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Record summer heat killing more fish
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Summer fish kills are not unusual.
Heat and drought means less oxygen is dissolved in water.
This year there is more of both in the Great Lakes region, resulting in more fish kill reports than usual.
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Rachel Carson’s Silent Spring echoes at MSU Museum
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Fifty years after the publication of Rachel Carson’s famed Silent Spring, the Michigan State University Museum is taking a closer look at the book that many believe launched the environmental movement.
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Human “oil spill” protests pipeline expansion
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Investigators recently reported that Enbridge Inc. failed to adequately respond to a 2010 oil spill into Michigan’s Kalamazoo River. Activists at the state capitol protested the company’s plan to replace and expand the ruptured pipeline.
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Map of Great Lakes currents helps lake lovers stay safe
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An animated map of Great Lakes currents can help lake-goers interpret the speed and direction of currents in any location. “We are trying to provide information so people can learn about circulation in the lakes and get a sense for how frequently it changes,” said David Schwab, an oceanographer at the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration. The administration recently released the map to provide information that is a little less technical, Schwab said. Users can either view the surface current map or the depth-averaged current map. Surface currents change frequently due to wind conditions, Schwab said.
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Coyotes, lamprey and bears, oh my!
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Tips to avoid an animal attack – with a Great Lakes twist.
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Michigan bill may loosen critical sand dune protection
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It would be easier for property owners to build in Lake Michigan and Lake Superior sand dunes under a bill before Michigan lawmakers.
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Internet provides easy access to Great Lakes beach closures
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It is now easier than ever for people to find out if a Great Lakes beach is safe for swimming. Excluding New York, all of the Great Lakes states have websites dedicated to statewide beach closure information, so people can better avoid possible sickness. “The source of the data comes from all of the local health departments that collect water samples, get them tested, then report results according to public health code,” said Shannon Briggs, toxicologist at the Michigan Department of Environmental Quality. Many of these websites are a result of funding from the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency’s BEACH act grants. Grants have been given to eligible Great Lakes states since Congress passed the Beaches Environmental Assessment and Coastal Health act in 2000 to improve beach monitoring and notification programs.
All of the Great Lakes states were given around $220,000 this year in BEACH act grants, according to the agency’s website.
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Great Lakes cities smash long-time heat records
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Thirty-eight cities in the Great Lakes region and 104 nationwide knocked out serious long-standing heat records this year.
Three Great Lakes states are among the nation’s four fastest warming states over the past 43 years.
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Tour a Thunder Bay shipwreck without getting wet
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Calling all shipwreck enthusiasts! Always wanted to explore an underwater shipwreck but not a fan of getting wet? This Saturday is your lucky day. Anyone with an Internet connection will have access to an underwater shipwreck tour at the Thunder Bay National Marine Sanctuary in Alpena, Mich. Saturday.
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Feds to provide $10 million in funding for Great Lakes phosphorus reduction programs
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Federal officials are giving out $10 million in grants to reduce phosphorus in the Great Lakes. The element is tied to the production of algae, which can be toxic to wildlife and people. The funding is part of the Great Lakes Restoration Initiative, launched in 2010 to tackle a diverse set of environmental problems.
High levels of phosphorus are often due to farm runoff and poorly treated sewage, according to the initiative’s action plan. The grants are aimed at farmers who are looking for more efficient conservation programs for their land and nearby water sources. The U.S. Department of Agriculture Natural Resources Conservation Service is the primary agency administering the grants aimed at phosphorus reduction.