Great Lakes Echo (https://greatlakesecho.org/author/capital-news-service/page/29/)
Capital News Service is a wire service at Michigan State University covering state government - issues and personalities.
Michigan deer hunting is a $1 billion-a-year industry but last year license sales dropped 4 percent from previous years.
The state is attempting to boost hunting tourism with new campaigns like advertising that targets out-of-state hunters.
Rabies remains a problem in Michigan, with 70 animals testing positive in 2010. Most cases of animal rabies are reported in the Lower Peninsula, especially in the southeast. There were 68 positive animal tests last year, 79 in 2007 and 47 in 2001.
A set of initiatives by the Department of Energy, Labor and Economic Growth is making it easier for communities to go green. Program goals include developing recycling and household hazardous waste programs for residents and businesses.
Michigan is making strides in protecting its unique landscapes and wildlife.
The Department of Natural Resources and Environment (DNRE) initiated a “Living Legacies” program to identify, restore and manage places that best represent the state’s biodiversity.
A laser developed at Purdue University can shine through E. coli samples to determine what kind of animal hosts bacteria that prompt a beach to close.
The method could make finding the source of contamination quicker and cheaper.
Ski areas are major energy users when keeping buildings warm, making snow and operating lifts.
To address these issues, some Michigan ski areas are making environmental choices inspired by a global trend in eco-tourism.
Carbon monoxide poisoning causes 400 deaths a year nationwide.
In Michigan the death rate is declining.
Experts say that may be because of better detection of the deadly gas associated with malfunctioning furnaces.
A new invasive fly has Michigan researchers working to protect next season’s fruit crop.
Almost $20,000 of federal money went to Michigan State University for early detection and rapid response of the spotted wing drosophila.
Larry Lankton tracks the birth, boom and bust of the industry that once dominated the nation’s copper production. Gary Kaunonen focuses on the immigrants from Finland whoworked in the mines, and the strife between labor and management.
An invasive species of algae is threatening to disrupt the ecological balance in Michigan lakes and waterways.
It’s a form of seaweed called starry stonewort.
It can increase the potential for winterkill when lakes freeze over because the algae take up oxygen that fish need to survive.