Michigan Environment Watch

As climate change increasingly shapes the Great Lakes region’s ecology and economy, scientists plan to use underwater robots to gather previously inaccessible data they say will help communities adapt.

A binational group of fisheries experts made the declaration Wednesday, after seven decades of effort to recover the fish from a collapse caused by invasive species and overfishing.

More than 70 townships and counties challenge how Michigan went about implementing a new law allowing the state to overrule local authorities on siting big energy projects.

At the Eagle Mine in Marquette County, a $145 million federal grant-funded project promises to turn dangerous mining waste into valuable metals and chemicals. Proponents hope it signals a new era of cleaner, more efficient mining. But some are skeptical.

Data server farms are big business. But it takes a ton of energy to store data in the cloud, prompting concerns among environmentalists. Michigan is poised to give the servers tens of millions of dollars in tax breaks.

Michigan was hailed as a national leader when it set PFAS drinking water limits in 2020. Now, chemical company 3M wants the limits voided.

The season starts Friday. You asked, we answered: Why isn’t year-round hunting? Why are deer so numerous even with so many hunters? What about a commercial hunt?

The incoming president is expected to resume the environmental rollbacks that were a signature of his first term in office, while prioritizing oil and gas and dismantling Biden-era electric vehicle and climate policies.

Residents who want to avoid raking their leaves this fall may do so with peace of mind. Experts say leaving the leaves can be beneficial for insects and other critters that rely on them.

With the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration forecasting “warmer-than-average” temperatures for parts of the Great Lakes, winter festivals from Metro Detroit to the Western Upper Peninsula are preparing to adapt.

A $2 billion plan to clean up century-old mining waste illustrates how tribes have been uniquely impacted by mining pollution, and why some are skeptical of new mine proposals.

Decades after the bust, prospectors again descend on Michigan’s northwoods for minerals to make electric batteries. Communities are desperate for jobs. But at what cost?

A mining rush is on for minerals used for electric batteries, as the United States undergoes an energy transition. Photos show how the process works.

The western Upper Peninsula is ‘at the end of the road,’ desperately needs help and should welcome mining with open arms, a retired miner says.

An artist is leading the fight against expanding mining in the western UP. She says society needs a reckoning about consumption, not more heavy extraction.

The Michigan Department of Natural Resources awarded $3 million in grants to Michigan communities and organizations to plant over 2,000 trees.

With lots of domestic well users and plenty of polluting industries, Michiganders are among the nation’s most likely to have ‘forever chemicals’ in their well water, according to a landmark federal study.

Unseasonably warm temperatures in Michigan this year will continue through winter. But it will be wet, too, according to the National Oceanic Atmospheric Administration.

A fire spreads in the McCormick Wilderness in the Upper Peninsula, as dry conditions increase risks of blazes statewide.

Several wildfires occurred over the weekend including a 100-acre fire in Baraga County in the Upper Peninsula due to dry conditions.