Wildlife
Poet, artist explore birds
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What started as a note on a friend’s windshield evolved into “The Unauthorized Audubon,” a whimsical poetry and art book that offers a peek into a world of quirky imaginary birds.
Wildlife
New permits allow fish net pens
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The program allows nonprofit groups to place net pens in Lake Michigan, Lake Superior and their tributaries to increase fish for recreational anglers.
Michigan and New York already allow such pens.
Climate
Photo Friday: Ice forms Lake Michigan stringers
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By Evan KreagerGreat Lakes Echo Ice stringers, the lines of ice that can be seen traveling out across these Lake Michigan waters, are formed when strong winds blow ice off a point of land and into a long, connected string. This photograph produced by astronauts on the International Space Station shows Washington Island off the point of Wisconsin’s Door Peninsula and two smaller adjacent islands. They are joined by ice. When this photo was taken on Feb. 22, strong southwesterly winds blew against their ice-covered shores, according to NASA’s Earth Observatory.
Wildlife
Clean water, dam decay are sea lamprey control challenges
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A U.S. and Canadian control project has knocked back the invasive species that prey on fish by 90 percent.
But researchers are trying to address a recently increasing population.
Wildlife
Ohio’s Department of Agriculture to treat Gypsy Moth
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Parts of Ohio will be treated to slow the spread of the destructive gypsy moth early this spring.
Energy
Landscope: Increasing presence of well pads in Michigan
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By Evan KreagerGreat Lakes Echo
Take a look at this map. Cover the title, key and footer. It looks as if someone had a blank map of Michigan and began splattering paint across it. It’s like a work of art. But when the title of the map is revealed, it becomes obvious that all those pretty colors are actually different types of wells strewn across Michigan’s mitten.
Wildlife
Invasive Species: Round Goby
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By Evan KreagerGreat Lakes Echo
The Nature Conservancy has named the round goby one of the five “usual suspects” invading the Great Lakes basin. Round gobies are native to the Black and Caspian seas, but have found their way into the Mississippi River as well as Lake Michigan. These fish have a heightened ability to sense water movement, allowing them to feed in the dark. Round gobies feed on native fish and their eggs, and have a “blood vendetta” against zebra mussels, according The Nature Conservancy. These gobies can grow up to 10 inches in length and somewhat resemble an overgrown tadpole with black, gray or brown skin.
Recreation
Exploring the magic of the Great Lakes through personal stories
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Most people who live in the mitten state have fond memories of time spent at one of the Great Lakes. Those memories are what fuel The Great Lakes Book Project.
Wildlife
Invasive Species: Eurasian Ruffe
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By Evan KreagerGreat Lakes Echo
The Nature Conservancy has named Eurasian Ruffe, a fish native to northern Europe and Asia, as one of the five “usual suspects” in the Great Lakes basin. This fish has invaded northern Lake Michigan and feeds on native fish eggs. It has sharp spines on its fins making it difficult for predators to catch and eat, giving it the nickname, “Dagger Fin.”
Eurasian Ruffe are generally just under a half a foot in length and have an olive or golden-brown color.
Nearshore
Michigan longterm beach water quality declines
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Beach closure data shows improvement in the short term. A recent study of sediments indicate that in the longterm water quality has declined.