Great Lakes Echo (https://greatlakesecho.org/author/rachaelgleason/page/10/)
Rachael Gleason is a graduate of the Michigan State University and Knight Center for Environmental Journalism master's program. Rachael edited EJ Magazine and reported for Great Lakes Echo for two years. She currently focuses on water privatization issues. Rachael was quiz editor, SmackDown! editor and had a standing feature called Monday Mashup, where she reviewed interactive maps of the Great Lakes region. Rachael is originally from Texas, where she worked as a reporter, photographer and desk editor for several years. In addition to working for the daily newspaper of Huntsville, Rachael also worked as a business reporter for The Houston Chronicle, the newspaper of her hometown. Office: (517) 432-5155 Twitter: @rachaelgleason
By Yang Zhang and Rachael Gleason
Dec. 18, 2009
Burning coal is dirty business. The fuel is laden with heavy metals such as mercury and arsenic and chemicals that cause acid rain. When power plants burn coal, they release the contaminants into the air. Over the past couple of decades, increasingly stringent air pollution standards have forced power plants to clean up their dirty air.
Burning coal is dirty business. This special report explains how clean air has come at the cost of dirty water and why coal-fired power plant wastewater is poorly regulated. See links below to stories. Dec. 15, 2009
Great Lakes states spotty on coal limits; some water contaminants ignored.
By Rachael Gleason
Now it’s easier than ever to search for endangered species habitats and organic farms in Indiana. An interactive map shows the locations of these sensitive areas so pesticide applicators know where to avoid pointing the nozzle. A state agency in charge of regulating pesticide use in agricultural areas developed the map to “facilitate communication between applicators and growers.”
But it’s also interesting to see where bees and organic livestock are kept throughout the Hoosier State. The mashup has the same functionality of a Google map – users can search for a specific location or navigate around the state. Icons containing rolled up data represent locations of crops and streams.
Click on the user guide for more information.
By Rachael Gleason
Worried about where to charge your electric vehicle? Chicago has you covered, but you’re out of luck if you’re anywhere else in the Great Lakes. This mashup of alternative refueling stations shows only a handful of electric stations throughout the region. Ethanol stations are more popular – dozens dot the states west of Lake Michigan. All alternative refueling stations seem to center around the biggest cities in the Midwest.
By Rachael Gleason
You can locate some of the Great Lakes’ shipwrecks thanks to this mashup. The interactive map features about 120 nautical disasters – although Great Lakes historian Dave Swayze estimates more than 4,000 ships have been lost to the lakes. Each dot represents a shipwreck. Some contain information about how the ship went down, such as the Appomattox. The large wooden steamer hit ground on the western shore of Lake Michigan more than a century ago.
By Rachael Gleason
Nov. 25, 2009
Dry weather has caused water levels to drop in some inland lakes in Minnesota and Wisconsin. Some lakes have dropped more than five feet in east central Minnesota due to a two-year dry spell, said Sandy Fecht, a hydrologist with the Minnesota Department of Natural Resources. Certain bodies of water have dried up completely. “By the time I got there in Spring 2009, there were smaller wetlands that were completely dried,” Fecht said.
By Rachael Gleason
Nove. 23, 2009
It doesn’t take a weatherman to find perfect Great Lakes kite-flying conditions. This interactive map lets you know exactly what to expect. Windfinder integrates wind and wave data from weather stations into maps for surfers, sailors and kite flyers around the world. The Web site has data for at least a 100 Great Lakes locations.
Editors note: Welcome to Echo’s first Monday Mashup. Each week we’ll feature an information and geography mashup relevant to the Great Lakes. Readers can nominate mashups they’ve seen elsewhere or create their own. Got a good one? Contact Monday Mashup editor Rachael Gleason at greatlakesecho@gmail.com
By Rachael Gleason
Nov.
Midwest officials are lobbying for high-speed trains similar to this one in Korea. Photo: LWY
By Emma Ogutu and Rachael Gleason
Nov. 5, 2009
High-speed rail advocates expect a Midwest network to cut air emissions and boost the economy. The federal government is allocating $8 billion in economic stimulus funds for faster passenger train systems. Many states have recently submitted proposals . The Midwest network, which would connect cities in Illinois, Indiana, Michigan, Ohio and Wisconsin, will likely see a cut of the money as federal criteria supports multi-state projects.
By Rachael Gleason
Oct. 29, 2009
At McAuliffe Elementary School in Chicago, kids are more likely to see local fruits and veggies on their lunch trays than mystery meat and greasy pizza. They also visit local farms and learn about how the food is grown. “It gives them a sense of appreciation,” said Gary Cuneen, founding director of an organization that partners schools with local farms. “We are trying to teach kids that taking care of the earth and taking care of their bodies are interrelated goals.”
Cunneen’s Chicago-based Seven Generations Ahead is among the growing number of Great Lakes programs that provide schools with local produce and nutrition education and farmers with new markets. There were just a handful of such programs in the early 1990s.