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Air gaps: Michigan's air quality monitoring network has some holes

A boat sits on Duck Lake near Interlochen on Wednesday, July 15, 2026, amid thick wildfire smoke that poured into northern Michigan from fires burning in Canada and Minnesota. (Photo: Ed Ronco/IPR News)
Ed Ronco
/
IPR News
A boat sits on Duck Lake near Interlochen on Wednesday, July 15, 2026, amid thick wildfire smoke that poured into northern Michigan from fires burning in Canada and Minnesota. (Photo: Ed Ronco/IPR News)

When wildfire smoke blanketed northern Michigan in July, a lot of us turned to the AQI, or air quality index, for guidance on how to protect ourselves.

But gaps in Michigan’s air quality monitoring network, particularly in rural areas of northern Michigan, mean many of us don’t have accurate information.

Reporter Miles MacClure takes a deep breath and guides us through the facts.


Producer: Austin Rowlader
Editor: Steve Junker
Host: Ed Ronco
Music: Blue Dot Sessions, U.S. Coast Guard