This article was republished here with permission from Great Lakes Echo.
By Dylan Engels, Great Lakes Echo
A new fishing season started this month, and that means Michigan’s Department of Natural Resources has plans for stocking sport fish in the state’s waters.
Great Lakes Now
https://www.greatlakesnow.org/2025/04/what-to-expect-with-the-start-of-2025s-fishing-season/
By Akielly Hu
This story was originally published by Canary Media.
As electric and gas bills rise across the country, a poll released today finds that an overwhelming majority of people in the U.S. are concerned about growing energy costs — and experiencing greater financial stress because of them.
Great Lakes Now
https://www.greatlakesnow.org/2025/04/rising-utility-bills-have-americans-worried/
Chequamegon Bay plays a significant role in our human lives, including past residents like the Huron and Ottawa; and current residents, the Ojibwe-Anishinaabeg, who have gathered and made history there for a millennia. An oblong, shallow bay (61 feet at the deepest point), on the south shore of Lake Superior, the water also holds dark history as a federal Superfund site.
Great Lakes Now
https://www.greatlakesnow.org/2025/04/chequamegon-bay-superfund-site-history-impact-importance-to-indigenous-communities/
Great Lakes Now hosted a multimedia celebration of bird conservation and spring migration across the Great Lakes region last week.
The virtual event showcased the short film “Birds of Paradise” from Points North and the Boardman Review, which follows a waterbird migration counter at Whitefish Point Bird Observatory near Paradise, Michigan.
Great Lakes Now
https://www.greatlakesnow.org/2025/04/spring-bird-migration-in-the-great-lakes/
By Lily Carey, Inside Climate News
This article originally appeared on Inside Climate News, a nonprofit, non-partisan news organization that covers climate, energy and the environment. Sign up for their newsletter here.
Illinois boasts 63 miles of coastline along Lake Michigan’s southwestern shore, nearly all of which is fortified by metal breakwaters, concrete seawalls and even swaths of land built out into the lake.
Great Lakes Now
https://www.greatlakesnow.org/2025/04/artificial-reefs-can-mitigate-coastal-erosion-in-the-great-lakes-will-cities-agree-to-adopt-them/
By Malachi Barrett, BridgeDetroit
This article was republished here with permission from BridgeDetroit.
Indigenous people have regained control of a sacred burial mound at Historic Fort Wayne dating back more than 1,000 years.
The City Council unanimously approved a deed transfer giving a 0.58-acre site to the Nottawaseppi Huron Band of the Potawatomi (NHBP) for $1.
Great Lakes Now
https://www.greatlakesnow.org/2025/04/native-detroiters-reclaim-sacred-land/
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.
Great Lakes Now
https://www.greatlakesnow.org/2025/04/the-importance-of-dark-sky-parks/
Catch the latest updates on what’s happening with PFAS in the Great Lakes region. Check back for more PFAS news roundups every other week on our website.
On April 15, U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) staff were told to cancel tens of millions of dollars worth of pending and active grants.
Great Lakes Now
https://www.greatlakesnow.org/2025/04/epa-nixes-pfas-grants-teases-new-strategy/
For National Park week, Ian Solomon recounts his time visiting Isle Royale for a much-loved episode of Great Lakes Now.
Great Lakes Now
https://www.greatlakesnow.org/2025/04/visiting-least-visited-national-park/
On the heels of the anti-war protests that were taking 1960s college campuses by storm, Wisconsin Sen. Gaylord Nelson was inspired to use that same momentum to create a protest so large that it would create an environmental movement.
An estimated 20 million Americans gathered on what would become known as Earth Day, with thousands of college campuses and high schools across the country engaged in the action.
Great Lakes Now
https://www.greatlakesnow.org/2025/04/how-great-lakes-region-inspired-the-first-earth-day/
Invasive phragmites are overwhelming Ontario’s wetlands, choking out native plants and wildlife. Towering up to 15 feet (5 meters) tall and spreading in dense clusters, this plant outcompetes native species, disrupts ecosystems, and threatens wildlife. But a team of dedicated experts and community members are fighting back.
