Michigan Environment Watch

Scientists once believed little important happened during winters. But as they vanish, the study of snowpack is increasing. ‘It brings home a reality that has been predicted for a long time,’ one U-M scientist says.

Unseasonably sunny skies and warm temperatures could be a problem for fruit farmers and their fruit trees, which require cold temperatures to stay dormant.

The DNR is rebuilding the Father Marquette National Memorial in St. Ignace. The exhibits, art work and signage will focus on the area’s rich Native American culture and history.

Cancellations mount as Michigan experiences one of the warmest winters in memory. Experts blame El Niño and climate change.

Engineering company Veolia North America settles class-action lawsuit before a trial was set to begin on Feb. 13. The company consulted the city of Flint after its disastrous 2014 water switch.

Lawmakers cheer a report that President Joe Biden’s administration is set to help relaunch a decommissioned plant on the shores of Lake Michigan.

Making homes more energy-efficient saves money and helps combat climate change. But while Michigan is flush with cash to weatherize low-income homes, it struggles to find workers who install insulation and seal air leaks.

Derided as ‘polluter panels,’ oversight boards were created by Republicans in 2018 to review state environmental regulations. Democrats who control the Legislature heard testimony Thursday to nix two panels.

Deer harvests have significantly declined in Michigan, and officials attribute the downward trend to the lack of licensed hunters. The Department of Natural Resources is asking hunters to join a focus group to address the challenges of a changing deer population.

Research shows Detroit’s buried streams disproportionately impact redlined neighborhoods.

Lawmakers in November gave the state power to override local-level rejections of large wind and solar projects. Opponents of that law will soon start collecting signatures in hopes of sponsoring a November ballot measure to repeal it.

For nearly two decades, state law has forbidden environmental regulators from writing new water quality rules. Environmentalists contend that’s putting the public at risk. But business groups fear higher costs if Michigan reverses the ban.

Turtles made it their mission to find their way back after the 2010 Kalamazoo River oil spill. It just took them 10 years to do it.

Preliminary 2023 numbers show a continued decline in the number of deer hunters killed compared to past years.

The founder of a company that uses drones to recover deer carcasses that hunters cannot find says that Michigan’s prohibition of the practice violates his First Amendment rights. The suit questions one of the core principles of hunting and fishing in the United States, some experts say.

Michigan lawmakers made sweeping changes to Michigan energy laws last fall. But plenty of items missed the cut, from community solar to finding solutions for Michigan’s outage-prone power grid.

Fish-leather purses and wallets may make their way into Great Lakes fashion with an initiative to use 100 percent of commercially caught fish by 2025.

How far can Michigan go in its quest to limit farm pollution in Michigan’s lakes and rivers? That’s the subject of a case now before the state’s highest court.

This week Michigan got its first real winter storm of the season, causing snow days at some school districts for the first time this school year. A winter storm expected to hit Friday has superintendents watching the forecast.

Campsite reservations are 35 - 80 percent booked through July across Michigan’s state parks.