Seasonal rise across the lakes has already begun; Hydrologists predict water levels in 2020 will peak at or near those seen last year, in large part because water is entering the system in record volumes. Read the full story by MLive.
Great Lakes Commission
https://www.glc.org/dailynews/20200326-coastal
The Minnesota Supreme Court has agreed to hear PolyMet Mining Inc.’s appeal of a ruling that canceled three permits needed for its proposed copper-nickel mine in northeastern Minnesota. Read the full story by The Associated Press.
Great Lakes Commission
https://www.glc.org/dailynews/20200326-mining
Great Lakes Echo
http://greatlakesecho.org/2020/03/26/tough-talk-from-a-tough-generation/
Image by Marie Zhuikov, Wisconsin Sea Grant.
Quick – where is the world’s largest research ocean located?
If you answered that it’s in the middle of the desert in the American Southwest, you are right!
Image by Marie Zhuikov, Wisconsin Sea Grant.
I was able to visit this artificial ocean in February before travel restrictions were imposed due to COVID-19. I found it inside Biosphere 2, a self-enclosed science station run by the University of Arizona near Tucson.
Designed to simulate a Caribbean reef, the 750,000-gallon marine mesocosm is enclosed in a large tank with a maximum depth of seven meters. It slopes to a shallow lagoon, partially separated by a reef. There’s even an artificial wave generator that mimics the movement found in real reef environments.
Unfortunately, the ocean has not fared well over the years. A research project into ocean acidification by Columbia University, which used to own Biosphere 2, killed off the coral. After a period of neglect when the facility changed hands, algae took over the system and most of the fish perished.
The research ocean at Biosphere 2. Remnants of the coral reef are vertical across the middle. Image by Marie Zhuikov, Wisconsin Sea Grant.
Hmm, this sounds eerily similar to the fate of many of my home aquariums! During my visit, I was able to view the ocean from above. If I had arrived at the facility earlier in the day before tickets were sold out, I could have purchased an ocean tour, which allows people to climb down to the “beach” area on the ocean shore. (Note that the facility is currently closed to public tours and activities.)
However, now the University of Arizona is in the process of revitalizing the ocean to create a coral reef tank solely dedicated for research purposes. They are cleaning out the algae and making the ocean more hospitable for fish and other fauna – with the goal of building a reef that’s resilient to changes in climate.
With the crisis our real oceans are facing with acidification and coral bleaching, this research is especially needed. For more information, visit the ocean page on the Biosphere 2 site.
Biosphere 2. Image by Marie Zhuikov, Wisconsin Sea Grant.
Blog – Wisconsin Sea Grant
https://www.seagrant.wisc.edu/blog/ocean-research-in-an-unlikely-place/
Great Lakes Echo
http://greatlakesecho.org/2020/03/26/senate-bills-could-commercialize-industrial-hemp-with-federal-approval/
Now more than ever, people need access to clean and safe water to protect themselves and stop the spread of the Coronavirus. The number one recommendation from medical experts in infectious diseases and the Center for Disease Control and Prevention is to “wash your hands”. Unfortunately, for many residents in the Great Lakes Region, this isn’t possible due to water shut-offs and lack of safe water sources.
From urging officials to turn water back on for all residents to ensuring people know how to flush their water systems for safety after water is reconnected, Freshwater Future has been working with our community partners to provide resources and outreach so they can better inform the public and help those in need during this crisis.
Freshwater Future staff has been on the phone with partners and cities urging them to restore residential water services and halt future shutoffs until this crisis is over. Most people have no knowledge that many people simply can’t afford increasingly high water rates that far exceed average water bills nationwide. For some locations, water bills are more than 4 times higher than comparable cities across the nation. As water bills have increased in major cities due to budget mandates and the high cost of water infrastructure upgrades, more and more people are unable to pay for water. In a 2019 American Public Media in-depth investigative report, the rising cost of water has hit disadvantaged families the hardest with water shut-offs. Municipal water utilities in six of the largest Great Lakes cities have issued close to 400,000 shutoff notices alone in the past decade. Experts believe that for the entire Great Lakes region, the number is closer to 1 million without water in a populace of 40 million.
