Great Lakes Echo

Biking booms in the Motor City: More lanes, fun rides — and high fatalities

4 min read

By Emilio Perez Ibarguen

The popularity of groups like Wednesday Night Ride, Black Girls Do Bike and Soul Roll is an indicator that Detroit, long known for its ties to the auto industry, is making strides in becoming a cycling destination.  However, Detroit streets remain unsafe for cyclists and pedestrians compared to other cities.

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Great Lakes Echo

Dead deer and small fish: Michigan students learn to investigate poaching 

5 min read

By Emilio Perez Ibarguen

For students hoping to become conservation officers for the state Department of Natural Resources — tasked with enforcing fish, game and natural resource protection laws — one Northern Michigan University class gives a glimpse into their day-to-day work.

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Great Lakes Echo

Mooz the dog helps scientists study threatened turtles  

6 min read

By Rachel Lewis  

The Little Traverse Bay Band of Odawa Indians’ Natural Resources Department has been working to conserve the threatened wood turtle. Their top team member is Mooz, a 9-year-old labradoodle who has been helping his owner, Bill Parsons, find wood turtles for the past five years.

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Great Lakes Echo

Small city’s ‘community carbon fund’ promises hyper-local carbon reduction

5 min read

By Emilio Perez Ibarguen

In 2023, community organizers from the outdoor Discovery Center, an outdoor education and conservation-focused nonprofit in Holland, Michigan looked for ways to further sustainability efforts in the west Michigan community. This led to a partnership with another local nonprofit to create the Carbon Community Fund, which accepts donations from residents to fund local conservation efforts.

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