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<> Great Lakes ice cover update: See Lake Michigan ice disappear, and where records were set - Peak ice has been reached on the Great Lakes and now the ice is rapidly disappearing.
<> Great Lakes shipping industry to inject $500 million into infrastructure - The Great Lakes and St. Lawrence Seaway system is spending $500 million over the next four years to rebuild lock walls and gates and automate the system that connects the eastern Great Lakes with the St. Lawrence River.
<> Lake Michigan oil spill estimate doubles in size, possibly up to 1,600 gallons, BP reports - Company representatives now estimate between 630 and 1,638 gallons of oil were recovered since the spill at BP's Whiting Refinery on Monday.
<> UM plans study on adapting to changing water levels - Associated Press - The University of Michigan is planning a wide-ranging study of how people and businesses in the Great Lakes region can adapt to changing water levels.
<> Effort to restore Lake Michigan's yellow perch population needs fresh ideas - The Lake Michigan Perch Summit was held Saturday in Chicago, Ill. outlining changes to Lake Michigan's ecosystem which have affected Yellow Perch as well as different state's programs to protect the fish.
<> Freighter ships out, ushering in Great Lakes maritime season - The Great Lakes shipping season began on Tuesday with the opening of the Soo Locks in Sault Ste. Marie, Mich. Wednesday afternoon, Erie's first freighter of the season, departed the Erie shipyard, where it had been dry-docked. . .
<> Expert: Runoff spurs Lake Erie algal blooms - Dr. Jeffery Reuter of the Stone Laboratory called for a 40 percent reduction in phosphorus loading at Tuesday's Lake Erie farm forum saying 2013 and 2011 have been the only algal blooms known to last through October. . .
<> Kasich's Great Lakes pledge $10M - Ohio Gov. Kasich administration's plan to spend $10 million over two years on possible alternatives to continued open-lake dumping of channel dredging was lauded by the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency's top Great Lakes. . .
<> U.S. EPA Continues Response to the BP Whiting Oil Spill - For Immediate Release No. 14-OPA80 Chicago (March 26, 2014) -- The U.S. Coast Guard and the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency were on site at the BP Refinery in Whiting, Indiana today to oversee a second day of cleanup
<> Mercury remediation in the North Harbour of Thunder Bay - A Remedial Action Plan for the Thunder Bay Area of Concern held a meeting on the Thunder Bay campus on March 19 to specifically talk about a project to clean up mercury contamination in the North Harbour.
<> Obama Administration Rule Will Help Protect Great Lakes - HOW Coalition indicates that a proposed rule to clarify which waters of the United States are protected by the Clean Water Act from pollution and destruction. The rule will be a big step forward in the effort to restore the
<> Lake Michigan oil spill expected to have 'minimal' environmental impact, officials say - BP representatives expect to provide an estimate Wednesday on the amount of crude oil discharged into Lake Michigan when a malfunction occurred at a refinery in Indiana.
<> GLMRIS Report Public Meeting Transcripts Posted - The public meeting transcripts for the GLMRIS Report are now available; Eleven public meetings; 600 people at the meetings, and more than 180 oral comments were received. Comment period for the GLMRIS Report closes March 31, 2014.
<> Grass carp: the overlooked Asian carp - There are many types of fish that fall under the Asian carp umbrella. Each brings their own unique peril to the
<> Maps show spread of aquatic invasive species over time - By Evan Kreager Great Lakes Echo The Nature Conservancy has animated how six invasive species have spread across the Great Lakes over time. The group has created six maps that show population increase and spread. . .
<> Wayne State University receives grant from USGS to advance ecological restoration efforts in the Great Lakes - Foreign mussels hitchhiking to the Great Lakes in the ballast water tanks of international freighters are becoming one of the most vexing environmental problems facing the Great Lakes.
<> Spill response 'inadequate' for tar sands crude on Great Lakes - It has been more then three years since the Kalamazoo River oil spill in Michigan. Now, in 2014, there is still oil in the river and current methods are "inadequate" to find and recover submerged oil. . .
<> Letter supporting GLRI ends on Friday - We're beginning this week with 21 co-signers to the letter supporting the Great Lakes Restoration Initiative funding at $300 million in 2015. The letter now includes support from Reps: John Dingell (D-Mich.), David Joyce (R-Ohio)...
