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Great Lakes Moment

Check out this monthly column by Great Lakes Now contributor John Hartig

AuthorsConnectFeature HomepageHabitat RestorationInvasive SpeciesJohn HartigLatest NewsMichiganNewsWater Quality and Restoration Efforts
Great Lakes Moment: Rouge River oxbow enhances education at The Henry Ford
- by John Hartig, Great Lakes Now

The oxbow’s natural shoreline along the Rouge River, once eliminated for flood control, has been restored and transformed into a vital ecological and educational resource at The Henry Ford.

Great Lakes Moment: Connecting people to nature through The Great Lakes Way
- by John Hartig, Great Lakes Now

Creating a necklace of greenways and water trails throughout southeast Michigan.

Great Lakes Moment: Michigan’s Port of Monroe fosters a blue economy that welcomes wildlife
- by John Hartig, Great Lakes Now

How a port that receives about 2.5 million tons of cargo is also a haven for birds at the intersection of the Atlantic and Mississippi flyways.

Great Lakes Moment: Sacred Grounds
- by John Hartig, Great Lakes Now

Restoring habitats and supporting green infrastructure with houses of worship in Detroit.

Great Lakes Moment: Mink thriving along the Detroit River
- by John Hartig, Great Lakes Now

Next time you are on the Detroit River, keep an eye peeled for a mink! This keystone species is now thriving along this once-polluted river.

Great Lakes Moment: Ten natural wonders of The Great Lakes Way
- by John Hartig, Great Lakes Now

Get your bicycle or kayak ready and consider adding these close-to-home natural wonders to your Great Lakes adventure bucket list.

Operation Manoomin: Restoring Wild Rice along the Detroit River
- by John Hartig, Great Lakes Now

To reestablish the Potawatomi’s presence along the Detroit River, the local Indigenous group is interested in partnering on a project to restore wild rice in protected areas in and along the river.

Great Lakes Moment: Birds of a feather flock together

American white pelicans were considered “a rare vagrant” to Lake Erie up until 2014. Then, sightings of these fascinating waterbirds became more common.

Great Lakes Moment: Detroit River’s important role in lake whitefish

In 2006, lake whitefish spawning was documented in the Detroit River for the first time since 1916. Today, the Detroit River proves essential to the survival of the species.

Great Lakes Moment: Saving the Conservation Crescent
- by John Hartig, Great Lakes Now

Local conservationists coined the term “Conservation Crescent” 25 years ago to better understand and protect several islands in the Detroit River. Here is the recent history of those islands, detailing the success of this movement.

Great Lakes Moment: Gordie Howe International Bridge becomes part of binational trail system
- by John Hartig, Great Lakes Now

World’s longest trail is about to become even longer. Plans are underway to make the Trans Canada Trail connect from Windsor, Ontario to Detroit, Michigan.

Great Lakes Moment: Lest we forget – A history of Detroit River oil pollution
- by John Hartig, Great Lakes Now

Today, the Detroit River is much cleaner, and sentinel wildlife species have returned. It is good to look back at the 1960s pollution of the river, notably oil pollution, and recognize how far we have come.

Great Lakes Moment: Ohio provides example for funding Detroit and Rouge rivers’ sediment cleanup
- by John Hartig, Great Lakes Now

Ohio will soon embark on removing the Gorge Dam on the Cuyahoga River. Their approach could be a model for cleaning up contaminated sediments in the Detroit and Rouge rivers.