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/
By Izzy Ross, Interlochen Public Radio
This coverage is made possible through a partnership with IPR and Grist, a nonprofit independent media organization dedicated to telling stories of climate solutions and a just future.
Great Lakes Now
https://www.greatlakesnow.org/2024/02/warm-winters-are-a-wet-blanket-for-small-ski-slopes-in-northern-michigan/
By Izzy Ross, Interlochen Public Radio
This coverage is made possible through a partnership with IPR and Grist, a nonprofit independent media organization dedicated to telling stories of climate solutions and a just future.
• Michigan’s largest commercial food waste digester is shutting down after a permit dispute with the state.
Great Lakes Now
https://www.greatlakesnow.org/2024/02/what-a-permitting-debacle-in-fremont-could-mean-for-biodigesters-across-michigan/
In order to do meaningful things at scale, everyone has to be at the table. This is what Curt Wolf, Managing Director of the University of Michigan’s Urban Collaboratory, said about the Michigan Center for Freshwater Innovation in an interview with Great Lakes Now. Last month, he explained the benefits of pulling together stakeholders, the Great Lakes Water Authority, and major universities like the University of Michigan, Wayne State, and Michigan State to all work alongside each other to collaborate on grand challenges, like catastrophic flooding in the region.
Great Lakes Now
https://www.greatlakesnow.org/2024/02/the-future-of-water-management-with-curt-wolf/
WHITEFISH POINT, Mich. (AP) — Shipwreck hunters have discovered a merchant ship that sank in Lake Superior in 1940, taking its captain with it, during a storm off Michigan’s Upper Peninsula.
The Great Lakes Shipwreck Historical Society and shipwreck researcher Dan Fountain announced Monday the discovery of the 244-foot (74-meter) bulk carrier Arlington in about 650 feet (200 meters) of water some 35 miles (60 kilometers) north of Michigan’s Keweenaw Peninsula.
Great Lakes Now
https://www.greatlakesnow.org/2024/02/ap-wreck-of-ship-sank-in-1940-found-in-lake-superior/
By Kelly House, Bridge Michigan
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/2024/02/as-michigan-winters-vanish-researchers-study-snow-for-clues-about-whats-next/
By Janelle D. James, Bridge Michigan
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/2024/02/reimagined-st-ignace-memorial-to-be-a-showcase-of-native-american-history/
This article was republished here with permission from Great Lakes Echo.
By Clara Lincolnhol, Great Lakes Echo
Michigan photographer Danielle Jorae wrote, designed and published Lighthouses of Michigan-Lower Peninsula to fulfill a wish of her childhood self.
“I ran across a document from when I was in kindergarten that outlined how I wanted to become an artist and a writer one day,” Jorae said.
Great Lakes Now
https://www.greatlakesnow.org/2024/02/photobook-illuminates-the-beauty-of-michigan-lighthouses/
By Kelly House, Bridge Michigan
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/2024/02/michigans-lost-winter-cancels-sturgeon-season-ski-dog-sled-races/
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.
Today, the Detroit River is much cleaner, and sentinel wildlife species have returned.
Great Lakes Now
https://www.greatlakesnow.org/2024/02/great-lakes-moment-lest-we-forget-a-history-of-detroit-river-oil-pollution/
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 Izzy Ross, Interlochen Public Radio
This coverage is made possible through a partnership with IPR and Grist, a nonprofit independent media organization dedicated to telling stories of climate solutions and a just future.
The International 500 Snowmobile Endurance Race in Sault Ste.
Great Lakes Now
https://www.greatlakesnow.org/2024/02/i-500-snowmobile-race-moving-ahead-despite-warmer-weather/
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/
By Kelly House, Bridge Michigan
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/2024/02/flint-residents-reach-25m-settlement-with-engineers-in-water-crisis-case/
This article was republished here with permission from Planet Detroit.
By Brian Allnutt, Planet Detroit
Neighborhoods east of Palmer Park could soon be transformed by a city plan to power municipal buildings with six solar fields, and neighbors are divided over the prospect.
Great Lakes Now
https://www.greatlakesnow.org/2024/01/parts-of-detroit-could-be-radically-transformed-by-city-solar-plan-for-better-or-worse/
This article was republished here with permission from Great Lakes Echo.
By Daniel Schoenherr, Great Lakes Echo
Lake Erie is the first of the Great Lakes getting connected to the internet with a series of offshore “smart” buoys.
And it’s not just for sending texts on the water.
Great Lakes Now
https://www.greatlakesnow.org/2024/01/smart-buoys-help-brace-great-lakes-for-environmental-challenges/
MADISON, Wis. (AP) — The National Science Foundation has given a consortium of Great Lakes-area universities and tech companies $15 million to develop ways to extract harmful substances from wastewater.
