Great Lakes Echo (https://greatlakesecho.org/author/great-lakes-echo/)
The Michigan DNR received a record 47,493 applications for 260 elk licenses in 2025. The state is considering changes in its regulations for elk hunting season in Pigeon River Country State Forest and an area near Gaylord.
By Akia Thrower
The 2025 State of the Birds report, an evaluation of U.S. birds by conservation organizations, showed a continued decline in bird populations across the nation. The decline is largely due to the habitat loss of wetlands.
By Anna Ironside
Postage stamps featuring wildlife are helping to fund conservation and bring awareness to communities about habitat protection throughout the Great Lakes region by centering species like the wood duck (Aix sponsa), wild turkey (Meleagris gallopavo) and piping plover (Charadrius melodus).
By Joshua Kim
A recent study explores the importance of more diverse viewpoints and ethical considerations when working in archaeology, especially involving Indigenous artifacts.
By Lily Cole
No matter the season, organizations across the Great Lakes region are fighting to keep waterways garbage-free.
By Samantha Ku
A rare ravine ecosystem on Lake Michigan’s western shore is vulnerable to human encroachment. A recent federal grant is supporting restoration efforts in the region.
The 2026 sturgeon season on Black Lake in Michigan lasted all of 48 minutes before the annual quota – six – was reached. There were 653 anglers competing for them.
By Isabella Figueroa Nogueira
A recent study featuring Grand Rapids, Michigan suggests that climate migration may not significantly change how some cities grow.
By Mia Litzenberg
The Six Nations of the Grand River face ongoing water insecurity from pollution, climate change and corporate extraction. Many years of Indigenous water advocacy have led to the development of a new Haudenosaunee Environmental Research Institute as the next step to overcome these challenges.
By Ada Tussing
If you’ve noticed fewer birds in the sky recently, they haven’t all flown south for the winter. The North American bird population has dropped nearly 30% in the last 50 years. Mariette Nowak’s book “Birdscaping for Wisconsin and the Great Lakes Region” offers a solution: birdscaping.