By Daniel Wanschura, 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.
Dave Naftzger found out about the 100% Fish Project entirely by accident.
Great Lakes Now
https://www.greatlakesnow.org/2024/04/points-north-more-than-just-filet-of-fish/
It all started with a mottled little crustacean crawling across a soccer field in Ontario’s Burlington City Park in October 2021, a few miles from Lake Ontario.
The animal may have looked innocuous, but this was the first sign of a costly and grueling ongoing battle against a potentially devastating new invasive species in the Great Lakes.
Great Lakes Now
https://www.greatlakesnow.org/2024/04/marbled-crayfish-raises-eyebrows-and-concerns/
The Biggest Week in American Birding draws a worldwide audience to glimpse dozens of species of migrating birds including the stars of the show, tiny warblers, as well as local birds in northern Ohio — and officials say they’ve been seeing changes in recent years.
“There appears to be a little shifting in the short-distance migrants versus the tropical migrants,” said Mark Shieldcastle, research director at Black Swamp Bird Observatory (BSBO), event host.
Great Lakes Now
https://www.greatlakesnow.org/2024/04/ohio-birding-transitions/
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.
Great Lakes Now
https://www.greatlakesnow.org/2024/04/i-speak-for-the-fish-never-underestimate-a-smallmouth/
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.
We often think of the deep parts of the Great Lakes as cold, empty spaces.
Great Lakes Now
https://www.greatlakesnow.org/2024/04/points-north-quest-for-kiyi/
In 1979, there were just four nesting pairs of bald eagles in the entire state of Ohio. Today there are more than 900 pairs spread throughout all but three of Ohio’s 88 counties, not including the immature birds that still appear mottled with brown and white because haven’t yet developed white plumage on their heads.
Great Lakes Now
https://www.greatlakesnow.org/2024/04/bald-eagle-return-exceeds-expectations/
By Kathryn Peiman, The Narwhal
Photography by Kathryn Peiman
The Great Lakes News Collaborative includes Bridge Michigan; Circle of Blue; Great Lakes Now at Detroit Public Television; 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.
Great Lakes Now
https://www.greatlakesnow.org/2024/04/wild-fish-spring-to-life-in-lake-ontario-despite-dams-pollution-and-hatchery-competitors/
By Daniel Wanschura, 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.
On November 11, 2023, Ben Karasch is up in his treestand, waiting for a deer.
Great Lakes Now
https://www.greatlakesnow.org/2024/04/points-north-not-always-the-apex-predator/
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.
Great Lakes Now
https://www.greatlakesnow.org/2024/03/i-speak-for-the-fish-when-a-bass-is-not-a-bass/
The long, fast, toothy muskellunge (also known as muskie or musky) is nicknamed the “Fish of 10,000 Casts” due to its notoriously elusive nature. It is the apex predator in all waters where it’s found, known to hide in underwater cover, aggressively ambushing prey. They eat fish almost exclusively, though they have been known to consume just about anything they can swallow including birds, small mammals, and their own kind.
Great Lakes Now
https://www.greatlakesnow.org/2024/02/wisconsins-state-fish-tops-the-food-chain/
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.
Great Lakes Now
https://www.greatlakesnow.org/2024/02/i-speak-for-the-fish-bringing-muskie-to-the-masses/
As apex predators, adult muskie occupy the very top tier of the Great Lakes food chain. Reaching up to six foot in length with teeth lining their jaws, the roof of their mouths and their throats, few can escape them. They are feared by most species underwater and revered by many people above.
Great Lakes Now
https://www.greatlakesnow.org/2024/02/want-healthy-walleye-fishery-stock-some-muskie/
Catching and eating fish is a way of life for many people around the Great Lakes and connecting St. Lawrence River, but decades of industrial pollution have made it unsafe to eat too many, too often. The advice about how many and how often can vary wildly depending on which jurisdiction, even though the fish don’t care about the lines humans draw on a map.
Great Lakes Now
https://www.greatlakesnow.org/2024/02/how-safe-great-lakes-fish-to-eat-depends-on-who-you-ask/
By Todd Richmond, Associated Press
A stretch of unusually warm weather has forced federal officials to suspend researchers’ annual wolf-moose count in Isle Royale National Park for the first time in more than six decades.
Isle Royale is a 134,000-acre (54,200-hectare) island situated in far western Lake Superior between Grand Marais, Minnesota, and Thunder Bay, Canada.
