Great Lakes Now

Waves of Change: Meet Maji ya Chai Land Sanctuary founder Rebeka Ndosi

2 min read

Waves of Change: Meet Maji ya Chai Land Sanctuary founder Rebeka Ndosi

Waves of Change is an online interview series highlighting the diverse faces and perspectives shaping the environmental justice movement throughout the Great Lakes region.

We spoke with Rebeka Ndosi, founder of the Maji ya Chai Land Sanctuary, a Black-led healing sanctuary just outside of Two Harbors, Minnesota. Ndosi is a healer, teacher, public speaker and community coach.

Read Now at Great Lakes Now.

Great Lakes Now Michigan

Mining is back in Michigan’s Upper Peninsula. Here’s how it works

5 min read

Mining is back in Michigan’s Upper Peninsula. Here’s how it works

By Kelly House, Bridge Michigan

The Great Lakes News Collaborative includes Bridge Michigan; Circle of Blue; Great Lakes Now at Detroit Public Television; 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.

Read Now at Great Lakes Now.

Great Lakes Now

2024 Election: State and Local Voters Consider Tax Increases for Water Protection

7 min read

2024 Election: State and Local Voters Consider Tax Increases for Water Protection

By Brett Walton, Circle of Blue

The Great Lakes News Collaborative includes Bridge Michigan; Circle of Blue; Great Lakes Now at Detroit Public Television; 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.

Read Now at Great Lakes Now.

Food Great Lakes Now

Nibi Chronicles: Manoomin as medicine

8 min read

Nibi Chronicles: Manoomin as medicine

“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

PFAS Roundup: Vice President Harris supports Michigan-led plan to provide medical care for military victims of PFAS

5 min read

PFAS Roundup: Vice President Harris supports Michigan-led plan to provide medical care for military victims of PFAS

Michigan Democratic Sen. Debbie Stabenow and Rep. Dan Kildee introduced The Veterans Exposed to Toxic PFAS Act in July of 2023. Recently, Vice President Kamala Harris announced her support for the bill as a part of her presidential campaign. If passed, this would make it easier for veterans who were exposed to perfluoroalkyl and polyfluoroalkyl substances (PFAS) while serving to access medical benefits and disability. 

Read Now at Great Lakes Now.

Climate change Great Lakes Now

Climate change isn’t a top issue in this election. Some Wisconsin voters say it should be.

1 min read

Climate change isn’t a top issue in this election. Some Wisconsin voters say it should be.

By Danielle Kaeding, Wisconsin Public Radio

This article was republished here with permission from Wisconsin Public Radio.

Outside a September rally with Minnesota Gov. Tim Walz at the University of Wisconsin-Superior, Ashland business owner and Democrat Will Pipkin set up signs with a cavalcade of slogans, including “Another cat lady for democracy” and “Without a healthy climate, there’s no freedom.”

Pipkin said he’s backing Vice President Kamala Harris and Walz in the presidential race because they’re the most progressive choice, and he thinks they would continue President Joe Biden’s work on green initiatives and climate change.

Read Now at Great Lakes Now.

Great Lakes Now

Great Lakes most unwanted: Top 10 invasive species

13 min read

Great Lakes most unwanted: Top 10 invasive species

Long after the Halloween season has ended, some of the Great Lakes’ most infamous invasive species remain a scary sight: blood-sucking parasites with suction-cup mouths, thousands of rotting fish carcasses washed ashore and sharp mussel shells that puncture the feet of unsuspecting beachgoers.

At least 188 nonnative aquatic species have been introduced to the Great Lakes, and over a third have become invasive, meaning they can have negative health, ecological and socioeconomic impacts when introduced to new ecosystems.

Read Now at Great Lakes Now.