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While there is no doubt that plastic straws are bad, another major polluter continues to fly under the radar: cigarette butts. During last year’s “Great Goderich Shoreline Cleanup” in Ontario alone, over 2,000 cigarette butts were collected. Read the full story by Bayshore Broadcasting. View the full article

Non-native freshwater jellyfish have been reported in Lake Erie, Lake Ontario, the St. Lawrence River, Lake Champlain, the Hudson River, Upper Susquehanna River, and a number of lakes and ponds in the Adirondacks. While they aren’t a danger to people, the ecological impact of freshwater jellyfish in the United States is unclear. Read the full story by New York Upstate. View the full article

Citizen scientists help researchers design a study, collect data for a study, analyze data, and report on the information gathered. In Northern Michigan, citizen scientists study streams, birds, and astronomy, among other topics. Read the full story by the Petoskey News-Review. View the full article

Thorne Swift Nature Preserve, a 30 acre tract managed by the Little Traverse Conservancy, includes a diverse ecosystem of cedar forests, cedar swamps, little streams, fresh-coast dunes, a wet meadow blanketed by flowering peppermint, and nearly 1,000 feet of sandy shoreline along Lake Michigan – everything that’s great about Northern Michigan in one place. Read the full story by MLive. View the full article

In Wisconsin, combined sanitary and storm sewers in central Milwaukee and eastern Shorewood started overflowing to local rivers and Lake Michigan on Wednesday evening after an intense downpour quickly filled the deep tunnel. Read the full story by the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel. View the full article

It’s been a year and half since last year’s major flooding along the Lake Ontario shoreline, and one lakefront homeowner still isn’t able to sleep in her own bed. Read the full story by WHAM-TV-Greece, NY. View the full article

At sunrise on Saturday, four seasoned open-water swimmers will start a 24-hour challenge in Lake Erie. The challenge aims to highlight threats to the lake’s ecosystem, such as plastic pollution and phosphorous-fueled algae blooms. Read the full story by Global News. View the full article

It is reassuring news that Andrew Wheeler, the new administrator for the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, supports the Great Lakes Restoration Initiative and its $300 million annual budget. Read the full story by the Toledo Blade. View the full article

Visitors to beaches in Berrien County, Michigan can look back on fun summer memories and also know that the water they played in was clean. The head of the health department’s environmental health division, reported on the results of testing for E. coli in Lake Michigan along 14 beaches. Read the full story by the Herald Palladium. View the full article

Of 240 Lake Erie water snakes tested for the fungus in 2017, 180 of them — a whopping 75 percent — tested positive. Read the full story by the Toledo Blade. View the full article

Kayakers looking for the next cool spot to dip their paddles can now set their sights a little farther off Michigan’s coastline. The new Beaver Island Water Trail made its debut this summer, and its adventure-ready amenities were years in the making. Read the full story by MLive. View the full article

Lake Superior rose a little more than usual in August but remains below last year’s near-record water levels, the International Lake Superior Board of Control reported recently. Read the full story by the Duluth News-Tribune. View the full article

Sunday, November 18, marks the 60th anniversary of the loss of Great Lakes freighter Carl D. Bradley in upper Lake Michigan. Frank Mays, the sole living Bradley survivor, appears as a guest speaker, answering questions and signing copies of his book, “If We Make It ’til Daylight: The Story of Frank Mays.” Read the full story by Grosse Pointe News. View the full article

This year’s preliminary results of the Department of Environmental Conservation’s catch rate survey for Chinook salmon on Lake Ontario serve as a reminder of the potential of a properly managed fishery. Read the full story Poughkeepsie Journal. View the full article

Extreme underwater photographer Becky Schott has been traveling around the Great Lakes capturing stunning images of shipwrecks. Read the full story by WWTV-TV-Cadillac, MI. View the full article

A recent economic study detailed the impact of Michigan’s only shipping port on Lake Erie. The Port of Monroe was responsible for more than $96 million in economic activity in 2017, a recent report states. Read the full story by The Monroe News. View the full article

Over 4,000 miles of Great Lakes shoreline assessed by the Environmental Protection Agency have been deemed impaired. A new EPA report found miles of Great Lakes shoreline and open water are contaminated by PCBs, dioxin, mercury, and pesticides. Read and listen to the full story by WKAR-Lansing, MI. View the full article

Democrats in the Michigan State Legislature are calling for action on the growing PFAS contamination crisis in Michigan, including movement on legislation to change the state drinking water standard to reduce the allowable concentration of PFAS in drinking water. Read the full story by Michigan Radio. View the full article

As gubernatorial candidates in the Great Lakes states lay out their policy platforms before the November election, there are few details onto how each candidate plans to address environmental and Great Lakes issues. Read the full story from Great Lakes Now. View the full article

Scientists from the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration are using an unmanned underwater vessel to rapidly assess changing cyanobacteria concentrations in Lake Erie. Read the full story by WTOL-TV – Toledo, OH. View the full article

A new campaign led by states and businesses seeks to grow cruise ship tourism in the Great Lakes. Ports and cities are preparing to welcome new visitors as soon as next year. Read the full story by the Superior Telegram. View the full article

A group of maritime archaeologists recovered artifacts from a 1944 plane crash site of a Tuskegee Airman in Lake Huron. The artifacts will be cleaned in Alpena, Michigan, and then displayed at the Tuskegee Airmen Museum in Detroit. Read the full story by WBKB-TV – Alpena, MI. View the full article

There were 12 drownings in the Great Lakes during the Labor Day weekend, the highest since the Great Lakes Surf Rescue Project began tracking Great Lakes drownings in 2010. Read the full story by the Northwest Indiana Times. View the full article

The Great Lakes Compact restricts water diversions outside of the Great Lakes basin. Recent challenges to the Compact will determine if it can effectively restrict future demands for water from distant communities and businesses. Read the full story by Bridge Magazine. View the full article

The Michigan Department of Health and Human Services expanded a “do not eat” fish warning to include Lake Erie following recent revelations about elevated levels of PFOS chemicals in the Huron River in Michigan, which flows into Lake Erie. Read the full story by the News-Herald. View the full article