Unity. Don’t snicker. Unity is possible in these divisive times. I speak right now of unity behind protecting the Great Lakes. So many people love them, so many people appreciate them and use them, I simply have to believe we can come together and protect them. In one of my books, I pointed out that …
Slamming Canada is foolish and will boomerang back on the U.S. Living next door to Canada as I grew up didn’t make me an expert on Canada, but it enriched my understanding of a neighbor and partner. Working side by side with Canadians on Great Lakes environmental policy for 40 years didn’t make me an …
One of the questions I most often hear when discussing my book Great Lakes: Fact or Fake? is whether Lake Superior is the largest lake in the world. Well, yes and no. Lake Superior is the largest lake in the world when measured by surface area. But measured by volume, Russia’s Lake Baikal is by …
Great Lakes Now recently interviewed me about my most recent book. The main attraction was the book’s premise — that they are attributes of the Great Lakes that are little known or misunderstood, and that a good way to learn more about them is via a guessing game. More readers, by far, have responded to …
Good news out of Wisconsin this week. The state’s Supreme Court has refused to hear an appeal of a lower court ruling blocking the sale of Lake Superior water. A proposal to turn artesian groundwater that feeds Lake Superior in northern Wisconsin into a product for sale ran head-on into the law, the community, a …
Of all the startling events taking place in national governance, the one getting the least attention, I believe, is that no president since Grover Cleveland has returned to the presidency after being ousted in a re-election try. I hope the return of this one does not result in a retreat to the environmental policies of …
A long time ago, in what seems like a different lifetime, I took somebody else’s idea and ran with it. The result, after much discussion and amendment and under the leadership of Governor James Blanchard, was the creation of the Office of the Great Lakes in what was then the Department of Natural Resources. The …
You probably don’t know it, but in early June, Michigan observed Great Lakes and Freshwater Awareness Week. It’s certainly appropriate. Michigan has an astounding array of waters. As Governor Whitmer said in her proclamation, “during this week, we encourage Michiganders to learn more about the unique wonders of our Great Lakes and freshwater resources that are …
Give the U.S. EPA and its Canadian counterpart points for recycling. When they released the 2022 State of the Great Lakes report in July, they offered the same characterization as in previous reports: overall, the Great Lakes are fair and unchanging. Merriam-Webster defines “fair” as ‘not very good or very bad: of average or acceptable …
It will be an honor to appear on the same stage as renowned author Jerry Dennis as part of the National Writers Series in Traverse City on August 25 at 7 p.m. Jerry is a local favorite as well as nationally prominent for his perceptive and lyrical prose about fishing, nature in general and the …