1) Fact-Checking Fracking I by reporter Michelle Kanu: One of the many concerns surrounding the huge increase in natural gas production across Ohio is whether it brings risks of contaminating our drinking water. As part of an ongoing series…”fact-checking fracking”…ideastream will try to get to the bottom of such questions. Reporter Michelle Kanu has our first installment. (3:49)
2) Fact-Checking Fracking II by reporter Michelle Kanu: Ohio's history of oil and gas drilling dates back to the mid-1800s. But the term fracking-the process of blasting water, sand and chemicals into rock to release natural gas-is still relatively new in our vernacular. So how is the drilling and fracking being done today different from the drilling we're all familiar with? In the last story of our "fact checking fracking" series, ideastream's Michelle Kanu explains. (3:51)
3) Algae Series Pt. 1 by freelance reporter Karen Schaefer: Last year, a toxic algae bloom the size of Long Island carpeted Lake Erie and its shoreline from Toledo all the way to Cleveland and beyond. Scientists say it was even worse than the blooms of the 1960s, when Lake Erie was “unofficially” declared dead. Managing algae will be one of the key topics next week when researchers, environmental advocates and officials from several states, plus Canada, gather in Cleveland for a three-day conference on the Great Lakes. Independent producer Karen Schaefer sets the stage with this two-part series on algae. She starts her reporting from what researchers say is the main source of the problem…Ohio’s farm fields. (5:13)
4) Lake Erie Challenges by reporter Anne Glausser: The lakes are the largest freshwater system on Earth, besides what's tucked away in the polar ice caps, and, as this year's extreme drought reminds us, fresh water is a huge resource. Keeping it clean and plentiful is on the minds of many. To get a sense of the issues that face the Great Lakes right now, ideastream's Anne Glausser went for a boat ride. (3:43)