Meet the blogger
Jeff Alexander
My life, in 60 seconds
I grew up in suburban Los Angeles. Moved to Michigan to play college hockey. What? Seriously. Hockey didn't work out. Settled on journalism. Met girl of my dreams (now wife) while in college. Encountered the wondrous Great Lakes. Never returned to California. Blessed with three wonderful children. Worked as a reporter and editor for 25 years at several Michigan newspapers. Wrote two books. Left the newspaper industry in 2009. Started my own writing and media consulting business (J. Alexander Communications). Now a contract writer for hire. I enjoy kayaking, hiking, reading, watching pro hockey and college football, traveling, exploring the Great Lakes and occasionally trying to rise above the rank of world's worst angler. And I blog about the Great Lakes because these freshwater seas are, in a word, incredible. Thanks for visiting!
Category Archives: Water
Taking stock of the Great Lakes on Earth Day 2013
In honor of Earth Day, I thought it appropriate to explore the current state of the Great Lakes — the good, bad and ugly. The lakes today are far healthier than in 1972, when Congress passed the federal Clean Water Act. … Continue reading
Nonprofit wins Pulitzer for Kalamazoo River oil spill coverage
The nonprofit news organization Inside Climate News won journalism’s top prize, the Pulitzer Prize, on April 15 for its coverage of the 2010 Kalamazoo River oil spill and subsequent articles that exposed serious problems in the nation’s oil pipelines. The online … Continue reading
Rivers recover as Michigan steps up pace of dam removals
The state of Michigan is making strides in restoring rivers by removing obsolete and dangerous dams. I wrote about the issue for an online magazine called Bridge. You can read the article here. There are about 2,500 dams in Michigan … Continue reading
Ferry allowed to pollute Lake Michigan for 2 more years
The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency announced Friday that the coal-fired Lake Michigan ferry SS Badger will be allowed to operate — and continue dumping coal ash into Lake Michigan — for two more years. The Badger, which sails between Ludington, … Continue reading
Some moments of nature from the Great Lakes
Lately I’ve been writing about a lot of the problems facing the Great Lakes. So I’m taking a brief respite to point out a few of my favorites photos from the Great Lakes region. It’s important that we fight to … Continue reading
Lake Erie’s toxic algae nightmare is national news … again
Poor Lake Erie: The Rodney Dangerfield of the Great Lakes just can’t get a break. Time magazine declared Lake Erie declared dead in the 1960s, when the lake was actually too alive with algae. Sadly, the algae blooms that made … Continue reading
Report examines climate change effects on Great Lakes
Climate change has given Lake Superior a fever and the region’s fish and wildlife could be hit hard by rising air and water temperatures. That’s one of the conclusions of a sobering new report by the National Wildlife Federation called … Continue reading
GOP wants to raid the Michigan’s Natural Resources Trust Fund
Here we go again. Republicans in the Michigan Legislature are talking about using money from the Michigan Natural Resources Trust Fund to build roads and dredge harbors. Such action is currently prohibited because a voter approved amendment to the Michigan … Continue reading
Michigan Legislature gets failing grade on environmental issues
Michigan calls itself “The Great Lakes State,” but the Sierra Club recently gave the Legislature a failing grade on environmental issues. The Sierra Club said the 2011-2012 class of state lawmakers was “by far the most anti-environmental Legislature we’ve had … Continue reading
How are the Great Lakes? Ask a beach
Beaches are an important indicator of the health of Great Lakes ecosystems. Many of the most serious problems facing the lakes — such as bacterial pollution and algae blooms that are fueled by sewer overflows, polluted runoff and invasive species … Continue reading
