In 2016, Issue Media Group and its family of online publications across Michigan published a series of articles on Michigan’s Great Lakes Areas of Concern.  In addition to showcasing work in individual AOCs, the series also profiles key leaders who have fueled the restoration process in their communities.  Published 2016

Special Report: Michigan’s Areas of Concern – Cleaning up the past for a brighter, ‘bluer’ economic future in Michigan

Working towards a brighter, ‘bluer’ future for Detroit

• Overcoming a bad rep: Detroit and Rouge River ‘Areas of Concern’ are headed for recovery
• A lifetime on the water: Robert Burns on why public access is key to fixing the Detroit River

Working towards a brighter, ‘bluer’ future in metro Detroit

• Battling pollution’s legacy in metro Detroit’s ‘Areas of Concern’ waterways
• Take me to the river: CRWC director Anne Vaara on restoring an urban waterway
• Richard Micka on restoring the River Raisin and a life spent close to home
• Blue water beauty: Fred Kemp on the long game of cleaning up the St. Clair River
• Bill Craig: Restoring the Rouge is ‘about getting the community to the river’

Working towards a brighter, bluer future in the Saginaw Bay region

• The fish are back, but there’s still work to be done in the Saginaw River and Bay
• Bitten by a ‘watershed bug,’ Bill Wright dedicates life to cleaning up Saginaw Bay

Working towards a brighter, ‘bluer’ future in west Michigan

• Cleaning up West Michigan’s ‘Areas of Concern’
• From ‘dead zone’ to ‘delisting’: Ken Mahoney on cleaning up White Lake
• A lifetime on the water: Kathy Evans on restoring Muskegon Lake

Working towards a brighter, bluer future in southwest Michigan

• Kalamazoo River fights to clean up pollution past and present
• Waiting on a dam (removal): Otsego city manager Thad Beard on restoring the Kalamazoo River

Upper Peninsula’s Areas of Concern work toward restoration and ‘delisting’

• Mark Erickson: ‘Menominee has been good to me’
• Love at first sight: Geography prof Dr. Keith West on why he jumped on a life in the Great Lakes
• Deer Lake is a shining example of how to get an Area of Concern delisted
• Mike Ripley on restoring the St. Marys River for future generations
• The Manistique River has a long history and a bright delisted future
• Torch Lake is a cautionary tale of what happens when pollution goes unchecked

Return to the Library main page