Great Lakes Archives - Wisconsin Watch

A sandy beach is next to greenish lake water, with a wooden breakwater extending into the water. Stairs behind a brown and orange structure lead up a wooded bluff to houses above the shoreline.

Environment, Government

Public property. No trespassing? Man hopes his $313 ticket will reshape Lake Michigan shoreline access

by Dan Egan for Wisconsin Watch January 8, 2026January 8, 2026 Why you can trust Wisconsin Watch

A Wisconsin man is challenging a trespassing citation in hopes of forcing courts to reconsider who has the right to walk Lake Michigan’s shoreline.

Arial view of a ship in icy, moving waters on a gray day.

‘We can put a man on the moon … but we can’t get a tugboat out of a harbor’: Who will move the abandoned Donny S.?

by Emily Small / Door County Knock December 25, 2025 Why you can trust Wisconsin Watch

Three people in a small motorboat on water with mist rising and the sun shining through trees in the background.

Time running out for Great Lakes whitefish. Can ponds become their Noah’s Ark?

by Kelly House / Bridge Michigan October 18, 2025 Why you can trust Wisconsin Watch

Army Corps analysis: Great Lakes pipeline tunnel would have sweeping environmental impacts

by Todd Richmond / Associated Press June 1, 2025June 1, 2025 Why you can trust Wisconsin Watch

Ice on a lake

Study finds winter days on the Great Lakes growing shorter due to climate change

by Danielle Kaeding / WPR January 22, 2025January 6, 2026 Why you can trust Wisconsin Watch

State Sen. Duey Stroebel with microphones in front of him and other men behind him

New rules for Great Lakes lakefront property development head to governor again

by Bennet Goldstein / Wisconsin Watch February 26, 2024March 5, 2024 Why you can trust Wisconsin Watch

Inundation and injustice: Flooding presents a formidable threat to the Great Lakes region

by Kari Lydersen / Ensia August 8, 2023August 14, 2023 Why you can trust Wisconsin Watch

Why fish consumption advisories in Great Lakes states like Wisconsin carry their own risks

by Bennet Goldstein / Wisconsin Watch March 14, 2023April 25, 2023 Why you can trust Wisconsin Watch

Climate solutions for Great Lakes grid include better planning, transmission

by Kathiann M. Kowalski / Energy News Network December 24, 2022 Why you can trust Wisconsin Watch

Scientists: Atmospheric carbon might turn Great Lakes more acidic

by John Flesher / Associated Press December 19, 2022December 19, 2022 Why you can trust Wisconsin Watch

Millions spent to keep invasive fish out of the Great Lakes, but who is protecting the Mississippi River?

by Juanpablo Ramirez-Franco / WNIJ-Northern Public Radio August 30, 2022August 31, 2022 Why you can trust Wisconsin Watch

Imperiled Shores

15 years later, Wisconsin university’s massive Lake Michigan seawall frustrates downstream neighbors

by Mario Koran / Wisconsin Watch August 13, 2022May 15, 2023 Why you can trust Wisconsin Watch