Michigan 2022 seasonaldieoff

Seasonal die off of alewives wash ashore the beaches of Lake Michigan

Michigan 2022 erosion

Serious erosion and greening occurring on Sleeping Bear Dunes

Michigan 2020 whitefish

Whitefish among dwindling marine species due to climate change

Michigan 2018 Meteotsunami

Meteotsunamis on Lake Michigan

Michigan 2018 Clear Water

Lake Michigan is losing nutrients

Michigan 2015 factories

Factories line the lake shore

Michigan 2014 Pipeline

Pipeline at the Straits of Mackinac could burst at any moment

Michigan 2010 biggestinland

The biggest inland oil spill in U.S. history

Michigan 2009 quagga

Invasive quagga mussels lead to decline of aquatic species

Michigan 2004 coolbeauty

The cool beauty of Lake Michigan

Michigan 2002 lakewinnebago

Lake Winnebago sturgeon conservation creates hope

Michigan 2000 Lake Levels Dropping

Lake levels will drop from global warming

Michigan 2000 petroleum

Petroleum spills in the Great Lakes

Michigan 1995 stretchofsleeping

Stretch of Sleeping Bear Dunes National Lakeshore slides into the waters of Lake Michigan

Michigan 1993 Cryptosporidium

Cryptosporidium invades the Milwaukee water supply

Michigan 1986 contaminants

Harbor full of PCBs and contaminants

Michigan 1986 Piping Plover

Piping Plover listed as an endangered speices after rising water levels wash out habitats

Michigan 1980 midco

Mid-Co Corporation sued over toxic dump

Michigan 1978 waterqualityagreement

Great Lakes Water Quality Agreement

Michigan 1976 michigansanddune

Michigan Sand Dune Protection and Management Act

Michigan 1970 Nixon

Richard Nixon comments on the state of Lake Michigan

Michigan 1969 Blackfin Ciscoe

The last sighting of the Blackfin Ciscoe in Lake Michigan

Michigan 1967 Algae bloom

A bloom of toxic algae kills millions of alewives

Michigan 1966 lakeshore

Indiana Dunes National Lakeshore established

Michigan 1965 Alewives

A plague of alewives

Great Lakes 1955 Great Lakes Fishery Commission

Great Lakes Fishery Commission Treaty

Michigan 1955 No hope of fish

No hope of fish in Lake Michigan

Michigan 1953 lampreys

Lampreys bring Green Bay fishing to a standstill

Michigan 1946 failtoimplement

The US and Canada fail to implement fishing regulations in an effort to eradicate the sea lamprey

Michigan 1944 Deforestation

A desert of stumps

Michigan 1940 rainbowsmelt

Explosion of invasive rainbow smelt population

Great Lakes 1938 Sea Lamprey

Sea Lamprey invade all of the Great Lakes

Michigan 1933 lessforest

Every year less and less forest

Michigan 1916 Sand Dunes National Park

The call to create Sand Dunes National Park

Michigan 1894 overfishing

Overfishing has destroyed the fish

Michigan 1889 dunes

We cannot lose the Indiana dunes 

Michigan 1885 exploiting

Exploiting nature’s abundant supply

Michigan 1885 wasteland

Milwaukee Harbor, wasteland

Michigan 1881 buffalo

Where is the buffalo? Where are the fish?

Michigan 1880 lumberrush

The great lumber rush

Michigan 1871 sturgeon

Sturgeon decimated in Green Bay

Michigan 1830 wondroustrees

The wondrous trees of Lake Michigan destroyed

Michigan 1819 Hawk with fish

Well-supplied with fish

Michigan 1800s landscape

The landscape around Lake Michigan

Michigan 1799 excellentfish

Excellent fish

Michigan 1718 Fruit Belt

Michigan's fruit belt 

Michigan 1600s abundance

Beautiful abundance of Green Bay

Michigan 10000BC Michilimackinac home

The Anishinaabe chose to make Michilimackinac home 

Michigan 10000BC Michilimackinac center of world

The Anishinaabe believed the straits of Michlimackinac were the center of the world.

Michigan 10000BC Glacial evidence

Evidence of the glaciers remains

hist-4723-photo-Lake Michigan Overview

Lake Michigan

Invasive Species

Invasives such as the Asian carp, sea lamprey, alewife, zebra mussel, and the round goby are just a few of the species that have wreaked havoc on the Great Lakes. These invasive species decimate native populations both by lacking predators and creating low oxygen environments which trigger the production of bacteria that cause botulism. In the 1960s, Alewives made up 90% of the fish in the Great Lakes, posing a major threat to native populations. 

Sand Dune Erosion

Storms around the Great Lakes are intensifying as a result of global warming. A higher frequency of flash floods is causing major erosion of the sand dunes around Lake Michigan. Sleeping Bear Dunes and Indiana Dunes National Lakeshores are home to exceptionally diverse flora and fauna and conservation is crucial to prevent extinction. The erosion has led to habitat loss of the piping plover, and the species is now considered endangered. 

Development

During the nineteenth century, much of the land surrounding the Great Lakes was cleared and cultivated for industrial and residential development. Building, mines, power plants, coastal roads & recreational infrastructure has been disrupting natural environments for centuries. Deforestation and improper waste disposal has destroyed fish spawning grounds, introduced heavy metals to the ecosystem, and triggered rapid warming of the lake waters. Runoff water containing sewage and industrial waste threatened the public drinking water in Milwaukee in 1993. Additionally, Enbridge Line 5, a 645-mile oil pipeline in the Enbridge Lakehead System, now runs through the Straits of Mackinac. If struck, the pipeline has the capacity to spill across hundreds of miles of shoreline, taking years to clean up and decimating the ecosystem. 

Chemical Waste

Previously relaxed environmental regulations allowed nearby industrial plants and mining operations to dump their waste into the Great Lakes without any repercussions. Resultantly, sludge at the bottom of the waterways and lakes of the basin contain myriad toxic chemicals ranging from PCBs to radioactive waste. The southern shore of Lake Michigan is lined with factories and is a primary source of the pollution.

Algal Blooms

The extent and duration of anoxia/ hypoxia [oxygen-depleted bottom waters that cause blooms] in the central basin continue to increase annually. The extensive deforestation has led to an increase in nitrogen, the leading cause of excess algal growth. Additionally, warming water temperatures, also due to deforestation as well as global warming, provides a prime environment for exponential growth. The algae depletes oxygen levels of the lake water, suffocating fish populations and breeding bacteria. 

Most Pressing Issues

Alliance for Great Lakes

The Alliance for Great Lakes works with scientists, policymakers, businesses, community groups and everyday citizens to protect and restore the lake.

Save the Dunes

Save the Dunes works to preserve, protect and restore the Indiana dunes and all natural resources in Northwest Indiana’s Lake Michigan Watershed.

Clean Wisconsin

Clean Wisconsin protects WI’s clean water and air on Lake Michigan and advocates for clean energy by being an effective voice in the state legislature.

Lake Michigan Shorelands Alliance

The Lake Michigan Shorelands Alliance is a collaboration of land trusts focused on accelerating the protection of significant resources in the Lake Michigan basin.

Northeast Wisconsin Land Trust

Northeast Wisconsin Land Trust works one-on-one with landowners to create individualized conservation agreements that leave a lasting legacy for the environment.

How You Can Help