Unsalted Great Lakes

Who was Captain Santa? Ellen Kennedy from the National Museum of the Great Lakes tells us about the sinking of the Rouse Simmons in Lake Michigan, with a crew and 5500 Christmas trees on board.  Follow the Great Lakes museum.  Find Unsalted Great Lakes 

Conservationists are trying to bring back the lake trout to Lake Erie. After decades of stocking, they made a new discovery: fry. Pop the champagne, because these baby trout show the adult population is breeding. Jim Markham, Senior Aquatic Biologist at New York State Department of Environmental Conservation, tells us the story of lake trout recovery.

In his 24 years on Grand Bend's Beach Patrol, lifeguard Scott Ruddle has seen a lot. He talks about life in the tower at one of the lake's busiest beaches.

We've seen plastic swirling around the ocean, but how much is in the Great Lakes? Meet Eddie Olshansky, a kayaker on the Cuyahoga River who is reeling in trash. We're also joined by Patricia Corcoran, an earth scientist at Western University. Follow Eddie on Instagram. The podcast now has a website!

It started as a hangover cure, but Dan O'Conor ended up jumping in Lake Michigan every day for a year straight. 365 days, 365 jumps. Visit Dan's website. Find Dan on Twitter. Follow Unsalted.

Oahu surfer Timmy Matthews traded the Pacific Ocean for Lake Ontario. Find us on Instagram.

Jamie Racklyeft from the Great Lakes Water Safety Consortium is back with more water safety tips. Learn more about the Great Lakes Water Safety Consortium. Follow Unsalted.

A near-drowning in Lake Michigan turned Jamie Racklyeft into a water safety advocate.  He shares the experience of coming close to death (a Bruce Springsteen song popped into his head), how it changed his life and his best tips for staying safe.  Learn more about the Great Lakes Water Safety Consortium.  Follow Unsalted.  Our theme is by Adam Wendler. 

A couple from Canada discusses their first winter on Lake Ontario, from winter storms to spectacular sunrises. Find Unsalted on Instagram here. Follow Talia and Michel's adventure. Our theme is by Adam Wendler.

Algal blooms, invasive species and....lake fires? Find out why with Lake Erie gets a bad rap with Mike McKay, Executive Director of the Great Lakes Institute for Environmental Research. Learn more about GLIER. Follow Mike Mckay on Twitter. Find Unsalted on Instagram. Our theme music is by Adam Wendler.

Five writers share their passion for the Great Lakes: Tamara Latinovic on Detroit River Jessica Payne on Lake Ontario Waubgeshig Rice on Georgian Bay Allison Devereaux on Lake Huron Anne-Marie Oomen on Lake Michigan

Three writers share love letters to the Great Lakes: Anne-Marie Oomen from Lake Michigan Dave McGinn from Lake Ontario Canisia Lubrin from Lake Ontario. Our theme song is by Adam Wendler.

Millions of TikTok followers watch Geo Rutherford's videos to see what she finds on Great Lakes shorelines. Along the way, she's teaching people about the GL's. We talk about beachcombing and why she's just as surprised that so many people tune in. Follow us on Instagram. Find Geo on TikTok and Instagram. Our show theme is by Adam Wendler.

Lake Huron is home to the largest underwater salt mine in the world. Goderich tour guide (and town legend) Colleen Maguire talks about how salt was discovered, what the mine looks like underwater (the height of the CN Tower!) and why it hasn't collapsed. Find us on Instagram. Our theme is by Adam Wendler of Goderich!

Hear how Great Lakes fish communicate underwater with Dennis Higgs, a University of Windsor professor focusing on fish sensory systems. Check out his fish lab. Find Unsalted Great Lakes on Instagram. Our show theme is by Adam Wendler.

A wooden boat washed up on Lake Superior with a message on the bottom: throw it back in the water and contact a school in Duluth. How far did it travel? Who tossed it in the lake? We'll unravel the mystery. See photos of the boat. Our theme music is by Adam Wendler.

Are the rising water levels climate change or natural fluctuations? We'll get a science lesson with Drew Gronewold, an associate professor at University of Michigan. Find University of Michigan School for Environment and Sustainability on Twitter and Instagram. Follow Unsalted. Our theme is by Adam Wendler

Why We Swim by Bonnie Tsui explores our relationship to swimming and water, from survival to wellness. We talk about swimming from Alcatraz Island to San Francisco, the power of blue spaces and why “rolling ocean waves” is such a popular track on Spotify. Follow Bonnie Tsui. Find us on Instagram. The show's theme is by Adam Wendler.

Lake Michigan's Genesee Theatre is believed to be home to several "permanent guests." Hear spooky tales with Wes Oleszewski, author of "Great Lakes Ghost Stories: Haunted Tales Past & Present." Thank you to these sound creators: daveincamas for Follies Mattias "MATRIXXX" Lahoud for big dark atmosphere blimp66 for helicopter fly over tom woysky for crowd before jazz

Do goldfish live in the Great Lakes? Christine Boston is an aquatic research biologist with Fisheries and Oceans Canada. She joins us to talk about how big they get, how they wind up in the lakes and whether they stay gold. Follow Christine Boston on Instagram and Twitter. Find us on Instagram. Our theme song is by Adam Wendler.

Tristyn von Berg cycled around Lake Michigan in 11 days. He did it on the cheap, with a bike from the 90s and a shoebox attached to it. We talk about why you don't need expensive gear to take on big adventure. what it's like to cycle Lake Michigan and why he chose the clockwise route. Follow Unsalted on Instagram. Find Tristyn on Instagram. Our theme music is by Adam Wendler.

Robin Pacquing is co-founder of Lake Surfistas, a community of women who surf and paddle. We talk about lake conditions versus the ocean, which season is best to surf the Great Lakes and how to cope with the cold. Follow us on Instagram. Find Lake Surfistas on Instagram. Our theme music is by Adam Wendler.

How does a captain stay cool under pressure? Mike Hartsuff is Relief Captain for three of the biggest and best-known freighters on the Great Lakes. We talk about keeping calm, what the food is like and the best way to dock a 1000-ft vessel. Find Mike on Instagram. Follow Unsalted. Our theme music is by Adam Wendler.

Rochelle Byrne stand-up paddled more than 400 km on Lake Ontario in a single month to pick up litter. What did she collect? What wildlife did she see? Join us for the journey. Find Rochelle's non-profit on Instagram. Follow us on Instagram. Our theme song is by Adam Wendler.

What do the Great Lakes look like down below? Shipwreck diver Dusty Klifman brings us into Lake Michigan's secret underwater world. We discuss sunken ships, stashes of gold and secrets from the diving community. Follow Unsalted on Instagram. Find Dusty on Instagram.

Love the Great Lakes? Join Allison Devereaux as she explores the largest freshwater system on earth. Unsalted: a podcast for people who live, work and play on the Great Lakes. Find Unsalted on Instagram.