Blog Posts

Blog posts by FLOW team and guest writers

Celebrating a Partnership: FLOW & University of Michigan SEAS Students to Address Groundwater Policy Reform in Michigan

April 29, 2025

Early this winter, FLOW and students from the University of Michigan’s School for Environment and Sustainability (SEAS) graduate program teamed up for a 16-month initiative to examine Michigan’s groundwater management and propose a statewide strategy to ensure long-term, sustainable groundwater governance. Protecting and managing groundwater is particularly complex given the lack of comprehensive data, fragmented… Read more »

Will Budget Cuts Trim Great Lakes’ “Eyes and Ears”?

April 23, 2025

A critical Great Lakes program is at risk of being eliminated by federal budget cuts. Vitally important to science and society, the Great Lakes Observing System (GLOS) could shrink or vanish if proposals in Washington, D.C., become reality. And that would be a major blow to our ability to understand and protect the Great Lakes…. Read more »

The Story of a Watershed: Meet the Pine

April 22, 2025

By: Carrie La Seur,  FLOW Legal Director Rivers tell tales. They remember what’s been done to them, decades back. They report on what happened this morning. They don’t lie or hold back the truth. It’s all there, in sediments and suspended solids, temperature, pH, chemical load. Sit a minute and listen to what the Pine… Read more »

FLOW proposes new water trust legislation for Michigan

April 22, 2025

FLOW (For Love of Water) has developed model legislation to protect water quality, advance water equity, ensure that the waters of the State remain a public resource, and provide communities and water utilities with a steady source of funding to address water affordability and infrastructure needs. The key provisions of the legislation address long-standing, increasingly… Read more »

5 fun & impactful ways to celebrate Earth Day this year

April 16, 2025

Earth Day is the perfect time to reconnect with nature, build community, and take action—big or small—for the planet. Whether you’re looking to spend the day outdoors, try something new, or get involved in environmental advocacy, here are five meaningful and fun ways to celebrate Earth Day this year. 1. Make Origami Fish with Fish… Read more »

In honor and remembrance of Holly T. Bird

April 10, 2025

By Liz Kirkwood, FLOW Executive Director Last week, we suffered a great loss with the sudden passing of our dear friend—Indigenous attorney, activist, and Water Protector—Holly T. Bird. The outpouring of love and admiration from across the community and online speaks volumes about the kind of person Holly was and the profound impact she made…. Read more »

The Ten Least Wanted: Non-Native Species in the Great Lakes

April 9, 2025

Earlier this year, when it appeared that U.S. agencies would be unable to hire a full field staff to control sea lamprey in the 2025 season, the estimated economic damage was staggering. The feared staff reduction would have led to the survival of 2.5 million invasive lamprey, which would live to consume 12.5 million pounds… Read more »

FLOW Appeals Line 5 Tunnel Permit Decision to Michigan Supreme Court

April 2, 2025

For Love of Water (FLOW), a leading Great Lakes water protection organization, along with four Michigan Tribes and other environmental advocates, have filed an Application for Leave to Appeal with the Michigan Supreme Court, challenging a decision by the Michigan Public Service Commission (MPSC) and a subsequent ruling by the Court of Appeals regarding Enbridge… Read more »

State makes groundwater protection a priority – at last

April 2, 2025

Fulfilling a request made by FLOW since 2018, the Michigan Department of Environment, Great Lakes and Energy (EGLE) has elevated groundwater protection on its priority list. In March, EGLE announced it has established a Groundwater and Geological Services section, and declared that groundwater would “be under the radar no more.” This is about more than… Read more »