“it’s so different, and feels otherworldly,” said stephanie gandulla, a diver with the national oceanic and atmospheric administration’s thunder bay marine sanctuary. she has sampled the mats near the sinkholes on the lake’s bottom.

you may have seen a microbial mat before — the green algae on wet rocks at the beach is an example.

algae’s green color comes from chlorophyll — a substance that uses sunlight to turn carbon dioxide into energy. carbon dioxide and oxygen support most of life on earth.

but under special conditions, like those at three sinkholes just two and a half miles east of alpena, primitive forms of microbes called cyanobacteria can survive without either of them.

these are white, not green, and they get energy from chemicals in the water.

“they are everywhere, but they are incredibly hard to find,” said bopaiah biddanda, a biologist with grand valley state university’s annis water resources institute, who has been studying them for 20 years.

such mats are normally found in ocean waters over 32,000 feet deep, but they can be found only 80 feet below the surface of what is known as lake huron’s middle island sinkhole.

the sinkhole’s biologically extreme environment can help simulate sample collection in extraterrestrial worlds where life is based on similar chemicals. a new study by biddanda models scenarios where robots could analyze material beneath the water of other planets. it’s based on the work in lake huron.

the study focuses on two methods: suction devices for soft mats and coring devices for hard mats.

the sinkholes near alpena provide sulfuric, oxygenless groundwater that creates the conditions needed for the mats to grow. filaments of cyanobacteria drift together, creating a wispy white-purple flow.

“it almost looks like a mirage,” gandulla said.

it could be a long time before the experience from sinkholes in lake huron will be used to explore the potential of life on planets elsewhere, but biddanda’s exploration is yielding other finds now.

recently, for example, his team found an explanation for the mats’ mysterious ability to change colors overnight.

the purple and white cyanobacteria travel upwards to capture energy from the top of the mat, according to the study. during the day, microbes with color capture the small amount of sunlight reaching the seafloor with chlorophyll.

as the sun sets, the white microbes move to the surface of the mat to absorb chemicals in the sulfuric water for their energy. this continuous, vertical shift in microbes causes patches of the mat to change between purple and white in a daily cycle.

the microbial mats thrive off a special soup of chemicals in the groundwater, but changes in land use could disrupt it in the future.

the thunder bay sanctuary is constantly combating such threats to coastal ecosystems such as the one near alpena.

“development might choke off the water supply,” biddanda said.

the marine sanctuary offers educational programs and tours to k-12 students and operates a welcome center year-round.

“we work together to protect it as a community,” gandulla said.

the characteristics of middle island sinkhole’s cyanobacteria could hold the key to much more than planetary exploration. they could lead to advances in other scientific fields, such as evolutionary biology and medicine.

“we have a library of pharmaceutical value here,” biddanda said. “this could help us down the road.”

and, he noted that they look cool: “there is something fascinating and mesmerizing about these colorful mats.”

the future of the enbridge line 5 oil pipeline may be determined by the upcoming michigan gubernatorial race. incumbent gov. gretchen whitmer has fought to shut the pipeline down to protect the environment of the great lakes region from a potential oil spill, while republican candidate tudor dixon is prioritizing the protection of the pipeline.

enbridge line 5 is an oil pipeline at the floor of the straits of mackinac, built in 1953. according to the sierra club, its original life expectancy was 50 years and critics say a rupture would harm waters across the great lakes. enbridge spokesman ryan duffy says the pipeline is needed to provide heating, fuel vehicles, and power industry. because of ongoing maintenance there isn’t a specific life expectancy for the pipeline.

enbridge is looking to increase safety by replacing the line 5 oil and natural gas pipelines and encapsulating them in a tunnel proposed for construction under the lake bed.

last may, indigenous groups gathered at the heart of the turtle in mackinaw city, michigan, to take action on climate change, protect water, and support the state of michigan’s efforts to shut down line 5.

