Great Lakes Echo (http://greatlakesecho.org/tag/echo/page/10/)
Residents of a small west Michigan lake recently limited a policy on killing invasive mute swans to only those that are aggressive. State officials say the bird can displace native trumpeter swans, eat and destroy wetland vegetation and chase wildlife and even people.
Have any spring hunting plans in Michigan? Well, there’s an app for that. In 2010, the Michigan Department of Natural Resources, or DNR, launched the Mi-HUNT website,www.michigan.gov/mihunt, that allows hunters and outdoor lovers to view about 10 million acres of land available for hunting and other outdoor recreation. Now, just in time for the spring turkey hunting season, you can get the same information on your cell phone or tablet. It works directly with a device’s global positioning system, allowing users to view maps of 10 million acres of public and private land open for public hunting.
Michigan’s Environmental Advisory Rules Committee is a group of environmentalists, manufacturers, attorneys and state officials assigned to identify duplicative, obsolete or burdensome environmental rules.
Wisconsin State officials are cutting down trees in Whitefish Dunes State Park in Door County that are infected with beech bark disease. The park has lots of beech trees and those that are infected pose a safety hazard, said Linda Williams, a Wisconsin Department of Natural Resources forest health specialist. Weakened limbs and trunks can snap off or fall over during strong winds. The idea is to remove dead trees before they harm visitors or staff. Infected trees that are within 75 feet of park trails are targeted, said Arnie Lindauer, a program analyst for the park.
Short’s Brewing Company in Bellaire, Mich. released its American Double IPA “Superfluid” this spring. (Photo: Short’s Brewing Company)Short’s Brewing Co. in Bellaire, Mich. is using the creation of one of its popular summer beers to draw attention to an oil pipeline that the company fears could taint the waters of the Great Lakes.
This picture of a perfectly clear sunrise over Lake Michigan was taken by Catherine Egger in Manitowoc, Wisc. during the summer of 2013. The city of Manitowoc is about 40 miles southeast of Green Bay, and the lighthouse in the distance is the Manitowac Breakwater Lighthouse, which has been a part of the shoreline for over 100 years. Have a photo to submit for our Photo Friday series? Send it to us on Facebook or Twitter, or in an email to greatlakesecho@gmail.com.
These photos of a 77-year-old observation tower in Michigan City, Ind. were taken by Echo reader and Montana resident Kathleen Stachowski last year during warmer times. Growing up in Indiana, she said one of her favorite childhood memories was making the 220-step trek to the top with her mother. The tower was designed by Fred Ahlgrim in the 1930s, according to Michigan City’s website. The 70-foot-tall Art Deco-inspired building is built of limestone and is located right next to the Washington Park Zoo on the Lake Michigan lakefront.
Michigan communities might see more local roads turned to gravel in coming months, thanks to winter’s remaining grip. The rough winter has given Michigan’s road funding concerns a violent push into statewide spotlight as discussion swirls at the Capitol. But road commissions across the state are eyeing the immediate impact that deeply rooted frost has on a local level. County road commissions have increasingly taken up the practice of permanently or temporarily turning paved roads into gravel in recent years to deal with issues of low funding and poor road conditions, said Joe Pulver, Clinton County Road Commission managing director. Last year, about half of Michigan counties were forced to convert paved roads to gravel, said Monica Ware, the communications and development manager for the County Road Association of Michigan.
An Ontario court has ruled in favor of a wind turbine project that put environmental groups at odds with each other.
On one side are supporters of an alternative energy project. On the other are those favoring the protection of a threatened turtle species and fragile soil.
The status of using what are also called Unmanned Aerial Vehicles — UAVs -commercially is in a holding pattern after a federal judge ruled last month that the Federal Aviation Administration had no authority to issue a $10,000 fine against a Virginia drone pilot.
That set off celebrations in the drone community that were short-lived.