US Coast Guard to Close Nine NDGPS Sites
The U.S. Coast Guard will close nine Nationwide Differential Global Positioning System (NDGPS) sites on Friday. In 2015, the Coast Guard, Department of Transportation (DOT) and Army Corps of Engineers proposed decommissioning 62 of the then-existing 84 NDGPS sites. After reviewing the Federal Register comments, the number of site closures was reduced to 37 sites, including 28 DOT inland sites and nine Coast Guard maritime sites: Cold Bay, Alaska; Lompoc, Calif.; Sturgeon Bay, Wisc.; Pickford, Mich.; Saginaw Bay, Mich.; Brunswick, Maine; Key West, Fla.; Elgin, Fla.; and Isabela, Puerto Rico. “With the numerous navigation tools available, we determined that this reduction in NDGPS sites does not pose a risk to the mariner,” said Cmdr.
Devil's Blanket Responsible for Increasing Ice Rescues
Rescues in Saginaw Bay, Michigan, Sunday evening and Lake Erie Monday morning are the latest in an alarmingly high number of Great Lakes ice rescues since Saturday, prompting a Coast Guard reminder of the risk of venturing out onto the ice and of the importance of taking appropriate safety precautions. The names and hometowns of the rescued and assisted are not being released. At about 7:30 p.m. Sunday, a 911 operator contacted search-and-rescue controllers at the Coast Guard Sector Detroit Command Center to report a disoriented man on Saginaw Bay in blizzard conditions. The man called 911 from his cell phone, allowing the dispatchers to determine his coordinates before losing communication with him.
Great Lakes Restoration Plan Announced
U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) informs that Administrator Gina McCarthy has released a new Great Lakes Restoration Initiative (GLRI) Action Plan that lays out steps that federal agencies will take during the next five years to protect water quality, control invasive species and restore habitat in the largest surface fresh water system in the world. McCarthy, who chairs the federal Great Lakes Interagency Task Force, released the plan at a meeting of Great Lakes Mayors in Chicago. “The new Great Lakes Restoration Initiative Action Plan lays out the steps we need to take to get us closer to the day when all Great Lakes fish will be safe to eat, all beaches will be safe for swimmers and harmful algal blooms will not threaten our drinking water supplies,” said McCarthy.
USCG 9TH District Commander Honors 75 Yrs Auxiliary Service
The Coast Guard 9th District honored 75 years of service from the Coast Guard Auxiliary in a ceremony at the Coast Guard Cleveland moorings today. What began as fishermen and private boaters reporting sightings of U-boats in American Coastal waters has evolved into the Coast Guard Auxiliary. The Auxiliary was established in 1939 to facilitate the operations of the Coast Guard. Starting out as the Coast Guard Reserve, it was split into a military reserve branch and auxiliary operation in February 1941. During WWII the volunteers provided search and rescue support, patrol and picket duties, port security, and limited aviation patrols. The 30,521 members of the modern day Auxiliary use 3,415 operational vessels, 236 aircraft, and 2,459 communication stations to patrol U.S.
USCG Cancels Saginaw Bay Icebreaking
The U.S. Coast Guard (USCG) has canceled icebreaking operations that were scheduled to take place in Saginaw Bay, beginning Saturday morning. The icebreaking operations were originally announced Thursday in a news release. uscgnews.com
Icebreaking Postponed in Saginaw Bay
The U.S. Coast Guard (USCG) postponed an icebreaking operation originally scheduled to begin Sunday morning in the vicinity of the Saginaw Bay Entrance Channel. Based on the extent of ice coverage in the region, the crew of Coast Guard Cutter Hollyhock, a 225-foot seagoing buoy tender homeported in Port Huron, Mich., has been reassigned to break ice in another area. The USCG said it will announce when the operation in Saginaw Bay is rescheduled. uscgnews.com
USCG Schedules Icebreaking for Saginaw Bay
The U.S. Coast Guard (USCG) announced it is scheduled to begin icebreaking operations in the vicinity of the Saginaw Bay Entrance Channel Sunday beginning at 7 a.m. The crew of Coast Guard Cutter Hollyhock, a 225-foot seagoing buoy tender homeported in Port Huron, Mich., will be icebreaking from Gravelly Shoal to the entrance of the Saginaw River. Any ice in the vicinity of the cutter or the track that it creates should be considered unsafe and the Coast Guard advises everyone to stay clear. uscgnews.com
Skating on Thin Ice: Great Lakes Coast Guard Remains Active
Two men are rescued after their snowmobiles crashed through the ice about a mile offshore on Saginaw Bay near Bay City, Mich., and meanwhile the Coast Guard continue their efforts to keep the users of the ice-bound Great Lakes safe by gathering ice depth data. Personnel at Coast Guard Station Saginaw River, in Essexville, Mich., received a night-time call from Bay County 911 dispatch stating that two people had broken through the ice. The county dispatch told the individuals to remain on site so their location could be determined based on the cell phone information.
