On:
In: Cities & Suburbs, Echo
By Alexander Boesch The expansion of hyperscale data centers in the state is inflaming tensions between some community residents and their governments as local officials balance the unpopularity of data centers, the economic pressure from corporations and the limits of local authority.

Original Article

Great Lakes Echo

Great Lakes Echo

https://greatlakesecho.org/2026/10/24/data-center-tensions-simmer-across-the-state/

Capital News Service

On:
In: Air, Cities & Suburbs, Echo
By Marissa Gonzalez Some environmental experts and activists in Detroit are concerned about a Department of Environment, Great Lakes and Energy request to the EPA to exclude air pollution data for 21 days with high levels of wildfire smoke.

Original Article

Great Lakes Echo

Great Lakes Echo

https://greatlakesecho.org/2026/10/21/activists-resist-efforts-to-eliminate-some-air-pollution-data-from-detroits-records/

Capital News Service

On:
In: Echo, water
By Hannah Marsik Stormwater runoff at data center sites is another environmental challenge developers are facing because it contains particulates harmful to the public and the ecosystem, critics say. Amidst growing public concerns about possible adverse climate effects of data centers, they say the lesser-known threat in stormwater runoff and waste could prove as dangerous.

Original Article

Great Lakes Echo

Great Lakes Echo

https://greatlakesecho.org/2026/10/20/clean-water-advocates-worry-about-data-center-impact-on-drinking-water/

Capital News Service

On:
In: Echo, solutions
By Katee Tompkins Emergency warnings are designed to reach all Michigan residents, whether through a cellphone alert, television broadcast or weather radio, but ensuring those messages are accessible to people with disabilities, limited English proficiency and limited access to technology often requires additional efforts.

Original Article

Great Lakes Echo

Great Lakes Echo

https://greatlakesecho.org/2026/10/19/emergency-agencies-expand-options-for-getting-info-to-the-public/

Capital News Service

On:
In: Cities & Suburbs, Echo
By Olivia O’Neill Many local governments in and away from popular vacation destinations are wrestling with how to balance economic benefits of short-term rentals to accommodate visitors and a shortage of affordable long-term housing.

Original Article

Great Lakes Echo

Great Lakes Echo

https://greatlakesecho.org/2026/10/19/debate-continues-over-short-term-rentals-versus-affordable-housing-needs/

Capital News Service

On:
In: Air, Echo
By Naomi Maxwell The Michigan Department of Environment, Great Lakes and Energy has only two air quality monitors in the Upper Peninsula, one near Marquette and the other in Seney National Wildlife Refuge. The Michigan Environmental Council and other organizations say that’s too few to protect public health in light of worsening wildfires and wildfire smoke.

Original Article

Great Lakes Echo

Great Lakes Echo

https://greatlakesecho.org/2026/10/17/call-for-more-air-quality-monitors-in-michigans-upper-peninsula/

Capital News Service

On:
In: Echo, Nearshore, Wildlife
By Anna Wildman A stretch of Lake Superior beach in northern Wisconsin will remain closed to the public next spring and summer with the hopes of luring back a nesting pair of endangered piping plovers, which were recently spotted there for the first time in nearly a half century.

Original Article

Great Lakes Echo

Great Lakes Echo

https://greatlakesecho.org/2026/10/16/wisconsin-successfully-restores-habitat-for-piping-plovers-after-49-years-with-no-sightings/

Great Lakes Echo

On:
In: Echo, water
By Kyrmyzy Turebayeva A new study reported 125 years of historical air temperature and ice data on the Great Lakes for the first time and showed the amount of ice on the lakes has declined rapidly over the past four decades.

Original Article

Great Lakes Echo

Great Lakes Echo

https://greatlakesecho.org/2026/10/15/century-long-data-reveals-complex-trends-in-ice-cover-in-the-great-lakes/

Kyrmyzy Turebayeva

On:
In: Echo, Nearshore
By Olivia O’Neill Great Lakes sand dunes, especially those on the Lake Michigan shoreline, are threatened by erosion and fluctuating water levels, but there’s disagreement on alternative approaches to effectively address the problems.

