How the region powers its growth will determine the future of the Great Lakes.
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.
Water’s True Cost
As the nation prepares to pour hundreds of billions of federal dollars into rescuing water systems, the Great Lakes News Collaborative investigates the true cost of water in Michigan. Read the series.
Ready or Not
The Great Lakes region is frequently touted as one of the most climate-resilient places in the U.S., in part because of its enviable water resources. But climate change also threatens our water. The Great Lakes News Collaborative explores what it will take to prepare. Read the series.
Posted inMichigan Environment Watch
Ice grips Great Lakes, with Erie nearly fully covered
About 95% percent of Lake Erie is covered in ice, and even half of Lake Superior is too. Bitter cold temperatures have spurred major ice coverage across the Great Lakes, but warmer weather is coming.
Posted inMichigan Environment Watch
Feds take another step toward decision on Line 5 tunnel
The US Army Corps released an environmental review Friday that is the last step toward issuing key permits for the Line 5 tunnel.
Posted inOutdoors Life
Ice caves forming on the Great Lakes, bringing beauty and danger
Natural phenomena on the Great Lakes are beautiful, but adventurers head out on the ice at their own risk.
Posted inMichigan Environment Watch
PFAS levels are declining in Great Lakes fish, new research shows
The study, spearheaded by a federal research office that the Trump administration has since dismantled, shows fish responded quickly after manufacturers stopped using some PFAS compounds.
Posted inMichigan Environment Watch
Invasive sea lamprey declining as control efforts in the Great Lakes resume
Sea lamprey are an invasive species that feed on the blood and bodily fluids of fish. Their numbers in the Great Lakes rose during the COVID-19 pandemic but have dropped to pre-pandemic levels, according to a report.
Posted inMichigan Environment Watch
Line 5 tunnel option ‘rushed’ and unsafe, opponents say
Years into its review of a proposal to move Line 5 from the open water of the Great Lakes into a concrete-lined underground tunnel, the US Army Corps of Engineers has added a new option to the mix.
Posted inMichigan Environment Watch
Watch: Saving Great Lakes whitefish is a race against time
After months spent writing about the looming collapse of whitefish in the lower Great Lakes, Bridge Michigan teamed up with Detroit PBS to tell the story in documentary form. Here’s how to watch.
Posted inMichigan Environment Watch
Michigan lawmakers seek $500M to stop mussels, save Great Lakes whitefish
US Reps. Debbie Dingell and Tim Walberg are planning legislation to boost research to control invasive mussels, following Bridge Michigan reporting about the impending collapse of whitefish.
Posted inOutdoors Life
How a bonus led to Edmund Fitzgerald sinking. And 6 more surprises about ship
The Great Lakes’ most famous shipwreck was 50 years ago. Theories abound, but the Fitzgerald wouldn’t have even been on Lake Superior if not for the medical bills of the captain’s wife.