Great Lakes Great Lakes Now Water

Hold the Salt, Please: The Environmental Impact of Road Salt

1 min read

As winter approaches, we’ll soon see salt-spreading plow trucks on the roads. And Todd Walter, director of the New York State Water Resources Institute, says salt that is washed off the roads stays in the soil for months. “It gets back down to background levels again sometimes as late as October, so we’re really keeping the system juiced up for a […]

Great Lakes Great Lakes Now Politics

What will Trump mean for the Great Lakes?

5 min read

Donald Trump’s election victory came with plenty of support from the Great Lakes region — unofficial returns show him winning five of the eight states. But in the aftermath of the election, environmental advocates were trying to determine how his presidency will affect the region, especially in light of his pledge to defund the Environmental Protection Agency. Aryeh Alex, director of the […]

Great Lakes Now Pipeline Water

Dakota Access Pipeline: An On-the-ground View from a Young Protestor

9 min read

I first came across Trenton Joseph Casillas-Bakeberg in a live facebook feed posted by Myron Dewey of Digital Smoke Signals while researching first-hand accounts of situation in North Dakota. I was moved by his calm, thoughtful demeanor as he told the story of a traumatizing experience he had a week ago today, Oct. 27th as he was pulled forcefully out of a […]

Great Lakes Now Lake Erie

Mild Year for Lake Erie algae blooms

1 min read

Western Lake Erie algae blooms were mild this year, especially when compared to previous years, the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration says in a new analysis. That’s good news, because the blooms can cause sickness in people and animals. NOAA says that areas of scum were “fewer, less dense, and less toxic in 2016 than in either 2014 or 2015.” The severity […]

Great Lakes Great Lakes Now

LISTEN: Great Lakes Today on toxic fish in the immigrant community

2 min read

Photo by Georgie Pauwels (Creative Common License) We love this short radio piece from our friends at Great Lakes Today that follows the efforts of organizations on the ground in Buffalo, New York as they reach out to the diverse population who fish there to educate them on the dangers of contamination consumption. Contaminated fish aren’t just an issue in […]