After nearly a decade of waiting, Oswego County, New York, is celebrating the designation of the Lake Ontario National Marine Sanctuary and inviting the public to join in the festivities. Read the full story by Oswego County News Now.
Fertilizer made from city sewage has been spread on millions of acres of farmland for decades in states across the country, including Michigan. Scientists say this fertilizer can contain high levels of PFAS, and the national scale of farmland contamination by these chemicals is only now starting to become apparent. Read the full story by The New York Times.
The remains of the 131-year-old Minnehaha shipwreck are easy to spot as they peek out of the sand along the Lake Michigan shoreline in Manistee County, Michigan. The Minnehaha ran aground and was broken apart by waves in October 1893. Read the full story by MLive.
Hydrilla, a rapidly growing invasive plant that’s prohibited in Ontario, has been discovered for the first time in Canada in the Hillman Marsh Conservation Area in Leamington, Ontario. Read the full story by CBC News.
Ludington State Park is known for its seven miles of sandy Lake Michigan beachfront, an iconic lighthouse, and a one-mile stretch of the Big Sable River, popular for fishing, paddling and tubing. It’s one of Michigan’s most popular state parks, and it’s now getting $3.2 million in upgrades. Read the full story by MLive.
Cleveland Metroparks in Ohio, along with partners, recently unveiled plans to open a state-of-the-art community sailing center, aimed at increasing lakefront access for residents and breaking down barriers to the sport. Read the full story by Spectrum News.
Michigan environmental advocates are hailing a “groundbreaking” settlement to a civil rights complaint filed with state regulators over the expansion of a hazardous waste facility in Detroit. The settlement requires EGLE to deny a license to a hazardous waste facility, including the renewal of a license, if it will have an “unlawful impact on human health and the environment.” Read the full story by Great Lakes Now.
An ultra swimmer nicknamed The Shark was back on shore Wednesday, having given up on yet another quest to cross Lake Michigan after 40 hours in the water. Read the full story by The Associated Press.
Drownings in Michigan this summer have once again put a spotlight on water safety in a state with the nation’s longest freshwater coastline and an abundance of inland lakes. As of Thursday, the Great Lakes Surf Rescue Project has tracked 77 Great Lakes drownings in 2024 compared to 85 Great Lakes drownings from last year. Read the full story by The Detroit Free Press.
Residents and advocacy groups are asking the federal government for a hearing to try to stop the Palisades nuclear plant in Southwest Michigan on Lake Michigan, officially shut down in 2022, from reopening. No closed nuclear plant has ever reopened. Read the full story by Michigan Public.
The search and recovery team that found a crash victim and airplane lost 17 years ago in Lake Huron said it’s hoping to help even more people find their lost loved ones. Great Lakes Search and Recovery, a nonprofit that searches for people lost in the water, tries to bring closure to families. Read the full story by CBS News.
The Lake Michigan yellow perch population remains very low, and angler catches are far below historical averages. The drops are linked to the arrival of zebra and quagga mussels in the 1990s. Read the full story by the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel.