Toxic Train Blockade

For 28 days, a group of Native Americans placed themselves on railroad tracks in northern Wisconsin. They blockaded a rail line they say is unsafe and transporting hazardous materials they fear will ultimately contaminate Lake Superior. The Great Lakes Radio Consortium’s Mike Simonson reports on the repercussions of the protest:

Paving Over Nature

Lakefront parks, nature trails and bike paths are all ways communities encourage the public to get outdoors. But some critics argue… to do that, they bulldoze and brick the very environments they are trying to showcase. However, Great Lakes Radio Consortium commentator Julia King says we shouldn’t be so quick to criticize the paving over of nature:

Three Brothers Shipwreck

Just as quickly as a Lake Michigan storm swallowed a turn-of-the-century cargo steamer, the lake has unexpectedly uncovered what maritime historians are calling a rare archaeological treasure. Great Lakes Radio Consortium correspondent J. Carl Ganter joined the first explorers of the newly discovered wreck just off the shores of South Manitou Island, in Michigan’s Lower Peninsula:

Return of the Trumpeter Swan

Another native Wisconsin species is being returned to the wild this spring… with the release of 14 trumpeter swans in a remote area of Northern Wisconsin. The Great Lakes Radio Consortium’s Mike Simonson reports from the Bad River Indian Reservation:

Civil Disobedience at Project Elf

An Earth Day action against a naval submarine communications base in Northern Wisconsin has left two people arrested, and a part of the base’s antenna system damaged. The Great Lakes Radio Consortium’s Mike Simonson reports on a direct action against this transmitter facility… intended to damage the Navy’s ability to communicate with its nuclear weapons-bearing trident submarine:

Operation Silver Shovel

An unfolding federal investigation in Chicago has revealed some politicians profited while illegal waste sites piled high in city neighborhoods. Before it’s all over, as many as 40 people could be indicted in the undercover probe called ”Operation Silver Shovel.” While the prosecutors are completing their work, the illegal waste sites remain. Now the effort to clean up the dumps is turning into a political mess as well. The Great Lakes Radio Consortium’s Shirley Jahad reports from Chicago:

Incinerator Sited in Minority Neighborhood

A group of Flint, Michigan residents is awaiting with trepidation the startup of a local power station. Some in the neighborhood fear dangerous toxic emissions will come from the plant, which is a wood-burning incinerator. They also say the location of the plant is a clear sign of environmental racism. But the corporation that owns the incinerator denies any racial factors and says the plant will be clean, safe and efficient. State of Michigan regulators have signed off on the power station’s permit. The Great Lakes Radio Consortium’s Gavin Sutton reports:

International Joint Commission Biennial Meeting

This weekend, two thousand environmentalists, scientists, and industrial representatives will converge on Duluth, Minnesota, for the Eighth Biennial Meeting of the International Joint Commission. If you’re not quite sure what the IJC is, or why its biennial meeting is so important, you’re not alone. For most of its 74-year history, the six person binational commission has quietly governed the boundary waters between the U.S. and Canada. But as the Great Lakes Radio Consortium’s Stephanie Hemphill recently learned, that role is changing as the IJC commits itself to protecting the Great Lakes, and maybe your health in the bargain: