Restoring the dinosaur fish of Lake Erie

The American Storytelling collection explores the great outdoors

Out in the open, beyond the noise of everyday life, the land has a way of revealing us. ‘American Storytelling’ is a collection of podcasts from across the NPR Network, and this summer, we’re presenting a selection of shows that celebrate the great American outdoors, and the deeper stories it tells about who we are.

Lake Ontario, Unsafe Passage

The American eel is an unlucky and undeniably slippery hero. Sometimes thought of as slimy or scary, it’s an underdog in the conservation world. An animal existing in frighteningly low abundance compared to its early 20th century glory. An animal that has the power to instantly capture the imagination with its mysterious and obscured life cycle. In this episode, we take a road trip through Canada, following part of the very long and arduous American eel migration from Lake Ontario, talking with people along the way and witnessing their obstacles up close. Support for the production of this podcast was made possible by the Charles Stewart Mott Foundation, as part of its Great Lakes News Collaborative. Music by Blue Dot Sessions. More at michiganpublic.org/bts

The ancient origins of, and enduring connections to Lake Superior

Lake Superior is the largest of the Great Lakes, one of the largest lakes in the world. And its history stretches back to a stunning geological event in the earth’s history. That event made the Upper Peninsula's Keweenaw Peninsula rich with copper - and it didn't take long for humans to start mining it. The impact of this copper mining boom is evident everywhere you go in the Keweenaw Peninsula.  This area has the largest deposit of what’s known as native copper anywhere in the world. And people up here are still dealing with the leftovers.  Over the course of the past century, storms have blown the coarse, dark sand down along the shore, and over Buffalo Reef. And those sands and remnants of the copper have impacted fish populations, who love the rocky shore of the reef for spawning, and the tribal fisherman who fish those waters. Support for the production of this podcast was made possible by the Charles Stewart Mott Foundation, as part of its Great Lakes News Collaborative. Music by Blue Dot Sessions. More at michiganpublic.org/bts

Restoring the dinosaur fish of Lake Erie

Lake Sturgeon are huge, long-lived fish that are often called “living fossils.” They have survived all of Lake Erie’s hardships, and now scientists, educators and community members are all working hard to restore their populations. Michigan Public's Kate Furby and Jodi Westrick traveled around the state to learn more about Lake Sturgeon, from going out on frozen Black Lake during the ice fishing season to touching baby sturgeon in the Toledo Zoo, all in the name of learning more about the efforts being made to restore these populations to their rightful waters. Efforts to ensure lake sturgeon are here for future generations. Support for the production of this podcast was made possible by the Charles Stewart Mott Foundation, as part of its Great Lakes News Collaborative. Music by Blue Dot Sessions. More at michiganpublic.org/bts

Surfing Lake Michigan

Michigan Public's Dustin Dwyer dons a wet suit, borrows a surfboard, straps on a GoPro, and heads into the waves of Lake Michigan. In November. All in the name of finding out: How does anyone have fun surfing in Lake Michigan? Waves on Lake Michigan can be fickle creatures, surfers told him. For non-surfers, it’s a bit of a wonder how there are waves at all. In the second episode of Beyond the Shore, we uncover why Lake Michigan, and most of the Great Lakes, really, produce surfable waves and whether or not these surfers are experiencing less of them as our climate changes.  Support for the production of this podcast was made possible by the Charles Stewart Mott Foundation, as part of its Great Lakes News Collaborative. Music by Blue Dot Sessions. More at michiganpublic.org/bts