Not to overshare and get too personal, but I don’t deal well with change.
Unfortunately, as evidenced by the past two years, unexpected change is unavoidable.
What a lot of people – including me for a while – don’t seem to realize about change is that it isn’t temporary.
Great Lakes Now
https://www.greatlakesnow.org/2021/12/year-in-review-2021-change/
For me personally, I’ll always remember 2021 as the year I achieved one of my greatest accomplishments – graduating from Zoom University back in May and eventually becoming a part of Great Lakes Now’s growing team in October.
I’m only about two months into my role as the new digital content coordinator for Great Lakes Now, but I’ve already learned a lot – and I’ve already gotten to see the team achieve a lot of great accomplishments in just the one-sixth of a year I’ve been on board.
Great Lakes Now
https://www.greatlakesnow.org/2021/12/year-in-review-2021-new-beginnings/
Like many people, I made some really big changes to my life in 2021. One of the more significant changes was leaving my former role at WDET, Detroit’s NPR station, and joining the team at Great Lakes Now as associate producer.
Having joined the GLN team in October, it still feels like a brand new experience for me as the calendar year comes to a close, but so far, I’m learning a lot from Supervising Producer Rob Green and our fearless Program Director Sandra Svoboda.
Great Lakes Now
https://www.greatlakesnow.org/2021/12/year-in-review-2021-summer-flooding/
This article was republished here with permission from Great Lakes Echo.
By Hannah Brock, Great Lakes Echo
Researchers are studying a long-vanished village near southern Lake Michigan that a World War II arsenal helped preserve.
A recent study by archaeologists sought to learn about those who lived at what is now the Midewin National Tallgrass Prairie in Illinois.
Great Lakes Now
https://www.greatlakesnow.org/2021/12/wwii-armory-preserves-indigenous/
PFAS, short for per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances, are a group of widespread man-made chemicals that don’t break down in the environment or the human body and have been flagged as a major contaminant in sources of water across the country.
Keep up with PFAS-related developments in the Great Lakes area.
Great Lakes Now
https://www.greatlakesnow.org/2021/12/pfas-news-roundup-water/
By Kari Lydersen
This story was republished with permission from Energy News Network.
Coal ash will remain in the ground at the site of a closing coal plant on the shores of Lake Michigan in Waukegan, Illinois.
Owner NRG explained its plans on Dec.
Great Lakes Now
https://www.greatlakesnow.org/2021/12/historic-coal-ash-concerns/
Everyone loves Monty and Rose – and Great Lakes Now featured the charming piping plover pair earlier this year.
Now Monty and Rose have chicks and even grand-chicks, many of whom are thriving as they fly south for the winter.
Chicago-based filmmaker Bob Dolgan has documented the progress of Monty and Rose and their offspring over the years.
Great Lakes Now
https://www.greatlakesnow.org/2021/12/monty-rose-chicago-plovers/
By Lindsey Smith, 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/2021/12/benton-harbor-residents-pay-water/
Big waves pounding Midwestern city waterfronts are common images around the Great Lakes, which means communities are dealing with the impacts of storms that are increasing in frequency and severity.
One of those cities has been making strides in improving its resiliency while preserving its culture – Duluth, Minnesota.
Great Lakes Now
https://www.greatlakesnow.org/2021/12/superior-stewardship-duluth/
Earlier this month, Michigan Gov. Gretchen Whitmer declared December 2021 as “Christmas Tree Month” in Michigan.
It’s a move that makes sense — the Christmas tree industry provides jobs and bolsters the national and state economy.
“Michigan’s integrated network of family farmers, processors, wholesalers and retailers, work together to ensure a quality product that is enjoyed by millions throughout our state and country,” Whitmer said in a statement.
Great Lakes Now
https://www.greatlakesnow.org/2021/12/christmas-tree-environmentally-friendly/
The sucker maybe not be a popular recreational fish, but the Great Lakes native works hard to contribute to the ecosystems of all five Lakes as well as the creeks and streams feeding into them.
In the summer of 2021, Great Lakes Now covered some of Karen Murchie’s research into this Great Lakes fish.
