Great Lakes Echo (https://greatlakesecho.org/tag/capital-news-service/page/23/)
Michigan lawmakers are looking to create a new wildlife council to educate the public about the outdoors and the role of hunters, anglers and trappers – using money from hunting and license fees.
For a long time, botulism didn’t much affect loons, but the bacteria has been taking its toll recently on the population in northern Michigan.
Combined with a high mortality rate for offspring, experts are worrying about the future of this iconic bird.
State workers and environmental groups will use a federal grant to help get the Kirtland’s warbler off the list of endangered species.
The $171,000 grant will go toward a range of activities in Northeast Michigan, including the planting of two million jack pine seedlings, which are the only habitat the bird can nest in.
Michigan Rep. Bob Genetski, R- Saugatuck, has introduced a bill that would allow the state to compensate localities for fighting fires on state-owned land through the already-established Forest Development Fund. Wildfires strain the resources of small, under-equipped localities, he says.
Michigan is losing $229,491 in federal timber payments this year because of the budget sequestration — money that would otherwise be used for rural roads and schools, environmental work in the state’s three national forests and county wildfire projects.
The number of licensed drivers in Michigan and how much they travel are trending downward.
Working from home, social media, the economy and urban lifestyle are among the reasons, according to a new report.
Still, the state lags in mass transportation options.
The Great Storm of 1913, os one of the defining moments in Michigan’s weather history.
People can examine that storm in the Michigan Historical Museum’s exhibit, “Lake Effects,” on Oct. 5.
As the number of active state-licensed commercial fishing operations dwindles on the Great Lakes, their downward spiral signals a change in culture as well as economics and environment.
The Department of Natural Resources is tagging and recapturing walleye to determine growth rates, movement between waters and the contribution of stocked fish to native walleye populations.
Michigan wine grape growers hope for another strong season and that this year’s crop will reflect innovation. Some expect to see the first production of wines from at least two varieties of red grapes.