Lester Graham
Reporter, The Environment ReportLester Graham reports for The Environment Report. He has reported on public policy, politics, and issues regarding race and gender inequity. He was previously with The Environment Report at Michigan Public from 1998-2010.
He has been a journalist since 1985. Graham has served as a board member of the Public Radio News Directors Inc., and also served as President of the Illinois News Broadcasters Association. He is a member of the Radio-Television Digital News Association (RTDNA), Society of Professional Journalists and other professional groups.
Lester has received 17 first-place national awards for journalism excellence and more than 100 additional awards at the national, regional, and state levels.
He is also an avid wildlife photographer.
Contact Lester: graham@michiganpublic.org
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Hotter days make heat exhaustion a greater hazard for kids. Hotter days also can mean more ozone pollution and that leads to lung impairments. Unusual weather events, particularly storms that cause flooding, add stress to children's lives. -
The Michigan Department of Health and Human Services trumpets improvements noted in a follow-up audit from the Office of the Auditor General, but said the OAG's report was a disservice to the public. -
The Michigan Department of Natural Resources is using a couple of roving robots on tracks to sift through the sand on beaches, cleaning up debris. -
A University of Michigan study looked at data from more than 25,000 participants to see if long term exposure to air pollution had effects on elderly people's health. It found even those without chronic diseases from air pollution needed assistance from family or professionals for everyday living. -
After legal challenges from environmental groups, the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service has agreed to reconsider its decision to not protect the Kirtland's snake under the Endangered Species Act. -
Michigan has a pilot program to restore a large wetland area to reduce fertilizer runoff from getting into Lake Erie because it feeds toxic cyanobacterial blooms that spread in the western basin each year. -
Federal money coming for trees in urban areas, but will local residents have a voice in the process?The U.S. Forest Service is promoting its second round of funding for planting trees in urban areas. Tackling the inequity of how government has not included local communities in discussions about planting trees in their neighborhoods is a priority. -
Floating solar panels are somewhat new in the U.S. In some places, the competition for land makes putting solar panel on plastic rafts feasible. -
Audubon Great Lakes members held an advocacy day for the first time in Michigan. Wetlands topped the agenda, but was just one item in a list to improve the environment. -
The loss and degradation of wetlands has had a profound effect on many birds. There are efforts to restore them, but the rate of loss is greater.
