ecology

There's currently no tracking program for microplastics in the Great Lakes.

One scientist thinks lake whitefish could disappear from certain parts of the Great Lakes within the next five years.

A researcher in Ohio was surrounded by hundreds of dead ash trees. They had been wiped out by this beetle called the emerald ash borer. But then, in that same forest, she found a lone tree thriving. Could this tree be the key to saving ash from extinction?

Fewer hunters are heading to deer camp, and more Michiganders are affected by the annoyances — and dangers — of a bigger herd. The Natural Resources Commission votes on new regulations Thursday. Will it help?

Daffodils and trilliums get all the love. But deeper in the woods, another iconic marker of spring has started to appear: vernal pools.

A full-time mussel biologist is joining the DNR's ranks. The agency has several mussel experts, but this will be the first scientist entirely devoted to the creatures. They'll help kickstart a two-year project on Michigan's native and invasive mussels.

The idea that wilderness is untouched by man is written into law, but it’s not so accurate. Humans have used fire to shape many places we call “wilderness.” A look at how tree rings affirm a long history of indigenous land management.

The idea that wilderness is untouched by man is written into law, but it’s not so accurate. Humans have used fire to shape many places we call “wilderness.” A look at how tree rings affirm a long history of indigenous land management.

Most people think of the wilderness as a place untouched by humans, but that’s far from the truth. Evidence stored in tree rings in the Minnesota Boundary Waters affirms an oral history of Indigenous land management through controlled burns. Those intentional fires created one of the Great Lakes’ most popular wilderness destinations.

Most people think of the wilderness as a place untouched by humans, but that’s far from the truth. Evidence stored in tree rings in the Minnesota Boundary Waters affirms an oral history of Indigenous land management through controlled burns. Those intentional fires created one of the Great Lakes’ most popular wilderness destinations.