On Lake Michigan’s shores, a $15B data center promises to save water — but the power it demands tells a different story. Inside Wisconsin’s fight over AI’s growing thirst for energy and who pays the price. Read more at www.circleofblue.org

According to a 2024 report from the Environmental Law and Policy Center, the state’s 290 concentrated animal feeding operations (CAFOs) — generate 62.7 million pounds of waste each day. www.circleofblue.org/fresh/ #GreatLakes #Environment #WaterNews

Sludge and septage are spread across around half a million acres statewide, but most of it has never been tested for PFAS. www.greatlakesnow.org/2025/11/slud...

Federal funding cuts have led to the termination of an AmeriCorps program in Ohio, halting six years of environmental restoration work with Tinker’s Creek Watershed Partners. Read the full story: buff.ly/FGB5lUO #GreatLakes #CleanWater #FundingCuts

#PFAS can be found in #biosolids, an alternative to fertilizers that recycles nutrients from wastewater treatment plants. Today, towns in #Wisconsin—especially towns near paper mills—are facing PFAS contamination from biosolids. 🔗 Read the article: www.wpr.org/news/sludge-...

Pennsylvania has long led the way in using nature-based solutions to tackle flooding and poor water quality — from floodplain restoration to dam removal. Our new report highlights seven communities where we're using the power of nature to restore rivers: www.americanrivers.org/report/resto...

The shutdown has left NOAA's network of cooperative research institutes locked out of federal labs and cut off from federal collaborators. In some cases, it's affecting research aimed at public safety—like toxic algae monitoring in the Great Lakes. My story 🔏 & quick 🧵 www.eenews.net/articles/shu...

Middle school teachers: your students can meet a real scientist! 🐟 Join Purdue grad student Anna Hill for a free virtual event to explore how scientists track #GreatLakes fish like #YellowPerch using acoustic telemetry. Register here: z.umn.edu/cgll-yep-tra... #EduSky 🍎

Sea lamprey control - a joint effort between the US + Canada - has allowed lake trout to make a comeback in the #GreatLakes over the past 60 years. This fall marks the 3rd year the Fond du Lac Band has been able to practice the tradition of subsistence netting www.mprnews.org/story/2025/1...

It’s #ElectionDay! 🗳️🦅🙋 Local and state elected officials regularly make decisions that impact you, your #vote helps decide who those officials are. Find out if your community has elections today and how you can prepare before heading to the polls at www.nwf.org/vote#ElectionDay

Long after the Halloween season has ended, some Great Lakes’ invasive species remain a scary sight: blood-sucking parasites with suction-cup mouths, thousands of rotting fish carcasses washed ashore and sharp mussel shells that puncture the feet of beachgoers ☠️ www.greatlakesnow.org/2024/10/grea...

Aurora, Illinois, a Chicago suburb, has enacted a 180-day moratorium on new data center developments, the town announced in a press release late last month. Our Fresh newsletter unpacks news stories facing the Great Lakes region today. buff.ly/9oOqm71 #GreatLakes #Environment #WaterNews

THIS HALLOWEEN, THE REAL HORROR IS IN THE WETLANDS 😱 Phragmites australis is a monstrous invasive species that crowds out native plants and drains the life from wetland ecosystems #GreatLakes #CleanWater #InvasiveSpecies

“The sturgeon release is by far our favorite activity of the summer — my kids talk about it multiple times a year!” Riverside lake sturgeon releases are an incredible chance to meet these Great Lakes giants (well, they'll be giants someday 🥹). Learn about Saginaw Bay restoration: buff.ly/FWtdtiX

A sudden halt in federal funding has derailed $20 million in conservation projects across northern Michigan — threatening stream restorations, farmland protection, and decades of local progress. Read the latest story at www.circleofblue.org #WaterNews #Michigan #FundingCuts #Conservation

A $20M conservation project in northern Michigan was abruptly halted — freezing stream restorations, farmland protections, and habitat work. Local groups now fight to keep decades of progress from washing away. Read more: www.circleofblue.org #Michigan #Conservation #ClimateAction #GreatLakes

Invasive carp are staging a real-life horror show in our waterways! These aquatic monsters can eat up to 40% of their body weight DAILY and threaten the Great Lakes' multi-billion dollar fishing industry. #GreatLakes #CleanWater #InvasiveSpecies

Don't miss out on the latest issue of the Journal of Great Lakes Research, featuring a special section on Great Lakes coastal processes and articles on microcystin persistence, PCBs, microplastics, and more. JGLR, vol. 51, issue 4: https://bit.ly/4mkf6Oq #JGLR #GreatLakesSci

4 in 10 U.S. adults say they are “extremely” or “very” concerned about the environmental impacts of AI.

A federal court has stopped the Interior Department from laying off over 2,000 employees, including 108 from the USGS Great Lakes Science Center, 79% of the Center’s staff. More here:

The Northeast-Midwest Institute hosted the fifth session of its Great Lakes Primer and Orientation Program on the Clean Water and Drinking Water State Revolving Funds (SRFs) last Thursday. If you missed the briefing, see a recording here:

Round gobies might be small, but these bottom-dwelling invaders are TERRIFYING for our ecosystems. Their voracious appetites and aggressive natures allow them to dominate over native species. #GreatLakes #CleanWater #InvasiveSpecies

EPA scientists linked PFNA with developmental, liver and reproductive harms. Their final report was ready in mid-April, according to an internal document reviewed by ProPublica, but it has yet to be released by the Trump administration. By @fastlerner.bsky.social

After a stalemate between Illinois Gov. JB Pritzker and President Trump, the state announced it had acquired land needed to advance the build-out of an invasive carp barrier. Our Fresh newsletter unpacks news stories facing the Great Lakes region today. www.circleofblue.org/fresh/

People across the U.S. are raising concerns about new power-hungry AI data centers built near their homes that guzzle local water supplies, drive up electricity bills, and worsen climate change by relying on fossil fuels.