The foundation announced Monday that it has named the Great Lakes ReNEW group as one of 10 regional innovation engines across the country.
Great Lakes Now
https://www.greatlakesnow.org/2024/01/ap-consortium-of-great-lakes-universities-and-tech-companies-gets-15m-to-seek-ways-to-clean-wastewater/
In Douglas, Michigan, houses dot the coast of Lake Michigan, with wooden stairs — some newly built, others with broken steps — descending the steep hillside to give shoreline residents access to the narrow sandy beach. When winds grow fierce, waves crash against the boulders and large sandbags stacked along the base of these homes.
Great Lakes Now
https://www.greatlakesnow.org/2024/01/you-cant-stop-the-lake/
By Izzy Ross, Interlochen Public Radio
This coverage is made possible through a partnership with IPR and Grist, a nonprofit independent media organization dedicated to telling stories of climate solutions and a just future.
On a Sunday morning in Charlevoix, people gather in the small, one-room building of the Greensky Hill Indian United Methodist Church.
Great Lakes Now
https://www.greatlakesnow.org/2024/01/it-only-makes-sense-houses-of-worship-adding-solar-arrays/
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/
People on the western shore of Lake Erie witnessed strange sights after a winter storm came through on January 13. Parts of the lake that are usually under water were suddenly dry and visible, after wind gusts up to 55 mph pushed large volumes of water east. At least one long-lost human-made structure and striking natural features were revealed.
Great Lakes Now
https://www.greatlakesnow.org/2024/01/strong-winds-uncover-spectacular-features-and-long-lost-structures/
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/
By Izzy Ross, Interlochen Public Radio
This coverage is made possible through a partnership with IPR and Grist, a nonprofit independent media organization dedicated to telling stories of climate solutions and a just future.
Elk Rapids is surrounded by water.
Great Lakes Now
https://www.greatlakesnow.org/2024/01/elk-rapids-wants-to-help-its-shoreline-through-new-state-climate-corps-program/
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 Kelly House, Bridge Michigan
The Great Lakes News Collaborative includes Bridge Michigan; Circle of Blue; Great Lakes Now at Detroit Public Television; and Michigan Public, 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/2024/01/michigan-lawmakers-have-more-energy-priorities-in-2024/
The trek in the Great Lakes region’s efforts to stop the advance of invasive carp could be classified as a long, strange and seemingly never-ending trip.
It started in the early 2000’s when advocates were successful in securing electric barriers to repel the fish. That was an interim measure and was followed by an over-the-top $18 billion plan to separate two great watersheds.
Great Lakes Now
https://www.greatlakesnow.org/2024/01/great-lakes-policy-advocate-calls-out-illinois-for-intransigence-on-invasive-carp-solution/
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 Planet Detroit.
By Brian Allnutt, Planet Detroit
Darren Riley noticed poor air quality across much of Michigan this week when off-the-shelf air monitors from companies like IQAir and PurpleAir showed readings as high as 154 for PM 2.5 (fine particulate matter) in Detroit on Sunday – putting the monitors in the red or ‘unhealthy’ range on the Air Quality Index (AQI).
Great Lakes Now
https://www.greatlakesnow.org/2024/01/why-poor-air-quality-isnt-just-a-summer-problem-in-detroit/
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 Public, 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/2024/01/supreme-court-poop-dispute-could-have-big-impact-on-michigan-environment/
FLINT, Mich. (AP) — A program aimed at helping remove families and infants in Flint, Michigan, from deep poverty will give $1,500 to women during mid-pregnancy and $500 each month throughout the first year after the birth.
Enrollment opened Wednesday for Rx Kids, lauded by officials as the first of its kind in the United States.
Great Lakes Now
https://www.greatlakesnow.org/2024/01/ap-program-to-provide-cash-for-pregnant-women-in-flint-michigan-and-families-with-newborns/
Keep up with energy-related developments in the Great Lakes area with Great Lakes Now’s biweekly headline roundup.
Click on the headline to read the full story:
Illinois
Utility co-op aims to stay ahead of the power curve — Southern Illinoisan
A new Illinois law that took effect on Jan.
Great Lakes Now
https://www.greatlakesnow.org/2024/01/energy-news-roundup-line-5-approval-is-appealed-by-tribes-and-environmental-groups/
By Janelle D. James, Bridge Michigan
The Great Lakes News Collaborative includes Bridge Michigan; Circle of Blue; Great Lakes Now at Detroit Public Television; and Michigan Public, 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/2024/01/michigans-state-park-camping-reservations-are-open-and-filling-up-quickly/
By Izzy Ross, Interlochen Public Radio
This coverage is made possible through a partnership with IPR and Grist, a nonprofit independent media organization dedicated to telling stories of climate solutions and a just future.
