Great Lakes Daily News

Researchers at Central Michigan University are exploring the Great Lakes with the help of a brand-new submarine. CMU’s Institute for Great Lakes Research bought a two-person submersible with big plans for its future. Read the full story by WNEM-TV – Bay City, MI.

It’s estimated that nearly two-thirds of aquatic invasive species currently in the Great Lakes hitched a ride in the ballast water of cargo ships crossing the ocean. However, the same isn’t true of lakers, or ships that move exclusively within the Great Lakes. While the ballast water of these ships isn’t introducing new species, there’s a good chance it’s spreading invasive species throughout the lakes. Read the full story by Interlochen Public Radio.

The National Museum of the Great Lakes located in Toledo, Ohio will break ground on a 5,000-square-foot expansion Monday afternoon to provide additional space for temporary and traveling exhibits, new permanent exhibit spaces, and a community education center. Read the full story by the Toledo Blade.

To study the impacts of ice coverage, scientists at the University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee’s School of Freshwater Sciences have algae at the center of their research. Read the full story by Spectrum News.

When you walk along the beaches of Lake Erie, you’re going to see litter and a new report found that a lot of that trash is going to be plastic. On average, 86% of the litter collected in a given Adopt-a-Beach season is composed either partially or fully of plastic. Read the full story by Erie Times-News.

If you spend a lot of time on the water, you might be interested in becoming a water quality monitor. The MiCorps Cooperative Lake Monitoring Program is to help citizen scientists across the state collect water quality information, and other information about their lake’s health, to help understand what’s going on in their lake. Read the full story by WPBN-TV – Traverse City, MI.

H2Ohio’s agriculture incentive program is now being offered to producers throughout the state. H2Ohio’s agricultural program, which initially focused solely on farms located in northwest Ohio near Lake Erie, incentivizes farmers to implement science-based, proven best management practices to prevent nutrient runoff and improve water quality. Read the full story by Ohio Ag Net.

Lake sturgeon don’t need Endangered Species Act protections, federal wildlife officials announced Monday, saying that stocking programs have helped the prehistoric fish return to areas where they had vanished. Read the full story by WGHP-TV – Madison, WI.

Dozens of children of the water crisis — now teenagers and young adults — have turned their trauma into advocacy. They provide input on public health initiatives, participate in social issue campaigns, distribute filters and provide free water testing for homeowners. Read the full story by WHNT-TV – Flint, MI.

A robotic beach cleaning device has been procured to remove plastic waste along Lake Michigan beaches and inland lake beaches in Michigan. Currently, 26 beaches are slated to benefit from the robot’s services. Read the full story by the Petoskey News-Review.