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

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The International Joint Commission is a bi-national group that helps regulate the Great Lakes. They're hosting a series of public meetings on Great...

Bought by WCPN, WXXI Rochester, WCMU Michigan, and WMUK


  • Added: Mar 20, 2017
  • Length: 01:35
  • Purchases: 4
Caption: Two bulk carriers passing at the exit of Lock 1 on the Welland Canal., Credit: Jon Nicholls/Shutterstock
Since the winter has been so mild, shipping locally has continued throughout the region.

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


  • Added: Mar 17, 2017
  • Length: 01:05
  • Purchases: 5
Caption: Donald Trump, Credit: Nick Castele/ideastream
The proposal now moves to Congress, where Great Lakes Senators and Representatives on both sides of the aisle have pledged to fight back and try to...

Bought by WRVO Public Media, WAMC Northeast Public Radio, North Country Public Radio, WMUK, WKSU and more


  • Added: Mar 16, 2017
  • Length: 01:27
  • Purchases: 7
Caption: by ANGELICA A. MORRISON / Lake Effect Furies skirmish, Credit: by ANGELICA A. MORRISON / Lake Effect Furies skirmish
Residents along the Great Lakes corridor are very familiar with lake effect snows. When cold dry air passes over the lakes, it generates enough sno...

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


  • Added: Mar 16, 2017
  • Length: 03:44
  • Purchases: 6
Caption: Tim Eder, executive director of the Great Lakes Commission
Great Lakes advocacy groups are meeting with members of Congress this week to shed light on the region’s priorities.

Bought by WRVO Public Media, WXXI Rochester, WCMU Michigan, WMUK, North Country Public Radio and more


  • Added: Mar 13, 2017
  • Length: 01:30
  • Purchases: 7
Caption: New York State Police / Snowmobile , Credit: New York State Police
More than 30 snowmobilers and fishermen have died after breaking through lake ice in the northeast and Great Lakes region this winter. The toll wou...

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


  • Added: Mar 10, 2017
  • Length: 03:24
  • Purchases: 6
Caption: A sign on Conesus Lake directs sportsmen to an access point., Credit: Veronica Volk
In part two of a series on fatalities associated with thin ice this winter, we hear the story of two men who disappeared one night after taking a l...

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


  • Added: Mar 10, 2017
  • Length: 03:29
  • Purchases: 5
Caption: Lake Erie, Credit: Elizabeth Miller/ideastream
When the Trump Administration reveals its proposed budget for 2018, it might include a 97 percent cut to the Great Lakes Restoration Initiative, a ...

Bought by North Country Public Radio, WAMC Northeast Public Radio, WMUK, WILL, WXXI Rochester and more


  • Added: Mar 03, 2017
  • Length: 01:26
  • Purchases: 6
Caption: A combined sewer over flow in Avon Lake, Ohio's Heider Creek, Credit: Elizabeth Miller/ideastream
The Great Lakes Commission, a binational group, released its annual list of priorities, which includes recommendations to improve and rebuild water...

Bought by WAMC Northeast Public Radio, North Country Public Radio, WXXI Rochester, WRVO Public Media, WMUK and more


  • Added: Mar 02, 2017
  • Length: :58
  • Purchases: 8
Caption: Ice fishing shanties sit on Lake Erie in 2011, Credit: Caroline Conrad
The town of Put-in-Bay on Lake Erie’s South Bass Island is a popular vacation spot in the summer. But once winter hits, the island’s population dr...

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


  • Added: Feb 24, 2017
  • Length: 03:57
  • Purchases: 6