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Great Lakes Echo - Environmental news of the Great Lakes region

Great Lakes Echo (https://greatlakesecho.org/tag/current-state/page/3/)

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Current State

Every Tuesday the Current State public affairs radio program on WKAR in East Lansing runs an environmental story in partnership with Great Lakes Echo. The stories also run on the Echo site and are archived here.

Sandhill crane
Wildlife

Sandhill cranes and birdwatchers flock to Bellevue for annual festival

By WKAR Current State | October 7, 2015

WKAR’s Current State discusses the upcoming CraneFest with the executive director of the Michigan Audubon Society, Johnathan Lutz.

Lake trout
Nearshore

Could fish farm expansion in Michigan hurt the Great Lakes?

By WKAR Current State | September 18, 2015

There’s a concern that wild populations of lake trout could be impacted by the expansion of fish farming in the Great Lakes.

I-94
Land

Environmentalists tell MDOT to pump the brakes on I-94 expansion

By WKAR Current State | September 15, 2015

The Michigan Department of Transportation has plans to renovate a 6.7 stretch of I-94 near Detroit.

Energy
Solar panels

Michigan utilities, enviros plan for state’s energy future

By WKAR Current State | September 15, 2015

Current State speaks with director of media relations for Consumers Energy in Jackson and energy program director for the Michigan Environmental Council.

Wildlife

Michigan forests pestered by return of spruce budworm

By WKAR Current State | August 25, 2015

It’s been about 30 years since Michigan saw an outbreak of spruce budworm, but the little insects are now back in a big way. Current State talks with Bob Heyd, forest health specialist with the Michigan Department of Natural Resources about what that means for the state’s trees.

Land

Little prairie in the city: urban nature center restores grasslands

By WKAR Current State | August 21, 2015

Current State tours Fenner Nature Center’s recent restoration of 19 acres of prairie land right in the middle of Lansing.

Energy
Current State logo

Michigan task force calls for heavy oil ban in Straits of Mackinac pipelines

By WKAR Current State | August 5, 2015

Environmental groups are calling on Michigan to pay attention to the Enbridge pipeline system beneath the Straits of Mackinac.

Environmental Canine Services
Water

Michigan company uses dogs to sniff out water pollution

By WKAR Current State | July 30, 2015

Environmental Canine Services is a six-year-old Michigan company that uses dogs to find pollution in water.

Fort Mackinac
Nearshore

Fort Mackinac celebrates 200 years in American hands

By WKAR Current State | July 28, 2015

The Mackinac State Historic Parks system is celebrating Fort Mackinac’s bicentennial.

Current State logo
Water

Michigan company using algae to reduce use of livestock antibiotics

By WKAR Current State | July 22, 2015

A Michigan company’s innovative use of algae could help clean wastewater and reduce the use of livestock antibiotics.

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About Great Lakes Echo

Environmental news of the Great Lakes region from the Knight Center for Environmental Journalism at Michigan State University.

  • Headshot of Ethan Theuerkauf
    Growth in shoreline armoring is reshaping Michigan’s Lake Michigan coast

    By Kyrmyzy Turebayeva A new study documents a fivefold increase in shoreline armoring along Lake Michigan’s Eastern coast.

  • How seeds from the past are saving a unique flower of the Great Lakes

    By Kyrmyzy Turebayeva More than 30 years ago, a group of scientists planted just 4,200 seeds of the rare Pitcher’s thistle in the sandy dunes of the Great Lakes. At the time, no one knew if the new populations would survive. Today, three decades later, the restored populations are thriving and spreading.

  • Henderson holding a swan
    From otters to butterflies: How Minnesota became a pioneer in nongame wildlife conservation

    By Kyrmyzy Turebayeva In the late 1970s, when most wildlife conservation programs in the United States focused almost exclusively on game species, a quiet but historic shift began in Minnesota. It was here that one of the nation’s first state programs dedicated to protecting so-called nongame wildlife emerged from butterflies and bats to bald eagles and river otters. That story is now told in detail by Carrol Henderson in his new book, “A National Legacy: Fifty Years of Nongame Wildlife Conservation in Minnesota."

  • Michigan’s water infrastructure sees improvements, work still needs to be done

    By Clara Lincolnhol The U.S. would need to invest nearly $3.4 trillion over the next 20 years to fix and update drinking water, wastewater and stormwater infrastructure, says researchers from The Value of Water Campaign. Much of that infrastructure was built 40 to 50 years ago and shows its age. Michigan’s is no exception. The American Society of Civil Engineers gave the state a D+ for its drinking water infrastructure, a D in storm water management and a C for its wastewater infrastructure. Funding is a major problem. Proposed data centers would put more stress on the infrastructure.

  • Mussels in a green net.
    Endangered spectaclecase mussels reintroduced into the Chippewa River

    By Ada Tussing To combat the population loss of spectaclecase mussels, researchers with both the Minnesota and the Wisconsin Department of Natural Resources released over 177 mussels into the Chippewa River in Northwest Wisconsin.

  • Michigan allocates $77 million to clean thousands of contaminated sites

    By Clara Lincolnhol Michigan is pouring $77 million into clean-up of contaminated abandoned real estate such as former factories. The director of the Department of Environment, Great Lakes and Energy says the goal is to make the cleaned-up sites safe for housing, commercial developments and other uses.

  • Winter makes curved roads dangerous; researchers seek solutions

    By Eric Freedman Flashing light on warning signs near curves can slow drivers and reduce the odds of a crash during winter weather conditions, says a new study by Michigan State University engineers.

  • The cover of “Dead Moose on Isle Royale: Off Trail with the Citizen Scientists of the Wolf-Moose Project." The cover is moose antlers on the ground.
    Great Lakes books for your holiday gift list 

    By Eric Freedman   Looking for a holiday gift for a reader who loves the Great Lakes? Here are five prospects to consider – and what our reporters learned from interviewing their authors this year.

  • A side-by-side of the historic Portage Canal and modern Portage Canal from an aerial view.
    Restoration of historical site improves quality of life for Portage, Wisconsin residents

    By Joshua Kim Following the completion of segments 1 and 2 of the Portage Canal, local residents and visitors can use the historic site and its amenities following years of disrepair.

  • What herring gulls tell us about plastic pollution

    By Victoria Witke Christina Petalas, a doctoral student McGill University, studies herring gulls to learn about plastic pollution near the St. Lawrence River. Across two studies, she found plastic additives in every bird sampled, which could have human health consequences.

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