Recreation

Great Lakes bicyclists take a hike; Minnesota has most cycling commuters in region

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By Rachael Gleason
Oct. 14, 2009

Bicycling is gaining momentum in the Great Lakes states. About 14 percent more residents in those eight states said they biked to work in 2008 than in 2007, according to the American Community Survey, an annual U.S. Census bureau survey of about 3 million households. Minnesota had the most in 2008 – close to 1 percent of its working population. In 2007, Minnesota was second to Wisconsin, but a large spike of people switching to bicycles last year pushed it to the top.

Echo

Rachael Gleason

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E-mail: RachaelKayGleason@gmail.com

Rachael’s stories on Echo

Rachael Gleason reported for Great Lakes Echo from 2009 to 2010 when she also acted as quiz editor and developed 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. She is now a reporter for the Midland (Texas) Reporter-Telegram.

Echo

U.S./Canadian commission examines inconsistent water quality monitoring

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By Rachael Gleason
rachaelkaygleason@gmail.com
Great Lakes Echo
Oct. 6, 2009
Editors note: This is part of a series relevant to the International Joint commission’s biennial meeting in Windsor on Wednesday and Thursday. More than 20,000 beaches closed last year when water samples tested positive for harmful bacteria. But inconsistent sampling methods have Great Lakes officials questioning those results. The International Joint Commission, a binational organization that advises the U.S. and Canada on Great Lakes issues, examined problems with beach testing methods and advisory systems in a report released last month.

Echo

Study: Winter road salt pollutes Great Lakes streams

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By Rachael Gleason
Great Lakes Echo
rachaelkaygleason@gmail.com
Sept. 29, 2009

Winter road safety is adding salt pollution to Great Lakes streams, according to a recent government study. The U.S. Geological Survey examined approximately 100 streams in 19 northern states for road salt and other sources of chloride. Of the 52 streams tested in Great Lakes states, a quarter had chloride levels that exceeded federal standards designed to protect drinking water supplies. Levels higher than 250 milligrams per liter give water a salty taste, according to the study.

Echo

Tree rings record Lake Erie water levels, could predict their future

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By Rachael Gleason
rachaelkaygleason@gmail.com
Great Lakes Echo
Sept. 24, 2009

An Ohio professor finds answers to Great Lakes climate questions in an unlikely place – the rings of trees growing in the Pacific Northwest. “We use tree rings to tell us how the past climate changed before written history,” said Gregory C. Wiles, professor and chair of geology at the College of Wooster in Wooster, Ohio. Tree rings, evidence of new growth in a tree, reveal more than just age. They show cycles of wet weather, drought and temperature changes.

Echo

Land use shift prompt pheasant decline in Minnesota while birds thrive in Wisconsin

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By Rachael Gleason
rachaelkaygleason@gmail.com
Great Lakes Echo
Sept. 22, 2009

Lousy weather and increased farming mean fewer pheasants in Minnesota grasslands this year. The Minnesota Department of Natural Resources reports a 27 percent decline in the pheasant population from last year. The number of birds also fell below the 10-year average. A harsh winter and a cool, wet spring made it hard for baby pheasants to survive, said Dennis Simon, a wildlife chief at the state agency.