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: Kiowa pushes barges over electric carp barrier , Credit: Chuck Quirmbach
NOTE: EMBARGOED UNTIL MONDAY, JUNE 12 President Trump's 2018 eliminates $300 million for projects along the Great Lakes. That threatens efforts to...

Bought by WLPR , WXXI Rochester, Wisconsin Public Radio, WCPN, North Country Public Radio and more


  • Added: Jun 07, 2017
  • Length: 03:39
  • Purchases: 9
Caption: Chris Pierce oversees the removal of dam on the Maple River, Credit: Ben Thorp
NOTE: EMBARGOED UNTIL MONDAY, JUNE 12 A look at a northern Michigan dam removal project that is threatened by President Trump's budget plan. The p...

Bought by WBFO, WLPR , WXXI Rochester, Wisconsin Public Radio, WCPN and more


  • Added: Jun 07, 2017
  • Length: 03:41
  • Purchases: 7
Caption: A piece of walleye head meat before it gets blended with dry ice - the first step in extracting the microcystin toxin from the fish tissue.a, Credit: Elizabeth Miller/ideastream
NOTE: EMBARGOED UNTIL MONDAY, JUNE 12 By now, most of us have heard that President Trump wants to eliminate a 300-million-dollar program created t...

Bought by WLPR , WXXI Rochester, WBFO, Wisconsin Public Radio (ops), Wisconsin Public Radio and more


  • Added: Jun 07, 2017
  • Length: 03:47
  • Purchases: 9
Caption: Working for U.S. Steel, employees from Barr Engineering install instruments that measure groundwater seepage and flow between the sediments and St. Louis river. Data collected from the instruments will help in the design, construction and installation of , Credit: Derek Montgomery for MPR News
NOTE: EMBARGOED UNTIL MONDAY, JUNE 12 President Trump's budget plan eliminates $300 million for the Great Lakes Restoration Initiative -- hurting ...

Bought by WLPR , North Country Public Radio, WXXI Rochester, Wisconsin Public Radio, WCMU Michigan and more


  • Added: Jun 07, 2017
  • Length: 03:33
  • Purchases: 8
Caption: by ANGELICA A. MORRISON / USFWS biologists prepare to examine a lake sturgeon, Credit: by ANGELICA A. MORRISON / USFWS biologists prepare to examine a lake sturgeon
NOTE: EMBARGOED UNTIL MONDAY, JUNE 12 Biologists from the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service have been using federal funding to monitor the health of ...

Bought by WBFO, WLPR , WXXI Rochester, WAMC Northeast Public Radio, WCPN and more


  • Added: Jun 07, 2017
  • Length: 03:34
  • Purchases: 8
Caption: A photo of the finished Euclid Creek Tunnel, the first of 7., Credit: Northeast Ohio Regional Sewer District
Combined sewer overflows are common in over 700 cities and towns in the country. Several cities are under consent decrees to solve this problem --...

Bought by WRVO Public Media, WXXI Rochester, WCPN, WCMU Michigan, and WBFO


  • Added: Jun 06, 2017
  • Length: 03:33
  • Purchases: 5
Caption: A still from the video, Credit: City of Holland
June marks the beginning of beach season in the Great Lakes – but it also means more people are at risk of drowning. What does it mean to see a re...

Bought by WCPN, WXXI Rochester, WDET Detroit Public Radio, Michigan Radio, WLPR and more


  • Added: Jun 05, 2017
  • Length: 01:14
  • Purchases: 8
Caption: An eagle necropsy at the N.Y. Department of Environmental Conservation, Credit: Jim Levulis
The comeback of the American bald eagle is a success story shared by many states across the Great Lakes region and keeping them safe has become a h...

Bought by WDET Detroit Public Radio, WCPN, WLPR , WXXI Rochester, WVIK and more


  • Added: May 31, 2017
  • Length: 03:29
  • Purchases: 7
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In the 200 years since ground was broken on the Erie Canal, it has evolved from means of transportation and mode of industrial shipping -- to a pla...

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


  • Added: May 30, 2017
  • Length: 01:18
  • Purchases: 5
Caption: Controverisal Line 5 / the Straits of Mackinac, Credit: Controverisal Line 5 / the Straits of Mackinac
An oil pipeline that runs across part of the Great Lakes has been the target of criticism for months. Now environmental groups in the region are ap...

Bought by WBFO, North Country Public Radio, WXXI Rochester, WCMU Michigan, and WCPN


  • Added: May 26, 2017
  • Length: 01:18
  • Purchases: 5