Great Lakes Echo (https://greatlakesecho.org/tag/echo/page/108/)
A traveling play in Michigan is teaching kids about an ominous part of the state’s history – shipwrecks. Shipwrecked! is a play about a family caught in a storm while transporting Christmas trees in 1893.
To address what is sometimes referred to as Nature Deficit Disorder, educators are developing teaching supplements that integrate more outdoor education or “place-based education” into schools.
Clumps of smelly green algae collect on Ontario Beach in Rochester, N.Y., where Lake Ontario currents herd the glop into the corner of the beach and a manmade pier.
If you’re the only one in your neighborhood with a rain barrel, rain garden, green roof or porous driveway, don’t worry. You’ll never feel alone again. Networked Neighbors for Eco-Conservation Online connects you to other water-conscious people in the Great Lakes region. You can map projects around the region, calculate how much water you’re conserving and share pictures of your water conservation efforts. The site, developed by the Institute of Water Research at Michigan State University, has fostered friendly competition among neighbors who want to see who can save the most water with home projects like rain gardens.
A renewed interest in mining in Michigan’s Upper Peninsula could provide funding for state parks and boost local economies but could hurt the environment.
Peregrine falcon populations crashed in the 1960s but now thrive throughout the region, thanks largely to urban reintroduction efforts and the DDT ban.
Operators of compost companies and public agencies in Michigan are criticizing legislative bills that might put them out of business.
A proposal to build a wind farm on the Canadian shore of Lake Ontario has created an uproar among people worried about birds and wildlife.
This summer families cuddling underneath a warm blanket to watch the sunset at one of Michigan’s state parks can enjoy Pure Michigan Caramel Apple ice cream. That’s the state park system’s official flavor. “So many people get ice cream and watch Michigan’s great sunsets, in state parks or along our shorelines,” said Maia Stephens, a recreation programmer with the state’s Department of Natural Resources. Dawn Dummer of Houghton Lake created the new signature flavor, Stephens said. The state and the Holland-based Hudsonville Creamery and Ice Cream Co.
