Nine beaches in Michigan are closed and under contamination advisories after heavy rainfall washes in harmful bacteria.
Great Lakes
Posted inMichigan Environment Watch
Birds in Great Lakes, elsewhere in peril: ‘We need to pay attention’
Bird populations are declining at alarming rates due to disease, pollution and habitat loss. That should be a warning to all of us.
Posted inMichigan Environment Watch
In warming Great Lakes region, water, heat can be an unhealthy combination
From mosquitoes to sewer overflows, the heat and moisture of a changing climate are creating new health threats in the Great Lakes region, prompting a call to educate residents and doctors about the risks.
Posted inMichigan Environment Watch
Robots at work cleaning trash from Michigan beaches
Detroit joins several communities across the state and nationwide that host BeBot, a robot that can pick up plastic and other trash buried a few inches deep in the sand.
Posted inGuest Commentary
Opinion | Line 5 is unnecessary and poses a catastrophic risk to Great Lakes
In addition to the multibillion-dollar costs of constructing a tunnel under the Great Lakes and rerouting the decaying pipeline around the Bad River Band, the Line 5 project presents enormous environmental risks.
Posted inMichigan Environment Watch
Lake Michigan beach goes high-tech to curb drownings from rip tides
A new electronic beach safety system at Grand Haven State Park automatically calls 911 in an emergency. It’s the latest attempt to prevent Great Lakes drownings that claim dozens of lives each year.
Posted inMichigan Environment Watch
Return of bald eagles to the Great Lakes could hold lessons for humans
The pesticide DDT nearly wiped out North America’s bald eagles. Communities, scientists and politicians worked hard to bring this symbolic bird back from the brink. Efforts to save the species hold lessons for other environmental challenges.
Posted inBusiness Watch
Cruising the Great Lakes: 20,000 passengers expected to set sail in '24
Ponant’s Le Champlain joins the lineup of cruise ships operating in Michigan this year. Six cruise lines with eight ships operate in the Great Lakes.
Posted inMichigan Environment Watch
Toxic Great Lakes algae makes Michigan sick. But remedy may be near
Growing concern over health risks posed by harmful algal blooms in Lake Erie prompts scientists to study a potential treatment found in an unlikely place: the lake.
Posted inMichigan Environment Watch
Lawsuit accuses EPA of failing to prevent harmful algal blooms in Lake Erie
An EPA consent order doesn’t measure how much phosphorus from sources like manure is flowing into the water, primarily from unregulated large-scale animal feeding operations, the city of Toledo and Lucas County say.