In the News - Articles of Interest
Feb 7, 2025
ODA recognizes contributions to Ohio water quality
The Ohio Department of Agriculture recognized three entities for their significant leadership and commitment to conservation. Independent crop consultant Joe Nester, the Lucas County Engineer’s Office, and the Greene Soil & Water Conservation District were all honored for their contributions to improving water quality through H2Ohio.
Feb 7, 2025
OH group wants federal accountability for Lake Erie phosphorus reduction
Legal action continues in efforts at cleaning up a portion of Ohio's waterways.
The Ohio EPA has been added as a defendant, along with the U.S. EPA, in a lawsuit filed by the Board of Lucas County Commissioners, the City of Toledo, and the Environmental Law and Policy Center, arguing the two agencies failed to have an effective plan to prevent dangerous amounts of phosphorus from occupying Lake Erie. Phosphorus produces cyanobacteria which appears in water as blue-green or brownish algae.
Feb 7, 2025
More goose poop, more problems
Chris Compton, owner of a company called Goose Busters, has spent nearly 30 years addressing human-goose conflicts. Over the years, the goose population has continued to grow, especially in more populated areas, he said.
“We have them all over,” he said. “They’re building up in Lansing quite a bit. Ann Arbor’s a big area. Troy, Detroit, Rochester Hills and Auburn Hills too.”
Feb 7, 2025
Scientists call on U.S., Canada to confront 'ubiquitous' Great Lakes microplastics pollution
The United States and Canada should take stronger action against microplastic pollution in the Great Lakes, an international science advisory board recommended to the governments.
The small plastic particles are "ubiquitous" in Great Lakes water, sediment, plants, fish and beaches, the International Joint Commission's Great Lakes Science Advisory Board said in a report issued late last year.
Feb 7, 2025
The Great Lakes have long faced pollution threats. The latest might be the most insidious.
Candy wrappers. Cigarette butts. Chip bags.
The litter you see on the side of the street doesn’t just present a public nuisance where it’s dropped. It’s one of the more serious emerging pollution threats to the Great Lakes, which have a long history of manmade threats and restoration efforts.
Feb 7, 2025
Ohio Sea Grant looks back at 2024 summary of algal bloom research
The National Centers for Coastal Ocean Science reported that the 2024 western Lake Erie cyanobacterial bloom had a severity index (SI) of 6.6, which is moderately severe, and more intense than 2023 (SI of 5.3). The SI captures the amount of biomass over the peak 30-days of the bloom, calculated using satellite imagery.
Jan 26, 2025
Bloom researchers, farmers paying more attention to harmful algae problem on Lake Erie
On a warm late-summer evening, a small speedboat motored across a pea-green stretch of Lake Erie past a beach where a child sat splashing and a pair of newlyweds waded for a portrait photographer. On the sand, unseen or ignored, bright red signs warned people to stay out of the water due to dangerous algae toxins.
Jan 26, 2025
1 year later, offshore wind power in the Great Lakes remains just an aspiration for some
One year after the proposed Icebreaker Wind demonstration project in Lake Erie got shelved, there continues to be talk — but little movement — toward erecting commercial-scale offshore wind turbines in the Great Lakes.
