On:
In: Echo, water
By Anna Barnes Invasive carp are spawning closer to Lake Michigan, but the federal government halted a construction project aimed to stop the fish from spreading without explanation.

Original Article

Great Lakes Echo

Great Lakes Echo

https://greatlakesecho.org/2026/09/15/invasive-carp-get-closer-to-lake-michigan-as-project-to-halt-their-spread-is-ordered-to-stop/

Anna Barnes

On:
In: Echo, Green Gavel
By Eric Freedman  A company that illegally handled material containing asbestos at an abandoned automotive brake system component plant in Saginaw, Michigan, has been fined $500,000 and placed on probation for two years.

Original Article

Great Lakes Echo

Great Lakes Echo

https://greatlakesecho.org/2026/09/14/company-pays-500000-fine-for-asbestos-safety-violations/

Eric Freedman

On:
In: Cities & Suburbs, Echo
By Demonte Thomas Shade, cooler temperatures and improved air quality are among the reasons Lansing, Michigan's “Restoring Roots” project is targeting disadvantaged neighborhoods that have historically had less tree cover and greater exposure to heat.

Original Article

Great Lakes Echo

Great Lakes Echo

https://greatlakesecho.org/2026/09/13/project-uses-community-input-to-guide-tree-planting-in-disadvantaged-areas/

Great Lakes Echo

On:
In: Echo, solutions
By Anna Barnes Researchers at Michigan State University say they've developed a way to more evenly distribute sunlight in algae cultivation systems, which leads to more algae growth that can be used for sustainable products.

Original Article

Great Lakes Echo

Great Lakes Echo

https://greatlakesecho.org/2026/09/12/researchers-working-to-increase-algae-growth-for-use-in-products/

Anna Barnes

On:
In: Echo, solutions
By Demonte Thomas Michigan State University researchers have launched a long-term effort to combat the invasive scarlet lily beetle, using specialized wasps instead of pesticides to reduce populations of the destructive garden pest.

Original Article

Great Lakes Echo

Great Lakes Echo

https://greatlakesecho.org/2026/09/09/researchers-release-parasitoid-wasps-to-combat-invasive-beetles/

Great Lakes Echo

On:
In: Echo, Wildlife
By Bauyrzhan Zhaxylykov Bald eagles are helping scientists uncover where per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances, or PFAS, contamination may be coming from across Wisconsin and the Great Lakes region.

Original Article

Great Lakes Echo

Great Lakes Echo

https://greatlakesecho.org/2026/09/04/bald-eagles-help-scientists-map-forever-chemicals-in-the-great-lakes-region/

Great Lakes Echo

On:
In: Echo, Recreation
By Kyrmyzy Turebayeva “Where the Green Light Shines: A Fifty-Year Odyssey from the Boundary Waters to the Far North” features legendary canoeist Bob O'Hara and his adventures from the Boundary Waters to remote rivers of the Canadian Far North.

Original Article

Great Lakes Echo

Great Lakes Echo

https://greatlakesecho.org/2026/09/03/new-book-explores-life-of-legendary-minnesota-canoeist-bob-ohara/

Kyrmyzy Turebayeva

On:
In: Echo, Energy
By Anna Barnes Michigan Attorney General Dana Nessel plans to file another request for rehearing with the U.S. Department of Energy over a coal-fired power plant near Lake Michigan operated by Consumers Energy.

Original Article

Great Lakes Echo

Great Lakes Echo

https://greatlakesecho.org/2026/09/01/michigan-ag-challenges-the-us-department-of-energy-again-over-coal-plants-forced-operation/

Anna Barnes

On:
In: Echo, water
By Anna Barnes  Michigan’s Department of Natural Resources Fisheries Division has received one-time funding of $350,000 for whitefish recovery.  The ailing species has undergone a rapid population decline in recent years, and for the first time, recovery efforts have landed a specific line in the state budget.  But officials said while the money will help rescue some of the most vulnerable […]

Original Article

Great Lakes Echo

Great Lakes Echo

https://greatlakesecho.org/2026/08/30/michigan-fisheries-get-one-time-funding-for-whitefish-restoration/

Anna Barnes

On:
In: Climate, Echo
By Julia Roeder For more than a decade, conservation groups have fought to protect the Boundary Waters Canoe Area Wilderness from proposed copper-nickel mining. Advocates are entering a new phase amid the rollback of federal protections.

