Baileys Harbor -

In the next three years,a $2.6 million grant from the EPA will help make beaches along Lake Michigan cleaner and safer.

As part of the Great Lakes Restoration Initiative,a little less than half of that moneywill fund the work of UW-Oshkosh Biology students.

A group of UW-Oshosh biologystudents has spent the summer in Door County studying and grooming beaches that show signs of high bacteria levels.

The beach at Anclam Park in Baileys Harbor is one of eight beaches that students will redesign with the help of the $2.6 million grant.

The students' goal is to improve the state of the beaches and the water quality of Lake Michigan.

"To have people and their kids to come here and have fun and play, it's good to know that I had a part in them being safe," Tony Klebs, UW-Oshkosh biology student.

Right now, students are testing the sand and water at the lake. They say they'll be able to know the lake's E. coli levels in about 24 hoursafter takinga smalljar sample.

Professor Greg Kleinheinz says contamination atthe Door County beach comes from stormwater runoff.

"The mitigation plans that are being developed right now will help solve those stormwater problems, keep beaches open, and make the beaches more aesthetically pleasing and a place that people want to bring their families to the beaches. More people at the beach has been equated to $45 per person per day," said Kleinheinz.

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EPA Grant Helps Restore Lake Michigan Beaches

(Photo Credit: George Breen CapeCodSharkHunter.com)

CHATHAM (AP) Officials in Chatham have closed all eastern, open ocean-facing beaches because of increased reports from fishermen of sharks nearby.

The closings Wednesday affect beaches from the Orleans-Chatham town line south along Nauset Beach to Monomy. They are in effect until further notice.

Other public beaches remain open in the town.

Swimmers are warned to keep aware of their surroundings, and stay at least 300 feet from seals.

Sightings of sharks, including great whites, have increased off Cape Cod in recent years along with an increase in the population of seals, which sharks feed on.

In July, a man was bitten on his legs by a great white shark while swimming off Ballston Beach in Truro, north of Chatham.

Copyright 2012 The Associated Press.

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Chatham Beaches Closed After Shark Sightings

By Austin Robertson

CREATED 10:16 PM

JEFFERSON CITY, Mo. (MoDNR) - Watkins Mill State Park and Lake of the Ozarks State Parks Grand Glaize swimming beaches are closed due to water quality issues according to the Missouri Department of Natural Resources.

Results received today showed continued water quality issues at Watkins Mill State Park beach. Staff at Lake of the Ozarks State Park closed Grand Glaize Beach today when results showed that one of the two water samples taken at the beach failed to meet Missouri State Parks standards.

Both beaches are scheduled to close for the recreational season after the Labor Day holiday weekend. Therefore, no additional water samples will be collected from the beaches and they will remain closed for the season. Public Beach #1 at Lake of the Ozarks State Park remains open until Sept. 4.

The water at all designated beaches in the state park system is sampled weekly during the recreational season by the Missouri Department of Natural Resources to determine suitability for swimming.

Water quality can be determined to be unsuitable for swimming based on either the single sample taken earlier in the week, or by the geometric mean, which is a mathematical value that takes into consideration results from the current week plus the results taken during the previous weeks.

Both beaches closed this week had single samples in excess of the standard. The beach at Watkins Mill State Park also exceeds the geometric mean, which is a mathematical value that takes into consideration results from the current week plus the results taken during the previous weeks.

Higher bacteria levels are often associated with heavy rains that result in runoff from adjacent lands. However, there are a number of possibilities that can contribute to higher bacteria, and chances are no single source is the cause.

The sample test results indicate a snap shot of the water quality taken at the beaches at a specific time; however, a single sample does not provide an overall sense of the water quality in the lake where the beach is located.

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Water Quality Issues Force Two State Park Beaches To Close Early

Family discovers Great White shark feeding on seal

The Town of Chatham is closing several east facing ocean beaches from the Orleans/Chatham line south along Nauset Beach to Monomoy until further notice, due to the recent reports of shark activity by local fisherman.

Dan Tobin, the Director of Parks & Recreation, said the Town of Chatham has received numerous reports of increased white shark activity in the vicinity of Chathams eastern, ocean facing beaches.

The reports included a video posted on YouTube of a shark attacking a seal in the area of the South Tip of Monomoy.

Several fishermen reported white sharks in their nets off-shore and the Division of Marine Fisheries while attempting to tag a shark in the vicinity of South Beach, reported white sharks close to shore in the vicinity of swimmers.

The town wants people to avoid swimming within 300 feet of seals. If a shark is sighted, exit the water immediately and contact authorities.

All other public beaches will remain open to swimming, including Hardings Beach, Ridgevale Beach, Cockle Cove Beach, Forest Street Beach and Pleasant Street Beach along Nantucket Sound.

