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In: Authors, Feature Homepage, History and Culture, indigenous communities, Lake Superior, Latest News, News, Ojibwe, Staci Lola Drouillard
Where the strawberries still grow

“Nibi Chronicles,” a monthly Great Lakes Now feature, is written by Staci Lola Drouillard. A Grand Portage Ojibwe direct descendant, she lives in Grand Marais on Minnesota’s North Shore of Lake Superior. Her nonfiction books “Walking the Old Road: A People’s History of Chippewa City and the Grand Marais Anishinaabe” and “Seven Aunts” were published 2019 and 2022, and the children’s story “A Family Tree” in 2024.

Read Now at Great Lakes Now.

Original Article

Great Lakes Now

Great Lakes Now

https://www.greatlakesnow.org/2025/07/where-the-strawberries-still-grow/

Staci Lola Drouillard, Great Lakes Now

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In: Chicago, Drinking Water, Feature Homepage, Feature Lead, Feature-Chicago, Illinois, infrastructure, Latest News, Lead, lead pipes, News, Water Quality and Restoration Efforts
Chicago residents risk daily lead exposure from toxic pipes. Replacing them will take decades.

By Keerti Gopal & Juanpablo Ramirez-Franco

This story is a partnership between Grist, Inside Climate News, and WBEZ, a public radio station serving the Chicago metropolitan region. This coverage is made possible through an ongoing partnership between Grist and WBEZ.

Read Now at Great Lakes Now.

Original Article

Great Lakes Now

Great Lakes Now

https://www.greatlakesnow.org/2025/07/chicago-residents-risk-daily-lead-exposure-from-toxic-pipes-replacing-them-will-take-decades/

Inside Climate News and Grist

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In: AYITWK, AYITWKGL, Feature Homepage, foraging, Forests and Plants, History and Culture, Latest News, nature, News, Recreation, Recreation and Tourism, Science, Technology, Research
Easy summer foraging adventures the whole family will remember

This is a part of “A Year in the Wild Kitchen of the Great Lakes,” a series in partnership with expert forager Lisa M. Rose, with the mission of nurturing a deeper connection with the natural world through foraging. To get started with your foraging journey, begin here with our “Framework to Sustainable and Safe Practices.” 

As Michigan’s fields burst into berry-laden glory, summer invites us to celebrate nature’s sweet, sun-ripened gifts.

Read Now at Great Lakes Now.

Original Article

Great Lakes Now

Great Lakes Now

https://www.greatlakesnow.org/2025/06/easy-summer-foraging-adventures-the-whole-family-will-remember/

Lisa M. Rose

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In: Algae Blooms, Climate change, Feature Homepage, harmful algal blooms, lake erie, Latest News, News, Research, Research, Data and Technology, Science, Technology, Research, Water Quality and Restoration Efforts
Toxic algae blooms are lasting longer in Lake Erie − why that’s a worry for people and pets

By Gregory J. Dick, University of Michigan

 is an independent and nonprofit source of news, analysis and commentary from academic experts.

Federal scientists released their annual forecast for Lake Erie’s harmful algal blooms on June 26, 2025, and they expect a mild to moderate season.

Read Now at Great Lakes Now.

Original Article

Great Lakes Now

Great Lakes Now

https://www.greatlakesnow.org/2025/06/toxic-algae-blooms-are-lasting-longer-in-lake-erie-why-thats-a-worry-for-people-and-pets/

The Conversation

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In: Books, Authors, Art and Music, Environmental Justice, Equity and Environmental Justice, Feature Homepage, History and Culture, indigenous communities, Latest News, Minnesota, News, Politics, Policy, Environmental Justice, Water Quality and Restoration Efforts, water walks, Waves of Change
Waves of Change: Meet Ojibwe leader, activist and water walker Sharon Day

Waves of Change is an online interview series highlighting the diverse faces and perspectives shaping the environmental justice movement throughout the Great Lakes region.

Sharon Day is enrolled in the Bois Forte Band of Ojibwe and makes her home in Minnesota, where she is a founder and the executive director of the Indigenous Peoples Task Force, a vital provider of culturally appropriate health services, programs and housing.

Read Now at Great Lakes Now.

Original Article

Great Lakes Now

Great Lakes Now

https://www.greatlakesnow.org/2025/06/waves-of-change-meet-ojibwe-leader-activist-and-water-walker-sharon-day/

Great Lakes Now

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In: accessibility, Beaches, Boating, Paddle Sports and Sailing, Cleveland, cleveland metroparks, Feature Cleveland, Feature Homepage, Latest News, News, Ohio, outdoor recreation, Recreation and Tourism, Recreational Hunting and Fishing, Tourism
Cleveland Metroparks breaks down accessibility barriers with all-terrain wheelchairs

By Zaria Johnson, Ideastream Public Media

This story was originally published by Ideastream.

