Tag Archives: Great Lakes

Shoreline shipwreck viewing predicted to be excellent this summer

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By Jim DuFresne
Capital News Service

LANSING – Some trails break out of the woods at a lake. Some climb a dune to a sweeping view.

And many – more than you probably thought – lead to a shipwreck with a story on a beach.

This summer could be excellent for shoreline shipwreck viewing as the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers predicts that the water level of lakes Michigan and Huron could be almost 2 feet below the record highs set in 2020.

Michigan’s fascinating maritime history is not limited to old lighthouses or restored life-saving stations.

 

Remains of the Francisco Morazan off South Manitou Island at Sleeping Bear Dunes National Lakeshore.
Jim DuFresne, MichiganTrailMaps.com.Remains of the Francisco Morazan off South Manitou Island at Sleeping Bear Dunes National Lakeshore.

The state is blessed with accessible shipwrecks that don’t require an air tank or a wetsuit to view – only a pair of hiking boots, a paddle or a snorkel and mask.

The heart of shipwreck territory is Sleeping Bear Dunes National Lakeshore, but there are others, including a wreck in Thompson’s Harbor State Park in Presque Isle County and more off the shore of the Upper Peninsula’s Pictured Rocks National Lakeshore.

Michigan’s shoreline wrecks are constantly evolving, depending on wave action, shifting sand and Great Lake water levels.

High and dry for easy viewing this summer will be one of Michigan’s newest exposed wrecks, the Jennie and Annie.

The 137-foot schooner, built in 1863, was rounding Sleeping Bear Point in November 1872 when gale-force winds pushed it into the shallows and reefs of Lake Michigan’s notorious Manitou Passage. The ship, its 10-member crew and a cargo of corn were driven aground 9 miles south near Empire. Only three crew members survived.

Gone forever? Hardly. For the past two summers, a substantial piece of the hull has been visible on a Sleeping Bear Dunes National Lakeshore beach.

Here is a landlubber’s guide to other great Michigan shipwrecks:

City of Boston: Built in Cleveland in 1863, this 136-foot-long wooden steamer also featured a mast – and a history of bad luck.

In 1868, it collided with another steamer and sank in the Straits of Mackinac. When the steamship was raised 125 feet two years later, it was the deepest salvage ever attempted in the Great Lakes up to that time.

After being rebuilt in Cleveland, the ship returned to service as a stream barge, only to finally meet its end on Nov. 4, 1873, during a storm with blinding snow.

It was hauling flour and corn when it ran aground on a sand bar just off Green Point Dunes Nature Preserve in Benzie County. The raging surf quickly broke the hull, and the crew abandoned ship.
The ship’s remains are west of the preserve’s beach access stairway, 150 to 200 feet from shore, depending on water levels. It’s angled in 7 to 8 feet of water, with its stern buried in the sand bar and its bow occasionally less than 4 feet below the lake’s surface. It’s easy snorkeling, and visitors can see the outline of the bow in clear water from the preserve’s second observation deck.

James McBride: Sleeping Bear Dunes National Lakeshore is a graveyard for shipwrecks, including this 121-foot brig built in 1848 and lost in October 1857. A November storm in 2014 washed up a 43-foot-long section of the James McBride, making it the largest shipwreck ever to appear on the park’s shoreline.

Francisco Morazan: On Nov. 27, 1960, this Liberian freighter left Chicago bound for Holland with 940 tons of cargo, a crew of 13, its captain and his pregnant wife.

Remains of a wreck at Lake Superior’s AuSable Reef as seen from a Pictured Rocks National Lakeshore trail.
Jim DuFresne, MichiganTrailMaps.com.Remains of a wreck at Lake Superior’s AuSable Reef as seen from a Pictured Rocks National Lakeshore trail.

The next day, the ship ran into 40-mile-per-hour winds, snow and fog that made for a virtual whiteout.

The captain thought he was rounding Beaver Island, more than 100 miles away, when he ran aground on the south side of South Manitou Island.

A Coast Guard cutter and helicopter rescued the 15 people, but left the wreck behind to be forever battered by Lake Michigan.

Today it’s the most popular destination for campers on the island. The wreck is also popular with kayakers who bring their boats over on the ferry.


American Union: This 186-foot, three-masted schooner was one of the largest sailing ships to work the Great Lakes when launched in 1862. Its size ultimately led to its demise when it encountered a fatal storm in 1894 that grounded it at Thompson’s Harbor State Park, northwest of Alpena. The crew was saved, and today the wreckage rests a quarter-mile from shore in 10 feet of crystal-clear Lake Huron water.

The remains of the hull offer viewing opportunities for snorkelers and kayakers.

AuSable Reef Wrecks: From Pictured Rocks National Lakeshore’s Hurricane River Campground, visitors can head east on the Lakeshore Trail and pass several wrecks, then end up at the AuSable Light Station built to protect the ships.

The first wreck, the Mary Jarecki, lies just outside the campground. The wooden bulk freighter was carrying iron ore and grounded on the AuSable Reef in July 1883. When other boats couldn’t tow it off, the ship was left to be battered by Lake Superior.

Its remains are just offshore and are challenging to see if there is a chop on the lake surface. 

But a hike further down the trail leads to timbers and ironwork from two wrecks half-buried in the sand.

The first is the Sitka, a wooden freighter that grounded and broke in half in 1904.

The second is the Gale Staples, built in 1881. The wooden freighter was loaded with coal when it beached itself on the sandy reef in 1918.

America: On June 6, 1928, this tourist ship was loaded with crates of fresh fruit and 48 passengers when it left a resort on Isle Royale National Park’s Washington Island and, within a half-mile, struck a reef.

It sank within sight of horrified hotel employees and guests back at the dock.
No deaths occurred, but bushels of fresh fruit washed ashore for weeks after the mishap.

Even more unusual, the ship sank in a vertical position, with one end lying less than 3 feet below the surface of Lake Superior.

Curious visitors can rent a canoe in Windigo and paddle out of Washington Harbor into the North Gap, where a buoy marks the ship’s location. Lake Superior is so clear it’s amazing how much is visible from a canoe seat.

Jim DuFresne is the editorial director at MichiganTrailMaps.com and an MSU Journalism School alum.

Farmers’ Almanac forecasts frosty Great Lakes flip-flop

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Cover of 2022 Farmers’ Almanac. Credit: Almanac Publishing Company

By Gabrielle Ahlborn
Capital News Service

LANSING — After an unusually warm and stormy summer, the Great Lakes region has in store a “frosty flip-flop” winter, according to the 2021-22 Farmers’ Almanac forecast.

“By that, we mean one month it’s going to start out mild, and it’s going to get icy, it’s going to get snowy,” said Sandi Duncan, the publication’s managing editor. “It’s going be a mixed bag kind of winter.”

The month-to-month contrast follows an unusually stormy summer for the Great Lakes region, which the Almanac predicted to be “muggy and thundery” last April.

 

The buzzwords for the Great Lakes this winter are “icy and flaky,” the Almanac reports.

January is expected to begin mild with rain and wet snow, followed by 2-5 inches of snow possible in a storm at the end of the month, the publication predicts. February calls for bitter temperatures but little precipitation. March has been projected as snowy and stormy throughout the month.

What makes the Farmer’s Almanac so certain?

That’s hard to know. Its predictions do not include any type of computer satellite tracking or lore-based techniques, such as groundhogs, the publication reports. Its formula includes factors such as “sunspot activity, tidal action of the moon, the position of the planets and a variety of other factors.”

Atmospheric phenomena like El Nino and La Nina were not factors in the forecast, Duncan said. “Some people are saying La Nina might come into play, but we didn’t have a chance to factor that in.”

While the Almanac’s website claims an 80-85% accuracy rate, meteorologists have always suggested taking the Farmers’ Almanac’s predictions with a grain of salt.

 

In 2017, meteorologist Jan Null compared the accuracy of the almanac’s temperature and precipitation predictions with the actual results. Forecasts were graded as good, not good or mixed, depending on if they were predicted the same as they were observed.

Of the 34 precipitation regions compared, Null rated  21% as “good.” She rated 42% of the 33 temperature regions as good.

The National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration also releases a 90-day prediction forecast from its Climate Prediction Center. Unlike the Farmers’ Almanac, NOAA uses the most up-to-date technology and computer models.

“Covering December, January and February we’re favoring only slightly above normal temperatures and above normal precipitation which includes rain and snow for the Great Lakes,” NOAA meteorologist Brad Pugh said. “La Nina is currently present and we expect La Nina to persist through the winter.”

La Nina is an atmospheric phenomenon that is created by cooler than normal sea surface temperatures across the equatorial line in the central Pacific.

 

“It typically does lead towards a wetter winter for the Great Lakes region,” Pugh said.

The Farmers’ Almanac has been published since 1818 when it was created by astronomer and weather-watcher David Young, not to be confused with the Old Farmer’s Almanac, which was founded 26 years earlier in 1792 by Robert B. Thomas.

 

Beyond long-range weather forecasts, the online and print editions now offer gardening tips, natural remedies and recipes.

 

“Part of the long-lasting appeal of the Farmers’ Almanac is that it’s nostalgic and charming but it is also useful,” Duncan said. “We just stay current with the times and keep reminding people how to live a natural life.”

Beach safety enforcement: too much or too little?

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The rolling waves of the Great Lakes can be tempting but dangerous. (WKTV/Joanne Bailey-Boorsma)

By Danielle James 
Capital News Service

LANSING – Two pieces of legislation are churning Michigan’s political waters with different approaches to beach safety in state parks.

One would stop the Department of Natural Resources from enforcing temporary swim bans when water and current conditions are dangerous. It is sponsored by Reps. Luke Meerman, R-Coopersville, and Bradley Slagh, R-Zeeland.

 It is a response to a proposed order by the DNR that would allow the agency to restrict beach access in times of dangerous water conditions, during water rescues and in the presence of bacteria or contaminants.

Meerman said the bill is necessary to curb government overreach.

 

 “I appreciate the government and all that it does to help us organize ourselves, but there’s a limit to it,” Meerman said. “For me, this is past that limit.”

The DNR’s proposed order defines dangerous conditions as waves higher than 3 to 5 feet. Currently, many state parks use flags — green equals go, yellow means caution and red warns visitors to stay out of the water.  But people are not required to heed the warnings.

 

Meerman said the red flag system should be kept as is.

Beach flag warning system signage at Mears State Park. (Photo by Department of Natural Resources)

“Government doesn’t need to be involved in physically keeping people out and giving out fines,” Meerman said. “I think the red flag itself is what we need.”

