The Coast Guard offered a warning about the Blue Water tradition, warning of ‘significant risk to public safety and property’ for participants.
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
Michigan electronics manufacturers are failing to meet recycling goals
In 2008, Michigan created a law to keep electronic waste out of landfills by requiring manufacturers to ‘take back’ consumers’ old electronics. But the law never set binding goals to keep manufacturers accountable, so more than a decade later, Michigan’s e-waste problem hasn’t improved.
Posted inMichigan Environment Watch
MSU has audacious goal: Cattle production that actually helps water quality
Michigan State’s Jason Rowntree is out to prove that ranching is an ecological asset.
Posted inQuality of Life
Disability rights advocates ask Mackinac Island to allow Class 2 e-bikes
Mackinac Island bans throttle-assisted e-bikes, but attorneys say this denies people with disabilities the right to enjoy the island’s iconic vehicle-free interstate.
Posted inMichigan Environment Watch
The last coal-fired steamship in the US is in Lake Michigan. Look inside.
In this photo essay, take a tour of the SS Badger ferry, which has carried people and freight across Lake Michigan for seven decades.
Posted inMichigan Environment Watch
Court sides with Michigan regulators in poop dispute with big farms
Michigan Supreme Court sides with state regulators who sought to tamp down on manure pollution from big livestock operations. Farm interests said the rules are too onerous.
Posted inMichigan Environment Watch
From pet to 'monster.' The battle to rid Michigan's Glen Lake of giant koi
Koi in private ponds are mesmerizing to watch, but when released into the wild, they compete against native fish for food and damage native plantlife. Glen Lake preservation experts partnered with bowfishers to remove invasive koi and keep the lake’s ecosystem safe.
Posted inMichigan Environment Watch
Michigan EV enthusiasts get ready for 1st all-electric Woodward ‘Clean Cruise’
The inaugural Clean Cruise, an all-electric car cruise and event, will be hitting Woodward Avenue in suburban Detroit on Saturday. With the push to transition to EVs by midcentury, organizers say the event celebrates the future of the automotive industry.
Posted inMichigan Environment Watch
Michigan beaches continue to close amid high E. coli levels
Over a dozen beaches across Michigan have closed or been placed under contamination advisories due to high levels of E. coli after heavy rainfall.
Posted inMichigan Environment Watch
Lawyers hosting town halls to help Flint residents file water crisis claims
Earlier this year, Flint residents reached a $25 million settlement with an engineering firm involved in the city’s water crisis. The co-lead class counsel for the settlement is hosting town halls to assist residents with their claims after many of them have been told they are missing paperwork.