Elevators and water slides for fish may sound straight out of Dr. Seuss—but they actually exist in Michigan. Listen up: Sturgeon go back to their home river to spawn. And for half the sturgeon in Lake Michigan, that means the Menominee River. But hydroelectric dams block the river, forcing the fish to lay their eggs …

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Native prairie grasses aren’t just pretty—they also improve water quality across the Midwest. Listen up: How do we love native grassland prairies? Let us count the ways—or at least, let us recount the number one water-related way: When restored, native grassland prairies can improve water quality big-time, and help prevent erosion during heavy rains. Once …

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A tiny eel-like weathercaster? It may sound funny, but researchers are seriously concerned about the long-term impacts of weatherfish. Catch this intel: Chances are a storm is brewing if the weatherfish are all in a flurry. That’s how they react to changes in barometric pressure. But unless you’re a biologist, like Phillip Willink of Shedd …

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When you hear about water pollution, you probably think of chemicals—but soil and silt can harm rivers, too. Listen up: It might come as a surprise to think that something as natural as soil actually contributes to water pollution. But excess soil runoff, or sediment, can have a range of negative effects, from clouding water …

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Build up knowledge on nature’s engineers  . . . Learn more: “Before European colonization, beavers would have been ubiquitous across the northern United States Great Lakes region,” explains Melinda Daniels of the Stroud Water Research Center in Pennsylvania. She says in developed areas, beaver dams can be a nuisance, “but if there’s room, beavers are …

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