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Great Lakes Echo - Environmental news of the Great Lakes region

Great Lakes Echo (https://greatlakesecho.org/tag/chicago-view/)

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Chicago View

Chicago View

Great Lakes: The Trump Effect

By Gary Wilson | November 15, 2016

Expectations are low. But if Trump delivers on Lake Erie and Flint, he’ll deliver for the voters who delivered for him.

Commentary

Great Lakes road trip makes the complex simple

By Gary Wilson | October 21, 2016

Common sense questions at symposium force commentator out of comfort zone.

Echo

Michigan gov’s DEQ choice reflects comfort with business perspective

By Gary Wilson | August 26, 2016

Like Michael Jordan and Barack Obama, Rick Snyder stays in his comfort zone.

Water

Save water? Where’s the urgency?

By Gary Wilson | July 26, 2016

If the aspirational goal is achieved for Lake Erie by 2027, that means kids entering second grade next month will be entering college when it is achieved.

Chicago View

Feds too slow with Flint investigation

By Gary Wilson | July 1, 2016

How about owning up to responsibility in a timely manner? How about an apology for EPA’s failure to safeguard Flint citizens?

Chicago View

Environmental issues beyond Flint loom for Michigan’s embattled Snyder

By Gary Wilson | April 8, 2016

Urban contamination, a controversial pipeline and a Great Lakes diversion proposal are all on his plate.

Catch of the Day

From optimism to arrogance: a look at EPA on the eve of another Great Lakes Day

By Gary Wilson | February 19, 2016

From algae blooms to the Flint water crisis, problems show the EPA’s transition from optimism to arrogance regarding water quality in the Great Lakes.

Water

Who are those who quietly toil for the Great Lakes?

By Gary Wilson | December 28, 2015

Thomas Hardy and the Tao Te Ching point the way.

Water

The sorry state of Michigan’s environmental watchdog

By Gary Wilson | November 13, 2015

Michigan Gov. Rick Snyder’s environmental legacy at stake.

Water
Current State logo

Chicago conferences focus on Asian carp, toxic algae, oil pipelines

By WKAR Current State | October 2, 2015

Great Lakes Week brought government officials and environmentalists together to talk about the region’s most pressing environmental issues.

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About Great Lakes Echo

Environmental news of the Great Lakes region from the Knight Center for Environmental Journalism at Michigan State University.

  • Headshot of Ethan Theuerkauf
    Growth in shoreline armoring is reshaping Michigan’s Lake Michigan coast

    By Kyrmyzy Turebayeva A new study documents a fivefold increase in shoreline armoring along Lake Michigan’s Eastern coast.

  • How seeds from the past are saving a unique flower of the Great Lakes

    By Kyrmyzy Turebayeva More than 30 years ago, a group of scientists planted just 4,200 seeds of the rare Pitcher’s thistle in the sandy dunes of the Great Lakes. At the time, no one knew if the new populations would survive. Today, three decades later, the restored populations are thriving and spreading.

  • Henderson holding a swan
    From otters to butterflies: How Minnesota became a pioneer in nongame wildlife conservation

    By Kyrmyzy Turebayeva In the late 1970s, when most wildlife conservation programs in the United States focused almost exclusively on game species, a quiet but historic shift began in Minnesota. It was here that one of the nation’s first state programs dedicated to protecting so-called nongame wildlife emerged from butterflies and bats to bald eagles and river otters. That story is now told in detail by Carrol Henderson in his new book, “A National Legacy: Fifty Years of Nongame Wildlife Conservation in Minnesota."

  • Michigan’s water infrastructure sees improvements, work still needs to be done

    By Clara Lincolnhol The U.S. would need to invest nearly $3.4 trillion over the next 20 years to fix and update drinking water, wastewater and stormwater infrastructure, says researchers from The Value of Water Campaign. Much of that infrastructure was built 40 to 50 years ago and shows its age. Michigan’s is no exception. The American Society of Civil Engineers gave the state a D+ for its drinking water infrastructure, a D in storm water management and a C for its wastewater infrastructure. Funding is a major problem. Proposed data centers would put more stress on the infrastructure.

  • Mussels in a green net.
    Endangered spectaclecase mussels reintroduced into the Chippewa River

    By Ada Tussing To combat the population loss of spectaclecase mussels, researchers with both the Minnesota and the Wisconsin Department of Natural Resources released over 177 mussels into the Chippewa River in Northwest Wisconsin.

  • Michigan allocates $77 million to clean thousands of contaminated sites

    By Clara Lincolnhol Michigan is pouring $77 million into clean-up of contaminated abandoned real estate such as former factories. The director of the Department of Environment, Great Lakes and Energy says the goal is to make the cleaned-up sites safe for housing, commercial developments and other uses.

  • Winter makes curved roads dangerous; researchers seek solutions

    By Eric Freedman Flashing light on warning signs near curves can slow drivers and reduce the odds of a crash during winter weather conditions, says a new study by Michigan State University engineers.

  • The cover of “Dead Moose on Isle Royale: Off Trail with the Citizen Scientists of the Wolf-Moose Project." The cover is moose antlers on the ground.
    Great Lakes books for your holiday gift list 

    By Eric Freedman   Looking for a holiday gift for a reader who loves the Great Lakes? Here are five prospects to consider – and what our reporters learned from interviewing their authors this year.

  • A side-by-side of the historic Portage Canal and modern Portage Canal from an aerial view.
    Restoration of historical site improves quality of life for Portage, Wisconsin residents

    By Joshua Kim Following the completion of segments 1 and 2 of the Portage Canal, local residents and visitors can use the historic site and its amenities following years of disrepair.

  • What herring gulls tell us about plastic pollution

    By Victoria Witke Christina Petalas, a doctoral student McGill University, studies herring gulls to learn about plastic pollution near the St. Lawrence River. Across two studies, she found plastic additives in every bird sampled, which could have human health consequences.

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