Warming waters are hard on some fish, such as walleye, and more favorable to others, such as smallmouth bass. With so many environmental stresses, it’s difficult to gauge the future of individual lakes.
Inland waters
Posted inMichigan Environment Watch
Wary of water safety, Michigan residents want stronger regulation
Polling by The Center for Michigan of more than 3,100 residents shows broad support for increased regulations to protect waterways and heightened anxieties about their safety.
Posted inMichigan Environment Watch
Higgins Lake’s crystal waters are under threat. Blame poop (and other stuff)
It’s not just Higgins Lake. Leaky septic systems and fertilizers are leading to a growth of algae in northern Michigan’s clear water lakes and could require big-time investments to fix.
Posted inMichigan Environment Watch
Invasive plants choke Michigan waters. So why can anyone order them online?
Residents can order invasive plants through specialty websites, even though they are illegal in Michigan. Is there a better way to protect the state’s fish, waters and tourism industry?
Posted inMichigan Environment Watch
GOP donor’s plans to dredge Grand River meet rough waters in West Michigan
The husband of former Secretary of State Terri Lynn Land wants the state to dredge the river near Grand Rapids to allow power boats to reach Lake Michigan. Environmentalists are crying foul.
Posted inMichigan Environment Watch
Booster downplays dredging conflicts: ‘People are allowed to make money’
A powerhouse Republican donor is championing a dredging project that could increase the value of his own land. A former Senate majority leader who steered grants for the project says that’s no big deal.
Posted inMichigan Environment Watch
Fixing typo, Michigan loosens U.P. brook trout limits — for now
Michigan anglers can bag up to 10 brook trout on 33 U.P. streams this season, ranging from a stretch of the Iron River to the north branch of the Pine River. But the relaxed limit could be temporary.
Posted inMichigan Environment Watch
How a typo revived a Michigan fish feud over hungry Yoopers and science
A brouhaha over brook trout has bubbled up in Michigan, pitting older anglers against downstate ones and prompting questions about whether science or special interests sets policy.
Posted inMichigan Environment Watch
Warming temps mean many Michigan lakes won’t freeze in coming years
Climate change means that inland lakes in much of the Lower Peninsula may not regularly freeze during winter, endangering the ecosystem and a way of life.
Posted inMichigan Environment Watch
Michigan Gov. Rick Snyder gets bill to lift protections on small wetlands
The House made major changes to lessen the impact of a bill that would have previously lifted environmental protections on at least 550,000 acres of wetlands and 4,200 lakes.