The DNR doesn’t yet have a position on Meerman’s bill because of its recent introduction, according to Ed Golder, a public information officer for the DNR.

 

The agency’s authority on the beaches is land based, so enforcement isn’t currently possible once a person enters the water. Golder said the DNR’s order would help promote beach safety.

“The fundamental purpose of the land use order on beach access is to protect human safety when conditions demand it,” Golder said. “Having this authority would give us one more tool to help prevent drownings on the Great Lakes on beaches that the DNR manages.”

 

The DNR said safety rescues often occur during red flag conditions, meaning state park visitors are disregarding safety measures.

 

But critics say the flags often do not reflect conditions and are not updated frequently enough.

 

“A DNR officer might go to a state park beach at 7 a.m. when the water is flat, so they put up a green flag,” said Dave Benjamin, the executive director of public relations and project management for the Great Lakes Surf Rescue Project. “And they might not come back until noon.

“During that time, the conditions could go from green to yellow to red, but the flag still says green,” he said.

There have been 83 Great Lakes drownings in 2021, according to the Great Lakes Surf Rescue Project. Of those, 38 were located in Lake Michigan, 11 in Lake Huron and four in Lake Superior.

 

Benjamin said the DNR isn’t placing designated officers at every beach, and the lack of enforcement is one reason behind drownings.

“When a drowning would happen, the DNR’s No. 1 comment to the media was that red flags were flying and people ignored the warning,” Benjamin said. “Our response is that red flags were not enforced and there were hundreds of other people in the water.”

 The proposed DNR order says that prohibiting access would not be determined by red flag days alone, but by reviewing multiple criteria.

 

Benjamin said the lack of uniformity causes confusion.

“For some places, a red flag just means high surf. For others, it means no swimming,” Benjamin said. “If it does mean no swimming, there’s no enforcement of it.”

 

Benjamin said the beach flag system is a tool for lifeguards to use and not a replacement for a lifeguard.

 

“Lifeguards save lives, and all of this is just wasting time and taxpayers money,” Benjamin said. “Now you’ve got state legislation talking about the flag system, but what they’re really talking about is that it’s being used incorrectly.”

 

Both pieces of legislation distract from necessary beach safety improvements, he said.

 

“I appreciate that the DNR is working to create some kind of swim ban during red flag conditions, although it needs some critiquing,” Benjamin said. “But now we have the state legislature that’s going to forbid them from doing anything.

“We need to get everybody on the same page here,” he said.

 

DNR director Daniel Eichinger announced his intent to sign the order at the last Natural Resources Commission meeting, but has not done so yet, Golder said.

 

The order would not take effect until next May.

 

The bill has been referred to the House Committee on Natural Resources and Outdoor Recreation. 

Researchers seek volunteers to document coastal erosion in Michigan

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Manistee Beach in 2014. A team of Michigan State University researchers is working with volunteers in coastal communities to track erosion in the state. (McCoy Scribner)

By McKoy Scribner
Capital News Service

Although Great Lakes water levels are down, the risk of coastal erosion remains high, Michigan State University researchers say. Now, the researchers are enlisting “citizen scientists” to assist in helping better understand coastal change.

Funded by a $300,000 early concept grant from the National Science Foundation Coastlines and People Initiative, the Interdisciplinary Citizen-based Coastal REmote Sensing for Adaptive Management (IC-CREAM) project wants to work with multiple communities in the Great Lakes region facing impacts from record-high water levels.

 

The IC-CREAM team is developing a first-of-its kind citizen science program to equip and train volunteers to pilot drones and use other geospatial technologies to better monitor and understand coastal change and vulnerabilities.

The project, led by Assistant and Associate Professors Erin Bunting, Ethan Theuerkauf and Elizabeth Mack, aims to empower Michigan coastal communities to generate their own data on coastal changes and hazards by taking pictures of what is seen at beaches and uploading them to a web app.

“Take a picture with your phone. That photo has a geotag located, so all you have to do is upload that photo to the web app, and put in some information about like when it was collected, all that kind of stuff, and that helps us document it,” Theuerkauf said.

The team is working with citizen scientists to gather data in Marquette, Manistique, Iosco County, Chikaming Township, Manistee and South Haven.

 

Theuerkauf said getting scientists, citizens, and community decision-makers to work together is an important step in addressing coastal issues.

“We’re working hand in hand with those communities, we’re working hand in hand with the public, to provide information that we know is useful because we worked with them from the onset to decide what direction we need to take with this data collection and this processing.”

Planning is underway for additional proposals and partnerships with local, state and federal entities to expand project work and research.

This story is brought to you as part of a partnership between WKAR and Michigan State University’s Knight Center for Environmental Journalism.

Great Lakes Surf Festival hosts its third event at Muskegon’s Pere Marquette Beach

Entertainment, Great Lakes, Local Entertainment, , , ,
Great Lakes Surf Festival returns in 2021 with an August date and location at Muskegon’s Pere Marquette Beach. (Supplied)

By WKTV Staff
joanne@wktv.org

After great success during the first two events in 2018 and 2019, the Great Lakes Surf Festival is back and will be holding their third annual event on Aug. 14 at Pere Marquette Beach in Muskegon Michigan. For 2021, event goers will be able to learn how to surf and paddleboard, along with practicing in yoga directly on the beach. Music, food, and a raffle will also take place. Several surfboards and paddleboards will be given away along with a trip to Costa Rica.

 

No waves? No problem! The Great Lakes Surf Festival in conjunction with Tommy’s Boats of Grand Rapids Michigan will be making artificial waves. Tommy’s Boats will be able to generate waist high waves to simulate ocean waves. These conditions will be ideal for those seeking a gentle way to learn a variety of boardsports.

 

“We are excited to see the Great Lakes Surf Festival grow and to have the support from our sponsors and from the surf and paddleboard industry,” said Event Co-Founder Joe Bidawid. “We have one of the most beautiful venue locations on the Great Lakes, in Pere Marquette Beach, and we encourage anyone interested in a fun and family friendly beach day to come out and join us.

 

“Imagine a late summer day on an amazing beach, doing what you love and surrounded by so many people from all over the Great Lakes, who share the same passion. That is our goal.”

More information can be found at www.GreatLakesSurfFestival.com. Contact the Great Lakes Surf Festival at info@greatlakessurffestival.com.

The state’s DNR reminds people of water and pier safety as they head to the beach

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Of Michigan’s 100-plus state parks, 42 offers access to Great Lakes shoreline. (Joanne Bailey-Boorsma)

By Ron Olson
olsonr@michigan.gov

As the summer heats up and people begin flocking to Great Lakes beaches, the Michigan Department of Natural Resources urges everyone to keep water and pier safety in mind.

Holding more than 20% of the world’s fresh water, the Great Lakes are large, powerful water systems. These lakes reign supreme for many during warmer months, but they also are prone to dangerous currents that can threaten even the most experienced swimmer. Adverse weather patterns can create dangerous rip and structural currents along piers and breakwalls, too. Crashing waves can create slippery surfaces and conditions strong enough to knock a person into the water.

“The DNR eagerly welcomes millions of visitors to Michigan state parks each summer,” said Sean Mulligan, Holland State Park manager. “Visitors should keep in mind that winds can come up quickly, changing conditions without warning, so always pay attention to the weather. The Great Lakes can become very dangerous, especially when waves get higher than 4 feet.”

Michigan has 20% of the world’s freest water. (Supplied)

Unfortunately, several emergencies and drownings have occurred along the beach and breakwall areas. Many of these incidents happened during red flag days when the wind and waves are strong with greater potential for dangerous rip currents.Of Michigan’s 100-plus state parks, 42 offer access to Great Lakes shoreline.

Ron Olson, chief of the DNR Parks and Recreation Division, said the increase in accidents and drownings on the Great Lakes in recent years is especially troubling and clear evidence that greater public awareness is needed. In particular, Grand Haven, Holland, Ludington and Mears state parks are situated in locations where rip currents tend to build and recurring safety hazards are present.

“When it comes to protecting Michigan residents and visitors on the water, especially the Great Lakes, we cannot talk enough about safety, preparation and vigilant awareness,” Olson said.

New safety measures at Holland State Park

Holland State Park, situated along Lake Michigan, is one of Michigan’s most-visited sites and provides the main access to a popular pier that is owned by the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers. More recently, the DNR and the local community have collaborated on additional ways to alert visitors to changing Great Lakes and pier conditions.

This past fall, Holland State Park staff collaborated with Park Township and The King Company to fund the installation of a gate on the pier adjacent to Holland State Park. The goal is to help save lives by restricting access during harsh weather and to reduce the number of people jumping off the pier, while still allowing people to fish from the pier when feasible. Generally speaking, the gate will be closed during the winter, when the red flags are flying and during night hours when the park is closed.

In addition, an electronic messaging board conveying beach conditions is located where visitors enter Holland State Park, and a new public address system will be used to update beachgoers as the beach warning flags are changed in response to weather conditions. Visitors also can view live beach conditions at CityOfHolland.com/645/MIHollandCAM via livestream video courtesy of the City of Holland and Biggby Coffee. Conditions are posted on the park’s Facebook page at Facebook.com/HollandStateParkMi.

More recently, the DNR and the Holland community have collaborated on additional ways to alert visitors to changing Great Lakes and pier conditions. (Joanne Bailey-Boorsma)

River outlets and breakwalls

Dangerous currents can occur near the outlets of rivers and breakwalls, especially during times that water levels are higher.

For example, the mouth of the Big Sable River is located in Ludington State Park, but outside the designated swim area. In the past, swimmers have been swept out into Lake Michigan. This park also has installed an electronic bulletin messaging board at the entrance to the designated beach area to help alert visitors of current conditions.

In addition, swimmers should be aware of particularly dangerous structural currents that form along shoreline structures near breakwalls, such as in Mears State Park.

“When northwest winds appear, water is pushed to the shore causing dangerous currents along the north side of the pier,” said Chris Bush, lead ranger at Mears State Park. “People are often surprised that structures located in the Great Lakes can cause such powerful, and sometimes dangerous, currents.”

Using state park designated swim areas on the Great Lakes

Many, but not all, state parks on the Great Lakes offer designated swimming areas that are identified by buoys or buoys and markers, a beach flag warning system and water depth less than 5 feet at the time of installation. Water depth will be inspected approximately every 14 days and underwater obstacles will be posted or marked. You may also find other designated swim areas in areas other than state parks.