Cleveland Metroparks is expanding access to its trail network for visitors with disabilities. It’s acquired two new wheelchairs – one a motorized Action Trackchair, the other, a manual GRIT Freedom Chair, for use on and off the beaten paths.

Read Now at Great Lakes Now.

Original Article

Great Lakes Now

Great Lakes Now

https://www.greatlakesnow.org/2025/06/cleveland-metroparks-breaks-down-accessibility-barriers-with-all-terrain-wheelchairs/

Ideastream Public Media

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In: Energy, Clean Energy, Ethanol and Fracking, Feature Homepage, Fish, Birds and Animals, Industry, Energy, Economic Development, Latest News, News, Science, Technology, Research, solar energy, solar panels, Wildlife
What will the rise of floating solar panels mean for wildlife?

By Matt Simon, Grist

This story was originally published by Grist. Sign up for Grist’s weekly newsletter here.

The newest, hottest power couple doesn’t live in Hollywood. It’s actually the marriage of solar panels and water reservoirs: Known as floating photovoltaics, or floatovoltaics, the devices bob on simple floats, generating power while providing shade that reduces evaporation.

Read Now at Great Lakes Now.

Original Article

Great Lakes Now

Great Lakes Now

https://www.greatlakesnow.org/2025/06/what-will-the-rise-of-floating-solar-panels-mean-for-wildlife/

Grist

On:
In: army corps of engineers, enbridge, Enbridge Line 5 and Other Pipelines, Energy, Clean Energy, Ethanol and Fracking, Feature Homepage, Industry, Energy, Economic Development, Latest News, line 5, News, Politics, Policy, Environmental Justice, Tribal Governments and First Nations, U.S. and Canadian Federal Governments
A guide to the federal review of the Line 5 tunnel

By Izzy Ross, IPR and Teresa Homsi, WCMU

This coverage is made possible through a partnership between Interlochen Public Radio and Grist, a nonprofit environmental media organization.

The final day for the public to comment on a federal environmental review of the Line 5 tunnel is approaching on June 30.

Read Now at Great Lakes Now.

Original Article

Great Lakes Now

Great Lakes Now

https://www.greatlakesnow.org/2025/06/a-guide-to-the-federal-review-of-the-line-5-tunnel/

Interlochen Public Radio

On:
In: Feature Homepage, Latest News, News
Iconic whitefish on edge of collapse as Great Lakes biodiversity crisis deepens

By Kelly House, Bridge Michigan

The Great Lakes News Collaborative includes Bridge Michigan; Circle of Blue; Great Lakes Now at Detroit PBS; Michigan Public, Michigan’s NPR News Leader; and The Narwhal who work together to bring audiences news and information about the impact of climate change, pollution, and aging infrastructure on the Great Lakes and drinking water.

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Original Article

Great Lakes Now

Great Lakes Now

https://www.greatlakesnow.org/2025/06/iconic-whitefish-on-edge-of-collapse-as-great-lakes-biodiversity-crisis-deepens/

Bridge Michigan

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In: Feature Homepage, Latest News, News
Counting the Kirtland’s warbler

By Lester Graham, Michigan Public

The Great Lakes News Collaborative includes Bridge Michigan; Circle of Blue; Great Lakes Now at Detroit PBS; Michigan Public, Michigan’s NPR News Leader; and The Narwhal who work together to bring audiences news and information about the impact of climate change, pollution, and aging infrastructure on the Great Lakes and drinking water.

Read Now at Great Lakes Now.

Original Article

Great Lakes Now

Great Lakes Now

https://www.greatlakesnow.org/2025/06/counting-the-kirtlands-warbler/

Michigan Public

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In: Authors, diving, Feature Homepage, fish, Fish, Birds and Animals, I Speak for the Fish, Kathy Johnson, Lake sturgeon, Latest News, News, Science, Technology, Research
I Speak for the Fish: The hardest lake sturgeon dive in the Great Lakes

For two weeks each year, the St. Clair River hosts thousands of spawning lake sturgeon.

Hundreds of six-foot females plump with eggs and thousands of 4 to 5-foot-long males gather at the base of Lake Huron. In the span of a few weeks, they will arrive, group up, deposit millions of fertilized eggs on the river bottom and depart.  

Read Now at Great Lakes Now.

Original Article

Great Lakes Now

Great Lakes Now

https://www.greatlakesnow.org/2025/06/i-speak-for-the-fish-the-hardest-lake-sturgeon-dive-in-the-great-lakes/

Kathy Johnson, Great Lakes Now

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In: Feature Homepage, Latest News, News
The smoke from Canada’s wildfires may be even more toxic than usual

By Matt Simon

This story was originally published by Grist. Sign up for Grist’s weekly newsletter here.

More than 200 wildfires are blazing across central and western Canada, half of which are out of control because they’re so hard for crews to access, forcing 27,000 people to evacuate.

Read Now at Great Lakes Now.

