Many of Michigan’s rest stops are situated in beautiful, park-like settings, perfect for a picnic – and some even have grills for travelers. Helpful signs along the road and at pull-off spots alert drivers to especially great views. Make the drive part of the adventureĬruising through a tunnel of trees along M-119 in northern Michigan or hopping from one scenic overlook to the next along the interstates, you can spot gorgeous fall colors and encounter all sorts of unexpected but delightful vistas. From DDT to PCBs, PBB and now PFAS, researchers continue to learn more about how the chemical age has impacted the planet.You can spot gorgeous fall colors while driving in Michigan © Ali Majdfar / Getty Images 2. It has been a growing problem worldwide for the past century. The pesticide was called dichlorodiphenyl trichloroethane, commonly known as DDT.Ĭhemical pollution is nothing new. They really like being in trees that are adjacent to a water body, so when we see a lot of shoreline development - and historically they prefer to stay from human development - they lost a lot of their preferred habitat.”īut the big blow came when a new pesticide was introduced to the market in the 1940s that caused then-unprecedented chemical pollution. “And then they also lost a lot of their preferred nesting and roosting habitat.

“Before 1940, bald eagles were hunted by people because they were a perceived threat to livestock as well as fisheries,” Ford explained to News 8.

In 1963, federal authorities estimated there were only 417 nesting pairs of bald eagles across the entire continental United States.Įrin Ford, a conservation manager for the Great Lakes chapter of the National Audubon Society, says three key factors nearly led to the bird’s extinction, all caused by humans. That number is way up from past surveys - 359 confirmed breeding pairs in 2000 and 83 in 1980 - and far away from where the bird stood in the 1950s and 60s. But after being pushed to the brink of extinction, only recently has the regal bird’s population bounced back in Michigan.Īccording to the Department of Natural Resources, a recent survey found approximately 900 breeding pairs of bald eagles in Michigan. (WOOD) - The bald eagle has represented the pride and strength of the United States for more than 240 years.

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