Wetland ecologist Janice Gilbert is leading efforts at Kettle and Stony Point First Nation to combat phragmites.
Great Lakes Now
https://www.greatlakesnow.org/2025/04/can-these-invasive-reeds-be-stopped/
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/2025/04/i-speak-for-the-fish-how-to-photograph-mysterious-freshwater-fish/
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.
Great Lakes Now
https://www.greatlakesnow.org/2025/04/waves-of-change-meet-artist-mom-and-gardener-halima-afi-cassells/
By Danielle Kaeding, Wisconsin Public Radio
This article was republished here with permission from Wisconsin Public Radio.
Wisconsin saw a record number of fires in January and February this year due to a lack of snow as climate change has set the stage for more wildfires.
Great Lakes Now
https://www.greatlakesnow.org/2025/04/wisconsin-wildfires-record-climate-change-drought/
By Izzy Ross, Interlochen Public Radio
This coverage is made possible through a partnership between Interlochen Public Radio and Grist, a nonprofit environmental media organization.
The federal review of the Line 5 tunnel project will be sped up under new emergency permitting procedures announced by the Army Corps of Engineers this week.
Great Lakes Now
https://www.greatlakesnow.org/2025/04/army-corps-to-fast-track-review-of-line-5-tunnel-project/
By Zaria Johnson, Ideastream Public Media
This story was originally published by Ideastream.
Expanded polystyrene foam is typically used in everything from packaging for new TVs to carry-out food containers, but Jeffrey McNaught, owner of Edgewater Surf in Rocky River, found an eco-friendly use for something that usually ends up in landfills.
Great Lakes Now
https://www.greatlakesnow.org/2025/04/northeast-ohio-surf-shop-owner-making-waves-with-boards-made-from-used-foam/
Catch the latest energy news from around the Great Lakes region. Check back for these biweekly Energy News Roundups.
Indiana now defines natural gas and propane as clean energy under a law signed by Gov.
Great Lakes Now
https://www.greatlakesnow.org/2025/04/in-indiana-natural-gas-is-clean-energy-now/
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.
Great Lakes Now
https://www.greatlakesnow.org/2025/04/spring-break-staycation-foraging-with-the-family/
Researchers are using cutting-edge technology to map the lakebeds of the Great Lakes, uncovering valuable data about the ecosystems beneath the surface.
At Michigan Technological University’s Great Lakes Research Center, Hayden Henderson and his team are part of an ongoing effort to document benthic. Using a wide array of technology, they’re gathering detailed images of the lakebeds, providing vital information to fishery and resource managers.
Great Lakes Now
https://www.greatlakesnow.org/2025/04/meet-the-scientists-exploring-great-lakes-hidden-habitats/
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.
Great Lakes Now
https://www.greatlakesnow.org/2025/04/community-gardens-third-places-for-detroiters/
By Izzy Ross, Interlochen Public Radio
This coverage is made possible through a partnership between Interlochen Public Radio and Grist, a nonprofit environmental media organization.
David Thom has one of those jobs where sometimes, unexpectedly, the phone rings late at night.
Great Lakes Now
https://www.greatlakesnow.org/2025/04/the-lights-are-coming-back-on-how-can-utilities-prepare-for-next-time/
By Emma McIntosh, The Narwhal
Emma and photographer Christopher Katsarov Luna spent four days in northwestern Ontario, including visits to White Lake and Netmizaaggamig Nishnaabeg.
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.
Great Lakes Now
https://www.greatlakesnow.org/2025/04/fish-mines-and-indigenous-rights-ensnared-in-court-case-in-northern-ontario/
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.
Great Lakes Now
https://www.greatlakesnow.org/2025/04/alberto-rey-art-all-about-earth/
This article was republished here with permission from Great Lakes Echo.
By Victoria Witke, Great Lakes Echo
When Roger LaBine was younger, he often drove his grandfather to the Ottawa National Forest to hunt porcupines.
“In the fall after the leaves had fallen, he’d take the .22 when we’d go out and hunt porcupine,” LaBine said.
