Water Week: The Line 5 Oil Pipeline Debate - Implications for Water, Indigenous, and States' Rights

Event Summary

Date(s): Saturday, August 29, 2026
Time: 11:00am-12:00pm
Venue: Matthaei Botanical Gardens
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Event Description

The raging debate over the future of Enbridge Energy’s Line 5 oil pipeline is about more than the threat it poses to the Great Lakes. University of Michigan’s Mike Shriberg, a Professor in the School for Environment & Sustainability and Director of the UM Water Center, will outline the history, current status and potential future for Line 5, relying on interviews as well as his own direct involvement. As the first U.S. oil pipeline ever ordered to be shut down due to potential damage from a rupture, the resolution of the future of Line 5 has deep implications for our environment, economy and way of life

This event is not listed as a Family Activity, but we’ve included it for completion of water week and suggest it for teens and adults.

Water Week Activities

	Date/Time	Event
💙🆓	August 23 1:00pm-2:30pm	Water Week: The First Story of Water - The Anishnaabek Story at Matthaei Botanical Gardens, Ann Arbor Michigan
💙🆓	August 24 5:00pm-6:30pm	Water Week: Storytelling in the Garden, The New Anishnaabek Signs at Willow Pond at Matthaei Botanical Gardens, Ann Arbor Michigan
💙🆓	August 25 10:00am-11:30am	Water Week: Nature Play Pop-Up: Floating and Boating at Matthaei Botanical Gardens, Ann Arbor Michigan
💙🆓	August 25 4:30pm-6:00pm	Water Week: Waterway Relatives with Dr. Selena Smith at Matthaei Botanical Gardens, Ann Arbor Michigan
💙🆓	August 26 5:00pm-6:30pm	Water Week: The Line 5 Oil Pipeline Debate - Implications for Water, Indigenous, and States' Rights at Matthaei Botanical Gardens, Ann Arbor Michigan
💙🆓	August 26 5:30pm-7:00pm	Water Week: Nature Play Pop-Up: Floating and Boating at Matthaei Botanical Gardens, Ann Arbor Michigan
💙🆓	August 27 10:00am-8:00pm	Water Week: Great Lakes Pop-Up with CIGLR at Matthaei Botanical Gardens, Ann Arbor Michigan
💙🆓	August 27 5:00pm-6:30pm	Water Week: Water Wander - Healthy Waterways at Matthaei Botanical Gardens, Ann Arbor Michigan
💙🆓	August 28 5:00pm-6:30pm	Water Week: Kids, Fish, and Streams at Matthaei Botanical Gardens, Ann Arbor Michigan
💙🆓	August 29 11:00am-12:00pm	Water Week: The Line 5 Oil Pipeline Debate - Implications for Water, Indigenous, and States' Rights at Matthaei Botanical Gardens, Ann Arbor Michigan