Bruce Beach Canada

The plastic pollution problem is widespread in the Great Lakes region. At a beach cleanup at Chicago’s North Avenue beach in May of 2024 participants picked up litter including lots of bits of plastic. Read the full story by Environment Illinois.

The Superior Watershed Program’s Lake Superior Volunteer Corps teamed up with the Great Lakes Climate Corps and community volunteers to clean up the new city pier in Marquette, Michigan. Volunteers pulled weeds and invasive plants from the area while planting native flowers and seeds. Read the full story by the WLUC – Marquette, MI.

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This year’s Lake Erie algal bloom — which NOAA announced yesterday is expected to be a moderate one — broke from tradition and started growing near the Monroe, Michigan, shoreline days ago. Most of the past outbreaks began in the Maumee Bay near Toledo. Read the full story by the Blade.

Volunteers and invasive species prevention partners will be greeting Wisconsin boaters at boat landings from June 26 through July 6. This effort is to educate people about simple clean-up steps to prevent the spread of aquatic invasive species through the Great Lakes Landing Blitz. Read the full story by WJFW-TV – Rhinelander, WI.

Sandy Bihn with Lake Erie Waterkeeper talks with WTOL-TV about efforts that have been made to keep Lake Erie healthy following the water crisis 10 years ago. Read the full story by WTOL-TV – Toledo, OH.

The Ohio Legislature is investing $20 million into the North Coast Connector that, according to a Cleveland press release, is going to support a land bridge between downtown and the Lake Erie shoreline. Read the full story by Spectrum News 1.

The shore near Holland, Michigan, was recently hit by a meteotsunami, a series of large waves caused by storms moving faster than 35 miles per hour, causing rapid changes in atmospheric pressure. Read the full story by the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel.

The Great Lakes water levels are on their normal seasonal rise and are not forecasted to have any major rises or dips. With the Great Lakes stable, there are no foreseeable problems in store for boating conditions, the ecosystem, or aquatic life. Read the full story by WPBN-TV – Traverse City, MI.

In 2019, Ohio created H2Ohio to teach farmers water quality practices and reduce the runoff of phosphorus into Lake Erie. But advocates say the lake’s problems are larger than just phosphorus run-off; they also include factory farms. Read the full story by WTOL-TV – Toledo, OH.

During a meeting earlier this month in New York state, an Oswego County official provided a detailed overview of what the designation of the eastern portion of Lake Ontario as a marine sanctuary would actually mean for the area. The official described national marine sanctuaries as America’s underwater version of national parks. Read the full story by Oswego County News Now.

Whitefish, a pale, silvery and green-brown freshwater fish, is native to the Great Lakes Basin and a staple in the community, food, and culture of Indigenous Nations surrounding the Great Lakes. Read the full story by Great Lakes Now.