Great Lakes Echo (https://greatlakesecho.org/tag/commentary/page/15/)
Opinion and commentary about Great Lakes issues.
You are reading a milestone — the 3,000th post on Great Lakes Echo. And we’re celebrating with a new look. Echo recently turned five years old. That’s ancient for Internet publications, particularly those that produce news. But this facelift is no middle-aged desperate grasp to retain youth.
Commentary
Wall Street’s incessant past performance is no guarantee of future results disclaimer has applications to Great Lakes issues too. Here’s what I mean. The period between 2004 and 2009 were heady days for the Great Lakes and their advocates. In that short span, President George W. Bush signed off on the concept of federal support for Great Lakes restoration and President Barack Obama started funding it. Bush also signed into law the Great Lakes Compact.
At the end of each month Current State checks in with Great Lakes commentator and journalist Gary Wilson for updates on environmental stories from around the Basin.
When the U.S. Supreme Court held last year that farmers can be liable for damages if they use patented seeds for more than one planting, the decision highlighted a debate over growers’ rights, intellectual property and agricultural sustainability.
Commentary
The local historical society recently hosted a panel discussion of the history of the Lansing (Michigan) State Journal. That’s my local newspaper and I was particularly interested in the event as I had once worked there as an editor. What really caught my interest in a video of the discussion was a longtime State Journal staffer’s explanation of the publication’s increasing use of metrics to measure how news is consumed. She described how a video screen in the newsroom reports and ranks in real time the top 10 stories that people are reading online. Every week reporters get a report of how many people read their stories each day.
Aggressive action is needed to tackle 2014 key Great Lakes decisions: What do we do about Lake Erie algae, Asian carp and water diversion?
At the end of each month Current State check in with Great Lakes commentator and journalist Gary Wilson for updates on environmental stories from around the basin. Today’s Great Lakes Month in Review, focuses on Governor Snyder’s environmental efforts and algae blooms.
Money, regulations and enforcement are necessary.
But that’s playing defense.
Industries, governments and environmental groups can get ahead of the game with new mindsets.
Echo is considering a redesign. I say that with some trepidation. I have found that technical and design questions regarding web projects can paralyze action. The delays frustrate getting quality content into your hands fast. And Echo works now.
At the end of each month, Current State check in with Great Lakes commentator and journalist Gary Wilson for updates on environmental stories from around the basin. For this Great Lakes Month in Review, Gary focuses on ice cover and Asian carp fatigue. Wilson last spoke with Current State after the Army Corps’ study on Asian carp in the Great Lakes was released. Wilson says that carp fatigue has set in, meaning that Asian carp reports are in the news so frequently that people tend to tune it out. Great Lakes Month in Review: Ice cover, Asian carp and Federal funding by Great Lakes Echo