Next week, scientists from across the Great Lakes will fan out to take a snapshot of winter beneath the ice. Here’s what we know about how climate change is affecting Great Lakes winters, and how research can help.
Upper Peninsula
Posted inMichigan Environment Watch
Michigan lawmakers to DNR: Set a wolf hunt now. State wants to wait.
The Michigan House passed a resolution supporting a wolf hunt but the DNR says it needs more time and federal clarity before deciding.
Posted inBusiness Watch
Cargo delays in Michigan renew calls for new Great Lakes icebreaking ships
A shortage of U.S. Coast Guard icebreakers left sailors stranded and caused several cargo delays affecting Great Lakes ports. Federal officials are looking for a solution by March.
Posted inMichigan Environment Watch
Michigan moves to expand bobcat hunting as other states eye restrictions
Bobcats nearly vanished after the logging boom of the 1880s. Now that populations are rebounding, the state is proposing to allow hunting and trapping in the southern Lower Peninsula.
Posted inMichigan Government
Michigan DNR camping reservations up 8 percent. Book now for busy sites.
Popularity of outdoor activities hasn’t abated since the pandemic. State officials say sites such as Grand Haven, Ludington and Young state parks generally sell out.
Posted inTalent & Education
At U.P. school, many students felt fine, but 1-in-6 tested COVID positive
The more school officials tested, the more COVID cases they found among mostly asymptomatic students at Norwood Elementary in the western Upper Peninsula, underscoring the challenges schools face keeping kids in class amid omicron.
Posted inBusiness Watch
Much of Michigan is rural. What will it take for small towns to thrive?
The areas are struggling economically because of population losses and other issues. State officials hope a new office of rural development will stem the decline.
Posted inMichigan Government
Jesus Hitler, an ‘adrenaline junkie’ and the plot to train Michigan neo-Nazis
How two troubled young men tried to start a separatist compound — and what it says about the white-power movement in Michigan.
Posted inMichigan Environment Watch
Study: Fish can recover from mercury pollution faster than thought
The results, published this week in the journal Nature, showed that mercury levels in plankton and fish fell more quickly than expected once new sources of mercury were cut off.
Posted inMichigan Environment Watch
$1B windfall fuels toxic cleanup of Great Lakes, but uphill battle looms
Cleaning sites like the Detroit River and Saginaw Bay is a priority for spending new funding for the Great Lakes Restoration Initiative. Advocates say the money is a good start but much more is needed.