Great Lakes Echo (http://greatlakesecho.org/author/c-thompson/page/3/)
It’s been a weird winter in the Great Lakes region. We’ve had warm temperatures, almost no snow and I’ve even seen the sun in February. Although not having to shovel the driveway is nice, I have had a very disappointing cross-country ski season. Maybe it’s time to invest in more versatile winter sporting equipment. Take, for example, the Snourfboard.
If scouring the shoreline for dead birds is one of your favorite pastimes, there’s a citizen science project just for you. Beachcombers around the basin can help scientists track potential outbreaks of a disease caused by a dangerous toxin, avian botulism, using the Wildlife Health Event Reporter. “What we’re trying to do is broaden the core of people who are looking for things,” said Joshua Dein, wildlife veterinarian with the U.S. Geological Survey National Wildlife Health Center in Madison, Wis. “Often what we find is when you have five or 10 dead animals in one spot it gets people’s attention. Where we don’t have a lot of information is dead animals in ones and twos, which may be just as significant.”
The Wildlife Data Integration Network, a partnership between the National Wildlife Health Center and the University of Wisconsin-Madison Nelson Institute for Environmental Studies, put together the Wildlife Health Event Reporter.
While health agencies look for faster ways to detect harmful E. coli bacteria on public beaches, they overlook another germ that may cause even greater problems.
Echo catches up with author, Darby Nelson, about his first book, “For Love of Lakes,” which explores the worsening health of lakes around the country.
Have you ever wondered what products are made from the raw materials shipped across the Great Lakes? Or how grain moves from South Dakota to your kitchen? Well wonder no more. The Great Lakes Maritime Research Institute and Michigan Technological University have games to teach you. With Commodities to Products, match finished products like perfume, pet foods and rubber bands to the raw materials they’re made of: iron ore, coal, grain or bentonite clay.
In the Twitter-verse, a lot of thought goes into choosing a name. A catchy handle attracts followers – something the man behind @HarnessFarts knows all too well. @HarnessFarts tweets often about alternative fuels and helps followers cut their water and energy use. We caught up with Greg, the man behind the tweets, in an email and got answers to our burning fart and Twitter questions. Why farts?
Have you ever wondered why geese flock to a nice clean lawn? Sebastian the goose explains the attraction. Sebastian loves short, tasty grass and feels safe when he can see predators from far away. That’s why he loves mowed lawns and shorelines. And this fowl admits to fouling a yard 28 times a day, generating almost 1.5 pounds of waste.
Great Lakes ships may soon ride on air.
Engineers believe injecting air under the bottom of the behemoth boats will make them faster and more efficient.
The 2012 Canon Envirothon competition is underway, and Great Lakes states are looking for participants. Envirothon teams compete in outdoor challenges that test their understanding of soils, land use, aquatic ecology, forestry, wildlife and current environmental issues. Students may also do volunteer projects and give presentations about their experiences. States have their own Envirothon programs. Check them out for more details on signing up.
Welcome to day two of our favorite reader comments from 2011. The Echo staff has spent hours combing through the brilliant, funny and, at times, inane comments on our stories, and narrowed it down to a few of the best. Enjoy!