Laws protecting Indiana wetlands have been rolled back in recent years. Some people argue that wetlands must be preserved because of the critical functions they provide. Others say wetland regulations drive up construction prices and hamper growth. This Deep Dive by Anne Kibbler looks at the myriad questions and wide-ranging issues in the debate over Indiana’s wetlands. Read it here.
“Lake Monroe is a reservoir, and all reservoirs eventually fill up,” says Michelle Cohen, executive director of Lake Monroe Water Fund. But, she adds, those who rely on the lake for drinking water, recreation, and other uses have the power to extend its life as long as possible. Writer Michael G. Glab takes a deep dive into the health of Lake Monroe. Click here for his report for Deep Dive: WFHB & Limestone Post Investigate.
Honey bee populations in the U.S. have declined from 6 million in the 1940s to 2.5 million today. Pesticides, drought, and habitat destruction, are just a few reasons the bees are dying. But more than 200,000 hobbyist beekeepers, like writer Erin Hollinden, are trying to keep them (and ultimately us) alive. Click here to read Erin’s article.
Advocates say electric grid operators in the Great Lakes region need to update their planning process to better prepare for extreme weather that is becoming more common, and that more transmission lines can help lessen the risk of blackouts. This report is part of a collaborative series from several publications examining climate resilience across the Great Lakes region. Click here to read the article.
Since May, the U.S. has gone from zero to more than 15,000 cases of monkeypox, a viral disease that has been declared a public health emergency by the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services. While vaccines exist, writes Rebecca Hill, supplies are limited, as local health officials prepare for the virus. Click here to read about what’s being done.
Before volunteering for a local environmental group, Sean Chung was unaware of the problems invasive plants were causing here in Monroe County and “every single community in the U.S.” For this article, he interviewed people working to “contain the invasion” and prevent the kind of “ecological collapse” that invasives can cause. Click here to read the article.
Water volume in the Ohio River is expected to increase by 30 percent over the next 50 years. But a 600-acre park being developed in southern Indiana will turn the inevitable flooding into an attraction, making it “the first climate-resilient park in the Midwest.” Click here to read the story by Beth Edwards of the Indiana Environmental Reporter.
Single city blocks all over Bloomington generate more rooftop solar energy than the entirety of Indiana University’s Bloomington campus, says writer Matt Flaherty in this guest column. What’s most troubling, he says, is that IU’s “dollars-and-cents analysis of solar power is the fundamentally wrong approach for IU to take.” Click here to read the full story.
IU Research Scientist Adam Fudickar studies animal behavior in response to climate change. “Many parts of the planet that haven’t changed for a really long time are changing very rapidly,” he says. While many species cannot adapt fast enough, some can, which provides hope to researchers. Writer Brian Hartz explores Fudickar’s work on the dark-eyed junco. Click here to read the full story.
