Lisa John Rogers

How Buffalo, New York has adapted to and embraced an influx of climate migrants | Great Lakes Now For the first time in 70 years, Buffalo’s population is rising, partly due to Puerto Ricans relocating after the devastation of hurricanes Irma and Maria.

How Buffalo, New York has adapted to and embraced an influx of climate migrants.

This is the final installment in @greatlakesnow.bsky.social's 3-part series on climate migration in the region:

www.greatlakesnow.org/2025/10/how-...

Yes, keep submitting to SeeClickFix, but you'll need to up the ante a bit via wording. Feel free to PM me.

I would also reach out to your city councilmember. First, via phone. Then, via email, and provide examples of barriers in other cities that are multipurpose (ie, flood gardens/medians).

Boom or burden? Climate migration’s impact on Michigan’s Upper Peninsula | Great Lakes Now Could climate migration bring new life to shrinking towns in Michigan’s Upper Peninsula, or will rising costs and lagging infrastructure get in the way of population growth?

From @greatlakesnow.bsky.social, the 2nd in our 3-part series about climate migration:

Could climate migration bring new life to shrinking towns in Michigan’s Upper Peninsula, or will rising costs & lagging infrastructure get in the way of population growth?

www.greatlakesnow.org/2025/09/clim...

Time running out for Great Lakes whitefish. Can ponds become their Noah’s Ark? | Great Lakes Now On the brink of collapse in Lakes Michigan and Huron, whitefish need a miracle. Now, some want to relocate fish en masse to inland waters to preserve dying bloodlines.

On the brink of collapse in Lakes Michigan and Huron, whitefish need a miracle. Now, some want to relocate fish en masse to inland waters to preserve dying bloodlines.

Story by @bridgemi.com:
www.greatlakesnow.org/2025/09/time...

Do those wasps that lay eggs in living caterpillars count?

How Great Lakes cities are preparing for climate migration | Great Lakes Now Cleveland hopes to thrive as a climate refuge, but some fear gentrification and extractive development will leave longtime residents behind.

From @greatlakesnow.bsky.social, the 1st in our 3-part series about climate migration:

“Ann Arbor, Buffalo & Cleveland — it tends to be the biggest cities [discussing climate migration] because they have established planning departments & the officers.”

www.greatlakesnow.org/2025/09/how-...

Amid rise of RFK Jr., officials waver on drinking water fluoridation — even in the state where it started | Great Lakes Now As federal agencies review their guidance on fluoridation and the nation’s top health official calls fluoride “industrial waste,” state and local governments are pulling back on the practice, upending...

As federal agencies review their guidance on fluoridation and the nation’s top health official calls fluoride "industrial waste," state and local governments are pulling back — upending a decades-long public health success story.

Story by @propublica.org:
www.greatlakesnow.org/2025/09/fluo...

My first segment for Great Lakes Now. Grateful to be able to cover a topic like the rights of nature.

We looked into NY's "Great Lakes Bill of Rights," & the history of the short-lived "Lake Erie Bill of Rights" (spoiler...it was challenged in court by agricultural company, Drewes Farms).

Illinois Gov. Pritzker signs PFAS Reduction Act | Great Lakes Now More PFAS news with millions of Americans drinking contaminated water, and concerns in Wisconsin over a drilling operation.

Illinois Gov. JB Pritzker signed the PFAS Reduction Act into law on August 15. More regional PFAS news:

www.greatlakesnow.org/2025/08/illi...

After working at the Grand Portage National Monument, Sofia Vanderlan built a birch bark canoe in honor of her ancestors’ Great Lakes tradition and heritage.

www.greatlakesnow.org/2025/08/nibi...

EV maker Rivian sues Ohio, claims state unfairly favors Tesla | Great Lakes Now More energy news with Great Lakes states losing more than $1 billion for solar and an Illinois city quitting its power provider over coal.

Electric vehicle manufacturer Rivian is suing Ohio for letting Tesla open car dealerships in the state but not letting other manufacturers do the same.

Catch the latest energy news from around the region: www.greatlakesnow.org/2025/08/ev-m...

Heat waves and cold snaps: Study finds the Great Lakes have entered an era of extremes | Great Lakes Now A new University of Michigan model shows that extreme temperature swings are reshaping the Great Lakes with big implications for ecosystems, industries and climate resilience.

A new @umich.edu model shows that extreme temperature swings are reshaping the Great Lakes with big implications for ecosystems, industries and climate resilience.

www.greatlakesnow.org/2025/08/heat...

Plastics treaty talks collapse without a deal after "chaotic" negotiations UN talks ran into overtime, ending with a standoff over whether a treaty should include curbs on plastic production and the way forward unclear

Plastics Treaty Talks Collapse Without A Deal After “Chaotic” Negotiations

@mcivillini.bsky.social reports for @climatechangenews.com

www.climatechangenews.com/2025/08/15/p...

The Society of Environmental Journalists joins the Committee to Protect Journalists @pressfreedom.bsky.social and other press organizations in condemning Israel’s killing of six journalists in a targeted air strike in Gaza on Sunday. Read SEJ's full statement. www.sej.org/sej-condemns...

New study correlates unexplained frequent miscarriages to PFAS exposure | Great Lakes Now More PFAS news with the EPA to update its stance on “forever chemicals,” while Wisconsin residents call for an end to partisan debate over pollution and remediation.

A new study correlates unexplained frequent miscarriages with exposure to certain "forever chemicals," and more on the latest PFAS News Roundup:

www.greatlakesnow.org/2025/08/new-...

