An endangered Great Lakes shorebird that has survived earlier threats to its habitat now faces new challenges. Report a banded plover and learn more at the Great Lakes Piping Plover website.
Great Lakes
Posted inMichigan Environment Watch
The Great Lakes go digital as smart buoy network launches in Lake Erie
Lake Erie is the first of the Great Lakes getting connected to the internet with a series of offshore ‘smart’ buoys. And it’s not just for sending texts on the water.
Posted inMichigan Environment Watch
Whitefish are on brink in Michigan. Can they learn to love rivers to survive?
A staple for centuries and ‘synonymous with northern Michigan,’ the fish are struggling to reproduce in the Great Lakes. So scientists hope to convince the whitefish to spawn in rivers, away from threats.
Posted inMichigan Environment Watch
After 18 years, Dems aim to restore Michigan pollution regulators' power
For nearly two decades, state law has forbidden environmental regulators from writing new water quality rules. Environmentalists contend that’s putting the public at risk. But business groups fear higher costs if Michigan reverses the ban.
Posted inMichigan Environment Watch
Twenty companies pledge to use all parts of Great Lakes fish by 2025
Fish-leather purses and wallets may make their way into Great Lakes fashion with an initiative to use 100 percent of commercially caught fish by 2025.
Posted inMichigan Environment Watch
Michigan’s state park camping reservations are open and filling up quickly
Campsite reservations are 35 – 80 percent booked through July across Michigan’s state parks.
Posted inMichigan Environment Watch
Warmer winters mean less ice on Lake Michigan, hurting trout and whitefish
All of the Great Lakes are experiencing declining ice coverage in the winter, which could affect recreation and shorelines.
Posted inMichigan Environment Watch
Upper Peninsula dog sled and ski races in peril from higher temps, no snow
Less than one percent of the Great Lakes is currently covered by ice, a steep drop from historic levels. Climate change experts have been warning of its impacts for years, and this year we have El Niño as well.
Posted inMichigan Environment Watch
Great Lakes Compact at 15: How states worked prevented water diversions
“The compact is a step forward for the Great Lakes but it’s just the beginning of a long journey.”
Posted inMichigan Environment Watch
Can Michigan reduce phosphorus pollution getting into Lake Erie by 40%?
Michigan won’t reach the phosphorus reduction goal by 2025 as planned. It’s uncertain when it might attain that goal to help reduce cyanobacterial blooms in Lake Erie.