Battle Over the Humbug Marsh

Environmentalists and housing developers are engaged in a battle
over a 400 acre piece of land. Humbug Marsh is one of the last
undeveloped sites on the Detroit River – the international border
between the U.S. and Canada, and a river recently designated as an
American Heritage River. The Great Lakes Radio Consortium’s Marisa
Helms reports:

Saving Niagara’s Natural Beauty

A historian believes one of the world’s most visited natural sites is
being ruined by tourist development. The Great Lakes Radio Consortium’s
Lester Graham reports that instead of new hotels and casinos…one man is
pushing for an appreciation of the natural beauty of Niagara Falls:

New Study Disputes Mercury Risk

A new study from the University of Rochester has concluded that eatingocean fish with low levels of mercury doesn’t pose any serious healthrisks. The Great Lakes Radio Consortium’s Lester Graham has more:

Community Keeps Growth in Check

When the Chicago Tribune named Bayfield, Wisconsin as the best small town inthe Midwest last year, there was celebration and some reservation. Thispristine gateway to Lake Superior has seen steady growth since then. But agrassroots effort by residents of that area is trying to keep expansionunder control. The Great Lakes Radio Consortium Mike Simonson has more:

Farmland Threatened by Development

The outward growth of big city suburbs and of small towns booming because of retirees getting out of the city is putting pressure on some farm areas. The Great Lakes Radio Consortium’s Lester Graham reports state governments are stepping in to regulate some of the seemingly out-of-control growth:

Controversy Over Nat’l Park Lease Agreement

For two decades, the park service has worked to return populated areas back to their natural state through a policy of land purchases and lease backs. In 1970, federal legislation designated more than seventy-thousand acres of land along Michigan’s northwestern coast as a national park. In most cases, the park service allowed those residents to "lease-back" their properties for as many as 40 years. But now that many of their leases have expired, many residents are refusing to leave. The Great Lakes Radio Consortium’s Wendy Nelson reports:

Bringing Back the Loons

For many residents of the Great Lakes region, the loon is synonymous with wilderness – an enduring symbol of the wild outdoors. But, in northern Wisconsin, as development pressures increase, there are fewer and fewer places for the loons to nest. Now, one woman has decided to do something about it. The Great Lakes Radio Consortium’s Nick Van Der Puy reports:

Commentary – Driving Through Wildlife Habitat

With natural habitat continuing to shrink, wildlife encounters of the worst kind are on the rise. Roadsides throughout the Midwest bear sad evidence that many wild animals will never adapt to the presence of our vehicles. As Great Lakes Radio Consortium Commentator Gayle Miller points out, we might spare the lives of countless creatures by doing a bit of adapting ourselves:

Marsh Monitoring Program

Marshes and other wetlands across the Great Lakes region are disappearing. Others are polluted. And that means trouble for the animals that live in them, especially birds and frogs. The four-year-old Marsh Monitoring Program based in Ontario uses hundreds of volunteers across the region to keep track of wildlife in wetland areas. The Great Lakes Radio Consortium’s Andy Robins reports: