Wildlife

Biologists race to save rare Michigan butterflies from the brink of extinction

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The Poweshiek skipperling has disappeared from most of Michigan’s prairies. Now scientists are raising them in zoos for release back into the wild. By Ruth Thornton

Standing next to a converted hoop house in one of the back areas of John Ball Zoo in Grand Rapids, David Pavlik points to a line of small cloth-covered cages filled with yellow black-eyed Susans and small orange butterflies. “These cages out here are females that have already bred in the facility,” Pavlik said. “They’re out here in the sun laying eggs.”

Pavlik, a research assistant with Michigan State University, is part of an international partnership racing to save a small, inconspicuous butterfly known as the Poweshiek skipperling that was once so common in Midwest prairies that collectors largely ignored them.

Climate

Warmer-than-normal fall likely in Michigan

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By Ruth Thornton

Early fall temperatures in Michigan will likely be higher than average, according to the National Weather Service, but are predicted to return to normal for the winter if long-term predictions hold up. Cort Scholten, a meteorologist with the National Weather Service in Grand Rapids, Michigan, said precipitation amounts are expected to be near normal for the next three months. “Right now, this outlook is saying that the odds are favoring overall we’ll see more warmer-than-usual days than we will colder than usual days,” he said. Scholten said temperatures are expected to return to near-average in November through December, but with higher-than-average precipitation expected, which could be in the form of either rain or snow. “We’ll still have plenty of temperature swings during the winter,” he said.

Transportation

Automated shuttles provide new mobility options, but coverage concerns remain

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By Donté Smith

Capital News Service

Detroit’s streets are becoming a testing ground for future transportation, with automated shuttles like Accessibili-D and Connect AV offering mobility solutions. These shuttles, which started operating this year, help residents, particularly those with limited transportation, access essential destinations such as doctors’ offices and grocery stores. The Connect AV shuttle provides fully electric, scheduled autonomous transportation along a 10.8-mile route connecting Corktown, downtown Detroit and the East Jefferson Riverfront. Operating on weekdays with 10-15 minute intervals during peak hours, the service is free. In comparison, Accessibili-D is tailored for older adults and people with disabilities, offering free on-demand rides to vital locations such as medical facilities.

Water

Residents in Monroe County take part in outdoor activities along the River Raisin

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Monroe is split by the River Raisin, which runs directly into Lake Erie. The city’s residents are not shy about taking advantage of its proximity to the water, even if it means fishing in the drainage canal of a power plant. Fishers, young and old, gather at the Monroe fishing site near the DTE Energy Monroe power plant to snag a bite. Fish like the yellow perch and crappie are listed as safe to eat but other fish like carp can contain higher amounts of chemicals and fishers are urged not to consume them too often. Further upstream the River Raisin, the Old Mill Museum invites visitors to learn about its history serving as a hydroelectric power plant and even a Ford factory.

Wildlife

Oaks under threat from invading insects, warming temperatures, disease 

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By Eric Freedman

Capital News Service

The mighty oak may be in trouble in the Great Lakes region – and climate change is largely to blame. A mix of factors is in play, including rising temperatures, more severe and intense rainstorms, increasing susceptibility to plant-eating animals and vulnerability to disease-causing microorganisms, a new study from Michigan Technological University says. “Oaks have evolved a range of adaptations to dry and hot conditions and have an increased range of suitable habitat with climate change,” according to the study in the journal Forests. They were a pioneer species in the Great Lakes region before widespread European settlement, said Amanda Stump, the lead author of the research, and can do well with extreme temperatures. Even so, the study warns, warmer winters, extreme weather events, diseases and extended ranges of herbivores “may still put oaks at risk.”

And that can jeopardize what Stump describes as the important role oaks play in supplying food – acorns – in the fall for bears, turkeys, birds and other wildlife.

Water

Study reveals the Great Lakes’ top 10 most harmful invasive species

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By Shealyn Paulis

Researchers have revealed the Great Lakes’ 10 worst aquatic invasive species, spotlighting the plants and animals that pose the greatest threat to the region’s delicate ecosystems, fisheries and recreational waters. The recent study, published in the Journal of Great Lakes Research, is the first to compare all 188 nonnative species in the lakes with the same methods and pinpoint which are causing the most harm to the region, its authors said. At the top of the list is the zebra mussel. These small but mighty mollusks are believed to have made their way into the Great Lakes in the 1980’s through ballast water in ships from Europe. They can now be found in all five Great Lakes.

Water

Great Lakes recreational fishing is worth more than anglers spend, study finds

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By Clara Lincolnhol

After a day out on the water, the total amount of money spent on fishing gear, transportation and food doesn’t truly reflect the worth of a fishing trip to Great Lakes anglers. Some people are willing to pay $100 more for a fishing trip than what it costs, according to a recent Appalachian State University study funded by the Great Lakes Fishery Commission. “This study raises awareness of the importance of managing the Great Lakes fishery,” said Rob Southwick, co-author of the study and president of Southwick Associates, an economics and market research company that specializes in outdoor recreation. The study is the first of its kind to find the surplus value — the measure of what a person is willing to pay for a good or service beyond its market cost — of recreational fishing trips in the Great Lakes region, Southwick said. The researchers asked more than 8,000 licensed anglers questions about their spending on fishing.

Water

NOAA taps invasive mussels to track Great Lakes pollution

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By Daniel Schoenherr

Zebra and quagga mussels have threatened Great Lakes ecosystems since they arrived in the 1980s. Now the invasive species are acting as unlikely allies in identifying pollution hotspots. The National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration’s Mussel Watch program is collecting the mollusks at sites across the Great Lakes to measure the concentration of harmful pollutants in their tissue. A report with the results, expected this fall, will serve as an indicator to communities that they may be in need of cleanup, said one of the program’s leaders. Mussel Watch started along the Atlantic coast in 1986 and is the “longest running continuous contaminant-monitoring program of its kind in the United States,” according to NOAA.

Nearshore

Michigan pushes to plug orphan oil wells

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By Donté Smith

Capital News Service

Michigan’s oil industry may not be front and center, but it remains active with over 9,300 wells across the state. The U.S. Energy Information Administration ranks Michigan 18th in the nation in crude oil production. In June 2024, Michigan wells produced 211,000 barrels of crude oil — around 8.8 million gallons, the agency said. Otsego County leads the state in production, followed closely by Jackson, Kalkaska and Manistee counties. However, there’s a growing environmental concern linked to the industry: Michigan has about 230 orphan wells abandoned by their original operators or owners without being properly plugged.

Wildlife

GUEST COMMENTARY: Speak up to stop the spotted lanternfly and other invaders

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By David Strayer

If you’ve driven Michigan’s highways lately, you’ve probably seen the billboards: a big picture of a lanternfly, with the message, “See it. Squish it. Report it.” This is good advice, as far as it goes, but it should go further. The spotted lanternfly is a serious pest that is poised to cause major economic and ecological damage across the Great Lakes region. It was accidently brought into Pennsylvania about 10 years ago, probably in a shipment of landscaping stone from China that was not properly inspected or disinfected.