“water is not a commodity,” said demonstrator elizabeth clark. “it’s a right.”

opponents of the pipeline, including the state of michigan and native tribes at the heart of the turtle gathering, contend it poses a threat to the water supply. 

in november 2020, whitmer mandated the pipeline shut down by may 2021 and took legal action. enbridge ignored the order and filed their own lawsuit challenging state authority over the pipeline. litigation is ongoing and the case was moved to federal court in august 2022.

as nathan wright walks along the rocky shores of little traverse bay, it’s clear that he belongs there. a member of the sault ste. marie tribe of chippewa indians, wright’s ancestors have cultivated the landscape of what is now harbor springs, michigan for generations. his tranquility radiates outward among the trees and birds.

“you’re developing a relationship with the land and mother earth, you’re paying respect to it,” wright says. “you’re honoring the plant and you’re also honoring yourself, because you become more connected.”

wright is a tribal water protector and brought water protectors of many tribes together may 13-14 for the heart of the turtle gathering he helped organize in mackinaw city. the gathering combined traditional knowledge and modern methods of environmentalism to raise awareness for the climate crisis and call for an end to fossil fuels, according to the official event flyer.

water protectors are activists that focus specifically on keeping water systems clean and safe. for many indigenous communities, such as the sault ste. marie tribe of chippewa indians, water is also protected through rituals and offerings of tobacco. these practices extend to other natural life such as plants, though relationships with the land are also maintained through more hands-on approaches. while the method of care varies depending on the plant, certain types of pruning can help stimulate growth and longevity.

“we’ve got a saying, as anishnawbek, that if you don’t use it, it’ll go away. the plant will leave,” wright says. “our activity of being out there helps generate that activity of the roots to make them want to grow.”

for outdoors buffs and environmental stewards, slogans such as “leave no trace” fit perfectly with the principles national parks and nature preserves preach. considering the influence humans have had on the environment over the past century, the concept of leaving nature alone seems to make complete sense. yet the story is not that simple.

the idea of a pristine wilderness is a relatively recent concept, popularized as industrialization imposed distance between people and land. this viewpoint fails to consider the role that humans historically played as part of the natural ecosystem, particularly discounting the longstanding relationship between indigenous peoples and mother nature. mountains, rivers, plants and animals are featured prominently in native american stories as dynamic participants.

as an indigenous herbalist, wright explains that there is an obligation to the flora he works with.

large-scale government organizations have applied parts of this traditional land management approach. fire rangers at the hiawatha national forest ranger station near manistique, michigan take an active role in preserving the forest — which occupies 894,836 acres of michigan’s upper peninsula — through controlled burnings. in addition to reducing the impact of future wildfires, the burns can get rid of invasive species, expel harmful insects and even release seeds for certain plants.

“when we put fire to an area, it restores the habitat,” zone fire management officer cory henry says. “yes, there is potential harm and danger to fire. however, if we use and manage [it] and are able to utilize fire’s benefits, we can actually have stronger, more resilient ecosystems.”

native americans also used fire to maintain natural growth. burnings create ash that can serve as a nutrient-rich fertilizer and the heat can open up cones to release the seeds of certain plants.

although there are potential benefits to human interactions with the land, the pros and cons of certain practices render them subject to some debate. one such practice is clear-cutting, which involves the removal of all the trees from a certain area of land. while some oppose the practice because of its ability to disrupt an area’s ecological integrity, henry says it is sometimes used in the hiawatha national forest and can be beneficial.

henry specifically cites the habitat advantages grouse enjoy from the removal of natural disturbances. he also notes that while nesting birds and some other animals may serve as collateral damage, the majority of animals are able to flee in time. even so, such a practice doesn’t fully align with indigenous conventions. 

“when i hear forest management, clear-cutting and all that tree-cutting service, that’s not forest management. forest management to me is reclaiming the seeds, checking all things, removing invasive species, making sure that the animals are protected,” wright says.

land and water management debates puncture the broader political context of energy, oil and climate change. currently, one of the largest controversies in northern michigan and the upper peninsula surrounds the enbridge line 5 oil pipeline, which passes under the straits of mackinac where lakes michigan and huron connect.

the pipeline was constructed in 1953 to provide crude oil and natural gas for homes, cars and manufacturing. while the pipeline’s age and reports from enbridge about missing segments of protective coating have raised concern about potential leaks, the company maintains that the pipeline is secure.

