Echo

Paddlefish inspires military

By |

 

The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers is studying the microscopic anatomy of the paddlefish for possible military applications, like better armor, ship design and sensor arrays. The fish, which is native to many Great Lakes states, has a long nose-like feature called a rostrum that detects the weak electric fields of tiny zooplankton. Its unique skeleton is also made up of star-shaped bones that make it flexible and yet resilient. The study is an example of bio-inspiration, the  examination of  an organism’s adaptations in nature, such as gecko’s feet or a spider’s web, to create similar applications for human use. Army scientists think that the paddlefish’s delicate sense for electricity could be copied to detect metal objects or electrical signals from explosives.

Echo

Fate of Great Lakes water and energy are linked

By |

The dependent relationship between energy and water is important, but in a water-rich state like Michigan, it’s easy to overlook. Skip Pruss discusses the water-energy nexus  and its potential impact on the future of the Great Lakes. Pruss is a Principal at 5 Lakes Energy and former Deputy Director of the Michigan Department of Environmental Quality. Current State: Water-energy nexus in the Great Lakes Basin by Great Lakes Echo

Echo

Coastal comparison

By |

 

The Great Lakes coastline is one of the longest in the United States, according to the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration. The federal agency compared the total miles of Great Lakes coastline with the total miles of the Atlantic, Pacific and Gulf coastlines. Here’s how it stacks up against the Atlantic coastal states:

Here’s how the Great Lakes coasts stack up against the Pacific coast states. If it wasn’t for Alaska, the Great Lakes coastline would dominate these states:

And it’s not even a contest when compared to the Gulf Coast states:

More information can be found at the agency’s Great Lakes Environmental Research Laboratory website. The laboratory researches the environment to provide information about resource use and sustainability of Great Lakes ecosystems.
 

Echo

Mr. Great Lakes: Weeds, water bottles and the “Mega List”

By |

 
Mr. Great Lakes (Jeff Kart) reports from Bay City, Michigan’s Delta College Q-90.1 FM.  

 

This week Kart discusses phragmites in the Saginaw Bay watershed, efforts at Central Michigan University to reduce water bottle sales and an environmental priority list for the Au Sable River. Text at Mr Great Lakes

Echo

Where’s the Concern? Week 10

By |

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

Biodiversity and commerce in Michigan

By |

A proposed bill making its way through the Michigan legislature aims to put tighter limits on the Department of Natural Resources and the Natural Resources Commission. The DNR’s website says the agency promotes bio-diversity on state land by identifying, restoring and managing “those natural places or ecosystems in Michigan that, together, best represent the diversity of Michigan’s biological heritage.” Republican state Sen. Tom Casperson’s bill, SB 78, would prohibit the DNR from implementing its “Biodiversity Stewardship Area” program, which he claims would severely preclude human activity on the land.  He says the measure is supported by sportsmen, businesses and recreational enthusiasts. To sort this out, Current State sat down with Senator Tom Casperson of Escanaba and Ann Woiwode, director of The Sierra Club’s Michigan chapter.

Echo

Investing in Detroit pays Great (Lakes) dividends

By |

Let’s invest a significant amount of Great Lakes restoration funding in Detroit and the Detroit River. The whole region suffers if Detroit languishes.
It’s an investment that makes more sense than pouring yet more funds into the region’s most economically advantaged cities.

Echo

Photo Friday: Frozen lighthouses

By |

[cincopa AwDASLbegkNo]

Tom Gill, an environmental photographer, has a soft spot for frozen lighthouses. The slideshow above showcases photos of the St. Joseph Pier Lighthouse and the South Haven South Pier Lighthouse, which become coated in ice after Lake Michigan waves crash and freeze. More can be found on Gill’s Flickr and blog. Gill’s icy Lake Michigan lighthouse photos have been published in the Huffington Post, Australia News Limited and the Daily Mail in Great Britain. “Only 4 more continents to go,” Gill joked.