Great Lakes Echo (https://greatlakesecho.org/tag/great-lakes/page/9/)
Reports continue to show increasing traces of pharmaceuticals in the Great Lakes. Until recently, it has been commonplace to simply throw away or flush unused and unwanted drugs. The Yellow Jugs Old Drugs program offers a solution to this issue.
Gary Wilson takes a look at some of the common myths surrounding the Great Lakes and how they have come to be perceived as realities.
The impact of most of these “chemicals of emerging concern” on the health of people and aquatic life remains unclear, according to the International Joint Commission.
You can now track progress on restoring the Great Lakes at a new database provided by the Great Lakes Commission. It focuses on conservation plans implemented by the Great Lakes Restoration Initiative over the past three years, and includes several projects in each of the eight Great Lakes states. The initiative, which is managed by the Environmental Protection Agency, has received more than $220 million since 2010 for wildlife restoration. It has led to hundreds of different environmental endeavors ranging from turtle protection research in Michigan’s Upper Peninsula to a dam removal in eastern New York. The database contains fact sheets on all work from the Great Lakes Restoration Initiative.
Ontario Power Generation plans to store radioactive waste in an underground cavern near Lake Huron.
The storage site’s proximity to the lake has raised concern across the Great Lakes basin.
Regional language differences make for an interesting mapping project.
Lana Pollack, chair of the International Joint Commission’s U.S. delegation, discusses past victories and future challenges of cleaning up the Great Lakes.
The Great Lakes formed thousands of years ago when a glacier moved across the region and melted. The film “Project:Ice” depicts the important role ice continues to plays in the Great Lakes Basin. The documentary’s director and executive producer Bill Kleinert joined, WKAR’s Current State to discuss “Project: Ice.” To read more about the film, you can check out an article we published earlier this year about the documentary. Film explores Great Lakes region’s relationship with ice by EmanueleB
While playing small ball is necessary, we should reach higher. If the Great Lakes region was a country, it would have the fourth largest economy in the world.
It deserves world-class solutions to its problems.
High bacteria levels plague Great Lakes beaches by EmanueleB
Climate and infrastructure both play a role in beach health. Extreme weather events and old sewage systems are enabling bacteria to pollute Great Lakes beaches. According to a 2012 report by the Natural Resources Defense Council, bacterial levels measured in 2011 of Great Lakes beaches exceeded national recommended health standards more than beaches in any other region. Dr. Joan Rose is the Nowlin Endowed Chair of Water Research at Michigan State University. She joined Current State’s Mark Bashore to discuss beach health.