Position:

The Northwoods is home to some of the highest concentrations of freshwater lakes in the world. Water is essential to life here, as it relates to the environment, health, the economy, and cultural identity. Water quality faces many challenges including mining, the Line 5 pipeline, warming temperatures, increased recreation, and PFAS. The environmental and water quality reporter digs into these issues, the solutions, and how they impact communities.

Based in Rhinelander, Wisconsin, WXPR is an independent, community-licensed NPR member station founded in 1983 and serving eight counties across northern Wisconsin and Michigan’s Upper Peninsula. WXPR provides a mix of local and national news, volunteer-hosted music shows, and educational programming. The newsroom’s mission is to bring fact-based, local journalism that reflects the culture and issues of rural communities in the Northwoods with focus on the environment, health, and economy.