Check the flag upon arrival and be sure to monitor it throughout the day because conditions can change rapidly.

  • Green flag = Go. Enter the water but stay aware of changing conditions.
  • Yellow flag = Caution. Watch for dangerous currents and high waves.
  • Red flag = Stop. Stay on the beach; do not enter the water and do not swim.

There are no beach guards at state parks , so please never swim alone and keep close watch of children. Stay within arm’s reach and make sure all kids wear life jackets.

If there is an emergency, immediately call 911. At Holland and Grand Haven state parks, use the nearest red zone number boards (located on the beach) to help relay your location as accurately as possible.

State park designated swim areas have lifesaving flotation device and equipment. Remember the safety equipment on the beach or pier is for emergency use only; using this equipment for anything else is against the law.

Keep these additional cautions in mind when enjoying time in and around the Great Lakes:

  • Currents near piers can be extremely hazardous. Pay attention to the buoys marking the designated swim areas; swimming outside of the marked swim zones can be dangerous and should be avoided.
  • During certain weather conditions, the force of water and waves crashing over the surface can easily wash someone off a structure; always monitor the beach flag warning system.
  • Before leaving home, learn about the types of Great Lakes currents and how to escape them.
  • Check local weather reports and lake conditions before and during your beach trip.

Nondesignated swim areas on the Great Lakes

Visitors in areas without designated swim beaches should use extreme caution because they will not have the benefit of the beach flag warning system or the visual cautions of buoys that mark water depth and other obstacles.

More smart safety water tips

When swimming or boating in any body of water – whether the Great Lakes, inland lakes or slow-moving rivers and streams – make safety your first priority. Never swim alone, always keep close watch of children and bring U.S. Coast-Guard-approved life jackets, especially for new and inexperienced swimmers.

When boating, have life jackets available for everyone on the vessel, leave a float plan with someone on shore, stay alert and carry a cell phone or marine radio. Such planning goes for those on personal watercraft like Jet Skis and paddle boards, too. Learn boating safety.

More info

Visit Michigan.gov/BeachSafety to learn about the beach flag warning system, how to escape rip currents and more.

Tuesday is a memorial day for those lost to the Great Lakes

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At times, the Great Lakes reveals its lost treasures. (Photo supplied by author)

By Shetan Noir
WKTV Community Contributor

Ding. Ding. Ding. Ding. 

The brass sound of a bell ringing 29 times can be heard  outside of the Mariner’s church of Detroit. 

Ding. Ding. Ding.

It happens every Nov. 10 in honor of the lives lost when the Edmund Fitzgerald sank. But that day has since become a Memorial Day for all lives lost to maritime disasters.

Ding. Ding. Ding.

Places like the Great Lakes Shipwreck Museum, near Whitefish Point in Michigan’s upper peninsula, give tribute to the wrath of the Great Lakes storms, the ships that have been wrecked and all the lives that were lost.

Ding. Ding. Ding. Ding.

The Dossin Great Lakes Museum on Belle Isle also provides a memorial called the Annual Lost Mariners remembrance. This is the 21st year of the event.

Ding. Ding. Ding. Ding. Ding.

The Great Lakes are well known for violent storms with some gales being so destructive that the loss of lives and ships is unimaginable.

Ding. Ding. Ding.

The Alpena Gale storm that was also called the White Hurricane of 1913 or the “Big Blow” swept through all the Great Lakes from Nov. 7 to 10 in 1913. More than 250 lives were lost to the watery depths, 19 ships were destroyed and another 19 were left stranded.

The side paddle steamer Alpena was one of those ships caught in the storm.
Her name is now associated with the storm that wrecked her.

Ding. Ding. Ding.

On Nov. 10, 1975, the Edmund Fitzgerald was claimed by the Gales of Lake Superior , her companion ship the the SS Arthur M. Anderson was only a short distance behind her when the 35-foot high waves swallowed the Edmund Fitzgerald down.

A song once claimed that the Lakes never give up their dead when the skies of November turn gloomy. Whether its the North wind or the witch of November that comes calling the Great Lakes Gichi-gami, michi-gami, karegnondi , erielhonan and ontarí’io all respond the same with white capped waves raising up like gravestones and winds that break mast and sails.

So in honor of those lost to maritime disasters,  the bells ring 29 times in November.

Ding. Ding. Ding. Ding.

Shetan Noir is a Michigan based author and weird travels journalist.  
She teaches classes on the paranormal history of the Great Lakes at local community colleges. Noir is available for podcast, radio and television appearances and can be contacted at shetannoir@yahoo.com.

Our Lakes are Great: Three Michigan men paddle the Chain of Lakes to raise awareness about environmental issues

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Joe Lorenz, Kwin Morris, and Jeff Guy plan to paddle board the Chain of Lakes this August to help raise awareness on Great Lakes environmental issues and the Chain of Lakes Water Trail. (Supplied)

By Kwin Morris
Paddle Antrim

This August three men, Joe Lorenz, Kwin Morris, and Jeff Guy, plan to paddleboard the Chain of Lakes all in an effort to raise awareness of Great Lakes environmental issues and also the Chain of Lakes Water Trail. They’ll begin their adventure at Six-Mile Lake near Ellsworth Michigan and end it at Elk Rapids Dam. The 60-mile trip is expected to take about 20 hours.

While the Chain isn’t reputed to be as cold or treacherous as the five Great Lakes, it still has dangers.

“You’ll have a current, boat traffic, and a route that changes north to south several times,” says Kwin Morris. “We’re comfortable in 2-3 foot waves, but we want to avoid larger waves as much as possible.”

Their first crossing was Lake Michigan in 2015, a 60-mile and just under 25-hour journey in 38-degree water. They raised $10,000 for the Great Lakes Alliance. In June 2017 they crossed Lake Huron and raised $7,000 for Thunder Bay National Marine Sanctuary. Their 90-mile paddle journey took over 28 hours to complete. Last summer they paddled across Lake Superior in 21 hours. Their 60-mile trip began at Sinclair Cove, Ontario and ended at Whitefish Point, Michigan and raised $15,000 for the Great Lakes Shipwreck Museum. Their fourth journey was a 70-mile Lake Erie crossing that raised 17,000 for the Cooperative Institute for Great Lakes Research.

They had plans to cross Lake Ontario in June but was shut down due to COVID-19 and having the Canadian border closed.

Each paddleboarder carries all of his supplies on his own paddleboard: food, extra clothes, and straws that filter drinking water from the lake. They have taken precautions, such as having a safety boats follow them with an emergency medical technician on it. They are also bringing Photojournalist Corey Adkins with them to capture the event. “Corey is our master storyteller, so it’s great he’ll be there with us again,” says Guy.

Last summer the group paddled across Lake Superior in 21 hours. (Supplied)

Normally, the group paddles alone, but for this journey they are inviting the public to join for sections of the paddle. “We ask that a person donates and joins in! We want people to feel comfortable on the water trail, so they do their part in protecting it as well,“ says Lorenz. More information about where and when to meet the guys can be found on their social media pages.

The men researched the Chain of Lakes to decide where to donate the money they will raise. They spoke with Deana Jerdee, Executive Director at Paddle Antrim. Paddle Antrim is a non-profit organization, founded in 2014, with a mission to protect water resources in the Chain of Lakes in Northern Michigan by using paddle sports to connect people to these waterways. Through stewardship, education, improved water trail access, and promotion of our waterways we will increase water resource protection and enhance the economic vitality of the region.

“Our overall goal is to help keep the Great Lakes awesome,” says Jeff Guy. “Our hope is that people will join us in donating to this great cause.”

The whole reason we are called Stand Up for Great Lakes is although we believe THE Great Lakes are awesome, Michigan is full of other “great lakes” and this water trail highlights them.

For more information or to make a donation, visit StandUpForGreatLakes.com and follow the team on Facebook.com/StandUpForGreatLakes and on Instagram.com/StandUpForGreatLakes. Watch the award-winning documentary about their Lake Superior Crossing at https://youtu.be/4MxhGhwzwYc.

About Jeff Guy: Guy, 33, is a financial advisor with Merrill Lynch. He also enjoys golf, hockey and fishing. He lives in downtown Traverse City.

About Joe Lorenz: Lorenz, 33, is a personal trainer in Traverse City. When he’s not helping people achieve their fitness goals, he’s up for almost anything involving water, travel, adventure, fitness, or beer.

About Kwin Morris: Morris, 31, was born and raised in northern Michigan, making him a keen waterman, traveler, and adventurer. He is a middle school science teacher in the Elk Rapids School District.

About Corey Adkins: Adkins is the Special Projects Executive Director for 9&10 News based in Cadillac. A gifted storyteller, Adkins has won several awards for the “Crossing Superior” documentary which was recently nominated for two Emmys. In 2018 he won “Best Documentary” from the Associated Press and Best News Special and Special Interest Programming for his filming of the Huron crossing. He also won a 2015 award on a commemorative Edmund Fitzgerald production.

EPA re-establishes Great Lakes Advisory Board

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Alan D. Steinman, Ph.D., left, gives a tour of GVSU’s Robert B. Annis Water Resources Institute to members of the EPA and local politicians on Wednesday, June 3 in Muskegon, Mich. where he is the director. Steinman was appointed to the EPA’s Great Lakes Advisory Board. (Supplied)

By Nate Hoekstra
Grand Valley State University

U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) Administrator Andrew Wheeler announced the re-establishment of the Great Lakes Advisory Board (GLAB) at a news conference at Grand Valley’s Annis Water Resources Institute on June 3.

The GLAB serves to provide advice and recommendations on matters related to the Great Lakes Restoration Initiative (GLRI) and the implementation of the Great Lakes Water Quality Agreement between the United States and Canada.

The GLAB was discontinued in 2018. Alan Steinman, director of the Annis Water Resources Institute, said the re-establishment of the board shows a commitment to the health of the Great Lakes by the EPA.

“When the board lapsed in 2018, there was concern about why we were losing the Great Lakes Advisory Board, does that mean that there’s a change in thought and process within the EPA. So coming back and re-forming it suggests, to me at least, that the commitment is there in the White House, it’s there in Region 5 of the EPA, and I think that’s an important message,” Steinman said.

Steinman was one of 14 experts tapped to serve on the re-established board. He previously served on a subcommittee of the board, and said he is keenly aware of the importance of the GLAB and the vital roles and responsibilities that it has in informing the EPA and Congress.

Wheeler said during the announcement that as a native Ohioan, the Great Lakes have always been important to him personally, as well as being important to the entire country.

