With the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration forecasting “warmer-than-average” temperatures for parts of the Great Lakes, winter festivals from Metro Detroit to the Western Upper Peninsula are preparing to adapt.
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
Amid Upper Peninsula mining rush, tribe is still living with past pollution
A $2 billion plan to clean up century-old mining waste illustrates how tribes have been uniquely impacted by mining pollution, and why some are skeptical of new mine proposals.
Posted inMichigan Environment Watch
Mining rush brings hope, dread to Upper Peninsula, amid historic energy shift
Decades after the bust, prospectors again descend on Michigan’s northwoods for minerals to make electric batteries. Communities are desperate for jobs. But at what cost?
Posted inMichigan Environment Watch
Mining is back in Michigan’s Upper Peninsula. Here’s how it works
A mining rush is on for minerals used for electric batteries, as the United States undergoes an energy transition. Photos show how the process works.
Posted inMichigan Environment Watch
Activist: Don’t repeat history. Mines won’t save Upper Peninsula or climate
An artist is leading the fight against expanding mining in the western UP. She says society needs a reckoning about consumption, not more heavy extraction.
Posted inMichigan Environment Watch
Retiree: Mining brought good life. Revival would help young Michigan families
The western Upper Peninsula is ‘at the end of the road,’ desperately needs help and should welcome mining with open arms, a retired miner says.
Posted inMichigan Environment Watch
Michigan awards $3 million to help communities plant, maintain trees
The Michigan Department of Natural Resources awarded $3 million in grants to Michigan communities and organizations to plant over 2,000 trees.
Posted inMichigan Environment Watch
Up to 3.2M in Michigan may be getting water from PFAS-tainted aquifers
With lots of domestic well users and plenty of polluting industries, Michiganders are among the nation’s most likely to have ‘forever chemicals’ in their well water, according to a landmark federal study.
Posted inMichigan Environment Watch
Michigan winter may be warm — and wet
Unseasonably warm temperatures in Michigan this year will continue through winter. But it will be wet, too, according to the National Oceanic Atmospheric Administration.
Posted inMichigan Environment Watch
Wildfire spreads 225 acres in Baraga County; danger remains high in Michigan
A fire spreads in the McCormick Wilderness in the Upper Peninsula, as dry conditions increase risks of blazes statewide.