In a section of the New York Times called “Room for Debate,” I recently found a discussion about the fishing practice “catch and release.” The online section invites different experts to debate current events and topics. This particular one was prompted by the headline “Catching but Not Releasing” and followed by the questions “Do fish feel pain?’ and “Should invasive species be thrown on the grill?”
I suppose after writing about Great Lakes issues for the past year, my eye is trained to read and look for stories about invasive species. …

A Michigan native recently reconsidered farming after finding a niche in one of the newest technologies, Geographic Information Systems also known as GIS.

Tom Czuba was recently featured in Michigan Farm News for finding a path back to his family’s farm heritage after modern technology reignited his interest in agriculture. Czuba’s father was a fruit farmer. After contemplating whether to farm or attend college, Czuba began using GIS, a system that captures, manages and maps data.

He used the software to model the best area to grow peaches in …

A couple weeks ago Echo marked its first anniversary. The evolution has been fast, the learning curve steep. It’s hard to find the time to stop and take stock of what’s been accomplished. But here’s a good excuse:
Environmental news stories written for Great Lakes Echo and other publications of Michigan State University’s Knight Center for Environmental Journalism are among those recently recognized at the 2009 Region 4 Mark of Excellence Society of Professional Journalists contest.
Among the Echo winners:
Online In-Depth Reporting

First Place: Cleaning Coal – by Sarah Coefield, …

A new federal grant program to raise the competitiveness of specialty crops may give apple growers a boost.
It supports conservation, innovation and promotion. That includes marketing, research and ways to promote sustainability.

I have been groomed to be an “organic food snob.”
I munched on whole grain bread with organic peanut butter and jelly, organic apples and grapes as a 5-year old in the cafeteria. I had organic carrot cake for every birthday until I was 16 and trips to the local farmers market in my family were made more frequently than trips to any major supermarket.
So, today I guess that it is understandable that I feel very comfortable spending a significant part of my income buying groceries with the organic label on …

More than a decade ago, Maplewood, Minn., officials began creating rain gardens whenever they rebuilt streets.

The shallow basins collect rainwater that washes pollutants into lakes and streams.

When the number of people having trouble feeding themselves and their families increases, and the services that are instituted to help them, suffer at the same time, what I call “an equation of desperation” is created. Food isn’t really a commodity, and if it isn’t available, there certainly aren’t replacements. I mean, hell…the stuff has generated wars and caused people to do outrageous, unspeakable things. So, while we may not be to that point yet in the United States, could it get there if the system that was put in …

Help Echo turn the Great Lakes basin on its ear and shake up journalism.

Perhaps the greatest change you’ll notice in this Echo redesign is that reporters will ask for your help, tell you about reporting challenges and empty their notebooks of those odds and ends that otherwise never quite become stories.

But expect us to stick with the Echo core concept: We’re a news community that transcends political borders and is defined by a global resource. Check out how we intend to do an even better job of that.

Last February, Deur was asked by the Healing Our Waters Coalition, a group working to restore the Great Lakes, to lobby in Washington, D.C. on Great Lakes Day. He was the only surfer among 100 business leaders, lobbyists and activists discussing the restoration and protection of the lakes on Capitol Hill.

By Haley Walker, Alice Rossignol and Emma Ogutu
Maintaining a pool to be healthy and safe is not easy.
And Kevin Hoard would know.
As a certified pool operator at Michigan State University, he’s had 70 hours of official pool maintenance training.
“It updates us on the current codes, concerns and disease prevention,” Hoard said. “It makes sure we’re in compliance with the law.”