Great Lakes Echo (https://greatlakesecho.org/category/recreation-2/)
Outdoor, resource-based recreational activities.
By Isabella Figueroa
A new book explores how picnics in Michigan’s Upper Peninsula have brought communities together, connecting the past through nature with a shared meal outdoors.
“Picnics were social occasions that symbolized both freedom and belonging,” historian Candice Goucher writes in her book, “Picnics and Porcupines: Eating in the Wilderness of Michigan’s Upper Peninsula.”
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.
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.
“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.
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.
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.
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
The founder of a company that uses drones to recover deer carcasses that hunters cannot find says that Michigan’s prohibition of the practice violates his First Amendment rights.
The suit questions one of the core principles of hunting and fishing in the United States, some experts say.
For outdoor recreation enthusiasts, the colder weather heralds the arrival of snow sports.
One of the more popular winter recreation sports is skiing, with over 2 million skiers visiting Michigan slopes every year, according to Pure Michigan, the state’s tourism and information agency.
Residents of three agricultural counties in the Thumb have a disproportionately high rate of colorectal cancer, including a higher death rate from the disease, according to a new study.
Colorectal cancer is the third-leading cause of cancer death in the United States.
The world of collegiate sports is ever-growing as new sports come into the spotlight, but one is emerging that might be a surprise – bass fishing.
“We just have all kinds of sports that are maybe off the beaten path, but have a strong following,” he said.
