Friday, October 31, 2014

S.S. Badger's $2 million coal ash retention system to be ready for 2015 season

S.S. Badger's $2 million coal ash retention system to be ready for 2015 season - According to Terri Brown, director of media relations for LMC, the Ludington-based company has placed a purchase order for an onboard conveyor system which will allow the vessel to transport ash from the boiler room to ash retention containers.

Thursday, October 30, 2014

Red Cliff Band: Lake Superior barrel retrieval project update

Red Cliff Band: Lake Superior barrel retrieval project update - Since the mid-1990s, the Red Cliff Band of Lake Superior Chippewa has been looking into the nearly 1,500 barrels that were dumped into Lake Superior by the U.S. military between 1959 and 1962

Tuesday, October 28, 2014

America's last coal-fired ship finally stops dumping coal ash into Lake Michigan

America's last coal-fired ship finally stops dumping coal ash into Lake Michigan - The 2014 season for Lake Michigan's only coal-powered passenger and car ferry came to a close Sunday, signaling the end of the controversial practice of dumping coal ash into the Great Lake. . .

Monday, October 27, 2014

Lake Erie's algal bloom fading

Lake Erie's algal bloom fading - With Lake Erie's 2014 harmful algal bloom fading away in the lake's cold water, a scientist who studies the blooms is looking back on his forecast for this year. It turned out to be accurate said an algal bloom forecasting expert

Friday, October 24, 2014

Great Lakes States' Representatives Support $300 million Funding For GLRI

Great Lakes States' Representatives Support $300 million Funding For GLRI - The Healing Our Waters - HOW Great Lakes Coalition has identified House members and is urging support for $300 million through FY 2016 for the Great Lakes Restoration Initiative (GLRI)

Thursday, October 23, 2014

Webinar: Great Lakes Phragmites Collaborative

Webinar: Great Lakes Phragmites Collaborative - The Great Lakes Phragmites Collaborative webinar series focuses on invasive Phragmites in the Great Lakes region, and encourages dialogue and technology transfer. Register now for the next free webinar. . .

Wednesday, October 22, 2014

Why are the Great Lakes on the rise?

Why are the Great Lakes on the rise? - During the late summer and early fall, the water level on the Great Lakes usually drops several inches. This year, three of those lakes, Superior, Michigan and Huron, have seen the opposite happen - rising water levels.

Tuesday, October 21, 2014

EPA Awards Great Lakes Restoration Initiative Grants to Ohio, Michigan and Indiana to Target Harmful Algal Blooms in Lake Erie

EPA Awards Great Lakes Restoration Initiative Grants to Ohio, Michigan and Indiana to Target Harmful Algal Blooms in Lake Erie (IN, MI, OH) - (Oct. 20, 2014) -- U.S. EPA Region 5 Administrator/Great Lakes National Program Manager Susan Hedman announced the award of four Great Lakes Restoration Initiative grants totaling over $8.6 million to Ohio, Michigan and Indiana state agencies

Monday, October 20, 2014

Spiny water fleas in Great Lakes indicate a larger problem

Spiny water fleas in Great Lakes indicate a larger problem - The self-sustaining populations of the spiny water flea, an invasive species, suggest a greater problem in the Great Lakes, according to researchers.

Friday, October 17, 2014

Lake Superior National Estuarine Research Reserve celebrates four years of research

Lake Superior National Estuarine Research Reserve celebrates four years of research - The Lake Superior National Estuarine Research Reserve celebrated four years of research Wednesday evening. Officials showcased their new research lab and public education utilities in the open house at Barkers  Island in Superior, WI

Thursday, October 16, 2014

NOAA releases two visualization tools for Great Lakes water levels

NOAA releases two visualization tools for Great Lakes water levels:

  • Lake Level Viewer - This easy-to-use online viewer shows a range of lake-level scenarios (plus or minus six feet from long-term average) and what those changes would mean for the coast.
  • Great Lakes Hydro-Climate Dashboard - Using long-term historical data, this tool shows users how precipitation, evaporation, ice cover, and runoff changes affect lake levels. 

