Echo

Data Watch: The Great Lakes’ top priorities

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Nationwide, there are 1,320 final sites on the Environmental Protection Agency’s National Priority List of waste sites that have released or can release hazardous contaminants. They are either awaiting or undergoing cleanup. Sites can be deleted from the list when “no further response is required to protect human health or the environment,” according to the EPA. Each site is scored through the Hazard Ranking System on a scale from 0-100. The higher the score, the greater threat they represent.

Echo

Jeopardy in July: Lake Michigan’s native fish

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This is part of our “Jeopardy in July for Lake Lovers” feature, where we will post Great Lakes trivia throughout the month. Check back for the answers – and new questions. polls & surveys
The answer to the previous question: Lake Huron’s pollution is the cause of widespread reproductive failure in fish-eating birds.

Echo

PSA: Don’t drink the lake water

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Throughout the summer Great Lakes Echo will feature an occasional series of public service announcements produced by Michigan’s Ottawa County Health Department  to promote clean beaches. This one reminds swimmers — especially those with young children — of the harm in spitting or swallowing lake water, however fun it may be. “We don’t want young children to put water in their mouth and spit it back out like a fountain,” said Kristina Wieghmink, spokesperson for the department. Follow this link to other clean beach notices. The campaign is funded through grants from the Michigan Department of Environmental Quality and the Great Lakes Restoration Initiative.

Echo

Jeopardy in July: Pollution in Lake Huron

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This is part of our “Jeopardy in July for Lake Lovers” feature, where we will post Great Lakes trivia throughout the month. Check back for the answers – and new questions. survey software
The answer to the previous question: The average depth of Lake Huron is 170 feet.

Echo

Little Things, Big Problems: Emerald Ash Borer

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Last year, the Great Lakes Restoration Initiative began producing a series of educational videos about invasive species in the Great Lakes with the National Park Service. New videos have been recently uploaded, and you can watch the entire “Little Things, Big Problems” series here on Echo. This video discusses how the emerald ash borer is killing Great Lakes trees and harming the lumber industry.

Echo

Jeopardy in July: Lake Huron’s depth

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This is part of our “Jeopardy in July for Lake Lovers” feature, where we will post Great Lakes trivia throughout the month. Check back for the answers – and new questions. survey tools
The answer to the previous question: Monitoring of Lake Huron bird eggs revealed high concentrations of brominated diphenyl ethers (BDEs) in herring gulls.

Echo

PSA: Throw away trash, wash your hands

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Throughout the summer Great Lakes Echo will feature an occasional series of public service announcements produced by Michigan’s Ottawa County Health Department  to promote clean beaches. The department has created rack cards on issues that affect the health of beaches to distribute in schools and visitors’ centers throughout the state. This one stresses the importance of hand washing after you swim and before you eat. Washing your hands will help prevent the spread of bacteria, such as E. coli, which can cause recreational water illness. For example, Echo reported last year that staphylococcus aureus, or staph, was an emerging beach threat likely caused by swimmers since staph usually lives on skin.

Echo

Jeopardy in July: Bird eggs in Lake Huron

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This is part of our “Jeopardy in July for Lake Lovers” feature, where we will post Great Lakes trivia throughout the month. Check back for the answers – and new questions. survey tools
The answer to the previous question: The water of Lake Superior is fed by over 200 rivers.

Nearshore

Photo Friday: Hydrilla Hunting

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The hydrilla, an invasive aquatic plant, has an alarming growth rate clearly illustrated in the photographs above. The photos were captured by the Northeast Illinois Invasive Plant Partnership (NIIPP), an organization that helps prevent and manage plant invasions, and show massive growth of hydrilla in a mere 18 days. Hydrilla grows up to an inch per day and forms dense mats of vegetation at the water’s surface, according to the Illinois Department of Natural Resources. Early detection can be key in controlling the plant, before it poses a threat to native plants and wildlife, recreational fishing and boating and waterfront property values. NIIPP is seeking volunteers for a Hydrilla Hunt, a program that encourages Illinois residents to learn how to identify hydrilla and keep a lookout for the plant at local lakes, ponds and rivers.

Land

Economic potential for farmers markets expands

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Looking at farmers markets by Great Lakes Echo

As the summer weather gets nicer, farmers markets seem to be multiplying around the area. But it’s not as simple as just popping up tents and selling veggies. Current State’s Peter Whorf speaks with Dru Montri, Director of the Michigan Farmers Market Association, to talk about market trends, realities, and the work behind the markets that go unseen.