Wildlife

Gulf oil Great Lakes update: Backyard rescue efforts not much help for small birds

By |

Last month Echo reported that Great Lakes migratory birds are threatened by the Gulf oil spill. Regional bird expert Francie Cuthbert, a University of Minnesota professor, was busy with fieldwork when we tried to reach her then. But she got back with us for this update:
Female Great Lakes piping plovers will head south for the winter ahead of the males in a couple weeks. Since nothing is cleaned up, they will almost certainly be affected by the spill, Cuthbert says. She expects only a small percentage of plovers that come in contact with the oil to survive.

Wildlife

Great Lakes researchers mobilize wasps to combat emerald ash borer

By |

Researchers are increasingly recruiting different wasp warriors in the battle against the emerald ash borer, a destructive, tree-eating beetle that has infiltrated the entire Great Lakes region.

Costly insecticides, tree-removal strategies and bans on moving firewood have provided some defense against the critter.

But a bug-on-bug battle strategy appears to hold promise.

Echo

Carp bomb: Barrier break

By |

CHICAGO – A bighead Asian Carp was apprehended Wednesday after breaching a maximum security federal barrier, officials say. No one was harmed in the capture of the 20-pounder. Officials aren’t sure how the carp escaped, but they say he was just six miles from a clean getaway. Advocates of the watery prison say it keeps the public safe from the ferocious fish.  Opponents say the barrier isn’t a cure, but a band-aid over a larger ecological problem. Click here for more on how society is putting up with carp.

Echo

New program encourages sustainability in Great Lakes cities

By |

A new regional initiative encourages green energy use, economic development and water resource protection in more than 70 Great Lakes cities. The Great Lakes and St. Lawrence Cities Initiative, a bi-national network of mayors promoting the region’s restoration, recently launched the Green Cities Transforming Towards Sustainability program. The program is supposed to protect water and coastal areas and promote low-carbon energy generation and green land use and building design. Officials hope green economic development stimulates local economies.

Echo

Solar energy moving in Michigan, but slowly

By |

By Joe Vaillancourt
Capital News Service
The University of Michigan competes with a prestigious solar car team. Start-up solar projects in Lansing and at Michigan State University (highlighted in the video to the right) show the potential of solar power in the state. Even signs along Michigan’s freeways are powered by the sun. Despite such advances in efficiency, experts say solar energy and self-sufficient homes aren’t in Michigan’s near future–and not because of weather. Costs, among other concerns, remain too high for most consumers.

Echo

Low energy bill inspires prison system to ‘go green’

By |

By Joe Vaillancourt
Capital News Service

LANSING – The Michigan Department of Corrections energy bill was low. Surprisingly low. “They wanted to send someone over to check our meter,” said Department of Corrections Director Patricia Caruso. “Our bill was three or four thousand dollars less for than it had been, and as it turned out, it was accurate.”

The Department of Corrections has “gone green”– taking many steps to use cleaner, more efficient energy and reduce waste, officials said. “We made a priority of doing just the small things like turning off the lights and shutting down computers in the office building,” Caruso said.

Echo

Michigan-made windspires designed for homeowners

By |

By Gabriel Goodwin
Capital News Service

MasTech Manufacturing L.L.C. and Mariah Power have come together, in Manistee, to produce windspires allowing Michigan to move closer to Gov. Jennifer Granholm’s renewable energy goals. Mariah Power is spending $2 million to buy steel for the windspire production and hire 140 workers over the next three years, while MasTech is investing $1.5 million into the manufacturing site to update and retrofit equipment. Granholm said, “If you can make a part for a car, if you can bend steel for a car, you can bend steel for a wind turbine or you can make a solar panel. “Demand for wind-energy products will continue to grow as federal initiatives to reduce our nation’s dependence on foreign oil advance.”

The Michigan Economic Development Corporation supported the project with a $400,000 grant. MEDC President Greg Main said, “The partnership between MasTech and Mariah Power demonstrates how we can put Michigan’s strong manufacturing infrastructure to new use making renewable energy products that are in high demand.”

MasTech chose Michigan over other states and foreign sites because of its experienced manufacturers who can apply advanced technology skills, Main said.

Echo

Interest in diesel vehicles quietly growing

By |

By Thomas J. Morissey
Capital News Service

LANSING — Although hybrids may be the most talked-about vehicle technology, good old-fashioned diesel is quietly making its own resurgence, according to a new study by a multinational marketing research firm based in Michigan. “The hybrid electric vehicles continue to get the most attention. They’re the ones consumers are most familiar with, and they’re already on the road,” said Bryan Krulikowski, vice president of Farmington Hills-based Morpace Inc.

But personal vehicles with diesel engines are catching up, according to the company’s recent Powertrain Acceptance and Consumer Engagement study. “We asked a question on our survey about awareness of clean diesel vehicles on the road today,” Krulikowski said. About 70 percent of those who responded were at least aware of the technology.

Wildlife

Michigan changes bear hunting rules, reduces licenses

By |

By Gabriel Goodwin,
Capital News Service
The Natural Resources Commission has changed bear hunting regulations for the 2009 season due to requests made by bait and dog hunters. Most of the modifications were made to help reduce conflicts between dog hunters and bait hunters, said Richard Smith, of Marquette and editor of the Michigan Bear Hunters Association’s publication “Bear Facts.”
The changes include a five-day ban on training hunting dogs and a limit on bait sites available to individuals. Other components include a reduction in licensing quotas and a slight modification in the bear season timetable. The association supports the regulation changes and Smith said the group participated in drafting them. Both dog and bait hunters came together and found a solution that will make it better for everyone, he said.

Echo

EPA taps 21 Great Lakes schools for air tests

By |

By Thomas Morrisey
Capital News Service

Federal and state officials are scrutinizing 21 Great Lakes-area schools as part of a nationwide check on whether bad air threatens the health of elementary students. There are 62 schools nationwide that will be monitored for 60 days as part of the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency initiative. An EPA scientist said the program will help determine if the pupils are at risk and guide future testing for potential dangers. “It’s really hard for us to know. We couldn’t make a list of the worst 60 schools if we wanted to because we just don’t have that information,” said Jaime Wagner, an environmental scientist with the EPA’s regional office in Chicago.