Park trails along Lake Michigan’s shoreline in Michigan and Wisconsin are eroding because of more frequent extreme precipitation events and increased foot traffic from visitors in undesignated recreation areas.

While erosion is a natural process, excessive weathering in shoreline park areas can pose problems for nearby water sources, such as Lake Michigan. Eroded soil may carry unhealthy runoff and pollutants that threaten the lake’s health, said Amanda Schwabe, a climate outreach specialist at the Wisconsin State Climatology Office.

Increased precipitation trends are a key driver of erosion in these areas. According to the Wisconsin Initiative on Climate Change Impacts and the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, Southeast Wisconsin has gotten about 20% wetter in the fall, w

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