Great Lakes Now
https://www.greatlakesnow.org/2024/02/ap-warm-weather-forces-park-officials-to-suspend-isle-royale-wolf-count-for-first-time-in-decades/
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.
White-tailed deer are one of a few species that have managed to thrive as we urbanize and suburbanize the Midwest.
Great Lakes Now
https://www.greatlakesnow.org/2024/02/points-north-doe-a-deer-a-sterilized-female-deer/
Points North is a biweekly podcast hosted by Daniel Wanschura and Morgan Springer about the land, water and inhabitants of the Great Lakes.
This episode was shared here with permission from Interlochen Public Radio.
At the bottom of Lake Huron there’s a ridge that was once above water.
Great Lakes Now
https://www.greatlakesnow.org/2024/01/points-north-can-ai-caribou-lead-us-to-our-prehistoric-past/
By Shantal Riley, Undark
Shantal Riley is an award-winning health and environmental reporter, focused on water quality in communities of color. Her work has been featured by Frontline PBS, NOVA PBS, the Washington Post Magazine, and other publications.
This story was supported in part by The Uproot Project, which is operationally and financially supported by Grist.
Great Lakes Now
https://www.greatlakesnow.org/2024/01/the-toxic-sands-threatening-fish-in-lake-superior/
This article was republished here with permission from Great Lakes Echo.
By Ben Eiler, Great Lakes Echo
The founder of a company that uses drones to recover deer carcasses that hunters cannot find says that Michigan’s prohibition of the practice violates his First Amendment rights.
Great Lakes Now
https://www.greatlakesnow.org/2024/01/lawsuit-could-complicate-drone-laws-for-michigan-hunters-and-anglers/
By Zaria Johnson, Ideastream Public Media
This story was originally published by Ideastream.
Northeast Ohio’s parks are frequented by white-tailed deer, wild turkeys and a variety of squirrel species throughout the year, along with migratory birds, monarch butterflies and more. But where do these critters spend their winters?
Great Lakes Now
https://www.greatlakesnow.org/2024/01/where-northeast-ohios-wildlife-spends-the-winter/
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.
Great Lakes Now
https://www.greatlakesnow.org/2024/01/i-speak-for-the-fish-the-great-seasonal-flip/
This article was republished here with permission from Great Lakes Echo.
By Shealyn Paulis, Great Lakes Echo
Fish-leather purses and wallets may make their way into Great Lakes fashion with an initiative to use 100% of commercially caught fish by 2025.
One of the latest projects of a binational Great Lakes organization is to fully use the region’s whitefish, lake trout, yellow perch, walleye and white sucker.
Great Lakes Now
https://www.greatlakesnow.org/2024/01/twenty-companies-pledge-to-use-all-parts-of-great-lakes-fish-by-2025/
Ohio will soon embark on removing the Gorge Dam on the Cuyahoga River, but first must clean up 875,000 cubic yards of contaminated sediment at a cost of more than $100 million. The result will be a free-flowing river, a healthier ecosystem, improved habitats for fish and wildlife, and expanded public access for fishing and whitewater rapids for kayaking.
Great Lakes Now
https://www.greatlakesnow.org/2024/01/great-lakes-moment-ohio-provides-example-for-funding-detroit-and-rouge-rivers-sediment-cleanup/
By Danielle Kaeding, Wisconsin Public Radio
This article was republished here with permission from Wisconsin Public Radio.
Wisconsin’s only state endangered mammal is notoriously difficult to spot, which isn’t surprising since the American marten is very rare.
The small number that exist in the state make their home in a few areas of northern Wisconsin, including the Chequamegon-Nicolet National Forest and the Apostle Islands National Lakeshore.
Great Lakes Now
https://www.greatlakesnow.org/2024/01/for-the-first-time-in-a-century-martens-have-been-spotted-on-lake-superiors-madeline-island/
Points North is a biweekly podcast hosted by Daniel Wanschura and Morgan Springer about the land, water and inhabitants of the Upper Great Lakes.
This episode was shared here with permission from Interlochen Public Radio.
When I was 13 years old and on vacation in Florida, I bought a baby red-eared slider at a flea market.
Great Lakes Now
https://www.greatlakesnow.org/2024/01/points-north-the-turtle-takeover/
Science Says What? is a monthly column written by Great Lakes now contributor Sharon Oosthoek exploring what science can tell us about what’s happening beneath and above the waves of our beloved Great Lakes and their watershed.
