Art

New book explores the wonders of inland waters

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By Isabella Figueroa 
Around 97% of all the water on the planet is in the vast oceans that cover more than two-thirds of its surface. “But Seas are not the only body of water that make Earth special,” ecologist David Strayer writes in his new book. “Beyond the Sea: The Hidden Life in Lakes, Streams, and Wetlands,” presents the lesser-known facts of freshwater ecosystems and how they affect our everyday lives. 
Before retiring in 2016, Strayer spent nearly 50 years studying freshwater ecology, most recently at the Cary Institute of Ecosystem Studies, where he developed an expertise in the nearby Hudson River. The book lays out the good, the bad and the ugly of the world’s inland water bodies, which Strayer reports are home to some 2,600 plant species and 150,000 animal species, about half of which are insects. While celebrating that abundance of life the book doesn’t shy away from the serious threats and challenges that inland waters face, including pollution, invasive species, climate change and the damaging impacts of dams and water diversions.

Art

An underappreciated lake that’s great

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Sitting at 26 miles long and 24 miles wide with nearly one-third of the sport fishing catch annually in the Great Lakes region, Lake St. Clair should be a household name. 

Author Daniel Harrison would tell you it’s his hidden jewel. 

Art

The Great Lakes inspire murals, doodles and poems

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Three Michigan artists are spreading awareness about the value of the Great Lakes through creating trash murals, shredding waves and telling legends about shipwrecks.

Hannah Tizedes spends her time along the shores of the Great Lakes not sunbathing nor swimming, but collecting trash to make art.

Art

Photobook illuminates the beauty of Michigan lighthouses

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Michigan photographer Danielle Jorae wrote, designed and published Lighthouses of Michigan-Lower Peninsula to fulfill a wish of her childhood self.

“I ran across a document from when I was in kindergarten that outlined how I wanted to become an artist and a writer one day,”

Art

Reporting on the environment is a tough job

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Environmental journalism is a difficult yet important field, says a freelance journalist who will be speaking at an upcoming environmental festival in Manistee, Michigan.

“Sometimes you’re asking people difficult questions,” said Genevieve Fox, a former Great Lakes Echo reporter who now writes for Planet Detroit, Metromode and The Keel.

Art

Dance groups leap into environmental communication

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Pirouettes, leaps and pliés don’t come to mind when you think of environmental justice.

But for Michigan State University theater professors Deric McNish and Rob Roznowski,  dance and theater are the perfect communicative devices for such serious topics. 

Art

Great Lakes authors bare their motives

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Books usually speak to readers through words and, sometimes, illustrations.

But we can learn what motivated their authors by speaking directly to them, as Great Lakes Echo correspondents did in interviews this year about new books about environmental issues in the region.