Bruce Beach Canada

Last winter, the ponds in the park where marbled crayfish – a Great Lakes invasive species – were first discovered in Ontario were drained in hopes that the crayfish would freeze to death. But that didn’t happen, likely thanks to the unseasonably warm weather and their burrowing ability. Now the Invading Species Awareness Program of the Ontario Federation of Anglers and Hunters has launched a regional sweep from Ottawa to Windsor. Read the full story by Great Lakes Now.

A 15-year-old piping plover, known by researchers as Of,gb:X,Y, or “Gabby,” was confirmed this week as having once again migrated from her wintering grounds in Cumberland Island, Georgia, to the Sleeping Bear Dunes National Lakeshore in Michigan for another summer breeding season. Read the full story by MLive.

A project that helps prevent plastic pollution from entering Lake Superior and Thunder Bay’s local waterways is receiving $45,000 in funding from Ontario. Cutting-edge catch basin filters called LittaTraps will be placed at city parks, waterfront areas and parking lots to capture microplastics before they enter marine ecosystems. Read the full story by CBC News.

The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency kicked off an $84 million dredging project in the lower Rouge River around Zug Island in southeast Michigan this month, aiming to remove the pollution that makes the Rouge one of the most toxic sites in the Great Lakes. Read the full story by The Detroit News.

A cutting-edge, high-efficiency cement carrier will make its way to the Great Lakes next year. According to Eureka Shipping, the state-of-the-art mechanical/pneumatic cement ship is designed to replace two older vessels while maintaining the same cargo capacity. Read the full story by the Welland Tribune.