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.
Michigan’s western Upper Peninsula has long been a mining region.
Great Lakes Now
https://www.greatlakesnow.org/2024/06/points-north-copper-countrys-conundrum/
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/2024/06/audit-finds-mix-of-successes-problems-with-great-lakes-restoration-grants/
By Nick Perry and Holly Ramer, Associated Press
CONCORD, N.H. (AP) — A heat wave extending from the Midwest to New England moved closer to a breaking point Thursday, with millions of people sweating it out for another day.
The National Weather Service said the heat wave was expected to peak in the eastern Great Lakes and New England on Thursday, and in the Ohio Valley and Mid-Atlantic on Friday or the weekend.
Great Lakes Now
https://www.greatlakesnow.org/2024/06/millions-sweating-it-out-as-heat-wave-nears-peak-from-midwest-to-maine/
Ports across the Great Lakes region are racing to slash their carbon emissions to comply with international climate targets. But the ships that dock at the region’s ports say they have largely been left out of government incentives to reduce the environmental impact of their operations. There is currently only one U.S.
Great Lakes Now
https://www.greatlakesnow.org/2024/06/energy-news-roundup-great-lakes-shipping-industry-says-it-could-use-decarbonization-funding-too/
This is the second half of a series on heat islands around the Great Lakes. Part one is on the human health cost. Part two is on the science behind combating the urban heat island effect, solutions to the complex problem, and the role the Great Lakes play.
Great Lakes Now
https://www.greatlakesnow.org/2024/06/heat-islands-in-the-great-lakes-community-infrastructure-and-fresh-water-solutions/
Cleaning up toxins caused by copper mining, and foraging for Great Lakes wild foods.
Great Lakes Now
https://www.greatlakesnow.org/2024/06/reef-rescue-and-wild-edibles/
By Lester Graham and Rebecca Williams, Michigan Public
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/2024/06/why-some-municipalities-are-looking-at-putting-solar-panels-on-water/
While gathering in Montreal recently, perhaps the Great Lakes region’s mayors took a page from urban planner Daniel Burnham’s playbook which said, “make no little plans.” From Burhham’s legendary Plan of Chicago.
At the mayors’ annual conference, the focus was on nothing less than an “economic transformation” in the Great Lakes and St.
Great Lakes Now
https://www.greatlakesnow.org/2024/06/canada-u-s-mayors-want-to-tap-great-lakes-regions-water-for-economic-transformation/
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 PBS. Check out her previous columns.
Great Lakes Now
https://www.greatlakesnow.org/2024/06/i-speak-for-the-fish-whats-a-true-bass/
A beef farmer from Michigan, Jason Grostic, is the first to be shutdown by state standards of acceptable PFAS in biosolids. Grostic is now one of many farmers across the country threatening to sue the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA). He said the biosolids, or fertilizer, that he used was not only EPA-approved but recommended, and that the government “dropping the ball” should not be the reason he’s on the brink of bankruptcy.
Great Lakes Now
https://www.greatlakesnow.org/2024/06/pfas-news-roundup-michigan-farmer-threatens-to-sue-epa-over-pfas/
This is part one of a two-part series on heat islands around the Great Lakes. Part one is on the human health cost. Part two is on the science behind urban heat islands, solutions to the complex problem, and the role the Great Lakes play.
In Cleveland, Ohio, it’s best to leave the city proper and head to the suburbs for a big outdoor celebration.
Great Lakes Now
https://www.greatlakesnow.org/2024/06/heat-islands-in-the-great-lakes-the-human-health-cost/
This article was republished here with permission from Great Lakes Echo.
By Vladislava Sukhanovskaya, Great Lakes Echo
Three butterflies are racing to become Michigan’s official state insect – and one of them is ahead, at least politically.
The black swallowtail butterfly, a native of Michigan, spends its whole life cycle in the state hibernating as pupa under leaves during winter and hatching in the spring.
Great Lakes Now
https://www.greatlakesnow.org/2024/06/butterflies-race-for-state-insect-status/
By Lester Graham, Michigan Public
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/2024/06/birders-flock-to-the-capitol-to-urge-lawmakers-to-pass-bills-to-improve-the-environment/
By Daniel Wanschura, 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.
Conservation warden Dave Zeug is on edge.
Great Lakes Now
https://www.greatlakesnow.org/2024/06/points-north-to-catch-an-arsonist/
SAULT STE. MARIE, Mich. (AP) — A freighter in Lake Superior hit something underwater on Saturday and started taking on water, according to the U.S. Coast Guard.
The Coast Guard Great Lakes district received reports about 6:53 a.m. that a 689-foot-long (210-meter-long) ship called the Michipicoten had collided with something about 35 miles (56 kilometers) southwest of Isle Royale, which is part of the state of Michigan.
