Water

New mercury fish consumption warnings now include benefits of eating uncontaminated fish

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For years, pregnant women have been advised to stay away from eating fish because of their mercury content. But last week’s announcement by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration and the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency tweaked that advice, making it clear that it is healthy to eat fish without troublesome mercury levels. Fish that are packed with protein and omega-3 fatty acids make an extremely healthy meal for the mother and child, as long as it is low in mercury, EPA, FDA and Michigan Department of Community Health officials now officially advise. State and federal health authorities have long advised that eating too many fish meals containing mercury can damage the brain, nervous system and kidneys, and even harm the development of a pregnant woman’s fetus. This is the first time that eating a minimum amount of low mercury fish has been promoted as a guideline when announcing new draft mercury standards.

Waste

Public Service Announcement: Recyclers launch statewide campaign

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The Michigan Recycling Coalition, has launched a  state-wide recycling campaign, Recycle, MI, to increase recycling awareness and practices. The campaign is to help residents and businesses reduce waste, according to a press release. It encourages people to start recycling at their homes and work places, volunteer at recycling events or facilities and distribute  information about recycling in their town, the campaign’s website explains. Recycle, MI has been promoted on radio stations that began this spring mostly in southeast Michigan and will continue in different regions throughout the summer, said Kerrin O’Brien, executive director of the group. “We really saw a need to promote recycling across the state – to unite Michiganders under this logo and message,” she said.

Land

Television show examines Wisconsin mine proposal

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The battle against what could be the nation’s largest open pit mine in a rural, pristine area of northern Wisconsin is now the subject of a television show. In Wisconsin’s Penokee Mountain Range just south of Lake Superior,  Gogebic Taconite, or GTAC, a mining company from West Virginia, seeks to develop an open pit iron ore mine that could expand to be 22 miles long. At 7 p.m. (ET) Saturday, Al Jazeera America’s Fault Lines program will detail the local, environmental and political angles of the project. Fault Lines, co-hosted by Josh Rushing, is an investigative journalism TV show. The show can be viewed on the Al Jazeera America channel, which is available across the country on DirecTV, Comcast, Time Warner Cable, Dish, Verizon, Bright House Networks, among others.

Wildlife

Michigan offers hunting information on cell phone app

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Have any spring hunting plans in Michigan? Well, there’s an app for that. In 2010, the Michigan Department of Natural Resources, or DNR, launched the Mi-HUNT website,www.michigan.gov/mihunt, that allows hunters and outdoor lovers to view about 10 million acres of land available for hunting and other outdoor recreation. Now, just in time for the spring turkey hunting season, you can get the same information on your cell phone or tablet. It works directly with a device’s global positioning system, allowing users to view maps of 10 million acres of public and private land open for public hunting.