Recreation

Winter Lake Superior surfers get Wave of the Week recognition

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Ahhh, winter in the Great Lakes states – hot cocoa, sledding, cuddling up by the fire and…surfing? Surfing isn’t your go-to activity in 20-degree weather? Well, me neither. But on Friday, Daily Surf Videos chose their Wave of the Week video featuring dedicated surfers trekking out in the winter months to catch some of the Great Lakes best waves. When a large storm crosses, it can make for double overhead surf, compared to 2- or 3-foot waves typical in the calm summer months.

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Great Lakes songbird considered for Endangered Species List

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A western Great Lakes basin songbird may deserve federal protection as a threatened or endangered species, according to the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service. Golden-winged Warblers were once widespread in Minnesota, Wisconsin, Michigan and Ontario. But loss of breeding habitat, conflict with Blue-winged Warblers and possible parasitism by the invasive Brown-headed Cowbird have led to their steady decline for 50 years, according to a petition filed by a Pennsylvania State University environmental law student. Pending further review by the U.S. Fish and Wild Service, the warbler could become the first continental bird added to the Endangered Species List since 1995. It would join Great Lakes endangered birds such as the Kirtland’s Warbler and Piping Plover.

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Lake Erie on Prozac

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Lake Erie is on Prozac, reports National Geographic. Tiny concentrations of fluoxetine, the active ingredient in Prozac, are killing off the E.coli bacteria in the lake, says scientist Steve Mauro, whose team made the discovery. While killing bacteria that could harm people might seem like a good idea, Mauro questions what happens to the other bacteria that are supposed to be a part of the ecosystem, National Geographic reports. The low levels of fluoxetine do not harm people but they damage the reproductive systems of mollusks and could even affect fish brains, says Mauro. He suspects the fluoxetine could combine with other chemicals and have an adverse effect on the lake.

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MASHUP: Bioenergy picking up steam in Great Lakes region

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More and more bioenergy plants are fueling sustainable energy efforts in Great Lakes states, according to a National Renewable Energy Laboratory BioFuels interactive map. Biofuels and biopower plants, which produce energy from landfill gas, wood and municipal solid wastes, roughly equal the number of power plants run on wind and water, according to the mashup. More than 50 plants in Wisconsin, Illinois and southern Michigan run on gas produced by microorganisms that break down landfill material. Northern Minnesota, Wisconsin, Michigan and Ohio each have a handful of biopower plants fueled by wood. And about a dozen Minnesota, Michigan and Indiana plants convert municipal solid waste into ethanol.

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Farmers, filming and Flint

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Producers of an award-winning video about Flint, karate and urban agriculture are working on an hour-long version.
It will include additional footage – some shot by urban farmers themselves – to create an organically grown storyline about growing food in the city.