<> Oil leaks from BP Whiting refinery into nearby Lake Michigan - NEW YORK (Reuters) - An unknown volume of oil leaked from BP Plc's Whiting, Indiana, refinery into nearby Lake Michigan on Monday afternoon, the Indiana Department of Environmental Management confirmed on Tuesday.
<> Great Lakes senators urge Army Corps to "move aggressively" to protect lakes from Asian carp - A bipartisan group of Great Lakes senators, led by Sen. Carl Levin (D-Mich.), urged the Army Corps of Engineers to take aggressive action to stop Asian carp from entering the Great Lakes and also to devise a long-term solution to protect the lakes from aquatic nuisance species.
<> Still time to register for the 2014 Great Lakes Green Chemistry Conference! - April 1 – April 3, 2014 - Wyndham Cleveland,
<> $1.3 million for northern Ohio four Great Lakes Restoration Initiative grants - Grant to fund green infrastructure projects to improve water quality in Lake Erie.
<> Army Corps OKs money to address Great Lakes' 'hole in the dike' - The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers has set aside a small amount of money this year to install water-slowing structures on the St. Clair River to try and decrease the effects of evaporation. . .
<> Congresswoman fights against Lake Erie dumping - Congresswoman Marcia L. Fudge has sent a letter to the Ohio Environmental Protection Agency, asking it to reject a proposal by the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers to discharge dredged material into the open waters of Lake Erie.
<> Liquid Pipeline: Extreme energy's threat to the Great Lakes and the St. Lawrence Seaway - This report details plans to transport dangerous new forms of energy – as well as the waste from more traditional forms – around, under and on the Great Lakes and the St. Lawrence Seaway. It is also a call to action to stop these plans before it is too late.
<> TransCanada's Energy Export Pipeline - March 18, 2014 - 10:03am When TransCanada first announced the Energy East pipeline a number of voices emerged trumpeting its benefits. Premier Redford called the project 'nation-building.'
<> Michigan State University is launching The Great Lakes Clean Communities Network (GLCCN) - The GLCCN basin-wide initiative is a dynamic networking of organizations, online tools, datasets, and models that can be used to generate new ideas, share best practices and approaches for managing environmental problems. GLCCN will be available this summer.
<> Press Coverage of President Obama's 2015 Budget and the Great Lakes - President Obama budget for fiscal year 2015 came out last week, and both the Great Lakes Restoration Initiative and the Clean Water State Revolving Fund received cuts. Below is a compilation of press coverage on the President's budget and how the cuts would hurt the
<> Red Cliff Wants to Remove More Barrels From Lake Superior, Funding Unclear - After pulling 25 barrels from Lake Superior and years of research, the Red Cliff Band of Lake Superior Chippewa says their preliminary data shows there is no immediate concern regarding water safety but they want to pull more barrels despite questions about funding.
<> 2014 Great Lakes Areas of Concern Annual Conference - EPA has scheduled the 2014 AOC Annual Meeting for Tuesday and Wednesday, March 18 (1 - 4:30 pm) & March 19 (8 am - 12:15 pm).
<> EPA Administrator McCarthy on Great Lakes: 'We Have to all Rally for What's Important' - Posted by Healing Our Waters - Great Lakes Coalition, a recap and audio of Administrator McCarthy's address to Great Lakes supporters in Washington, D.C., on March 5. . .
<> Asian Carp Eggs Found Near Lynxville, Wisc. - Asian carp eggs, including late-stage embryos nearly ready to hatch from the egg, were recently identified in samples collected by U.S. Geological Survey scientists in 2013 from the
<> Sierra Club Canada applauds water level funding - Obama Administration announced funding to address Lakes Michigan and Huron/Georgian Bay water levels in light of current knowledge and technologies
<> 9th Annual Lake Erie Conference - Lake Erie Waterkeeper Inc., Thursday, March 20, 2014 from 8:00 AM to 3:30 PM (EDT), Sylvania, Ohio
<> Great Lakes Day - March 2014 – A slide show from Sen. Carl Levin
<> Lake Michigan yellow perch summit to be held in Chicago March 22
<> Public Notice - Meeting of the Board of Directors - Notice is hereby given that the Board of Directors Meeting of the Great Lakes Protection Fund is scheduled to be held on March 14, 2014 via teleconference. The meeting will be called to order on Friday, March 14, 2014 at 9:00 a.m. (CDT). The Board welcomes public comment and members of the public who wish to participate may do so via teleconference. Those wishing to participate. . .
