New research gives a clearer picture of where oil might go if Line 5 breaks open in the Great Lakes

<> New research gives a clearer picture of where oil might go if Line 5 breaks open in the Great Lakes – 3/31/16. The University of Michigan's Water Center released new computer simulations -- the simulations show that up to 152 miles of coastline in Lakes Huron and Michigan could be hit by a single oil spill from Line 5. When all 840 simulated spills are plotted on a map, a total of 720 miles of shoreline in the U.S. and Canada are considered at risk. More than 700 miles of Great Lakes shoreline potentially vulnerable to Straits of Mackinac oil spills

New study highlights expense of battling invasive species

<> New study highlights expense of battling invasive species - A University of Wisconsin-Madison study concludes that the estimated cost of controlling a single invasive species, the spiny waterflea, in just one lake could range from $86.5 million to $163 million over 20 years.

USDA Launches $41 Million Initiative to Improve Water Quality for Western Lake Erie Basin

<> USDA Launches $41 Million Initiative to Improve Water Quality for Western Lake Erie Basin - Agriculture Secretary Tom Vilsack announced that USDA's Natural Resources Conservation Service (NRCS) will invest $41 million in a three-year initiative to support the work of farmers in Ohio, Michigan and Indiana to improve water quality in the Western Lake Erie Basin (WLEB) -- the initiative helps farmers and ranchers implement science-based conservation measures to reduce runoff from farms entering the region's waterways.

Soo Locks opens, 2016 shipping season gets underway

<> Soo Locks opens, 2016 shipping season gets underway - The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, Detroit District, announced the Soo Locks in Sault Ste. Marie, MI, opened Friday, March 25, marking the beginning of the 2016 Great Lakes shipping season.

Summary of First Year of Ohio Department of Higher Education Harmful Algal Bloom Research Initiative

<> Summary of First Year of Ohio Department of Higher Education Harmful Algal Bloom Research Initiative - Ohio Sea Grant, on behalf of The Ohio State University, the University of Toledo and the Ohio Department of Higher Education (ODHE), has released the annual report for the first year of funding for the Harmful Algal Bloom Research Initiative (HABRI), which seeks solutions for harmful algal blooms in Ohio.

Ontario's Great Lakes Strategy First Progress Report

<> Ontario's Great Lakes Strategy First Progress Report - The progress report outlines some of the key accomplishments and new scientific findings established during the first three years of Ontario's Great Lakes Strategy -- actions across 14 different Great Lakes ministries and numerous partners, including First Nation and Métis communities, municipalities, conservation authorities, environmental organizations, the science community, and the industrial, agricultural, recreational and tourism sectors.

EPA Announces $1 Million in Pollution Prevention Funding for Great Lakes States

<> EPA Announces $1 Million in Pollution Prevention Funding for Great Lakes States - U.S. EPA is announcing approximately $1 million in funding to support pollution prevention work in Illinois, Indiana, Michigan, Minnesota, Ohio and Wisconsin.

Area residents urged to help lower phosphorus load in Maumee River to prevent algae blooms in Lake Erie

<> Area residents urged to help lower phosphorus load in Maumee River to prevent algae blooms in Lake Erie - The Great Lakes Water Quality Agreement calls for residents of the Maumee River basin to reduce phosphorus levels reaching Lake Erie by 40 percent by 2025, and it will take a community effort to achieve it.

EPA approves pheromone pesticide for invasive lampreys

<> EPA approves pheromone pesticide for invasive lampreys - The pesticide is a synthesized version of the lamprey's mating pheromone, which can be used to attract male and female lampreys into traps or unsuitable breeding grounds.

Conservation Groups Urge Governors to Veto Waukesha Diversion

<> Conservation Groups Urge Governors to Veto Waukesha Diversion - Over 40 bi-national conservation groups from across the Great Lakes submitted comments to the Regional Body and Compact Council urging the Great Lakes Governors to deny the first application for a Great Lakes diversion under the Great Lakes Compact -- it was the last day for the public to comment on this proposal. [letter included] Protect Our Great Lakes website – background, documents and news

Increasing levels of flame retardants in smallmouth bass threaten Lake Erie fish consumers

<> Increasing levels of flame retardants in smallmouth bass threaten Lake Erie fish consumers - Levels of hazardous flame retardants in most Great Lakes fish are declining - or at least researchers thought they were. But a new study shows that this isn't the case for Lake Erie smallmouth bass. . .

Great Lakes ice cover: See the dramatic difference a year makes

<> Great Lakes ice cover: See the dramatic difference a year makes - What a difference a year can make when it comes to weather on the Great Lakes. That also means ice cover can vary greatly.

Water Policy Expert Anticipates Canada Will Block Waukesha's Great Lakes Application

<> Water Policy Expert Anticipates Canada Will Block Waukesha's Great Lakes Application - If the Great Lakes states approve the diversion, Canada will use the treaty rights to veto a diversion -- the director of the Center for Water Policy at UW-Milwaukee's School of Freshwater Sciences, Jenny Kehl, says the pending decision on Waukesha's request to divert Great Lakes water will have national significance. Opposition mounts against Wisconsin town's request for Great Lakes water

Action Alert: Sign-on Letter Circulates to Restore Great Lakes Funding

<> Action Alert: Sign-on Letter Circulates to Restore Great Lakes Funding - With cuts to Great Lakes Restoration Initiative funding in President Obama's budget request for FY 2017, members of the U.S. House of Representatives are circulating a dear colleague letter to restore funding.

Enbridge Over Troubled Water - The Enbridge GXL System's Threat to the Great Lakes

<> Enbridge Over Troubled Water - The Enbridge GXL System's Threat to the Great Lakes - issued by the Sierra Club and 17 environmental and indigenous organizations last month -- extensive investigation notes that many of Enbridge's pipelines already carry syncrude from destructive tar sands mining and heavy toxic tar sands oil that would have been carried by the rejected Keystone XL pipeline.

Report: U.S., Michigan face dire consequences if Soo Locks fail

<> Report: U.S., Michigan face dire consequences if Soo Locks fail - A U.S. Department of Homeland Security report indicates a 6-month shutdown of the Poe Lock in Sault Ste. Marie, if one occurred, would plunge the nation into recession, closing factories and mines, halting auto and appliance production in the U.S. for most of a year and result in the loss of some 11 million jobs across the nation.

Who is the Great Lakes candidate? Groups ask support for region's interest

<> Who is the Great Lakes candidate? Groups ask support for region's interest - The interstate Great Lakes Commission joined a platform this week seeking commitment from whomever wins the election to maintain funding for the Great Lakes Restoration Initiative (GLRI) that funds habitat projects, pollution cleanup and fights invasive species through grants to state and local agencies. Healing Our Waters-Great Lakes Coalition Great Lakes Protection and Restoration Presidential Platform

Nature Conservancy of Canada aims to protect more Lake Superior shoreline

<> Nature Conservancy of Canada aims to protect more Lake Superior shoreline - The Nature Conservancy of Canada wants to buy a chunk of Lake Superior shoreline, near Thunder Bay, Ont., but first it needs to raise $8.5 million to do so.

Michigan Sea Grant Supports Great Lakes Clean Marina Programs

<> Michigan Sea Grant Supports Great Lakes Clean Marina Programs - Michigan Sea Grant, as coordinator of the Great Lakes Clean Marina Network, recently provided small grants to support the administration of Great Lakes Clean Marina Programs in 2016 -- made possible by the Great Lakes Restoration Initiative.