Great Lakes Now
https://www.greatlakesnow.org/2024/06/a-freighter-ship-in-lake-superior-collided-with-something-underwater-coast-guards-says/
Coal ash is packed with harmful pollutants. Residents of a northern Indiana town less than a mile from Lake Michigan may have been exposed to unsafe levels of contamination for almost a decade, even after being told that they were safe, an IndyStar investigation found. A coal ash cleanup plan developed in 2016 by electric utility NIPSCO was based on flawed data included by a hired consultant with ties to the coal industry, according to the investigation.
Great Lakes Now
https://www.greatlakesnow.org/2024/06/energy-news-roundup-coal-ash-still-a-concern-in-indiana-superfund-town-near-lake-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.
Laurie Stanek shovels hay in front of a group of young, black and white Holstein cows.
Great Lakes Now
https://www.greatlakesnow.org/2024/06/none-of-us-saw-this-coming-michigan-confronts-bird-flu-in-cows/
By Anna Clark, photography by Sarahbeth Maney
This story was originally published by ProPublica.
ProPublica is a Pulitzer Prize-winning investigative newsroom. Sign up for The Big Story newsletter to receive stories like this one in your inbox.
When Gretchen Whitmer campaigned for Michigan governor in 2018, she took aim at Michigan’s bottled water industry — and the state policy that gave it unfettered access to free water.
Great Lakes Now
https://www.greatlakesnow.org/2024/06/michigan-bottlers-still-get-free-water-despite-governors-tough-talk/
By Enrique Saenz, Mirror Indy
Mirror Indy is a part of Free Press Indiana, a nonprofit news organization dedicated to ensuring all Hoosiers have access to the news and information they need.
A controversial plan to build a 200-acre retail development along the Indianapolis border with Greenwood is on hold after a state agency denied the developer’s permit application.
Great Lakes Now
https://www.greatlakesnow.org/2024/06/indiana-attorney-general-fights-epa-rule-that-would-reduce-pollution-indys-west-side/
By Fatima Syed, The Narwhal
Rania Hamza calls it “a coincidence” that an engineer, a biologist and a lawyer at the same Toronto university were independently worrying about the harmful substances and chemicals being flushed down Ontario’s toilets. Three years ago, after figuring out they were all interested in the same thing, the unlikely trio came together to highlight a major gap in policy.
Great Lakes Now
https://www.greatlakesnow.org/2024/06/drugs-microplastics-and-forever-chemicals-new-contaminants-emerge-in-the-great-lakes/
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.
It was mid-morning on a beautiful early May day. It was clear and sunny and the white puffy clouds were a perfect contrast to the pale blue waters of the lower Detroit River.
Great Lakes Now
https://www.greatlakesnow.org/2024/06/great-lakes-moment-birds-of-a-feather-flock-together/
For Madison’s Jane Elder, the timing was optimal when she launched a career in environmental activism. She was coming of age and interested in the environment in the early 1970s. At the same time, interest in the environment was “blossoming” as the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency was established and the Clean Water Act became federal law.
Great Lakes Now
https://www.greatlakesnow.org/2024/06/wisconsins-jane-elder-chronicles-personal-and-professional-great-lakes-journey-in-new-book/
“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/2024/05/nibi-chronicles-krishnas-quest-for-ticks/
Waves of Change is an online interview series highlighting the diverse faces and perspectives shaping the environmental justice movement throughout the Great Lakes region.
This month, we spoke with Monica Lewis-Patrick, activist and president and CEO of We the People of Detroit.
Listen to the full interview
We the People of Detroit is a grassroots organization that works to empower Detroiters around key issues in the city, including access to clean water.
Great Lakes Now
https://www.greatlakesnow.org/2024/05/waves-of-change-meet-activist-and-we-the-people-of-detroit-president-monica-lewis-patrick/
By Melina Walling, Associated Press
In the world of greenhouse gas emissions, carbon dioxide gets most of the blame. But tiny organisms that flourish in the world’s farm fields emit a far more potent gas, nitrous oxide, and scientists have long sought a way to address it.
Now some researchers think they’ve found a bacteria that can help.
Great Lakes Now
https://www.greatlakesnow.org/2024/05/researchers-find-a-tiny-organism-has-the-power-to-reduce-a-persistent-greenhouse-gas-in-farm-fields/
By Michael Livingston, 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.
October 15, 1900 was a dark day for a small group of Native Americans near the tip of Michigan’s lower peninsula.
Great Lakes Now
https://www.greatlakesnow.org/2024/05/points-north-a-struggle-for-justice/
By Kelly House, Bridge Michigan and Lester Graham, Michigan Public
Bill Gurn isn’t sure how he got the mosquito bite that nearly killed him in the autumn of 2019.
He’s an avid fisherman. Maybe on the water? Or it could have happened while he was tinkering in his garage or yard.
