreline around the mouth of the Rouge River. The strategy involves implementing measures to reduce erosion and stabilize and grow the beach through natural long shore deposition. Read the full story by Metroland Media Toronto.
Great Lakes Commission
https://www.glc.org/dailynews/20221005-beach-stabilization
