Matt Cimitile, the first reporter at Great Lakes Echo, recently won national recognition for a series of environmental videos.
Matt is a 2009 graduate of the masters program at Michigan State University’s Knight Center for Environmental Journalism.  He is now a writer and multimedia specialist for the United States Geological Survey.
He writes, lectures and otherwise communicates about science and environmental issues researched at that agency’s Coastal and Marine Science Center in St. Petersburg, Fla.
While Matt swapped his beat from freshwater to saltwater when he left the Knight Center, we still think …

Gardens, nonprofits, farms and new businesses have recently bolstered Detroit’s food system but critics say it remains plagued by an old city foe – racism.

The reds, yellows and oranges are fading to brown and falling off, so this will be our last installment of Fall Photo Fridays. A big thanks to all of our leafer-readers who submitted pictures. Next week we’ll return to our regularly scheduled Photo Fridays – so don’t let dying leaves discourage you, and keep those pictures coming!
 

Michigan was recognized with another first place recently with the 2011 National Recreation and Park Association gold medal for top state park system in the nation.
This honor comes after Lake Michigan’s Sleeping Bear Dunes was named the most beautiful place in America in August.
The association considers long-range planning, resource management and addressing the needs of park visitors to make its decision. The other four finalist states are North Carolina, Florida and Missouri.
Programs like the Recreation Passport, an optional $10 fee for Michigan drivers that renew their licenses that gives them …

Grass or grains?

For some farmers, moving cows from the feedlot to the field yields more money for less work.

Lake Erie’s shoreline is falling into the water.

The lake’s Ohio coast is eroding and officials are using a hyper-local approach to stop further environmental and economic damage.

Grass or grains?

For some farmers, moving cows from the feedlot to the field yields more money for less work.

Michigan residents on food assistance are doubling their purchasing power at farmers markets in a program that encourages healthier eating while supporting farmers.

After four decades of research, a University of Wisconsin-Madison researcher has identified Packera insulae-regalis, a flower found only on Isle Royale in Lake Superior, as its very own species.

Grass or grains?

For some farmers, moving cows from the feedlot to the field yields more money for less work.