Great Lakes Echo (https://greatlakesecho.org/author/capital-news-service/page/34/)
Capital News Service is a wire service at Michigan State University covering state government - issues and personalities.
A new federal law allows firearms in national parks and wildlife refuges, including concealed guns and makes state law applicable within the park or refuge.
In Michigan, that means a person with a concealed weapons permit can have a hidden gun; an openly displayed firearm is also legal. The change doesn’t apply to national forests, which already follow state laws.
Michigan officials are surveying the Lower Peninsula for wolves. The agency confirmed two observations last year.
Other wildlife experts say wolves have been in the Lower Peninsula for 20 years, and that more may be moving south.
Some lawmakers want Michigan to be able to issue bonds to help homeowners pay for energy efficiency measures such as renewable energy systems, storm windows, automated energy controls and new heating and air conditioning units. The proposal is designed to create jobs and stimulate the economy.
Michigan environmental agencies hope Monday’s White House Asian carp summit will prompt the closing of the Chicago Sanitary and Ship canal to the invaders.
We want “to keep the carp out of the lakes, protect the $7 billion Great Lakes fishery and nearly a million Michigan jobs,” said Nick De Leeuw, a public information officer for Michigan Attorney General Mike Cox.
Amid concern and confusion over Asian carp possibly finding their way into the Great Lakes, many experts involved in the controversy agree that other invasive species are likely to show up too.
Non-native wildlife are common in the Great Lakes, with more than 140 species living in them. Sea lampreys were first found in Lake Ontario in the 1830s.
By Megan Durisin
Jan. 25, 2010
LANSING, Mich. — A new bill would increase hunting opportunities by annually auctioning off five bear and elk licenses. Rep. Jim Stamas, R-Midland, the primary sponsor and vice chair of the House Tourism, Outdoor Recreation and Natural Resources Committee, said the aim is two-fold. “We’re trying to find a way to help lower the licensing fees for those in state,” Stamas said.
By Josh Garvey
Jan. 24, 2010
LANSING, Mich. – Michigan landfills took in less solid waste in 2009 than in 2008. That sounds like it should be good for the environment but the reality could be just the opposite. That’s because the Department of Natural Resources and Environment (DNRE) collects a fee on trash to fund its waste disposal program, so less garbage means less money to monitor the landfills.
LANSING–In many ways, Michigan is a state of connections, including historic links between the Ojibwe people of Minnesota and Isle Royale. Such connections can be explored in words and pictures that illuminate the linkages that bind land and water, peoples and places, present and past. Minong — The Good Place (Michigan State University Press, $24.49) provides an in-depth account of the intimate relationship between the North Shore Ojibwe people and Isle Royale, which is now a national park in Lake Superior off the west coast of the Upper Peninsula. Timothy Cochrane, the former national park historian, describes how the Grand Portage Band had used the island and its resources, including the prized siscowet trout, the caribou that became especially prized when mainland moose numbers dropped in the 1800s, the beaver whose skins were traded and the maple syrup produced in the spring. The Ojibwe were involved in copper mining on the island, as well as commercial fishing operations.
By Vince Bond Jr.
Jan. 12, 2010
LANSING, Mich. – The next time you’re stuck watching a seemingly endless train at a railroad crossing, look at it as a down payment on your next electricity bill. Whether freight trains are delivering coal to power plants in mid-Michigan or transporting iron ore in the Upper Peninsula, they still have what it takes to pull the economy forward, said Robert Chaprnka, president of the Michigan Railroads Association. Almost half of the nation’s electricity comes from coal and 70 percent of that is transported by rail, the association reports.
By EMILY LAWLER
Dec. 21, 2009
LANSING, Mich. — One way to “go green” may be to chop down a real Christmas tree this year. There is debate nationally over whether artificial or natural trees are better for the environment, but some experts say that real trees are always the answer in Michigan. “In terms of carbon balance, using real trees would be more environmentally friendly,” said Alan Rebertus, a biology professor at Northern Michigan University.