By Victoria Witke
New research shows Anishinaabe fire practices shaped today’s Great Lakes ecosystems. The region’s forests never existed and can’t continue to exist without people – or fire.
The post Anishinaabe fire practices shaped Great Lakes ecosystems, new research shows first appeared on Great Lakes Echo.
By Eric Freedman
A horse-drawn carriage. A runaway horse. A crash. Sounds like an old-fashioned drama – not a bizarre 21st-century event. But that’s what happened three years ago when a visitor was injured while riding in a horse-drawn omnibus at Greenfield Village. The Court of Appeals has refused to reinstate her negligence suit against The Henry Ford and the driver.
The post Michigan court refuses to reinstate lawsuit over runaway carriage horse at Greenfield Village first appeared on Great Lakes Echo.
By Eric Freedman
Empty lots in deindustrialized cities like Detroit may contribute to bird species diversity, says a new study by researchers at MSU and Carleton University in Canada. The study is based on sound recordings collected at 110 sites in 11 Detroit neighborhoods. The study recommends that vacant land management in the city takes a balanced approach that considers the needs of both residents and birds. There are other concerns about vacant land, too, including as sites for solar arrays.
The post Vacant lots boost diversity among Detroit’s birds, study finds first appeared on Great Lakes Echo.
By Joe Lorenz
Electrification and tariffs mean rural Midwest communities can cash in on their mineral resources. But how can these ventures balance local benefit to the ecological cost?
The post New interest in domestic mining comes with call for sustainability in the market first appeared on Great Lakes Echo.
By Anna Barnes
The Detroit River serves as an important geographic feature, connecting lakes St. Clair and Erie and creating a natural border between the U.S. and Canada. Despite its physical prominence in Detroit, its rich cultural significance is lost among many community residents. Programs are underway to address that disconnect.
By Georgia Hill
Utility companies have a history of using “dark money” to influence Michigan elections. Now, organizations are attempting to advance ballot initiatives aimed at stopping utility companies from contributing to politicians who run for or hold offices that impact them.
By Julia Belden
The Michigan Department of Environment, Great Lakes and Energy and governor are marking Michigan’s first Microplastics Awareness Week. Scientists are now finding microplastics in the human body but don’t know their long-term effects.
By Mia Litzenberg
Climate change is creating new challenges for Great Lakes coastal communities. To tackle these hazards, the Niagara Peninsula Conservation Authority launched the Lake Ontario Coastal Resilience Pilot Project last summer. Over the next four years, the project aims to engage communities in developing a coastal resilience plan.
The post New Lake Ontario initiative tackles climate hazards alongside Lakes Huron and Superior projects first appeared on Great Lakes Echo.
By Lauren Coin
Park trails along Lake Michigan’s shoreline in Wisconsin and Michigan are eroding because of more frequent extreme precipitation events and increased foot traffic from visitors in undesignated recreation areas.
The post Increased precipitation, foot traffic pose trail erosion problems at Lake Michigan parks first appeared on Great Lakes Echo.
By Eric Freedman
A Wisconsin bear hunting guide has been barred for a year from hunting on federal land. Timothy Collar’s crime: illegal bear baiting in the Chequamegon-Nicolet National Forest.
The post Bear-baiting bear hunting guide hit with hunting ban first appeared on Great Lakes Echo.
By Isabella Figueroa Nogueira
A recent collaborative study, conducted through the Great Lakes Indian Fish and Wildlife Commission, the College of Menominee Nation in Kenosha, Wisconsin, nine tribal entities and academic researchers to understand how climate change threatens the lake sturgeon and to develop adaptation strategies rooted in tribal knowledge.
By Eric Freedman
The Michigan Court of Appeals has cleared the city of South Haven of liability in the 2020 drowning of an 18-year-old swimmer at a public beach on the Lake Michigan coast.
The post Michigan court clears South Haven in beach drowning suit first appeared on Great Lakes Echo.