For the Francophones in our audience, did you miss the Découverte episode on how the dismantling of science in the United States is impacting the Great Lakes? Keep an eye out for a few IAGLR folks you're sure to recognize. https://bit.ly/42Or9w4

Cookware, paint, spices - these can all contain lead, a heavy metal causing more than 1.5 million deaths annually, harming children and biodiversity. This #ILPPW2025, here’s how we can reduce the risks and #BeatChemicalPollution: https://bit.ly/3IVQu0z

Each year, IAGLR gives out several scholarships to students showing great promise early in their research careers, including the IDEA+ Presenter Scholarship. Don't miss the November 1 deadline, apply today: https://bit.ly/4q87jpL

This would be a major blow to #GreatLakes science

Two decades of Healing Our Waters! @nationalwildlife.bsky.social profiled the HOW Coalition for the fall edition of their magazine, celebrating 20 years of the Coalition. Thank you to everyone who has been part of this journey! Read the article: buff.ly/PsVZFXc

🏄 In “Troubled Water,” a new documentary from PBS, two Michigan men paddle from the Straits of Mackinac to Lansing to call attention to the potential risks of Enbridge’s #Line5 pipeline. The film's creator calls it “a love letter to the #GreatLakes.” 🎥Watch here: www.pbs.org/video/troubl...

🔥 LAST CALL: #HazMaTON Undergraduate Research Assistant (UMD) Help MNSG deliver #GreatLakes hazmat + oil spill science to the public. No hazmat suit required! 15 hrs/week • $15.25/hr • Academic year position Apply by Oct 22 or until filled → z.umn.edu/haz-ug-research-asst

Quagga mussels are the stuff of nightmares and because of this invasive species, lake whitefish are on the brink of collapse. #GreatLakes #CleanWater #InvasiveSpecies

The Great Lakes might not fear vampires but they do fear vampire fish! Parasitic sea lampreys feed from host fish and just one sea lamprey can kill up to 40 pounds of fish🧛 #GreatLakes #CleanWater #InvasiveSpecies

🦇 October is Bat Appreciation Month 🦇 Did you know there are over 1,400 bat species worldwide, with 47 of them found in the U.S. and Canada? These remarkable fliers not only consume vast numbers of mosquitoes but also pollinate night-blooming flowers. Take the bat quiz 📲: https://ow.ly/3btU50XbitT

The lowly muskrat could be an unexpected ally in the push against aquatic invasive plants:

How tech companies and government officials handle local impacts will shape the industry's future in the U.S. n.pr/4qa6s7U

Remember when we were all about Starter Packs? Here's my list of Indigenous Scientists in the USA Please share the link and follow all of us! go.bsky.app/9LhnuCY #IndigenousPeoplesDay

ICYMI: the Coalition is hiring a Policy Fellow for a two-year term! Check out this post for more information and to apply: buff.ly/Xn5pUWJ #Hiring #GreatLakes #CleanWater

NEW: PFNA can be found in drinking water systems that serve about 26 million people. The EPA’s toxicity report on the forever chemical has sat in limbo for months, raising concerns that the Trump administration might change it or not release it at all.

The Great Lakes are changing — stay informed. Get Fresh, Circle of Blue’s newsletter with the latest water news, analysis, and stories that matter most to the region and the world. www.circleofblue.org/fresh/ #GreatLakes #WaterNews #GreatLakesPolicy #Fresh #WaterPolicy

The Ojibwe tribe is fighting to preserve manoomin, a wild rice in northern Wisconsin that’s under threat from a pipeline, climate change, pollution and invasive plant species.

PFAS use in data centers endangers workers and neighbors-- and their climate impact is worse than we thought. @theguardian.com: bit.ly/4mXRbV0 Why are lawmakers and oligarchs so intent on destroying Ohioans' health and public lands with continued natural gas expansion? @devinnunnari.bsky.social

New episode of the Teach Me About the Great Lakes podcast is out! I joined a couple other invasive species folks to talk about the new-ish aquatic invasive species in the #GreatLakes region we think people should know about www.teachmeaboutthegreatlakes.com/113

Sault Tribe released over 425,000 Walleye and over 100,000 Lake Whitefish in conservation efforts to support fish populations and healthy fisheries. #GreatLakes #PureMichigan #Indigenous www.9and10news.com/2025/10/06/s...

From docks to dinner plates, Sea Grant delivers real value for working waterfronts: Across the nation, Sea Grant programs are a vital part of Great Lakes and marine economies. Our programs support gear innovation, enhance seafood safety, help fishing businesses adapt to shifting markets... (1/2)

Understanding the voting process is crucial for making decisions that reflect your values. This #NationalVoterEducationWeek, research candidates and issues thoroughly to ensure your vote aligns with what matters most to you at➡️ NationalVoterEducationWeek.org

You already know we like to talk #LakeSuperior. 🌊 This next talk? #PFAS and “forever chemicals.” Join us Oct. 7 @ 1 p.m. CT for Let’s Talk Lake Superior: Chemical Contaminants. And what do herring gull eggs have to do with it, anyways? 💧🧪 🔗 z.umn.edu/mnsg_letstal... #GreatLakes #WaterSky