Recreation

North Manitou and South Manitou islands get trail map treatment

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The National Park Service and MichiganTrailMaps.com have produced new trail maps of a pair of Lake Michigan islands near Traverse City, Mich. North Manitou Island and South Manitou Island, part of Sleeping Bear Dunes National Lakeshore, have been added to MichiganTrailMaps.com’s Classic Trails of Michigan map series. Each map illustrates trail grades, primitive roads, maintained trails and unmarked modern and historic pathways. They also mark historic sites, ruins, natural features, elevation changes and hiking amenities found throughout the islands. Each map costs $4.95, and are available at the Sleeping Bear Dunes Visitor Centers, MichiganTrailMaps.com, the Manitou Island Transit ferry company and outdoor shops throughout the state.

Echo

Poll: What’s superior about Superior?

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Lake Superior Magazine has opened voting for it’s annual Best of the Lake survey. Categories for the finest that Lake Superior has to offer include best swimming beach, strolling beach, public lake view spot, place for a day outside, local brew, on the water experience. Nominations are sought for all four shores – Michigan, Wisconsin, Ontario, Minnesota. Vote here.

Echo

Detroit’s lead cleanup and environmental future

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Earlier Great Lakes Echo  ran a story from Environmental Health News on the decreasing percentage of children with lead poisoning in Detroit. However, children with exposure to excessive lead levels in Detroit still exceed the national average, and funding for lead cleanup from the Center for Disease Control is dwindling. Brian Bienkowski is a senior editor and staff writer at Environmental Health News. He discusses the decrease of lead poisoning in Detroit and the motor city’s environmental future. Lead poisoning in Detroit by Great Lakes Echo

Land

Rock keyboard legend Chuck Leavell talks sustainability and growth models

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The U.S population is expected to increase by 90 million in the next 30 years. According to the book  “Growing a Better America: Smart, Strong,Sustainable,”  now is the time for the Untied State’s to plan for that growth. The books author,  Chuck Leveall,  is a conservationist, co-founder of the Mother Nature Network,  tree farm owner and rock-n- roll star. He’s toured with Eric Clapton, The Rolling Stones, George Harrison and many others. Leavell discusses his thoughts on growth models, conservation and music.  

Rock keyboard legend Chuck Leavell talks sustainability and growth models by Great Lakes Echo

Echo

Great Lakes region has some of best small towns

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Three Great Lakes locales are listed by Business Insider as among the 10 best small towns in America. Traverse City, Mich., Door County, Wis. and Galena, Ill. are among those recognized March 31 for unique atmospheres, charming shops and restaurants and scenic beauty. “In a time when “authentic” is a travel buzzword, these hamlets are attracting visitors with an often unexpected–and surprisingly sophisticated–array of independent and locally-minded cultural, outdoor, and culinary offerings,” reports Business Insider, a business and technology news website.

Echo

Youth symposium highlights Great Lakes stewardship, research

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For four days in May, the Lake Superior Youth Symposium will bring students, teachers and scientists together to promote better stewardship of the Great Lakes. The symposium starts May 16 in Houghton, Mich. at Michigan Technological University’s Great Lakes Research Center. The goal of the symposium, now in its 10th year, is to work with middle and high school students and their teachers to improve their understanding of environmental science and encourage the conservation of the Great Lakes. Attendees participate in hands-on workshops, challenge courses and art and music programs that highlight careers aimed at protecting the Great Lakes.

Echo

Paddlefish inspires military

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The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers is studying the microscopic anatomy of the paddlefish for possible military applications, like better armor, ship design and sensor arrays. The fish, which is native to many Great Lakes states, has a long nose-like feature called a rostrum that detects the weak electric fields of tiny zooplankton. Its unique skeleton is also made up of star-shaped bones that make it flexible and yet resilient. The study is an example of bio-inspiration, the  examination of  an organism’s adaptations in nature, such as gecko’s feet or a spider’s web, to create similar applications for human use. Army scientists think that the paddlefish’s delicate sense for electricity could be copied to detect metal objects or electrical signals from explosives.

Echo

Fate of Great Lakes water and energy are linked

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The dependent relationship between energy and water is important, but in a water-rich state like Michigan, it’s easy to overlook. Skip Pruss discusses the water-energy nexus  and its potential impact on the future of the Great Lakes. Pruss is a Principal at 5 Lakes Energy and former Deputy Director of the Michigan Department of Environmental Quality. Current State: Water-energy nexus in the Great Lakes Basin by Great Lakes Echo