Great Lakes Now
https://www.greatlakesnow.org/2021/12/community-sucker-science-shedd-aquarium-fish-researcher/
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/2021/12/high-costs-benton-harbor-water/
In the spirit of yuletide reminiscing, I recently found myself looking back at my journey to bringing more freshwater fish content to PBS audiences. One particularly poignant and mildly terrifying turning point was the first time I stepped onto a really big stage to speak on behalf of freshwater fish.
Great Lakes Now
https://www.greatlakesnow.org/2021/12/center-stage-steelhead-trout/
Denia Djokić first got interested in nuclear engineering because of climate change. That was nearly two decades ago when she was a college student at UC Berkeley and learned how energy issues were central to create a more sustainable planet.
“When we’re 21, we want to go out and save the world,” she said.
Great Lakes Now
https://www.greatlakesnow.org/2021/12/nuclear-waste-great-lakes-region/
The seemingly endless process of crafting, negotiating and passing the infrastructure legislation is over.
The bill topped out at a trillion dollars, and $1 billion of that funding is coming to the Great Lakes region for continued restoration of the lakes. That’s in addition to the ongoing federal funding of over $300 million annually the lakes have received since 2010.
Great Lakes Now
https://www.greatlakesnow.org/2021/12/epa-toxic-sediment-funding/
Mercury pollution remains a problem in many parts of the Great Lakes, but new research from Canada’s Experimental Lakes Area in northern Ontario shows that efforts to reduce the amount of mercury going into a lake can have quick and dramatic effects on the levels of the pollutant in fish populations.
Great Lakes Now
https://www.greatlakesnow.org/2021/12/fish-recover-mercury-pollution/
Great Lakes communities on both sides of the border have diversion and reclamation programs for plastics, hoping to keep the trash out of the lakes.
But how everyday people can deal with microscopic pieces of plastic is a more challenging question. Now a two-year-long study into washing machine filters in an Ontario community shows something can be done.
Great Lakes Now
https://www.greatlakesnow.org/2021/12/study-washing-machine-microfibers/
By Amy Westervelt, The Nation
This story originally appeared in The Nation and is republished here as part of Covering Climate Now, a global journalism collaboration strengthening coverage of the climate story.
In the past few months, climate disinformation has been making its way into the news more than usual.
Great Lakes Now
https://www.greatlakesnow.org/2021/12/climate-change-disinformation/
From lead pipes to PFAS, drinking water contamination is a major issue plaguing cities and towns all around the Great Lakes. Cleaning up contaminants and providing safe water to everyone is an ongoing public health struggle.
Keep up with drinking water-related developments in the Great Lakes area.
Click on the headline to read the full-story:
Illinois:
Illinois is expected to receive roughly $1.7 billion from the federal infrastructure bill to help address the issue of lead pipes in the state.
Great Lakes Now
https://www.greatlakesnow.org/2021/12/drinking-water-roundup-infrastructure-funding/
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/2021/12/people-worried-health-great-lakes-poll/
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/2021/12/rock-snot-algal-blooms-lower-peninsula/
Approximately 85,000 homeowners in the Great Lakes region will see rate reductions for the first time because of the National Flood Insurance Program’s new risk rating system, experts say.
The flood insurance program is managed by the Federal Emergency Management Agency. It provides coverage to property owners, renters and businesses to help them recover from floods faster.
Great Lakes Now
https://www.greatlakesnow.org/2021/12/flood-risk-assessment-reduce-insurance-rates/
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/2021/12/first-phase-cleanup-steel-mill-site/
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.
Contradicting the historical conservation planning tenet that gave preference to protecting larger, more intact areas, a recent study published in the Proceedings of the National Academy of Science has shown that small, isolated patches of habitat are inordinately important for biodiversity conservation.
Great Lakes Now
https://www.greatlakesnow.org/2021/12/small-habitat-patches-ecological-impact/
Where do we get our water? It’s a critically important and highly regulated question, yet it took some digging to find the answers.
Specific to Lake Huron, there are a total of 30 public water supply systems across Michigan and Ontario that source surface water for nearly 3 million people to drink.
Great Lakes Now
https://www.greatlakesnow.org/2021/12/water-source-lake-huron/
By Brett Walton, 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/2021/12/cost-water-michigan-affordability-problems/
Throughout the COVID-19 pandemic, many Great Lakes national parks experienced record visitation as people sought to experience the outdoors and participate in safe forms of recreation.
