Middle Grand River designated as one of the first state water trails
The Michigan Department of Natural Resources (MDNR) announced the selection of the Middle Grand River Water Trail as one of the first waterways in Michigan to be a state-designated water trail […]
Farmers, Great Lakes benefit from cover crops
Farmers have used cover cropping for thousands of years. But, when synthetic fertilizer exploded onto the scene in the early 20th century, cover crops fell out of favor. Now we […]
2018 Farm Bill has increased funding for voluntary conservation programs meant to address environmental issues
The new Farm Bill tripled the amount that goes to the Regional Conservation Partnership Program to $300 million. The partnership helps farmers in areas like the Great Lakes who want […]
Businesses are eliminating plastic straws to reduce trash and save Lake Erie
Absolut Vodka and Malibu Rum have given $5,000 to the Lake Erie Foundation, after a campaign to eliminate plastic straws saved 300,000 from the Put-in-Bay trash this summer. Absolut has […]
Belle Isle flowing towards recovery
The 1987 Great Lakes Water Quality Agreement designated the Detroit River as one of 43 “Great Lakes Areas of Concerns” or contaminated sites. Since then, agencies have come together to […]
How climate change is impacting the Great Lakes
The federal government recently released a National Climate Assessment report that broke down how our changing climate is expected to impact the planet region by region. Jenna Jorns is one of […]
Freshwater lakes across North America are being contaminated by excess road salt
We love traditional table salt (sodium chloride) in our food, but in the 1940’s, we acquired another use for it. Salt has long been used to melt ice and keep […]
Tiny plastics are in our Great Lakes, impacting human health and aquatic life
Around 15 years ago was when researchers first starting paying serious attention to microplastics in our waterways. A microplastic is defined as a piece of manufactured plastic that is less […]
Senate passes bill to keep ballast water containing invasive species out of the Great Lakes
Original article: Lee Burgquist, Milwaukee Journal Sentinel The U.S. Senate on Wednesday approved a measure that would require the Environmental Protection Agency to set rules requiring that ocean-going ships entering […]
PFAS, A threat to human health and our environment
PFAs, otherwise known as per-and polyfluoroalkyl substances are a family of more than 3,000 manufactured chemicals that were first put into production in the mid 1900’s. Manufacturers first became interested […]