Author: Toledo Blade Environment
Michigan triples ‘do not eat’ fish warnings as PFAS contamination concerns rise
Catch the latest updates on what’s happening with PFAS in the Great Lakes region. Check back for more PFAS news roundups every other week on our website.
New, more stringent PFAS guidelines in Michigan have nearly tripled “do not eat” advisories for fish in the state’s waterways, from 33 to 98 bodies of water.
EPA 2026 budget cuts target clean water programs
President Donald Trump’s Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) Administrator Lee Zeldin was clear when he released the agency’s new mission statement in February. A top priority will be “clean air, land and water for every American,” Zeldin said, when he announced, “Powering the Great American Comeback.”
In early June the EPA released its fiscal year 2026 budget.
New PFAS guidelines spark more ‘do not eat’ warnings for Michigan fish
By Kelly House, Bridge Michigan
The Great Lakes News Collaborative includes Bridge Michigan; Circle of Blue; Great Lakes Now at Detroit PBS; Michigan Public, Michigan’s NPR News Leader; and The Narwhal who work together to bring audiences news and information about the impact of climate change, pollution, and aging infrastructure on the Great Lakes and drinking water.
White throated sparrow takes first place in fattest bird competition
This article was republished here with permission from Great Lakes Echo.
By Clara Lincolnhol, Great Lakes Echo
A very round white throated sparrow is the heavyweight champion of the 2025 Wisconsin Fat Bird Week contest.
The bird, coined the “spherical white-throated sparrow,” won by a landslide, receiving 72% of the vote in the final round against its nearest competitor, a “rotund ruby-throated hummingbird.”
The winner made it through eight rounds in the single-elimination, March Madness-style bracket competition against seven other birds.
How much plastic is in the Great Lakes?
Microplastics are turning up everywhere, including our water, our food, and even our bodies. And the Great Lakes are no exception.
Ripples of Plastic is a documentary from Ohio filmmakers Chris Langer and Josh Heese that investigates how plastic pollution is making its way into the largest freshwater system in the world.