Land
Expert: Drone technology a game-changer in agriculture
|
Still in its early stages, with many technological, legal and public safety concerns to be ironed out, drone technology and uses in agriculture are on the rise.
Air
Air near chemical plant remains polluted long after it closed
|
A new study says that people living within six miles of the former plant are exposed to relatively high levels of contaminants in the air and linked to the site.
Nearshore
Poll: A fifth of Michigan residents not Great Lakes wet yet
|
Michigan residents may live in a basin containing nearly 20 percent of the world’s freshwater, but more than 21 percent failed to boat, swim or wade in a Great Lake in the past five years, according to a recent poll conducted by Lansing-based Public Sector Consultants. Here’s what else the poll revealed:
Only 13.5 percent of Michigan potential voters went to every lake during the past five years. Almost 21 percent visited one lake. Almost 19 percent visited two lakes. A little more than 16 percent visited three lakes.
Land
Beyond beauty, Michigan plants offer environmental edge
|
Bill Schneider grows native Michigan plants and also designs ecologically focused projects such as prairie and wetland mitigation, and storm water recovery works.
Recreation
Exploring Michigan’s Pere Marquette River
|
Since his college years, Doc Fletcher has been canoeing and kayaking the countless waterways in the Midwest. One of his favorite places to paddle is on the Pere Marquette River in Michigan.
Waste
Michigan may authorize new uses for toxic coal ash
|
Michigan may authorize new uses for toxic coal ash by Great Lakes Echo
One of the bills that cleared the Michigan legislature this session was a provision that allows certain bio-waste materials to be re-used for beneficial purposes. These substances include things like cement kiln dust, wood pulp and coal ash. Coal ash is the leftover residue from coal burned by electric power plants. The bill permits coal ash to be used in road construction, but it may also be used in agriculture as a fertilizer supplement, causing some environmental advocates to become concerned. Current State’s Kevin Lavery speaks with Republican State Representative Wayne Schmidt, the bill’s main sponsor, who strongly states that coal ash is completely safe and does not pose any environmental threats.
Climate
Farm fertilizer produces greenhouse gas
|
Most people are aware of the “sexy” greenhouse gas CO-2. Fewer know of its co-culprit nitrous oxide. The third-largest greenhouse gas, nitrous oxide is released in soil during a natural process. However, the increased use of nitrogen fertilizer in agriculture has resulted in harmful nitrous oxide emissions.
Wildlife
Grade schoolers vie to name top amphibian
|
Elementary students from mid-Michigan are lobbying for one of three candidates proposed for designation as the state amphibian.
Recreation
Stargazers drawn to dark sky park
|
Due to their locations away from city lights and often near water, dark sky parks offer enhanced opportunities to see, study, and enjoy the night sky and everything in it.
Water
Photo Friday: Educational cruise
|
The Leelanau School – an experiential boarding high school for kids with learning differences in Glen Arbor, Mich. – braved the spring chill on a field trip with the Inland Seas Education Center. Inland Seas is a Suttons Bay, Mich., non-profit organization that helps people of all ages experience the science and spirit of the Great Lakes through hands-on learning aboard a traditionally rigged tall ship schooner. Image: Inland Seas Education Center. Have a photo to submit for our Photo Friday series? Send it to us on Facebook or Twitter, or in an email to greatlakesecho@gmail.com.