By Eric Freedman
Looking for a holiday gift for a reader who loves the Great Lakes? Here are five prospects to consider – and what our reporters learned from interviewing their authors this year.
Recreation
State program brings fourth graders to state parks
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By Kayte Marshall
The DNR’s Nature Awaits program brings fourth graders to more than two dozen state parks, including ones in Mattawan, Holland, Paradise, Norton Shores and Detroit.
Recreation
Artificial turf trend continues in high schools amid safety considerations
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By Donté Smith
Artificial turf fields are becoming a hallmark at high schools across the state with the Michigan High School Athletic Association reporting around 100 high schools now playing on them.
A study by the University Hospitals Sports Medicine Institute and Case Western Reserve University showed athletes were 58% more likely to sustain an injury during athletic activities on artificial turf, compared to natural surfaces, with significantly higher injury rates observed in football, soccer and rugby.
Recreation
Michigan’s winter festivals adapt as warmer winters test traditions
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By Donté Smith
Capital News Service
With the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration forecasting “warmer-than-average” temperatures for parts of the Great Lakes, Michigan’s winter festivals from Metro Detroit to the Western Upper Peninsula are preparing to adapt. Many, such as Detroit’s Noel Night, Grand Haven’s Winterfest, the Magical Christmas Parade in Zeeland and Holland’s Winter Dutch Fest, count on seasonal cold to enhance their winter ambiance and allure. Detroit resident Dorrian Brooks, a frequent winter festivalgoer, reflected on warmer weather’s impact on these long-standing traditions. “It’s disheartening to imagine a winter festival without the cold and snow – recent warmer winters make the atmosphere feel muted,” she said. According to the National Weather Service, Metro Detroit recorded its fourth-warmest winter on record last year, with average December temperatures rising from 33 degrees in 2022 to 40 degrees in 2023.
Recreation
Audit: Michigan must do better monitoring recreational trails
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By Eric Freedman
Capital News Service
Michigan boasts thousands of miles of trails for snowmobilers, hikers, off-road vehicle operators, dog-walkers, bicyclists, snowshoers and horseback riders, but the Department of Natural Resources needs to improve how it monitors them. That’s the conclusion of the state Auditor General’s Office, which said DNR fell short in monitoring and inspecting the trail system. The office is a nonpartisan legislative agency that assesses how well state programs and departments operate. Its report also said DNR should do better in communicating with county sheriffs’ departments on funding for trail-related law enforcement and safety. The Auditor General said the department failed to notify sheriffs’ offices about $180,000 in additional funding that the Legislature authorized for ORV law enforcement grants in fiscal year 2023.
Land
Michigan officials mull more access for e-bikes on state trails
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By Gabrielle Nelson
Electric bicycle use is expanding, welcoming a new group of riders to the cycling community. But under current Michigan state park policies, the bikes are banned from many trails. That could soon change. The Department of Natural Resources has proposed a yearlong pilot program that would open 3,000 miles of trails to e-bikes. The change could take effect as early as July.
Recreation
Michigan dam removal could improve environment, recreation and storm protection
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The most exciting part about removing a dam in a small Michigan city isn’t the demolition, but what comes after.
The Huron River Watershed Council recently estimated the 148-year-old dam In Ypsilanti could come down in 2025 or 2026.
Recreation
Reporting on local food systems
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“Place both feet on the ground and take a moment to breathe,” said Malaika Hart Gilpin, executive director of One Art Community Center. “Give ourselves a moment to feel a connection with Mama Earth.”
Chairs and floor slightly vibrate in response. After a short meditation, the reporters attending a recent Society of Environmental Journalists conference in Philadelphia open their eyes.
Recreation
High tech, AI, boost farm productivity, earnings
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Precision agriculture technology has been evolving over the past decades, and farming has become more productive and efficient with the further implementation of artificial intelligence.
A 2023 study by the U.S. Department of Agriculture found only 27% of farms and ranches nationally used such precision agriculture practices, but the rate was around 40% in Michigan.
Recreation
Michigan hasn’t updated list of dangerous toxins in nearly 20 years. That might change
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When even the slightest amount of mercury enters a fish’s body, it can begin a long cycle that ends in disaster for aquatic wildlife and health concerns for humans, experts say.
That’s because mercury, an element often produced as a byproduct of mining and fossil fuel production, never breaks down or leaves an organism’s body.
Recreation
Food banks face crunch as demand rises
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As the winter progresses, food banks and other nonprofit organizations continue to tackle the increasing demand to alleviate hunger in Michigan.
One in nine people in the state faced hunger as of 2021, requiring $696 million more per year to meet their food needs