Water

Zombies promote Great Lakes nearshore environment

By |

Birders, boaters, hikers, fishermen, beach lovers, and swimmers all have something in common: They draw attention to Great Lakes ecology through their activities at or near the shoreline. Now they have zombies helping them out. In what might be one of the wackiest and most unorthodox ways of getting people to reconnect with nature, early (cheaper) registration for an event billed as the Lake Eerie (not a typo, folks) Zombie Mud Run ends June 30. The race is Sept. 14 at East Sandusky Bay Erie Metropark in Sandusky, Ohio.

Water

Miami’s Pangaea Explorations launches research journey into Great Lakes

By |

The summer, anyone from senior citizens to students can assist in hands-on research in the Great Lakes. Florida organization Pangaea Explorations launches its first expedition into the Great Lakes, to conduct research on plastic pollution in the Great Lakes. Currently sailing in Bermuda, the expedition yacht Sea Dragon will travel to Cape Cod, Massachusetts in late June to kick off the Great Lakes expedition. Throughout the course of the trip, there will be eight separate legs, where the different “citizen science” groups will switch off to assist in hands-on research focused primarily on plastics in the Great Lakes. The groups include undergraduate students, senior citizens, teachers and more.

Water

Photo Friday: Flooding in Michigan

By |

The heavy flooding that struck Michigan this month is evident in these photos from NASA’s Earth Observatory. The photos, taken from NASA’s Terra satellite, show the Saginaw River on the east side of the state and the Grand River as it flows west from the center of the state toward Lake Michigan on April 5 and April 21. A comparison of the photos shows a much-widened Grand River and major flooding conditions on the Saginaw River near the city of Saginaw, according to the NASA report. The National Weather Service continues to place Saginaw under a flood warning, stating that the river is not expected to fall below flood levels until May 1. The photos combine infrared and visual light imagery to increase the contrast between the water and land, highlighting the expansion of the rivers, according to NASA.

Water

Photo Friday: Thawing ice on Lake Michigan

By |

In this photograph from NASA’s Earth Science Photo of the Day, a January thaw caused this ice shelf on the Lake Michigan shoreline to collapse near Winnetka, Ill., according to photographer Neil Libby. As successive winter storms buffet the coast with strong winds and large waves, icy slush builds up on the newly-formed shore ice, creating ice shelves. The ice shelf pictured here stood 8 feet above the water.

Water

Urban farm seeks fish funds

By |

 

If you live in Detroit, easy access to fresh Great Lakes bluegill and catfish could be closer than you think. Just donate to Food Field’s FISHSTARTER! campaign. Noah Link and his partner, Alex Bryan, created Food Field by transforming an abandoned Detroit school site into a four-acre urban farm. Since their first full growing season in 2011, they’ve expanded to grow organic produce, produce honey, raise chickens and ducks and maintain a fruit orchard.