Raspberry Island Lighthouse
Producer: JoAnne Garrett
Location: Lake Superior, Raspberry Island
It's rehab time for the lighthouse on Raspberry Island. Combine a wood frame with 100 years of Lake Superior weather and you can see why the lighthouse needs a lot of work. Learn about the elaborate reconstruction effort that is underway — aiming to restore the lighthouse to its original glory.

Safe Catch
Producer: Frederica Freyberg
Location: Sheboygan
State officials are trying to find ways to communicate the health problems related to consuming contaminated fish - often to people who depend upon their catch for subsistence and to people who sometimes do not speak English as a first language. Frederica Freyberg examines what state officials are doing to educate people about the hazards of fishing in polluted areas of the Great Lakes. Freyberg focuses on a Hmong family that often fishes along the Sheboygan River, an area declared a Superfund site 20 years ago by the EPA.

Grandma Gen
Producer: JoAnne Garrett
Location: Red Cliff Reservation
She is 86 years old, and quite simply, a phenomenon. Genevieve Goslin is a revered tribal elder in the Red Cliff Band of the Lake Superior Chippewa. Nearly everyone calls her “Grandma Gen” as a sign of their respect and affection for this remarkable woman. Grandma Gen shares stories about the unique cultural connection that she – and the Red Cliff Band—have with Lake Superior.

Quagga Mussels
Producer: Liz Koerner
Location: Lake Michigan, Sheboygan Harbor
The invasive zebra mussel made a splash in the Great Lakes when it first arrived in the ballast water of ocean, going ships in the late 1980’s.  But now the zebra mussel has met its match.  It’s being eaten out of house and home by one of its relatives called the quagga mussel.  UW-Milwaukee WATER Institute scientists, Dr. Russell Cuhel and Carmen Aguilar are trying to find out how big a bite these new invasive quagga mussels are taking out of the food chain below the surface of Lake Michigan.  Stakeholders like fishermen weigh in with their take on how the mussels are affecting the fish.

Biofouling
Producer: Andy Soth
Location: Madison
UW researchers believe they’ve developed a way to stop invasive aquatic species from hitching a ride into the Great Lakes. The research involves shooting tiny electric jolts through the undersides of ships, thus preventing “invasives” from latching onto the bottom of a ship’s hull — something called biofouling.

Blue Wave Beach
Producer: Frederica Freyberg
Location: Racine
Imagine our state’s most pristine beaches—lakes in Northern Wisconsin or the Apostle Islands may come to mind—but what about Racine’s North Beach?  It used to be filled with scum, dangerous and too contaminated to swim in much of the time.  What a turnaround. Swimmers and beachcombers are now back in droves and the Lake Michigan beach is nationally recognized for being clean and well managed. Racine's North Beach is a so-called “Blue Wave Beach.” The only one in Wisconsin, and one of only 56 in the nation.

Great Lakes Compact
Producer: Art Hackett
Location: Waukesha County, Milwaukee
Legislatures from the Great Lakes states are preparing to ratify the Great Lakes Compact. The compact was signed by Great Lakes governors in December 2005.  The compact set rules for use of Great Lakes water outside the lake basin. The city of Waukesha is seeking a permit to divert some of the water to solve problems with radium in existing well water. Critics fear allowing Waukesha an exemption while the compact is yet to be legalized will set a dangerous precedent that lead to exports well outside the Great Lakes Basin.

Great Lakes Turbines
Producer: Art Hackett
Location: Lake Michigan, Racine, Algoma
Imagine standing on the shores of Lake Michigan, gazing out over the water and seeing—mile after mile of wind turbines.  Unlikely?  Maybe not.  While there’s no definite proposal to build a wind farm in the Great Lakes, researchers are starting to study the potential of positioning wind turbines in the lakes to generate electricity. In addition, state regulators are developing criteria for evaluating environmental issues. Some communities are already asking how the presence of turbines off the shores of Lake Michigan might affect their lives.

Apostle Islands National Lakeshore Management Plan
Producer: JoAnne Garrett
Location: Apostle Islands National Lakeshore
The Apostle Islands National Lakeshore has just kicked off the development of a new 15-year management plan. As part of that plan, the staff of the park is eager and willing to take comments from Wisconsin citizens as to what they’d like to see in this new management plan. Find out what special concerns and problems the Apostle Islands National Lakeshore faces in the future, and how the citizens of Wisconsin can play a role.

Milwaukee River Cleanup
Producer: Liz Koerner
Location: Milwaukee
The morning comes early for Milwaukee high school students who signed up with the River Revitalization Foundation.  They’re reporting for a summer job that will not only benefit their bank balance but benefit the environment for decades to come. They’re restoring native plants and in turn cleaning up the water and improving habitat for animals along the shoreline of the Milwaukee River a few miles north of downtown.  They also helped build a riverside trail that allows users of all abilities to access this natural area. The benefits of their summer’s work will multiply over time, improving water quality, increasing diversity of plants and animals, and inviting more people to visit this special place in the heart of the city.

Lake Trout Return?
Producer: Liz Koerner
Location: Sheboygan, Sturgeon Bay, Bailey’s Harbor
At one time Lake Michigan had the largest lake trout population in the world. By the 1960’s the trout was extinct.  Since then, the U.S. Fish & Wildlife Service and other agencies have been trying to restore this native species without success.  There are a number of reasons for the failure of the lake trout reintroduction and one of them may surprise you.

Dragon Boats
Producer: JoAnne Garrett
These racers are not your average crew team. Meet a group of people who race Dragon Boats—a Hong-Kong style of canoe racing—on Lake Michigan. 

Fish Cleaner
Producer: Art Hackett
The city of Algoma faced a problem. Waste from fish cleaning stations at the local marina on Lake Michigan was creating a mess.  It was also clogging the city's sewerage treatment plant.  With help from the estate of former Mayor Art Dettman, Algoma created a novel solution that creates a more pleasant environment at the fish cleaning shed, reduces sewerage treatment headaches and provides raw material for a local business.