The Stream
So many of us live in Wisconsin’s Northwoods or Michigan’s Upper Peninsula because we love what surrounds us every day. We love the clear water, the clean air, and the lush forests. WXPR’s environmental reporting as part of our expanded series, The Stream, focuses on the natural world around us. The Stream is now about more than just water: it brings you stories of efforts to conserve our wild lands and lakes, scientific studies of animal and plant life, and potential threats to our environment.
What do you wonder about the environment in our region? Ask us a question and it could be a future story on The Stream! Use the form below to submit your question.
Latest Episodes
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A lot of focus surrounding PFAS has been on how it contaminated drinking water, but a new study is focused on how we may be consuming it in our food. -
Slick ice has covered roads and sidewalks across much of the Northwoods in recent days. This also means more salt is being used to melt that ice.That salt has been making its way into lakes in southern Wisconsin for decades. The City of Madison says the chloride levels in Lake Mendota have been increasing by about one milligram per liter a year since 1962.While chloride level data is lacking on many Northwoods lakes, data collected from one local lake makes it clear that water bodies here are not immune.
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State Senator Mary Felzkowski spoke with WXPR about her concerns with the Pelican River Forest and why she held up funding for conservation easements on the property.
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The 70,000 acres of woods, wetlands, and rivers meant to be a crown jewel of conservation in Wisconsin are now in limbo because of an anonymous lawmaker on the state’s Joint Finance Committee.
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PFAS levels hundreds of times higher than what is considered safe for drinking water has been found in private wells in eastern Oneida County. PFAS are a group of man-made chemicals that have been linked to adverse health effects like high cholesterol, infertility, and lower immune response to vaccines. The news of contaminated wells in the Starks and Stella area, which is about 10 miles east of Rhinelander, has left many residents angry, worried, and with more questions than answers at this moment.
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Forest County Potawatomi tribal leaders are trying to revive traditional practices like brain tanning, the process of making leather by using a deer’s brain to tan its hide. The practice has been around for centuries, but some worry environmental concerns could put a stop to it for future generations.
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This October marks the 50th anniversary of the Clean Water Act — a federal law that promised to restore fishable, swimmable water to shores across the country. What’s changed since then? And what’s in store for the future?
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A local conservation group is a step closer to opening its second community forest in the Northwoods. If it’s successful, the Headwaters Cedar Community Forest will open 200 acres of land to the public and preserve it for future generations.
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The growing season may be on the short side in northern Wisconsin, but that doesn’t mean it can’t be bountiful.Whether you’re growing your own food or buying from local farmers, there’s plenty of benefits of eating locally grown food.
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One third of the food produced in the United States is never eaten.Instead, it often winds up in landfills where it produces methane gas and contributes to climate change.
