Echo
Students compete with underwater robots they build themselves
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What’s the best way to teach youths about science, technology, engineering and math concepts?
By building a robot, of course.
Echo
Mr. Great Lakes: Scavenger hunts, breaking the ice and Lake Huron’s fishery
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Mr. Great Lakes (Jeff Kart) reports from Bay City, Michigan’s Delta College Q-90.1 FM.
This week Kart discusses a photo scavenger hunt hosted by the Department of Natural Resources, breaking the ice on the Great Lakes and the success of the Michigan Sea Grant’s Lake Huron fishery workshops. Text at Mr Great Lakes
Echo
Sand removal protect U.P.’s coaster brook trout
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Removing sand from the Salmon Trout River in Marquette County has helped protect the spawning sites of coaster brook trout, according to researchers.
Echo
Study indicates Asian carp may already be in Great Lakes
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Study indicates Asian carp may already be in Great Lakes by EmanueleB
A new study released in April finds Asian carp may in fact be reaching the Great Lakes. The Asian carp is an invasive species with an appetite large enough to potentially decimate the food chain ecosystem of the Great Lakes. There have been many efforts to contain the spread of the fish in the Chicago Area Waterway System to connects to Lake Michigan. The study now raises new questions about the effectiveness of that system. Current State’s Mark Bashore talks with study co-author Dr. Andrew Mahon, assistant professor of biology at Central Michigan University, and Dr. Tammy Newcomb, senior water policy advisor for the Michigan Department of Natural Resources.
Echo
Minnow reveals wastewater’s toxic effects
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The fathead minnow is to aquatic toxicology what mice and rats are to drug trials.
Minnesota researchers used it recently to explore the effects of exposure to the effluent streams from wastewater treatment plants.
Echo
Bicycling deaths drop, safety urged
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The number of Michigan’s bicyclist deaths dropped 17 percent between 2011 and last year.
Meanwhile, cycling groups continue to advocate more safety measures.
Echo
Gypsum helps fertilizer enrich corn instead of algae
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A coal plant byproduct may help fight Lake Erie algae.
Researchers have found that gypsum helps phosphorus stay on the land where it fertilizes crops.
That keeps it from washing off the land and into the water where it can feed algae.
Echo
Tainted fish: Chemicals trigger consumption warnings
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By Kate Golden
Wisconsin Center for Investigative Journalism
Wisconsin’s Department of Natural Resources and Department of Health Services warn residents to limit their consumption of wild fish to prevent possible health problems from chemical contamination, as do many other states. Those problems include a range of health effects, but the four groups of chemicals that trigger consumption advisories – PCBs, mercury, dioxins and PFOS (perfluorooctane sulfate) – have been associated with endocrine disruption, DNR toxicologist Candy Schrank confirmed. Most fish contain at least low levels of mercury, while the other three chemicals are of most concern at specific locations. Chemicals to blame
Mercury: A natural element that is mobilized and emitted into the air via combustion and other activities. Mercury has been shown to affect the cognitive thinking, memory, attention, language, fine motor skills and visual spatial skills of children exposed in the womb.
Echo
Where’s the Concern? Week Thirteen
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Each week, Great Lakes Echo features a photo story about a different Area of Concern designated by the U.S. or Canadian governments in the Great Lakes basin. Guess where the area is located, based on the description of the site.
Echo
Mr. Great Lakes: Dredging, birdwatching and walking for clean energy
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Mr. Great Lakes (Jeff Kart) reports from Bay City, Michigan’s Delta College Q-90.1 FM.
This week Kart discusses dredging the Saginaw River, the Saginaw Bay birding trail and a march for clean energy in Bay City. Text at Mr Great Lakes