Sleeping Bear Dunes National Lakeshore was one of those parks. According to unofficial data from the National Park Service, over 1.7 million people visited in 2020, the highest attendance on record.
Great Lakes Now
https://www.greatlakesnow.org/2021/12/covid-policies-park-attendance/
By 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/2021/12/seawall-collapse-gravel-detroit-river/
Tracking Michigan’s environmental issues has been a long, rewarding and at times arduous undertaking for Dave Dempsey.
He was an environment adviser to former Michigan Gov. James Blanchard in the 1980s and now provides policy advice to the Traverse City non-profit For Love of Water. In between were stops at the Michigan Environmental Council and the International Joint Commission.
Great Lakes Now
https://www.greatlakesnow.org/2021/12/great-lakes-veteran-activist-author/
By Michael Phillis, Associated Press
ST. LOUIS (AP) — For years, testing of the tap water in an upscale Detroit suburb showed the city was in the clear. Then residents got a notice seemingly out of the blue: Their water could be contaminated with elevated levels of lead.
Great Lakes Now
https://www.greatlakesnow.org/2021/11/ap-lead-testing-method-higher-levels/
By John Flesher, Associated Press
TRAVERSE CITY, Mich. (AP) — It’s a ghastly sight: ticks by tens of thousands burrowed into a moose’s broad body, sucking its lifeblood as the agonized host rubs against trees so vigorously that much of its fur wears away.
Winter tick infestation is common with moose across the northern U.S.
Great Lakes Now
https://www.greatlakesnow.org/2021/11/ap-study-warmer-summers-worsen-tick-infestations-moose/
By Kelly House, Bridge Michigan and 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/2021/11/enbridge-line-5-wont-close/
The Great Lakes region wasn’t always the freshwater realm we know today: rewind to a couple centuries ago and it was actually covered in tropical seawater. That’s why many of the fossils found in the area today are portions of coral reefs and ancient sea creatures.
“When you think of Michigan or Illinois, you imagine cold and snow, but it wasn’t always that way.
Great Lakes Now
https://www.greatlakesnow.org/2021/11/fossil-great-lakes-coral-remnants/
By Tara Lohan, The Revelator
This story originally appeared in The Revelator and is republished here as part of Covering Climate Now, a global journalism collaboration strengthening coverage of the climate story.
Climate change is already shaking up the natural world, changing the timing of seasonal snow melts, flower blooms and animal migrations.
Great Lakes Now
https://www.greatlakesnow.org/2021/11/goodbye-national-parks-road-trips/
Shipping companies and ports around the world and on the Great Lakes are launching sustainability efforts to lessen their environmental impact, combat climate change, and improve their efficiency and images. With support from the Solutions Journalism Network, Great Lakes Now Contributor Kari Lydersen is reporting the four-part series “Sustainable Shipping.”
Read them here:
Are voluntary efforts enough to improve port sustainability?
Great Lakes Now
https://www.greatlakesnow.org/2021/11/sustainability-shipping-port-montreal-green-gateway/
By Sarah Sax, High Country News
This story originally appeared in High Country News and is republished here as part of Covering Climate Now, a global journalism collaboration strengthening coverage of the climate story.
For two weeks, leaders and representatives from around the world have gathered in person and virtually in Glasgow, Scotland, for the United Nations’ 26th annual climate change summit, called the Conference of the Parties, or COP26.
Great Lakes Now
https://www.greatlakesnow.org/2021/11/bringing-fight-dams-cop26/
Scott Stecher would like it if all baits, or lures, were Reefrunners. He’s been manufacturing and selling his series of Ripshads, Rippers, Cicadas and Wiglsticks baits for decades, and they hold sway in the walleye community.
Stecher, who lives in Marblehead, Ohio, said his lures have landed walleye (and other fish) in places like South America, Europe and Asia.
Great Lakes Now
https://www.greatlakesnow.org/2021/11/walleye-windfall-lake-erie-bait-and-tackle-is-big-small-business/
This story is the fourth in a four-part series looking at sturgeon restoration efforts.
Lake sturgeon restoration efforts are taking place across the Great Lakes basin.
