By Lily Cole
No matter the season, organizations across the Great Lakes region are fighting to keep waterways garbage-free.
Solutions
Detroit River-based program aims to foster stewardship through community connection
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By Anna Barnes
The Detroit River serves as an important geographic feature, connecting lakes St. Clair and Erie and creating a natural border between the U.S. and Canada. Despite its physical prominence in Detroit, its rich cultural significance is lost among many community residents. Programs are underway to address that disconnect.
Water
Trump’s budget would devastate sea lamprey control in Great Lakes
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By Maya Moore
If Congress approves President Donald Trump’s proposal to cut hundreds of millions of dollars from the operations and science budget of the U.S. Geological Survey, the scale and intensity of Great Lakes environmental restoration will be significantly diminished, experts say. Among the programs that could be dismantled entirely is the 70-year-old program to control sea lampreys, an exotic parasitic fish that attacks game fish and has caused billions of dollars in damage to Great Lakes fisheries.
Water
Century-old shipwreck discovered in Lake Michigan by a 25-year-old angler
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By Isabella Figueroa Nogueira
It was another foggy day of fishing on the Wisconsin waters of Lake Michigan. As 25-year-old Christopher Thuss was scanning the waters for bass, something unexpected appeared on his sonar: an unknown object beneath the surface. What he had discovered was no ordinary catch, but a 102-year-old shipwreck, the J.C. Ames.
Water
Michigan’s fight against Lake Erie pollution didn’t work. What happens next?
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Since the 1990s, algae blooms have become increasingly common each summer in western Lake Erie. The blooms are caused by an overabundance of nutrients, namely phosphorus, that spills into the lake off farms. Credit: National Oceanographic and Atmospheric Administration
By Emilio Perez Ibarguen
Michigan and its neighbors have missed a 2025 deadline to curb the farm pollution that feeds toxic algal blooms in western Lake Erie, despite 10 years of work and millions of dollars spent on the effort.
Now, state officials are revamping their strategy. But they’re not setting a new deadline for now. “Seeing how we’re implementing these newer approaches is an important step before updating some of the timelines,” said Tim Boring, the director of the Department of Agriculture and Rural Development.
He added that any future deadline should be “realistic and achievable.”
The state’s strategy irks environmentalists who have long criticized Great Lakes governments for refusing to regulate farm pollution while instead leaning on voluntary programs that aren’t working. “These were commitments made by the state of Ohio, by the state of Michigan, by the United States.
Water
Great Lakes slightly colder than usual ahead of summer
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By Emilio Perez Ibarguen
Now that Memorial Day is behind us, thoughts naturally turn to summer and the return of watersports on the Great Lakes, but Michiganders tempted to take a dip in those inviting waters now might be in for a chilly surprise. Slowed by a cold May, the Great Lakes are slightly cooler than usual for this time of year.
Water
Scientists seek sources of fecal pollution that can contaminate rivers and close beaches
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By Joshua Kim
Water quality experts are using DNA tools to track down contamination responsible for beach closures and reduced recreational opportunities along the Great Lakes and other Michigan inland lakes and streams.
Water
Lake Michigan shipwreck earns National Register spot
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By Eric Freedman The National Park Service has put another Lake Michigan shipwreck on the National Register of Historic Places.
But most of the boat’s history remains unknown.
Water
DNR collecting steelhead eggs for annual hatching and release
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By Dylan Engels
The DNR is collecting 4.5 million steelhead eggs at the Little Manistee River Weir in Manistee County. Most are incubated at the Thompson State Hatchery in Manistique and the Wolf Lake State Hatchery in Mattawan for release next spring.
Water
What to expect with the start of 2025’s fishing season
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By Dylan Engels
Fishing licenses for the year are available, and DNR has changed a few requirements. We talk to experts from the Platte River Hatchery in Beulah, DNR and Michigan United Conservation Clubs.
Water
Wisconsin grant to help spread the news on eating safe amount of fish
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By Isabella Figueroa
The Wisconsin Department of Natural Resources has been granted $1 million from the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, to better reach Spanish, Hmong and rural populations.