We quickly learned some cities like Cincinnati were proactive and responded to the need to restore residential services. While Detroit took a proactive approach initially, the city has been very slow to actually accomplish turn-ons, with only 435 reconnections as of last week. Freshwater Future encouraged cities of Columbus, Toledo, Marysville, Bellefontaine, Benton Harbor, Flint and others to put into place moratoriums on water shut-offs and to restore residential water services. In Chicago, a moratorium has been in place, but reconnections look to be a difficult process to manage. We know Wisconsin has halted new shut-offs, but the status of reconnections is unclear so we are conducting additional calls. We are continuing outreach to hundreds of municipalities across the region, determining whether they are still shutting off water, or are turning water back on, checking on the status of reconnections, and ensuring that proper water system flushing information is reaching those with reconnections.
Due to local and state-level pressure, we also managed to stop partial lead line replacements that were happening in Toledo, at least until the crisis is over. Full lead line replacements are recommended to lessen exposure to lead and contaminants and any kind of replacements are difficult during a health crisis. Last week the City halted the partial lead line replacements.
With our partners including We the People of Detroit and the Great Lakes Environmental Law Center we have asked the Michigan Director of Health and Human Services and the Governor for a Declaratory Judgment to turn on all water in Michigan and are now fielding a mass email and social media campaign to create pressure for this action.
We called on the Ohio Governor, with our partner Alliance for the Great Lakes, to ensure all utilities across the state would restore residential water services and halt future shutoffs. As a result, the Governor called on the Public Utilities Commission of Ohio to work with the private water companies to restore residential water services and halt future water shutoffs, which they did on Monday, March 16th. We are now waiting for the Governor’s office to share their legislation they are working on to require all utilities in Ohio to restore residential water services.
Freshwater Future has been supporting community members in obtaining a seat at the decision-making table to discuss water rates and programs, like emergency assistance and conservation. While moratoriums are being put in place on water shutoffs during this crisis, Freshwater Future is working to ensure that these moratoriums stay in place after the crisis.
We are looking forward to our upcoming regional gathering of community leaders at the All About Water conference planned for early summer 2020 to share and discuss challenges faced in trying to improve water access, affordability, and safety and planning future opportunities to take these vital conversations and strategies to the next step. We are pushing municipalities for full lead line replacement infrastructure projects, turning water on for all, and water affordability planning.
This is clearly a work in progress, but our goal is to ensure that water and environmental efforts are community centered, and that leadership roles are deliberately created for local and underrepresented communities.
Blog – Freshwater Future
https://freshwaterfuture.org/drinking-water/can-you-imagine-a-million-people-in-the-great-lakes-region-without-water-while-water-is-so-needed-for-the-pandemic-this-is-the-reality/
Catch the latest updates on what’s happening with PFAS in Great Lakes Now’s biweekly headline roundup.
Great Lakes Now
https://www.greatlakesnow.org/2020/03/pfas-indiana-wisconsin-new-york-landfill-military/
Here are three new webinars you can join for free to get ideas about how to help kids learn about the Great Lakes.
Great Lakes Now
https://www.greatlakesnow.org/2020/03/great-lakes-learning-webinars/
Michigan outdoor recreation-related companies are struggling to stay afloat amid the fallout from COVID-19.
Great Lakes Now
https://www.greatlakesnow.org/2020/03/covid-19-michigan-outdoor-recreation-revenue/
When you picture farming in Wisconsin, you might think first of dairy cattle or vegetable crops. But aquaculture, or fish farming, is also an important part of Wisconsin’s ag economy.
As one speaker—Todd Kalish of the Wisconsin Department of Natural Resources—pointed out at the Wisconsin Aquaculture Association’s annual conference earlier this month, fish farming represents $21 million in economic activity for our state and 500 jobs. Among Midwestern states, Wisconsin is home to the highest number of aquaculture operations.
Before the COVID-19 pandemic brought business travel to a halt for many, the Wisconsin Aquaculture Association (WAA) held its annual meeting March 6-7 in Marshfield. Wisconsin Sea Grant co-sponsored the conference, reflecting the importance the National Sea Grant Office places on developing sustainable, domestic aquaculture.
The theme of this year’s WAA conference was “Diversifying Our Markets.” As the organization’s president, Bill West of Blue Iris Fish Farm, noted, a lot of farmers love growing things, but find that marketing is not their strong suit or passion. As a result, several sessions were designed to help farmers think creatively about how to connect with consumers.
Bret Shaw presents Sea Grant-supported research on needs and opportunities faced by Wisconsin fish farmers. (Photo: Jennifer Smith)
University of Wisconsin-Madison researchers Bret Shaw and Kristin Runge presented their Wisconsin Sea Grant-funded research over several sessions. They undertook a multi-part project that looked at how fish farmers perceive their industry, and what their needs and opportunities are; what Wisconsin consumers think about farm-raised fish; and how people respond to social-media messaging about farmed fish.
