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Strategic plan targets invasive species
The Superior Daily Telegram (11/17)
Douglas County’s Land Conservation Committee is forwarding a plan to the county board that takes aim at invasive species.
Mich. Clean Marina Program: Public-private partners work together to improve water quality
Grand Rapids Environmental News Examiner (11/9)
Partners from the public and private sector in Michigan are working together in a voluntary program to improve the quality of the Great Lakes.
Researchers seek funding for wind test site in Lake Michigan
Grand Rapids Environmental News Examiner (11/7)
In a recent article in The Muskegon Chronicle, it was reported that researchers at Grand Valley State University’s Michigan Alternative and Renewable Energy Center (MAREC) cited a lack of year-around data (on wind platform testing) needed by prospective development companies.
COMMENTARY: Senate needs to pass clean energy act to help Michigan
The Grand Rapids Press (10/26)
Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid was absolutely correct with his recent proclamation about the current condition of the Great Lakes State: "The State of Michigan," Reid declared from the Senate Floor, with a copy Time Magazine in his hand, "is in trouble."
First Nation women 'walk the environmental talk'
WeNews (10/23)
Tomorrow's global day of climate activism aims for media and political attention. First Nation women have another way. Since 2003, they've walked the shoreline of a Great Lake or major river, meditating on the needs of an unborn generation.
City making big push for water school
The Business Journal (10/23)
The push is on to convince the University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee that the best location for its new School of Freshwater Sciences is near the university’s existing Great Lakes Water Institute on East Greenfield Avenue.
What's going on in your neighborhood this month? Meet other people and learn together at recreational and educational events! Our new dynamic calendar is updated daily with current educational events.
5 | Effects of lake level fluctuations
Stretching more than 9,500 miles, the shores of the Great Lakes are constantly reshaped by the effects of wind, waves and moving water. Erosion is a natural process that occurs under all water level conditions, although it is often magnified during periods of high water or storms. In areas of high-density development, minor deviations from long-term average water levels can produce pronounced economic losses. In less developed areas, impacts can be less noticeable.
Low levels, too, can have negative impacts on how people use the lakes, ranging from forcing shippers to lighten their loads to causing problems at drinking-water intakes. Boaters must be careful when navigating in non-dredged marinas and other shallow water areas. Boaters should be familiar with and make it a regular practice to use navigation charts for the waters they expect to navigate. These charts are published by the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) and Canada's Department of Fisheries and Oceans. When navigating unfamiliar waters, using caution and reducing speeds is advised.
Low water levels have other effects, too. Shoreline property owners enjoy wider beaches, and new vegetation springs up farther from shore, which, in the long run, will provide new habitat for fish when water levels rise again. And while there are new navigation hazards to negotiate, explorers often find reefs, wrecks and old piers they never knew existed until the water fell.
Water levels are only one of the complex physical processes exerted upon our Great Lakes shorelines. Whether you live on one of the Great Lakes or simply enjoy boating or visiting the region's beaches, being aware of water level changes and their potential impacts can save you considerable time, money and worry.
Graphics: Collapsed structure on Lake Michigan in the 1970s; marina on Lake St. Clair; new beaches exposed on the north shore of Lake Michigan (April 2000).
