Now three of Michigan’s four Great Lakes are back to historically normal levels, and the sandbags must go.
Beaches
Beach cleaning robots are coming to Lake Erie
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The BeBots and Pixedrones will be deployed to Olander Park near Toledo, and then Hinckley Reservation, North Coast Harbor, Fairport Harbor Beach of the Cleveland area.
Capital News Service
More beach, boat access planned from coastal grants
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Coastal restoration efforts are underway across the state as recipients of the Michigan Coastal Management Program grants begin work locally. Seventeen awards totaling more than $1.1 million will fund projects and initiatives to protect, preserve and enhance the state’s coastal resources.
Air Quality
Lake breeze can be harmful to health: TikTok edition
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In our newest TikTok, Echo reporter Brooklyn Peppo explores the potential negative health effects of breathing in lake breeze.
Nearshore
Lake breeze can be harmful to health
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Regions 30 miles off the Lake Michigan coast are subject to a polluted lake breeze that contaminates air quality. Their toxic reach varies depending on the weather.
Commentary
Commentary: Rocky beaches are not fun
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Man-made rock armoring installed to prevent beach erosion may actually make the problem worse, according to research conducted by the Michigan Geological Survey.
Echo
Algae contamination affects Lake Erie housing prices
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Algal blooms cause lower housing prices in Lake Erie communities, according to a recent study published in the American Journal of Agricultural Economics.
Beaches
Global warming may impact Great Lakes beaches
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Global warming will produce more frequent high rainfall events in the Upper Great Lakes, which could impact sandy beaches used for recreation.
Capital News Service
Fishing heritage in Leland gets preservation boost
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The National Park Service recently placed Fishtown on the National Register of Historic Places, an official list of over 96,000 historic properties nationwide considered worthy of preservation.
Catch of the Day
Sleeping Bear park officials ask visitors to stop building structures on lakeshore
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Park staff say the structures disrupt the natural beach habitat and can even be damaging to some animal species, like the piping plover.
Homepage Featured
Beach safety enforcement: too much or too little?
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Two pieces of legislation are churning Michigan’s political waters with different approaches to beach safety in state parks.