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Study warns of hybrid invasive weeds

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Native weeds are bad enough. Invasive weeds are worse, and invasive hybrid weeds are things of nightmares. As if single invasive species of plants weren’t powerful enough on their own, a recent article from Michigan Farm News makes us aware of the fact that we may need  to worry about invasive hybrids. According to the article, hybrid invasive weeds are two species that breed to create a particularly powerful force that can be even more improbable to get rid of. The article cites a study published in the Invasive Plant Science and Management Journal that focuses specifically on Japanese knotweed and giant knotweed, two invasives prevalent throughout the Great Lakes region.

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Today is World Toilet Day. No, we aren’t kidding.

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Today is World Toilet Day. No, we didn’t make it up to have something new on the site this morning. In fact, it is an annual celebration of toilets, happening across the world every year. We have all prayed to the porcelain god once and make a daily trip to the throne, but most of us have done so without much thought or appreciation to the fixture. And that’s where World Toilet Day comes in.

Echo

Breaking news: Walruses and penguins discovered in the Great Lakes!

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Look out. Here comes the cold Midwest weather. We can look forward to snow, freezing temperatures, icy roads and surfing on the Great Lakes? Jesse Kinos-Goodin of the National Post reported recently that October and November may be the best time to surf Lake Michigan. More wind generates bigger and better waves in these months.

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VIDEO: Today marks 35th anniversary of the Edmund Fitzgerald shipwreck

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Today marks the 35th anniversary of one of the most famous shipwrecks in the Great Lakes. In 1975, the Edmund Fitzgerald sunk to the bottom of Lake Superior after being caught in an intense storm. Twenty-nine people died in the wreck. To this day, the United States Coast Guard has not figured out why exactly the ship sank, but there were rumors that the crew had not fastened the hatches correctly. Many people believe that it wasn’t because of the rough weather.

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Asian carp, a species worth admiring?

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Yesterday, wired.com dubbed the Asian carp as an invasive species worth admiring. In total, nine species received the title including others in the Great Lakes region like, the wild boar, the European starling and the dandelion. Reporter Brandon Keim thinks that admirable carp qualities include the fact that it grows to more than 100 pounds, eats several times its body weight daily and has an uncanny knack of slowing boaters down. But Keim makes it clear that “worth admiring” does not equate “good for the environment.” He says that invasive species are living beings too and have some talents worth talking about. “So for a few minutes, let’s put aside our usual feelings about invasive species, and just talk about some really cool animals,” he wrote.

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Report finds health disparities among races in Twin Cities

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A recent report found significant health disparities between races in Minnesota’s Twin Cities. Mortality rates are 3.5 times higher for American Indians and 3 times higher for African-Americans than for Caucasians, according to the report by the Blue Cross and Blue Shield Foundation of Minnesota. The report links the environments of communities to the health of the people living in them. 

David Wallinga, director of the Food and Health Program at the Institute for Agriculture and Trade Policy, said that pollution and access to healthy food would put more people at risk for illnesses and thus increases mortality rates. “These neighborhoods generally are lower income and more populated by people of color,” said Wallinga. The average life expectancy in the Twin Cities is 81 years for Caucasians, 83 years for Asians, 74 years for African Americans and only 61 years for American Indians.

Land

Looking for Great Lakes region city recylers

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One of the first things Michigan Gov.-elect Rick Snyder noted in his victory speech Tuesday is the need to restore his state’s central cities. That’s hardly news. And it’s hardly the first time a politician highlighted the need.  Who could oppose such a thing? But who can make it happen? Better yet, who is making it happen now?

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VIDEO: Discovery Channel’s Dirty Jobs Features Great Lakes Invasive Species

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Invasive species issues have been achieving publicity lately with the help of Mike Rowe, the host of Dirty Jobs on the Discovery Channel. The show profiles the lives of workers around the United States who have particularly “dirty” occupations. For example, host Mike Rowe has worked as a bologna maker, a maple syrup maker and a diaper cleaner. And tomorrow, he will show the public how taking care of invasive species in the Great Lakes can also be a dirty job. In the 34th episode of this season, Rowe acts as a Sea Lamprey Exterminator in Michigan.

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NOAA forecasts wild waves on the Great Lakes after storm

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The storm that dropped barometric pressure in Minnesota to the lowest recorded point in state history and ruined countless umbrellas across Chicago is still whipping up waves in the Great Lakes. Check out this animation from the NOAA Great Lakes Coastal Forecasting System for a look at how intense those waves will be over the next five days. Waves more than 20 feet high could roll through northern Lake Superior Wednesday evening.