Great Lakes Commission Semiannual Meeting and Great Lakes Day

<> Great Lakes Commission Semiannual Meeting and Great Lakes Day - The Great Lakes Commission Semiannual Meeting and Great Lakes Day in Washington, D.C., will take place Feb 23-25, 2016 -- events will feature dialogue on Great Lakes priorities by regional leaders and members of Congress who play a critical role in shaping Great Lakes policies.

2016 Great Lakes ice cover passes 10 percent

<> 2016 Great Lakes ice cover passes 10 percent - Ice cover on the Great Lakes passed 10 percent this week, but researchers say there's little chance the historic ice cover and thickness the region experienced over the last two winters is likely to make a three-peat.

Group Says IJC Diversion Report "Game-Changing"

<> Group Says IJC Diversion Report "Game-Changing" - [see previous WIMS report] Michigan water and environmental lawyer Jim Olson, President of FLOW (For Love of Water), a Traverse City-based Great Lakes water policy center, said, "The IJC report and the in-depth consultants' report not only document the success of the Agreement and Compact among the provinces and states to ban diversions and control consumptive uses to protect and conserve the waters and ecosystem in the Basin, it also spotlights the importance for governments to consider implementing a new game-changing, public trust principle as a 'backdrop' to safeguard the Great Lakes and citizens -- it will prevent the Agreement and Compact from being undermined by possible political, economic, or uncertain or unexpected natural forces." FLOW's Public Trust Report on the Great Lakes to IJC

IJC Hails Progress by Governments in Protecting Great Lakes from Diversions

<> IJC Hails Progress by Governments in Protecting Great Lakes from Diversions - The International Joint Commission (IJC) commended federal, state and provincial governments in the Great Lakes Basin for making enormous strides toward protecting the Great Lakes from water diversions and managing consumptive uses.  Protection of the Waters of the Great Lakes - IJC 2015 Review of the Recommendations from the February 2000 Report – a Report to the Governments of Canada and the United States

Mild winter keeps Great Lakes' water levels up

<> Mild winter keeps Great Lakes' water levels up - Michigan's mild start to winter has Great Lakes levels doing strange things. December saw record amounts of precipitation in many parts of the Great Lakes basin, but in the form of rain and water levels that typically decline stayed constant, or even rose.

Great Lakes and Mississippi River Interbasin Study (GLMRIS) Newsletter

<> Great Lakes and Mississippi River Interbasin Study (GLMRIS) Newsletter - In the issue: Meet the new program, project managers - Brandon Road update - Eagle Marsh update - Partner news US Fish and Wildlife Service

Solutions to Lake Erie Algae Blooms, Providing Safe Drinking Water

<> Solutions to Lake Erie Algae Blooms, Providing Safe Drinking Water - The Environmental Law & Policy Center's Executive Director Howard Learner authored an article in The River Network's online publication River Voices [beginning on page 23].