The Great Lakes News Collaborative includes Bridge Michigan, Circle of Blue, Great Lakes Now at Detroit PBS, Michigan Public and The Narwhal who work together to bring audiences news and information about the impact of climate change, pollution, and aging infrastructure on the Great Lakes and drinking water. This independent journalism is supported by the Charles Stewart Mott Foundation.
Judge: Michigan should reject Consumers’ ‘highly problematic’ dam sale
After reviewing thousands of pages of legal filings tied to the sale, Judge James Varchetti concluded that the deal is not in the public interest.
Setting Fires On Purpose to Cut Risk of Catastrophic Wildfires
A centuries-old tool for safety is reducing wildfire risk, while helping to protect pristine inland lakes.
When Forests Burn, Lakes Suffer
Severe fires can damage soils, increase runoff, and degrade water quality in remote watersheds.
Michigan bald eagle success story faces new threats
Severe weather and food challenges threaten one of the nation’s greatest conservation comebacks.
Whitefish waning. Should Michigan have commercial trout, walleye catches?
Bills under consideration in the House aim to expand commercial access to walleye and trout as whitefish catch rates plummet. Recreational fishing advocates and state fishing regulators object.
Michigan gets $108M in Monsanto settlement to clean up PCB contamination
Michigan Attorney General Dana Nessel announced a $108 million settlement with Monsanto Co. over long-term PCB contamination in the state, with the funds directed toward cleanup and restoration of affected natural resources.
Supreme Court sides with Nessel in Line 5 jurisdiction dispute
Enbridge had sought to move Nessel’s Line 5 shutdown case into federal court, where the company was expected to get more favorable treatment. But justices unanimously ruled that the company missed the deadline to do so.
Canada Water Agency wasn’t quite sure how to explain Carney’s budget cuts to the public, documents show
A $5 million budget cut meaning the loss of about 13 jobs comes right as the agency takes on creating Canada’s first National Water Security Strategy.
The Great Lakes Are Wasting a Massive Source of Clean Energy
Huge potential gains from using waste heat from sewers, data centers, and power plants.
The energy boom is coming for Great Lakes water
How the region powers its growth will determine the future of the Great Lakes.
PFAS levels are declining in Great Lakes fish, new research shows
The study, spearheaded by a federal research office that the Trump administration has since dismantled, shows fish responded quickly after manufacturers stopped using some PFAS compounds.
In world of AI, Michigan State University Extension bets on human expertise
For years, Michigan State University Extension has existed to serve the public with programs ranging from canning classes to soil testing. Now, it aims to bill itself as an antidote to online misinformation.
Ontario is subsidizing an energy project in Georgian Bay despite expert advice
An internal memo from Ontario’s electricity system operator outlines concerns with TC Energy’s large pumped storage proposal in Meaford.
Time running out for Great Lakes whitefish. Can ponds become their Noah’s Ark?
On the brink of collapse in Lakes Michigan and Huron, whitefish need a miracle. Now, some want to relocate fish en masse to inland waters to preserve dying bloodlines.
Blue-green algae is making a home in the warming waters of Lake Superior’s watershed
Long a threat to southern Ontario lakes, climate change is allowing cyanobacteria — or blue-green algae — to thrive in even the coldest of the Great Lakes.
Chicago’s ‘Quantum Prairie’ Promises New Era of Great Lakes Technology and Water Use
Explore the quantum shift in Chicago’s economy as it transforms the former U.S. Steel South Works site into a sustainable future.
Environmental groups use anniversary of Kalamazoo River oil spill to warn about Enbridge Line 5
The massive oil spill in the Kalamazoo River 15 years ago polluted the water and shoreline and left oil-coated wildlife.
‘We can’t regulate ourselves’ out of whitefish crisis, experts say
Amid a population crash of Michigan’s staple lake whitefish, fisheries experts told regulators that more research needs to be done to discover how to stem the scourge of invasive mussels. Without that, they said, efforts to limit fishing are futile.
This wetland fight could go to the Supreme Court
A court case pitting farmer against farmer in Iowa could decide the fate of wetlands nationwide.
Advocacy group challenges “new normal” status of Lake Erie’s algal blooms
Alliance for the Great Lakes calls for use of enforceable regulations to prevent toxic algal blooms. Michigan agency says the state has limited regulatory authority and defends the state’s actions.
A record year for Great Lakes piping plovers
The Great Lakes piping plover recovery effort has been ongoing since the mid-1980s when the population got as low as a dozen nesting pairs. This year, the number reached 85 nesting pairs for the first time.
How Ontario could have cracked down on Chemical Valley pollution — but chose not to
Toxic emissions from plants in Sarnia have harmed Aamjiwnaang First Nation for decades. Documents obtained by The Narwhal show how Ontario abandoned plans that could have helped.
Great Lakes scientists discover new lifeform microbe, name it ShipGoo1
Researchers at the University of Minnesota Duluth found the previously-undiscovered microorganisms hiding in the tar-like goo oozing out of a research vessel’s rudder shaft.
Years after high water crisis, lax policies leave Michigan coast vulnerable
Extreme erosion along the Great Lakes coasts inspired proposals to pull development back from the shoreline. Five years later, regulatory gaps leave some communities vulnerable.
Iconic whitefish on edge of collapse as Great Lakes biodiversity crisis deepens
Few fish are as synonymous with Michigan as whitefish. Pushed to the edge by invasive species, their struggle is the tip of a cataclysmic species collapse that could change our way of life.
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