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: Zebra mussels are an invasive species in the Great Lakes thought to be brought here in the ballast water of commercial ships., Credit: US Department of Agriculture
Every year, hundreds of commercial ships make their way through the St. Lawrence seaway. To maintain stability they routinely take on and let out w...

Bought by WBFO, North Country Public Radio, WCPN, WAMC Northeast Public Radio, WCMU Michigan and more


  • Added: Feb 21, 2017
  • Length: 01:36
  • Purchases: 8
Caption: International Joint Commission, Credit: International Joint Commission
Updated meeting times and dates for International Joint Commission series of public meetings.

Bought by WDET Detroit Public Radio, WCMU Michigan, WXXI Rochester, WBFO, and WCPN


  • Added: Feb 17, 2017
  • Length: 01:12
  • Purchases: 5
Caption:  View of the ice on Lake Erie from the skies, Credit: Submitted Art by Jennifer Nalbone
A project aimed at promoting the Great Lakes, collects stories from residents along the Great Lakes basin. A western New York family shares a story...

Bought by WRST-FM Oshkosh, WAMC Northeast Public Radio, WXXI Rochester, WBFO, WCMU Michigan and more


  • Added: Feb 14, 2017
  • Length: 03:54
  • Purchases: 7
Caption: Great Lakes ice coverage from 1973 to 2016, Credit: NOAA
Every day, the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration measures the amount of ice that covers each of the Great Lakes. So far this winter,...

Bought by WDET Detroit Public Radio, WXXI Rochester, WBFO, WCMU Michigan, North Country Public Radio and more


  • Added: Feb 13, 2017
  • Length: 01:10
  • Purchases: 7
Caption: Cecilia Glauser (l) Max Schneider (r) on their plane ride to school, Credit: Margaret Thompson/ideastream
Life for students on Lake Erie's Middle Bass Island is different - starting with the morning commute to school.

Bought by WVBI-LP, WMUK, WCPN, WAMC Northeast Public Radio, WKSU and more


  • Added: Feb 10, 2017
  • Length: 04:36
  • Purchases: 6
Caption: Toronto's Port Lands heavily industrialized area slated for redevelopment.
Heavy rains cause flooding in Toronto's Port Lands district. And now, the plan is to transform this 1,000-acre area into sustainable, livable space...

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


  • Added: Feb 02, 2017
  • Length: 03:26
  • Purchases: 4
Caption: Drill searches for spread of chemicals, Credit: Ben Thorp
Residents near an abandoned Air Force base in Michigan are worried about an unseen invader. Toxic chemicals from the base have contaminated wells i...

Bought by WXXI Rochester, WCPN, KBCS 91.3 FM Community Radio, WBFO, WLPR and more


  • Added: Jan 27, 2017
  • Length: 03:40
  • Purchases: 6
Caption: The Peace Bridge connects Buffalo, New York to Fort Erie, Ontario in Canada, Credit: WBFO file photo
A leaked list of infrastructure priorities for the Trump administration includes some big projects for the Great Lakes region.

Bought by WMUK, WXXI Rochester, WKSU, WCMU Michigan, and WBFO


  • Added: Jan 25, 2017
  • Length: 01:17
  • Purchases: 5
Caption: John Gee with Environment and Climate Change Canada stands on a platform overlooking the Randle Reef restoration project., Credit: Veronica Volk
Imagine a huge steel box – whose lid is 10 football fields across. It's being built in Hamilton's harbor on the western end of Lake Ontario. It’s d...

Bought by WMUK, WRVO Public Media, North Country Public Radio, WLPR , WCPN and more


  • Added: Jan 23, 2017
  • Length: 04:32
  • Purchases: 8
Caption: Oak CReek treatment plans, Credit: Susan Bence
A Wisconsin town is getting a lot of attention -- on the issue of drinking water. Waukesha lies outside the Great Lakes basin, but it has permissio...

Bought by WBFO, WMUK, WCPN, Interlochen Public Radio, and WXXI Rochester


  • Added: Jan 20, 2017
  • Length: 03:27
  • Purchases: 5