The Great Lakes piping plover recovery effort has been ongoing since the mid-1980s when the population got as low as a dozen nesting pairs. This year, the number reached 85 nesting pairs for the first time.
Lester Graham, Michigan Public
A guest author for Bridge Magazine.
Posted inMichigan Environment Watch
Will the money come to finish the Soo Lock expansion in Michigan?
The lock construction is facing an upcoming financial deadline. Under the current Continuing Resolution budget in Washington, the money for the new lock needs to be allocated before Sept. 25.
Posted inMichigan Environment Watch
Keeping the $5.5 billion Michigan fishery afloat
Research on all kinds of fish is conducted in labs around the Great Lakes region. The different state agencies have agreed to a Joint Strategic Plan that compiles their data to provide a big picture of the fisheries in the lakes.
Posted inMichigan Environment Watch
Restoring Michigan rivers by cleaning up, removing crumbling dams
Michigan has been removing more of its obsolete dams in recent years to bring rivers back to their natural state. The process isn’t easy.
Posted inMichigan Environment Watch
Feds spend big on urban tree-planting in Michigan. Will residents get a say?
Michigan is getting $33 million to spend on urban forestry, which can help mitigate heat waves fueled by climate change. The question is whether government can do a better job engaging with communities in the process.
Posted inMichigan Environment Watch
Michigan communities consider installing solar panels on water
Solar panels on plastic rafts are linked and anchored to the bottom of a lake. Michigan hasn’t issued any permits yet, but Ann Arbor, Pittsfield Township and Plainfield Charter Township have looked into the idea.
Posted inMichigan Environment Watch
Birders flock to Lansing for urgent plea: Help before it’s too late
Audubon Great Lakes members held an advocacy day for the first time in Michigan. Wetlands topped the agenda, but was just one item in a list to improve the environment.
Posted inMichigan Environment Watch
Birds in Great Lakes, elsewhere in peril: ‘We need to pay attention’
Bird populations are declining at alarming rates due to disease, pollution and habitat loss. That should be a warning to all of us.
Posted inMichigan Environment Watch
In warming Great Lakes region, water, heat can be an unhealthy combination
From mosquitoes to sewer overflows, the heat and moisture of a changing climate are creating new health threats in the Great Lakes region, prompting a call to educate residents and doctors about the risks.
Posted inMichigan Environment Watch
Can Michigan reduce phosphorus pollution getting into Lake Erie by 40%?
Michigan won’t reach the phosphorus reduction goal by 2025 as planned. It’s uncertain when it might attain that goal to help reduce cyanobacterial blooms in Lake Erie.