Friday, February 28, 2014

Great Lakes News

<> FLOW lauds the International Joint Commission (IJC) for including public trust standards into its recommendations for solving Lake Erie's harmful algal blooms

<> GLOS Funding Opportunity: Lake Erie Information System Buoy - GLOS is issuing a Request for Proposals (RFP) for the purchase and deployment of one (1) buoy 14 miles north of Cleveland OH during the 2014 and 2015 field seasons.

<> Wisconsin Sea Grant Announces $2 Million to Fund Great Lakes Research - Researchers will look at the health of the waterways, methods to prevent Great Lakes beach contamination, the impact of aquatic invasive species on the lakes' food webs and more.

<> Green Bay receives EPA Great Lakes Shoreline Cities Green Infrastructure Grant – U.S. EPA announced the award of a $500,000 Great Lakes Restoration Initiative grant to the City of Green Bay, WI, to fund a green infrastructure project to improve water quality in Lake Michigan. 

Thursday, February 27, 2014

Great Lakes News

<> Deteriorating Lake Erie Water Quality Focus of IJC Report - Thursday, February 27, 2014, the International Joint Commission will release the report of the Lake Erie Ecosystem Priority – A Balanced Diet for Lake Erie:  Reducing Phosphorus Loadings and Harmful Algal Blooms.

Wednesday, February 26, 2014

Great Lakes News

<> Opposition to Chesapeake Bay Cleanup Plan by Michigan and Indiana Could Hamper Great Lakes Protection Efforts - Michigan and Indiana attorneys general have inserted themselves into a legal battle siding with opponents of a plan to clean up the Chesapeake.

<> EPA Announces 11 Great Lakes Restoration Initiative Grants Totaling Over $5 Million to Combat Invasive Species in the Great Lakes - Four Michigan grants included in the awards.

<> Coast Guard warns western Lake Erie communities of upcoming commercial ice-breaking activity - DETROIT — The Coast Guard is advising residents of southern Lake Erie islands including Catawba Island, Ohio, that the commercial tug Ohio is scheduled to break ice. . .

Tuesday, February 25, 2014

Great Lakes News

<> 11 new Great Lakes Restoration Initiative grants - 12:30 PM Video Press Conference today: Representatives from the organizations receiving these grants will join Dr. Hedman for the announcement.

<> Systemic Threats to Great Lakes Demand an Immediate Paradigm Shift to Water as Commons Protected By Public Trust - Pursuant to his recent publication in The Vermont Journal of Environmental Law, the following are some thoughts from Jim Olson on the importance of the public trust doctrine at this time in history.

<> What gradual climate warming could mean for Michigan tourism - The gradual warming of the climate could mean more tourism in Michigan, especially along the lake shores.

Monday, February 24, 2014

Great Lakes News

<> A clear day finally gives us a spectacular look at Michigan's Great Lakes ice from space - Clear skies show the differing levels of ice cover across each of the Great Lakes. . .

<> FLOW's Transparent Open Door Fracking Program - an apolitical and pragmatic solution for communities who approach FLOW (For Love Of Water) and voluntarily participate in the program. Our approach is based on factual information regarding the potential risks of fracking and oil and gas development, and what local governments can and cannot do. . .

<> Duluth receives U.S. EPA's first Great Lakes Shoreline Cities Green Infrastructure Grant- U.S. EPA announced the award of a $250,000 Great Lakes Restoration Initiative grant to the City of Duluth to fund green infrastructure projects to improve water quality in the Lake Superior Basin. Duluth is the first of 16 cities to receive funding in the initial round of EPA's new Great Lakes Restoration Initiative Shoreline Cities grant program.

Friday, February 21, 2014

Great Lakes News

<> 24nd Annual Great Lakes Conference Coming to MSU - Sign up now to register for the 24nd annual Great Lakes conference. The conference, The Great Lakes: Issues and Innovations is scheduled for Tuesday, March 4, 2014 from 9am – 4pm in the Lincoln Room, Kellogg Center on the Michigan State University campus. More details, including a detailed agenda, brochure, and free web-based registration are available at. . .

Thursday, February 20, 2014

Great Lakes News

<> Thick ice cover on Great Lakes boon in mitigating lake levels drop- Despite all of the ice cover on the Great Lakes, some might be surprised to learn the lakes will still have relatively low water levels once the ice melts.

Wednesday, February 19, 2014

Great Lakes News

<> 2014 Great Lakes Areas of Concern Annual Conference - Mar 18 & 19, 2014, Metcalfe Federal Building, Room 331 77 West Jackson Blvd., Chicago, IL

<> Call For Papers: Great Lakes Restoration Initiative - An Environmental Chemistry Challenge - At 248th ACS National Meeting & Exposition San Francisco, CA August 10-14, 2014 Abstract Deadline: March 2014. Link to details.

<> Webinar: Phytoplankton update for the Great Lakes - we calibrated the diatom algae with contemporary total phosphorus (TP) measurements to form a diatom-based TP model (transfer function).

 

Friday, February 14, 2014

Great Lakes News

<> March 10 – Webinar on Commons and Public Trust Solutions for the Great Lakes - Date: March 10 Joint Discussion with FLOW's Jim Olson and Council of Canadians' Maude Barlow. TBA Location: Online webinar, details TBA Tickets: Registration for this webinar. . .

Thursday, February 13, 2014

Great Lakes News

<> Enbridge under the bridge: What we do and don't know- FLOW: For Love of Water and other organizations have come together over the last year to raise awareness about the 61-year-old Enbridge pipeline under the Straits of Mackinac which has increased in flow and pipeline pressure and poses a risk to our common water.

<> See remarkable Lake Michigan ice growth in the past four days with your own eyes

Wednesday, February 12, 2014

Great Lakes News

<> Lake Superior almost iced over; may affect summer weather - It was reported that the lake was 93.5 percent frozen last Friday, but Monday the National Weather Service said it was 88.3 percent covered.

<> Ban Sought on Microbeads in Beauty Item - Legislation that is scheduled to be introduced on Tuesday could make New York the first state to outlaw the tiny plastic beads used in personal care products like facial scrubs and toothpastes.

Friday, February 7, 2014

Wednesday, February 5, 2014

Great Lakes News

<> Indiana Meeting On The Interbasin Study Report - U.S. Army Corps of Engineers and the White House Council on Environmental Quality are hosting a public meeting in Portage, IN on Feb. 11, 2014, from 4 - 7 p.m. to discuss the Great Lakes and Mississippi River Interbasin Study, or GLMRIS, report. Comments will be accepted for the administrative record until March 31, 2014.