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: The GLRI funds habitat restoration like this cattail remediation project in Braddock Bay, New York., Credit: Veronica Volk
The Great Lakes Restoration Initiative has funded thousands of projects since its implementation in 2010, and now it's been renewed for another fiv...

Bought by WBFO, WCPN, and WRVO Public Media


  • Added: Dec 13, 2016
  • Length: :51
  • Purchases: 3
Caption: Mud stored for climate change research at the Unviersity at Buffalo, November 2016., Credit: ANGELICA A. MORRISON / Mud stored for climate change research at the Unviersity at Buffalo, November 2016.
Climate change researchers in the Great Lakes region fear Trump administration could move forward with anti-climate change agenda.

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


  • Added: Dec 09, 2016
  • Length: 03:38
  • Purchases: 6
Caption: Lake Ontario Shoreline, Credit: Joe deSousa, Flickr
Officials in the United States and Canada have approved a plan to allow the level of Lake Ontario to fluctuate more -- a change that has been oppos...

Bought by WSKG, WRVO Public Media, WCPN, WXXI Rochester, and WBFO


  • Added: Dec 08, 2016
  • Length: 01:23
  • Purchases: 5
Caption: Caribbean Princess
two cut-and-copies on illegal dumping, taken from a Here & Now interview with Great Lakes Today editor Dave Rosenthal

Bought by WXXI Rochester and WBFO


  • Added: Dec 07, 2016
  • Length: :21
  • Purchases: 2
Caption: Chinook salmon eggs are about the size of a pea, but the fish inside can grow up to 40 pounds in its short lifespan., Credit: Veronica Volk
The big, strong Chinook salmon is a favorite of anglers on the Great Lakes. But New York and Michigan are reducing the number of Chinook stocked in...

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


  • Added: Dec 02, 2016
  • Length: 03:20
  • Purchases: 6
Caption: Lake Michigan, which has the most mini-tsunamis in the Great Lakes, Credit: Elizabeth Miller
Mini-tsunamis caused by thunderstorms happen more than 100 times annually in the Great Lakes, according to a new study led by researchers at the Un...

Bought by North Country Public Radio, WKSU, WAMC Northeast Public Radio, WXXI Rochester, WBFO and more


  • Added: Dec 01, 2016
  • Length: 01:28
  • Purchases: 6
Caption: Lake Erie, Credit: Elizabeth Miller
Pieces of plastic left in rivers, lakes, and oceans cause problems for wildlife and have the potential to impact humans.

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


  • Added: Nov 23, 2016
  • Length: 01:20
  • Purchases: 7
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In 1969, the Army Corps of Engineers shut off the American side of Niagara Falls to study erosion. We interview the man who led that team.

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


  • Added: Nov 23, 2016
  • Length: 03:27
  • Purchases: 5
Caption: Michael Keene is an author and historian.
The Erie Canal changed the world by connecting New York City and the Atlantic Ocean to the Great Lakes. But author and historian Michael Keene says...

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


  • Added: Nov 23, 2016
  • Length: :56
  • Purchases: 6
Caption: BY ANGELICA A. MORRISON / Pedestrian Bridge to be replaced at Niagara Falls State Park., Credit: BY ANGELICA A. MORRISON / Pedestrian Bridge to be replaced at Niagara Falls State Park.
New York State plans to shut off the American Falls, a major attraction for tourists who flock to Niagara Falls. It's part of a project to replace...

Bought by WCPN, WXXI Rochester, North Country Public Radio, WAMC Northeast Public Radio, WSKG and more


  • Added: Nov 18, 2016
  • Length: 03:25
  • Purchases: 7