Mar 13
Pondering the depth of the Great Lakes turns up some surprising revelations. Think on this: If you drop a stone into one of the Great Lakes, how far will it travel before it hits the bottom? The longest journey will be in Lake Superior, where the stone will cruise through the cleanest, clearest, and coldest …
Jan 29
Why shorelines are stopover sites: Each spring and fall, tens of millions of birds migrate through the Great Lakes region. Jeffrey Buler of the University of Delaware says many species prefer to travel at night. In a recent study, he found that if birds were still out over the Great Lakes at sunrise, they …
Dec 13
It’s no joke—in many places, fish can’t get to the other side of a road. Listen up for the why and so what: Turns out, fish can’t just go with the flow after all. According to research out of the University of Wisconsin-Madison, more than 1,000 dams and 100,000 road crossings inhibit fish movement in …
Dec 10
By putting their property in a land trust, fruit farmers can protect water quality—and in turn, their own crops. Listen up: It’s no coincidence that fruit farms flourish across the Great Lakes. And now, farmers are finding new ways to ensure they continue to do so. “The Lake Michigan fruit belt is a 200-mile stretch …
Jun 10
Sorry to have to break this to you, but sewage overflows are a thing. Plug your nose, then listen up: Here’s the raw deal: Many communities have combined sewer systems (CSS) that can overflow during rainstorms—sending raw sewage into rivers and lakes. Not a pretty picture. “A lot of these older cities like Chicago, and …
