Trump budget would cut Great Lakes, ocean data
and leave forecasters and military scrambling for info
Capt. Ed Enos makes his living as a harbor pilot in Hawaii, clambering aboard arriving ships in the predawn hours and guiding them into port.
His world revolves around wind speeds, current strength and wave swells. When Enos is bobbing in dangerous waters in the dark, his cellphone is his lifeline: with a few taps he can access the Integrated Ocean Observing System and pull up the data needed to guide what are essentially floating warehouses safely to the dock.
But maybe not for much longer. President Donald Trump wants to eliminate all federal funding for the observing system’s regional operations. Scientists say the cuts could mean the end of efforts to gather real-time data crucial to navigating treacherous harbors, plotting tsunami escape routes and predicting hurricane intensity.
It’s the last thing you should be shutting down,” Enos said. “There’s no money wasted. Right at a time when we should be getting more money to do more work to benefit the public, they want to turn things off. That’s the wrong strategy at the wrong time for the wrong reasons.”
Monitoring system tracks all things ocean
The IOOS system launched about 20 years ago. It’s made up of 11 regional associations in multiple states and territories, including the Virgin Islands, Alaska, Hawaii, Washington state, Michigan, South Carolina and Southern California.
The regional groups are networks of university researchers, conservation groups, businesses and anyone else gathering or using maritime data. The associations are the Swiss army knife of oceanography, using buoys, submersible drones and radar installations to track water temperature, wind speed, atmospheric pressure, wave speeds, swell heights and current strength.
TODD RICHMOND – Associated Press
Read the full story here: https://www.mlive.com/news/2025/05/trump-budget-would-cut-great-lakes-ocean-data-and-leave-forecasters-and-military-scrambling-for-info.html
Registration Now Open for Annual Soo Boatnerd Cruise
Join us for the Annual Boatnerd Freighter Chasing Cruise on the St. Marys River!
- When: Friday, June 27, 6-9 pm, rain or shine
- Where: Soo Locks Boat Tours, Dock #2 (next to the Valley Camp)
- Limit: 100 passengers
- Food: Pizza and salad included with paid passage
- General Adult Admission:
-Early Bird Adult $35.00 each (through May 31)
-Regular Adult $40.00 each (June 1-June 20)
-Procrastinator Adult $45 each (after June 20)
- Youth Admission, age 5-17: $15 flat rate
- Youth Admission, age 4 and under: FREE
- Students (age 18+) with a current, valid i.d. get a $5 discount off an adult ticket. The student must present their student i.d. when boarding.
This year’s St. Mary’s River cruise will be aboard a Famous Soo Locks Boat Tours boat on Friday, June 27. Boarding begins at 5:30 pm, and we cast off at 6pm. The cruise is three hours long. We plan to travel through the U.S. Locks, but that may change in order to chase freighters.
Pizza and salad are included in paid passage. There will be a cash bar on board. You can bring your own food and beverages (you cannot bring alcohol).
Reservations are a must, as the group is limited to 100 passengers. Mailed checks must be received no later than Friday, June 20.
If the cruise is not sold out by June 20, we will take online or cash (US funds only) reservations at the Procrastinator Price of $45.00 per General Admission ticket. Youth ticket rates stay the same as listed above.
Click link below to buy your ticket(s) online.
Contact Angie at griffinclawangie@gmail.com or 734-386-0899 if you have questions or to request any refunds. No refunds will be issued after June 19.
