Echo
Gov. to sign farm environmental standards bill
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Legislation to formally recognize a long-standing farm environmental improvement program is well on its way to Gov. Rick Snyder’s desk for approval.
Echo
Climate change shifts songbird populations
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Climate change impacts songbird breeding and distribution patterns and could potentially lead to health problems in birds. Birds now migrate north earlier and south later. They might also arrive too early or too late to feed on hatching insects due to changes in climate.
Echo
Michigan’s comeback tied to sustainable communities
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Sustainable communities will be a hot topic in the next 50 years, according to a coalition of environmental groups.
That movement will include activities such as the East Stadium Bridges Improvement Project in Ann Arbor, a new master plan in Grand Traverse County and a job training plan in Southeast Michigan.
The long-term vision outlined by the Michigan Environmental Council includes energy, water, great cities, sustainable communities, transportation, agriculture and natural resources.
Echo
Corrosive Canadian oil raises pipeline concerns in Great Lakes region
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Plans to increase the import of a raw form of oil piped from Canada through the Midwest are worrying environment groups that say the trend could pose health and environmental dangers in the Great Lakes Basin.
A new report highlights what the groups say are escalating risks of major pipeline spills of the oil.
Echo
State pushes for more young farmers
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As the state’s agricultural sector continues to grow, so does the need for young farmers, according to the Michigan Farm Bureau.
While the average age of the state’s farmers was about 54 in 2007, the Department of Agriculture believes that number is currently higher.
Echo
Growers smell trouble in stink bug invasion
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The name of the new invader is enough to make people laugh, but its potential peril is serious enough to make fruit growers weep.
The brown marmorated stink bug, which is notorious for wiping out horticultural crops, has been discovered in Southwest and central Michigan.
In 2010, growers in Pennsylvania lost an estimated 40 to 50 percent of their peach crop to the stink bug, according to Penn State University’s College of Agricultural Sciences.
Echo
Wireless service uncertain at more state parks
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A proposal to bring wireless Internet service to state parks to boost tourism appears far from certain.
Broadband service could promote agri-tourism to golf courses, fishing docks and state parks.
Land
Teamwork on land investment pays ecological dividends
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LANSING – State and federal agencies, conservation groups and residents have been teaming up to increase the amount of environmentally important land protected in Michigan.
Securing development rights is gaining popularity as it’s cheaper than purchasing land outright to preserve it.
Echo
Ex-cons get green work as first step to new life
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Some communities are exploring green job initiatives as an opportunity for ex-prisoners to rebuild their lives. The Michigan Prisoner ReEntry Initiative (MPRI), a statewide effort led by the Department of Corrections that does job placement for former prisoners, provide a pathway out of the incarceration cycle for an increasing number of former prisoners.
Echo
Clean-up continues through winter as oil spill damage lingers
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Cleanup efforts are still underway more than six months after 819,000 gallons of heavy crude oil spilled into the Kalamazoo River, covering wildlife and the nearby environment with sludge.