Original Article

Great Lakes Echo

Great Lakes Echo

https://greatlakesecho.org/2026/08/29/after-federal-protections-fall-boundary-waters-advocates-prepare-for-next-phase-of-mining-fight/

Great Lakes Echo

On:
In: Echo, Land, Wildlife
By Kyrmyzy Turebayeva For decades, scientists believed that the earliest four-limbed vertebrates developed much like modern amphibians: They hatched from eggs, passed through a larval tadpole stage and then underwent metamorphosis into adults. However, a new study published in Science challenges that long-held view.

Original Article

Great Lakes Echo

Great Lakes Echo

https://greatlakesecho.org/2026/08/28/fossils-found-in-illinois-challenge-scientists-assumptions-about-early-land-animals/

Kyrmyzy Turebayeva

On:
In: Echo, Energy, transportation
By Kyrmyzy Turebayeva Michigan is actively expanding electric vehicle infrastructure and promoting the transition to electric transportation.  However, the presence of charging stations does not necessarily mean that all residents can equally benefit from electric vehicles.

Original Article

Great Lakes Echo

Great Lakes Echo

https://greatlakesecho.org/2026/08/27/michigan-expands-ev-infrastructure-but-access-remains-unequal-study-finds/

Kyrmyzy Turebayeva

On:
In: Echo, Wildlife
By Kyrmyzy Turebayeva To save endangered piping plovers, scientists are getting creative. One research group explored relocating one of the plovers' predators -- merlins -- away from nesting sites.

Original Article

Great Lakes Echo

Great Lakes Echo

https://greatlakesecho.org/2026/08/26/relocating-merlins-may-reduce-threats-to-endangered-great-lakes-piping-plovers-study-finds/

Kyrmyzy Turebayeva

On:
In: Echo, Nearshore
Wreckage of aircraft recovered from Lake Huron and the St Clair River is uncovering untold stories of the Tuskegee Airmen, predominantly African-American fighter and bomber pilots and crew who fought in World War II. By Joshua Kim.

Original Article

Great Lakes Echo

Great Lakes Echo

https://greatlakesecho.org/2026/08/23/tuskegee-wreckage-found-in-the-great-lakes-provides-a-unique-opportunity-to-uncover-untold-stories/

Joshua Kim

On:
In: Cities & Suburbs, Echo, Land
By Bauyrzhan Zhaxylykov Surrounded by busy roads, neighborhoods and businesses, Ken-O-Sha Park doesn’t look like one of Michigan’s most valuable forests. But a new study found the 100-acre park in Grand Rapids is home to one of the state’s highest-quality remaining forests.

Original Article

Great Lakes Echo

Great Lakes Echo

https://greatlakesecho.org/2026/07/20/study-finds-one-of-michigans-healthiest-forests-in-grand-rapids/

Great Lakes Echo

On:
In: Agriculture, Echo
By Demonte Thomas   During the summer, corn undergoes a process called evapotranspiration, known by many as "corn sweat" to cool itself down. It raises questions about whether the state's vast corn fields are making already hot and humid conditions even more uncomfortable.

Original Article

Great Lakes Echo

Great Lakes Echo

https://greatlakesecho.org/2026/07/18/its-time-for-corn-sweat-as-mid-summer-hits/

Great Lakes Echo

On:
In: Cities & Suburbs, Echo
By Kyrmyzy Turebayeva Downriver Detroit developed during the 20th century as an industrial region, but it was never just an industrial space. Alongside factories and working-class neighborhoods, there were wetlands, waterfront areas, nature preserves, farms and residential communities with different types of environments that shaped the region. This relationship lies at the heart of Lisa Fine’s new book, “Downriver Detroit: The Working Class, the Environment and the Bonds of Place.”

Original Article

Great Lakes Echo

Great Lakes Echo

https://greatlakesecho.org/2026/07/12/how-downriver-detroits-working-communities-fought-for-their-regions-environment/

Kyrmyzy Turebayeva

On:
In: Cities & Suburbs, Echo, Wildlife
By Demonte Thomas  A new female peregrine falcon has appeared at Michigan State University's falcon nesting box atop Spartan Stadium, marking a significant change at a nesting site occupied by peregrine falcons for years.

Original Article

Great Lakes Echo

Great Lakes Echo

https://greatlakesecho.org/2026/07/10/new-female-falcon-takes-up-residence-in-msu-nest-box-but-no-eggs-are-laid/

Great Lakes Echo

On:
In: Cities & Suburbs, Echo, Land
By Domonic Marroni In Ann Arbor, Michigan, Skyline High School's natural areas are home to several species of invasive plants causing widespread destruction of surrounding trees. These species pose potential fire hazards and are dangerous to public health.  Action is needed, say several environmental experts, to avert future disasters and to preserve the natural areas for future students.

