Discovering a Home in the Wild

Ludington State Park is home to my favorite trails in lower Michigan. No matter the time of year you choose to explore its contents, the park abounds with marvels of nature; in the winter, frigid temperatures and lake affect snowfall encase the Big Sable Point Lighthouse in glistening ice. Throughout the spring, hikers that venture …

Finding Inspiration at Jordan Pond

I recently made the journey back home to Michigan after camping in Acadia National Park for the very first time. I have been on hiatus from writing for a little while now, but I found my inspiration renewed after hiking around the park’s marvelous Jordan Pond. Trekking around Jordan Pond was truly a wonder. I …

Neonicotinoids and Their Impact on Pollinators and Freshwater Resources

It is widely recognized that honeybee populations are in a state of crisis. But do you know the class-name of pesticides identified as the cause behind the devastation of these key pollinators? Neonicotinoids, otherwise known as the “bee killers” - encompassing insecticides containing acetamiprid, imidacloprid, clothianidin, dinotefuran, nithiazine, thiamethoxam and thiacloprid - are growing in …

Speculated Hydraulic Fracturing in Colorado’s Piceance Basin

The Bureau of Land Management is currently ignoring concerned Colorado resident’s protests, as the organization endorses further hydraulic fracturing in the Piceance Basin (which drains to the Upper Colorado River Basin). Drilling expansion is set to begin in June, 2017, and will compromise freshwater quality, sensitive plant life, public health, and recreation in Northern Colorado. Eco …

Concentrated Animal Feeding Operations and Environmental Degradation

What is a CAFO? As defined by the EPA and the USDA’s Natural Resources Conservation Service Department, a concentrated animal feeding operation is: “an AFO [animal feeding operation] with more than 1000 animal units (an animal unit is defined as an animal equivalent of 1000 pounds live weight and equates to 1000 head of beef …

Speculated Fracking in the Florida Everglades

Burnett Oil is currently scouting Big Cypress National Preserve – a neighbor of the Everglades – surveying oil and natural gas pockets beneath layers of limestone in the park. This company plans to begin seismic testing in preparation for hydraulic fracturing on April 19th. The National Parks Conservation Association published the reasoning behind these allowances …

How Coal Mining Impacts Freshwater Quality

The Trump Administration made its bold promises to revitalize the dying coal industry while campaigning, and they have kept their word. The Stream Protection Rule - a regulation that forced surface water contamination by acid mine runoff to be considered before a permit be issued to any corporation - was repealed on February 2nd of …

Concerning the Flint Water Crisis

On December 14th, 2015, a State of Emergency was declared in Flint, Michigan, by its Mayor, Karen Weaver. In 2014, after deciding that syphoning drinking water from the more-acidic (and therefore more corrosive) Flint River was a cheaper alternative to the Detroit River, this city’s infamous freshwater disaster began. Despite citizens cries for help as …

The Perks of Restoring and Preserving Wetlands

Wetlands come in a variety of forms: bogs, marshes, fens, swamps, prairie potholes, pocosins… the list goes on. These different wetlands have more in common than just their classification, however – all are threatened by filling, dumping, and invasive species, when they should be sheltered. What criteria determine if a freshwater body may be classified …

On: the Proposed Dismantling of the Clean Water Rule

Before I delve into the reasoning behind my opposition of the repeal of the Clean Water Rule, it is important to establish exactly what this statute stands to protect. The explanation for this rule is where things get a little complicated, but I will try and keep it short and to-the-point; the overarching purpose of …