James Proffitt, Author at Great Lakes Now https://www.greatlakesnow.org/author/james-proffitt/ Great Lakes Now shares stories about the unique culture and history of the Great Lakes basin Wed, 29 Nov 2023 20:48:19 +0000 en-US hourly 1 https://www.greatlakesnow.org/wp-content/uploads/2016/08/cropped-gln-avatar-32x32.jpg James Proffitt, Author at Great Lakes Now https://www.greatlakesnow.org/author/james-proffitt/ 32 32 New York state sues Pepsico over plastic pollution in Buffalo https://www.greatlakesnow.org/2023/11/new-york-state-sues-pepsico-over-plastic-pollution-in-buffalo/ https://www.greatlakesnow.org/2023/11/new-york-state-sues-pepsico-over-plastic-pollution-in-buffalo/#respond Wed, 29 Nov 2023 19:19:06 +0000 https://www.greatlakesnow.org/?p=34708 New York state sues Pepsico over plastic pollution in Buffalo

On Nov. 15, New York Attorney General Letitia James filed a lawsuit against Purchase-headquartered Pepsico and its subsidiary Frito-Lay, citing a host of issues with the proliferation of its single-use packaging litter in and around a downtown Buffalo waterway.

The Buffalo River runs through the city before flowing into Lake Erie 20 miles upstream from Niagara Falls.

Read Now at Great Lakes Now.

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St. Lawrence Seaway labor strike ends https://www.greatlakesnow.org/2023/11/st-lawrence-seaway-labor-strike-ends/ https://www.greatlakesnow.org/2023/11/st-lawrence-seaway-labor-strike-ends/#respond Mon, 06 Nov 2023 17:00:36 +0000 https://www.greatlakesnow.org/?p=34460 St. Lawrence Seaway labor strike ends

A strike by about 350 members of UNIFOR, Canada’s largest private-sector union, ended when its members ratified a new contract on Nov. 2. The agreement will give them wage increases of 5, 4 and 4 percent annually over the next three years and offer them better protections against the St.

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Great Lakes imports and exports halted by strike https://www.greatlakesnow.org/2023/10/great-lakes-imports-and-exports-halted-by-strike/ https://www.greatlakesnow.org/2023/10/great-lakes-imports-and-exports-halted-by-strike/#respond Thu, 26 Oct 2023 17:00:48 +0000 https://www.greatlakesnow.org/?p=34347 Great Lakes imports and exports halted by strike

A strike by about 350 members of UNIFOR, Canada’s largest private sector union, could cripple thousands of businesses and cause the loss of billions in economic activity if it continues, according to shipping officials.

“Every day is a critical time,” said Jayson Hron, communications director for Port of Duluth-Superior, the U.S.’ furthest inland seaport.

Read Now at Great Lakes Now.

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Lake Erie charter industry rebounding from slump https://www.greatlakesnow.org/2023/05/lake-erie-charter-industry-rebounding-from-slump/ https://www.greatlakesnow.org/2023/05/lake-erie-charter-industry-rebounding-from-slump/#comments Tue, 16 May 2023 14:17:39 +0000 https://www.greatlakesnow.org/?p=32493 Lake Erie charter industry rebounding from slump

Veteran fishers on Lake Erie fondly recall the late 1980s as a heyday for walleye – a time when Ohio anglers were allowed to catch 10 fish a day and the big-eyed apex predators seemed an endless resource.

At its height in 1988, the Ohio charter fishing industry supported 1,221 licensed captains and nearly 5 million walleye were taken.

Read Now at Great Lakes Now.

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A deep dive into disposing waste from East Palestine’s derailment https://www.greatlakesnow.org/2023/04/deep-dive-disposing-waste-east-palestine-derailment/ https://www.greatlakesnow.org/2023/04/deep-dive-disposing-waste-east-palestine-derailment/#respond Fri, 14 Apr 2023 17:00:05 +0000 https://www.greatlakesnow.org/?p=32124 A deep dive into disposing waste from East Palestine’s derailment

Some residents in Vickery, including Ohio State Rep. Gary Click, were upset to learn that hazardous wastewater from a Feb. 3 Norfolk Southern derailment was being sent to their area for disposal. But the reality is that Vickery Environmental (VE), a Class 1 deep well injection site about five miles from Sandusky Bay, has been receiving and disposing liquid waste for nearly a half century.