In the summer of 2017, Teskey Baldwin, a student at Ontario’s University of Guelph, was studying whether pitcher plants near water capture more insects than those farther away.
Great Lakes Now
https://www.greatlakesnow.org/2023/12/science-says-what-pitcher-plants-feast-on-salamanders-unveiling-a-brutal-side-of-botanical-carnivory/
Editor’s Note: “Nibi Chronicles,” a monthly Great Lakes Now feature, is written by Staci Lola Drouillard. A direct descendant of the Grand Portage Band of Ojibwe, she lives and works in Grand Marais on Minnesota’s North Shore of Lake Superior. Her two 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 she is at work on a children’s story.
Great Lakes Now
https://www.greatlakesnow.org/2023/12/nibi-chronicles-how-to-craft-a-memorandum-of-understanding-with-trout/
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.
Great Lakes Now
https://www.greatlakesnow.org/2023/12/i-speak-for-the-fish-twas-the-night-before-fishmas/
By Ellie Katz
Points North is a biweekly podcast hosted by Daniel Wanschura and Morgan Springer about the land, water and inhabitants of the Upper Great Lakes.
This episode was shared here with permission from Interlochen Public Radio.
Great Lakes Now
https://www.greatlakesnow.org/2023/12/points-north-the-prince-fish/
By Lester Graham, Michigan Radio
The Great Lakes News Collaborative includes Bridge Michigan; Circle of Blue; Great Lakes Now at Detroit Public Television; and Michigan Radio, Michigan’s NPR News Leader; 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.
Great Lakes Now
https://www.greatlakesnow.org/2023/12/see-a-bear-den-the-michigan-dnr-wants-to-know-about-it/
A tiny goldfish might look cute in a fishbowl on your shelf, but if released into the wild it can grow to a terrifying size and become a menace to the ecosystem. They eat pretty much anything and everything, root up plants causing the water to become cloudy and dark, and reproduce and grow so quickly that almost no predators can stop them.
Great Lakes Now
https://www.greatlakesnow.org/2023/11/were-going-to-need-a-bigger-fishbowl/
By Todd Richmond, Associated Press
LA CROSSE, Wis. (AP) — Wildlife officials across the Great Lakes are looking for spies to take on an almost impossible mission: stop the spread of invasive carp.
Over the last five years, agencies such as the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service and Minnesota Department of Natural Resources have employed a new seek-and-destroy strategy that uses turncoat carp to lead them to the fish’s hotspot hideouts.
Great Lakes Now
https://www.greatlakesnow.org/2023/11/ap-do-snitches-net-fishes-scientists-turn-invasive-carp-into-traitors-to-slow-their-great-lakes-push/
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.
Great Lakes Now
https://www.greatlakesnow.org/2023/11/i-speak-for-the-fish-carp-are-crazy-about-corn/
By Kelly House, Bridge Michigan
The Great Lakes News Collaborative includes Bridge Michigan; Circle of Blue; Great Lakes Now at Detroit Public Television; and Michigan Radio, Michigan’s NPR News Leader; 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.
Great Lakes Now
https://www.greatlakesnow.org/2023/11/concerns-about-michigan-steelhead-populations-prompt-new-catch-limits/
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 Public Television.
The Endangered Species Act was championed by metropolitan Detroit’s very own Congressman John D.
Great Lakes Now
https://www.greatlakesnow.org/2023/11/great-lakes-moment-a-detroit-perspective-on-the-50th-anniversary-of-the-endangered-species-act/
This article was republished here with permission from Great Lakes Echo.
By Daniel Schoenherr, Great Lakes Echo
The Great Lakes region’s more than 300 bird species may provide valuable mental health benefits.
A recent study from Carleton University in Ontario shows there are fewer mental health-related hospitalizations in Michigan areas with high bird diversity.
Great Lakes Now
https://www.greatlakesnow.org/2023/10/bird-songs-may-ease-the-blues/
By Kelly House, Bridge Michigan
The Great Lakes News Collaborative includes Bridge Michigan; Circle of Blue; Great Lakes Now at Detroit Public Television; and Michigan Radio, Michigan’s NPR News Leader; 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.
Great Lakes Now
https://www.greatlakesnow.org/2023/10/in-warming-great-lakes-climate-triage-means-some-cold-waters-wont-be-saved/
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.
Great Lakes Now
https://www.greatlakesnow.org/2023/09/i-speak-for-the-fish-mesmerized-minnows/
Points North is a biweekly podcast hosted by Daniel Wanschura and Morgan Springer about the land, water and inhabitants of the Upper Great Lakes.