Great Lakes Now
https://www.greatlakesnow.org/2025/04/rural-indigenous-communities-rely-on-forests-for-food-medicine-and-cultural-values-research-shows/
Catch the latest updates on what’s happening with PFAS in the Great Lakes region. Check back for more PFAS news roundups every other week on our website.
On Tuesday, April 1, Susan Crawford won Wisconsin’s contentious Supreme Court election.
Great Lakes Now
https://www.greatlakesnow.org/2025/04/susan-crawfords-wisconsin-supreme-court-win-could-be-a-win-for-pfas/
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.
Great Lakes Now
https://www.greatlakesnow.org/2025/04/experts-explain-criticality-of-regional-epa-office/
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.
Great Lakes Now
https://www.greatlakesnow.org/2025/04/could-the-great-lakes-lose-billions-in-restoration-funding/
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.
Great Lakes Now
https://www.greatlakesnow.org/2025/04/autoworkers-long-history-of-protecting-our-environment/
By Daniel Wanschura
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.
It was a cold, three-mile hike to my cabin.
Great Lakes Now
https://www.greatlakesnow.org/2025/04/points-north-some-things-never-change/
By Neely Bardwell, Native News Online
This article originally appeared on Native News Online. Founded in 2011, Native News Online reaches millions of Native and non-Native readers annually including American Indians, Alaska Natives, Native Hawaiians and others interested in Native American concerns.
Great Lakes Now
https://www.greatlakesnow.org/2025/04/new-bill-to-recognize-legal-rights-of-all-water-bodies-in-new-york-state/
By Jena Brooker, BridgeDetroit
This article was republished here with permission from BridgeDetroit.
An origin story, a teacher of life, a relative, and a source of crucial nutrition, manoomin now has a new protector.
Once covering much of Michigan’s inland lakes and streams, the wild rice (also known as mnoomin or mnomen) is indigenous to the Great Lakes region but has largely disappeared due to colonization, environmental degradation, and climate change.
Great Lakes Now
https://www.greatlakesnow.org/2025/04/groups-fight-to-preserve-future-of-michigans-indigenous-wild-rice/
Great Lakes Now
https://www.greatlakesnow.org/2025/04/how-well-do-you-know-your-great-lakes-aquatic-species/
Catch the latest energy news from around the Great Lakes region. Check back for these biweekly Energy News Roundups.
Elon Musk poured more than $20 million into Wisconsin’s Supreme Court race. The most expensive judicial election in state history — and possibly costliest state supreme court election ever — came as Musk’s company, Tesla, sued to open dealerships in Wisconsin.
Great Lakes Now
https://www.greatlakesnow.org/2025/04/musk-fails-to-flip-top-wisconsin-court-amid-tesla-lawsuit-over-dealerships/
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.
Great Lakes Now
https://www.greatlakesnow.org/2025/04/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.
Great Lakes Now
https://www.greatlakesnow.org/2025/04/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.
Great Lakes Now
https://www.greatlakesnow.org/2025/04/as-bird-flu-wreaks-havoc-in-the-midwest-researchers-say-vaccines-offer-a-way-out/
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.
Great Lakes Now
https://www.greatlakesnow.org/2025/04/everyone-deserves-clean-air-says-a-chicago-epa-worker-who-fears-her-job-will-end/
By Juanpablo Ramirez-Franco and Izzy Ross
This coverage is made possible through a partnership between Grist, Interlochen Public Radio in Northern Michigan, and WBEZ, a public radio station serving the Chicago metropolitan region.
Great Lakes Now
https://www.greatlakesnow.org/2025/03/the-us-and-canada-have-long-managed-the-great-lakes-together-that-era-could-be-ending/
“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.
Great Lakes Now
https://www.greatlakesnow.org/2025/03/she-makes-maple-sugar-right-now/
By Ellie Katz, Interlochen Public Radio
This article was republished with permission from Interlochen Public Radio.
The Great Lakes’ sea lamprey control program has the OK to rehire three dozen federal employees it needs to combat the eel-like, invasive fish species.
