Land

Lawmakers plan bills to protect Michigan sand dunes

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Red highlighted areas on this map indicate Michigan townships that contain critical dunes. Image: Department of Environment, Great Lakes, and EnergyBy Clara Lincolnhol

Michigan’s towering freshwater sand dunes make up a one-of-a-kind natural resource and the largest collection of freshwater dunes on the planet. But environmentalists say the state’s legal protections are vague and leave the beloved dunes—and homes nestled among them—vulnerable to shortsighted development. A pair of West Michigan lawmakers seek to solve these problems with planned legislation to protect the state’s most sensitive dunes. The bills apply to areas that the Legislature designated as “critical dunes” in 1989.

Water

Great Lakes recreational fishing is worth more than anglers spend, study finds

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By Clara Lincolnhol

After a day out on the water, the total amount of money spent on fishing gear, transportation and food doesn’t truly reflect the worth of a fishing trip to Great Lakes anglers. Some people are willing to pay $100 more for a fishing trip than what it costs, according to a recent Appalachian State University study funded by the Great Lakes Fishery Commission. “This study raises awareness of the importance of managing the Great Lakes fishery,” said Rob Southwick, co-author of the study and president of Southwick Associates, an economics and market research company that specializes in outdoor recreation. The study is the first of its kind to find the surplus value — the measure of what a person is willing to pay for a good or service beyond its market cost — of recreational fishing trips in the Great Lakes region, Southwick said. The researchers asked more than 8,000 licensed anglers questions about their spending on fishing.

Energy

Energy transition requires fight against disinformation, expert says

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By Clara Lincolnhol

“Be curious, not judgmental.” This quote from the popular comedy-drama “Ted Lasso” is how a professor of energy law recommends we approach conversations about energy policy and politics. “We can be a force that fights against demonization and the nastiness online and instead ask questions to people who introduce an idea that’s different or contradicts what we believe,” said David Spence, a professor of energy law at the University of Texas Austin and author of the recent book “Climate of Contempt.”

He was speaking at the Michigan State University’s Knight Center for Environmental Journalism. “Climate of Contempt” (Columbia University Press, $28) covers the complex political nature of the energy transition in two major parts, with three chapters in each part. The energy transition, or reaching “‘net zero,” is the process of cutting carbon emissions until the carbon released is canceled out by the carbon absorbed. The first part of the book focuses on the history of the energy industry, regulation and policy in the United States.

Water

Old Lake Michigan shipwreck visible again after burial under sand

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Look fast or you may miss an elusive 170-year-old sunken schooner off the coast of Baileys Harbor, Wisconsin.

The mostly intact shipwreck, which was added to the National Register of Historic Places in early April, isn’t always visible, even though it’s in very shallow waters, said Tamara Thomsen, a Wisconsin Historical Society maritime archaeologist.

Solutions

Wisconsin court case paves way for bird-friendly buildings

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A Wisconsin Court of Appeals decision that upheld the state’s first ordinance requiring bird-friendly building construction could spread similar policies to other cities. 

Already Middleton, Wisconsin, has passed such an ordinance following the ruling last October,  said Brenna Marsicek, director of outreach at the Southern Wisconsin Bird Alliance.