Midwest Lakes Policy Center

Lower Wisconsin River Basin

2008-11-20T12:23:15Z

A planned five-year permit by the Wisconsin DNR to a lake district has stirred strong emotions at a meeting in Dane County. The Crystal, Mud and Fish Lake District will be allowed to discharge lake water into the Lower Wisconsin River Basin to help alleviate flooding with the pending permit. The Friends of the Lower Wisconsin Riverway believe the discharge will affect the water quality of the river, and are against the permit. Learn More. Sample Permit.

Great Lakes Photos

2008-11-19T18:10:59Z

If you would like to check out some great aerial photos of the Great Lakes, you should check out this website. It has various photos from the air, of popular spots throughout the Great Lakes watershed.

Zebra Mussels and Kansas

2008-11-19T12:26:55Z

Lakes and rivers throughout Kansas are being taken over by zebra mussels. The invasive species were first seen in the state in 2003 in El Dorado Lake. If you spot zebra mussels in your local lake or river you can report them, here. Zebra mussels are costing the state of Kansas and the rest of the U.S. up to $145 million dollars a year. Learn more.

Getting Lost in the Boundary Waters

2008-11-18T13:54:54Z

Even the most experienced hiker or canoeist can get lost in the Boundary Waters Canoe Area Wilderness. Find out more about how two women got lost for three days on the Kekekabic Trail after losing their compass, through the link below. Video and story of lost women in the BWCAW.

Lake Michigan's Water

2008-11-17T12:02:51Z

Waukesha, Wisconsin unveiled updated plans to tap water from Lake Michigan. The Great Lakes Compact takes effect December 8th, and after that communities within counties that straddle the basin may be able to access lake water. Learn more, here.

Eutrophication Costing the U.S. Billions

2008-11-13T12:03:47Z

A new study shows eutrophication of freshwater systems in the U.S. is costing Americans between $2.2 and $4.4 billion dollars a year. The biggest losses occur to lakefront property values, which lose value to the degradation of water quality. Those losses total anywhere between $300 million and $2.8 billion dollars a year. Battling phosphorus and nitrogen loading in the watersheds will help recover some losses from eutrophication. Read the full study, here.

Severing the Link Between the Mississippi and the Great Lakes

2008-11-12T12:18:08Z

Can we undo 100 years of engineering and separate the waters of the Great Lakes and the Mississippi? A study by the Great Lakes Fishery Commission and the Great Lakes Fishery Trust looked at severing the Chicago River from the Mississippi Basin. The two were connected after the Chicago River's flow was reversed. Learn more about the proposal.

Edmund Fitzgerald Video

2008-11-11T19:44:35Z

Learn more about the tragedy of the Edmund Fitzgerald, and dive down to the wreck in this video.

Great Lakes Museum

2008-11-11T12:15:37Z

The Detroit Historical Society held its annual remembrance for mariners who lost their lives on the Great Lakes. The ceremony fell on the 33rd anniversary of the sinking of the Edmund Fitzgerald on Lake Superior. Visit the Dossin Great Lakes Museum, here.

Five Island Lake

2008-11-10T18:15:55Z

View Larger Map Five Island Lake is located in Palo Alto County, Iowa. This natural lake has a maximum depth of 20 feet and is 951 acres in size.

Hartwell Lake Running Dry

2008-11-10T12:12:55Z

Hartwell Lake a reservoir on the South Carolina and Georgia border is estimated to have only 300 days of water remaining. If rainfall is not above normal for the next year, the lake might not be able to provide water to residents that rely on reservoir. Learn More.

Migration

2008-11-07T15:20:42Z

As fall slowly turns into winter, and leaves and birds disappear from the trees and lakes of the Midwest, I wanted to share a quote from Rachel Carson. "There is symbolic as well as actual beauty in the migration of the birds... There is something infinitely healing in the repeated refrains of nature -- the assurance that dawn comes after night, and spring after the winter..."

Asian Carp Knocking on Lake Michigan's Door

2008-11-06T12:16:06Z

Asian carp are now less than 45 miles from entering Lake Michigan, and the barrier to keep the fish from the Great Lakes is still not operating. The barrier is still being tested, and the Coast Guard is unsure when it will be in operation. The fish can grow to 100 pounds and out compete local fish for food. The invasive species disrupts the food chain and ecosystems of many watersheds.

Barack Obama and the Environment

2008-11-05T14:02:06Z

Now that Barack Obama has been elected President, he will soon get to work on plans to improve and restore our natural environment. Read through a PDF list of environmental restoration plans for the Great Lakes, climate change, clean energy and sustainability issues-here.

More Dogs Die Due To Blue-Green Algae

2008-11-04T12:09:15Z

4 dog deaths across Wisconsin and Minnesota from the toxins in blue-green algae has many hunters alarmed; due to the fact that the deaths occurred while duck hunting. A large number of algal blooms this late in the year is very rare. Please use caution with your pets around any body of water, that has large amounts of algae present.