This episode was shared here with permission from Interlochen Public Radio.
In 1933, a high schooler fishing along the Huron River in Ann Arbor, Michigan looked into the water and saw something weird.
Great Lakes Now
https://www.greatlakesnow.org/2023/09/points-north-we-got-jellyfish/
This article was republished here with permission from Great Lakes Echo.
By Eric Freedman, Great Lakes Echo
What’s on the menu today?
If you’re an eastern massasauga rattlesnake in Michigan’s Lower Peninsula, the main course on your menu is likely to be small mammals like meadow voles and masked shrews, with an occasional side order of bird and snake.
Great Lakes Now
https://www.greatlakesnow.org/2023/09/what-do-michigan-rattlers-chow-down/
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.
Great Lakes Now
https://www.greatlakesnow.org/2023/08/i-speak-for-the-fish-giddy-up-sucker/
Editor’s Note: “Nibi Chronicles,” a monthly Great Lakes Now feature, is written by Staci Lola Drouillard. A direct descendant of the Grand Portage Band of Ojibwe, she lives and works in Grand Marais on Minnesota’s North Shore of Lake Superior. Her two 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 she is at work on a children’s story.
Great Lakes Now
https://www.greatlakesnow.org/2023/08/nibi-chronicles-beaver-named-annabelle-her-kin-us/
By Ashley Zhou, Bridge Michigan
The Great Lakes News Collaborative includes Bridge Michigan; Circle of Blue; Great Lakes Now at Detroit Public Television; and Michigan Radio, Michigan’s NPR News Leader; 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.
Great Lakes Now
https://www.greatlakesnow.org/2023/07/michigan-bald-eagles-soar-back-from-near-extinction/
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.
Great Lakes Now
https://www.greatlakesnow.org/2023/07/i-speak-for-the-fish-facing-wrath-crayfish/
By Vladislava Sukhanovskaya, Circle of Blue
The Great Lakes News Collaborative includes Bridge Michigan; Circle of Blue; Great Lakes Now at Detroit Public Television; and Michigan Radio, Michigan’s NPR News Leader; 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.
Great Lakes Now
https://www.greatlakesnow.org/2023/07/1-2-billion-spent-one-site-deter-invasive-carp-great-lakes-other-entry-sites-possible/
Summertime calls for good vibes, much-needed time in the sun and a creature many aren’t fans of — fishflies.
These insects are no stranger to the Great Lakes region. Fishflies, also known as mayflies, spend most of their lives in the water and are only seen on land once they enter their adult stage.
Great Lakes Now
https://www.greatlakesnow.org/2023/07/fishflies-great-lakes-signify-healthy-water/
Love staring at a map and discovering something interesting? Then “Mapping the Great Lakes” is for you. It’s a monthly Great Lakes Now feature created by Alex B. Hill, a self-described “data nerd and anthropologist” who combines cartography, data, and analytics with storytelling and human experience.
Great Lakes Now
https://www.greatlakesnow.org/2023/07/mapping-the-great-lakes-summertime-fishing/
Points North is a biweekly podcast hosted by Daniel Wanschura and Morgan Springer about the land, water and inhabitants of the Upper Great Lakes.
This episode was shared here with permission from Interlochen Public Radio.
Alison Vilag pays attention for a living.
Great Lakes Now
https://www.greatlakesnow.org/2023/07/points-north-birds-of-paradise/
Points North is a biweekly podcast hosted by Daniel Wanschura and Morgan Springer about the land, water and inhabitants of the Upper Great Lakes.
This episode was shared here with permission from Interlochen Public Radio.
In 2007, helicopters were circling over a few rivers and streams in Minnesota near Lake Superior.
Great Lakes Now
https://www.greatlakesnow.org/2023/06/points-north-leave-it-to-beavers/
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.
Great Lakes Now
https://www.greatlakesnow.org/2023/06/i-speak-for-the-fish-searching-elusive-sculpin/
By John Flesher, AP Environmental Writer
TRAVERSE CITY, Mich. (AP) — Gray wolves are thriving at Isle Royale National Park five years after authorities began a last-ditch attempt to prevent the species from dying out on the Lake Superior island chain, scientists said Wednesday.
Meanwhile, the park’s moose population continues a sharp but needed decline.
Great Lakes Now
https://www.greatlakesnow.org/2023/06/ap-wolves-nearly-died-out-recovered-helping-ecosystem/