“The advice received from the board in past years has been a critical part of the work EPA has done, and continues to do, to restore and protect the Great Lakes,” Wheeler said. “Our work cleaning up the Great Lakes is far from over, and GLAB’s future efforts will ensure needed expertise is available for environmental agencies to use both here in the U.S. and in Canada.”

The EPA administrator Andrew Wheeler speaks during a press conference at GVSU’s Robert B. Annis Water Resources Institute on Wednesday, June 3 in Muskegon, Mich. Alan Steinman, director of AWRI, was appointed to the EPA’s Great Lakes Advisory Board. (Supplied)

U.S. Representatives Bill Huizenga (R-Zeeland) and Fred Upton (R-St. Joseph) also spoke about the importance of the Great Lakes.

“These are big and powerful bodies of water, and they’re big and powerful not just ecologically, … but also economically,” Huizenga said. “With the GLRI and the partnership that has been going on with the state and locals and nonprofits and the federal government, we’ve proven that you can both support the ecology as well as the economy that’s attached to the Great Lakes.”

Huizenga said the lakes are too valuable to be wasted, so they need to be used properly, and protected properly as well.

Upton said having a formal advisory committee of experts from the Midwest who could alert the EPA and congressional delegations about potential problems is “really important.”

Steinman said that it has been great to be in Muskegon and see changes made by environmental restoration over time. 

“When we talk about improving the ecological health of these communities, we’re also talking about improving the economic vitality of these communities as well, and the community spirit,” Steinman said. 

Steinman said he has four main goals for his work on the board, including ensuring restoration efforts are based on sound science, soliciting meaningful community input, focusing on preservation instead of just restoration and taking a holistic and sustainable approach to restoration projects.

The members of the board will include:

Stephen Galarneau, director of the Office of Great Waters – Great Lakes & Mississippi River, Wisconsin Department of Natural Resources (Co-Chair)

Kyle Dreyfuss-Wells, chief executive officer, Northeast Ohio Regional Sewer District (Co-Chair)

Scudder Mackey, chief of the Office of Coastal Management, Ohio Department of Natural Resources

Chad Able, administrator, Red Cliff Band of Lake Superior Chippewa

James Williams Jr, chairman, Lac Vieux Desert Band of Lake Superior Chippewa Indians

Jeff Stollenwerk, director of government and environmental affairs, Duluth Seaway Port Authority

John Hull, founder and chairman, Hull & Associates Inc.

Lisa Frede, director of regulatory affairs, Chemical Industry Council of Illinois

Larry Antosch, senior director, Ohio Farm Bureau Federation

Kay Nelson, director of environmental affairs, Northwest Indiana Forum

J. Val Klump, dean and professor of the School of Freshwater Sciences, University of Wisconsin

Alan Steinman, director of Annis Water Resources Institute, Grand Valley State University

Brian Miller, retired, Illinois-Indiana Sea Grant and Illinois Water Resources Center

Sylvia Orduño, organizer, Michigan Welfare Rights Organization

Museum’s Curiosity Lab sheds light on a valuable Michigan resource, water

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Grand Rapids Public Museum’s Vice President of Science and Education gives us a tour of the museum’s Curiosity Lab. (WKTV)

By Joanne Bailey-Boorsma
joanne@wktv.org

No matter where you are in Michigan, you are never more then six miles from a body of water whether it be a river, a lake or one of the Great Lakes. Also, you are never more than 85 miles from a Great Lake.

With so much water that surrounds us in Michigan, it can be difficult for Michiganders to consider water as a scarce resource, but it is. 
“..,Worldwide water is going to become and is, in some areas, already a huge political issue,” said Grand Rapids Public Museum’s Dr. Stephanie Ogren. 

India made the news this summer what its sixth largest city Chennai faced a water shortage. Chennai is not alone in that Cape Town, South Africa, Mexico City, Cairo, Tokyo, Melbourne, Australia, and London . According to the United Nations, four out of every ten people are affected by water scarcity — the lack of fresh water resources to meet water demand.

Grand Rapids Public Museum Vice President of Science and Education Dr. Stephaine Orgen and Science Curator Dr. Cory Redman talk about they find science entertaining in a recent “Locally Entertaining” podcast.



To help educate area residents about the need to care for the water resources in Michigan, how much water the state has and how clean it is, the Grand Rapids Public Museum has been offer a Saturday Curiosity Lab.
According to Ogren, the lab, which also serves as a watershed lab for school programs, is designed to engage the public and students in watershed science.

“The reason behind developing the watershed lab really was to start engaging the public, especially the urban public that we get a lot of visitors here in that discussion around water as a resource and water as a scarce resource,” she said.

From 11 a.m. to 3 p.m., the third-floor lab is open to the public. In the Curiosity Lab, there are questions and prompts to help visitors explore more about Michigan’s watersheds. There are also several hands-on activities such as augmented sand box that allows visitors to create different landforms.

“It automatically changes the shape of the contour lines so that we can talk about how landforms are made and how water affects these landforms,” Ogren said.

The Museum also happens to be located right next to the Grand River, which provides many hands-on opportunities to discuss Michigan’s waterways and watersheds.

“So we are able to take groups and students and families down to the river and explore what we see when we pick up a few rocks and turn them over,” Ogren said. “And Really, we just try to peek everyone’s curiosity of what’s in our Grand River and what can we learn from that.”

To learn more about the Curiosity Lab or other programs and exhibits at the Grand Rapids Public Museum, visit grpm.org. 

Upcoming CMU symposium focuses on the Great Lakes, training the next generation of scientists

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Keynote speaker U.S. Rep. Dan Kildee

By Gary H. Piatek

Central Michigan University

 

Public policy and its impact on the Great Lakes is on the agenda for Central Michigan University’s fifth annual Great Lakes Science in Action Symposium on Friday, Oct. 19. There also will be a discussion on training the next generation of Great Lakes scientists.

 

The symposium will be from 9 a.m. to noon in the auditorium of CMU’s Biosciences Building, beginning with an introduction from CMU President Robert Davies. The event is free and open to the public. A copy of the agenda is available here.

 

U.S. Rep. Dan Kildee, D-Flint Township, is the keynote speaker for the symposium, which is hosted by CMU’s Institute for Great Lakes Research. Kildee is an alum of Central Michigan University and a lifelong Michigander, born and raised in the Flint area, where he resides.

Rep. Kildee will be available to meet with media immediately after his 9 a.m. keynote address. If you are with the media and will attend, please contact University Communications at news@cmich.edu or 989-774-3197.

 

He has built a reputation for protecting the Great Lakes and currently is leading a bipartisan initiative to prevent a Canadian company from permanently burying nuclear waste less than a mile from the Great Lakes.

 

Kildee is the ranking member of the Financial Services Committee and serves on the subcommittees for Housing and Insurance, Monetary Policy and Trade, and Trade and Illicit Financing. He is vice co-chair of the Automotive Caucus, where he works to promote the American auto industry, and he previously served as a member of the President’s Export Council, advising former President Barack Obama on trade deals concerning Michigan.

 

Panelists slated for the discussions on public policy include legislative aides for Kildee, U.S. Rep. John Moolenaar, R-Midland, and U.S. Sen. Debbie Stabenow, D-Michigan. Panelists for training Great Lakes scientists will be subject experts from the IGLR and CMU departments of Earth and Atmospheric Sciences, Geography and Environmental Studies, Biology and the Earth and Ecosystem Science doctoral program.

 

CMU is a recognized leader in studying the Great Lakes. The Institute for Great Lakes Research — with 30 faculty members — is supported by state-of-the-art facilities in Mount Pleasant and at the CMU Biological Station on Beaver Island. Central is overseeing its second $10 million EPA grant since 2010 to conduct Great Lakes wetlands research and allocates funds through this grant to nine other universities and three governmental agencies.

The Government Report: April 9-13 week in review

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U.S. Senator Gary PetersPeters Calls for Suspension of Line 5 Operations

By WKTV Staff

 

Peters Calls for Suspension of Line 5 Operations

 

April 13, 2018

 

Below is a statement from U.S. Senator Gary Peters on a briefing he received from the U.S. Coast Guard about recent damage to Line 5 in the Straits of Mackinac. Yesterday, at a Commerce, Science and Transportation Committee hearing, Peters questioned U.S. Coast Guard officials about the decision to keep Line 5 open despite an undetermined risk to the Great Lakes.

 

“There are few greater dangers to the Great Lakes than an oil spill in the Straits of Mackinac, which would devastate Michigan’s environment and our economy.

 

“Yesterday, I was personally briefed by U.S. Coast Guard officials in Michigan on the damage to Line 5 caused by a vessel anchor strike in the Straits of Mackinac. Based on the limited information currently available, two segments of the pipeline will require repairs in the short-term, but a visual inspection is still needed to assess the full extent of the damage.

 

“Upcoming blizzard conditions and high winds pose a threat to the already-damaged pipeline and — even worse — would render on-site cleanup equipment ineffective in the event of an oil spill. We simply cannot afford that kind of risk to Michigan’s most precious natural resource.

 

“Given the lack of visual inspection and impending storm, I am calling for PHMSA and DEQ to suspend the operation of Line 5 until a visual evaluation is complete and Michiganders can be assured that Line 5’s integrity has not been compromised by the vessel activity.

 

“In the Senate, I have worked in a bipartisan way to strengthen federal oversight of pipeline safety and will continue fighting to protect our Great Lakes from something as catastrophic as an oil spill.”

VIDEO: Peters Questions U.S. Coast Guard on Line 5 Vessel Damage

April 12, 2018

 

U.S. Senator Gary Peters (MI), a member of the Commerce, Science, and Transportation Committee, today questioned U.S. Coast Guard Deputy Commandant for Operations, Policy, and Capabilities, Rear Admiral Linda Fagan at a committee hearing, following reports of multiple dents in Line 5 caused by vessel activity in the Straits of Mackinac. During the exchange, Peters questioned Fagan on the decision to reopen Line 5 despite incomplete inspections.

 

Peters Statement on Syria

April 11, 2018

 

U.S. Senator Gary Peters (MI) released the following statement on Syria, in light of the Syrian military’s chemical weapons attack in Douma:

 

“Bashar al-Assad and his inhumane government have shown zero regard – and even contempt – for the well-being of the Syrian people. Through chemical weapons, barrel bombings and torture, the Syrian government has inflicted unimaginable terror on the children, women and men it is charged with protecting. Bashar al-Assad is no leader: he is a ruthless, heartless dictator who has long since lost legitimacy with the Syrian people and is only being propped up by Russia and Iran.

