Water

Former Great Lakes official appointed to EPA advisory board

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The former director of Michigan’s Office of the Great Lakes has been appointed to a board that advises the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency how to lower the cost of environmental protection. G. Tracy Mehan, now a principal with the Cadmus Group Inc., was recently appointed to EPA’s Environmental Financial Advisory Board. The panel also provides EPA with advice on increasing investments in environmental and public health protection. Mehan was director of Michigan’s Office of the Great Lakes from 1993 to 2001. As EPA’s assistant administrator for water from 2001 to 2003, he directed programs that administered the Safe Drinking water Act and Clean Water Act.

Water

Photo Friday: Satellite view of ice melting on Lake Baikal

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Russia’s Lake Baikal is the deepest lake in the world and holds more freshwater than all of the North American Great Lakes. This shot featured on NASA’s Earth Observatory was taken from the International Space Station on April 22. Much of the lake is covered with ice. The brightest point reflects the sun from where the ice has begun to melt, according to NASA.  

Water

Short’s Brewing ties seasonal beers to Clean Water Campaign

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Short’s Brewing Company in Bellaire, Mich. released its American Double IPA “Superfluid” this spring. (Photo: Short’s Brewing Company)Short’s Brewing Co. in Bellaire, Mich. is using the creation of one of its popular summer beers to draw attention to an oil pipeline that the company fears could taint the waters of the Great Lakes.

Water

Photo Friday: Manitowoc Breakwater Lighthouse

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This picture of a perfectly clear sunrise over Lake Michigan was taken by Catherine Egger in Manitowoc, Wisc. during the summer of 2013. The city of Manitowoc is about 40 miles southeast of Green Bay, and the lighthouse in the distance is the Manitowac Breakwater Lighthouse, which has been a part of the shoreline for over 100 years. Have a photo to submit for our Photo Friday series? Send it to us on Facebook or Twitter, or in an email to greatlakesecho@gmail.com.

Water

Sales from specialty Ohio license plates help clean Lake Erie

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Sales from specialized license plates in Ohio are resulting in $60,000 in grants to help clean up the state’s only Great Lake. A pair of Ohio’s plates raised money for the Lake Erie Protection Fund, which was established to finance research and implementation projects to protect and restore Lake Erie and its watershed. One plate featured the  Lake Erie “life ring,” while the other showcased Marblehead Lighthouse, a state landmark north of Sandusky across the Sandusky Bay. The plates are sold for an additional $25, with $15 of that going to protecting Lake Erie. According to the Ohio Lake Erie Commission, the $60,000 raised will be spent on four separate projects totaling $15,000 each.

Water

Michigan Gov. Rick Snyder: ‘atmosphere of crisis’ needed for faster action on Asian carp

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Editor’s note: Great Lakes Echo commentator Gary Wilson sat down with Michigan Gov. Rick Snyder in Chicago for a one-on-one interview Friday. Here’s Wilson’s take on what the governor had to say. Michigan Gov. Rick Snyder brought his Great Lakes message to Chicago today as the region’s governors gathered in Chicago for an annual meeting. Snyder co-chairs the Council of Great Lakes Governors with Illinois Gov. Pat Quinn. The two executives revived the dormant governors group on Mackinac Island last year and the Chicago meeting is an attempt to maintain momentum.