Michigan Environment Watch

Too much waste spread on too little land causes worst of Michigan’s water pollution.

Run-off promotes toxic algae blooms, but farmers and other phosphorus producers are reluctant to alter practices.

Water sampling finds no reduction in bloom-producing nutrients.

Billions spent on strategies to limit nutrient pollution that don’t work.

Bison are on the upswing again as ranchers and government officials aim to increase their populations across the United States. And that could have implications for other livestock operations.

World nations’ current climate action plans would still allow moderate warming. A new study shows without more aggressive action to slow climate change, the world’s boreal forests could see dramatic losses.

For the past 10 years or so, entomologists have been looking for a way to control the population of spotted wing drosophila, a fruit fly that feeds on healthy cherries and blueberries. They say they may have found their answer in releasing the samba wasp, which kills fruit flies by laying its eggs inside them.

A federal judge ruled the attorney general’s suit seeking a Line 5 pipeline shutdown should be heard in federal court. Nessel wanted the matter kept in state court, where she saw a more secure path to victory.

Nearly a century after logging and fishing practices wiped out Arctic grayling, state and tribal leaders are scouting northern streams where they can thrive. The must-haves: cold water, plenty of shade, and trout anglers who won’t be hostile to their return.

Licenses have declined for years, so state regulators are buying lands near cities and reaching out to people of color in hopes of saving Michigan’s outdoors legacy.

No-contact order lifted after investigators conclude that most of the chromium released from a tank at Tribar Manufacturing in Wixom never made it into the Huron River.

A bid to increase hunting opportunities comes as research shows that hunts close to mating season could be hurting populations.

First detected in Pennsylvania eight years ago, the pest attacks grapes by sucking sap and leaving a ‘honeydew’ that can breed mold and wreak havoc.

Cleared of pollution and debris, Muskegon again sees lake as a virtue.

A series of violation notices raise new questions about the events at the plant. State regulators indicate that on-site alarms at the company were overridden hundreds of times during a weekend evening when “no one should be at the facility.”

After a Wixom chrome plater released hexavalent chromium into sewers that lead to the Huron River, locals and activists are calling for tighter regulation to prevent future spills, if not an outright ban on nonessential uses of the toxic metal.

The Inflation Reduction Act, which passed the Senate Sunday, is the country’s largest-ever investment in addressing climate change. Michigan stands to benefit from money to boost domestic electric vehicle, wind and solar production, as well as prescription drug savings for older Americans.

A don’t touch advisory remains in effect for the section of the river in Oakland and Livingston counties, after a Wixom automotive supplier released thousands of gallons of liquid containing the toxic metal.

State regulators say testing is ongoing and caution residents to still avoid stretches of the upper river. One official calls tests so far ‘encouraging.’

While state regulators await test results to determine how far the hexavalent chromium-tainted water has spread, Huron River advocates are calling for stiff penalties against a company with a history of polluting the river.