Great Lakes Today

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Great Lakes Today, a collaboration of public media stations, was created to highlight issues affecting the lakes. All reports are available to stations for free -- whether or not the station is in the Great Lakes region.

The main partners in the collaboration are WBFO (Buffalo), ideastream (Cleveland) and WXXI (Rochester); other stations in the region will also contribute reports. Great Lakes Today is funded through a grant from the Corporation for Public Broadcasting.

Series

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4 Pieces

Drownings at Great Lakes beaches often have a common cause: dangerous currents similar to those found along the ocean. Over the past decade, some 500 drownings and rescues have been attributed to structural, longshore and rip currents. This four-part series examines the issue from various perspectives, including a grieving mother, scientists developing a warning system, and a Michigan beach where drownings are concentrated. NOTE: Stories can run as a series or individually. Intros and outros are customized

Caption: Victor Small gets help for his asthma at an East Baltimore clinic., Credit: Angelica A. Morrison
3 Pieces

Minorities in the Great Lakes bear the burden of environmental problems such as air pollution, water contamination and waste dumps. This series examines the issue through residents of Cleveland, Buffalo and an indigenous community in Ontario, Canada.

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3 Pieces

The environmental movement is being redefined. Many advocacy groups are reaching out to minorities and addressing issues important to them. This three-part series explains how the movement has changed -- and what still needs to be done.

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5 Pieces

A look at the impact of President Trump's proposed budget cuts


Pieces

Caption: by ANGELICA A. MORRISON / Asian Longhorned Beetle posting at the  North Tonawanda Audubon Nature Preserve
The U-S Department of Agriculture is asking residents along the Great Lakes to watch for an invader. It’s a tiny insect that has the potential to w...

Bought by WBFO, WDET Detroit Public Radio, Interlochen Public Radio, North Country Public Radio, WAMC Northeast Public Radio and more


  • Added: Aug 25, 2017
  • Length: 03:32
  • Purchases: 7
Caption: Scott McNaught and Emily Wimmer with graduate students, Credit: Central Michigan University
The bloody red shrimp came to the Great Lakes around 2006 in the ballast water of cargo ships. Now, scientists are running tests to determine wheth...

Bought by WORT, WDET Detroit Public Radio, Michigan Radio, WAMC Northeast Public Radio, WXXI Rochester and more


  • Added: Aug 22, 2017
  • Length: 03:35
  • Purchases: 10
Caption: Cross section of Asian carp's vertebrae, Credit: U.S. Geological Survey
Back in June, an Asian carp was caught just nine miles from Lake Michigan. Somehow it got past electric barriers designed to keep those fish out of...

Bought by WBFO, Interlochen Public Radio, WLPR , WRVO Public Media, WXXI Rochester and more


  • Added: Aug 18, 2017
  • Length: :44
  • Purchases: 7
Caption: Capt. Rod MacDonald on the Maid of the Mist, Credit: Dave Rosenthal
Capt. Rod MacDonald has seen a lot in his 29 years on the Maid of the Mist. Like the man who came over Horseshoe Falls on a jet ski.

Bought by WCPN, WAMC Northeast Public Radio, WXXI Rochester, WDET Detroit Public Radio, and WBFO


  • Added: Aug 17, 2017
  • Length: 06:40
  • Purchases: 5
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A new report this month from the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration calls 2016 the warmest year on record around the globe.

Bought by WSKG, WDET Detroit Public Radio, WNIJ, WCMU Michigan, WMUK and more


  • Added: Aug 14, 2017
  • Length: :44
  • Purchases: 13
Caption: Mike Garland shows how water is tested in the wastewater treatment plant before being released back into Lake Ontario., Credit: Veronica Volk
This spring’s heavy rains caused flooding along Lake Ontario's shoreline, but what happened to the lake itself? New data from U.S. and Canadian cit...

Bought by WRVO Public Media, WAMC Northeast Public Radio, North Country Public Radio, WCMU Michigan, and WBFO


  • Added: Aug 11, 2017
  • Length: 03:15
  • Purchases: 5
Caption: This map from the US Army Corps of Engineers shows the location of measures in the agency's recommended plan to restrict Asian carp from entering the Great Lakes, Credit: USACE
The U-S Army Corps of Engineers released a long-awaited report today that says new measures are need to prevent Asian carp from getting into the Gr...

Bought by Interlochen Public Radio, WBFO, WCPN, WCMU Michigan, WXXI Rochester and more


  • Added: Aug 07, 2017
  • Length: 01:02
  • Purchases: 8
Caption: Asian carp, Credit: Gino Santo Maria/shutterstock
Monday, the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers will release a study detailing the best ways to prevent Asian carp from getting into the Great Lakes. A d...

Bought by WMUK, WXXI Rochester, WCMU Michigan, WRVO Public Media, WKSU and more


  • Added: Aug 04, 2017
  • Length: 01:00
  • Purchases: 6
Caption: by ANGELICA A. MORRISON / Bridge crossing in Niagara Falls NY location where Harriet Tubman helped runaway slaves escape to Canada. , Credit: by ANGELICA A. MORRISON / Bridge crossing in Niagara Falls NY location where Harriet Tubman helped runaway slaves escape to Canada.
Thousands of asylum seekers in the US are heading to Canada, because of the hostile political climate here. And they're taking routes along the Gre...

Bought by WDET Detroit Public Radio, WXXI Rochester, WAMC Northeast Public Radio, WCPN, WCMU Michigan and more


  • Added: Aug 04, 2017
  • Length: 03:37
  • Purchases: 6
Caption: Rear Admiral June Ryan, Credit: Elizabeth Miller/ideastream
The first woman to lead the Coast Guard district that covers the Great Lakes is retiring Wednesday. Details on her exit -- and who’s taking her pl...

Bought by WDET Detroit Public Radio, WAMC Northeast Public Radio, WCMU Michigan, WKSU, WXXI Rochester and more


  • Added: Aug 01, 2017
  • Length: 01:09
  • Purchases: 7