Great Lakes Now
https://www.greatlakesnow.org/2024/05/in-warming-great-lakes-region-water-heat-can-be-an-unhealthy-combination/
In a ProPublica story, former 3M chemist Kris Hansen details how the chemical giant hid the dangers of PFOS from employees and the public. She was asked by senior scientist Jim Johnson to retest for what are now known as “forever chemicals” in human blood samples from the general population, in 1997.
Great Lakes Now
https://www.greatlakesnow.org/2024/05/pfas-news-roundup-3m-scientist-exposes-50-years-of-pfas-deceit-just-as-the-forever-chemicals-are-found-in-great-lakes-precipitation/
Teaching Lake Whitefish to thrive and getting up close at Niagara Falls.
Great Lakes Now
https://www.greatlakesnow.org/2024/05/saving-whitefish-and-navigating-niagara/
By Emma McIntosh, The Narwhal
Growing up in a shiny Toronto-area suburb lined with concrete and puny trees, the only bald eagles Sheetal Rawal saw in the 1980s were in her imagination or on TV.
It wasn’t for lack of trying. Inspired by a particularly stirring episode of Alvin and the Chipmunks — the gang goes to Washington, D.C., to convince the president to stop a developer from bulldozing an eagle’s nest — she remembers gazing out of the car window on road trips, scanning treetops and skies for giant birds with bright white heads.
Great Lakes Now
https://www.greatlakesnow.org/2024/05/bald-eagles-nearly-died-out-what-can-we-learn-from-their-return-to-the-southern-great-lakes/
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/2024/05/i-speak-for-the-fish-are-muskies-still-the-readers-favorite/
By Christina Grozinger and Harland Patch, Penn State
is an independent and nonprofit source of news, analysis and commentary from academic experts.
It’s a simple idea: Stop mowing your lawn in the month of May to let flowers in the lawn, such as dandelions and clover, grow and support bees and other pollinators.
Great Lakes Now
https://www.greatlakesnow.org/2024/05/the-best-way-to-help-pollinators-is-by-adding-native-plants/
Hayward, Wisconsin got its first snow of the season on Halloween. But then Thanksgiving came, and Christmas, with no more white flakes. The new year started equally warm and snowless, and the organizers of the iconic American Birkebeiner ski race began to really worry. The February 24, 2024 race would be the 50th anniversary of the country’s most famous (and largest) cross-country ski event, and it would also be a World Cup competition, drawing top competitors from around the globe.
Great Lakes Now
https://www.greatlakesnow.org/2024/05/disappointed-dogs-sad-skiers-frustrated-fishermen/
A fuel industry group is spending $6.6 million on ads in Michigan, Ohio, Pennsylvania, Wisconsin and other swing states that take aim at the Biden administration’s tailpipe emissions standards. The Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) rule was in the works for years before being finalized in March. It aims to shift the majority of the country’s new car sales to electric and hybrid vehicles by 2032.
Great Lakes Now
https://www.greatlakesnow.org/2024/05/energy-news-roundup-industry-groups-fight-federal-emissions-rules-they-say-will-hurt-region/
This article was republished here with permission from Great Lakes Echo.
By Elinor Epperson and Daniel Schoenherr, Great Lakes Echo
Like clockwork, Michigan’s Ford Lake and its downstream neighbor, Belleville Lake, turn bright green every summer due to harmful algal blooms.
The lakes, located near Ypsilanti in the southeast part of the state, have struggled for decades with phosphorus pollution that spurs algae growth.
Great Lakes Now
https://www.greatlakesnow.org/2024/05/dams-may-slow-harmful-algal-blooms-in-urban-lakes-expert-says/
By Brett Walton, Circle of Blue
The Great Lakes News Collaborative includes Bridge Michigan; Circle of Blue; Great Lakes Now at Detroit PBS; 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/2024/05/wildfire-rampage-injures-lungs-in-the-great-lakes/
For Chicago’s Alaina Harkness, the availability and well-being of Chicago and the Great Lakes region’s water is clear. It’s about innovation, and that requires collaboration. Bringing together the right mix of policy, science, tech, advocacy groups, and others to work on common priorities for the future of water.
This mix happened recently at Chicago Water Week, organized by the not-for-profit, Current, a Chicago-based water innovation hub.
Great Lakes Now
https://www.greatlakesnow.org/2024/05/chicago-groups-spotlight-the-citys-water-abundance-focus-on-innovation-collaboration-as-key-to-its-future/
By Todd Richmond, Associated Press
MADISON, Wis. (AP) — Smoke from Canadian wildfires has prompted health warnings across the upper Midwest for the second straight year.
Fires raging in British Columbia and Alberta sent the haze over parts of Montana, the Dakotas, Minnesota and Wisconsin on Sunday, lingering into Monday morning.
