Points North
Interlochen Public RadioPoints North
Points North is an award-winning podcast about the land, water, and inhabitants of the Great Lakes. Through narrative, sound-rich journalism that is deeply rooted in a sense of place, each episode entertains, informs, and surprises listeners everywhere.
Interlochen Public Radio
Points North is an award-winning podcast about the land, water, and inhabitants of the Great Lakes. Through narrative, sound-rich journalism that is deeply rooted in a sense of place, each episode entertains, informs, and surprises listeners everywhere.
Interlochen Public Radio
Americans stepped up to do something about dying bees. Beekeeping is all the…
Microplastics are everywhere. But after accidentally combining materials in a…
One calm September day, Big Abe LeBlanc set his fishing net in Lake Superior.…
On April 8, 2024, Meghan Hetfield and her partner Roni Pillischer witnessed a…
Kenny Pheasant first became a teacher of Anishinaabemowin at 14 years-old,…
This is a tale of two cyclists, one legendary race, and an unlikely rivalry.
One minute David Holtfreter was kayaking on Lake Michigan; the next he was in…
One family’s visit to a famous Indiana sand dune turns into a wild tale of a…
In 1998, a hunter named Mitch Rompola claimed he’d shot the biggest whitetail…
Last December, Theresa Eischen was watching the news when a story caught her…
A researcher in Ohio was surrounded by hundreds of dead ash trees. They had…
For more than 20 years, Nic Theisen has spent his days on his hands and knees…
Peter Quakenbush’s dream is to create a conservation burial forest – a place…
Lake trout are on life support in Lake Michigan. Every year, the U.S. Fish and…
Two guys are hunting coyotes in Michigan. All of a sudden, they say they lure…
There’s this biker in the Upper Peninsula. Seems like everybody knows him or…
We think of the Great Lakes as shark-free, but as legend has it, a young boy…
Copper is a key metal for renewable energy, and experts say we’re going to need…
It’s a dry spring – 1984 in Wisconsin – and all these suspicious fires are…
More than 120 years ago, a Native American village in northern Michigan was…
Donna Martino stuck a photograph from the newspaper of a handsome kayaker on…
Iceland has figured out how to use almost 100% of every fish caught – not just…
Small, silvery fish called kiyi used to roam the deep, cold waters of nearly…
When hunter Ben Karasch sees something move out of the corner of his eye, he…
When U.P. snowboarder Nick Baumgartner lost in a qualifying round at the 2022…
In the mid-1900’s, a man moves to northern Michigan to escape the hustle and…
Three guys went ice fishing on Lake Huron in February. Everything was great…
Deer culling is common across the Midwest. Cities often hire sharpshooters or…
A team of archaeologists looks for signs of prehistoric life 100 feet…
Red-eared sliders are one of the most common pet turtle species in the world.…
In 2011, Ann Raiho and Natalie Warren climbed into their canoe and pushed off…
In October 1960, Prince Akihito of Japan visited Chicago for 21 hours.…
David Exelby was scrolling through Reddit when he came across a mysterious…
Tom Wall is a West Michigan rock star who uses plants as bandmates. He uses a…
Lane Frame was visiting the Great Lakes for the first time. It was a windy day…
The Great Lakes region — and the rest of the world — is seeing a huge push for…
Matt Parker was just out of college. Unsure of what was next, he got this idea…
Freshwater jellyfish have been in inland lakes and rivers throughout the Great…
Invasive species often spread by hitching a ride on anglers, especially anglers…
This week we’re featuring an episode from the Outside Podcast from Outside…
Rock hunting holds a special place in Joyce Fetrow’s heart. Years ago, she…
Kurt Steiner holds the world record for stone skipping. He throws rocks because…
The idea that wilderness is untouched by man is written into law, but it’s not…
Alison Vilag pays attention for a living. She counts migrating ducks at…
States in the Great Lakes kill beavers and remove dams on select rivers and…
Two anglers keep winning fishing tournament after tournament, where the prizes…
Flying squirrels glow pink under a blacklight. How many other mammals do this?…
There’s this elusive bird found throughout the Great Lakes region. If you know…
Three guys go ice fishing on Lake Huron in February. Everything is great until…
About 20 feet down on the bottom of Lake Michigan, there’s a white marble…
Laura Neese says she was practically raised in a dog kennel. What began as a…
Harmful algal blooms are a growing concern in the Great Lakes. The toxins they…
Kenny Pheasant first became a teacher of Anishinaabemowin at 14 years-old,…
Cougars are making a comeback. The iconic wildcat hasn’t had a breeding…
America’s bird, the bald eagle, is facing a tremendous challenge. As…
Because of its abundant open space, Detroit, Michigan has a thriving…
In February, gray wolves went back on the endangered species list. But it…
The North Country Trail runs through the heart of the Great Lakes region and…
It takes a special breed to head to a Great Lakes beach during the windiest…
Wind turbines are being built in ocean waters off the east and west coasts. But…
Lake Superior can change in a heartbeat; one minute it’s calm ― the next it's…
For the past three and a half decades, zebra and quagga mussels have…
According to an Anishinaabe prophecy, manoomin – wild rice – is what brought…
Lake Superior’s northern shore has been home to woodland caribou for thousands…
Northern Michigan is the perfect place to be outdoors with its extensive…
Rails are secretive marsh birds, and they’re on the decline. But a researcher…
Lyme disease is increasing in the Upper Midwest. The illness is caused by a…
After years of rapid growth, experts are trying everything they can to push…
A deadly fungal infection is pushing some bat species to the brink of…
Dick Mallery is tired of quick fixes to his 50-year-flooding problem; he wants…
The Constitution refers to treaties with other sovereign nations as “the…
In 2013, a train carrying crude oil derailed and exploded in Lac-Mégantic,…
There’s no safe way to move crude oil across an entire continent. So what risks…
Most of the freshwater in the U.S. is in the Great Lakes. That’s why some in…
On Lake Charlevoix, a landowner is seeking permits to build a controversial…
This week we’re featuring an episode of Outside/In from New Hampshire Public…
Lake trout are on life support in Lake Michigan.Every year, the U.S. Fish and…
Over time, people have caused extensive damage to rivers by scouring their…
Most people think of the wilderness as a place untouched by humans, but that’s…
North Manitou Island is like a petri dish. It shows what happens when the deer…
This month, gray wolves went back on the endangered species list. But it wasn’t…
There’s a long-term impact to armoring shoreline on the Great Lakes. And as it…
In the 1960s, scientists released a foreign insect to control invasive…
For the Fun of the Surf
March 3, 202620min 16sec
In northwest Indiana, there’s a 20-mile stretch of Lake Michigan that’s dominated by industry. It’s some of the dirtiest water in the lake, but it's also home to some of the biggest waves anywhere on the Great Lakes. Despite the pollution, there’s a dedicated group of surfers who keep flocking to this area. And one day, after a really big chemical spill from one of the factories, the surfers decide to do something about it.
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