Echo

Study indicates Asian carp may already be in Great Lakes

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Study indicates Asian carp may already be in Great Lakes by EmanueleB

A new study released in April finds Asian carp may in fact be reaching the Great Lakes.  The Asian carp is an invasive species with an appetite large enough to potentially decimate the food chain ecosystem of the Great Lakes.  There have been many efforts to contain the spread of the fish in the Chicago Area Waterway System to connects to Lake Michigan.  The study now raises new questions about the effectiveness of that system. Current State’s Mark Bashore talks with study co-author Dr. Andrew Mahon, assistant professor of biology at Central Michigan University, and Dr. Tammy Newcomb, senior water policy advisor for the Michigan Department of Natural Resources.  

Nearshore

Plant a tree, save a beach

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Landowners on the Canadian shores of Lake Huron are being encouraged to plant natural vegetation on their beachfront property. Planting trees and other native plants on the bluffs can help prevent shoreline erosion, stormwater runoff, habitat loss and climate change, according to the Lake Huron Centre for Coastal Conservation. The first step was putting together a guide for lakeshore landowners explaining how they can protect the bluff ecosystem, said Geoff Peach, coastal resources manager for the Centre. “The Bluff Ecosystem Stewardship Guide can provide some advice on how to deal with common environmental issues,” Peach said. “It’s about to go to print, and then will be distributed to landowners along Lake Huron’s bluffs in southern Ontario.”

According to the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, natural lakeshores with abundant trees, shrubs, and native grasses are “living shorelines” that use deep, strong plant roots to stabilize soil.

Land

Building sustainable food systems in Michigan

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Building sustainable food systems in Michigan by EmanueleB

This month, the Vermont-based local food advocacy group “Strolling of the Heifers” released its second annual Locavore Index. The index ranks states based on their commitment to local food. Michigan ranked 22 on the list.  Michigan State University C.S. Mott Professor of Sustainable Agriculture Michael Hamm discusses the growth and future of the local food movement in Michigan.  

Echo

Tainted fish: Chemicals trigger consumption warnings

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By Kate Golden
Wisconsin Center for Investigative Journalism

Wisconsin’s Department of Natural Resources and Department of Health Services warn residents to limit their consumption of wild fish to prevent possible health problems from chemical contamination, as do many other states. Those problems include a range of health effects, but the four groups of chemicals that trigger consumption advisories – PCBs, mercury, dioxins and PFOS (perfluorooctane sulfate) – have been associated with endocrine disruption, DNR toxicologist Candy Schrank confirmed. Most fish contain at least low levels of mercury, while the other three chemicals are of most concern at specific locations. Chemicals to blame

Mercury: A natural element that is mobilized and emitted into the air via combustion and other activities. Mercury has been shown to affect the cognitive thinking, memory, attention, language, fine motor skills and visual spatial skills of children exposed in the womb.

Echo

Profiles: Chemicals in the water

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By Kate Golden
Wisconsin Center for Investigative Journalism

Two potential endocrine disruptors found in Minnesota waters. Nonylphenol is a breakdown product of a chemical family used in industrial laundry detergents, in crop spraying, as a stabilizer in plastic food packaging, in cosmetics and many other products. It is “highly toxic” to fish and aquatic organisms. It has been found “in human breast milk, blood and urine and is associated with reproductive and developmental effects in rodents,” according to the EPA, which has concerns about risks to people, especially children, and plans to phase it out. It is toxic to aquatic organisms at milligrams per liter; the U.S. demand was estimated at 380 million pounds in 2010. Nonylphenol was found in most of the wastewater treatment plant effluent Minnesota tested, about half of the downstream samples and a third of the upstream samples.

Echo

Two and a half years later, oil spill clean-up continues on Kalamazoo River

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Two and a half years later, oil spill clean-up continues on Kalamazoo River

It’s been two and a half years since an oil pipeline owned by the Canadian company Enbridge ruptured near Marshall, spewing hundreds of thousands of gallons of heavy crude oil into the Kalamazoo River. The incident has been one of the costliest oil spills in U.S. history and the clean-up is still ongoing. Steve Hamilton, an MSU scientist who has been monitoring the clean-up, updates Great Lakes Echo and Current State on the situation.

Echo

Weighing environmental, economic impacts of dredging

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Dredging by EmanueleB

This year record low water levels have spurred the Michigan government to spend over $20 million on dredging. Many hope dredging will enable recreational and commercial boating to continue, preventing revenue loss. However, the plan could still cost Michiganders. Dredging can stir up contaminated sediments, causing environmental and health issues. Michael Alexander works for the Department of Environmental Quality’s Water Resources Division.

Echo

Comparing the states: Air quality penalties

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Pennsylvania has the largest amounts of penalties for facilities violating air quality standards in 2012 among the Great Lakes states, according to the Environmental Protection Agency. Michigan has the smallest. The figures come from an EPA map that reports state compliance with regulations. The map’s dashboard allows users to choose different measures and different years. Here are the amounts of penalties incurred by major facilities with air quality violations for each state along with the number of major facilities for each state:

Pennsylvania: $3,646,379; to 591 major facilities.

Echo

Spreading the invasive spiny water flea upsets lake ecosystems

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Spiny water fleas are invasive in all Great Lakes and can withstand great environmental stress. The flea population grows quickly and is difficult to control, partly because their barb-like spines make them resistant to predators. Researchers think that Great Lakes fishing equipment can spread the fleas between different lakes and streams, and stricter cleaning regulations may help.

Echo

Great Lakes salmon videos can help students, anglers

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The Michigan Sea Grant is producing videos to teach students and anglers about salmon in the Great Lakes. The idea began as a way to keep up with the growing popularity of Michigan’s Salmon in the Classroom program, which allows students to raise salmon in their schools and eventually release them in a local watershed. The program is a great opportunity for young people to learn about the life cycles of fish, said Dan O’Keefe, the southwest district educator for Michigan Sea Grant. “It’s amazing what these classrooms have accomplished,” O’Keefe said. “But when these groups were looking for additional resources or speakers to come talk to them, it was just impossible to make it to every school.