(NY) Buffalo Rising – Anyone who lives on the shores of the Great Lakes knows that the waves are not the only powerful force in these ecosystems. From the days of shipping grain and coal on sailing vessels like schooners to the wind driven waves of Great Lakes surfers today, the wind is an undeniable feature of Great Lakes ecosystems and communities. Read the rest of this article »
Red areas have habitats most vulnerable to a changing climate. Click to enlarge. Image: Dana Infante, Peter Esselman, Li Wang
By Andrew Norman
Feb. 9, 2010
Facing an inhospitable habitat, fish either have to move or die, says Bryan Pijanowski, a Purdue University associate professor of forestry and natural resources.
“Some of the fish live in aquatic systems that are completely compartmentalized — they’re dammed off,” he says. “So they can’t move.”
Models show how global climate change also changes how land is used on global
Click map to see facilities that use wood as a fuel source in Wisconsin.
By Rachael Gleason
Feb. 8, 2010
The Great Lakes region receives 4 percent of its energy needs from biomass resources, according to a regional biomass energy program. But some estimates put the potential for biomass at 15 to 20 percent.
Biomass resources include wood and other organic materials. People switch to wood energy to replace fossil fuels and reduce greenhouse gas emissions.
The University of Tennessee mapped industrial facilities using biomass power. For the Great Lakes region, see: Minnesota, Wisconsin, Illinois, Indiana, Michigan, Ohio, Pennsylvania and New York. And in Canada, see Ontario.
By Brandon Howell
Feb. 7, 2010
LANSING, Mich. – Michigan environmental agencies hope Monday’s White House Asian carp summit will prompt the closing of the Chicago Sanitary and Ship canal to the invaders.
Read the rest of this article »
Too many Lake Ontario Chinook salmon threaten the survival of the alewives they eat. Photo: GLERL
By Jeff Gillies
Feb. 5, 2010
(UPDATE: Michael Connerton, co-author of the research written about here, responded by email Monday to points he thought were omitted or exaggerated. Specific criticisms have been added in italics below. See more discussion of this article at Lake Ontario United.)
A biological balancing act between the premier Great Lakes sportfish and its prey could be at a tipping point in Lake Ontario.
Chinook salmon are the foundation of the Lake Ontario recreational fishery, which is worth $76 million to New York alone. But new research shows that the popular predators could be so abundant in the lake that there may not be enough alewives – the Chinook’s main prey fish – to go around.
(NY) The New York Times - A 59-year-old dairy farmer killed his cows and himself last month in Copake, N.Y., highlighting the struggles of many dairymen reeling from last year’s disastrous drop in prices. Read the rest of this article »
By Haley Walker
Feb. 3, 2010
Surfer at Lake Michigan's Grand Haven Pier. Photo: Ingrid Lindfors.
As a father and as a resident of Grand Haven, Mich., Vince Deur said it’s natural for him to care about the future of the Great Lakes.
But that’s not what brought him in front of Congress last year to talk about water quality.
Deur is a surfer and founder of the Lake Michigan Chapter of the Surfrider Foundation, a nonprofit group linking surfers to environmental causes.
The organization has 90 chapters and 50,000 members worldwide. Deur’s chapter represents those who surf miles from any ocean.
Last February, Deur was asked by the Healing Our Waters Coalition, a group working to restore the Great Lakes, to lobby in Washington, D.C. on Great Lakes Day. He was the only surfer among 100 business leaders, lobbyists and activists discussing the restoration and protection of the lakes on Capitol Hill. (See surfing video below) Read the rest of this article »
By Josh Garvey
Feb. 2, 2010
LANSING – Amid concern and confusion over Asian carp possibly finding their way into the Great Lakes, many experts involved in the controversy agree that other invasive species are likely to show up too. Read the rest of this article »
(NY) The New York Times – It seems every decade here has its own restaging of the same environmental horror story. It began with the old DuPont munitions plant that left behind a trail of lead and mercury, contaminated soil and water and a plume of toxic vapor still capable of leaking into at least 450 houses. The story has no end in sight. Read the rest of this article »
Click map to see Pennsylvania's Superfund sites.
By Rachael Gleason
Feb. 1, 2010
Hazardous waste sites in Great Lakes states make up a third of the nation’s total, according to an investigation by the Center for Public Integrity.
The Washington-based watchdog journalism group compiled a series of mashups to illustrate the spatial extent of Superfund sites.
Here are links to each state’s mashup: Minnesota, Wisconsin, Illinois, Indiana, Michigan, Ohio, Pennsylvania and New York. Read the rest of this article »
