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.
Great Lakes
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.
Posted inMichigan Environment Watch
After record-warm winter, Michigan may be in for a sweltering summer
Federal forecasters expect above-average temperatures to continue through the fall. That could mean higher fire danger and risk of heat-related illnesses.
Posted inMichigan Environment Watch
Michigan fishers are warned about harmful algae ahead of trout season
Michigan’s trout season starts Saturday, and the DNR is warning fishers about didymo, a type of algae that can be harmful to trout and other fish. New Zealand mudsnails, another invasive species, can also be harmful to trout.
Posted inMichigan Environment Watch
New study: Great Lakes beaches are littered with plastic trash
A group analyzed 20 years of beach cleanup data, finding that 86% of litter is composed at least partially of plastic.
Posted inMichigan Environment Watch
PFAS-tainted foam in Lake Huron prompts citizen outcry
After discovering sky-high PFAS levels in the foam, activists panned state environmental regulators for declining to test it earlier. State officials counter that with hundreds of PFAS sites in Michigan, their resources are stretched thin.
Posted inMichigan Environment Watch
Sault tribe challenges Michigan fishing deal, chides ‘preposterous’ rules
With key species like whitefish nearing the brink of collapse, Michigan’s largest Native American tribe wants fewer restrictions on when, how and where its members can fish. Others contend that would imperil the fishery.