Original Article

Great Lakes Now

Great Lakes Now

https://www.greatlakesnow.org/2025/06/the-smoke-from-canadas-wildfires-may-be-even-more-toxic-than-usual/

Grist

On:
In: Feature Homepage, Indiana, Industry, Energy, Economic Development, Latest News, News
Near westside residents have higher rates of lung disease, study says

By Enrique Saenz, Mirror Indy

Mirror Indy is a part of Free Press Indiana, a nonprofit news organization dedicated to ensuring all Hoosiers have access to the news and information they need.

Sandy Leeds remembers the glory days of West Indianapolis.

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Original Article

Great Lakes Now

Great Lakes Now

https://www.greatlakesnow.org/2025/06/near-westside-residents-have-higher-rates-of-lung-disease-study-says/

Mirror Indy

On:
In: enbridge, Enbridge Line 5 and Other Pipelines, Feature Homepage, Industry, Energy, Economic Development, Latest News, line 5, Michigan, News
Federal agency finds Great Lakes tunnel project poses ‘detrimental’ effects to water, wetlands

By Danielle Kaeding, Wisconsin Public Radio

This article was republished here with permission from Wisconsin Public Radio.

Enbridge’s proposed $1 billion Line 5 tunnel project would harm water and wetlands, according to a draft environmental review released Friday by the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers.

Read Now at Great Lakes Now.

Original Article

Great Lakes Now

Great Lakes Now

https://www.greatlakesnow.org/2025/06/federal-agency-finds-great-lakes-tunnel-project-poses-detrimental-effects-to-water-wetlands/

Wisconsin Public Radio

On:
In: Feature Homepage, Fish, Birds and Animals, indigenous communities, Lake sturgeon, Latest News, Michigan, News, Science, Technology, Research
How are science and tradition saving sturgeon?

When the Little River Band of Ottawa Indians in Manistee, MI, decided to start a lake sturgeon restoration program, they started by hiring two recently graduated fisheries research biologists to help them set it up.

“I remember getting there and realizing that the scientific knowledge that I had was only a piece,” fisheries biologist Marty Holtgren said.

Read Now at Great Lakes Now.

Original Article

Great Lakes Now

Great Lakes Now

https://www.greatlakesnow.org/2025/06/how-are-science-and-tradition-saving-sturgeon/

Great Lakes Now

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In: Authors, Feature Homepage, John Hartig, Latest News, News
Great Lakes Moment: Creating a U.S. Great Lakes Waterfront Trail

Great Lakes Moment is a monthly column written by Great Lakes Now Contributor John Hartig. Publishing the author’s views and assertions does not represent endorsement by Great Lakes Now or Detroit PBS.

The Eastern Seaboard has the East Coast Greenway and the Appalachian Trail.

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Original Article

Great Lakes Now

Great Lakes Now

https://www.greatlakesnow.org/2025/06/great-lakes-moment-creating-a-u-s-great-lakes-waterfront-trail/

John Hartig, Great Lakes Now

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In: Donté Smith, Drinking Water, Feature Homepage, Latest News, Lisa John Rogers, microplastics, plastic, pollution, Ripples of Plastics, Water Quality and Restoration Efforts
Everything to know about microplastics in the Great Lakes

Shortly after Chelsea Rochman moved to Toronto to start her current faculty job at University of Toronto, she began working with the Government of Canada to sample microplastics in fish from Lake Ontario. What she found, she said, shocked her. They found microplastics in every single fish they tested. Every single fish.

Read Now at Great Lakes Now.

Original Article

Great Lakes Now

Great Lakes Now

https://www.greatlakesnow.org/2025/05/everything-to-know-about-microplastics-in-the-great-lakes/

Lisa John Rogers, Great Lakes Now

On:
In: Blue Economy, Feature Homepage, Industry, Energy, Economic Development, infrastructure, Latest News, News, The Blue Economy, water, Water Quality and Restoration Efforts
Despite U.S. research resistance, Great Lakes aims to be Silicon Valley for water

MILWAUKEE – The confluence of the Milwaukee and Menominee rivers, in the downtown core of Wisconsin’s largest city, is a prime vantage to assess the collection of assets that define the past and future of Great Lakes water use, and the array of technology development encompassing the region’s water.

Together and in complement, universities, research labs, tech incubators, water-focused businesses, and forward-thinking utilities here and in other cities are pushing for something greater than the sum of their parts.

Read Now at Great Lakes Now.

Original Article

Great Lakes Now

Great Lakes Now

https://www.greatlakesnow.org/2025/05/despite-u-s-research-resistance-great-lakes-aims-to-be-silicon-valley-for-water/

Brett Walton, Circle of Blue

On:
In: Blue Economy, Feature Homepage, Habitat Restoration, Industry, Energy, Economic Development, Lake Superior, Latest News, News, Ontario, Politics, Policy, Environmental Justice, The Blue Economy, Thunder Bay, Tribal Governments and First Nations, U.S. and Canadian Federal Governments, Water Quality and Restoration Efforts
Thunder Bay is bringing its Great Lake shoreline back

My first glimpse of Lake Superior, in all its lore-and-song-inspiring glory, is a blurry one from the backseat of a taxi driving through Thunder Bay. 