Great Lakes Now
https://www.greatlakesnow.org/2024/05/canadian-wildfire-smoke-chokes-upper-midwest-for-second-straight-year/
White House official and chair of the White House Council on Environmental Quality, Brenda Mallory, visited Minnesota’s Tartan High School on May 6 to tour the area known as “ground zero” for PFAS contamination. The Lake Elmo school is located in a “plume” created by Minnesota multinational chemical giant, 3M.
Great Lakes Now
https://www.greatlakesnow.org/2024/05/pfas-news-roundup-white-house-official-visits-minnesota-high-school-in-town-known-as-ground-zero-for-pfas/
By Zach Lassen
This article was republished here with permission from Planet Detroit.
This story is from Planet Detroit’s Neighborhood Reporting Lab, where community reporters write about health and climate issues in their neighborhood. Neighborhood Reporting Lab is supported by the Americana and Kresge Foundations.
Great Lakes Now
https://www.greatlakesnow.org/2024/05/meet-the-man-who-has-been-cleaning-the-rouge-river-for-35-years/
Jerry Dennis wasn’t seeking adventure when as a novice sailor he joined a veteran captain and crew to sail from Traverse City to the Atlantic Ocean. He was looking for a deeper understanding of the Great Lakes, but adventure found him.
Similarly, he wasn’t seeking notoriety when he wrote The Living Great Lakes: Searching for the Heart of the Inland Seas, which was based on the sailing adventure.
Great Lakes Now
https://www.greatlakesnow.org/2024/05/michigan-author-reflects-on-20th-anniversary-of-landmark-book-the-living-great-lakes/
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.
Walking around Traverse City, it’s hard to miss the yard signs with a smiling cartoon bee proclaiming “No Mow May.”
The signs are part of a conservation initiative aimed at raising awareness of how lawn care can impact pollinators and plant life.
Great Lakes Now
https://www.greatlakesnow.org/2024/05/no-mow-may-grows-in-traverse-city/
This story 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.
As spring unfolds its vibrant hues, what better way to celebrate the season than by embracing the often overlooked splendor of dandelions and violets?
Great Lakes Now
https://www.greatlakesnow.org/2024/05/foragings-spring-backyard-splendor-dandelions-and-violets/
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.
Lake whitefish is an important commercial fishery in Lake Erie and is culturally and economically important to local First Nations.
Great Lakes Now
https://www.greatlakesnow.org/2024/05/great-lakes-moment-detroit-rivers-important-role-in-lake-whitefish/
By Native News Online Staff, 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/2024/05/new-interagency-agreement-supports-water-tribal-water-and-sanitation-projects/
There’s been plenty of federal attention aimed at the Great Lakes region over the past couple of weeks. The Biden administration last Thursday announced four new “workforce hubs” in Upstate New York, Michigan, Milwaukee and Philadelphia. The hubs — which join the five announced last year in Columbus, Baltimore, Pittsburgh, Augusta, and Phoenix — are intended to help communities access training for jobs in the clean energy space.
Great Lakes Now
https://www.greatlakesnow.org/2024/05/energy-news-roundup-federal-money-pours-in-to-accelerate-energy-transition/
By Meghan Rutigliano
This article was republished here with permission from Planet Detroit.
This story is from Planet Detroit’s Neighborhood Reporting Lab, where community reporters write about health and climate issues in their neighborhood. Neighborhood Reporting Lab is supported by the Americana and Kresge Foundations.
Great Lakes Now
https://www.greatlakesnow.org/2024/05/a-detroit-renters-quest-for-drinking-water-clarity/
By Maria Parazo Rose
This story was originally published by Grist. Sign up for Grist’s weekly newsletter here.”
This story is published as part of the Global Indigenous Affairs Desk, an Indigenous-led collaboration between Grist, High Country News, ICT, Mongabay, Native News Online, and APTN.
Great Lakes Now
https://www.greatlakesnow.org/2024/05/indigenous-peoples-rush-to-stop-false-climate-solutions-ahead-of-next-international-climate-meeting/
By Kelly House, Bridge Michigan
The Great Lakes News Collaborative includes Bridge Michigan; Circle of Blue; Great Lakes Now at Detroit PBS; 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/2024/05/new-study-great-lakes-beaches-are-littered-with-plastic-trash/
There are a lot of eyes on Michigan’s Palisades nuclear power plant as the public and private sectors try, together, to bring it back from the dead.
Plenty of nuclear reactors in the United States have successfully started back up after prolonged stretches of inactivity. The difference is that every other nuclear plant that restarted after an extended outage retained its operating license, meaning that it had to comply with strict federal maintenance standards, even at the times when it wasn’t sending electricity out onto the grid.
Great Lakes Now
https://www.greatlakesnow.org/2024/05/the-murky-process-of-reopening-palisades-and-why-its-a-turning-point-for-nuclear/