 

“This month’s illegal and horrendous chemical weapons attack on the people of Douma – who have already endured years of indiscriminate shelling – must be met with a swift and firm response from the entire international community. I supported President Trump’s decision to launch air strikes after last year’s chemical weapons attack in Idlib Province, and I look forward to hearing more about the President’s stated plans for additional action in response to the attack in Douma. The United States and the world must once again send a unified message to Bashar al-Assad that chemical weapons have no place in humanity.”

 

U.S. Senator Debbie Stabenow

Senator Stabenow Introduces the Quality Care for Moms and Babies Act

 

April 10, 2018

 

U.S. Senator Debbie Stabenow (D-MI) introduced the Quality Care for Moms and Babies Act of 2018, S. 2637, which will improve maternity care for women and newborns. The United States has the worst rate of maternal deaths in the developed world and one of the highest rates of infant mortality. Michigan has the 17th highest rate of infant mortality in the country, with 6.68 infant deaths per 1,000 births.

 

“We all have a stake in keeping moms and babies healthy,” said Senator Stabenow. “My bill makes sure moms and babies get the best care possible from the doctor’s office to the delivery room.”

 

The Quality Care for Moms and Babies Act of 2018 will improve maternity care for women and newborns by holding Medicaid and the Children’s Health Insurance Program accountable through higher quality standards. Medicaid currently has a set of guidelines for pediatric and adult care but no specific standards for maternity and infant care.

 

The legislation will also provide funding for care quality partnerships that will bring together states, health care providers, insurance companies, and other stakeholders to develop and carry out new strategies to improve maternity and infant care.

 

 

 

Senator Stabenow will join ‘All Hands on Deck’ event in Grand Haven on July 3

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By Nirmeen Fahmy
U.S. Senator Debbie Stabenow, Co-Chair of the bipartisan Senate Great Lakes Task Force, will join community members at the Grand Haven State Park on MONDAY, July 3 for the ‘All Hands on Deck’ Great Lakes event. This event is one of 64 local events happening in communities and at public beaches in six different states to raise awareness about the importance of protecting our Great Lakes and funding the Great Lakes Restoration Initiative.

 

Whether on a beach, a boardwalk, a marine channel, or any other location, all locations for All Hands On Deck represent common ground that extends beyond political and geographical boundaries. In every area, the Great Lakes are essential to the environment, economy, and everyone’s way of life. The event is a way to come together in a unique, unified expression of concern on behalf of a precious resource that needs continuing attention and support — funding, regulations, and research — to sustain long-term vitality.

 
All Hands on Deck was started by Kimberly Simon of Charlevoix in March, 2017 to raise awareness and bring people together in a nonpartisan way to advocate for our Great Lakes. For more information, visit https://allhandsondeckgreatlakes.org/.
  • When:     Monday, July 3rd at 10:00 AM
  • Where:    Grand Haven State Park, 1001 S. Harbor Dr., Grand Haven
  • Who:        U.S. Senator Debbie Stabenow

 

Government Matters: Week in review, May 22-26

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House members seek to block proposed arms sales to Saudi Arabia

By Corie Whalen

 

Rep. Justin Amash

A bipartisan group of six representatives, led by Reps. Justin Amash (R-Mich.) and Mark Pocan (D-Wisc.), have introduced a joint resolution of disapproval, H.J. Res. 102, to block proposed sales of precision-guided munitions and other offensive weapons to the Government of Saudi Arabia. The joint resolution is cosponsored by Reps. Thomas Massie (R-Ky.), Barbara Lee (D-Calif.), Walter Jones (R-N.C.), and Jim McGovern (D-Mass.).

 

Congress was notified of the proposed sales, which are part of a larger arms deal with Saudi Arabia reportedly worth $110 billion, on May 19.

 

“Saudi Arabia has one of the worst human rights records and has supported many of the extremists terrorizing the people of the Middle East and the world,” said Amash. “These arms sales extend a reckless policy from the Obama administration and prior administrations, and they come at a time when the Saudi government is escalating a gruesome war in Yemen.”

Huizenga Statement on Updated CBO Health Care Score

Rep. Bill Huizenga (MI-02)

Congressman Bill Huizenga (MI-02) has issued the following statement after the CBO released its updated score for the American Health Care Act (AHCA):
“The CBO projection confirms that the American Health Care Act will lower premiums and reduce the federal deficit. Yesterday, the Department of Health and Human Services released a study detailing how premiums for Michigan residents on the individual market have increased by 90% over the last four years alone. ObamaCare is collapsing and isn’t sustainable. We need to restore the ability for hardworking Michiganders to choose the health care plan that best meets their needs. The AHCA is a positive step in helping to achieve that objective.”

Stabenow Statement on CBO Score of Trumpcare

By Miranda Margowsky

Sen. Debbie Stabenow (D-MI)

U.S. Senator Debbie Stabenow (D-MI) released a statement on the Congressional Budget Office’s score of Trumpcare that shows 23 million people would lose health insurance:

“Today’s non-partisan report confirms once again that Trumpcare is a bad deal for Michigan families. It raises costs and takes us back to the days when insurance companies were in charge of your health care. If you or your family member has a “preexisting condition” like cancer, pregnancy, or diabetes, you could lose coverage or be forced to pay a lot more. I’m ready to work across the aisle to lower costs and improve care for Michigan families, but this plan makes people pay more for less.

Peters, Stabenow Announce New Pipeline Safety Legislation

By Miranda Margowsky

 

U.S. Senators Gary Peters and Debbie Stabenow have introduced a package of bills that would increase pipeline safety in and around the Great Lakes and account for the unique needs of the Great Lakes ecosystem. The bills announced today would raise liability caps for Great Lakes pipeline operators; expand and clarify U.S. Secretary of Transportation’s authority to suspend or shut down unsafe oil pipelines; strengthen federal review of oil spill response plans; increase transparency surrounding oil spill response and clean up plans; and create a Center for Expertise in the Great Lakes region to study freshwater oil spills.

 

“The Great Lakes ecosystem is unlike any other in the world, and many existing pipeline safety rules and regulations do not adequately protect this precious resource from a disastrous oil spill,” said Senator Peters, a member of the Senate Commerce, Science, and Transportation Committee.

 

“We cannot allow another devastating pipeline break like the one that dumped a million gallons of oil in to the Kalamazoo River in 2010,” said Senator Stabenow.

 

These actions build on previous efforts by Senators Peters and Stabenow to increase pipeline safety in the Great Lakes. In 2015, Peters and Stabenow introduced legislation to strengthen pipeline oversight and improve response plans for oil spills under ice-covered waters. These provisions were included in the Protecting our Infrastructure of Pipelines and Enhancing Safety Act, or PIPES Act, which was signed into law by President Obama last year.

Peters, Colleagues Introduce Bill to Strengthen Homeland Missile Defense

Bipartisan Legislation Would Accelerate Process for New Missile Defense Site & Fort Custer Among Finalists to Host

U.S. Senator Gary Peters, a member of the Senate Armed Services and Homeland Security Committees, joined his colleagues in introducing bipartisan legislation to strengthen and improve the reliability, capability, and capacity of U.S. homeland missile defense. The Advancing America’s Missile Defense Act of 2017 will, among other actions, accelerate the completion of the Environmental Impact Statement (EIS) as part of the next step in developing an interceptor site in the Midwest or the East Coast of the United States. The Missile Defense Agency is preparing the EIS for three potential additional missile defense sites, including the Fort Custer Training Center near Battle Creek Air National Guard Base.

 

“The United States faces an evolving number of security threats — from North Korea’s provocative missile tests designed to inflame global tensions, to Iran’s ballistic missile tests in defiance of a UN Security Council resolution,” said Senator Peters, a former Lt. Commander in the U.S. Navy Reserve. “It is critical that America take proactive steps to bolster our missile defense systems so we are prepared in the event of a missile attack directed at our homeland.

 

The Advancing America’s Missile Defense Act of 2017 will take a comprehensive review of current American missile defense system capabilities, including:

  • Promoting an integrated, layered ballistic missile defense system that incorporates different aspects of missile defense, such as ground based sensors and radars;
  • Authorizing an additional 28 GBIs;
  • Speeding the development and deployment of advanced interceptor technologies;
  • Accelerating the development and deployment of a space-based sensor layer;
  • Authorizing increased missile defense testing; and
  • Requiring a DoD report on potentially increasing GBI capacity.

Peters Statement on President Trump’s 2018 Budget Proposal

U.S. Senator Gary Peters (MI), Ranking Member of the Federal

U.S. Senator Gary Peters

Spending Oversight Subcommittee, released the following statement regarding President Trump’s fiscal year 2018 budget proposal, which makes drastic cuts to programs that Michigan families and businesses rely on:

 

“I am extremely concerned that President Trump’s budget proposal makes significant cuts to critical programs that boost Michigan’s working families, support economic development in Michigan’s urban and rural communities, and protect the Great Lakes which are vital to some of our state’s largest industries.

 

“Rather than investing in policies that promote manufacturing, support small businesses, strengthen education, and drive our economy forward, President Trump’s budget only offers counterproductive cuts that would stifle Michigan’s economic growth and strain the pocketbooks of Michigan families. While Congress has a responsibility to ensure taxpayer dollars are being used efficiently and effectively, any budget passed by Congress must address the needs of middle class families, seniors and small businesses.”

Stabenow Statement on Trump Budget Request that Eliminates Great Lakes funding

By Miranda Margowsky

U.S. Senator Debbie Stabenow (D-MI) released a statement following news that President Trump’s full budget request for the 2018 fiscal year still completely eliminates funding for the Great Lakes Restoration Initiative:

 

“It’s official—President Trump’s 2018 budget zeros out funding for our Great Lakes. Thanks to thousands of people across Michigan speaking out, we already stopped cuts for this year. This is a moment for Michigan when we all need to stand together to protect our Great Lakes.”

 

The Great Lakes Restoration Initiative, which Senator Stabenow authored in 2010, is critical to supporting jobs, fighting invasive species, and protecting the Michigan way of life. Earlier this month, Senator Stabenow led the bipartisan effort to successfully pass full funding for the Great Lakes for the remainder of fiscal year 2017.

