Water
Release of classroom pets bring more invasive species here
|
A survey of teachers in the U.S. and Canada found nearly 27 percent release classroom pets and plants into the environment, risking a new pathway for invasive species.
Nearshore
Mr. Great Lakes: Surveying fish, picking beach litter and mapping Phragmites with satellites
|
Mr. Great Lakes (Jeff Kart) reports from Bay City, Michigan’s Delta College Q-90.1 FM.
This week Kart discusses fish research on Lake Huron, cleaning up beaches and using satellite data to map phragmites. Text at Mr Great Lakes
Water
Plant wars kick in when dams come out
|
Dam removal in the Great Lakes region exposes nutrient-rich bottomlands.
That creates prime real estate for invasive plants.
Restoration solutions include poisoning the invaders with pesticides and spreading native plant seeds to revegetate the bottomlands.
Nearshore
Marsh restoration brings long-missing birds, plants home again
|
Clearing an invasive plant choking Lake St. Clair Metropark yielded impressive dividends: Rare birds and plants have returned. Next up: Diversion and treatment of stormwater that has closed a nearby beach.
Land
Stop invasive species: Wash your dog
|
Meet comedian Marty Milfoil, one of the stars of a campaign to teach waterfowl hunters how they can help limit the spread of invasive species.
The Wildlife Forever campaign includes billboards and public service announcements.
Wildlife
Scraping the Internet for sales of Great Lakes invasive species
|
Researchers are developing software to track the sale of invasive species on the Internet.
Often sellers and buyers of these plants and animals that can harm the environment are unaware that such sales are illegal.
Nearshore
Low water levels lead to more phragmites
|
The lower the water in the Great Lakes, the larger the stretch of uncovered shoreline for phragmites to invade. And the longer water levels stay low, the more phragmites spreads.
Land
More volunteers means less invasive plants
|
As more invasive species attack the state parks, more hands are needed to fight them. The Michigan and Indiana recreation officials are calling for volunteers to help remove invasive plants from the state parks and recreation areas.
“It is a great opportunity for families and friends to enjoy the outdoors, improve the conditions of parks and be engaged in its protection,” said Laurel Malvitz-Draper, stewardship coordinator for the Michigan Department of Natural Resources. Volunteers search for and pull invasive plants such as non-garlic mustard, Japanese bittersweet, shrubs, common buckthorn and vines. Invasive plants can contain chemicals that kill native plants and limit the native species growing nearby.
Nearshore
Invasive grass fuels Michigan fires
|
The invasive phragmites isn’t just a nuisance because it takes over areas of native grassland. When it dries, it’s just like a tinderbox.
Land
Fresh funds fuel phragmite fight
|
Phragmites grow aggressively out-competing natives like bulrushes, cattails and sage plants and now wetland managers want it eradicated and replaced by native species.