Great Lakes Echo (http://greatlakesecho.org/2012/10/)
I have a colleague who will teach survey methods in the pursuit of journalism next semester. He’s asked for ideas for an environmental story that might be based on a survey of scientists or government officials. That sounds good to me. Give it enough of a Great Lakes focus and such a story could well end up on Echo. But for now, I think I’ll punt the question to Echo readers.
Voters will determine this November if Michigan will be the first to insert a clean energy requirement into its state constitution. A key part of the debate is whether the constitution is the appropriate place to dictate a state energy policy.
A state ballot proposal could create nearly 75,000 Michigan “job years” by 2025, according to a recent report. The concept of a job year may puzzle Michigan voters asked if 25 percent of their energy should come from renewable sources by 2025.
Click this image for WZZM’s broadcast on using dogs to track down illegal sewage discharges. The setting is a recent Great Lakes Beach Association conference on Mackinac Island. That’s a smart dog and a smart way to track down pollution. Perhaps most impressive: The dog didn’t give the island’s road apples a second look.
The convergence of the hurricane and two other weather systems has most Great Lakes freighters staying in port. But surfers are eagerly hitting the waves as they build hundreds of miles from the center of the storm.
A recent study has discovered dense pockets of micro-plastics in the Great Lakes. Such tiny plastics may enter the food chain. The health implications are unclear and debated.
A video featuring former governors, scientists and policy experts details projects financed by the Great Lakes Protection Fund. The fund has committed more than $63.9 million to 245 projects to advance conservation, produce sustainable technologies and restore ecosystems in an economically viable way. It was endowed in 1989 by former Great Lakes governors with an $81 million contribution of public funds. About $4 million a year is spent on projects, which are funded by the interest off the endowment, said Amy Elledge, communications director for the fund. Featured projects include scientists designing ballast filters and policy experts discussing ways to make sustainability marketable.
Despite recent rains, the 2012 drought – the most destructive in 50 years – has driven many Michigan dairy farmers into “survival mode”.
The dry weather reduced crop yields, tightening the feed supply.
Michigan agriculture is struggling to find qualified workers to fill positions at all levels, and one challenge is informing potential employees that modern agriculture is a high-tech industry in need of people with the right skills, according to the Michigan Agri-Business Association.
At an egg factory, a robot counts how many eggs each chicken has laid. A computer detects the purity of each egg, and checks for cracks.At a dairy farm, a computer calculates how much milk cows can produce each day by recognizing unique IDs on their tags.
And association President Jim Byrum said, “Agriculture is being revolutionized by cutting-edge technology and scientific advancements.”
It would become illegal for most people in Michigan to own primates as pets under a revived legislative proposal.
The bill stems from a monkey attack in Trenton.