Superior, or Gitchigumi, which means Great Lake in Anishinaabemowin, is the largest of those lakes, and the second largest lake in the world, containing 10 per cent of the planet’s fresh surface water.

Read Now at Great Lakes Now.

Original Article

Great Lakes Now

Great Lakes Now

https://www.greatlakesnow.org/2025/05/thunder-bay-is-bringing-its-great-lake-shoreline-back/

Fatima Syed, The Narwhal

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In: Authors, Chicago, Detroit, Feature Detroit, Feature Homepage, Feature-Chicago, Gary Wilson, Illinois, infrastructure, land subsidence, Latest News, Michigan, News, Research, Data and Technology, Science, Technology, Research, Water Quality and Restoration Efforts
Sinking cities: Great Lakes cities not immune from under-recognized threat

Significant areas of the Earth’s surface across continents are gradually sinking and that process brings environmental, social and economic consequences to urban centers in the United States. Great Lakes cities Detroit and Chicago are among those at risk.

That’s the conclusion of a recent study conducted by Columbia University researchers, published by the science journal Nature Cities.

Read Now at Great Lakes Now.

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Great Lakes Now

https://www.greatlakesnow.org/2025/05/sinking-cities-great-lakes-cities-not-immune-from-under-recognized-threat/

Gary Wilson, Great Lakes Now

On:
In: benton harbor, Blue Economy, data centers, Feature Homepage, Latest News, News, The Blue Economy
Are data centers a threat to the Great Lakes?

Benton Harbor on Lake Michigan’s southeast coast is known to visitors for its vacation feel and beautiful beaches.

But it’s also one of the poorest cities in Michigan. In recent years, the area has struggled to find the funds to invest in critical infrastructure, most noticeably for its water supply which until recently had tested for dangerously high levels of lead.

Read Now at Great Lakes Now.

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Great Lakes Now

Great Lakes Now

https://www.greatlakesnow.org/2025/05/are-data-centers-a-threat-to-great-lakes/

Stephen Starr, Great Lakes Now

On:
In: Agriculture, Blue Economy, Farming, Feature Homepage, Groundwater Contamination, Industry, Energy, Economic Development, Latest News, Michigan, News, Politics, Policy, Environmental Justice, The Blue Economy, U.S. and Canadian Federal Governments, Water Quality and Restoration Efforts
Conflict Over A Blockbuster Farm Chemical

Not since DDT was introduced to U.S. agriculture to kill insects after World War Two has a farm chemical been as important to American crop production, and come under more scientific, political, and legal scrutiny as the weedkiller Roundup, and its active ingredient, glyphosate.

With the election of President Donald Trump, the conflict over glyphosate’s risks and benefits entered a new realm of confrontation that has the potential to alter its stature as the favored chemical tool in agriculture, the largest user of fresh water in the blue economy of Michigan and the Great Lakes.

Read Now at Great Lakes Now.

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Great Lakes Now

Great Lakes Now

https://www.greatlakesnow.org/2025/05/conflict-over-a-blockbuster-farm-chemical/

Keith Schneider, Circle of Blue

On:
In: Beaches, Boating, Paddle Sports and Sailing, Feature Homepage, kayaking, Lake Huron, Latest News, Michigan, News, paddling, Recreation and Tourism
Points North: The Longest Paddle

By Ellie Katz, Interlochen Public Radio

Points North is a biweekly podcast about the land, water and inhabitants of the Great Lakes.

This episode was shared here with permission from Interlochen Public Radio. 

In the summer of 2015, Traci Lynn Martin’s mom was in the final weeks of a battle with cancer.

Read Now at Great Lakes Now.

Original Article

Great Lakes Now

Great Lakes Now

https://www.greatlakesnow.org/2025/05/points-north-the-longest-paddle/

Interlochen Public Radio

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In: Feature Homepage, Latest News, Michigan, News, The Blue Economy
An $80M cleanup made Muskegon Lake trendy. Will ‘eco-gentrification’ follow?

New luxury homes, yacht slips, and trendy hotels and restaurants are cropping up along the glittering waterfront of this west Michigan city.

Nothing unusual for the Lake Michigan coast, long known for beach towns that cater to summer vacationers and wealthy second-homers. But to those familiar with Muskegon’s blue collar history, it’s a stunning transformation.

Read Now at Great Lakes Now.