Stabenow Statement Following DeVos Speech Outlining Massive Cuts to Public Education

By Miranda Margowsky

 

U.S. Senator Debbie Stabenow (D-MI) released a statement following a speech by Secretary of Education Betsy DeVos outlining a proposal to make massive cuts to public education:

 

“Parents’ worst fears were realized today when Secretary Betsy DeVos outlined the Trump Administration’s plan to shift billions of dollars away from our nation’s public schools. These policies have already failed children and families in Michigan and now Secretary DeVos wants to implement them nationwide. Instead of working cooperatively to improve our schools, this administration is playing politics with the future of our children.”

Government Matters: Week in review, April 10-14

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Peters announces bill to help small businesses applying for federal contracts

U.S. Senator Gary Peters (D-MI) is introducing bipartisan legislation with Senator Susan Collins (R-ME) to help protect small businesses from falling victim to fraud when they register to procure federal contracts. The Procurement Fraud Prevention Act would require small businesses to be notified that free assistance is available for help in procuring government contracts through federal programs, including Procurement Technical Assistance Centers (PTACs), the Small Business Administration (SBA), and the Minority Business Development Agency (MBDA). Many business owners are unaware these resources exist and fall victim to scams that mislead them into paying high sums of money for contract procurement assistance.

 

All small businesses applying for federal contracting opportunities must register in the General Services Administration’s (GSA) System for Award Management (SAM). Unfortunately, bad actors disguised as vendors or government officials obtain businesses’ contacts from this public database and email business owners directly after they have registered asking for high sums of money in return for registration and contracting assistance. As a result, many small businesses unwittingly sign up for services they were not seeking at the cost of hundreds or thousands of dollars.

 

The Procurement Fraud Prevention Act requires GSA and the Office of Management and Budget (OMB) to ensure that any direct communication to a small business about its registration in a procurement system, including SAM, contains information about cost-free federal procurement technical assistance services available through PTACs, SBA, MBDA and other programs.

 

Michigan is home to ten PTACs and over 850,000 small businesses that account for half of the state’s private workforce.

 

Peters, Stabenow urge Trump Administration to release Army Corps Brandon Road Study to stop spread of Asian carp

U.S. Senators Gary Peters (D-MI) and Debbie Stabenow (D-MI) together with 10 other Great Lakes Senators have called on the Trump Administration to release a U.S. Army Corps of Engineers study that recommends specific measures to prevent Asian Carp from getting beyond the Brandon Road Lock and Dam, a crucial chokepoint in the Chicago waterway system. The study, which is critical to stopping the flow of Asian Carp and other invasive species, was supposed to be released at the end of February but was delayed by the Trump Administration.

 

“We request the Administration release the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers’ draft proposal to prevent Asian carp from reaching and severely harming the Great Lakes,” wrote the lawmakers. “We are concerned by what we understand to be a White House decision to delay and potentially modify this report that has been under development for years. When taken together with the proposal to eliminate all funding for the Great Lakes Restoration Initiative in the fiscal year 2018 budget, delaying the release of this plan to address Asian carp only raises further questions about the Administration’s commitment to protecting our Great Lakes.”

 

Peters, Gardner call for increase in U.S. science funding

U.S. Senators Gary Peters (D-MI) and Cory Gardner (R-CO), members of the Senate Committee on Commerce, Science, and Transportation, sent a letter to the Senate Appropriations Committee urging the Committee to support a substantial increase in federal funding for science, research, and development at the National Science Foundation (NSF) and National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST).

 

“Ongoing federal initiatives in research and development are already responsible for billions of dollars in economic output and tens of thousands of jobs in our home states of Colorado and Michigan,” wrote the Senators.

 

“The United States is facing fierce international competition: China invests more than $335 billion annually on research and development initiatives, making them the second largest investor in the world and putting them on track to eclipse U.S. investments soon,” continued the Senators. “Without a substantial increase in research and development appropriations, the United States risks losing its role as the global leader in innovation.”

 

Peters, Gardner introduce resolution to eliminate duplicative government programs

U.S. Senators Gary Peters (D-MI) and Cory Gardner (R-CO) have introduced the Congressional Oversight to Start Taxpayer Savings Resolution (COST Savings Resolution), bipartisan legislation that would require Congressional committees to hold oversight hearings on the Government Accountability Office’s (GAO) Annual Report of Opportunities to Reduce Fragmentation, Overlap and Duplication and the GAO High Risk List.

 

“Congress is responsible for ensuring taxpayer dollars are being used effectively and efficiently, and this annual report provides a roadmap to help Congress streamline government and cut wasteful spending,” said Senator Peters, Ranking Member of the Subcommittee on Federal Spending Oversight and Emergency Management. “By reducing programs that overlap or duplicate efforts, we can cut costs for taxpayers and help ensure that government is serving the American people more productively.”

 

The COST Savings Resolution directs Congressional committees to take into account recommendations on how to improve the effectiveness of government programs and eliminate unnecessary costs caused by duplicative federal programs, as well as vulnerabilities for waste, fraud, and abuse and the need for transformation of government programs.

 

The 2016 GAO annual report identified 37 areas across the federal government where Congress could eliminate duplicative programs and improve efficiency and effectiveness, as well as 25 areas where Congress could reduce the cost of government operations.

 

Government Matters: Week in review, March 13-17

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Stabenow, Peters, Kildee introduce resolution opposing nuclear waste storage site in Great Lakes Basin

By WKTV Contributor

U.S. Senators Debbie Stabenow (D-MI), Gary Peters (D-MI) and Congressman Dan Kildee (MI-05) have introduced resolutions, in both the House and Senate, expressing opposition to construction of a nuclear waste repository less than a mile from Lake Huron in Ontario.

“The Canadian proposal … could cause significant, lasting damage to the Great Lakes and undermine the progress we have made cleaning up the water quality in the Great Lakes Basin,” said Senator Peters.

“President Trump and Secretary of State Tillerson should make every effort to prevent the Canadian government from moving forward with this proposal and work to find an alternative solution that does not jeopardize the health of the Great Lakes.

“Surely in the vast land mass that comprises Canada, there must be a better place to permanently store nuclear waste than on the shores of Lake Huron.”

Over 40 million people in Canada and the United States get their drinking water from the Great Lakes and the highly toxic waste could take tens of thousands of years to decompose to safe levels. Ontario Power Generation is currently seeking approval from the Canadian Ministry of Environment to build a deep geologic repository to permanently store 7 million cubic feet of low- and intermediate-level radioactive waste less than one mile from Lake Huron in Kincardine, Ontario.

Peters, Portman & Stabenow introduce bipartisan legislation to boost Great Lakes funding

Legislation would help modernize research capabilities, bring Great Lakes on par with ocean coasts

By WKTV Contributor

U.S. Senators Gary Peters (D-MI), Rob Portman (R-OH) and Debbie Stabenow (D-MI) have introduced bipartisan legislation to spur Great Lakes funding and research efforts and help support effective fishery management decisions.

The Great Lakes Fishery Research Authorization (GLFRA) Act gives the U.S. Geological Survey (USGS) the legislative authority to support the $7 billion Great Lakes sport and commercial fishery industry. Despite holding one-fifth of the world’s fresh water, the Great Lakes science program does not have the same funding authorization as science centers on saltwater coasts, and this legislation will close the resource gap between the Great Lakes Science Center and other fishery research centers across the country.

“Our Great Lakes and waterways are part of who we are and our way of life,” said Senator Stabenow, Co-Chair of the Great Lakes Task Force. “From water quality issues to invasive species, there are so many challenges facing our lakes and fisheries, which is why funding for cutting-edge research is so important.”

Peters statement on President Trump’s proposed budget

By Allison Green

U.S. Senator Gary Peters (MI), Ranking Member of the Federal Spending Oversight Subcommittee, released the following statement regarding President Trump’s proposed budget that dramatically cuts critical domestic programs:

Sen. Gary Peters

“President Trump’s proposed budget makes drastic cuts that will hit Michigan families and businesses in both urban and rural areas especially hard, including cuts to transportation services education, job training and programs that are essential for protecting the economic and environmental health of the Great Lakes, which provide drinking water to 40 million people and support Michigan’s multi-billion dollar shipping, fishing and agricultural industries.

“I am particularly disappointed that President Trump still has not put forward a comprehensive strategy to grow our manufacturing industry and create jobs. Instead, his budget proposal eliminates or slashes funding for critical programs that support the small businesses and manufacturers that are our country’s greatest job creators. Instead of gutting programs that Michigan families, seniors and businesses rely on, the President should focus on making smart investments to boost innovation and American manufacturing, strengthen our infrastructure and ensure our country remains economically competitive.

“As a member of the Senate Armed Services Committee and a former Lt. Commander in the U.S. Navy Reserve, I believe it is important for us to have a strong and innovative military, but we must also invest in our people to maintain our nation’s competitive edge. Congress has a responsibility to use taxpayer dollars efficiently and effectively, and members of both parties must work together to reduce wasteful spending and help shrink the deficit, but this proposal does more harm than good.”

Senator Stabenow statement on President Trump’s budget request that completely eliminates Great Lakes funding

Sen. Debbie Stabenow

By Miranda Margowsky

U.S. Senator Debbie Stabenow (D-MI), Co-Chair of the Senate Great Lakes Task Force, released the following statement in response to President Trump’s fiscal year 2018 budget request, which completely eliminates funding for the Great Lakes Restoration Initiative:

“It is outrageous that President Trump’s budget request completely eliminates funding to protect the Great Lakes. The Great Lakes Restoration Initiative has always received bipartisan support and continues to be absolutely critical to protecting our Great Lakes, including fishing, boating, hunting, and fighting invasive species. Our Great Lakes economy creates 1.5 million jobs and are part of our Michigan way of life.

“I will continue working across the aisle to not only stop cuts to Great Lakes funding but  also to other important initiatives that are important to Michigan families, manufacturers, farmers, and small businesses.”

Government Matters: March 6-10 week in review

3-bottom, Citizen Journalism, , , , ,


Peters named Ranking Member on Senate subcommittee overseeing U.S. Coast Guard, NOAA

“Next to our people, the Great Lakes are Michigan’s most precious resource and play a central role in our state’s economy, environment, and way of life,” said Senator Peters.

“As Ranking Member of this subcommittee, I look forward to continuing my bipartisan work to protect and preserve the Great Lakes and strengthen our economy by advancing commercial shipping, fishing and tourism industries. These efforts take on a new urgency and importance in light of reports outlining President Trump’s proposed cuts to the Great Lakes Restoration Initiative, Coast Guard, National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) and other important programs — cuts that pose a threat to our Great Lakes.”

