Great Lakes Echo (https://greatlakesecho.org/author/capital-news-service/page/35/)
Capital News Service is a wire service at Michigan State University covering state government - issues and personalities.
A new federal grant program to raise the competitiveness of specialty crops may give apple growers a boost.
It supports conservation, innovation and promotion. That includes marketing, research and ways to promote sustainability.
LANSING, Mich. — Hunting may soon have new guidance if the state Department of Natural Reseources and Environment approves its draft deer management plan.
The plan to manage 1.8 million deer goes to the agency director, Rebecca Humphries, on April 8.
Final approval would come on May 6; the agency would begin implementing parts of the plan immediately.
Michigan will hire 1,200 workers for 98 state parks and recreation areas this summer. The summertime experience can turn into a career.
Competition for the slots is heating up because of the poor economy.
A recent report rates Michigan’s progress in lowering the risk of eating fish as poor.
Officials blame the failure to reduce the atmospheric deposition of mercury and on PCB contaminants. And stormwater runoff and sewage overflows are an increasing concern.
Cash-strapped government officials have struck a deal with a state workers union to allow volunteers to groom Michigan ski trails.
In December the agency announced that only eight state forest ski trails would be groomed, and mostly by volunteer organizations.
Grooming involves removing debris, adding or removing snow and creating a level amount of snow, to improve skiing.
A bill in response to a 2004 death aims to make snowmobiling and other trail hobbies safer in Michigan by requiring that chains, ropes and wires that block entry to any property be hunter orange in color and no more than 30 inches high.
Three ecologists explore the history and future of two vital ecosystems in this book about the savannas and prairies that once cover 7 percent of Michigan.
Farming, logging, development, drainage systems, overuse of groundwater and absence of fire threaten their existence.
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.