Author: The London Free Press
Baby bald eagles tested positive for PFAS and other legacy contaminants
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.
According to reporting by MLive, two researchers are studying blood samples from bald eagles across Michigan and the Great Lakes basin for evidence of chemical exposure to things like PFAS, DDT or PCBs — which were both banned in 1972 and 1979.
‘We can’t regulate ourselves’ out of whitefish crisis, experts say
By Emilio Perez Ibarguen, 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.
Local health group seeks Northeast Ohio climate resilience solutions from those most at risk
By Zaria Johnson, Ideastream Public Media
This story was originally published by Ideastream.
The Northeast Ohio Black Health Coalition is exploring the climate resilience of Northeast Ohio by identifying those most at risk and provide possible solutions.
The coalition, through a partnership with the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration and Ohio State University’s Center for Health Outcomes and Policy Evaluation Studies, has hosted Reimagining Communities Conversations in Ashtabula, Cuyahoga, Lake and Mahoning counties so far to see how prepared residents feel in the face of severe weather made worse by climate change.
John Ball Zoo Fights for Great Lakes’ Rarest Butterflies
Butterfly populations are in decline across the continental U.S., dropping by 22% between 2000 and 2020 according to a study published in the journal Science. Almost a third of the 342 species studied have seen their numbers fall by more than half. To help combat this, the John Ball Zoo in Grand Rapids, Michigan launched its Great Lakes Rare Butterfly Program in 2021 to protect the region’s most threatened species.
This wetland fight could go to the Supreme Court
A pending court case could impact farmers across the country. At issue is a USDA rule aimed at protecting wetlands called “Swampbuster.” In place since 1985, it’s being challenged in court by an absentee landowner in Iowa.
Under Swampbuster, farmers have to agree not to drain or fill their wetlands, in order to receive farm benefits such as crop insurance, disaster relief and USDA loans.