Great Lakes Now Ontario

Nibi Chronicles: Invisible Borders

9 min read

Nibi Chronicles: Invisible Borders

“Nibi Chronicles,” a monthly Great Lakes Now feature, is written by Staci Lola Drouillard. A Grand Portage Ojibwe direct descendant, she lives in Grand Marais on Minnesota’s North Shore of Lake Superior. Her nonfiction books “Walking the Old Road: A People’s History of Chippewa City and the Grand Marais Anishinaabe” and “Seven Aunts” were published 2019 and 2022, and the children’s story “A Family Tree” in 2024.

Read Now at Great Lakes Now.

Great Lakes Now

How do you heal a sacred lake?

2 min read

How do you heal a sacred lake?

For over 70 years, a massive U.S. Steel plant on the shores of Spirit Lake near Duluth, Minnesota dumped toxic waste into the water, causing lasting environmental damage to this sacred site.

Spirit Lake, once a vital ecosystem rich in fish, wild rice, and wildlife, was central to the homeland of the Fond du Lac Band of Lake Superior Chippewa.

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Great Lakes Now Michigan

US Forest Service firings decimate already understaffed agency: ‘It’s catastrophic’

9 min read

US Forest Service firings decimate already understaffed agency: ‘It’s catastrophic’

By Katie Myers, Juanpablo Ramirez-Franco, & Izzy Ross

This coverage is made possible through a partnership between GristBPR, a public radio station serving western North Carolina, WBEZ, a public radio station serving the Chicago metropolitan region, and Interlochen Public Radio in Northern Michigan.

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Great Lakes Now

A different perspective on the fur trade

2 min read

A different perspective on the fur trade

Carl Gawboy, a celebrated Minnesota artist and Ojibwe scholar of Finnish and Bois Forte Anishinaabe descent, has dedicated his life to preserving and sharing the stories of his people. In his book, Fur Trade Nation: An Ojibwe’s Graphic History, Gawboy combines his prolific artistic talent, family stories, and cultural research to shed light on a largely overlooked chapter of history.

Read Now at Great Lakes Now.