Oh, the difference a couple of tern chicks make. For decades the Detroit River was a repository for industrial pollution and waste. Now, through both international cooperation and private-public partnerships the health of the Detroit River International Wildlife Refuge is slowly but steadily rebounding.

Water, water everywhere... Did you know that Macomb County has one of the highest concentrations of marinas and registered boaters in the U.S.? Changing attitudes about our natural resources have inspired local leaders to launch a comprehensive "Blue Economy" Initiative, aimed at nurturing, developing and capitalizing on Macomb's liquid assets.

NoHam joins Farmington Hills and Ann Arbor in the Metro Detroit skatepark movement. Filling a vacant lot with a bowl, quarter pipe, bank, and hip is only Phase I for the nonprofit organizers of Power House Productions. These urban innovators envision a sustainable, skatable sculpture park that will become a destination for local boarders and BMXers.

Great rivers can, and literally have, caught fire. This week Dr. John Hartig, refuge manager of the Detroit River International Wildlife Refuge and author of Burning Rivers, explains this phenomenon and writes about those unwilling to let the heritage and wildlife of the Detroit and Rouge River ecosystems go out in flames.