Years into Michigan’s PFAS contamination crisis, little is known about how the chemicals affect the fish and wildlife that live in tainted environments. Michigan has become a laboratory for answers.
Kelly House
Kelly House covers Michigan's environment for Bridge Michigan, with a focus on the Great Lakes, climate change, industrial pollution, water quality and wildlife. She joined Bridge in March 2020 after reporting for the Oregonian, where her coverage earned national honors and sparked efforts to better protect Oregon's natural resources. Kelly holds a master's degree in environmental law from Lewis & Clark Law School and a bachelor's in journalism from Michigan State University.
Kelly grew up in Harrison and is based in Lansing.
Posted inMichigan Environment Watch
Invasive mussels now control key Great Lakes nutrients, threatening fish
Three decades since the first quagga mussels appeared in the Great Lakes, the invasive bivalves have become so prolific, they control a key nutrient that sustains aquatic life.
Posted inMichigan Environment Watch
Long odds, short season: Michigan sturgeon a zany conservation success
Ice fishers carrying spears converged on Black Lake Saturday for what amounted to a two-hour fishing season. It’s part of a creative recovery effort that’s helping to bring the state’s sturgeon population back from the brink.
Posted inMichigan Environment Watch
Michigan is on thin ice. Get used to it, climate experts say.
The Great Lakes Ice cover is near record lows and expected to remain low through winter. Climatologists say unless society acts now, the warming trend will leave some bays ice-free by midcentury, threatening key ecosystems and the state’s $2.3 billion recreational fishing industry.
Posted inMichigan Environment Watch
How we know Michigan will lose lake ice if we don’t change our ways
Ice cover can change dramatically from one year to the next, but the historical record is clear on warming trends in the Great Lakes. Professor Sapna Sharma of York University in Toronto explains the scientific basis for the dire predictions.
Posted inMichigan Environment Watch
Michigan grants Enbridge key permits to build Line 5 tunnel under Straits
State environmental officials acknowledge public concerns about the proposed tunnel, but said state law limited their nine-month review to a narrow question: Would tunnel construction activities comply with Michigan’s environmental laws? Substantial legal obstacles remain for the company.
Posted inMichigan Environment Watch
Michigan cities must begin replacing lead pipes. But who has the cash?
Under a Snyder-era reform following the Flint water crisis, Michigan utilities must begin switching out lead service lines this month, part of a 20-year project. But some already are seeking extensions and some cash-strapped cities are reluctant to have vulnerable ratepayers shoulder the burden.
Posted inMichigan Environment Watch
Q&A: How to protect against lead as Michigan waits for new water pipes
Dr. Mona Hanna-Attisha, the pediatrician who helped uncover the Flint water crisis, said Michigan’s lead service line replacement program is a major stride toward reducing lead exposure. But Michigan residents need not wait to start protecting themselves from lead-tainted water.
Posted inMichigan Environment Watch
Flint residents unimpressed by Snyder charges linked to lead poisoning
Years after a cost-cutting move resulted in lead-poisoned drinking water in Flint, residents said they are furious that the governor who placed their city under emergency control won’t face more serious charges.
Posted inMichigan Government
Rick Snyder, top aides expected to face charges in Flint water crisis
Prosecutors are expected to bring new charges Thursday against a host of public officials in the poisoning of Flint. Residents welcome the charges, but attorneys call the case a ‘debacle’ and ‘trial by ambush.’