For years there was great disagreement about the presence of cougars in Michigan, and now one photogenic cat keeps dismissing the naysayers by strutting in front of trail cameras in the Upper Peninsula.
The Michigan Department of Natural Resources confirmed a radio-collared cougar on Nov. 17 caught on camera in northern Houghton County. They consider it to be the same one caught on camera twice before.
“This is the third time this animal has been captured on trail cameras in the Upper Peninsula,” said Adam Bump in a prepared statement. Bump is a …

Great Lakes photographers have the opportunity to have their work displayed in the 2012-2013 Wisconsin’s Great Lakes Calendar published by the Wisconsin Department of Natural Resources.
The Great Lakes Photo Contest has four entry categories: natural features and wildlife, people enjoying Wisconsin’s Great Lakes, historic and cultural features and lake protection activities. Contestants can submit up to three photos.
The contest is open through Feb. 1, 2012. Send your photos of Wisconsin’s Great Lakes – Lake Michigan, Lake Superior and their wetlands and tributaries – to DNRGreatLakesPhotoContest@wisconsin.gov. Photos must be taken in …

Following on the heels of an Emerald Ash Borer infestation that wiped out millions of ash trees, a new disease, dubbed Thousand Cankers Disease (TCD), has been decimating black walnuts in the western U.S. – and now it’s spreading east.

As an angler and mandolin player, I’ve often wondered what it is about the two seemingly disparate hobbies that draws me to them.
And I’m not alone. Most anglers I know have an acoustic lying around somewhere, and most guitar pickers I know have some pretty good trout stories.
Well, that’s research for another day. But Bret Shaw, an environmental communication specialist at the University of Wisconsin-Extension, is looking to tap into this connection to prevent the spread of aquatic invasive species in the Great Lakes region.
Shaw worked with a group of …

Ohio Gov. John Kasich has proposed a compromise to a controversial law, and the new bill highlights the complexities around the region’s water compact.

The Great Lakes face harm from overuse, according to a new report from the Great Lakes Commission that explores the connection between energy production and water.

Two Michigan departments regulate fenced in deer farms.

Some farmers are unhappy with the DNR’s role, and a new bill would make the Department of Agriculture and Rural Development solely responsible for the farms.

Recent Changes in Great Lakes Fisheries

University of Wisconsin Sea Grant fisheries expert Phil Moy explains how the Great Lakes fisheries have changed in the last 25 years. With more invasive species and less phosphorus pollution, Great Lakes fish species face new challenges. With the incoming carp invasion, they’ll face even more.
(Featured image: EPA)

What Will Round Gobies Do to Great Lakes Streams?

The invasive round goby are making their way from the Great Lakes into some Wisconsin streams. The University of Wisconsin Sea Grant takes a look at which streams the fish will invade, how they’ll affect stream ecosystems and what you can do to stop their spread.
(Featured image: USGS Great Lakes Science Center)

Algae photo bioreactors are providing algae researchers a controlled environment to study algae and see which kinds could someday fuel a car.