Echo

Photo Friday: Astronaut photo of Sault Ste Marie in both Ontario and Michigan

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In the above photo, taken on June 29, north is on the left. As described on NASA.gov, the lakes and rivers typically appear blue or blue-green – areas appearing silver in color are likely the result of sediment and sunglint. Sunglint is light reflecting off the water to the International Space Station. Canals and shipping locks in Sault Ste Marie is crucial to the Great Lakes shipping traffic system. See full description here.

Echo

Check out midterm report card on Great Lakes Compact

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Two and half years after  Great Lakes states agreed to cut down on water diversion and excessive withdrawals from the lakes, the National Wildlife Foundation has  reported on how they’re doing.   The highlights:

Michigan and Wisconsin have the most notable success, passing legislation to cover all aspects of the compact and administering the program. New York and Ohio only recently enacted legislation to comply with the requirements of the Great Lakes Compact.  They deferred to advisory boards for their recommendations. Illinois and Minnesota contend that their statutes and programs are sufficient to control water diversion and withdrawal. They adopted the compact without creating further requirements. Indiana and Pennsylvania created skeletal programs and allowed environmental agencies to fill in the flesh.  They have no detailed programs or rules.

Echo

See emerald ash borers in action; states still battling the bug

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Now is the best time to see the destructive, tree-eating emerald ash borer up close and personal. The inch-long green metallic beetles are most numerous from late June to mid July, according to the Emerald Ash Borer Information Network. But don’t be fooled by lookalikes. Here’s a guide for proper identification of the nasty nuisance. Officials have banned imported firewood, removed ash trees and even released tiny wasps to prevent them from overwhelming the region with little luck; the beetle has spread to all Great Lakes states over the past decade.

Wildlife
The 2011 winning Ohio Wildlife Legacy Stamp. Image: Ohio Department of Natural Resources

Spot. Snap. Stamp.

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If you live in Ohio and see a salamander scattering past, don’t scream and swat it. Shoot it, instead. With a camera, that is. The Ohio Department of Natural Resources’ Third Annual Wildlife Legacy Stamp photo contest is underway. Focusing on a different animal each year, this contest hopes to promote the diversity of Ohio’s wildlife.

Echo

Michigan museum to screen Knight Center invasive species documentary Wednesday

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At 6 p.m. Wednesday, a St. Joseph, Mich. museum will screen Bad Company, a one-hour documentary examining how humans have altered the ecology and economy of the Great Lakes region. ‘Bad Company’ is Michigan State University’s Knight Center for Environmental Journalism’s fourth documentary. Michigan State University instructor and filmmaker Lou D’Aria and co-produer Matt Mikus will be present at screening at the Heritage Museum and Cultural Center, 601 Main Street.

Echo

Driven to solve the case of the tweet’s missing underscore

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If you’re following Echo on Twitter, make sure that you’re following the GreatLakesEcho username and not GreatLakes_Echo. You caught the difference, right? The second has that little underscore between Lakes and Echo. Both usernames exist, but Echo will concentrate fresh tweets on GreatLakesEcho — the one without the underscore. The one with the annoying little line will soon go away.