Although not present at the conference, collaborators in this work included Shiyu Yang, Laura Witzling, Chris Hartleb and Deidre Peroff. You can find full reports on the work done by this team online (see “Aquaculture in Wisconsin: Results from a Statewide Survey of Fish Farmers” and “Consumer Attitudes Toward Wisconsin Farm-Raised Fish: Public Opinion and Marketing Recommendations.”)
Other sessions covered public-private partnerships related to fish stocking, the latest research from the University of Wisconsin-Stevens Point Northern Aquaculture Demonstration Facility, fish health and biosecurity, yellow perch research at the University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee, workforce development and more.
Rainbow trout served at lunch came from Silver Moon Springs Farm in Elton, Wisconsin. (Photo: Jennifer Smith)
Of course, it’s not an aquaculture conference without getting to taste the fruits of Wisconsin farmers’ labors. In addition to the traditional “Taste of Wisconsin” evening social highlighting local products, Friday’s lunch—while attendees heard from National Aquaculture Association President Paul Zajicek—was a tasty and healthy plate of rainbow trout from Silver Moon Springs Farm in Elton, Wisconsin.
News Releases – Wisconsin Sea Grant
News Releases – Wisconsin Sea Grant
https://www.seagrant.wisc.edu/news/wisconsin-fish-farmers-boost-marketing-savvy/
The public can continue to enjoy aquariums, museums and centers as the facilities close buildings. But starting March 25, Parks Canada is closing all national parks.
Great Lakes Now
https://www.greatlakesnow.org/2020/03/aquariums-museums-online-livestreams-covid-19/
Fish and Wildlife Service News
Fish and Wildlife Service News
http://www.fws.gov/news/ShowNews.cfm?ref=service-awards-$1.38-million-for-fish-and-wildlife-restoration-in-the-&_ID=36605
Great Lakes Echo
http://greatlakesecho.org/2020/03/25/former-hunting-tv-show-host-sentenced-for-violation-of-lacey-act/
In this Q&A, Central Michigan University Professor Don Uzarski talks about how critical healthy wetlands are for the Great Lakes region.
Great Lakes Now
https://www.greatlakesnow.org/2020/03/wetland-wisdom-documentary-looks-at-breakthrough-in-great-lakes-wetland-research/
Northeast Michigan Great Lakes Stewardship Initiative is encouraging the public to participate in H.O.M.E.S. at Home, a streaming online video program offered by Michigan Sea Grant and Michigan State University Extension. Read the full story by The Alpena News.
Great Lakes Commission
https://www.glc.org/dailynews/20200324-livestreaming
New research shows that fishes on either side of Niagara Falls—one of the most powerful waterfalls in the world—are unlikely to breed with one another. Read the full story by phys.org.
Great Lakes Commission
https://www.glc.org/dailynews/20200324-niagara
The 2020 Twin Ports shipping season got underway over the weekend as the “Burns Harbor” became the first laker to depart the Port of Duluth-Superior. Read the full story by KDAL – Duluth, MN.
Great Lakes Commission
https://www.glc.org/dailynews/20200324-shipping
The Flagship Niagara league announced today that it will delay the sailing season for the U.S. Brig Niagara until August. Read the full story by WJET- TV – Erie, PA.
Great Lakes Commission
https://www.glc.org/dailynews/20200324-sailing
The Duluth Seaway Port Authority has been allocated a $10.5 million MARAD Port Infrastructure Development grant to help fund construction of a 56,000-square-foot, rail-served warehouse at the Clure Public Marine Terminal, along with rehabilitation of 1,775 lineal feet of deteriorating dock walls at Berth 10 and 11 of the Clure Terminal Expansion. Read the full story by Marine Log.
Great Lakes Commission
https://www.glc.org/dailynews/20200324-infrastructure-grant
Lake Michigan cities continue to face erosion along their shorelines and, despite dwindling reserves, the problem is far from over. Read the full story by the Indianapolis Star.
Great Lakes Commission
https://www.glc.org/dailynews/20200324-erosion
Guide Mike Hanson was catching sauger and walleye Saturday on the Illinois River below the Starved Rock Lock and Dam when he caught the fish of a lifetime. Read the full story by the Chicago Sun Times.
