Unsalted Great Lakes

The U.S administration is putting cross-border science at risk. Together, US-Canada scientists keep the lakes healthy, detect harmful algal blooms and control invasive species.

Find out what's at stake with Jerome Marty, Executive Director of International Association for Great Lakes Research.

Is President Trump angling to take over the Great Lakes? Can the water be diverted to other states? Our guest is Daniel Macfarlane, an expert in environmental water history and US-Canada relations. He's an associate professor at Western Michigan University.

Declining ice levels can impact everything from water quality to the economy. Hilary Dugan is one of sixteen researchers who published a study in the journal Science examining seasonal ice cover on lakes. The limnologist joins us from the University of Wisconsin-Madison.

Read the study: https://www.science.org/doi/10.1126/science.adl3211

Ice forecasting tool: https://www.glerl.noaa.gov/data/ice/#forecast

What are whitefish up against? With the population in decline, we’ll hear about the challenges and possibilities. Our guest is Jason Smith, fisheries biologist with Bay Mills Indian Community in Michigan's Upper Peninsula.

Want to surf a Great? Meet Tarah Coates, owner of a surf shop in Goderich, Ont. We talk about her sweet routine, surfing on the Great Lakes and its mental health benefits.

Learn about spearfishing and treaty rights in this interview with Kathleen Smith, an enrolled tribal member of the Keweenaw Bay Indian Community, located in Michigan’s Upper Peninsula. She’s joined by her 15-year-old son, Jacob.

Why is the water so clear? Quagga mussels, known as filter feeders, are largely to blame. In their documentary, All Too Clear, Yvonne Drebert and Zach Melnick use underwater drones and groundbreaking footage to tell the story.

Director Lindsey Haskin is back with another documentary, this one called “Fish Thief: A Great Lakes Mystery.” 

We discuss the sea lamprey, how the doc was made and famous people from the Great Lakes.

Our theme is by Adam Wendler

Tour a City of Detroit fire boat with Captain Scott Reynolds.

Chemist Sherri A. Mason (Sam) is passionate about plastics pollution. She discusses ways to limit your connection to plastic and reduce your ingestion of it.

Our theme is by Adam Wendler.

Each spring, Chantry Island is home to thousands of (noisy) birds. Why do human visitors have to carry sticks above their heads? We'll visit the Lake Huron bird sanctuary to learn more.

****This segment includes profanity (referring to bird poop). Skip 2:30 - 3:30 to avoid it.****

Then, retired University of Minnesota professor Francie Cuthbert shares:

- Why cormorant poop is so problematic

- What population management looks like

- The future of cormorants in the Great Lakes region

Our theme is by Adam Wendler.

Why did a Spotted Gar turn up in Toronto waters? The ancient fish, known for playing dead, is endangered in Ontario. Find out what this discovery means about the health of our lakes with Rick Portiss, Senior Manager of Aquatic Monitoring & Management at Toronto and Region Conservation Authority (TRCA).

Our theme is by Adam Wendler.

Geo is back! The Great Lakes Tiktoker, artist and educator has a new book. Geo Rutherford speaks to host Allison Devereaux about Spooky Lakes: 25 Strange and Mysterious Lakes that Dot Our Planet.

Great Lakes science, fast fashion & sewing your own clothes. Explore it all with Kerrice Bailey, a biology Master’s student at York University.

Great Lakes champion John Hartig looks back on decades of conservation, including his efforts to restore the Detroit River. Hartig is a Visiting Scholar at the Great Lakes Institute for Environmental Research at University of Windsor.

When Natasha Akiwenzie's family could no longer pull in the whitefish they used to, they pivoted to land-based learning. She tells us about making hard decisions and adapting to change.

Theme by Adam Wendler.

Learn to love seagulls (or at least co-exist). Our guest is Paul Graham, a professor of animal behaviour at University of Sussex.

Tips for capturing the sunset with photographers Jason O'Young & Amal Dev.

Helium balloons. Bottle caps. Socks. Lynn Tremain is a retired teacher who picks up garbage at Pinery Provincial Park in Ontario. 

Follow Unsalted on Instagram: @unsaltedpod

Find Lynn on Instagram: @grancleansthebeach

Our theme is by Adam Wendler @adamwendler

For 150 years, a company on the Detroit River has been delivering “mail by the pail” to freighters.

Follow Unsalted on Instagram: @unsaltedpod

Our theme is by Adam Wendler.

A podcast for people who work, live and play on the Great Lakes. Hosted and produced by Allison Devereaux. 

Conservationists are trying to bring back the lake trout to Lake Erie. After decades of stocking, they made a new discovery: fry. Pop the champagne, because these baby trout show the adult population is breeding. Jim Markham, Senior Aquatic Biologist at New York State Department of Environmental Conservation, tells us the story of lake trout recovery. 

In his 24 years on Grand Bend's Beach Patrol, lifeguard Scott Ruddle has seen a lot. He talks about life in the tower at one of the lake's busiest beaches.