Echo

PSA: Mercury – It can be recycled

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Mercury, a hazardous material found in many common household items, can be safely recycled by local health departments, according to this public service announcement from the Michigan Department of Community Health. “Mercury that is recycled will be purified so that it can be used for industrial and laboratory applications,” said department toxicologist Christina Bush, “There are some instances where mercury is the best or only option to use. But mercury-containing items in homes, schools, and medical settings can be replaced with safer alternatives.” Additional information on the safe disposal of mercury, as well as the health risks the substance presents, can be found at the health department’s mercury website. The full series of health department mercury PSAs can be found here.

Echo

PSA: Mercury – Cool, but dangerous

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Mercury is more than just something fun to play with, according to this public service announcement from the Michigan Department of Community Health. The chemical gives off harmful fumes that can affect the central nervous system, respiratory system, and kidneys, according to health department officials. Prolonged exposure can lead to behavioral changes such as irritability, shyness, and nervousness, as well as tremors, problems with muscle coordination, loss of sensation, and difficulties with memory. “Breathing very high levels of mercury vapors can irritate the airways and lungs, causing difficulty breathing,” said Christina Bush, a State of Michigan toxicologist, “In severe cases, the lungs will start to fill with fluid, there may be nausea and vomiting, and the heart rate or blood pressure will increase. This has happened where people have intentionally heated items containing mercury and would not be typical of exposure that may occur after a mercury spill.”

Wildlife

Haehnle Memorial Sanctuary sees Sandhill Cranes in record numbers

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Sandhill cranes have been spotted in record numbers this year at the Phyllis Haehnle Memorial Audubon Sanctuary near Chelsea, Mich. The Michigan Audubon Society reported 8,177 cranes gathered in the sanctuary Monday, November 19, the most birds ever seen there since the 1900s. Once on the verge of extinction, sandhill crane populations have been on the rise across the United States for the past decade, according to Audubon Society spokesperson Mallory King. “They were almost extinct at the beginning of the 1900s, their feathers were in high demand and they were being overhunted,” King said, “That started to turn around as environmental legislation was passed starting in the 1930s and 40s, and now they’ve been steadily recovering.”

The birds return to their birthplace each year to find a mate. “We’re seeing so many birds here because the sanctuary has the right habitat for them and because enough of the cranes born here last year survived to return,” King said.

Water

Lake Erie Islands inspire music through natural beauty

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An island chain in the waters of Lake Erie between Ohio, Michigan, and Ontario finds itself at the center of the latest in a series of water-inspired musical compositions from Ohio-based GC Creative Studio. http://www.youtube.com/watch?feature=player_embedded&v=3RE7jjlxokg#! The Lake Erie Islands have been popular Great Lakes tourist destinations for many years, featuring restaurants, shopping, entertainment venues, vineyards, and a variety of other attractions. This summer, however, it was the archipelago’s natural beauty that drew musicians Greg Slawson and his wife Candice Lee, co-founders of GC Creative Studio. “We believe that the Lake Erie Islands are among this region’s greatest natural treasures,” said Slawson.

Recreation

Alpena, Mich. “Sanctuary of the Great Lakes”

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The Lake Huron city of Alpena, Mich. has adopted a new slogan to promote the community as a place of peace and rejuvenation for visitors. The slogan, “Sanctuary of the Great Lakes,” came out of an effort to develop a brand to attract more tourists, according to city officials. Alpena is home to the Thunder Bay National Marine Sanctuary, an underwater preserve sheltering an estimated 116 shipwrecks dating from the nineteenth century to the present. “Thunder Bay National Marine Sanctuary is unique in the world,” said Deb Pardike, executive director of the Alpena Convention and Visitor’s Bureau.

Water

“Sweet Seas. Portraits of the Great Lakes” documents Great Lakes life and industry

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Echo showcased the photography of Mark Schacter in our Flash Point feature last August. Next month, Schacter’s book “Sweet Seas. Portraits of the Great Lakes” hits bookstore shelves with its collection of 160 Great Lakes photographs. Check out the preview below. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Nkw-NZzExf4

Schacter, a native of Thunder Bay, Ontario, specializes in landscape and industrial photography.

Echo

Plan to pump more oil across Straits of Mackinac prompts concern

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A National Wildlife Federation study due out this week raises concerns over a proposal to pump more oil through a pipeline that crosses Great Lakes water near Michigan’s Mackinac Bridge.

The pipeline is owned by the same company that operates the pipeline that ruptured two years ago, polluting Michigan’s Kalamazoo River.

Echo

Two Great Lakes states among top 10 on energy efficiency scorecard

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 New York and Minnesota are among the top 10 most energy-efficient states in the nation, according to a national scorecard released Wednesday. The American Council for an Energy-Efficient Economy also cited Michigan and Pennsylvania for significant improvements. Most Great Lakes states either retained or improved their ranking. Every year the council ranks states by how robust and effective their programs are at promoting efficient energy use. It evaluates utilities and public benefits programs, transportation policy, building energy codes, combined heat and power policies, state government-led initiatives and appliance and equipment standards.