NOAA provides research, information, and services to support decisions that affect recreation, the environment, public health and safety, and the economy of the Great Lakes. Their Office of Marine Sanctuaries manages the Thunder Bay National Marine Sanctuary to protect the unique history preserved by more than 100 discovered shipwrecks within the sanctuary while also maintaining responsible and sustainable recreational and commercial uses in the area.

As a member of the Senate Great Lakes Task Force and Committee on Commerce, Science and Transportation, Peters has made the protection and preservation of the Great Lakes a top priority. His efforts include:

  • Co-authored legislation that was signed into law to increase federal pipeline safety and oversight by designating the Great Lakes as a high consequence area, improving oil spill response plans to address ice cover and require critical reviews of pipeline age and integrity.
  • Worked to secure authorization for a new icebreaker in the Great Lakes as part of the Coast Guard Authorization Act of 2015. In the winter of 2014-15, ice cover on the Great Lakes contributed to an estimated 3.2 million ton decrease in cargo, costing nearly $355 million in lost revenue and 2,000 lost jobs.
  • Passed a provision requiring the USCG to conduct an assessment of oil spill response activities for cleanup in fresh water, especially under heavy ice cover.
  • Introduced the Great Lakes Fishery Research Authorization Act to provide better federal funding opportunities, update technologies and create new research projects to benefit the Great Lakes. Despite the size of the Great Lakes and the value of the fishery, the Great Lakes science program does not have the same funding authorizations as science centers on saltwater coasts.
  • Led delegation of Great Lakes Senators in urging Department of Transportation to take a leadership role in the implementation of a first-ever regional strategy for the Great Lakes-St. Lawrence maritime transportation system (MTS). Currently, the Great Lakes MTS is a major regional and national transportation asset, but is significantly under-utilized and operating at an estimated 50% of its full capacity.

Peters, colleagues urge Trump Administration to stop cuts to Coast Guard

Proposed 12 percent cut would severely restrict Coast Guard’s national, economic security operations on the Great Lakes

U.S. Senator Gary Peters (MI), Ranking Member of the Commerce Subcommittee overseeing the U.S. Coast Guard, helped lead a bipartisan group of 23 Senators in a letter urging Office of Management and Budget Administrator Mick Mulvaney not to make a $1.3 billion dollar cut to the budget of the U.S. Coast Guard.

According to reports, the FY 2018 Presidential Budget Request could amount to almost 12 percent of the service’s budget being cut. The U.S. Coast Guard plays a critical role in protecting our Northern border along the Great Lakes, conducting counter-terrorism patrols and law enforcement operations, and ensuring the smooth flow of goods on Great Lakes year round.

The Coast Guard is responsible for patrolling 721 miles of Michigan’s northern border to protect national security and combat drug and human trafficking. In Michigan, they operate a fleet of six cutters, three air stations and two Aids to Navigation teams that support critical ice-breaking operations, conduct search and rescue missions and provide navigation support to ships on the Great Lakes.

Senators Peters, Perdue reintroduce ‘No Hero Left Untreated Act’

U.S. Senators Gary Peters (D-MI) and David Perdue (R-GA) have reintroduced the No Hero Left Untreated Act to enhance medical care for America’s heroes. The bipartisan legislation would create a pilot program to test an innovative treatment called Magnetic e-Resonance Therapy for veterans to help treat post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD), traumatic brain injury (TBI) and other mental health issues. Peters and Perdue are both members of the Senate Armed Services Committee, and Peters is a former Lt. Commander in the U.S. Navy Reserve.

Sen. Gary Peters

“Veterans suffering from the devastating effects of PTSD, traumatic brain injury and military sexual trauma deserve to have the best, most cutting-edge treatment available,”said Senator Peters, a former Lt. Commander in the U.S. Navy Reserve.

“Incorporating innovative new treatment options like Magnetic e-Resonance Therapy technology into VA medical centers has the potential to improve treatment for veterans and create meaningful change in their lives.”

The No Hero Left Untreated Act would establish a pilot program at two medical centers within the VA network and enroll up to 50 veterans in Magnetic EEG/ECG-Guided Resonance Therapy (MeRT) for a one-year period.

Huizenga testifies before Congress on Great Lakes economy

Congressman Bill Huizenga, Co-Chair of the U.S. House Great Lakes Task Force, testified before the House Appropriations Energy and Water Subcommittee on the importance of properly using funds collected in the Harbor Maintenance Trust Fund and water infrastructure across the Great Lakes. Congressman Huizenga discussed the strong bipartisan effort he has led to hold Washington accountable and make the federal government live up to its promise of dredging harbors across the Great Lakes. Huizenga also warned of the negative economic consequences including fewer jobs and fewer American products being exported should the federal government fail to live up to its obligation.

Peters urges FCC to protect Internet access for rural, high-poverty schools & libraries

U.S. Senator Gary Peters (D-MI) joined his colleagues in urging the Federal Communications Commission (FCC) to protect the E-Rate Program, which ensures the neediest schools and libraries — especially those in rural and high poverty areas — have affordable Internet access. The E-Rate Program has given students across Michigan access to modern teaching tools that expand their knowledge and prepare them to enter the 21st century workforce. FCC Chairman Ajit Pai’s recent decision to retract a report detailing the E-Rate Program’s success has stirred concern that the new Administration will not support the vital program.

“E-Rate helps schools and libraries in every state by supporting access to modern communications and the Internet. Such access is critical if we are a country that is serious about preparing and educating our children for the digital age,” the Senators wrote.

Peters joined U.S. Senators Richard Blumenthal (D-CT), Ed Markey (D-MA), Tom Udall (D-NM), Kirsten Gillibrand (D-NY), Tammy Baldwin (D-WI), Ron Wyden (D-OR), Cory Booker (D-NJ), Al Franken (D-MN), Jeffery Merkley (D-OR), Elizabeth Warren (D-MA), and Bob Casey (D-PA) in signing the letter.

Government Matters: Protecting the Great Lakes

3-bottom, Citizen Journalism, , , ,

 

In response to recent moves by the White House

  1. ordering a hold on the release of a tentative plan to stop Asian carp from reaching the Great Lakes by strengthening a choke point in the Chicago waterway system, and
  2. slashing EPA funding that pays for Great Lakes pollution cleanup by 97 percent (which would virtually eliminate annual Great Lakes Restoration Initiative (GLRI) funding)

Congressman Bill Huizenga (R-MI), Congressman Mike Bishop (R-MI) and Congresswoman Marcy Kaptur (D-OH) led a bipartisan letter to President Trump requesting that he personally intervene to help protect the Great Lakes by releasing the first draft f the Brandon Road Report. The letter also respectfully requests President Trump to instruct the Army Corps of Engineers to continue working with state and local officials, as well as Great Lakes stakeholders, to implement a long-term solution for keeping Asian Carp out of the Great Lakes. The bipartisan letter is signed by 26 members of the U.S. House of Representatives.

 

“In order to protect both the ecosystem and the economy of the Great Lakes, we must have complete, accurate, and reliable information from the Army Corps of Engineers,” said Congressman Bill Huizenga. “Delaying the release of the Brandon Road Lock and Dam evaluation does nothing to stop the threat Asian Carp and other invasive species pose to the largest freshwater ecosystem on the planet. By slow walking this important information, the federal government is jeopardizing the livelihood of hardworking families in Michigan and across the Great Lakes Basin. Time is of the essence.”

 

The text of the letter to President Trump is available online here.

Microbead Bill Signed into Law

Area Education, Community Health, Hard News, Politics, , , ,

Microbeads3Microbeads have overstayed their welcome!

After the U.S House and Senate voted to unanimously pass the Microbead-Free Waters Act of 2015, the bill sat on President Obama’s desk for final approval. On Monday, December 28, President Obama signed the bill into law.

The Microbead-Free Waters Act of 2015 is a bipartisan bill focused on eliminating microbeads and their pollution from the Great Lakes. Microbeads are tiny plastic particles used in cosmetic products that are small enough to filter through municipal wastewater treatment plants after they’re rinsed down the drain. According to the new law, a microbead is defined as “any solid plastic particle” less than 5 millimeters in size intended for use as an exfoliate. The law’s clear wording and definition of a microbead doesn’t allow for manufacturing loopholes to other plastics.

MicrobeadsAfter being rinsed down the drain, microbeads often end up floating in the Great Lakes where they can soak up toxins like a sponge and then enter the food chain after being mistaken for food by fish and other wildlife.

In the Great Lakes, anywhere between 1,500 to 1.1 million microbeads can be found per square mile. Lake Erie and Lake Ontario have the highest concentrations.

Now that the bill has been signed into law, microbeads will be phased out of consumer products over the next few years. In July 2017, a ban on manufacturing microbeads will go into effect with product-specific manufacturing and sales bans coming in 2018 and 2019.

Microbead scrubWhen looking for products with microbeads, some will come out and say ‘Microbeads’ right on the label. However, other times microbeads are labeled as polyethylene or polypropylene. Companies like L’Oreal, Johnson & Johnson and Procter & Gamble have already started phasing out microbeads for alternatives like sand and apricot seeds.

It’s a positive change that couldn’t come soon enough for the Great Lakes, their wildlife, and the food chain.

Great Lakes One Step Closer to Being Microbead Free

Area Education, Pets/Animals, Politics, Recycling, , , ,

Tiny microbeads in personal care products, which pose dangers to humans and aquatic life, are washing into public waterways. --- credit: Alliance for the Great Lakes
Tiny microbeads in personal care products, which pose dangers to humans and aquatic life, are washing into public waterways. — credit: Alliance for the Great Lakes

On Friday, the U.S. Senate voted unanimously to pass a bipartisan bill focused on keeping microbeads out of the Great Lakes. The Microbead-Free Waters Act of 2015 will protect the Great Lakes from pollution caused by small, plastic microbeads that are ingredients in certain soaps and personal care products.

“Today’s vote is great news for our Great Lakes, which are critical to our economy and Michigan way of life,” said Senator Stabenow, co-chair of the Senate Great Lakes Task Force. “Microbeads pose a very real danger to our Great Lakes and threaten our fish and wildlife populations. This bipartisan bill is an important step in keeping our wildlife protected and our waters safe.”

The legislation passed through the House of Representatives earlier this month. It will phase out the manufacturing of products with microbeads, which get through water treatment facilities.