Original Article

Great Lakes Echo

Great Lakes Echo

https://greatlakesecho.org/2026/07/09/invasives-oak-wilt-threaten-skyline-high-school-natural-areas-adjacent-neighborhoods/

Great Lakes Echo

On:
In: Art, Echo
By Kyrmyzy Turebayeva  For Jim Daniels the Rust Belt is defined by people, working families, factory neighborhoods, highways leading north toward the Great Lakes and memories that stay with a person for a lifetime. These themes run throughout his new poetry collection, “Late Invocation for Magic.”

Original Article

Great Lakes Echo

Great Lakes Echo

https://greatlakesecho.org/2026/07/08/the-great-lakes-as-the-coordinates-of-the-heart-jim-daniels-detroit-and-michigan/

Kyrmyzy Turebayeva

On:
In: Climate, Echo, Land
By Anna Barnes  In Michigan, sugar maple populations are rising and eastern redbud trees are making their way north, while coniferous trees, like the black spruce, continue to decline. One suspected cause: climate warming.

Original Article

Great Lakes Echo

Great Lakes Echo

https://greatlakesecho.org/2026/07/07/study-finds-climate-warming-directly-affects-the-makeup-of-plant-communities/

Anna Barnes

On:
In: Agriculture, Echo
By Anna Barnes  Michigan's supply of nitrogen and phosphorus-based fertilizers has taken a hit from shipping disruptions caused by the U.S. war with Iran. High prices and historic flooding are causing problems for the state's corn and soybean farmers.

Original Article

Great Lakes Echo

Great Lakes Echo

https://greatlakesecho.org/2026/07/06/excessive-rainfall-in-michigan-may-affect-nutrients-in-soil-amid-fertilizer-price-increases/

Anna Barnes

On:
In: Echo, Wildlife
By Kyrmyzy Turebayeva  While urbanization continues to displace natural ecosystems across the Great Lakes region, one declining wetland bird has managed to adapt to city life -- the black-crowned night heron.

Original Article

Great Lakes Echo

Great Lakes Echo

https://greatlakesecho.org/2026/07/05/refuge-in-the-windy-city-declining-wetland-bird-makes-a-home-in-downtown-chicago/

Kyrmyzy Turebayeva

On:
In: Echo, solutions
By Victoria Witke Wildfire risk is predicted to stay elevated in the Upper Midwest from drought and high winds. That’s risky for the region’s pristine inland lakes, but land managers are working to reduce wildfire risk in the Northwoods with controlled burns.

Original Article

Great Lakes Echo

Great Lakes Echo

https://greatlakesecho.org/2026/06/28/setting-fires-on-purpose-to-cut-risk-of-catastrophic-wildfires/

Victoria Witke

On:
In: Climate, Echo
By Demonte Thomas Michigan has already exceeded its average annual tornado count. The active season comes as communities across the state continue recovering from severe weather that has left behind widespread damage.

Original Article

Great Lakes Echo

Great Lakes Echo

https://greatlakesecho.org/2026/06/26/tornado-activity-surpasses-yearly-average-as-peak-season-begins/

Great Lakes Echo

On:
In: Echo, Wildlife
By Isabella Figueroa Nogueira The number of bald eagles in Michigan is declining. Workers are finding empty and damaged nests, malnourished eaglets and adult bald eagles attempting to nest a second time after failed attempts. Funding delays aren't helping.

Original Article

Great Lakes Echo

Great Lakes Echo

https://greatlakesecho.org/2026/06/24/bald-eagle-success-story-faces-new-threats/

Isabella Figueroa Nogueira

On:
In: Agriculture, Echo
By Julia Roeder An April survey from the American Farm Bureau Federation found nearly 70% of U.S. farmers say they cannot afford fertilizer. It also found almost half of Midwestern farmers report they cannot afford all the supplies they need.  

Original Article

Great Lakes Echo

Great Lakes Echo

https://greatlakesecho.org/2026/06/23/the-outlook-is-pretty-bleak-farmers-brace-for-difficult-season/

Great Lakes Echo

On:
In: Echo, transportation
By Isabella Figueroa Nogueira   Michigan’s push to build a statewide electric vehicle charging network is moving forward again after a federal judge forced the Trump administration to release tens of millions in funding it had held back for more than a year. 

Original Article

Great Lakes Echo

Great Lakes Echo

https://greatlakesecho.org/2026/06/19/michigan-revives-ev-charger-expansion-after-federal-funding-reversal/

Isabella Figueroa Nogueira