Michigan Environment Watch

State and federal parks and species managers said they don’t plan to act on a flurry of legislative resolutions calling for new hunting seasons targeting gray wolves, sandhill cranes and Isle Royale moose.

A significant number of residential septic systems need repair or replacement, but efforts to enact a statewide code have been hampered by the expense and disagreement over what events would trigger an inspection.

In a report detailing 86 recommendations designed to improve dam safety in Michigan, members of a state task force focused on changes to state law and policy, along with funding fixes to prevent future dam failures like the Edenville break in May.

Michigan’s electricity sector is more prepared for extreme cold and is connected to a regional grid that increases its resilience. But experts say it remains vulnerable to extreme weather events that will become more common as the climate changes.

The so-called “forever chemical” can be found in every room of the author’s home. It’s in the nonstick pans used for taco night, food packaging from take-out, on a floor mat and in waterproof boots. And, he learned, in his (and Ling Ling’s) blood.

Warming waters are hard on some fish, such as walleye, and more favorable to others, such as smallmouth bass. With so many environmental stresses, it’s difficult to gauge the future of individual lakes.

Severe storms can lead to intensive flooding, soil erosion and disruption to fish populations. Timing is everything in nature.

With warming temperatures, fluctuating water levels and a series of extreme storms, Lake Superior is undergoing dramatic alterations amid climate change.

The company's unloading of North American regional brands follows years of controversy over Nestlé's ability to withdraw vast volumes of ground water for a minimal licensing fee and sell it for a profit.

For all climate change has wrought, Michigan and the Great Lakes region — with an abundance of fresh water, warming winters and less fire-prone forests — stand to attract millions of new residents in future decades eager to escape flooded coastal areas and the parched land of the West.

Years into Michigan’s PFAS contamination crisis, little is known about how the chemicals affect the fish and wildlife that live in tainted environments. Michigan has become a laboratory for answers.

Three decades since the first quagga mussels appeared in the Great Lakes, the invasive bivalves have become so prolific, they control a key nutrient that sustains aquatic life.

After years of decline, the sale of state hunting and fishing licenses soared in 2020, particularly among young people. But some question if this marks a trend or a blip, and whether Michigan needs a new, more reliable model for funding conservation.

Ice fishers carrying spears converged on Black Lake Saturday for what amounted to a two-hour fishing season. It’s part of a creative recovery effort that’s helping to bring the state’s sturgeon population back from the brink.

The Great Lakes Ice cover is near record lows and expected to remain low through winter. Climatologists say unless society acts now, the warming trend will leave some bays ice-free by midcentury, threatening key ecosystems and the state’s $2.3 billion recreational fishing industry.

Ice cover can change dramatically from one year to the next, but the historical record is clear on warming trends in the Great Lakes. Professor Sapna Sharma of York University in Toronto explains the scientific basis for the dire predictions.

State environmental officials acknowledge public concerns about the proposed tunnel, but said state law limited their nine-month review to a narrow question: Would tunnel construction activities comply with Michigan’s environmental laws? Substantial legal obstacles remain for the company.

Under a Snyder-era reform following the Flint water crisis, Michigan utilities must begin switching out lead service lines this month, part of a 20-year project. But some already are seeking extensions and some cash-strapped cities are reluctant to have vulnerable ratepayers shoulder the burden.

Dr. Mona Hanna-Attisha, the pediatrician who helped uncover the Flint water crisis, said Michigan’s lead service line replacement program is a major stride toward reducing lead exposure. But Michigan residents need not wait to start protecting themselves from lead-tainted water.

The federal appropriations bill for the 2021 fiscal year, signed into law this week, included $26.5 million to test for lead in schools and child care centers, a nod to the legacy of the Flint water crisis, which lifted the issue of lead in drinking water into the national spotlight.