Great Lakes Commission
https://www.glc.org/dailynews/20200324-sturgeon
The U.S. Coast Guard Cutter Alder set sail Sunday from Duluth and are heading south for Lake Michigan to start setting summer aids to navigation (buoys). Read the full story by Business North.
Great Lakes Commission
https://www.glc.org/dailynews/20200324-navigation
Michigan Senator Gary Peters has introduced bipartisan legislation aimed at providing support to local communities facing rising water, coastal erosion, and flooding that has put homes and property at risk and already caused millions in damages. Read the full story by the Huron Daily Tribune.
Great Lakes Commission
https://www.glc.org/dailynews/20200324-legislation
The International Joint Commission is opening the floodgates even more to help get as much water out of Lake Ontario as possible before the spring melt. Read the full story by the Recorder and Times.
Great Lakes Commission
https://www.glc.org/dailynews/20200324-ijc
ST. PAUL, Minn. (AP) — The Minnesota Court of Appeals sent an air-emissions permit for the PolyMet copper-nickel mine back to state regulators for further review on Monday, giving another victory to environmental groups who oppose the project.
The appeals court found that the Minnesota Pollution Control Agency did not adequately evaluate whether the air permit requested by PolyMet was a “sham permit” — meaning one that didn’t accurately reflect the size and scope of PolyMet’s proposed mine.
Great Lakes Now
https://www.greatlakesnow.org/2020/03/ap-minnesota-court-appeals-polymet-permit-mpca/
The eight Great Lakes states and Canada are approaching PFAS contamination in their own ways and setting their own standards.
Great Lakes Now
https://www.greatlakesnow.org/2020/03/pfas-standards-actions-state-canada/
Great Lakes Echo
http://greatlakesecho.org/2020/03/24/covid-19-could-cut-millions-of-dollars-of-michigans-outdoor-related-revenue/
As the author of Great Lakes Now’s collection of lesson plans, educational consultant Gary Abud Jr. is now providing more support for parents, teachers and caregivers who want to incorporate Great Lakes learning into their time with children and students.
Find the lesson plans and the virtual field trip online HERE.
Great Lakes Now
https://www.greatlakesnow.org/2020/03/great-lakes-learning-introducing-resources-remote-teaching/
Decades of chronic underfunding of water infrastructure is putting many countries at worse risk in the coronavirus crisis, with more than half the global population lacking access to safely managed sanitation, experts said as the UN marked World Water Day on Sunday. Read the full story by The Guardian.
Great Lakes Commission
https://www.glc.org/dailynews/20200323-infrastructure
During the spring migration, Duluth is the best spot to see bald eagles anywhere in North America. One day last migration season, the expert counters here tallied a record-breaking 1,076 bald eagles, the most ever recorded in a single day anywhere in the world. Read the full story by the Duluth News Tribune.
Great Lakes Commission
https://www.glc.org/dailynews/20200323-eagle
The U.S. and Ohio environmental protection agencies need to stop resisting their clear responsibility regarding Lake Erie: Enforce the Clean Water Act. Read the full story by the Akron Business Journal.
Great Lakes Commission
https://www.glc.org/dailynews/20200323-erie
As southern Ontario’s population is rapidly growing, suppliers of sand, rock and gravel are being pitted against citizens concerned about the impact urban sprawl and aggregate extraction have on the environment. Read the full story by Great Lakes Echo.
Great Lakes Commission
https://www.glc.org/dailynews/20200323-landuse
As the winter snow starts to melt, the road salt and other chemicals deployed to treat icy roads are slowly trickling into lakes, rivers and streams. In Minnesota, researchers are out taking regular samples of Duluth’s waterways in the hopes of finding out if the world’s largest freshwater lake is at risk of becoming too salty. Read the full story by the Star Tribune.
Great Lakes Commission
https://www.glc.org/dailynews/20200323-salt
As it is it closed to the public, the Great Lakes Science Center is still living up to its mission to make science, technology, engineering and math, aka STEM, come alive – this time with web-based “Curiosity Corner” programming. Read the full story by The News-Herald.
Great Lakes Commission
https://www.glc.org/dailynews/20200323-videos
At a time when many Michigan companies are slowing down due to the coronavirus pandemic, business is booming for contractors working along Lake Michigan’s shoreline as they try to save people’s homes from extremely high water levels. Read the full story by Interlochen Public Radio.
