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Up North Lowdown - Interlochen Public Radio, NPR Network
Up North Lowdown

Each week, you’ll hear sound-rich stories from northern Michigan, interviews with journalists and newsmakers, and a look at some of the other things making news in our state — all in about 15 minutes. Get the Up North Lowdown, from Interlochen Public Radio.

Latest Episodes
  • Left: Fallon Gandulla-Ghekiere and Magnolia Montgomery look into small dishes containing caterpillars feeding on "milkweed mush" in the Interlochen greenhouse on July 10, 2024. (Photo: Izzy Ross/IPR) Right: Members of the WVU alumni band and the Northport Community Band perform behind an image of WVU's marching band. (Photo: Claire Keenan-Kurgan/IPR News)
    Up North Lowdown: Metamorphosis
    This week: Raising monarch butterflies in Interlochen, as climate change threatens the species. And a tribute in Northport to a band director with a powerful legacy.
  • Left: Fewer hunters, a lack of predators and more habitat have all contributed to a slow, steady growth of Michigan's white-tailed deer herd. Those high numbers are increasingly affecting human and environmental health. (Photo: David Kenyon / Michigan Department of Natural Resources) Top right: Solar panels on a roof. (Courtesy of Peninsula Solar)
    Up North Lowdown: All the deer
    This week: Crafting new rules for deer management gets more complicated than usual. Also, what your HOA *can't* tell you to do.
  • Left: Bob Moler has spent 50 years talking about astronomy on Interlochen Public Radio. (Photo: Tyler Thompson/IPR News.) Top right: First Lady Jill Biden speaks to visitors of King Orchards in Antrim County. She visited northern Michigan July 3 to open a new campaign office in Traverse City. President Joe Biden visited the farm in a campaign stop in 2020. (Photo: Lauren Rice/WCMU and Traverse City Record-Eagle) Middle right: The Cheboygan Hospice House is located at 722 South Street. The facility is now open under new managment and accepting patients and hiring staff. (Photo: Michael Livingston/IPR News)
    Up North Lowdown: 50 years of cosmic awe
    This week: Bob Moler has helped IPR listeners perceive the cosmos for 50 years. He talks about turning his teenage curiosity into a lifelong passion for astronomy.
  • Top: The Platte River pictured before and after the diversion in August 2022. (Credit: U.S. Attorney's Office) Bottom left: The Kodak Quartet. Bottom right: Spotted wing drosophila could spell bad news for Michigan cherries. (Credit: Montana State University)
    Up North Lowdown: The Platte River diversion
    This week: Hear from the Frankfort man sentenced for diverting the Platte River in 2022. A string quartet is popping up in unexpected places. And it was great spring for a tiny fruit fly that causes trouble for cherry farmers.
  • Up North Lowdown: Getting into the dirt
    This week: Protips for composting in Leelanau County, and another episode of "Stories that Heal." Plus, some sounds from Juneteenth in Traverse City.
  • Left: Firefighters respond to a fire at the Tissue Depot in Cheboygan on Sept. 13, 2023. (Photo courtesy of the City of Cheboygan) Right: Photo: Michigan Department of Natural Resources
    Up North Lowdown: From the ashes
    This week: Big plans for Cheboygan after September's devastating fire. How do we coexist with bears? And can waves provide electricity on Beaver Island?
  • Top left: A group of Holstein cows jostle for hay at the farm run by Laurie Stanek and her family. June 3, 2024. (Photo: Izzy Ross/IPR News) Top right: These are some of the few survivors among the stinkbugs that washed up on Frankfort beach recently. (Photo: Cheryl Bartz/IPR) Bottom left: Each sample goes through a digestion process which leaves behind only sediment, minerals and microplastics. Plastic fibers, if present in the sample, are visible under a microscope. (Photo: Ellie Katz/IPR News) Bottom right: Downtown Boyne City in July 2015. (Photo: Michigan Municipal League)
    Up North Lowdown: How now in cows?
    Bird flu has begun showing up in cattle. We visit an Antrim Co. dairy farm to learn what's being done about it. Also: Microplastics, beach bugs and housing issues.
  • Up North Lowdown: A lens on quillwork
    This week: A look at Michigan's guardianship system — its flaws and those who are trying to make it work. Plus, quillwork as seen through the lens of Minnie Wabanimkee.
  • Left: Anna Ohler co-owns Bright Lane Gardens, a plant nursery in Lake Ann. They have committed to not sell certain invasive species that are often popular among gardeners, as part of a program called Go Beyond Beauty. (Photo: Ellie Katz/IPR News) Top right: The "Stories that Heal" workshop helps people take their stories of trauma and loss and process them through song. Bottom right: IPR's "Points North" podcast received four regional Murrow Awards for recent episodes dealing with rock hunting, an ice rescue, freshwater jellyfish and teaching Native language.
    Up North Lowdown: Invasive but legal
    This week: Some Michigan plant nurseries fight back against invasive species. Plus: "Stories that Heal" takes us to Benzie County. And IPR wins some awards!
  • The paper, the ship and the book
    This week: A Traverse City woman christens a Navy vessel bearing her father's name. A newspaper editor is abruptly fired. And growing up Chinese American in Detroit.
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