Great Lakes Echo (https://greatlakesecho.org/tag/capital-news-service/)
Universities across the globe are monitoring wastewater on their campuses for viruses like COVID-19. It is a practice that has raised some medical privacy concerns, although researchers say there is no way to link the detection of the virus in wastewater with an individual who is sick.
During the fall migration season, over 4 billion birds in North America pass over our heads while we are sound asleep. Scientists use a number of technologies to understand more about birds’ migratory patterns.
A proposed plan to revamp how Michigan manages water problems would give drain commissioners authority across county lines.
Cottage food producers in Michigan are asking for more leeway in the laws to do business. Proposed legislation would raise the $25,000 cap on gross annual income, allow third-party delivery systems and change the requirement that home addresses be placed on each label.
Researchers at University of Toronto have discovered a new way to boost plant growth in rooftop gardens using granulated biochar.
A new study by Michigan State University shows an increase in doctor visits for shortness of breath among long-term sand and gravel mine workers in Michigan, compared to the rate for production workers in other industries. The state has more than 3,500 surface miners, 1,207 of whom voluntarily participated in the study.
The Conservation Reserve Enhancement Program (CREP) was reinstated earlier this year and reimburses farmers for following proper conservation practices. To be eligible for the program, land must have a cropping history, or planting history, of four out of six years between 2012-17 and have been owned at least one year prior to applying.
Public transit agencies in Michigan are facing post-pandemic ridership and staffing shortages. The Michigan Public Transit Association launched ad campaigns in February to address those needs and has seen many great responses, especially on social media, but the association’s members still face hardships, and no one knows if they’ll get all of their riders back.
Michigan watersheds are still wracked with pollution from decades ago, along with new runoff. Gov. Gretchen Whitmer’s MI Healthy Climate Plan would make preserving land and water a statewide priority.
Fifteen businesses, including Ford Motor Co., General Mills, General Motors and two West Michigan microbreweries, have written to Michigan Gov. Gretchen Whitmer in support of her administration’s carbon neutrality goals.