That’s after staffing cuts and hiring freezes from the Trump administration last month threatened the work, which the Great Lakes Fishery Commission said would have led to more than $200 million in lost fishing potential.
Great Lakes Now
https://www.greatlakesnow.org/2025/03/sea-lamprey-control-program-receives-ok-to-rehire-federal-workers-after-initial-scare/
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.
Great Lakes Now
https://www.greatlakesnow.org/2025/03/could-lake-erie-really-become-lake-ohio/
By Izzy Ross, Interlochen Public Radio
This coverage is made possible through a partnership between Interlochen Public Radio and Grist, a nonprofit environmental media organization.
In a rare move, six tribal nations in Michigan have withdrawn from discussions on a federal permit for the Line 5 tunnel, which the Canadian company Enbridge wants to build under the Straits of Mackinac.
Great Lakes Now
https://www.greatlakesnow.org/2025/03/six-tribes-withdraw-from-federal-talks-over-line-5-tunnel-permit/
Catch the latest updates on what’s happening with PFAS in the Great Lakes region. Check back for more PFAS news roundups every other week on our website.
On March 24, Indiana Senate Bill 426 was signed by House Speaker and Senate President Pro Tempore.
Great Lakes Now
https://www.greatlakesnow.org/2025/03/pfas-bill-protecting-utilities-companies-passes-in-indiana-house-and-senate/
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.
Great Lakes Now
https://www.greatlakesnow.org/2025/03/what-would-the-great-lakes-region-be-like-with-bullet-trains/
By Brian Allnutt, Planet Detroit
This article was republished with permission from Planet Detroit. Sign up for Planet Detroit’s weekly newsletter here.
Environmental Protection Agency Director Lee Zeldin issued guidance to limit federal protections for wetlands last week that environmental advocates say will lead to more pollution in the Great Lakes.
Great Lakes Now
https://www.greatlakesnow.org/2025/03/wetlands-rules-face-rollback-under-trump-great-lakes-pollution-next/
By Kiley Bense, Inside Climate News
This article originally appeared on Inside Climate News, a nonprofit, non-partisan news organization that covers climate, energy and the environment. Sign up for their newsletter here.
PHILADELPHIA—At the John Heinz National Wildlife Refuge visitors center, a sculpture of a great blue heron made from recycled plastic bottles greets guests.
Great Lakes Now
https://www.greatlakesnow.org/2025/03/microplastics-lurk-in-freshwater-environments-across-pennsylvania/
By Emily Jones, Katie Myers, Juanpablo Ramirez-Franco and Izzy Ross
This story was originally published by Grist. Sign up for Grist’s weekly newsletter here.
This coverage is made possible through a partnership between Grist, BPR, a public radio station serving western North Carolina, WABE, Atlanta’s NPR station, WBEZ, a public radio station serving the Chicago metropolitan region, and Interlochen Public Radio in Northern Michigan.
Great Lakes Now
https://www.greatlakesnow.org/2025/03/farmers-and-small-business-owners-were-promised-financial-help-for-energy-upgrades-theyre-still-waiting-for-the-money/
This article was republished here with permission from Great Lakes Echo.
By Shealyn Paulis, Great Lakes Echo
Within Minnesota’s wetlands, forests and prairies, thousands of different species of wildflowers bloom annually – some only once and in the evening. In their second book, two Minnesotan women put their passions to paper and set out to uncover all the state flora has to offer.
Great Lakes Now
https://www.greatlakesnow.org/2025/03/putting-passion-to-pages-minnesota-authors-release-second-guide-to-state-wildflowers/
A tropical lake in Central Africa might not seem like the first place you would look to gain insights into North America’s Great Lakes. But that’s just what researchers from Bowling Green State University (BGSU) in Ohio have been doing for the past three years.
Lake Victoria is the largest of Africa’s Great Lakes, the second largest in the world after Lake Superior.
Great Lakes Now
https://www.greatlakesnow.org/2025/03/one-world-two-great-lakes/
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.
Great Lakes Now
https://www.greatlakesnow.org/2025/03/a-chicago-church-wont-be-planting-fruit-trees-this-spring-as-climate-funds-remain-frozen/