“there’s no lifespan with a big piece of infrastructure like this” with proper maintenance, says enbridge corporate communications and media relations strategist ryan duffy. “lifespan is determined by scheduled inspection, how it works, all those things.”

despite duffy’s claims, enbridge doesn’t have a clean track record regarding oil spills and leaks. according to greenpeace, enbridge and its joint ventures and subsidiaries reported 307 hazardous liquid incidents to federal regulators between 2002 and 2018 involving the canadian company’s pipeline systems that stretch across much of the u.s. and parts of canada.

the largest of these incidents occurred in 2010, when the 30-inch enbridge pipeline 6b rupture spilled an estimated 843,000 gallons of oil into the kalamazoo river in southern michigan.

after undertaking a state-ordered risk assessment, researchers at michigan technological university reported that a worst-case scenario rupture in the straits would greatly impact both lake michigan and lake huron, including approximately 400 miles of shoreline. the damage could affect 60,000 acres of wildlife habitats, threatening 47 different species. all the great lakes would be potentially impacted by a major rupture, according to other estimates.

though the report detailed the most extreme potential consequences, locals, activists and other invested parties say the cause for concern is evident. in addition to environmental damage, a spill would have detrimental economic implications. cleanup alone would cost around $1.9 billion according to the report, which doesn’t account for the losses faced by local businesses that rely on the area’s heavy tourist traffic. 

one of the main attractions of the mackinac straits is mackinac island. once an important site for fur trading, its victorian architecture and car-free streets remain as a national historic landmark providing a peek into the past. sitting on mackinac’s picturesque main street is the loon feather & balsam shop, which mary dufina has owned and operated for 50 years.

“to think that there might be a problem, especially with an older line like that — and there’s been problems — it’s just too big of a risk,” dufina says. “it would devastate the area and the business in this area. tourism is our business all through the upper and lower peninsula. so if we don’t have that we’re done for.”

recognizing the validity of local fears, enbridge introduced its maritime pipeline protection program in july 2020 after a ship anchor caught on one of the two pipelines in the straits. by combining human and technological resources, the program facilitates a sophisticated 24/7 operations center to communicate with ships passing through the straits, confirming anchors are secured and protecting the pipeline and the surrounding environment from the dangers of anchor strikes. 

to further alleviate concerns about other forms of damage, enbridge is proposing its great lakes tunnel project, which would fully enclose a replacement for the line 5 segment in a tunnel drilled under the straits. 

the proposed tunnel has some of the permits it needs already but is still under review by the u.s. army corps of engineers, the government agency responsible for examining possible environmental impacts on the straits and the surrounding areas. duffy said he is optimistic that the plan will have minimal environmental impact.

however, introducing any new system requires the consideration of all possible environmental effects, as the interconnected nature of land and waterways means changes are rarely confined to a single area. as such, many critics — including the state of michigan — remain wary of the proposed solution and continue to push for a total shutdown of line 5 to eliminate the risk of rupture in the mackinac straits. in order to fight climate change, wright stresses the need to invest in other sources of energy and to reconnect with the earth. the heart of the turtle gathering included a lakefront water blessing and protest march also calling for a shutdown of line 5.

“when we have that connection, we’re going to be able to help out the environment and save these lands,” he says. “we’re gonna think twice about clear-cutting a place or putting a pipeline out in the straits. we’re gonna be more respectful and more honorable.”

on friday, nov. 13, michigan gov. gretchen whitmer utilized her executive powers, in conjunction with the department of natural resources director daniel eichinger, to revoke the easement allowing a crude oil pipeline—line 5—to operate in the straits of mackinac. the decision comes after more than 15 months of investigation into possible environmental and safety risks.

enbridge, the energy company operating line 5, will have until may 2021 to shut the pipeline down. enbridge is predicted to fight the easement’s revocation in court, but, until then, will continue to seek the necessary permits to proceed with their tunnel project. the energy company is relying on the michigan public service commission (mpsc) to approve its request in an ongoing contested case.