<> NOAA Seeks Answers to Great Lakes Water Level Changes - More ice cover may lead to higher water levels Near record level ice cover topping 90 percent recently over the Great Lakes could help reduce evaporation and contribute to higher lake levels.
<> Great Lakes Commission calls for immediate action on interbasin transfer of Asian carp - Calls for immediate action on a suite of near-term measures to reduce the risk of interbasin transfer of Asian carp and other invasive species at the Chicago Area Waterways System (CAWS).
<> USACE Annual Summary Of Great Lakes water levels - The 2013 Annual Summary and analyses of Great Lakes water levels and the meteorological and hydrologic conditions -- substantially higher water levels in 2013, than those experienced in 2012
<> Obama Budget Cuts Core Great Lakes Programs - President Barack Obama released his proposed 2015 budget today, which contains cuts to core Great Lakes programs. The Obama Administration is recommending $275 million for the Great Lakes Restoration Initiative – a cut of $25 million from current funding levels of $300 million and a reduction of $200 million from the initial funding proposed. . .
<> Unprecedented Seasonal Water Level Dynamics on One of the Earth's Largest Lakes - NOAA Great Lakes Environmental Research Laboratory indicates Water-level measurements on Lake Erie during the 2011 and 2012 water years (October 2010 through September 2011, and October 2011 through September 2012, respectively), reflect dramatic and unexpected changes in the seasonal water-level cycle and in the Great Lakes regional water budget.
<> 2014 Great Lakes Green Chemistry Conference: Innovating for Success- April 1-2, 2014,
<> IJC launches new Great Lakes Water Quality Agreement Boards - Following an open nomination process, in the fall of 2013, the International Joint Commission (IJC) is pleased to announce the appointment of members to its newly reconstituted Great Lakes Water Quality and Science Advisory boards.
<> Great Lakes ice cover surpasses 80 percent - Ice cover on the Great Lakes reached 88 percent this month for the first time in a decade, according to NASA's Earth Observatory. Since 1973, average ice cover of the lakes has been just more than 50 percent.
<> Bird Groups Raise Alarms over Wind Industry Installation of Six Giant Wind Turbines in Critical Great Lakes Bird Migration Corridor - American Bird Conservancy (ABC) and Black Swamp Bird Observatory (BSBO) charge that millions of migrating and federally protected birds, including an active Bald Eagle nest, will be threatened by an Ohio wind development currently under construction.
<> Advocates to Meet in Washington for Great Lakes Days - Next week, more than 100 Great Lakes advocates from Minnesota, Wisconsin, Illinois, Indiana, Michigan, Ohio, Pennsylvania, and New York will be in Washington, D.C., as part of Great Lakes Days. Citizens will be meeting with federal public officials to discuss important issues that impact the Lakes and communities in the region. If you can't attend Great Lakes Days, check out our. . .
<> Success Story Slide Shows Now Available for Each State - Leading up to Great Lakes Days, the Healing Our Waters-Coalition has made state-by-state slide shows for each Great Lakes restoration success stories we've written about. Check out your state's slide show and share your state's successes with others!
<> Call for Presentations and Field Trips at the 10th Anniversary Great Lakes Restoration Conference - WANTED: Individuals to lead dynamic, engaging and fun field trips and presentations at the Healing Our Waters-Great Lakes Coalition's 10th Annual Great Lakes Restoration Conference in Grand Rapids, Michigan, September 9-11, 2014. The Healing Our Waters-Great Lakes Coalition is issuing a request for field trips and presentations for the conference. Deadline for submissions: April 18, 2014.
<> GLIN's March Site of the Month - GLIN's March Site of the Month is Great Lakes Clean Water Organization, a nonprofit promoting collection and disposal of unused/unwanted drugs in a safe and approved manner. Their aim is to keep harmful drugs out of ground water, surface water and municipal water systems in
<> GLPF Celebrates 25 Years - In February, 1989 a bipartisan group of seven governors signed an improbable, yet historic, agreement. They agreed to invest in a private corporation whose sole purpose was to protect the