You won’t find barns and silos in Detroit. Or herds of cattle. Or fields of soybeans, sugar beets or wheat. Even so, much of the city is now “ruralized,” a new study says, a phenomenon also visible in Flint, Pontiac and Saginaw.
Land
Abandoned mines aplenty, but cash to clean, close them, scarcer
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Nobody knows how many abandoned mine features such as tunnels, shafts, pits and waste piles remain on federal land in Michigan and elsewhere, but untold numbers of them pose safety and environmental threats, a new General Accountability Office (GAO) report says.
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In springtime, beware of cottony woolen fluff on hemlock trees
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A new infestation of the invasive insect was recently found in Michigan’s Mason County.
Agriculture
Michigan’s migrant workers especially vulnerable to virus
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Migrant farm workers can’t practice social distancing.
Homepage Featured
Growing food and hope in Chicago’s southside
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A band of nonprofit organizations are looking to change how Englewood residents interact with their local environment and expand their worldview.
Land
Invasive plant program expands statewide
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The Traverse City-based Go Beyond Beauty program has received funding through two projects from the Michigan Invasive Species Grant Program to tackle such plants as Japanese Barberry, baby’s breath and blue lyme grass that are spread by people putting them in gardens.
Land
High water levels damage lake docks, breakwalls
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The Army Corps of Engineers is warning of damage and danger from rising Great Lakes water levels and winter storms.
Land
Hemp farmers face roadblocks on path to replace wood, plastics
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As the first year of hemp farming in Michigan ends, industry leaders say they hope to make plastics and wood from the plant’s fiber — once they hurdle the obstacles to market expansion.
Land
New York winning the battle against giant hogweed
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Giant hogweed, a plant that grows up to 14 feet tall and can burn and scar people, is on its way out in the state of New York.
Land
Preventing wildfires by setting them
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Prescribed burns do more than prevent wildfires. The Michigan DNR says they also “help regenerate forests, control invasive species, create wildlife habitat and promote healthy forests.”
Land
Fighting invasive species on one island led to plan for all
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Michigan researchers recently created a series of steps to show people how to rid Great Lakes islands of plants and animals that invade their ecosystems.