From @greatlakesnow.bsky.social, the 1st in our 3-part series about climate migration: “Ann Arbor, Buffalo & Cleveland — it tends to be the biggest cities [discussing climate migration] because they have established planning departments & the officers.” www.greatlakesnow.org/2025/09/how-...

As federal agencies review their guidance on fluoridation and the nation’s top health official calls fluoride "industrial waste," state and local governments are pulling back — upending a decades-long public health success story. Story by @propublica.org: www.greatlakesnow.org/2025/09/fluo...

My first segment for Great Lakes Now. Grateful to be able to cover a topic like the rights of nature. We looked into NY's "Great Lakes Bill of Rights," & the history of the short-lived "Lake Erie Bill of Rights" (spoiler...it was challenged in court by agricultural company, Drewes Farms).

Illinois Gov. JB Pritzker signed the PFAS Reduction Act into law on August 15. More regional PFAS news: www.greatlakesnow.org/2025/08/illi...

After working at the Grand Portage National Monument, Sofia Vanderlan built a birch bark canoe in honor of her ancestors’ Great Lakes tradition and heritage. www.greatlakesnow.org/2025/08/nibi...

Electric vehicle manufacturer Rivian is suing Ohio for letting Tesla open car dealerships in the state but not letting other manufacturers do the same. Catch the latest energy news from around the region: www.greatlakesnow.org/2025/08/ev-m...

A new @umich.edu model shows that extreme temperature swings are reshaping the Great Lakes with big implications for ecosystems, industries and climate resilience. www.greatlakesnow.org/2025/08/heat...

Plastics Treaty Talks Collapse Without A Deal After “Chaotic” Negotiations @mcivillini.bsky.social reports for @climatechangenews.com www.climatechangenews.com/2025/08/15/p...

The Society of Environmental Journalists joins the Committee to Protect Journalists @pressfreedom.bsky.social and other press organizations in condemning Israel’s killing of six journalists in a targeted air strike in Gaza on Sunday. Read SEJ's full statement. www.sej.org/sej-condemns...

A new study correlates unexplained frequent miscarriages with exposure to certain "forever chemicals," and more on the latest PFAS News Roundup: www.greatlakesnow.org/2025/08/new-...

Great Lakes aquaculture pioneers fight imports and regulations to build a sustainable, local seafood industry by creating jobs and restoring consumer trust: www.greatlakesnow.org/2025/08/how-...

Thanks to decades of catch-and-release fishing and shifting ecological factors, Lake St. Clair has become a world-class destination for smallmouth bass, just in time for the 2025 Yokohama Tire Bassmaster Elite tournament. 🎣 www.greatlakesnow.org/2025/08/bass...

Let's pressure the next administration in Detroit to uphold the adage that we're the Paris of the Midwest by planting more trees, creating more parks, and establishing green protected bike lanes like this. These aren't just for enjoyment and recreation, but also for public health.

Federal regulators authorized the formerly shuttered Michigan Palisades nuclear plant to start loading fuel. More energy news as natural gas bans face off against industry challenges and a major power line loses a $4.9 billion federal loan commitment. www.greatlakesnow.org/2025/08/mich...

Among the changes, climate initiatives were rolled back, funding for clean water programs was slashed and environmental justice programs were rescinded.  www.greatlakesnow.org/2025/08/reth...

“The Riverwalk has transformed a previously industrial area into a vibrant and attractive waterfront, significantly improving Detroit’s image and perception both locally and nationally.” 🏙️ www.greatlakesnow.org/2025/08/grea...

I was rereading Daisy Hildyard's The Second Body yesterday. I love how this piece connects her concept to the pollution crises involving plastics, PFAS, etc.

"Plastic pollution is a 'grave, growing and under-recognized danger' to health that is costing the world at least $1.5 trillion a year." I can't emphasize how important it is to have research that puts dollar signs on these health crises, like plastics and PFAS: www.cbsnews.com/news/plastic...

As an editor, I loved this pitch on bike infrastructure in Great Lakes cities, long built for cars: From Detroit greenways to Toronto court battles, North American cities are racing to be more bike-friendly. But what will it take to catch up to Amsterdam? www.greatlakesnow.org/2025/07/why-...

Latest PFAS news roundup: -Correlation between PFAS and Type 2 diabetes. -Two sweeping investigations on the state of PFAS in Canada. -Gut microbes that help remove PFAS. -How people are struggling to receive proper medical assistance after known exposure. www.greatlakesnow.org/2025/07/stud...

Biologists with the Grand Portage Band are keeping Lake Superior’s waters clean — while sounding the alarm on harmful algal blooms and climate-driven water threats. www.greatlakesnow.org/2025/07/all-...

Data centers in Ohio will have to pay more up front for electricity after state regulators sided with an electric utility and consumer advocates over tech companies earlier this month. Catch the latest Great Lakes energy news: www.greatlakesnow.org/2025/07/ohio...

The International Court of Justice ruled that nations have an obligation to act on climate change under international laws protecting the environment and human rights. By @lsommer.bsky.social

A powerful story about the price and culture of overfishing.

🦅 Baby bald eagles in the Great Lakes are testing positive for toxic chemicals like PFAS, and long-banned PCBs and DDT. But there’s also hope: a new soybean-based product may soon replace cancer-causing firefighter foam. For more on the latest PFAS news: www.greatlakesnow.org/2025/07/baby...

