Lake Erie nutrient reduction plan released

<> Lake Erie nutrient reduction plan released - Great Lakes Commissioners from the eight Great Lakes states and two Canadian provinces endorsed a plan to reduce nutrient loadings and diminish problems like harmful algal blooms, toxic cyanobacteria, anoxic zones and other problems in Lake Erie -- a joint action plan developed by the Commission's Lake Erie Nutrient Targets (LENT) Working Group proposes phosphorus reduction targets and a set of 10 steps to achieve the targets. LENT Joint Action Plan website

White House Council on Environmental Quality Chief of Staff Keynotes GLRI Conference

<> White House Council on Environmental Quality Chief of Staff Keynotes GLRI Conference - The conference, hosted by the Healing Our Waters-Great Lakes Coalition, runs September 29 through October 1 -- follow conference proceedings, including daily coverage by Detroit Public Television

The Future of the Great Lakes - Great Lakes Week Conference

<> The Future of the Great Lakes – Great Lakes Week Conference - Wall-to-Wall Coverage - Live from Great Lakes Week in Chicago -- Detroit Public TV & Great Lakes Now Covering Two Conferences Starting this morning at 10:30 A.M. CT, through Wed, September 30

Line 5 drill: Enbridge blankets Straits of Mackinac with spill practice

<> Line 5 drill: Enbridge blankets Straits of Mackinac with spill practice - Drill "about working the plan," not doing actual cleanup.

<> COMMENTARY: Risky Mackinac pipeline presents a test for Michigan leaders - [National Wildlife Federation] Michiganders are enormously fortunate to be in the Great Lakes State and have access to abundant fresh water and have the ultimate responsibility for stewardship of this water.

Stabenow, Peters Introduce Bill to Protect Great Lakes From Oil Spills, Improve Pipeline Safety

<> Stabenow, Peters Introduce Bill to Protect Great Lakes From Oil Spills, Improve Pipeline Safety - U.S. Senators Debbie Stabenow and Gary Peters (MI) today introduced the Pipeline Improvement and Preventing Spills Act to ban shipping of crude oil by vessel on the Great Lakes and require a comprehensive, top-to-bottom review of hazardous pipelines in the region.  Bill would ban Great Lakes crude oil shipping, boost federal pipeline scrutiny

Food and Water Watch to hold Sept. 24 press conference to call for preventing oil spill in Straits of Mackinac

<> Food and Water Watch to hold Sept. 24 press conference to call for preventing oil spill in Straits of Mackinac - While Enbridge conducts an oil spill response drill in the Straits of Mackinac on Thursday, Sept. 24, Food and Water Watch -- a non-profit group that champions healthy food and clean water for all -- will hold a press conference to call attention to Enbridge's shaky safety record -- calling on Governor Rick Snyder and Attorney General Bill Schuette to shut down Enbridge's Line 5 before the winter ice appears.

New Facts Sheets from the GLC Greater Lakes Project

<> New Facts Sheets from the GLC Greater Lakes Project - Five fact sheets are now available to download from the Great Lakes Commission Greater Lakes project website. They present concise summaries about the project, the fractured urban water cycle and  what we learned from working with selected Great Lakes communities on adopting innovated water management strategies

Register now for the GLC 2015 Annual Meeting

<> Register now for the GLC 2015 Annual Meeting - The Great Lakes Commission 2015 Annual Meeting is an opportunity for Great Lakes stakeholders to convene with colleagues and share perspectives on important Great Lakes issues.

Great Lakes Commission receives funding to examine water quality trading in Western Lake Erie

 

<> Great Lakes Commission receives funding to examine water quality trading in Western Lake Erie - The Great Lakes Commission will soon embark on a three-year effort in partnership with member states and the Province of Ontario to test water quality trading as a tool for improving water quality in the western basin of Lake Erie.

Bird sounds signal Great Lakes forest health

<> Bird sounds signal Great Lakes forest health - Birds reveal a great deal about the condition of a forest ecosystem, and form the basis of a new study "Sensitivity of breeding birds to the 'human footprint' in western Great Lakes forest landscapes." Sensitivity of breeding birds to the "human footprint" in western Great Lakes forest landscapes

COMMENTARY: Ballast bill would harm Great Lakes

<> COMMENTARY: Ballast bill would harm Great Lakes - The shipping industry's lobbyists have been pushing legislation that would exempt their ballast water discharges from the Clean Water Act -- this would shift the burden of invasive species away from them and onto the ones who benefit from healthy Great Lakes.

Waukesha's quest to divert Lake Michigan water challenged

<> Waukesha's quest to divert Lake Michigan water challenged - The Wisconsin Department of Natural Resources is opposed to Waukesha's quest to divert water from Lake Michigan, but the city argues that this is the only answer to a court order to improve water quality by June 2018 and to also meet demands for more water. City of Waukesha Water Diversion application

Battle building over fish farming in Great Lakes

<> Battle building over fish farming in Great Lakes - Penned fish farms like the ones being advocated for the Great Lakes can bring significant revenue to Michigan. But critics note they also allow fish waste to escape freely into surrounding water.

Get Involved in the World's Largest Shoreline Cleanup

<> Get Involved in the World's Largest Shoreline Cleanup - The Alliance for the Great Lakes and the Ocean Conservancy invite you to join hundreds of thousands of volunteers worldwide in cleaning up beaches and shorelines on Saturday, September 19, during the 2015 Adopt-a-Beach™ event held in Michigan and other Great Lakes states.

Editorial: Keep Great Lakes water at home

<> Editorial: Keep Great Lakes water at home - The Detroit News: Request by Wisconsin town to divert water from the lakes would compromise the multi-state pact to protect the resource -- unless Waukesha demonstrates a more compelling reason for removing the water, and a greater compliance with the rules of the compact governing such diversions, the request should be rejected.

Great Lakes Successes - Part 2

<> Great Lakes Successes – Part 2 - We've all made remarkable progress in the first five years of the Great Lakes Restoration Initiative (GLRI), much of it visible. [See Part 1]

El Nino has dramatic effect on Great Lakes ice cover

<> El Nino has dramatic effect on Great Lakes ice cover - This coming winter's ice cover on the Great Lakes may be a lot different from the past two years because of a strong El Nino that is expected to last into winter.

Great Lakes Successes Take Front & Center - Part 1

<> Great Lakes Successes Take Front & Center – Part 1 - It's official. The first five years of the precedent-setting Great Lakes Restoration Initiative are history -- and the Initiative has made history.

COMMENTARY: A tour of Lake Michigan, my inland sea

<> COMMENTARY: A tour of Lake Michigan, my inland sea - Chicago, sand dunes, a ferry crossing. A voyage around Lake Michigan reveals striking topography, time-worn communities and the reassuring permanence of an unchanging lake amid it all.