but a december 9 mpsc meeting may have delayed enbridge’s desired outcome; the board decided that whitmer’s notice fundamentally changes what each party is hoping for out of the permit decision, and the case will revert to an administrative judge to redefine the case’s scope. the decision pleased environmental groups, who see it as a step backward for enbridge.

just miles east of the towering mackinac bridge lies a tiny island suspended in colonial history. mackinac island, the jewel of the midwest, is home to a permanent population of just 473, but hosts over a million visitors each summer.

the island’s culture revolves around resisting modernity. no cars are allowed; all travel must be carried out via bicycle or horse. colonial homes are maintained for tourists’ pleasure, and old-fashioned fudge shops decorate main street. however, just miles west of the lake huron paradise lies a 645-mile, 30-inch-diameter crude oil pipeline constantly at risk of a rupture.

currents running through the straits of mackinac on any given day deliver double the power of the headwaters of the mississippi river, and the lake currents change directions every three days.

imagine a piece of steel wire in the hands of an eager child. the wire is strong, flexible, and able to maintain its shape without difficulty—that is, until it gets bent one too many times. suddenly, all that is left are two fractured, sharp pieces, crumbled under the pressure of the violent contortions.

this is the prognosis of many experts for line 5. the 67-year-old pipeline—designed to last 50 years—has seen better days, and now threatens to wreak havoc on great lakes ecosystems, the public health of local communities and the economies of every state bordering lakes michigan and huron.

“a worst-case scenario is a wintertime rupture in rough seas. it would be catastrophic to those communities and to the environment, the habitats, and the wildlife in the straits. it’s just a really risky, dumb place to put a pipeline. and that’s not counting the other almost 400 water crossings that enbridge themselves say exist,” said nathan murphy, director of environment michigan.

a 2016 study by the university of michigan’s graham sustainability institute formed the foundation of many advocacy groups’ arguments to shut down line 5. the study simulated different possibilities for spills in the straits and how the spill, greatly impacted by current and wind changes, would affect lakes michigan and huron and nearby shoreline.

“line 5 is monitored 24/7 by a dedicated team. if there is a change in pressure or flow, automatic shut off valves on either side of the straits crossing will immediately shut off flow in minutes and activate trained enbridge responders. the bottom line is enbridge will take full responsibility and pay for all costs related to an incident.  further, federal law imposes an obligation on any party responsible for such an incident to pay all costs for cleanup, restoration, and remediation,” said ryan duffy, communications strategist for enbridge.

enbridge inc. has a poor track record when it comes to preventing spills and cleaning them up when they happen. their 2010 pipeline spill in the kalamazoo river has gone down in history as the largest inland oil spill to ever occur. it led to the evacuation of residents and a four-year-long cleanup process that cost enbridge $700 million—$50 million more than its insurance policy.

third-party agencies such as the national transportation safety review board and the environmental protection agency found that enbridge had failed numerous times to implement safety standards, such as confronting documented and growing cracks along the pipeline, that could have prevented the devastating spill.

a line 5 rupture could result in 1.27 million gallons of oil dumped into the lakes, which would not only devastate ecosystems in the great lakes region but also end the delicate economic viability of local communities such as mackinac island, mackinaw city, and st. ignace.

in 2018, tripadvisor ranked mackinac island number one on its “10 hottest destinations for summer” list. the island beat out renowned locations such as nantucket, massachusetts and block island, rhode island.

“mackinac island is the number one tourism destination in michigan. most people, especially in the past season, see it as a great place for outdoor recreation. as you bike around the island, you can look out into the straits and see the mackinac bridge, and just past the bridge is line 5,” said anneke myers, mackinac island city councilperson.

in 2019, mackinac island filed a petition against the michigan department of environmental quality’s decision to grant two permits to enbridge that would allow the company to extend operations of the dual crude oil and natural gas pipeline for another 10 years.