How Michigan's Inland Fish Farmers Cultivate a Sustainable Future for the Great Lakes | Great Lakes Now Great Lakes aquaculture pioneers fight imports and regulations to build a sustainable, local seafood industry by creating jobs and restoring consumer trust.

Great Lakes aquaculture pioneers fight imports and regulations to build a sustainable, local seafood industry by creating jobs and restoring consumer trust:

www.greatlakesnow.org/2025/08/how-...

Bassmaster Elite arrives as Lake St. Clair’s smallmouth break records | Great Lakes Now Thanks to decades of catch-and-release fishing and shifting ecological factors, Lake St. Clair has become a world-class destination for smallmouth bass, just in time for the 2025 Yokohama Tire Bassmas...

Thanks to decades of catch-and-release fishing and shifting ecological factors, Lake St. Clair has become a world-class destination for smallmouth bass, just in time for the 2025 Yokohama Tire Bassmaster Elite tournament. 🎣

www.greatlakesnow.org/2025/08/bass...

Let's pressure the next administration in Detroit to uphold the adage that we're the Paris of the Midwest by planting more trees, creating more parks, and establishing green protected bike lanes like this. These aren't just for enjoyment and recreation, but also for public health.

Michigan’s historic nuclear plant restart still a go, federal regulators say | Great Lakes Now Catch the latest energy news from around the region. Check back for these bimonthly Energy News Roundups.     A mothballed nuclear power plant in Michigan just took a huge step toward being the first ...

Federal regulators authorized the formerly shuttered Michigan Palisades nuclear plant to start loading fuel. More energy news as natural gas bans face off against industry challenges and a major power line loses a $4.9 billion federal loan commitment.

www.greatlakesnow.org/2025/08/mich...

Rethinking Strategy in the Era of the Trump EPA | Great Lakes Now “We have an opossum Congress: it rolls over and plays dead instead of facing its aggressor,” says Chicago’s Cameron Davis.

Among the changes, climate initiatives were rolled back, funding for clean water programs was slashed and environmental justice programs were rescinded. 

www.greatlakesnow.org/2025/08/reth...

Great Lakes Moment: Detroit’s waterfront porch reaps substantial benefits | Great Lakes Now "The Riverwalk has transformed a previously industrial area into a vibrant and attractive waterfront, significantly improving Detroit's image and perception both locally and nationally."

“The Riverwalk has transformed a previously industrial area into a vibrant and attractive waterfront, significantly improving Detroit’s image and perception both locally and nationally.” 🏙️

www.greatlakesnow.org/2025/08/grea...

I was rereading Daisy Hildyard's The Second Body yesterday. I love how this piece connects her concept to the pollution crises involving plastics, PFAS, etc.

From my recent reporting on the state of microplastics in the Great Lakes (which, unfortunately, is very bad here):

www.greatlakesnow.org/2025/05/ever...

Plastic causing "disease and death from infancy to old age" that costs $1.5 trillion a year, report warns Plastic pollution is a "grave, growing and under-recognized danger" to health that is costing the world at least $1.5 trillion a year, a report in the Lancet medical journals warns

"Plastic pollution is a 'grave, growing and under-recognized danger' to health that is costing the world at least $1.5 trillion a year."

I can't emphasize how important it is to have research that puts dollar signs on these health crises, like plastics and PFAS:

www.cbsnews.com/news/plastic...

Why we don’t bike like the Dutch — yet | Great Lakes Now From the greenways of Detroit to recent court battles in Toronto, cities across North America are trying to become more bike-friendly. What will it take to catch up to Amsterdam?

As an editor, I loved this pitch on bike infrastructure in Great Lakes cities, long built for cars:

From Detroit greenways to Toronto court battles, North American cities are racing to be more bike-friendly. But what will it take to catch up to Amsterdam?

www.greatlakesnow.org/2025/07/why-...

Study shows correlation between 'forever chemicals' and Type 2 diabetes | Great Lakes Now More PFAS news as more than 400,000 residents in Illinois grapple with elevated “forever chemicals” in their drinking water, and two investigations reveal the status of PFAS in Canada.

Latest PFAS news roundup:
-Correlation between PFAS and Type 2 diabetes.
-Two sweeping investigations on the state of PFAS in Canada.
-Gut microbes that help remove PFAS.
-How people are struggling to receive proper medical assistance after known exposure.

www.greatlakesnow.org/2025/07/stud...

All water is local | Great Lakes Now The Grand Portage Band’s team of biologists are keeping Lake Superior’s waters clean — while sounding the alarm on harmful algal blooms and climate-driven water threats.

Biologists with the Grand Portage Band are keeping Lake Superior’s waters clean — while sounding the alarm on harmful algal blooms and climate-driven water threats.

www.greatlakesnow.org/2025/07/all-...

Ohio regulators clamp down on data center power costs amid soaring demand | Great Lakes Now More energy news as Ohio’s Perry Nuclear Power Plant gets 20-year extension, and Canadian provinces strengthen energy independence while potentially curbing U.S. exports amid trade tensions.

Data centers in Ohio will have to pay more up front for electricity after state regulators sided with an electric utility and consumer advocates over tech companies earlier this month.

Catch the latest Great Lakes energy news: www.greatlakesnow.org/2025/07/ohio...

Nations must act on climate change or could be held responsible, top U.N. court rules The International Court of Justice ruled that nations have an obligation to act on climate change under international laws protecting the environment and human rights.

The International Court of Justice ruled that nations have an obligation to act on climate change under international laws protecting the environment and human rights. By @lsommer.bsky.social

A powerful story about the price and culture of overfishing.