Original Article

Great Lakes Now

Great Lakes Now

https://www.greatlakesnow.org/2025/05/an-80m-cleanup-made-muskegon-lake-trendy-will-eco-gentrification-follow/

Kelly House, Bridge Michigan

On:
In: Chicago, Detroit, Feature Homepage, great lakes travel, Illinois, Industry, Energy, Economic Development, Latest News, Michigan, Minnesota, News, Ontario, public transportation, Toronto, transit
Buses vs. Trains: The Future of Public Transit in the Great Lakes Region

Cities around the Great Lakes region are trying to make transportation cheaper for riders and more environmentally friendly by expanding their public transit networks. Two modes that are often pitted against each other are light rail and bus rapid transit (BRT). While not every BRT line meets the same standards, in general, they have been upgraded for higher capacity and speed, although they have fewer stations.

Read Now at Great Lakes Now.

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Great Lakes Now

https://www.greatlakesnow.org/2025/05/buses-vs-trains-the-future-of-public-transit-in-the-great-lakes-region/

Sean Ericson, Great Lakes Now

On:
In: Blue Economy, Feature Homepage, fishing, great lakes fish, Latest News, News, The Blue Economy
Keeping the $5.5 billion Great Lakes fishery afloat as Trump administration considers cuts

The Michigan Department of Natural Resources’ Charlevoix Fisheries Research Station is based in a building that was constructed in 1917, originally as a federal fish hatchery. It wasn’t the first on this site. An earlier hatchery was built in 1894.

The U.S. government was trying to replenish the fish population.

Read Now at Great Lakes Now.

Original Article

Great Lakes Now

Great Lakes Now

https://www.greatlakesnow.org/2025/05/keeping-the-5-5-billion-great-lakes-fishery-afloat-as-trump-administration-considers-cuts/

Lester Graham, Michigan Public

On:
In: Blue Economy, Charles Stewart Mott Foundation Partnership, Climate change, Collaboration, Feature Homepage, Industry, Energy, Economic Development, Latest News, News, water, Water Quality and Restoration Efforts
Water determines Great Lakes region’s economic future

Livelihoods and economies in the Great Lakes region always centered on water. From the manoomin, or wild rice, grown and revered by the Ojibwe people to the whitefish catch in Lake Michigan, to the water-dependent ports, steel mills, and manufacturers that dot thousands of miles of Fresh Coast lakeshore. The area’s liquid assets and the industries that developed around them form a “blue economy.”

The treasure trove of clean fresh water is seen as a competitive edge in a region hungry for growth and whose leaders boast about exporting the scientific breakthroughs and infrastructure hardware to solve the world’s water challenges.

Read Now at Great Lakes Now.

Original Article

Great Lakes Now

Great Lakes Now

https://www.greatlakesnow.org/2025/05/water-determines-great-lakes-regions-economic-future/

Brett Walton, Circle of Blue

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In: Feature Homepage, Latest News, News
One man’s quest to bring more of North America’s largest native fruit, the pawpaw, to Wisconsin

By Jeff Robbins, Wisconsin Public Radio

This article was republished here with permission from Wisconsin Public Radio.

If you’ve never tasted the fruit from a pawpaw tree, you’re not alone. Due to its extremely short shelf life that renders the fruit edible for only days after being picked, pawpaw is an all-too-rare treat.

Read Now at Great Lakes Now.

Original Article

Great Lakes Now

Great Lakes Now

https://www.greatlakesnow.org/2025/05/one-mans-quest-to-bring-more-of-north-americas-largest-native-fruit-the-pawpaw-to-wisconsin/

Wisconsin Public Radio

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In: Authors, Biggest Week in American Birding, birding, Feature Homepage, Fish, Birds and Animals, James Proffitt, lake erie, Latest News, News, Ohio, Recreation and Tourism, Science, Technology, Research, Tourism
Everything you need to know about the Biggest Week in American Birding

A fledgling birding festival that hatched 15 years ago has become an international event drawing visitors from around the world to northwest Ohio. While the stars of the show at the Biggest Week in American Birding (BWIAB) are migrating warblers, there are dozens of other species which draw crowds from every state and continent including wading and shore birds, tanagers, songbirds, waterfowl and raptors.

Read Now at Great Lakes Now.

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Great Lakes Now

Great Lakes Now

https://www.greatlakesnow.org/2025/05/everything-you-need-to-know-about-biggest-week-in-american-birding/

James Proffitt, Great Lakes Now

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In: Feature Homepage, Latest News, News
Nature as a spiritual salve for grief? Cleveland Botanical Garden looks at healing power of outdoors

By Zaria Johnson, Ideastream Public Media

This story was originally published by Ideastream.

An exhibition at the Cleveland Botanical Garden features more than 30 artists whose work explores the role nature plays in overcoming painful emotions and experiences.

The botanical garden partnered with local gallery Deep Roots Experience to bring together The Nature of Healing, an exhibition exploring ways the outdoors can help process grief and trauma.

Read Now at Great Lakes Now.

