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Help protect habitat for migrating birds

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Make your yard a sanctuary for migrating birds with help from the Wisconsin Stopover Initiative. The initiative, a partnership of government agencies, private organizations, businesses and bird lovers, helps identify and protect the places migratory birds visit as they travel north and south. These in between habitats are called stopover sites. Protecting stopover sites at home is easy with these tips listed by the initiative. Remove invasive plants (the ones not native to your area) and preserve native trees and shrubs on your property.

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Enter your photos in Wisconsin Great Lakes calendar

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Great Lakes photographers have the opportunity to have their work displayed in the 2012-2013 Wisconsin’s Great Lakes Calendar published by the Wisconsin Department of Natural Resources. The Great Lakes Photo Contest has four entry categories: natural features and wildlife, people enjoying Wisconsin’s Great Lakes, historic and cultural features and lake protection activities. Contestants can submit up to three photos. The contest is open through Feb. 1, 2012.

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VIDEO: Round gobies and Great Lakes streams

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What Will Round Gobies Do to Great Lakes Streams? The invasive round goby are making their way from the Great Lakes into some Wisconsin streams. The University of Wisconsin Sea Grant takes a look at which streams the fish will invade, how they’ll affect stream ecosystems and what you can do to stop their spread. (Featured image: USGS Great Lakes Science Center)

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Michigan buys chunk of land in the Upper Peninsula

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Kayakers, rafters, hunters, anglers and birders rejoice – the Michigan Department of Natural Resources has purchased 2,354 acres of Upper Peninsula beauty and is granting you access. The land, located near the border of Michigan and Wisconsin, was purchased from the Wisconsin Electric Power Company for $2,534,400 with money from the Michigan Natural Resources Trust Fund and DNR Land Exchange Facilitation Fund. It’s divided into two parcels — Piers Gorge and Quiver Falls. There are almost 10 miles of access to the Menominee River within the parcels. Quiver Falls is adjacent to the Menominee River Natural Resource Area, a 4,450-acre parcel managed by Michigan and Wisconsin Departments of Natural Resources.

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Michigan wine industry has grown and matured

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In the 1970s, most Michigan vineyards were making grapes for juices. But in the past 40 years, the industry has made room for a more mature product — wine grapes. The state’s wine industry has grown by 500 percent since 1973, increased in acreage and number of wineries, attracts 800,000 visitors every year and contributes $300 million to the economy, according to Michigan State University. Michigan’s environment is good for vinifera varieties, like chardonnay and reisling; hybrid varieties, or vinifera grapes crossed with native North American ones; and native varieties like concord and niagara, according to Michigan Wines. Most wine is grown within 25 miles of Lake Michigan where wind blowing over the lake collects water vapor and deposits more snow on the opposite shore.

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Satellite Watch: Fly through the Great Lakes aurora

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This time-lapse video by NASA’s Earth Observatory was made from a series of photographs to make a cool flight simulation over the Great Lakes. See if you can spot the big cities, aurora borealis and lightning bolts (and if you get stuck, look here at a labeled NASA photograph).

Michigan gets another park honor

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Michigan was recognized with another first place recently with the 2011 National Recreation and Park Association gold medal for top state park system in the nation. This honor comes after Lake Michigan’s Sleeping Bear Dunes was named the most beautiful place in America in August. The association considers long-range planning, resource management and addressing the needs of park visitors to make its decision. The other four finalist states are North Carolina, Florida and Missouri. Programs like the Recreation Passport, an optional $10 fee for Michigan drivers that renew their licenses that gives them access to all Michigan state parks, tipped the scales toward Michigan.