Final polling results: Michigan Natural Resources Trust Fund

By |

Two weeks ago, Echo reported  about recent attempts to change the Michigan Natural Resources Trust Fund. We asked where you thought the fund should be spent. Since our check-in last week, we had 24 more votes, but the proportions stayed mostly the same. Land purchasing remained the clear winner with more than half the votes. There were slight decreases for biking/walking paths and other ideas not listed and small upticks for dredging and roads/trails for motorized vehicles.

Echo

Polling results: Michigan Natural Resources Trust Fund

By |

Last week, Great Lakes Echo reported recent legislative attempts to change what Michigan’s Natural Resources Trust Fund supported. We asked readers where they wanted to see the majority of those funds spent. Here’s the breakdown:

Land purchasing: 51 percent
State park development: 20 percent
Biking/walking paths: 6 percent
Roads/trails for motorized vehicles: 6 percent
Dredging projects: 2 percent (1 vote)
General budget: 2 percent (1 vote)
Other (explain in comments): 14 percent

But that’s based only on 51 votes. Voting isn’t closed, so if you haven’t already,  read the story and vote/comment! Some of the ideas Echo readers voiced in the comment section:

JoMic said: “Trust fund money should be spent on all of the first four selections above plus it would be great to have more programming to educate the public about Michigan’s natural beauty.

Recreation

“Sunken Treasure”: Documentary explores Great Lakes shipwrecks, promotes respectful diving

By |

With hundreds of shipwrecks scattered across the bottom of the Great Lakes, divers have access to an unrivaled underwater playground. The freshwater environment lends itself to preserving shipwrecks so well, some ships look ready to board. Divers tempted to swipe an artifact for their mantle or crank a wheel and pretend to sail away could be fined or even imprisoned. A recent documentary aims to educate those with misguided intentions before it gets that far. “Sunken Treasure: Preserving Michigan’s Shipwrecks” was recently released by the Michigan Underwater Preserve Council to foster respect of Great Lakes shipwrecks and preserve the fragile ecosystems that surround them.

Echo

Sustainable skateboards

By |

Skateboarders promote sustainability by caring for the structures and surroundings that foster their passion, according to a sociologist at the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign. This is shown by general concern for keeping urban environments clean and usable and specific practices like applying wax to upkeep ledges and rails.

Echo

Hands-on environmental workshop offered to educators

By |

Many teachers may not think twice about dumping the contents of the class aquarium into a stream when the school year is through. Now, while living on an island in Lake Erie, they can learn why that’s a bad idea. The Great Lakes Education Workshop, which incorporates Great Lakes environmental issues into teachers’ curriculums, is offered for the first time in three years, thanks to a recent Great Lakes Restoration Initiative grant. It is an interdisciplinary course where teachers can take part in field work and hands-on labs, said Rosanne Fortner, who heads the Ohio State University-based program. Held at Stone Laboratory at Lake Erie, teachers meet researchers and gain access to EPA equipment while living on the islands of Lake Erie.