Environment

Explore Nature in Toledo’s ‘Tapestry of Habitats’

Imagine yourself surrounded by a forest of towering pines with wild undergrowth, or spotting birds among the green grass that peppers the blue waters...

Beyond the Surface: The Consequences of Shrinking Great Lakes Ice Coverage

The Great Lakes, impressive symbols of North America’s beauty, have enthralled the hearts of people across the United States and Canada for centuries. Encompassing...

The Grass is Greener on Toledo’s East Side

For years, East Toledoans have watched the once-thriving eastern bank of the Maumee River decay. Throughout the 2000s, the ghosts of the Toledo Sports...

The Unexpected Pollinators That Lurk at Night

We all know and love the butterflies, bees and hummingbirds that float plant to plant while the sun shines, idyllic companions to our wanderings...

Hidden Gems: Preserving the Rich Biodiversity of Northwest Ohio

Picture Ohio. You’re probably envisioning vast agricultural fields or the occasional deciduous forest dotting an otherwise flat landscape. And yet Northwest Ohio alone is home to wetlands and prairies, savannas and swamplands. It encompasses one of the rarest ecosystems on earth and supports rich wildlife. As biodiversity decreases across the globe, organizations in Northwest Ohio are working to preserve, protect and restore habitats and wildlife alike for generations to come.

Taking the Lead on Lead in Toledo, Ohio

Marilynne Wood first began researching lead poisoning in Toledo in order to investigate its potential correlation with school dropout and crime rates. A professor...

What’s Keeping Lake Erie Green? Part II: Climate Change

It can be difficult for residents of the Western Lake Erie Basin to see beyond the surface when it comes to the harmful algal blooms that disrupt their local watershed. After all, it is the green scum that appears on the lake every summer that poses health risks, obstructs recreational activities and creates eyesores on the area’s most treasured natural resource.

A Garden in the Sky: Chicago’s Green Rooftop Revolution

People living in fast-paced cities tend to keep their heads down and mind their own business. Look up, however, and amidst the concrete jungle, you might just catch a glimpse of, well, a real jungle. 

Toledo’s Water Issue Is an Affordability Issue, Too

In 2014, Toledo, Ohio experienced a severe water crisis caused by toxic algal blooms in Lake Erie. The height of the crisis — when the city’s drinking water was shut down for half a million residents — only lasted three days, but the effects of the crisis continue to impact residents today. Each time we turn on the tap water, pay water bills, sit on a boat or fish in the river, the ecological imbalance that reared its head in 2014 affects our lives in subtle — and often unequal — ways.

Missouri Could Be In for a Major Earthquake

In 1811 and 1812, three of the largest earthquakes ever felt in the continental United States devastated the crossroads of northeastern Arkansas and southeastern Missouri. Known as the New Madrid Earthquakes, they had estimated magnitudes of up to 8.7 and ruined farmland, displaced people and altered landscapes around the region.

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