This week’s can’t-miss journalism about Michigan’s natural resources.
Michigan Environment Watch
Michigan Environment Watch examines how public policy, industry, and other factors interact with the state’s trove of natural resources.
Great Lakes News Collaborative
Bridge Michigan, Circle of Blue, Great Lakes Now at Detroit Public Television, The Narwhal and Michigan Public work together to report on the most pressing threats to the Great Lakes region’s water. This independent journalism is supported by the Charles Stewart Mott Foundation. You can find all of the collaborative’s stories here.
Shockwave
The Great Lakes region is in the midst of a seismic energy shakeup, from skyrocketing data center demand and a nuclear energy boom, to expanding renewables and electrification. In 2026, the Great Lakes News Collaborative will explore how shifting supply and demand affect the region and its waters. Read the series here.
Posted inMichigan Environment Watch
Enbridge to build $350M tunnel to protect Line 5 in Straits of Mackinac
Gov. Rick Snyder announces that he won’t seek shutdown of controversial oil pipeline, opting instead for an agreement with its owners, Enbridge Energy, to protect it with a tunnel.
Posted inMichigan Environment Watch
Monarch butterflies need saving in Michigan. Fenton woman does her part.
Climate change, loss of habitat and destruction of milkweed are plunging populations of monarch butterflies, which are vital to the ecosystem.
Posted inMichigan Environment Watch
Michigan groundwater emergency threatens fish, drinking water, way of life
From PFAS to leaking septic tanks and farm runoff, Michigan’s most precious resource – its fresh water – is under assault from a host of threats. A new report says the crisis doesn’t receive the urgency it deserves.
Posted inMichigan Environment Watch
Lack of oversight allows leaky septic systems to befoul Michigan waters
One in three homes in Michigan is hooked up to septic systems, and the state is one of a few in the nation without laws governing residential units.
Posted inMichigan Environment Watch
Dry wells, salty crops forced Ottawa County to confront groundwater crisis
Booming development declines aquifers, making them more polluted with dangerous nitrates. Even though Michigan is home to the Great Lakes, some communities are learning the wells can run dry.
Posted inMichigan Environment Watch
Michigan PFAS by the numbers: How much is unsafe?
Confusion runs rampant about PFAS dangers. The federal government and states can’t agree on how much is unsafe for states. Here’s a primer on what’s known so far.
Posted inMichigan Environment Watch
Forty years ago, Michigan had one of worst mass poisonings in U.S. history
A mixup in livestock supplements forever changed the course of history in Kalkaska County, sickening tens of thousands of cows and causing health complications to humans that may still linger.
Posted inMichigan Environment Watch
Online broadcast to discuss Michigan groundwater emergency on Oct. 1
Bridge and its partners, Circle of Blue and Detroit Public Television, will host an interactive broadcast to discuss pollution threats that affect millions worldwide.
Posted inMichigan Environment Watch
A slow-moving ‘disaster’ is threatening Lake Superior and way of life
The Buffalo Reef in the Keweenaw Peninsula teems with lake trout and whitefish. But a mountain of waste from a closed mine is slowly seeping into the water, prompting a desperate search for a solution.