University of Michigan researchers have confirmed increasing cold snaps and heat waves on the Great Lakes.
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
Michigan farmers battle climate change in quest for perfect corn
Climate change is fueling conditions across several states that make watching the corn grow a nail-biter for farmers.
Posted inMichigan Environment Watch
Off-trail ORVs destroy Michigan ecosystems and the DNR can’t keep up
State trails leaders said the money they have to fix the woods barely scratches the surface of the damage caused by off-trail ORVs.
Posted inMichigan Environment Watch
Michigan Senate OKs plan to curtail hazardous waste and trash imports
Plan approved by the Michigan Senate would curtail the state’s hazardous waste industry by raising disposal fees, banning the disposal of some radioactive waste and pausing approvals for new facilities. It now heads to the House.
Posted inMichigan Environment Watch
As mussels ravage Great Lakes whitefish, Lake Superior survives — for now
Chemistry, cold water and isolation make it hard for invasive mussels to get a foothold in the Big Lake. But a spate of recent outbreaks from Isle Royale to Canada’s Nipigon Bay have scientists unnerved.
Posted inMichigan Environment Watch
Michigan’s whitefish crisis: Your questions answered
If whitefish are in such dire straits, why is it still legal to fish them? And why can’t humans just eat all the mussels that are causing the whitefish collapse? Bridge Michigan has answers.
Posted inMichigan Environment Watch
Michigan’s Barn Sanctuary champions compassion and conservation
The Barn Sanctuary in Chelsea rescues farm animals and practices eco-friendly agricutlure.
Posted inMichigan Environment Watch
Crumbling UP dam reveals potential risks of private hydroelectric ownership
An Upper Peninsula community is worried an aging dam that holds back a lake and feeds a river might not get the necessary repairs to make it safe. Since a 2020 dam failure in mid-Michigan, little has been done to increase oversight of dams in the state.
Posted inMichigan Environment Watch
Trump administration extends order to keep Michigan coal plant open
Citing an “energy emergency,” the administration has ordered Consumers Energy to keep the JH Campbell coal plant open for another 90 days, delaying a planned retirement that was supposed to save Michigan ratepayers $600 million.
Posted inMichigan Environment Watch
Report: States like Michigan ‘simply not prepared’ for data center water demand
The report from the regional Alliance for the Great Lakes warned states risk overtaxing water supplies if they rush to woo the computing facilities without closely studying whether aquifers and water utilities can handle the new use.