Hollan's Mt. Pisgah sand dune was loved a little too well -- its visitors were causing severe erosion. Then the local community and state partnered to help preserve it for future generations.
Keweenaw County is Michigan's least populous county and is defined by sprawling, diverse wilderness.
The town of Idlewild was once known as "the Summer Apollo of Michigan." By the1950s, the community was so packed that it would draw 25,000 visitors in a given weekend. But then the Black Eden entered an era of decline.
"A big sense of the community here is trying to keep a good hold on the natural environment and not have too much development."
"People are defined by the water in Michigan, and access to it is really a deep value and a fundamental right."
Water trails are a relatively recent phenomenon in Michigan, having proliferated across the state over the past 10 to 15 years. Water trail advocates chalk that up to a variety of factors: the ripple effect of growing public interest in land-based trails, the establishment of the National Water Trails System in 2012, and a growing population of older adults that appreciates low-impact exercise like canoeing and kayaking.
"These are investments that are going to pay dividends for generations. You don't get a chance very often to make these things happen."
Amy McMillan saw the potential for recreation in downtown Flint along the Flint River. But she knew that to realize those dreams would require money the City of Flint and Genesee County didn’t have.
Creating and preserving Michigan's Pigeon River Country, known as "the Big Wild," has involved a long, sometimes contentious dance between conservation and the pressures of the outside world.
The loss of health journalism has had wide-ranging impacts on the communities health reporters once served. But a variety of innovative solutions have arisen to fill the gap and restore some of the coverage that's been lost.
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