Land

Illegal dumping nets probation sentence in Ohio fish kill

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By Eric Freedman

 

A federal judge has sentenced an Ohio business owner to one year on probation and a $5,000 fine for illegally dumping a hazardous ammonia-containing substance into the Scioto River near Kenton. The crime killed more than 40,000 fish. U.S. Magistrate Judge Darrell Clay also ordered Mark Shepherd, 72, to perform 150 hours of community service and pay $22,509 to the Ohio Division of Wildlife for violating the Clean Water Act. Shepherd, who co-owns a chemical and fertilizer transportation business, had pleaded guilty to the misdemeanor charge after an investigation by the Environmental Protection Agency and state agencies. Here’s what happened, according to court documents: In April 2021, Shepherd commingled water from a tanker trailer used to transport anhydrous ammonia – a nitrogen fertilizer — with 7,000 gallons of clean water, then disposed of it into a catch basin.

Paddle boarders cross Platte Lake, Michigan, where a decades-long campaign reduced algal blooms caused by runoff from a fish hatchery. Image: J. Carl Ganter/ Circle of Blue
Nearshore

Great Lakes beach closings are no protection from harmful pollutants

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By Amalia Medina

A green flag flying on a Great Lakes beach does not necessarily mean it’s safe to swim. Checking beach monitoring websites like BeachGuard is not a surefire solution either. These two findings are central to a public health research project, the Great Lakes Microbial Water Quality Assessment, that set out to measure microbial and chemical threats in Great Lakes waters, and how to reduce the number of illnesses they cause each year. A report from the project, sponsored by the International Joint Commission said decades-old testing methods are inadequate and “advances in newer methods are critically needed.” The commission is bi-national agency that advises the U.S. and Canada on managing water along the border. The need for such research is considered urgent.

Michigan Materials Management Facilities. Image: EGLE
Energy

State expanding e-waste recycling in the Upper Peninsula

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By Elinor Epperson

Residents of Michigan’s Upper Peninsula have more options for recycling their old electronics. That’s because of Michigan’s Electronic Waste Take-Back Program. The state program has opened nine more permanent drop-off locations for electronic waste since 2021, more than doubling the number of facilities in the U.P. The program makes sure Michigan residents have access to e-waste recycling that meets state regulations. E-waste recycling facilities have been in the Lower Peninsula for years, but the majority are in the southern part of the state. No e-waste is recycled in the U.P.

Contractors pick it up from drop-off stations or events and transport it to recycling facilities in Wisconsin or the Lower Peninsula.

ENVIRO JUSTICE DATA MAP: MiEJScreen is an online tool that maps how health and socioeconomic factors intersect with environmental contamination. Source: Michigan Department of Environment, Great Lakes and Energy
Climate

Michigan updates data sharing tool on environmental justice

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By Elinor Epperson

Michigan’s Department of Environment, Great Lakes and Energy has updated an online tool that maps which communities may be most susceptible to adverse effects from pollution. The department first released MiEJScreen as a draft in 2022, but released an updated version in early August after seeking public comment. It says it hopes the tool will make it easier for advocates, residents and government officials to understand how environmental contamination affects different populations in their community. The tool combines data about health, socioeconomic and environmental factors to determine which communities are at higher risk of adverse effects from pollution. The data reflect what residents have known for a while, Regina Strong said.

Mussels native to Michigan’s fresh water. Image: Daelyn Woolnough
Water

Harnessing mussels to filter fresh water: A biological cure for contaminants is being studied

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By Amalia Medina

Water tanks line a room in Philadelphia’s Water Works on the bank of the Schuylkill River. Inside are small fish that are hosts to tiny organisms that researchers say can help solve polluted waterways. Tucked under the fish gills are microscopic mussels that will mature and become capable of filtering 10 to 15 gallons of water per day. Those data points make Lance Butler, who leads the research, hopeful. In essence, mussels are “our canaries in the coal mine for our water,” he said.