A family on a whale watching expedition captured video of a shark eating a seal off Monomoy Island.

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Several Cape Cod beaches closed due to shark activity

CHATHAM, Mass.Officials in Chatham have closed all eastern, open ocean-facing beaches because of increased reports from fishermen of sharks nearby.

The closings Wednesday affect beaches from the Orleans-Chatham town line south along Nauset Beach to Monomy. They are in effect until further notice.

Other public beaches remain open in the town.

Swimmers are warned to keep aware of their surroundings, and stay at least 300 feet from seals.

Sightings of sharks, including great whites, have increased off Cape Cod in recent years along with an increase in the population of seals, which sharks feed on.

In July, a man was bitten on his legs by a great white shark while swimming off Ballston Beach in Truro, north of Chatham.

Copyright 2012 Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.

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Chatham beaches closed for shark sightings

Family discovers Great White shark feeding on seal

The Town of Chatham is closing several east facing ocean beaches from the Orleans/Chatham line south along Nauset Beach to Monomoy until further notice, due to the recent reports of shark activity by local fisherman.

Dan Tobin, the Director of Parks & Recreation, said the Town of Chatham has received numerous reports of increased white shark activity in the vicinity of Chathams eastern, ocean facing beaches.

The reports included a video posted on YouTube of a shark attacking a seal in the area of the South Tip of Monomoy.

Several fishermen reported white sharks in their nets off-shore and the Division of Marine Fisheries while attempting to tag a shark in the vicinity of South Beach, reported white sharks close to shore in the vicinity of swimmers.

The town wants people to avoid swimming within 300 feet of seals. If a shark is sighted, exit the water immediately and contact authorities.

All other public beaches will remain open to swimming, including Hardings Beach, Ridgevale Beach, Cockle Cove Beach, Forest Street Beach and Pleasant Street Beach along Nantucket Sound.

A family on a whale watching expedition captured video of a shark eating a seal off Monomoy Island.

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Several Cape Cod beaches closed due to Great White Shark activity

San Diego County beaches near the U.S.-Mexico border remained closed Wednesday as Mexican officials scrambled to halt a sewage spill in Tijuana that has dumped more than 1 million gallons of raw sewage into the ocean since Monday.

Strong southern currents are expected to sweep contaminated waters away from San Diego-area beaches, but health officials closed coastal areas as a precautionary measure, said Steve Smullen, area operations manager for the International Water and Boundary Commission.

Signs warning of sewer contamination are posted from the border to the north end of Imperial Beach.

The sewage is spilling from a pipeline break in Tijuana, about a mile south of the border. Mexican officials have closed beaches in the area.

Its unclear what caused the spill. Environmentalists have blamed aging infrastructure in the past.

Beach closures are common after the Tijuana River swells with runoff from Mexico after heavy rains. The last sewage spill took place in January, 2010, Smullen said.

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-- Richard Marosi in San Diego

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San Diego beaches remain closed after Tijuana sewage spill

Boca Chica Beach and the county beaches on South Padre Island were closed late Tuesday because of conditions created by Hurricane Isaac.

County Judge Carlos H. Cascos ordered the temporary closing of the beaches until further notice, officials said. This includes Beach Access No. 4, No. 5 and No. 6 on the northern part of the Island and Isla Blanca Park on the southern end of the Island, and Boca Chica Beach. He ordered the closures particularly because of high tides.

I have asked our law enforcement authorities to ensure that no individuals or vehicles be allowed access to the beaches on the north end and sound end of South Padre Island as well as Boca Chica Beach, Cascos said in a press release.

It is very important that the public pay attention to our warnings and stay out of harms way, he said. We continue to monitor tidal conditions as Hurricane Isaac makes it way to the Louisiana coast.

County Parks Director Javier Mendez said officials on Tuesday had been monitoring conditions in case closures were necessary

The U.S. National Hurricane Center in Miami said Isaac became a Category 1 hurricane Tuesday morning with winds of 75 mph. It was expected to get stronger by the time it reached the swampy coast of southeast Louisiana.

County workers removed the trash cans from beaches as a precautionary measure against higher-than-usual tides, Mendez said.

The parks director said there were a few people there, including surfers taking advantage of the high waves.

The National Weather Service in Brownsville said the risk of high tides and strong rip currents will continue through today. The agency said long period swells could increase waves to head height or more. Four to six feet waves are possible. In addition, some tidal run up to the sand dunes was possible, which might curtail driving on the beaches today.

While Isaac is not expected to bring any rain to the Rio Grande Valley, it is expected to cause high temperatures in South Texas, according the NWS. The high today is expected to reach 99 degrees and on Thursday, 101 degrees.

