State officials this spring declared Saginaw Bay "impaired" due to nutrient pollution. Farmers like Steve Tait are now working to convince fellow farmers that no-till and other soil-conservation practices are profitable, along with good for the environment.
Beneath the clear water and beyond its shallow areas teeming with life, Church Lake is a dead zone- a chemical soup of phosphorus and road salt has left the water toxic and oxygen-deprived.