Only 20 to 30 years ago, environmental reporting was sharp, held government and polluters accountable, and resulted in policy changes. Not much of that anymore.

Great Lakes forever.

Detroit's renaissance following the 2013 bankruptcy continues. But its "vital and iconic" river remains mired in 1950s pollution. open.substack.com/pub/garyglx5...

After three days of rain, clearing skies over Grand Traverse Bay are welcome.

The Great Lakes are one-fifth of the 0.3% of the Earth’s freshwater that is at the surface. Another way of looking at it: freshwater is scarce, and the Great Lakes must be carefully conserved.

That was some Supermoon last night

Moon over Grand Traverse Bay tonight

Torch Lake waterspout this evening. m.youtube.com/watch?v=NO-q...

Dogs don’t worry about tomorrow.

Majestic sunrises, squalid times. Behold the orange glow.

Good morning from Michigan.

Aquatic buffet.

Sunday night moonrise over the west arm of Grand Traverse Bay.

The Great Lakes are magnificent and this is all true – – except that we are talking about percentages of surface freshwater. Not of all the freshwater in the world. A lot of water is underground and locked up in ice. But six quadrillion gallons of Great Lakes surface water are nothing to sniff at.

Evening on the bay, where things make sense.

The day begins on Lake Huron.

Today's Lake Huron sunrise.

Lake Superior--the largest lake by surface area in the world--compared to the east coast.

The Great Lakes have more shoreline than the East Coast.

Keeping the Great Lakes intact dempseyd.substack.com/p/water-wate...

August on Grand Traverse Bay.

'How can (rainy) England be running out of water?' Overuse, drought, climate, complacency and privatization among the contributors. Should be a must read for the Great Lakes region, Think Michigan (groundwater) and Chicago as both lack a conservation ethic. www.theguardian.com/news/ng-inte...

Hey, it'll be a good day.

Smoke free for the first time in a week.

Ugliness (runaway faraway forest fires) can foster beauty. 1000 miles from forest fires in western Canada, their smoke colors sunsets in the Great Lakes.

Evening on Grand Traverse Bay. 6/25/25

Worth noting. Continued silence on Great Lakes issues from Anne Vogel, who directs the Trump EPA’s Great Lakes office in Chicago. Did not respond to Lake Erie question and previously declined an interview request. www.greatlakesnow.org/2025/07/advo...

Happy Canada Day to friends north of the border, co-steward with the US of 20% of the world’s surface freshwater in the Great Lakes. Very glad you’re there.

Don’t forget to celebrate Canada Day, which is July 1. It’s a sovereign nation, not the 51st state, has been a friend of the US for a century and a half, and it stewards shared magnificent fresh water like the Great Lakes with the United States. Let’s recognize the greatness of Canada.

Sunset over fresh Traverse Bay water

The 2026 EPA budget contains steep cuts to clean water programs. I asked EPA to justify the cuts in light of its clean water for all mission statement. EPA sent me to the WH Office of Management and Budget. No response. More here. www.greatlakesnow.org/2025/06/epa-...

The 18 days when there were six Great Lakes. milwaukeerecord.com/city-life/a-...

Grand Traverse Bay

Another smoky day and night in Michigan.

Invasive mussels on the big lake

At the lake (Huron)

Neighborhood porcupine out for exercise and escape

Golden evening on the Great Lakes

Evening on Grand Traverse Bay

Great Lakes at great risk from budget cuts, policy changes. www.greatlakesnow.org/2025/05/grea...

Detroit River polluter gets warning www.detroitnews.com/story/news/l...

The bay last night.

Neither Canada nor the freshwater of Canada is for sale environmentaldefence.ca/2025/04/22/p...

Down at the bay last evening.

Unwanted dead or alive in the Great Lakes: forloveofwater.org/the-ten-leas...

As USEPA's mission deviates from protection as outlined in its new "Five Pillars" statement, Great Lakes now asked experts to comment. Specifically on the role of the regional offices like the Great Lakes office in Chicago. www.greatlakesnow.org/2025/04/expe...

Northern Michigan’s ice storm caused much destruction but there were glimpses of beauty.

Politicians come and go, the Great Lakes are forever.

Great Lakes may suffer because of strained US-Canadian relations grist.org/politics/us-...

A profoundly disturbing development apnews.com/article/trum...