Original Article

Great Lakes Now

Great Lakes Now

https://www.greatlakesnow.org/2025/05/nature-as-a-spiritual-salve-for-grief-cleveland-botanical-garden-looks-at-healing-power-of-outdoors/

Ideastream Public Media

On:
In: Feature Homepage, First Nations, Fish, Birds and Animals, Lake sturgeon, Latest News, News, Ontario, Politics, Policy, Environmental Justice, Science, Technology, Research, Tribal Governments and First Nations
Meet the people trying to keep a prehistoric fish alive

By Leah Borts-Kuperman, The Narwhal

The Great Lakes News Collaborative includes Bridge Michigan, Circle of Blue, Great Lakes Now at Detroit PBS, Michigan Public and The Narwhal who work together to bring audiences news and information about the impact of climate change, pollution, and aging infrastructure on the Great Lakes and drinking water.

Read Now at Great Lakes Now.

Original Article

Great Lakes Now

Great Lakes Now

https://www.greatlakesnow.org/2025/04/meet-the-people-trying-to-keep-a-prehistoric-fish-alive/

The Narwhal

On:
In: dark sky parks, Feature Homepage, Latest News, light pollution, News, northern michigan, Recreation and Tourism, Tourism
On the importance of dark sky parks

Summer is just around the corner, and for many in the Great Lakes region, the coming season is synonymous with weekends at the beach, camping trips and — if you’re lucky — stargazing. There are many places in the Great Lakes where the skies are dark enough to enjoy the stars and planets overhead, but specific recognition for such places varies by state.

Read Now at Great Lakes Now.

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Great Lakes Now

Great Lakes Now

https://www.greatlakesnow.org/2025/04/the-importance-of-dark-sky-parks/

Anna Sysling, Great Lakes Now

On:
In: Feature Homepage, Latest News, News
I Speak for the Fish: How to photograph mysterious freshwater fish

I Speak for the Fish is a monthly column written by Great Lakes Now Contributor Kathy Johnson, coming out the third Monday of each month. Publishing the author’s views and assertions does not represent endorsement by Great Lakes Now or Detroit Public Television. 

Read Now at Great Lakes Now.

Original Article

Great Lakes Now

Great Lakes Now

https://www.greatlakesnow.org/2025/04/i-speak-for-the-fish-how-to-photograph-mysterious-freshwater-fish/

Kathy Johnson, Great Lakes Now

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In: Feature Homepage, Latest News, News, Waves of Change
Waves of Change: Meet artist, mom and gardener Halima Afi Cassells

Waves of Change is an online interview series highlighting the diverse faces and perspectives shaping the environmental justice movement throughout the Great Lakes region.

For Earth Month, we spoke with Halima Afi Cassells, an award-winning interdisciplinary community-engaged artist, mom of three and avid gardener with deep roots in Waawiiyaataanong also known as Detroit, Michigan.

Read Now at Great Lakes Now.

Original Article

Great Lakes Now

Great Lakes Now

https://www.greatlakesnow.org/2025/04/waves-of-change-meet-artist-mom-and-gardener-halima-afi-cassells/

Great Lakes Now

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In: Feature Homepage, Food, foraging, Latest News, nature, News, plants, Recreation and Tourism
Spring Break Staycation: Foraging with the Family

This is a part of “A Year in the Wild Kitchen of the Great Lakes,” a series in partnership with expert forager Lisa M. Rose, with the mission of nurturing a deeper connection with the natural world through foraging. To get started with your foraging journey, begin here with our “Framework to Sustainable and Safe Practices.” 

This spring break, transform your usual holiday into an educational excursion that connects your family with the natural world.

Read Now at Great Lakes Now.

Original Article

Great Lakes Now

Great Lakes Now

https://www.greatlakesnow.org/2025/04/spring-break-staycation-foraging-with-the-family/

Lisa M. Rose

On:
In: community garden, Detroit, Feature Detroit, Feature Homepage, Food, Forests and Plants, gardening, Latest News, Michigan, News, Recreation and Tourism, Science, Technology, Research
How community gardens serve as ‘third places’ for Detroiters

Toward the end of 2023, I was newly unemployed and living by myself for the first time. 

In between jobs, searching for employment and a means of fulfillment and community, I began to reflect on how my mom got into gardening. In the dead of winter, memories of childhood summers spent pulling weeds, tilling soil and fleeing the occasional garter snake alongside her began to color my mind. 

Read Now at Great Lakes Now.

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Great Lakes Now

Great Lakes Now

https://www.greatlakesnow.org/2025/04/community-gardens-third-places-for-detroiters/

Ethan Bakuli

On:
In: Art, Authors, Books, Authors, Art and Music, Buffalo, Feature Homepage, Fish, Birds and Animals, History and Culture, James Proffitt, lake erie, Latest News, New York, News, Science, Technology, Research, water, Wildlife
Alberto Rey: Art all about Earth

Alberto Rey’s artistic passions are wide-ranging. But water and wildlife may most succinctly describe them. The retired State University of New York — Fredonia professor of art has waded into drawing, painting, ceramics and filmmaking all while diving headfirst into the deepest affection for the natural world.  