Read Now at Great Lakes Now.

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Solid hatches continue for walleye, but yellow perch are struggling https://www.greatlakesnow.org/2023/02/solid-hatches-continue-for-walleye-but-yellow-perch-are-struggling/ https://www.greatlakesnow.org/2023/02/solid-hatches-continue-for-walleye-but-yellow-perch-are-struggling/#respond Wed, 22 Feb 2023 18:00:35 +0000 https://www.greatlakesnow.org/?p=31810 Solid hatches continue for walleye, but yellow perch are struggling

The final 2022 results for Lake Erie walleye are in and the great news for anglers is that walleye hatches remain strong with large populations guaranteed for years to come for the lake’s most-targeted game fish. Meanwhile, yellow perch numbers are good in the far west, while the rest of Ohio’s Lake Erie continues its four-year nosedive.

Read Now at Great Lakes Now.

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Ballville Dam Removal: History, trends and impacts https://www.greatlakesnow.org/2022/12/ballville-dam-removal-history-trends-impacts/ https://www.greatlakesnow.org/2022/12/ballville-dam-removal-history-trends-impacts/#respond Mon, 19 Dec 2022 22:00:16 +0000 https://www.greatlakesnow.org/?p=31294 Ballville Dam Removal: History, trends and impacts

For more than a century, a dam divided the upstream Sandusky River from Lake Erie. People got power, but fish were prevented from reaching native spawning grounds.

Then, four years ago, the dam came down, like hundreds around the Great Lakes region. It had been replaced as a power source years earlier, and environmentalists argued to restore the river’s natural course.

Read Now at Great Lakes Now.

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The Great Lakes-Iceland connection through the 100% Whitefish effort https://www.greatlakesnow.org/2022/11/great-lakes-iceland-connection-through-whitefish-effort/ https://www.greatlakesnow.org/2022/11/great-lakes-iceland-connection-through-whitefish-effort/#respond Tue, 15 Nov 2022 20:00:16 +0000 https://www.greatlakesnow.org/?p=31158 The Great Lakes-Iceland connection through the 100% Whitefish effort

While Great Lakes fish populations are constantly in a state of flux, one species has declined precipitously in the last decade: lake whitefish. But Great Lakes leaders and fisheries managers are looking ahead in planning to do more with less.

And in the case of whitefish, a lot more.

Read Now at Great Lakes Now.

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Great Lakes Moving Bridges: How they work and why we love them https://www.greatlakesnow.org/2022/11/great-lakes-moving-bridges/ https://www.greatlakesnow.org/2022/11/great-lakes-moving-bridges/#respond Wed, 02 Nov 2022 05:00:51 +0000 https://www.greatlakesnow.org/?p=31008 Great Lakes Moving Bridges: How they work and why we love them

They stop dozens of vehicles creating traffic jams so that a single boat can dawdle through and sometimes they make us late. They’re usually very old and expensive to maintain and operate and holy smokes, they move slow as cold molasses.

But seriously, aren’t they great?

“It can definitely be an inconvenience, but in all reality it’s only a few minutes every hour,” Port Clinton Mayor Mike Snider said.

Read Now at Great Lakes Now.

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Weighted Walleye: The fallout of the Lake Erie fishing tournament https://www.greatlakesnow.org/2022/10/weighted-walleye-fallout-lake-erie-fishing-tournament/ https://www.greatlakesnow.org/2022/10/weighted-walleye-fallout-lake-erie-fishing-tournament/#comments Fri, 21 Oct 2022 19:00:14 +0000 https://www.greatlakesnow.org/?p=30946 Weighted Walleye: The fallout of the Lake Erie fishing tournament

A fishing tournament weigh-in in Cleveland last month, an event most often attended by anglers, family, friends and passersby, sent the Lake Erie walleye scene into worldwide news after several videos went viral.

They appeared to show two consistently winning tournament anglers get caught cheating red-handed after 10 lead weights, tipping the scales at about 7 pounds, were removed from their five walleye at the final 2022 event for the Lake Erie Walleye Trail.

Read Now at Great Lakes Now.

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