Amid a population crash of lake whitefish, fisheries experts told regulators that more research needs to be done to discover how to stem the scourge of invasive mussels. Without that, they said, efforts to limit fishing are futile. Story by @bridgemi.com: www.greatlakesnow.org/2025/07/we-c...

@greatlakesnow.bsky.social's latest story about protecting 3 endangered butterfly species, from photojournalist Donté Smith: “Almost daily we’ll send somebody into the field with a case full of butterflies to be released back out into the wild,” Pavlik said. www.greatlakesnow.org/2025/07/john...

“I thank God for the LIHEAP program,” says Sherita Hamlin, of Chicago, referring to the federal Low Income Home Energy Assistance Program that helped her avoid shutoffs. Read out story published in partnership with Great Lakes Now: planetdetroit.org/2025/07/grea...

It’s the annual peak algal bloom season and the spotlight as usual is on Lake Erie’s western basin, including Toledo and southeast Michigan. www.greatlakesnow.org/2025/07/advo...

Excessive infrastructure spending, climate change and a strained regulatory system add costs for ratepayers, advocates say. www.greatlakesnow.org/2025/07/grea...

The flooding that tore through Central Texas last week is already one of the deadliest flood events in modern American history. No matter where you live, a disaster can hit and change your life. This toolkit from @grist.org can help you stay ready and informed: www.greatlakesnow.org/disaster-101...

Community solar is still kicking in Minnesota. Language sunsetting the program made its way into the state’s energy omnibus bill, but was removed after a handful of community solar champions pushed back. Catch the latest Great Lakes energy news: www.greatlakesnow.org/2025/07/in-m...

Barn Sanctuary is home to more than 10 cows, who the staff call "residents." Learn about how Michigan's farm animal sanctuaries offer a contrast to industrial agriculture and how their sustainable practices contribute to a healthier Great Lakes ecosystem: www.greatlakesnow.org/.../empoweri...

Barn Sanctuary is linking animal rescue with climate care + community action. 🐄🌎💚 Hopeful, hands-on change that also addresses CAFOs and nutrient pollution that is contaminating our waterways. Important work by photojournalist Donté Smith: www.greatlakesnow.org/2025/07/empo...

I need every prospective Detroit mayoral candidate to read this

Purchase this amazing anthology! You'll find some of my work alongside Great Lakes Now columnist Staci Lola Drouillard 🌊

Strawberries are known as heart berries or ode’iminan in Ojibwemowin and they play a special role in our regional ecosystems. 🍓❤️ www.greatlakesnow.org/2025/07/wher...

Detroiters (and everyone who loves a quiz) make sure you take this beautiful quiz by @outliermedia.org called Meet Your Mayor. The illustrations, web design, accessible information...it's checking all the boxes for civic engagement and journalism. projects.outliermedia.org/meet-your-ma...

Yesterday, the nonprofit group Waterkeeper Alliance announced the results of a study conducted across 19 states, which revealed PFAS contamination in 98% of the waterways tested. Catch the latest updates on what’s happening with PFAS in the Great Lakes region: www.greatlakesnow.org/2025/06/new-...

Sharon Day is the executive director of the Indigenous Peoples Task Force and leads several water walks each year. We featured her for "Waves of Change" — a series highlighting people shaping the environmental justice movement throughout the Great Lakes region: www.greatlakesnow.org/2025/06/wave...

Fried, whipped into a pâté or dried and ground into powder in the Anishinaabe tradition, whitefish have been a cornerstone of Great Lakes cuisine and culture for millenia. After decades of decline, they're now on the brink of collapse. Story by @bridgemi.com: www.greatlakesnow.org/2025/06/icon...

A recent article from the Journal of the American Heart Association correlates higher exposure to marine microplastic levels to higher rates of type 2 diabetes, coronary artery disease, and stroke: www.ahajournals.org/doi/10.1161/...

I’m always looking to collaborate or talk with journalists, photographers, artists, scientists, and environmental or health advocates. Please check out our important work at Detroit PBS and don’t forget to pitch Great Lakes Now [email protected]. Thanks for this opportunity! www.detroitpbs.org

In my free time, I’m working on a newsletter called Folded in Two, where I’m merging my two loves: science reporting and art criticism. foldedintwo.substack.com

I have also freelanced as an arts writer for publications like Hyperallergic, Artforum, and Runner magazine. Mainly discussing art and its relationship to an environment or place: www.artforum.com/events/maya-...

Or, this piece by Mia Litzenberg for our collaborative project with the Great Lakes News Collaborative, about the psychological impact that climate change is having on residents around the lakes. As many of us find our cultural unity rooted in water: www.greatlakesnow.org/2024/08/a-ne...

As an editor, I enjoy collaborating with freelancers on a wide range of topics. Like this piece by Andrew Reeves about Canadian conservation groups purchasing land from farmers to increase biodiversity: www.greatlakesnow.org/2024/07/maki...

Or, the series I did last year on the Urban Heat Island effect impacting cities around the lakes. Here is part I, highlighting the health implications: www.greatlakesnow.org/2024/06/heat... Part II, about solutions and the importance of water: www.greatlakesnow.org/2024/06/heat...

When not working on the PFAS News Roundups, I’m reporting on issues that require a more in-depth approach. Like in this piece about the rampant microplastics problem in the Great Lakes: www.greatlakesnow.org/2025/05/ever...

Biweekly, I synthesize the region’s PFAS news in the PFAS News Roundups, helping policymakers, advocates, and concerned residents compare developments in research, discovery, legal battles, and legislation across state lines and both sides of the border: www.greatlakesnow.org/2025/03/canc...