Art

Arts & Scraps: Reusing materials to combat climate change

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By Jada Vasser

Reusing materials in creative ways is a lifelong obsession for Ang Adamiak – one that led her to launch a nonprofit. Even though these days she says she’s mostly “in an office writing grants” while her staff is out doing “interesting work,” building partnerships around the sustainable reuse of materials still fuels her. “We’re always looking for ways that we can be in relationship with other organizations, whether they’re bigger or smaller than us,” she told Planet Detroit. Peg Upmeyer launched Arts & Scraps in 1989, and Adamiak has served as its executive director since 2018. The organization aims to bring the people of Detroit together by “providing reused materials and educational resources to promote sustainability and creativity.”

The nonprofit serves the community through its Creative Reuse Community Store and educational STEM programs.

And now, Arts & Scrap’s model for reusing materials and reducing waste is part of the city’s effort to combat climate change as part of the Detroit Climate Strategy. 

The city awarded Arts & Scraps a $5,000 climate action project grant to reach more families through the nonprofit organization Brilliant Detroit.

Land

Commentary: Michigan joins federal program that collects native flora and champions restoration

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By Elinor Epperson

Of all the things I could step in while wandering the Shiawassee National Wildlife Refuge in Northeast Michigan, vulture vomit was not on my list. My hosts, a team of scientists looking for native plant seeds, warned me to avoid it. Elizabeth Haber is a lead botanist with Seeds of Success, a federal program that conserves and restores native flora. She and her team are combing through Michigan prairies, wetlands and forests looking for native plant seeds. “A lot of our days are just wandering around, using our intuition of where we think cool things might be,” she said.

IMAGE: Deaf and hard-of hearing youth prepare seeds for a new community garden. Image courtesy of Jurmel Mitchell Sr.
Climate

Deaf and hard of hearing kids have a role in climate resilience

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By Jada Vasser

Six years ago, the Association for the Advancement of Deaf/Hard-of-Hearing was founded by four mothers who wanted to create change and educational programming for their deaf children and community. “We are dedicated to improving the educational and occupational outcomes of deaf/hard of hearing youth and young adults by creating more accessible educational and occupational experiences,” co-founder and chief operating officer Toni Cannon-Mitchell told Planet Detroit. Now, with the support of a $5,000 City of Detroit grant, Cannon-Mitchell is expanding that mission to include climate equity, with a focus on healthy eating and growing one’s own food. The grant supports community projects that advance the city’s climate strategy by creating climate resilience, energy efficiency and food waste reduction. The project will create a community garden that produces cleaner air and food.

Land

Great Lakes Echo founder retires

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Dave Poulson, the founder and editor of the Knight Center’s award-winning environmental news service, has retired after more than 21 years on the MSU Journalism School faculty. We at the Knight Center miss him already. Poulson, a professor of practice, spearheaded the center’s initiatives to boost diversity among environmental journalism students and practitioners, securing grant support from the Mott Foundation and Great Lakes Integrated Sciences and Assessments program. “Dave has been committed to the notion that knowledge about the environment belongs in the hands of everyone. He’s been a powerful science communicator – through Great Lakes Echo, the Knight Center and other news outlets – and a terrific science educator, helping those with scientific knowledge communicate that insight to the public,” J-School director Tim Vos said.

Bee City USA sign in downtown Detroit. Courtesy photo
The Buzz

Detroit is the place to bee! How Detroit Hives is helping Detroit fight climate change through pollination 

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By Jada Vasser

Detroit resident Timothy Paule Jackson’s fascination with bees began in 2016 when he discovered the benefits of using honey to combat the common cold. He began researching the components in honey that provide medicinal benefits for the immune system. Soon, he and his partner, Nicole Lindsay, enrolled in beekeeping classes. They launched Detroit Hives was 2017 after the couple bought their first vacant lot in Detroit and set about keeping bees on the property. As native Detroiters, they saw the potential in beekeeping to transform vacant and blighted lots and inject energy into underserved communities.