“we draw water right out of the lake. we process the water here on the island. if there was a spill, we’d have to shut that down. we would have no water supply, and we’d have to evacuate all our citizens and tourists that are here. we have an evacuation plan drawn up, in case there was a spill,” said myers.

mackinaw city ferry companies have told island leaders that a spill was to occur, the ferries would be removed from the water, leaving mackinac island residents and tourists with no transportation options to depart the island.

“we’d have no water and no transportation, which would result in the collapse of our economy,” said myers.

enbridge argues that northern michigan relies on line 5 for much of its fuel. “the region–including wisconsin, indiana, ohio, pennsylvania, ontario, and quebec–would see a shortage of 14 million gallons a day of gas, diesel and jet fuel every day (if line 5 shut down). this represents 45% of the supply,” said duffy.

the fate of the pipeline lies in the hands of major michigan government officials, namely, whitmer and attorney general dana nessel.

“whitmer campaigned on the idea of shutting down line 5. here we are, years later, and her actions have been less than we hoped for. enbridge’s contract is with the dnr, which is under whitmer’s jurisdiction, so if she finds out that enbridge is breaking any part of the contract, she can essentially give them notice that the contract is done with,” said holtz.

the line 5 controversy has been trademarked by gubernatorial inaction. former gov. rick snyder is known to have made backroom deals with enbridge to help push the construction of the new tunnel through in his lame-duck period. the whitmer administration has proved slightly more aggressive on line 5, with attorney general nessel leading the charge in the courts.

in 2019, nessel filed a lawsuit against enbridge in which she challenges the validity of the original easement, with the goal being shutting line 5 down permanently. gov. whitmer took over and requested a review of the easement, and in july of 2020, wrote a letter addressed to al monaco, ceo of enbridge, asking that he shut the line down in response to numerous reports of damage.

while government leaders have dawdled and embraced their ambivalent tendencies, line 5 continues to pump 23 million gallons of crude oil each day through the great lakes at its most precarious point, risking michigan’s access to clean water, a healthy environment and regional economic stability in large swaths of the state.

“under longstanding principles of michigan’s common law, the state, as sovereign, has an obligation to protect and preserve the waters of the great lakes and the lands beneath them for the public. the state serves, in effect, as the trustee of public rights in the great lakes for fishing, hunting, and boating for commerce or pleasure,” according to the michigan supreme court.

the state court cannot lawfully relinquish its duty to protect michigan’s natural resources, even though this move has been made by past administrations. it is up to gov. whitmer to take back control over an area that is legally her jurisdiction and shut down line 5, and finally, she has.

the notice issued by the governor’s office and the department of natural resources requires enbridge to cease operations of the pipeline by may 2021, with hopes that this period of time will allow for a peaceful and orderly transition while supporting michigan’s energy needs. whitmer has also filed a lawsuit with the ingraham county circuit court to gain legal support for this action.

“after spending more than 15 months reviewing enbridge’s record over the last 67 years, it is abundantly clear that today’s action is necessary. enbridge’s historic failures and current non-compliance present too great a risk to our great lakes and the people who depend upon them,” said eichinger in the governor’s office’s press release. “our number one priority is protecting the great lakes and we will continue to work with our partners across michigan in pursuit of that objective.” 

it is unlikely that enbridge will take the notice sitting down—either way, this development mentions nothing about the looming tunnel project.

“enbridge remains confident that line 5 continues to operate safely and that there is no credible basis for terminating the 1953 easement allowing the dual line 5 pipelines to cross the straits of mackinac,” states enbridge’s press release responding to the notice.

while a long period of litigation surely awaits this case, environmental advocacy groups celebrated across the midwest as the news broke. whitmer’s bold action indicates a commitment to the health and wellness of the great lakes, a critical component of michigan’s soul, during a time when the state struggles to unify. if successful, residents of the great lakes state can drink, swim, and live peacefully knowing that the ever-lurking threat is no longer.

about two years ago, michigan decided to switch flint’s water supply from lake huron to the flint river, which, according to cnn, is a river that is notoriously known to locals for its filth. it has led to serious problems regarding lead contamination and public health risks.

