Community volunteers helped Shedd Aquarium researcher Karen Murchie discover an important trigger of sucker fish migration and along the way they've become vital advocates for freshwater animals.

Only a fraction of the Great Lakes’ bottom has been mapped, and those low-resolution charts were completed decades ago, according to the Great Lakes Observing System, a nonprofit that manages data from a network of lake observers and makes it easily accessible.

Local officials celebrated the completion of the Illinois Beach State Park Shoreline Stabilization Project, which will protect the state’s only remaining natural shoreline from the devastating effects of erosion.

The National Weather Service is forecasting the worst to hit late Friday afternoon. Expect strong wind gusts from the northeast, reaching 45 to 55 miles per hour.

Jim Dreyer, 61, has tried four times since 2023 to swim across Lake Michigan, including an effort just a few weeks ago, but has been unsuccessful due to lake conditions or other factors.

Organizers of the Chicago River Swim have taken the city’s suggestion and will hold the open-water swim event in Lake Michigan on Sept. 22, with the goal of proving themselves for a 2025 plunge in the river.

Waves topping 8 feet were recorded off Chicago’s shore Sunday. High waves and dangerous currents are expected through Tuesday night, the National Weather Service said.

One man has died after being rescued from Lake Michigan near the Adler Planetarium on Wednesday, according to Chicago police officials.

The Margaret A. Muir sank only a few miles off the entrance to Algoma Harbor. It went undetected for more than a century despite hundreds of boats passing over it each fishing season.

Drowning is the leading cause of death for children ages 1 to 4 and the second leading cause of unintentional death for children in the 5 to 14 age group, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

Boaters and lakefront enthusiasts alike can join in on the fun at the Venetian Night boat parade on Saturday, July 20, at Lake Michigan’s Monroe Harbor. 

Environmental advocates in the Chicago area and northwest Indiana applauded a tough new slate of Environmental Protection Agency rules for coal-fired power plants — rules that cover local generating stations that are already offline or slated to be phased out.

Alliance for the Great Lakes has collected 20 years’ worth of data from beach cleanups. Tiny plastic trash is a huge problem.

Illinois Beach State Park in Zion on the state’s northern border contains about 10% of Illinois’ Lake Michigan shoreline, with 6.5 miles. But the undeveloped shoreline can erode up to 100 feet per year.

Over the last five years, agencies such as the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service and Minnesota Department of Natural Resources have employed a new seek-and-destroy strategy that uses turncoat carp to lead them to the fish’s hotspot hideouts.

Meet Ellis Chesbrough, Chicago’s first city engineer and designer of the water delivery system we still use today. WTTW News Explains how water cribs work out on Lake Michigan.