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Hurricane Isaac forces closure of county beaches

SHARK NETS: A grey nurse shark caught in a shark net. WA Premier Colin Barnett says metro beches are safe from sharks without the nets. Source: The Daily Telegraph

SHARK nets probably won't be adopted at West Australian beaches, with Premier Colin Barnett saying swimmers can feel safe between the flags in patrolled areas.

Mr Barnett's comments came as a 34-year-old surfer recovered in Royal Perth Hospital after being attacked by a shark in a remote part of the Gascoyne region, some 140km north of Carnarvon, yesterday afternoon.

In addition, another shark was sighted off Garden Island this morning, the latest in a spate of recent shark sightings off Perth and nearby beaches.

Late this morning, Surf Life Saving WA reported that a 3.5m shark was spotted by recreational fishers at Harding Rock, at the northern end of of Garden Island, at about 9.30am.

A report commissioned by the WA government was "not particularly encouraging'' about shark nets, Mr Barnett said.

"I have said, given the numbers of attacks and another one yesterday, that we will look at everything that is used to minimise the risk of shark attack including shark nets,'' he told ABC radio.

"A shark net is in fact a shark trap ... and people have very mixed views about shark nets when they see it in that context, but there are other things that are being looked at.''

Mr Barnett said the WA government would consider easing restrictions on the number of sharks professional fisherman could catch and culling large great whites that lurk close to swimming areas.

The government was also looking at providing surf life saving clubs with more equipment to help them protect people in the water, and had increased shark patrols.

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'Patrolled beaches don't need shark nets'

Cameron County leaders will close the county beaches at 8 p.m. today because of conditions brought by Hurricane Isaac.

County Judge Carlos H. Cascos ordered the temporary closing of the beaches until further noticed.

This includes Beach Access No. 4, No. 5 and No. 6 on the northern of the Island and Isla Blanca Park on the southern end of the Island, and Boca Chica Beach.

He orderedthe closures due to the high tides and dangerous conditions brought on by Isaac.

I have asked our law enforcement authorities to ensure that no individuals or vehicles be allowed access to the beaches on the North end and Sound end of South Padre Island as well as Boca Chica Beach, Cascos said in a press release.

It is very important that the public pay attention to our warnings and stay our of harms way. We continue to monitor tidal conditions as Hurricane Isaac makes it way to the Louisiana coast, the county judge said.

Excerpt from:

Island beaches remain open

Cameron County leaders will close the county beaches at 8 p.m. today because of conditions brought by Hurricane Isaac.

County Judge Carlos H. Cascos ordered the temporary closing of the beaches until further noticed.

This includes Beach Access No. 4, No. 5 and No. 6 on the northern of the Island and Isla Blanca Park on the southern end of the Island, and Boca Chica Beach.

He orderedthe closures due to the high tides and dangerous conditions brought on by Isaac.

I have asked our law enforcement authorities to ensure that no individuals or vehicles be allowed access to the beaches on the North end and Sound end of South Padre Island as well as Boca Chica Beach, Cascos said in a press release.

It is very important that the public pay attention to our warnings and stay our of harms way. We continue to monitor tidal conditions as Hurricane Isaac makes it way to the Louisiana coast, the county judge said.

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Island beaches to close until further notice

The federal government announced Tuesday a $2.6 million batch of grants to protect water quality at Great Lakes beaches in Wisconsin and Michigan.

It includes a $1 million grant to the University of Wisconsin-Oshkosh to work to reconfigure eight state beaches to reduce bacteria levels. The beaches on the list include Grant Park in South Milwaukee as well as swimming areas in Marinette, Algoma, Manitowoc and Kenosha.

"These Great Lakes Restoration Initiative grants will improve water quality, allowing people to enjoy more days at Great Lakes beaches," Susan Hedman of the Environmental Protection Agency said in a news release. "The projects will make beaches safer, by eliminating harmful bacteria and other sources of contamination."

The funding comes from the Obama administration's ongoing Great Lakes Restoration Initiative, a federal program to protect and restore the health of the world's largest freshwater system.

2012, Journal Sentinel Inc. All rights reserved.