Microbeads from products like face washes and toothpaste often end up floating in the Great Lakes, where they can build up as plastic pollution and are often mistaken for food by fish. In the Great Lakes, anywhere between 1,500 to 1.1 million microbeads can be found per square mile.Microbeads

“This commonsense, bipartisan effort to phase out microbeads in consumer products like face wash and toothpaste is an important step toward protecting our Great Lakes,” said Senator Peters, a member of the Senate Great Lakes Task Force. “Synthetic plastic microbeads amplify the effects of pollution and threaten wildlife in the Great Lakes ecosystem. I’m pleased that my Senate colleagues are sending this vital measure to the President’s desk to ensure our Great Lakes continue to thrive.”

The world’s largest source of freshwater just became a little bit cleaner.

Michigan Calls for Newly Elected Canadian Prime Minister to Stop Storage of Nuclear Waste on Great Lakes

Community Health, Politics, Recycling, , , , , ,

The Great Lakes are an important resource
The Great Lakes are an important resource

Michigan Senators Debbie Stabenow, Gary Peters, and Congressman Dan Kildee are urging newly elected Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau to take action to stop nuclear waste from being buried less than a mile from Lake Huron.

In a letter to the Prime Minister, Stabenow, Peters, and Kildee urged the new Canadian government to not approve permits necessary to construct a proposed nuclear waste site in Kincardine, Ontario.

“The Great Lakes are our most precious natural resource,” the letter states, “Given the critical importance of these shared waters to our countries, and the potentially catastrophic damages to the Lakes from a nuclear accident, we urge your administration not to approve this repository and consider alternative locations outside the Great Lakes Basin.”

The previous Canadian administration said a decision on whether or not to move forward with the construction of a nuclear waste site would be made by December 2. Given the proximity of the proposed nuclear waste site to the Great Lakes, an accident that releases radioactive material could devastate the Great Lakes’ $7 billion fishing industry, harm Michigan’s economy, and severely damage environmentally sensitive areas. More than 40 million people in Canada and the United States rely on the Great Lakes for their drinking water.

Earlier this year, the Stop Nuclear Waste by Our Lakes Act was introduced by Stabenow, Peters, and Kildee to require the State Department to invoke the Boundary Waters Treaty of 1909. This would mandate that the International Joint Commission (IJC) study the risks to the Great Lakes from the proposed Canadian nuclear waste site.

Radioactive MaterialsThe legislation would also require the State Department to undertake negotiations with the Government of Canada to wait for the study results before approving any waste site located on the Great Lakes.

Full Text from the Letter Below:

Dear Prime Minister Trudeau:
 
Please accept our congratulations on being elected the 23rd Prime Minister of Canada. We are eager to work collaboratively with your administration to advance our many shared interests and mutually reconcile issues where our countries may differ.
 
We write to you today about a matter of great concern to the citizens of our respective states:  the risks to the Great Lakes of constructing a deep geological repository for storing 7,000,000 cubic feet of radioactive waste on the shores of Lake Huron in Kincardine, Ontario.  As you are aware, the previous Administration postponed to December 2 the deadline for rendering the final decision on whether to permit the planning for constructing the facility.
 
The Great Lakes are our most precious natural resource — providing drinking water to 40 million people on both sides of the border and billions of dollars to our regional and national economies.  Given the critical importance of these shared waters to our countries, and the potentially catastrophic damages to the Lakes from a nuclear accident, we urge your administration not to approve this repository and consider alternative locations outside the Great Lakes Basin.  At the very least, we ask that the final decision be postponed until we have an opportunity to discuss this matter with you in person.
 
Thank you for your consideration of our requests. We look forward to working with you and your Administration.

Shedding Light on Michigan’s Haunted Beacons

Area Education, Local History, , , ,

Haunted LighthouseBy: Dianna Higgs Stampfler

I’ve been fascinated Michigan lighthouses since 1997, when I started working at the West Michigan Tourist Association (1997-2004). Did you know Michigan has more lighthouses than any state? And, that a fair number of those are rumored to be haunted? Although I’ve never experienced any of these ghostly encounters myself, I’m happy to share the stories that have been passed along to me by others. If you’d like to learn more about “Michigan’s Ghostly Beacons,” I invite you to attend one of my upcoming presentations on the topic. The schedule can be found here.

What is it about lighthouses that seem to attract spirits – most often than naught, the ghosts of former keepers? Maybe it’s a never-ending passion for what was more of a lifestyle than a job. These keepers often lost their lives during their service, protecting the sailors on the inland seas from the dangerous and rocky shores of the Great Lakes. Many served twenty, thirty, even forty years and beyond, raising their families along these freshwater coastlines, because it was the only life they knew.

Here in Michigan, we’re proud to claim more lighthouses than any other state – with 117. The first light was built here in the 1820s; the latest in 2006. Nearly two dozen of these lights are rumored to be haunted – in most cases, by former keepers or their families. Their spirits live on, dedication unfaltering – even after the lights, and their lives, have been extinguished.

White River Light Station, Whitehall (Lake Michigan)

William Robinson
William Robinson

When William Robinson and his wife, Sarah, first came to the Whitehall area in the 1860s, there was no lighthouse at the end of the White River to guide the many boats coming and going due to the area’s rich lumbering industry.

Robinson took it upon himself to walk the riverbank nightly and hang a lantern on a pole, marking the entrance to the river for those vessels coming in after dark. He also began the drawn-out process of commissioning the Lighthouse Service to have an actual lighthouse built at the site.

After several years, Robinson’s attempts were rewarded and in 1875, the White River Light Station was first lit. The ships captains, who had been coming in and out of Whitehall for those years under Robinson’s safe guidance, petitioned the service to have him appointed the first keeper. It was a position he held for 44 years, until 1919 when age forced him into retirement. The day before he vacated the light, Robinson passed away in his sleep.

Rumor has it that neither he, nor his beloved wife – who had died many years prior – have ever really left White River Light Station.

The current resident keeper, Karen McDonnell, has reported multiple ghostly occurrences in her 20+ years of service. Content that it is the Robinsons, she simply shares the stories with visitors to the museum. Captain Robinson is frequently heard walking around upstairs in the former bedrooms and lantern room.

It’s Sarah’s spirit that is a bit more interesting. Karen says one day, she’d been upstairs dusting the museum display case when the phone rang. She set her dusting supplies down and went down to answer the phone. When she returned a short time later, she was startled to find her dusting supplies had moved and the display case was void of dust. Knowing of Sarah’s reputation as a meticulous housekeeper, Karen was amused. Over the years, Karen reports that attempts to recreate that incident have only succeeded on that original display case in an upstairs room which once was the nursery. A place Karen believes Sarah holds dear to her heart.

Seul Choix Point Lighthouse, Gulliver (Lake Michigan)

Captain Joseph Willy Townshend
Captain Joseph Willy Townshend

Captain Joseph Willy Townshend was an avid cigar smoker, and it is widely believed that his death in 1910 was the result of lung cancer. The fact that his body was embalmed in the basement of the keeper’s home and that his body lay in state for an extended period of time awaiting family from far away to pay their last respects, probably didn’t do much to help ease his mind as he left this world. So much so, that he opted to stay and keep watch on his majestic beacon.

The Gulliver History Society, which maintains this lighthouse, has kept detailed records of each ghostly occurrence at the lighthouse. Whether it be sight, sound, smell or just an eerie feeling, each is recorded in a log book which has more than 300 entries thus far. Faces in mirrors, the pungent odor of cigar smoke, rocking chairs moving on their own, pictures with hazy figures, images in windows – these are all common at Seul Choix (Shish-Shwa).

One of the most commonly told stories begins when the alarm at the lighthouse goes off in the middle of the night, sending an emergency call to both local law enforcement and the head of the historical society. The officers arrived first, and access the situation by walking around the lighthouse checking for any foul play.

One officer reportedly heard the sound of a chair moving across the floor and a man’s voice coming from the kitchen. When this account is shared with the museum administrator, it is met with a chuckle and a brief history of the resident ghost. Inside the house, no one is found – however, one of the kitchen chairs is pulled away from the table. The lighthouse is locked up and all parties depart.

A few weeks later, the scene repeats itself. The same two officers, the same museum staffer. Again, no one is found inside. The lighthouse is locked up tight and everyone heads out.

As the squad car makes its way down the long, dark, narrow roadway, it is approached by an oncoming car. Curious as to why anyone would be headed to the lighthouse at such a late hour, the police turn on their lights and exit their car to investigate. The oncoming vehicle is full of drunken teenagers, who are subsequently believed to be responsible for a series of break-ins and vandalizing acts in the area (one on the night of the original tripping of the alarm).

Turns out Captain Townshend was watching out for his lighthouse, making sure authorities were there to prevent any damage from occurring.

Saginaw River Range Light, Saginaw (Lake Huron)

When Peter Brawn was appointed the eighth lighthouse keeper at Saginaw River Range light in March, 1866, little did he know that his tenure would be short-lived. The next year, Peter suffered an unrecorded injury or disease and became incapacitated as a result.

His wife, Julia, took over the duties on an unofficial basis. In March 1873, Peter finally succumbed to his illness and passed way. Ultimately, Julia was finally appointed the official keeper after serving seven years in an interim position.

In 1875, Julie remarried – a man named George Way, who in addition to the title of her husband was appointed head keeper, with Julia demoted to serving as assistant. By 1882, the assistant position was abolished all together and Julia was left with no official title or duty. The following year, George himself passed away. However, before Julia was able to resume her duties as head keeper, she disappeared from lighthouse service – never to serve again.

While there is no proof that Julia actually had anything to do with the deaths of her two husbands, it is quite a coincidence that any time she lost her position as head lighthouse keeper the husband lost his life. Rumors of ghostly occurrences at this light are attributed to the two former keepers who died there, whether of natural causes or at the hands of their wife, Julia Brawn Way.

For more about Michigan’s lighthouses – haunted or otherwise – visit the Great Lakes Lighthouse Keepers Association at www.gllka.com.

Beaver Head Island Light
Beaver Head Island Light

Ghostly Beacons

St. Joseph Keeper’s Residence
South Haven Keeper’s Residence
White River Light Station*
South Manitou Island*
Grand Traverse Lighthouse*
Beaver Head Island Light*
Squaw Island Light
St. Helena Island Light*
Waugoshance Shoal Light
Seul Choix Point Light*
Sand Pointe Lighthouse*
Eagle Harbor Light
Rock of Ages
Big Bay Point Lighthouse B&B
Crisp Pointe Lighthouse
Point Iroquois*
Old Presque Isle*
New Presque Isle*
Thunder Bay Island Light
Sturgeon Bay Light
Tawas Point Light
Saginaw River Range Light
Point aux Barques

*Open for tours

This article was republished with permission from Dianna at Promote Michigan. We do our best to help with the promotion of the great State of Michigan!