Don’t forget to pack a life jacket and update yourself on water safety precautions before the holiday weekend. Drownings are up across the Great Lakes and state officials are urging beachgoers to prioritize safety.
The seabird, which feasts on alewifes in the Great Lakes, is thought to be particularly susceptible to spreading disease because they nest closely together.
The food web in lakes Michigan and Huron has changed in ways that jeopardize age-old fishing traditions and raise questions about how we’ve managed them. Now negotiators are updating a legal settlement that spells out where and how much lake whitefish and lake trout can be harvested.
State officials this spring declared Saginaw Bay "impaired" due to nutrient pollution. Farmers like Steve Tait are now working to convince fellow farmers that no-till and other soil-conservation practices are profitable, along with good for the environment.
Unless policymakers make a lasting commitment to groundwater protection and stewardship, Michigan will suffer from a degraded resource unable to serve the state’s needs.
Customers get cheaper, cleaner water when communities share the cost of infrastructure. But Michigan’s experience shows how political conflicts and logistical challenges can complicate the math.
Septic systems are common around Elk Lake and many other lake communities. If they’re maintained, they usually manage to keep bacteria and viruses in check. But failing systems can allow contaminated water to seep into nearby bodies of water.
Michigan cities rich and poor, big and small have been delaying maintenance on their water systems for decades. Now, even wealthy towns are suffering the consequences of past reluctance to pay for water system upkeep.
On May 11, Bridge Michigan environment reporter Kelly House and Circle of Blue’s Brett Walton will moderate a Zoom discussion about the crisis of crumbling water infrastructure in our state and region.
Great Lakes invasive species cling to shipments and navigate canals to migrate, but one aquatic invader — sea lamprey — benefitted from border closures instead.