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Wisconsin, Michigan beaches get $2.6 million to protect water quality

Former Suttons Bay High School Graduate's Body Found in Montana After Two Year Search Former Suttons Bay High School Graduate's Body Found in Montana After Two Year Search

Updated: Tuesday, August 28 2012 12:47 PM EDT2012-08-28 16:47:22 GMT

Former Suttons Bay High School graduate's body found in Montana after a two year search. Noah Pippin went missing in 2010 when he decided to go hiking in Montana in the Bob Marshall Wilderness Area. Noah's

Former Suttons Bay High School graduate's body found in Montana after a two year search. Noah Pippin went missing in 2010 when he decided to go hiking in Montana in the Bob Marshall Wilderness Area. Noah's

Updated: Monday, August 27 2012 11:22 AM EDT2012-08-27 15:22:44 GMT

9&10 News is digging deeper into the case of a Clare man with HIV accused of having sex with others and not telling them about his infection. Last week, police arrested 25-year-old Philip Manners. He

9&10 News is digging deeper into the case of a Clare man with HIV accused of having sex with others and not telling them about his infection. Last week, police arrested 25-year-old Philip Manners. He

Updated: Monday, August 27 2012 7:21 PM EDT2012-08-27 23:21:26 GMT

Police want to get the word out in case there were any other partners involved with Philip Manners. Manners was arrested for potentially spreading the virus last week in the city of Clare. Police say

Police want to get the word out in case there were any other partners involved with Philip Manners. Manners was arrested for potentially spreading the virus last week in the city of Clare. Police say

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Chippewa County Beaches Receive Grant Money to Improve Water Quality

Related To Story

POSTED: 3:53 am PDT August 28, 2012

Copyright 2012 by City News Service. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.

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Video System For Sand Replenishment Project Unveiled

South Beaches: Changes at the beach after Labor Day Lorraine Thompson South Beaches News The summer of 2012 may be dwindling down, but the St. Johns County beach season continues year-round.

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South Beaches: Changes at the beach after Labor Day

Many beachgoers, hoping for a supervised swim, may be disappointed that seasonal lifeguard service has ended at many Nova Scotia beaches.

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Despite lack of lifeguards, swimmers flock to beaches

Tropical Storm Isaac is likely to cause erosion of beaches and dunes over 89 percent of the Mississippi coast and 45 percent of Alabama's coast, according to a statement released by the National Hurricane Center this morning (Aug. 27).

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Tropical Storm Isaac Likely to Erode Beaches

By Jerry E. Esplanada Philippine Daily Inquirer

INQUIRER FILE PHOTO

MANILA, Philippines Several prestigious foreign travel publications like Travel + Leisure Magazine have reaffirmed the Philippines fame as having some of the best beaches in the world.

However, lifeguards manning those beaches have not been accredited in compliance with the law.

More than two years after Republic Act No. 9993, or the Philippine Coast Guard Act of 2009 was signed into law, not a single lifeguard in the country has been certified by the PCG as required by the new PCG law.

When contacted, Lt. Cmdr. Armand Balilo, PCG spokesman, acknowledged that RA 9993 mandates the Coast Guard to regulate safety in beaches nationwide, through the issuance of lifeguard certificates, among other functions.

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PH beaches among the ‘best’ in the world but have no accredited lifeguards

Cebu Daily News

MANILA Several prestigious foreign travel publications like Travel + Leisure Magazine have reaffirmed the Philippines fame as having some of the best beaches in the world.

However, lifeguards manning those beaches have not been accredited in compliance with the law.

More than two years after Republic Act No. 9993, or the Philippine Coast Guard Act of 2009 was signed into law, not a single lifeguard in the country has been certified by the PCG as required by the new PCG law.

When contacted, Lt. Cmdr. Armand Balilo, PCG spokesman, acknowledged that RA 9993 mandates the Coast Guard to regulate safety in beaches nationwide, through the issuance of lifeguard certificates, among other functions.

However, Balilo admitted that PCG, a Department of Transportation and Communications-attached agency, is still finalizing the guidelines covering the issuance of lifeguard certificates.

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PH beaches ranked among ‘best’ but still no accredited lifeguards

In the months ahead many people will be hitting the coastal beaches to go fishing or razor clam digging which is set to open sometime in late October.

With that in mind the Washington State Marine Debris Task Force wanted to make the public aware on how to report potential Tsunami debris they may encounter.

According to the Task Force, many Pacific Northwest coastal beaches are seeing an increase in marine debris, which likely came from the March 2011 Japan tsunami.

Tsunami debris is expected to hit the shores intermittently over the course of the next several years, according to National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) predictions.

The Task Force - a group of state agencies led by the state Military Department's Emergency Management Division - has established a marine debris information listserv for Washington residents and coastal visitors. To join, go to the state Department of Ecology website and choose "marine/tsunami debris."

The public can also call the toll-free line at 1-855-WACOAST (1-855-922-6278).

Report oil and hazardous items to the National Response Center and Washington Department of Ecology (Ecology) by pressing "1."

Report large floating debris items that might pose a boating or navigation hazard by pressing "2."

Or get instructions for reporting debris that is not large or hazardous.

Hazardous materials to watch out for include spilled oil, drums and barrels, fuel tanks and gas cylinders, chemical totes and other containers with unknown fluids. Do not touch or attempt to move such items.

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Those heading to coastal beaches are asked to keep an eye out for tsunami debris