fivethirtyeight reporter anna maria barry-jester explained the background of the crisis in her recent article, “what went wrong in flint.” for nearly 50 years, flint bought its water from detroit, which pumped it out of lake huron, barry-jester said. but in 2013, “the city voted to join a new pipeline being built to the lake, prompting detroit to cancel its agreement.” instead of agreeing to an updated, short-term contract with detroit, flint decided to use flint river as a water source, as an effort to save money, even though “flint’s water system hadn’t been a drain on the budget.”

this crisis has inspired college students across the nation to unite to send safe water to flint. some of the participating universities include university of michigan, university of missouri and ball state university. many have created donation drives, such as ball state university’s #freshwaterwednesday drive, to collect an abundance of bottled water to send to flint.

students of the george washington university also are fundraising for flint, though in a less traditional way — by preventing economic waste.

recently, the first-year students at gw were informed that their dining plan was changing: the freshman dining hall is no longer being offered to students beginning in the fall. thus, gw dining told current first-year students that they need to spend all of their “dining dollars,” money that only can be used at on-campus dining locations, by the end of the spring semester. in the past, excess dining dollars that were unused during the student’s first year at gw carried over into their second year, and could be used until the first semester of their third year. thus, the decision means current first-year students have only five months to spend between $700 and $1,400, depending on how much they spent this fall.

students quickly recognized this would be a challenge, considering first-year students also had $1,510 in “colonial cash,” money that can be used at off-campus restaurants. so, to avoid forfeiting their remaining dining dollars to the university at the end of the semester, students decided to purchase water bottles from their dining hall to send to flint, and put their money to good use.

gw students took their negative circumstance and made sure it had a positive outcome. have your university’s students done something similar or are they helping flint in some way? share it in the comments.

(photo by u.s. army corps of engineers)

mixtures of oil and water are classified based on the size of oil droplet (doil) – free oil if doil > 150 μm, dispersed oil if 20 μm < doil < 150 μm and emulsified oil if doil < 20 μm. we have developed a novel solution for the separation of free oil, dispersed oil, and oil-water emulsions based on the design of hygro-responsive (from the greek word ‘hygra’ meaning liquid) membranes. these membranes, counter-intuitively, are wet by water, but are still able to repel low surface tension oils like rapeseed oil or hexadecane. this makes these porous surfaces ideal for gravity-based separation of oil and water as they allow the higher density liquid (water) to flow through while preventing the flow of the lower density liquid (oil). as the separation is solely gravity driven, it is expected to be one of the most energy efficient technologies for oil-water separation. we have developed a setup based on these membranes that allows for the continuous separation of oil–water emulsions for over 100 hours without a decrease in flux, using only gravity. the demonstrated separation methodology is expected to have numerous applications, including the clean-up of oil spills, wastewater treatment, fuel purification and the separation of numerous commercially relevant emulsions.

throughout his project, pregitzer has made efforts to increase the involvement of teachers and students in science. every summer, the weeklong teacher institute brings teachers to the field sites and laboratories connected to pregitzer’s project. there, teachers learn about the impact of elevated carbon dioxide and ozone levels, nitrogen saturation, acid rain, and invasive species on forest ecosystems while earning graduate course credit. by the end of this intensive week, each teacher develops a “citizen science” project that he or she can use in the classroom.

the teacher institute multiplies the impact of the instruction by providing teachers with educational tools they can use in the classroom and equips the teachers with the knowledge and confidence to seek out further research opportunities between their classes and professional scientists. for instance, one teacher used her experience at the course to develop a collaborative project with a government agency to test acid deposition around a local power plant. pregitzer’s course has received national attention—both the u.s. forest service and the national park service are looking at ways to develop programs similar to the global climate change teacher institute around the country.

for a course on urban sustainability at the george washington university, we studied how historic preservation in charleston, dubuque and grand rapids makes these cities more sustainable as well as helps develop new areas for residents to populate. we think it is more efficient to refurbish a historic building than to build a new leed certified one. do you agree?