The 64-year-old Cuban-born artist moonlights as an Orvis-endorsed fly fishing guide on Western New York’s Lake Erie tributaries.

Read Now at Great Lakes Now.

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Great Lakes Now

Great Lakes Now

https://www.greatlakesnow.org/2025/04/alberto-rey-art-all-about-earth/

James Proffitt, Great Lakes Now

On:
In: Authors, Chicago, environmental protection agency, Feature Homepage, Gary Wilson, Illinois, Lake Michigan, Latest News, News, Politics, Policy, Environmental Justice
Experts explain criticality of regional EPA office

Change is happening since Donald Trump took office and began making good on campaign pledges to reduce the size and scope of the work of the federal agencies that serve the country.

And the 50-year-old focus of the U.S. EPA to protect the environment has not been immune.

Read Now at Great Lakes Now.

Original Article

Great Lakes Now

Great Lakes Now

https://www.greatlakesnow.org/2025/04/experts-explain-criticality-of-regional-epa-office/

Gary Wilson, Great Lakes Now

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In: Feature Homepage, Habitat Restoration, invasive species, Latest News, News, Politics, Policy, Environmental Justice, Science, Technology, Research, Water Quality and Restoration Efforts, Work
Could the Great Lakes lose billions in restoration funding?

The Great Lakes, the world’s largest system of fresh surface water, supply drinking water to about 40 million people. But industrial pollution, agricultural runoff, and invasive species have caused significant problems. The Great Lakes Restoration Initiative (GLRI) was created to address these issues and has received bipartisan support since its inception.

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Original Article

Great Lakes Now

Great Lakes Now

https://www.greatlakesnow.org/2025/04/could-the-great-lakes-lose-billions-in-restoration-funding/

Great Lakes Now

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In: Authors, Feature Homepage, John Hartig, Latest News, News
Autoworkers’ long history of protecting our environment

Great Lakes Moment is a monthly column written by Great Lakes Now Contributor John Hartig. Publishing the author’s views and assertions does not represent endorsement by Great Lakes Now or Detroit PBS.

April 22, 1970 was the first Earth Day. On that day, two boats — one with an American flag representing American autoworkers and one with a Canadian flag representing Canadian autoworkers — met in the middle of the Detroit River to hold a wake, symbolizing the death of the river from pollution.

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Original Article

Great Lakes Now

Great Lakes Now

https://www.greatlakesnow.org/2025/04/autoworkers-long-history-of-protecting-our-environment/

John Hartig, Great Lakes Now

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In: Agriculture, Feature Homepage, Fish, Birds and Animals, food security, health, Industry, Energy, Economic Development, Latest News, News, Research, Data and Technology, Science, Technology, Research
As bird flu wreaks havoc in the Midwest, researchers say vaccines offer a way out

This article is the first in a series called The Great Lakes Promise: Cost, Resilience and Refuge. This series was made possible in partnership between Great Lakes Now and Planet Detroit. 

Bird flu has hit the Great Lakes region hard this winter, killing nearly 5 million birds — including laying hens, ducks and other fowl — in Ohio and Indiana in the past two months.

Read Now at Great Lakes Now.

Original Article

Great Lakes Now

Great Lakes Now

https://www.greatlakesnow.org/2025/04/as-bird-flu-wreaks-havoc-in-the-midwest-researchers-say-vaccines-offer-a-way-out/

Brian Allnutt

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In: Agriculture, Feature Homepage, Fish, Birds and Animals, food security, health, Industry, Energy, Economic Development, Latest News, News, Research, Data and Technology, Science, Technology, Research
As bird flu wreaks havoc in the Midwest, researchers say vaccines offer a way out

This article is the first in a series called The Great Lakes Promise: Cost, Resilience and Refuge. This series was made possible in partnership between Great Lakes Now and Planet Detroit. 

Bird flu has hit the Great Lakes region hard this winter, killing nearly 5 million birds — including laying hens, ducks and other fowl — in Ohio and Indiana in the past two months.

Read Now at Great Lakes Now.

Original Article

Great Lakes Now

Great Lakes Now

https://www.greatlakesnow.org/2025/04/as-bird-flu-wreaks-havoc-in-the-midwest-researchers-say-vaccines-offer-a-way-out/

Brian Allnutt

On:
In: Agriculture, Feature Homepage, Fish, Birds and Animals, food security, health, Industry, Energy, Economic Development, Latest News, News, Research, Data and Technology, Science, Technology, Research
As bird flu wreaks havoc in the Midwest, researchers say vaccines offer a way out

This article is the first in a series called The Great Lakes Promise: Cost, Resilience and Refuge. This series was made possible in partnership between Great Lakes Now and Planet Detroit. 

