Echo

Muskegon and White lakes reach cleanup milestones

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Cleanup efforts at two Michigan Areas of Concern, Muskegon Lake and White Lake, have reached important milestones, according to the Michigan Office of the Great Lakes. The Environmental Protection Agency on Feb. 26 lifted Beneficial Use Impairments on both lakes pertaining to fish consumption, allowing local residents and anglers to fish these lakes with fewer restrictions. Recent studies by Grand Valley State University on the lakes revealed that fish there did not possess higher concentrations of PCBs or mercury than fish in lakes that were not listed as Areas of Concern. Both lakes remain subject to the same fish consumption advisories as the other lakes in the area.

Wildlife

Lake Erie a test for birds and energy

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Lake Erie businesses are gearing up for The Biggest Week in American Birding, scheduled for May 3-12. What fascinates me is how quickly the issue of birding has gelled and what that could mean for the future of energy production and the environment by getting more people engaged with our natural resources.

Echo

Where’s the Concern? Week Seven

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Each week, Great Lakes Echo features a photo story about a different Area of Concern designated by the U.S. or Canadian governments in the Great Lakes basin. Guess where the area is located, based on the description of the site.

Echo

Photo Friday: Hungarian Falls freezes over

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A February snowshoeing trek to lower Hungarian Falls, near the town of Hubbell in Michigan’s Keweenaw Peninsula, revealed the 50-foot cascade to be largely encased in ice. Water could be heard trickling beneath the frozen surface, running into the winter-diminished Dover Creek and out into nearby Torch Lake. Photos by Julie Dau.

Echo

On-demand water information

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The U.S. Geological Survey’s WaterNow service can send users up-to-date water information via text or e-mail. Users can visit the service’s mapper and find a gauge located in their area. From there, they send that gauge’s site number to the service by text or e-mail and the service responds with up-to-date data within minutes.  

Echo

Comparing the states: Air quality violations

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Illinois has the highest percentage of facilities with air quality violations in 2012 among the Great Lakes states, according to the Environmental Protection Agency. Minnesota has the lowest. The figures come from an EPA map that reports state compliance with regulations. The map’s dashboard allows users to choose different measures and different years. Here are the percentages of major facilities with air quality violations for each state:

Illinois: 68 percent of 486 major facilities.

Echo

Kids’ Corner: Snow

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Echo reporters visited Lewton Elementary School in South Lansing, Mich., to find out what kids know about snow days.

In the second set of clips, an expert explains the issue in a little more detail.

This week’s expert is Daniel Brown, a research associate from Great Lakes Integrated Sciences and Assessments

Echo

Picture gallery profiles Lake Michigan’s residents

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The life and people of Lake Michigan is the subject of a gallery showing through May 19 at the Haggerty Museum of Art at Milwaukee’s Marquette University. Perimeter, a project of Kevin J. Miyazki, depicts 277 portraits of Lake Michigan’s unique individuals. To see some of the profiles, click here and scroll right. The project is aimed at “capturing a contemporary portrait of the lake by photographing people whose lives are closest to it,” according to Miyazaki’s website. Portraits feature scientists, fishermen, artists, community leaders, surfers, songwriters and many others.