Echo’s Top 10 Stories of 2017

Great Lakes news has had quite a year. Image: Wikimedia Commons

As the year comes to a close, we’re reflecting on the stories 2017 brought us. It’s been quite a year for the Great Lakes, with politics at the center of a lot of news. But features on exciting new technology and art celebrating the region and its ecology filled our year as well.

Some of our stories made more of a splash than others. Here are our most read stories published in 2017.

Echo’s Top 10 Stories of 2017

1. Lantern litter threatens livestock, wildlife, environment
2. Usually the villain, invasive species odd hero for native fish
3. The state of the Great Lakes: What to expect from climate change
4. Underwater photographer captures forgotten stories beneath Great Lakes
5. In Pursuit of Plants: poaching orchids
6. Lake Superior loses ground in water clarity
7. Five-year horse doping lawsuit not over yet
8. Searching for bee veterinarians
9. Prehistory found deep in Lake Huron
10. Unique lake trout could help restore Lake Michigan population

Stories published in past years continue to draw traffic as well. This article about bull sharks in the Great Lakes would have taken the number one spot in the above list. A round up of each Great Lake’s best assets would have placed fifth, and a 2009 story about alewives would have come in sixth.

Thanks for reading Echo in 2017. We’re eagerly anticipating the stories 2018 holds in store–ready to continue delivering thoughtful reporting on the Great Lakes region.