But what that restoration looks like is entirely dependent on location and other factors, such as whether or not any lake sturgeon remain in the area.
Great Lakes Now
https://www.greatlakesnow.org/2021/11/sturgeon-restoration-public-festival/
From lead pipes to PFAS, drinking water contamination is a major issue plaguing cities and towns all around the Great Lakes. Cleaning up contaminants and providing safe water to everyone is an ongoing public health struggle.
Keep up with drinking water-related developments in the Great Lakes area.
Click on the headline to read the full-story:
Illinois:
The state of Illinois’ Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) decided to invest over $29 million in wastewater and drinking water projects for the first quarter of the 2022 fiscal year.
Great Lakes Now
https://www.greatlakesnow.org/2021/11/drinking-water-news-roundup-algae-blooms-dnr/
Shipping companies and ports around the world and on the Great Lakes are launching sustainability efforts to lessen their environmental impact, combat climate change, and improve their efficiency and images. With support from the Solutions Journalism Network, Great Lakes Now Contributor Kari Lydersen is reporting the four-part series “Sustainable Shipping.”
Read them here:
Are voluntary efforts enough to improve port sustainability?
Great Lakes Now
https://www.greatlakesnow.org/2021/11/sustainable-shipping-port-milwaukee-the-wind-green-energy/
PFAS, short for per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances, are a group of widespread man-made chemicals that don’t break down in the environment or the human body and have been flagged as a major contaminant in sources of water across the country.
Keep up with PFAS-related developments in the Great Lakes area.
Great Lakes Now
https://www.greatlakesnow.org/2021/11/pfas-news-covid-vaccine-minnesota-businesses-new-york-standards/
By Jenessa Duncombe, Eos
This story originally appeared in Eos and is republished here as part of Covering Climate Now, a global journalism collaboration strengthening coverage of the climate story.
An interview with the president of the International Ski Federation, Gian Franco Kasper, made its way around the Internet faster than locals flocking to the first chair on a powder day.
Great Lakes Now
https://www.greatlakesnow.org/2021/11/ski-industry-climate-activism/
The objects wouldn’t look out of place as decorative lanterns or centerpieces. But the winner of the 2019 Erie Hack did more than look nice, it was designed to capture debris from stormwater – including plastic, waste and needles – that normally go rushing into Lake Erie whenever there’s bad weather.
Great Lakes Now
https://www.greatlakesnow.org/2021/11/erie-hack-finals-toxins-agriculture-infrastructure/
Conservation action for Debra Shore started with the driveway at her suburban Chicago home.
It was asphalt, and she wanted to replace it with gravel to absorb the rain and keep pollutants out of the stormwater drains. But her town administration said no to the permit, though it eventually yielded.
Great Lakes Now
https://www.greatlakesnow.org/2021/11/epa-great-lakes-administrator-benton-harbor-infrastructure-cleanup/
Watching how fish move, how they use the water to their advantage has made me a better diver. Underwater, I strive to be as trim as a walleye and as effortless as a sturgeon. And while my cameraman husband hunts for photo ops with the stealth of a muskie, I can usually be found frolicking in the shallows like a carefree sunfish.
Great Lakes Now
https://www.greatlakesnow.org/2021/11/speak-fish-teamwork-swimming-lessons/
By Jill Zarestky, Colorado State University, The Conversation
is an independent and nonprofit source of news, analysis and commentary from academic experts.
Modern society benefits when people understand science concepts. This knowledge helps explain how cryptocurrency works, why climate change is happening or how the coronavirus is transmitted from person to person.
Great Lakes Now
https://www.greatlakesnow.org/2021/11/unexpected-places-adults-learn-science/
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/2021/11/flooding-sewers-app-research/
By Dustin Dwyer, 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/2021/11/mayor-benton-harbor-support-state-fix-water-system/
By Sarah Cwiek, 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/2021/11/white-house-line-5/
This article was republished here with permission from Great Lakes Echo.
By Gabrielle Ahlborn, Great Lakes Echo
Environmental groups say they hope that a new Environmental Protection Agency administrator for the Great Lakes region works to restore infrastructure while revitalizing an agency they say is depleted and demoralized.
Great Lakes Now
https://www.greatlakesnow.org/2021/11/epa-regional-administrator-infrastructure/
