Reports

The State of the Lakes: Still a Bummer

A new report by the US and Canadian Environmental Agencies finds that the Great Lakes ecosystem continues on a rapid decline due to toxic pollution and invasive species and poor sewage management. And don’t forget, all this is happening within the context of climate change – ARGH!

“State of the Great Lakes 2009,” released by the U.S. EPA and Environment Canada, says the overall health of the Great Lakes ecosystem as “mixed” and that means the lakes are still degrading but there is some good news: The prevention of toxic pollution has improved. While that is great, the slow Read More » »

Invasive Species Take a Bite Out of State Wallets

The insidious little creatures that stowaway aboard Salties ballast water and are drained into the Great Lakes fresh water are costing the US side a whopping $200 million annually (and that is a conservative estimate), according to the preliminary results of an economic impact report on the subject.

Since the St. Lawrence Seaway opened to ocean going vessels in the late 1950s it hasn’t only been the ecological landscape of the lakes that has suffered. Consumers have lost millions in economic benefits that would have been derived from sport and commercial fisheries, wildlife watching and raw water users, researchers find.

“The Read More » »

The Day after Tomorrow: The Great Lakes in Crisis

Close your eyes and think of the worst disaster movie you’ve ever seen, OK, do you have it set in your mind’s eye? The Healing Our Waters-Great Lakes Coalition is releasing a report that shows the expected impacts of global warming on the Great Lakes – nearly 95 percent of this nation’s fresh surface water – are much more devastating than anything you could have imagined.

Great Lakes Restoration and the Threat of Global Warming makes it clear that the Great Lakes are poised to reach an irrevocable crisis Read More » »

New Report: Congress Must Deal with Global Warming—Great Lakes Impact

ANN ARBOR, MI (May 28, 2008)—The Great Lakes can lessen the impact of global warming or become global warming’s victim—it all depends on Congress, according to a new report from the Healing Our Waters®-Great Lakes Coalition. The authors urged Congress to enact a comprehensive plan to restore the health of the Great Lakes.

“Climate change is already affecting the Great Lakes, and no matter what we do now, the those impacts will increase in the future,” said Donald Scavia, Ph.D., report co-author and professor of Natural Resources and Environment at the University of Michigan. Read More » »

Climate Change and Water Diversion Won’t Leave Much “Great” in the Lakes

We’ve all heard that climate change will only exacerbate lower lake levels and lengthening shore lines in the Great Lakes over the coming years. These are serious threats that, unfortunately, are not too shocking for those of us who have watched as the ice that once reached near to Canada continues to retreat each year and as water temperatures rise, allowing kids to start swimming in the lakes earlier each summer. Climate Change and Great Lakes Water Resources, a new report prepared for the National Wildlife Federation confirms our observations. But what is most interesting about Read More » »

Study Finds Great Lakes National Parks Neglected

Neglect can be added to the list of problems plaguing the Great Lakes region. Nearsighted federal policy that has steered dollars away from one of our nation’s greatest resources has left crumbling lighthouses, empty trout nets and retreating dunes in the wake, according to a recent study by a national park advocacy group.

Environmental problems, such as air pollution and invasive species in the Great Lakes are have an equally dangerous effect on six national parks studied by the National Parks Conservation Association. For example, 20 percent Read More » »

$50 Billion in Economic Benefit Hinge on Restoration of Great Lakes

Cost to restore and protect the Great Lakes: $26 Billion.

Cost of creating sustainable economic growth and reviving the industrial heartland of America: Priceless.

It has been called the Rust Belt since the early ‘70s when the once thriving Great Lakes region – a producer of steel, metal and automobiles that attracted workers from around the world – fell victim to globalization and then the information economy. Factories and mills closed and crestfallen populations of workers migrated away in search of jobs. But leading economists are releasing a report today showing that investing in the Great Read More » »

Reports detailing the state of health of the Great Lakes

In the following posts, you will find a collection of reports detailing the state of health of the Great Lakes.  If you know of another you feel should be listed here, just leave us a note via the comments.

Report: Protecting and Restoring Minnesota’s North Shore

Protecting and Restoring Minnesota’s North Shore is a report by the Healing Our Waters – Great Lakes Coalition. The introduction appears below. To view the full report, please click on the link at the bottom of the page.
 
“The North Shore of Lake Superior is one of Minnesota’s greatest blessings. Over the decades, this rugged stretch of the world’s largest lake – and the many rivers and inland lakes that drain into it – has given millions of Minnesotans a taste of wilderness and a periodic escape from the Read More » »

Report: Prescription for Great Lakes Ecosystem Protection and Restoration

An excerpt from the report, Prescription for Great Lakes Ecosystem Protection and Restoration: Avoiding the Tipping Point of Irreversible Change appears below. To read the report in full, please click on the link at the bottom of the page.
 

OVERVIEWThere is widespread agreement that the Great Lakes presently are exhibiting symptoms of extreme stress from a combination of sources that include toxic contaminants, invasive species, nutrient loading, shoreline and upland land use changes, and hydrologic modifications. Many of these Read More » »