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Lake Michigan ice coverage may be nearing its peak as lake levels continue to drop
Ice coverage may be nearing its peak throughout the Great Lakes in a season that has trended closer to average than originally forecast, as Lake Michigan's water levels are expected...
Toxic dumping grounds that still feed into Lake Michigan among the sites to benefit from ‘game-changing’ funding boost
Pollution hot spots including toxic dumping grounds that still feed into Lake Michigan are among the sites that stand to benefit from a $1 billion boost in funding for cleaning...
Equipped with snowmobiles, sleds and ice picks, scientists to launch rare winter study of the Great Lakes
Great Lakes scientists are heading out onto the ice this winter to learn more about one of the largest freshwater ecosystems on the planet. Researchers will sample all the Great...
It’s snowy owl season, and there have been hundreds of sightings in Illinois — but it may take a little luck to spot one in Chicago
One may appear along the lakefront, perched on a dock or tucked away inside a city park, camouflaged in snow, waiting in silence, hungry for another meal. And all the...
Lake Michigan ice coverage increasing with January’s freezing temps, and more single digits are ahead
If you haven't yet spotted ice shaped like thick pancakes or built up in sculptures along Lake Michigan, there may be more opportunities ahead. Ice cover is ticking up as...
Army Corps funds $226 million of Brandon Road project to keep invasive carp out of Lake Michigan
The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers included a significant chunk of funding for a massive effort to keep invasive carp out of the Great Lakes in its civil works plan...
Antenna installed in Big Marsh Park will allow scientists to track the life story of migratory birds passing through Chicago
If you happen to notice a new antenna on top of the environmental center at Big Marsh Park, once part of Southeast Side steel mill dumping grounds and now home...
Billion-dollar disasters in 2021 — including the costliest winter storm on record — caused extensive damage in Illinois and across the country
A slew of billion-dollar weather and climate disasters struck the United States again last year, with Illinois affected by the costliest winter storm on record, according to an annual report...
Top environment stories of 2021: A paltry number of lead pipe replacements, pollution next door and trillions of invasive mussels blanketing Lake Michigan
Residents who've had enough of the toxic pollution next door. A smell so strong it could jolt you awake. A number of replaced lead pipes so paltry you can count...
‘Spring was dry, summer was humid and hot, and fall was weird’: Some surprising swings in 2021
From extreme winter cold in the early months of 2021 to record-breaking warmth that heated fall nights, the year included events emblematic of the state's changing climate, and some surprising...