Years into Michigan’s PFAS contamination crisis, little is known about how the chemicals affect the fish and wildlife that live in tainted environments. Michigan has become a laboratory for answers.
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
Invasive mussels now control key Great Lakes nutrients, threatening fish
Three decades since the first quagga mussels appeared in the Great Lakes, the invasive bivalves have become so prolific, they control a key nutrient that sustains aquatic life.
Posted inMichigan Environment Watch
COVID brings Michigan a hunting boom. What that means for conservation.
After years of decline, the sale of state hunting and fishing licenses soared in 2020, particularly among young people. But some question if this marks a trend or a blip, and whether Michigan needs a new, more reliable model for funding conservation.
Posted inMichigan Environment Watch
Long odds, short season: Michigan sturgeon a zany conservation success
Ice fishers carrying spears converged on Black Lake Saturday for what amounted to a two-hour fishing season. It’s part of a creative recovery effort that’s helping to bring the state’s sturgeon population back from the brink.
Posted inMichigan Environment Watch
Michigan is on thin ice. Get used to it, climate experts say.
The Great Lakes Ice cover is near record lows and expected to remain low through winter. Climatologists say unless society acts now, the warming trend will leave some bays ice-free by midcentury, threatening key ecosystems and the state’s $2.3 billion recreational fishing industry.
Posted inMichigan Environment Watch
How we know Michigan will lose lake ice if we don’t change our ways
Ice cover can change dramatically from one year to the next, but the historical record is clear on warming trends in the Great Lakes. Professor Sapna Sharma of York University in Toronto explains the scientific basis for the dire predictions.
Posted inMichigan Environment Watch
Michigan grants Enbridge key permits to build Line 5 tunnel under Straits
State environmental officials acknowledge public concerns about the proposed tunnel, but said state law limited their nine-month review to a narrow question: Would tunnel construction activities comply with Michigan’s environmental laws? Substantial legal obstacles remain for the company.
Posted inMichigan Environment Watch
Michigan cities must begin replacing lead pipes. But who has the cash?
Under a Snyder-era reform following the Flint water crisis, Michigan utilities must begin switching out lead service lines this month, part of a 20-year project. But some already are seeking extensions and some cash-strapped cities are reluctant to have vulnerable ratepayers shoulder the burden.
Posted inMichigan Environment Watch
Q&A: How to protect against lead as Michigan waits for new water pipes
Dr. Mona Hanna-Attisha, the pediatrician who helped uncover the Flint water crisis, said Michigan’s lead service line replacement program is a major stride toward reducing lead exposure. But Michigan residents need not wait to start protecting themselves from lead-tainted water.
Posted inMichigan Environment Watch
Years after Flint water crisis, lead lingers in school buildings across the nation
The federal appropriations bill for the 2021 fiscal year, signed into law this week, included $26.5 million to test for lead in schools and child care centers, a nod to the legacy of the Flint water crisis, which lifted the issue of lead in drinking water into the national spotlight.