wildlife

Washtenaw County is currently experiencing a mild drought that is impacting the Huron River and the wildlife that relies on it. WEMU’s Ana Longoria has the story.

The City of Ypsilanti is looking to give a boost to stargazing while aiding wildlife. The City Council tonight will take a first look at a Dark Sky Compliance Ordinance. WEMU’s Kevin Meerschaert reports.

Between 1995 and 2023, the City of Ann Arbor’s Natural Area Preservation (NAP) division coordinated a continuous butterfly monitoring program using trained community science volunteers. Ludovico Behrendt is an environmental data specialist with NAP and conducted a retrospective analysis of this nearly 30-year dataset. He joined WEMU's David Fair to discuss the findings on the health of butterflies in the area and what it says about the health of the local environment.

The Republican-led Michigan House Oversight Committee approved a slew of legislative subpoenas Tuesday directed at state departments, including the Attorney General’s office. Rick Pluta reports.

The local community has been raising concerns over the City of Ann Arbor and the Washtenaw County Water Resources Office's choice to exterminate beavers in Ann Arbor. WEMU’s Ana Longoria has more.

The Michigan Department of Natural Resources is reporting a deer in Washtenaw County has tested positive for Chronic Wasting Disease, or CWD. WEMU’s Kevin Meerschaert has this report.

The City of Ypsilanti is looking to make stargazing more enjoyable while protecting wildlife. WEMU's Kevin Meerschaert has this report.

From 2014-2016, a severe El Niño event triggered a drought across Central and South America, leading to unprecedented mortality in a population of white-faced capuchin monkeys in northwestern Costa Rica. The Lomas Barbudal Monkey Project, directed by UCLA’s Susan Perry, has studied this population since 1990. While a devastating setback, researchers were able to study the stress physiology of the surviving monkeys. WEMU’s Caroline MacGregor talks with one of the co-authors of the study, U-M professor of psychology and anthropology, Jacinta Beehner, about while a stronger stress response appears to promote survival in animals, this is not the case for human beings.

There is something rejuvenating by looking out the window and seeing the first robin of the year. For those taking a closer look, the robins are telling an important environmental story. A recent study out of Eastern Michigan University has found that robins can accurately predict areas with contaminated soil. How? WEMU's David Fair talked with one of the lead researchers, Dorothy Zahor, about her findings and its implications.

The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service may consider placing Monarch butterflies on their Endangered Species Act as a threatened species. WEMU’s Ana Longoria has the story.