Wednesday, October 15, 2014

Q. and A.: James E. Garvey on Chinese solutions for America's carp problem

Q. and A.: James E. Garvey on Chinese solutions for America's carp problem - James E. Garvey, vice chancellor for research at Southern Illinois University, Carbondale, recently visited China as part of a project researching the Yangtze and Mississippi rivers, including a look at the Asian carp present in both.

Tuesday, October 14, 2014

7th Annual Freshwater Summit

7th Annual Freshwater Summit - Registration is open for the Freshwater Summit, an annual conference of environmental professionals and concerned citizens focusing on current issues facing the Great Lakes region -- This year's Freshwater Summit will be held Oct. 31 in Traverse City, MI

Friday, October 10, 2014

Department of Energy finalizing $2.8 million award for Lake Erie wind farm

Department of Energy finalizing $2.8 million award for Lake Erie wind farm - The U.S. Department of Energy is finalizing details of a $2.8 million award that will help Lake Erie Energy Development Corporation (LEEDCo) construct a wind farm on Lake Erie about seven miles northwest of Cleveland; a consolation prize after the group failed to win a larger federal grant that would have provided nearly $50 million 

Thursday, October 9, 2014

International Joint Commission - Bi-Weekly Newsletter

International Joint Commission - Bi-Weekly Newsletter - Boards to Report on Progress, Projects Target Beach Trash and Invasive Phragmites 

Wednesday, October 8, 2014

Asian carp DNA detected in Kalamazoo River, which flows into Lake Michigan

Asian carp DNA detected in Kalamazoo River, which flows into Lake Michigan - Downstream from Calkins Dam, according to Tammy Newcomb, senior water policy adviser for MDNR -- The discovery marks the first time so-called environmental DNA for silver carp has been found in Michigan's Great Lakes waters outside of Maumee Bay in Lake Erie.

Tuesday, October 7, 2014

Agencies unite to combat invasive species in Lake Erie

Agencies unite to combat invasive species in Lake Erie - Prevention and management of invasive species is a top priority for natural resource agencies in the Great Lakes region, so staff from 10 federal, state and provincial agencies jumped at the chance to gather to conduct. . .

Monday, October 6, 2014

Toxic Lake Erie algal blooms "reversible" experts say

Toxic Lake Erie algal blooms "reversible" experts say - Lyman Welch, Water Quality Director of theAlliance of the Great Lakes, explains that though the blooms are naturally occurring, the extremely high levels and resulting negative implications of recent blooms are both human induced and reversible.
 
Environmental Information Specialists -- WIMS Daily Environmental HotSheet -- eNewsUSA blog -- EcoBizPort.com
 

Friday, October 3, 2014

Knowing Where Wetlands Are Helps Guide Conservation Planning

Knowing Where Wetlands Are Helps Guide Conservation Planning - The health of the Great Lakes are largely determined by the health of the rivers and wetlands that feed them -- Ducks Unlimited led a coalition of partner organizations in updating the wetland maps in Michigan, Illinois, Indiana, and Ohio

Thursday, October 2, 2014

GLC Report: Dramatic increases in crude oil production and transportation via rail

GLC Report: Dramatic increases in crude oil production and transportation via rail - The Great Lakes Commission is inviting comments on a draft report that evaluates the potential benefits and risks surrounding the transport of crude oil in the Great Lakes-St. Lawrence River region.

Wednesday, October 1, 2014

Ohio spent $187,000 on bottled water for Toledo after Lake Erie algae emergency

Ohio spent $187,000 on bottled water for Toledo after Lake Erie algae emergency - The state says it spent $187,000 buying bottled water for Toledo during the algae-related water emergency suffered by Ohio's fourth-largest city earlier this year. Toxins left behind from algae fouled the water. . .