Join Us on July 25th for Freshwater Future’s Virtual Monthly Wellness Session
Water protectors (that’s you!) are under a lot of stress in the fight to protect the people and waters of the Great Lakes. Join us to learn helpful techniques using easy movement and mindfulness to reduce stress. Our facilitator, Jonathan Relucio, is a practitioner of trauma-informed mindfulness with over 20 years of experience advocating for social justice. Please join us for monthly wellness-focused sessions on July 25th at 11:30 am ET. Sessions run for 45 minutes. Register HERE.
Lake Ontario’s New National Marine Sanctuary
Lake Ontario has a new 1,722 square-mile National Marine Sanctuary, the third in the Great Lakes Region, and the first in New York. The designation acknowledges the area’s significant maritime history, culture, and archaeological resources. The sanctuary, home to 41 known shipwrecks and 19 potential others, protects submerged heritage sites and historic landmarks significant to indigenous groups and American history. If Lake Ontario is your Great Lake, go check it out!
Celebrating Aquatic Invasive Species Awareness Week and the Funding to Address Invasive Carp!
A project to prevent the invasive carp and other aquatic nuisance species from entering the Great Lakes is finally moving forward. Officials from Michigan, Illinois, and the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers approved a funding agreement that secured $274 million in federal funding and $114 million in state funding for the first of three phases of the $1.15 billion project at the Brandon Road Lock in Joliet, Illinois. Freshwater Future and other organizations have successfully urged Illinois’ Governor to sign the agreement. The announcement coincides with Aquatic Invasive Species Week in Michigan, and Freshwater Future agrees that this progress is something to celebrate! To learn more about invasive carp and the risk to the Great Lakes visit our website.
Pollution from East Palestine’s Tragic Train Derailment Spread Across the Region
It has been over a year since a freight train derailed in East Palestine, Ohio, spilling at least 11 cars worth of hazardous chemicals. The contents of the railcars were drained and diverted into trenches where the toxic chemicals were burned, producing a massive plume of smoke and prompting further public health concerns and evacuation of residents. Now we know the impacted area was much greater. A scientific study that analyzed rain and snow samples found high levels of the chemicals released from the burn in 16 states over an area of 1.4 million square kilometers. The toxic substance may have made it as far as Maine and North Carolina. All Great Lakes other than Superior were found to have been affected.