Great Lakes Commission
https://www.glc.org/dailynews/20200323-erosion
In five years during the 19th century, the population of Erie, Pennsylvania, nearly doubled, requiring action to ensure a supply of safe drinking water. Read the full story by The Record Herald.
Great Lakes Commission
https://www.glc.org/dailynews/20200323-waterworks
Ohio’s Ashtabula County Metroparks board met on Friday morning to authorize an agreement for a pair of Greenway Trails. The North Shore Trail, proposed more than 20 years ago, would connect the Western Reserve Greenway Trail to Lake Erie. Read the full story by the Star Beacon.
Great Lakes Commission
https://www.glc.org/dailynews/20200323-metroparks
Michigan homeowners who live on the lakeshore and need to take measures to save their homes or infrastructure are required to get a permit from the Department of Environment, Great Lakes, and Energy before changes can be made to the shoreline. The agency’s seen a stark increase in the number of permit requests during the first quarter of this fiscal year. Read the full story by The Alpena News.
Great Lakes Commission
https://www.glc.org/dailynews/20200323-permits
This article was republished here with permission from Great Lakes Echo.
By Hunter Hicks, Great Lakes Now
The lack of ice across the Great Lakes region has business booming for those in the ice fishing industry fortunate enough to have safe conditions, but has left others high and dry.
Great Lakes Now
https://www.greatlakesnow.org/2020/03/warm-weather-ice-fishing-industry/
DULUTH, Minn. (AP) — Researchers in Minnesota are trying to find an alternative to road salt in an effort to protect the state’s water bodies from contamination.
The Minneapolis Star Tribune reported Saturday that road salt is the top source of chloride in state waters. Scientists have been ramping up warnings that rising chloride levels could harm aquatic life and turn tap water salty.
Great Lakes Now
https://www.greatlakesnow.org/2020/03/ap-scientists-testing-alternative-road-salt/
The tourism that usually rises around this time is on hold, but residents are battening down with ease.
Great Lakes Now
https://www.greatlakesnow.org/2020/03/great-lakes-islands-ferry-coronavirus-covid-19/
Great Lakes Echo
http://greatlakesecho.org/2020/03/23/ontarios-origins-lead-to-land-use-disputes/
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Blog – Freshwater Future
https://freshwaterfuture.org/uncategorized/freshwater-future-weekly-march-20-2020-covid-19-update/
With the COVID-19 global pandemic continuing to spread throughout the U.S., Centers for Disease Control and Prevention guidelines have stressed the importance of staying hydrated and rigorously washing hands as a preventative health effort.
But for thousands of residents in Detroit, Flint, Benton Harbor, Hamtramck and other cities around southeast Michigan, following these guidelines is difficult when your water is shut off.
Great Lakes Now
https://www.greatlakesnow.org/2020/03/water-rights-advocates-stations-michigan-governor-mayor/
Catch the latest in Great Lakes energy news in Great Lakes Now’s fortnightly energy-related headline roundup.
Great Lakes Now
https://www.greatlakesnow.org/2020/03/energy-solar-low-income-court-appeal/
The coronavirus pandemic has the Great Lakes tourism industry uncertain about their businesses, especially if the epidemic extends into the summer. Read the full story by Great Lakes Now.
Great Lakes Commission
https://www.glc.org/dailynews/20200320-parks-biz
The Michigan Department of Natural Resources has temporarily made public access to all state parks and recreation areas free in order to limit transactions between the public and staff in an effort to prevent the spread of coronavirus and to encourage people to pursue healthy activities outdoors. Read the full story by MLive.
Great Lakes Commission
https://www.glc.org/dailynews/20200319-restoring-lakes
The New York Department of Environmental Conservation is planning to release more trout into Lake Ontario and Lake Erie watersheds than anticipated because the trout were grown in hatcheries where zebra mussels were discovered, and thus staff have decided to release the fish only in waters where mussels were previously found. Read the full story by the Times Observer.
Great Lakes Commission
https://www.glc.org/dailynews/20200320-trout
Ohio has closed lodges in its state parks in the wake of the coronavirus pandemic, however most parks currently remain open to the public. Read the full story by The Columbus Dispatch.
Great Lakes Commission
https://www.glc.org/dailynews/20200320-oh-park
New York state officials have continued to limit chinook salmon stocking and catch limits in Lake Ontario as the state works to improve the low alewife populations that serve as the chinook’s food source. Read the full story by New York Upstate.
Great Lakes Commission
https://www.glc.org/dailynews/20200320-chinook
