Great Lakes Echo (https://greatlakesecho.org/author/clincolnhol/)
By Clara Lincolnhol
The Department of Natural Resources is encouraging residents to report bat roosts. These are the places where bats sleep and raise their babies like chimneys, trees and bridges. DNR bat specialist John DePue says the Michigan Bat Roost Monitoring Program will collect data that will help scientists better understand bat behavior and improve conservation methods.
By Clara Lincolnhol
A very round white throated sparrow is the heavyweight champion of the 2025 Wisconsin Fat Bird Week contest. The bird, coined the “spherical white-throated sparrow,” won by a landslide, receiving 72% of the vote in the final round against its nearest competitor, a “rotund ruby-throated hummingbird.”
By Clara Lincolnhol Many Ontario farmers acknowledge the positive benefits of sustainable farming practices but don’t have the manpower to actually adopt them, according to a study published by the University of Waterloo.
By Clara Lincolnhol
Writer Tamara Dean left the city for a rural life in Wisconsin’s Driftless Area, a region known for dodging the glaciers that carved the landscape of the surrounding states and the Great Lakes 10,000 years ago.
By Clara Lincolnhol
Climate change is making it easier for Great Lakes water birds to get sick, according to a recent University of Illinois study. Data from the last 50 years shows an increase in avian disease as climate change worsens, said study co-author Nathan Alexander.
By Clara Lincolnhol
Ice fishing has returned to Lake Erie this year after several seasons of thin ice and open water. Business owners and anglers have noted an increase in activity, with some reporting higher turnout than in previous years. At the same time, changing ice conditions in recent years have raised questions about long-term trends on the Great Lakes.
By Clara Lincolnhol
Toledo, Ohio, has a rich Rust Belt history that influences its present-day culture. Local environmental groups and agencies are turning to public art to teach residents that the area’s natural history is just as important.
“Telling this story through something visual that beautifies a community is a great way to educate Toledo residents and reconnect them to nature in the place they call home, said Rob Krain,” executive director for the Black Swamp Conservancy.
By Clara Lincolnhol
Chris Compton, owner of a company called Goose Busters, has spent nearly 30 years addressing human-goose conflicts. Over the years, the goose population has continued to grow, especially in more populated areas, he said.
“We have them all over,” he said. “They’re building up in Lansing quite a bit. Ann Arbor’s a big area. Troy, Detroit, Rochester Hills and Auburn Hills too.”
That also means there’s a lot of goose poop. One adult goose can produce up to two pounds of feces a day. Too much waste could cause environmental problems, research shows.
By Clara Lincolnhol
Ohio took a beating from a record-breaking 73 tornadoes in 2024. Twisters and other severe weather events are becoming more common in the Midwest due to climate change, and seniors are more at risk. As the threat from major storms grows, roughly one in five older adults living in central Ohio say they feel unprepared or uncertain of their readiness for a severe weather event, according to a recent study conducted by The Ohio State University. The study surveyed more than 1,400 individuals aged 65 and older living in eight counties to gauge their preparedness for a severe weather event. Questions were based on storm-readiness recommendations from the Federal Emergency Management Agency.
Overall, 78% of participants said they felt prepared for severe weather, 13% said they did not and 9% felt unsure.
The study also asked individuals if severe weather caused them significant life disruptions, such as preventing them from getting to doctor’s appointments or from accessing medication or other vital supplies.
By Clara Lincolnhol
As the gales of November approach, social media users are channeling a famous Great Lakes shipwreck as tongue-in-cheek inspiration for a new fall aesthetic. It began with a video comedian Django Gold posted to TikTok in September. “Brat Summer is over. It’s time for Wreck of the Edmund Fitzgerald Fall,” Gold says in the short video, which has nearly 23,000 likes. Gordon Lightfoot’s song “The Wreck of the Edmund Fitzgerald” plays in the background.