News & Commentary

Hey Congress, Don’t Roll Out the Welcome Mat for Invasive Species

June 9, 2016 Latest NewsUnited StatesSusan Cosier

A sneaky provision in this year’s defense act loosens regulations on ballast water—and all its stowaways. If it passes, the Great Lakes could suffer serious consequences.

One of the Worst Places for a Pipeline? Under the Great Lakes

May 19, 2016 DispatchCanada, Michigan, WisconsinSusan Cosier

The strong, erratic currents of the Straits of Mackinac could make an oil spill disastrous for two lakes and a whole lot of coastline.

In This Forest, a Clean Bill of Health Comes with Blue Polka-Dot Salamanders

May 4, 2016 PerspectivesIllinoisSusan Cosier

To keep an invasive plant from poisoning amphibians, Illinois conservationists are cutting and burning the dreaded buckthorn.

Monarchs Need Better Pit Stops on Their Epic Journeys

April 27, 2016 DispatchMidwestSusan Cosier

Projects across the Midwest are trying to bring milkweed and nectar-filled flowers back to the landscape.

Take a Hike Into the Ice Age on This National Scenic Trail

April 7, 2016 PerspectivesWisconsinSusan Cosier

Since the 1950s, conservationists have been working to save Wisconsin’s ancient geology, one mile at a time.

This Former Meatpacking Facility Is Now an Experiment in Sustainable Urban Ag

March 8, 2016 DispatchChicagoSusan Cosier

Come take a tour of "The Plant."

Taste the Rainbow . . . Trout?

March 1, 2016 DispatchMidwestSusan Cosier

Farming non-native fish in the Great Lakes? It might not be such a bad idea.

Seeking a Clean Bill of Health

February 18, 2016 DispatchMidwestSusan Cosier

What it takes to make the Great Lakes’ areas of concern less concerning.

Drinking In the Heavy Metal

February 8, 2016 DispatchFlint, MichiganSusan Cosier

Thanks to the Flint water crisis, the city’s kids could experience terrible, long-lasting consequences from lead exposure.

Soft in the Middle

January 12, 2016 DispatchMidwestSusan Cosier

What’s up with the Midwest’s warm and soggy winter weather?

Good Night, 2015

December 23, 2015 PerspectivesUnited StatesSusan Cosier

Check out the year’s best new #greenreads (and some old classics) for small children.

All’s Not Well

December 17, 2015 Latest NewsNorth DakotaSusan Cosier

North Dakota’s oil and gas boom is scaring away grassland birds.

Stop, Drop, and Roll

December 9, 2015 DispatchChicagoSusan Cosier

Every week, barrels upon barrels of volatile crude oil crisscross Chicago by rail, endangering tens of thousands of schoolkids.

The Peanut Butter Solution

November 20, 2015 Latest NewsUnited StatesSusan Cosier

A (tasty) plague-fighting vaccine for prairie dogs may give endangered black-footed ferrets a new lease on life.

You Don't Know Jack(fruit)

November 9, 2015 Latest NewsUnited StatesSusan Cosier

Prolific and nutritious, this funny-looking fruit could help feed the world.

Sunken Treasure

October 30, 2015 Latest NewsUnited StatesSusan Cosier

Shipwrecks are the main event at a newly proposed marine sanctuary, but scientists hope to find much more.

Biting Back

October 22, 2015 Latest NewsUnited StatesSusan Cosier

Backyard breeders are creating a new kind of hero honeybee—one that chomps off the legs of mites and saves the hive.

Fecal Attraction

October 13, 2015 Latest NewsUnited StatesSusan Cosier

Poop has a lot to tell us about the mating game—and this zoo scientist is getting the scoop on how to save endangered species in the wild.

Unleaded, Please

October 9, 2015 Latest NewsFlintSusan Cosier

Toxic tap water is just not acceptable in 2015 (in Flint, Michigan, or anywhere else).

Bird Men

October 6, 2015 DispatchMidwestSusan Cosier

Thanks to falconers, endangered peregrines are flourishing in Midwestern cities.