Michigan officials hope a new federal program will help community groups tackle climate and environmental justice projects.
Great Lakes Now
https://www.greatlakesnow.org/2024/01/michigan-hopes-community-groups-can-get-piece-of-2b-climate-justice-fund/
By Izzy Ross, Interlochen Public Radio
This coverage is made possible through a partnership with IPR and Grist, a nonprofit independent media organization dedicated to telling stories of climate solutions and a just future.
A Great Lakes water law and policy center in Traverse City is appealing a state permit for the Line 5 tunnel project.
Great Lakes Now
https://www.greatlakesnow.org/2024/01/traverse-city-based-policy-center-appeals-michigans-line-5-permit/
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/
This article was republished here with permission from Planet Detroit.
By Brian Allnutt, Planet Detroit
U.S. Reps. Debbie Dingell (D-Dearborn) and Rashida Tlaib (D-Detroit) showed up to a meeting last week in Dearborn to sign a water affordability pledge and discuss the challenges faced by Michiganders struggling to pay for water service.
Great Lakes Now
https://www.greatlakesnow.org/2024/01/michigan-group-looks-to-grow-a-statewide-coalition-for-water-affordability/
By Izzy Ross, Interlochen Public Radio
This coverage is made possible through a partnership between IPR and Grist, a nonprofit independent media organization dedicated to telling stories of climate solutions and a just future.
On an early Thursday evening, people are seated around the dining room of Trattoria Stella, an Italian restaurant on the ground floor of the Grand Traverse Commons, just outside the city’s downtown area.
Great Lakes Now
https://www.greatlakesnow.org/2024/01/a-valuable-resource-traverse-city-restaurants-aim-to-reduce-food-waste-greenhouse-gases/
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/upper-peninsula-tribe-closer-to-compensation-for-land-seized-by-the-u-s-government/
Four weeks into her new position as the top executive of the U.S. EPA’s Great Lakes office in Chicago, Teresa Seidel has mixed news for the region.
She readily accepts the goal she inherited from her predecessor to clean up decades-old contaminated sediment sites in the region by 2030, a mission she refers to as a “moon shot.” The sites, known as Areas of Concern (AOCs), are on a list developed in 1987 and their continued presence makes it hard for the region to shake its derisive “Rust Belt” stereotype.
Great Lakes Now
https://www.greatlakesnow.org/2023/12/new-epa-great-lakes-executive-warns-on-moon-shot-cleanup-goal-for-toxic-sites/
In light of the ongoing PFAS crisis, stricter groundwater regulations were part of a Michigan statewide effort to protect resident’s health and improve water quality. This was before 3M corporation sued the state to invalidate these new rules. 3M prevailed in the lower courts and the state is currently awaiting a decision for an appeal filed with the Michigan Supreme Court.
Great Lakes Now
https://www.greatlakesnow.org/2023/12/pfas-experts-gather-address-growing-crisis/
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/can-michigan-reduce-phosphorus-pollution-getting-into-lake-erie-by-40-percent/
By Michael Phillis and Camille Fassett, Associated Press
ST. LOUIS (AP) — Flooding is driving millions of people to move out of their homes, limiting growth in some prospering communities and accelerating the decline of others, according to a new study that details how climate change and flooding are transforming where Americans live.
Great Lakes Now
https://www.greatlakesnow.org/2023/12/ap-flooding-drives-millions-to-move-climate-migration-patterns-emerge/
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 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/2023/12/michigan-farm-czar-our-fight-against-lake-erie-pollution-isnt-working/
By Izzy Ross, Interlochen Public Radio
This coverage is made possible through a partnership with IPR and Grist, a nonprofit independent media organization dedicated to telling stories of climate solutions and a just future.
Four tribes in Michigan will receive funding from the U.S.
Great Lakes Now
https://www.greatlakesnow.org/2023/12/four-michigan-tribes-receive-funding-to-support-recycling-initiatives/
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 Keith Schneider, 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/2023/12/will-energy-from-manure-help-or-harm-water-quality-in-michigan/
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.
Southwest Detroit has long been known for its heavy industry.
Great Lakes Now
https://www.greatlakesnow.org/2023/12/great-lakes-moment-creating-a-green-oasis-in-southwest-detroit/
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/
By Izzy Ross, Interlochen Public Radio
This coverage is made possible through a partnership with IPR and Grist, a nonprofit independent media organization dedicated to telling stories of climate solutions and a just future.
The beginning of “Climate Sisu” is familiar — footage of trash floating in the ocean, aerial views of dry earth, and heat maps of carbon dioxide in the atmosphere.
Great Lakes Now
https://www.greatlakesnow.org/2023/12/documentary-explores-climate-resilience-in-northern-michigan/
