Harmful algal blooms are likely to persist on Lake Erie, primarily due to climate change, land use, invasive species and farming practices.

An active storm season this May and June may be a contributing factor.

Skateboarders promote sustainability by caring for the structures and surroundings that foster their passion, according to a sociologist at the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign. This is shown by general concern for keeping urban environments clean and usable and specific practices like applying wax to upkeep ledges and rails.

That’s disconcerting for environmentalists, who call the limit arbitrary and worry it will render the state unable to cope with rising demand for public land.

Each week, Great Lakes Echo features a photo story about a different Area of Concern designated by the U.S. or Canadian governments in the Great Lakes basin. Guess where the area is located, based on the description of the site.

We’ve got a GLEC and now a GLAB.

What’s the next regional group to emerge?

How about a commission charged with whittling the list of Great Lakes agencies, boards, committees, initiatives, councils and collaboratives?

Wildlife researchers cut the population of gulls on Lake Michigan beaches by sterilizing their eggs. The birds tried hatching them instead of laying new ones.

Michigan and other Great Lakes states are weighing wolf hunting seasons.

Michigan wolves, numbering less than 1,000, were taken off the Michigan endangered species list in December.

Toxic chemicals clinging to plastics could cause health problems for fish and other organisms in the Great Lakes.

Researchers are studying if plastic particles may distribute the chemicals which otherwise accumulate in sediments.

Detroit was listed in the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency’s 2012 top 25 cities with the most ENERGY STAR rated buildings. It ranked 19th with 100 ENERGY STAR buildings.

Each week, Great Lakes Echo features a photo story about a different Area of Concern designated by the U.S. or Canadian governments in the Great Lakes basin. Guess where the area is located, based on the description of the site.