Officials in Copper Country are rushing to unclog culverts before the next round of heavy rain or melting snow again swamps homes. Some residents are calling for more dramatic action to reshape dangerous drainage systems dating back to mining boom days.
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
Slideshow | Michigan’s Upper Peninsula picks up pieces after epic floods
View photos as Copper Country recovers from this summer’s floods
Posted inMichigan Environment Watch
Hancock nonprofit plays outsized role in Upper Peninsula flood recovery
Few Yoopers will get insurance payouts after the floods, and homeowners have yet to get federal aid. Nearly 500 have applied for a Portage Health Foundation program to fill in those gaps.
Posted inMichigan Environment Watch
Michigan environment roundup: Cancer fears in Oscoda over PFAS
This week’s can’t-miss journalism about Michigan’s natural resources.
Posted inMichigan Environment Watch
Map | Here are confirmed PFAS threats to Michigan water
Residents in a pair of Kalamazoo County townships have been told not to drink their water. They join a growing list of communities where chemical used in Air Force bases, clothing and household items is threatening waterways in Michigan.
Posted inMichigan Environment Watch
Flooding, bacteria prompt mass beach closures throughout U.P., Michigan
A month after the catastrophic floods, advisories or closures remain in place at 17 beaches in Michigan’s Western Upper Peninsula where high levels of bacteria have been detected.
Posted inMichigan Environment Watch
How Michiganders made Grand Traverse Bay beaches cleaner
Beach closures are a big deal near Traverse City, which thrives on tourism. So a nonprofit made it its mission to reduce them
Posted inMichigan Environment Watch
Michigan environment roundup: Endangered butterfly near extinct in Oakland County
This week’s can’t-miss journalism about Michigan’s natural resources.
Posted inMichigan Environment Watch
Michigan to sue 3M as toxic PFAS chemicals taint waters
Gov. Rick Snyder has asked Attorney General Bill Schuette to sue 3M, accusing the chemical giant of continuing to sell toxic products despite knowing dangers.
Posted inMichigan Environment Watch
Environmentalists outraged Michigan warning about PFAS went unheeded
A state bureaucrat first raised concerns about the toxic chemicals in 2012. They’re now a full-blown crisis. Did the state move too slow?