Category: Great Lakes Echo
The Great Lakes as the coordinates of the heart: Jim Daniels Detroit and Michigan
By Kyrmyzy Turebayeva
For Jim Daniels the Rust Belt is defined by people, working families, factory neighborhoods, highways leading north toward the Great Lakes and memories that stay with a person for a lifetime. These themes run throughout his new poetry collection, “Late Invocation for Magic.”
Study finds climate warming directly affects the makeup of plant communities
By Anna Barnes
In Michigan, sugar maple populations are rising and eastern redbud trees are making their way north, while coniferous trees, like the black spruce, continue to decline. One suspected cause: climate warming.
Excessive rainfall in Michigan may affect nutrients in soil amid fertilizer price increases
By Anna Barnes
Michigan’s supply of nitrogen and phosphorus-based fertilizers has taken a hit from shipping disruptions caused by the U.S. war with Iran. High prices and historic flooding are causing problems for the state’s corn and soybean farmers.
Refuge in the Windy City: Declining wetland bird makes a home in downtown Chicago
By Kyrmyzy Turebayeva
While urbanization continues to displace natural ecosystems across the Great Lakes region, one declining wetland bird has managed to adapt to city life — the black-crowned night heron.
Setting fires on purpose to cut risk of catastrophic wildfires
By Victoria Witke
Wildfire risk is predicted to stay elevated in the Upper Midwest from drought and high winds. That’s risky for the region’s pristine inland lakes, but land managers are working to reduce wildfire risk in the Northwoods with controlled burns.