Bird flu has hit the Great Lakes region hard this winter, killing nearly 5 million birds — including laying hens, ducks and other fowl — in Ohio and Indiana in the past two months.

Read Now at Great Lakes Now.

Original Article

Great Lakes Now

Great Lakes Now

https://www.greatlakesnow.org/2025/04/as-bird-flu-wreaks-havoc-in-the-midwest-researchers-say-vaccines-offer-a-way-out/

Brian Allnutt

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In: Advocacy, Chicago, Climate change, environmental protection agency, Equity and Environmental Justice, Feature Homepage, Feature-Chicago, Illinois, Latest News, News, Politics, Policy, Environmental Justice, pollution, Science, Technology, Research
‘Everyone deserves clean air,’ says a Chicago EPA worker who fears her job will end

By Juanpablo Ramirez-Franco, WBEZ

This coverage is made possible through a partnership between WBEZ and Grist, a nonprofit, independent media organization dedicated to telling stories of climate solutions and a just future. Sign up for WBEZ newsletters to get local news you can trust.

Read Now at Great Lakes Now.

Original Article

Great Lakes Now

Great Lakes Now

https://www.greatlakesnow.org/2025/04/everyone-deserves-clean-air-says-a-chicago-epa-worker-who-fears-her-job-will-end/

WBEZ

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In: Authors, Feature Homepage, History and Culture, indigenous communities, Latest News, Minnesota, News, sap harvesting, Staci Lola Drouillard, sugar maples
Azhigwa Zhiiwaagamiziganike or She Makes Maple Sugar Right Now

“Nibi Chronicles,” a monthly Great Lakes Now feature, is written by Staci Lola Drouillard. A Grand Portage Ojibwe direct descendant, she lives in Grand Marais on Minnesota’s North Shore of Lake Superior. Her nonfiction books “Walking the Old Road: A People’s History of Chippewa City and the Grand Marais Anishinaabe” and “Seven Aunts” were published 2019 and 2022, and the children’s story “A Family Tree” in 2024.

Read Now at Great Lakes Now.

Original Article

Great Lakes Now

Great Lakes Now

https://www.greatlakesnow.org/2025/03/she-makes-maple-sugar-right-now/

Staci Lola Drouillard, Great Lakes Now

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In: Authors, Feature Homepage, History and Culture, indigenous communities, lake erie, Latest News, Lisa John Rogers, News, Ohio, Politics, Policy, Environmental Justice, The States
Could Lake Erie really become Lake Ohio?

On March 14, Ohio gubernatorial candidate Vivek Ramaswamy said that perhaps Lake Erie should be changed to Lake Ohio. 

According to reporting from Cleveland.com:

“Anybody think if there’s a Lake Michigan, maybe there should be a Lake Ohio around here?” Ramaswamy said, about 13 miles away from Lake Erie.

Read Now at Great Lakes Now.

Original Article

Great Lakes Now

Great Lakes Now

https://www.greatlakesnow.org/2025/03/could-lake-erie-really-become-lake-ohio/

Lisa John Rogers, Great Lakes Now

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In: Buffalo, Chicago, Energy, Clean Energy, Ethanol and Fracking, Feature Homepage, Feature Milwaukee, Feature-Chicago, great lakes travel, high-speed rail, History and Culture, Illinois, Industry, Energy, Economic Development, Latest News, Michigan, midwest trains, Milwaukee, New York, News, Ontario, Policy, Politics, Policy, Environmental Justice, Recreation and Tourism, Research, Data and Technology, Science, Technology, Research, Sean Ericson, Toronto, Tourism, U.S. and Canadian Federal Governments, Wisconsin
What would the Great Lakes region be like with bullet trains?

A few months ago, I was riding on Amtrak’s new Borealis line from St. Paul, Minn., to Chicago. The train was packed that day, and the new line has proved popular.

My coach seat was much nicer than any airline. Plus, I didn’t have to go through security.

Read Now at Great Lakes Now.

Original Article

Great Lakes Now

Great Lakes Now

https://www.greatlakesnow.org/2025/03/what-would-the-great-lakes-region-be-like-with-bullet-trains/

Sean Ericson, Great Lakes Now

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In: Energy News Roundup, Feature Homepage, Latest News, News
Michigan EV industry on a knife-edge as energy project delays mount across region

Catch the latest energy news from around the Great Lakes region. Check back for these biweekly Energy News Roundups. 

Michigan’s investments in electric vehicle manufacturing are in jeopardy following what the Trump administration’s Environmental Protection Agency called the “most consequential day of deregulation in U.S.

Read Now at Great Lakes Now.

Original Article

Great Lakes Now

Great Lakes Now

https://www.greatlakesnow.org/2025/03/michigan-ev-industry-on-a-knife-edge-as-energy-project-delays-mount-across-region/

Nicole Pollack, Great Lakes Now