Original Article

Great Lakes Echo

Great Lakes Echo

https://greatlakesecho.org/2026/10/14/shifting-sand-is-natural-to-michigans-dunes-how-to-cope-is-controversial/

Capital News Service

On:
In: Cities & Suburbs, Echo
By Kyrmyzy Turebayeva Most Americans live in suburbs and beyond urban centers, but inequities in tree canopy distribution are primarily studied in major cities. However, a new study of the Chicago region found that the highest level of tree canopy inequity was in the suburbs.

Original Article

Great Lakes Echo

Great Lakes Echo

https://greatlakesecho.org/2026/10/13/suburban-chicago-has-greater-tree-canopy-inequity-than-the-city-study-finds/

Kyrmyzy Turebayeva

On:
In: Echo, Wildlife
By Alexander Boesch President Trump has ordered the U.S. Department of the Interior to consider removing the grey wolf from the federal Endangered Species List. If that happens, some Republican state lawmakers want Michigan to authorize a hunting and trapping season.

Original Article

Great Lakes Echo

Great Lakes Echo

https://greatlakesecho.org/2026/10/12/michigan-may-adopt-grey-wolf-hunting-season-if-federal-protections-are-lifted/

Capital News Service

On:
In: Echo, Recreation, water
By Isabella Figueroa Nogueira Minnesota anglers are facing a shortage of one of the state’s most popular baitfish, and fish farmers are looking for ways to fill the gap.

Original Article

Great Lakes Echo

Great Lakes Echo

https://greatlakesecho.org/2026/10/11/minnesotas-golden-shiner-shortage-is-pushing-the-bait-industry-toward-fish-farming/

Isabella Figueroa Nogueira

On:
In: Cities & Suburbs, Echo
By Kyrmyzy Turebayeva  Parks can help Detroit residents beat the summer heat, but not everyone has equal access to them. That is the finding of a new study out of Michigan State University which examined 249 urban parks in Detroit. The goal of the study was to measure how much the parks helped mitigate the […]

Original Article

Great Lakes Echo

Great Lakes Echo

https://greatlakesecho.org/2026/10/10/small-detroit-parks-may-offer-surprisingly-strong-cooling-new-study-finds/

Kyrmyzy Turebayeva

On:
In: Echo, Green Gavel
By Eric Freedman A Michigan man faces trial later this fall on charges of illegally discharging sewage into Lake Michigan, illegally using Coast Guard insignia and impersonating a federal officer.

Original Article

Great Lakes Echo

Great Lakes Echo

https://greatlakesecho.org/2026/10/09/man-charged-with-discharging-sewage-into-lake-michigan-impersonating-a-federal-officer/

Eric Freedman

On:
In: Echo
Researchers at Michigan State University are exploring an unexpected new tool that could reshape how scientists detect so-called forever chemicals in lakes, rivers and wetlands across the Great Lakes. Scientists have discovered that locusts can sniff out PFAS contaminants down to parts per trillion, a level of detection far beyond most conventional sensors. The new […]

Original Article

Great Lakes Echo

Great Lakes Echo

https://greatlakesecho.org/2026/09/25/insects-offer-new-hope-in-michigan-state-universitys-fight-against-forever-chemicals/

Demonte Thomas

On:
In: Cities & Suburbs, Echo, water
By Demonte Thomas  Most households in Jackson, Michigan, get their water through lead pipes. But the city is making significant progress in changing that, an official said.

Original Article

Great Lakes Echo

Great Lakes Echo

https://greatlakesecho.org/2026/09/18/michigan-city-continues-push-to-replace-thousands-of-lead-water-service-lines/

Demonte Thomas

On:
In: Echo, water
By Kyrmyzy Turebayeva In a recent article, archaeologist and attorney Ryan Seidemann argues that existing laws do not always provide adequate protection for shipwrecks as cultural heritage sites and underwater burial sites.

Original Article

Great Lakes Echo

Great Lakes Echo

https://greatlakesecho.org/2026/09/17/shipwrecks-cultural-heritage-protection-and-underwater-tombs/

Kyrmyzy Turebayeva

On:
In: Echo, Wildlife
By Kyrmyzy Turebayeva Only about 30 percent of gray wolf pups survive their first year of life even though the wolf population in the region remains stable, according to a new study by researchers at the University of Minnesota.

Original Article

Great Lakes Echo

Great Lakes Echo

https://greatlakesecho.org/2026/09/16/most-of-minnesotas-gray-wolf-pups-dont-survive-first-year-but-population-remains-stable/

Kyrmyzy Turebayeva

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