Echo

Youth symposium highlights Great Lakes stewardship, research

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For four days in May, the Lake Superior Youth Symposium will bring students, teachers and scientists together to promote better stewardship of the Great Lakes. The symposium starts May 16 in Houghton, Mich. at Michigan Technological University’s Great Lakes Research Center. The goal of the symposium, now in its 10th year, is to work with middle and high school students and their teachers to improve their understanding of environmental science and encourage the conservation of the Great Lakes. Attendees participate in hands-on workshops, challenge courses and art and music programs that highlight careers aimed at protecting the Great Lakes.

Echo

Videographer captures northern Michigan winter

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Snow and Ice: A Northern Michigan Winter from Jason Whalen on Vimeo. Jason Whalen strapped on his snowshoes, loaded his camera equipment onto a sled, and set out for the snow-covered wilds of the north coast of Michigan’s Upper Peninsula to capture the icy beauty of its winter months. “I’ve always seen pictures of the frozen waterfalls, and ice caves there, but never had the chance to go myself before,” the Lansing-based videographer said, “I had a free weekend, so I went up there to record them so that others could share in the experience. I think more people respond to video than still photos.”

Whalen’s video odyssey took him to the Eben Ice Caves near Marquette, Mich. and then to Lake Superior’s coast to film ice floating on rolling waves.

Echo

Current State: The future of Michigan’s climate

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Climate change is continuing to influence Michigan’s environment. Last March a sudden thaw and freeze devastated the state’s berry crops. While recently, record low water levels have forced the government to spend millions on dredging. Jeff Andresen,  Michigan Climatologist and assistant professor of geography at Michigan State University discusses Michigan’s climate future.

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.

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

Current State: Michigan’s groundwater at risk

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The Great Lakes’ record-low water levels are rightly receiving all of the attention now, but evidence is growing that Michigan’s fragile groundwater resources are quietly becoming a concern for the future. Robert Glennon, professor of law and public policy at the University of Arizona and author of “Unquenchable: America’s Water Crisis and What to do About It,” knows Michigan well and shares his insights. Echo has reported on the consequences of drought on Great Lakes groundwater – which can also be seen on this map – and the challenge of measuring its effects. The need for better groundwater conservation continues to be a widely overlooked issue facing the Basin.  

Nearshore

Mr. Great Lakes: Beach butts and renewable energy

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Mr. Great Lakes (Jeff Kart) reports from Bay City, Michigan’s Delta College Q-90.1 FM.  

 

This week Kart discusses renewable energy investments and the trash count from the Adopt-a-Beach Great Lakes cleanup program. Text at Mr Great Lakes

Recreation

Alpena, Mich. “Sanctuary of the Great Lakes”

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The Lake Huron city of Alpena, Mich. has adopted a new slogan to promote the community as a place of peace and rejuvenation for visitors. The slogan, “Sanctuary of the Great Lakes,” came out of an effort to develop a brand to attract more tourists, according to city officials. Alpena is home to the Thunder Bay National Marine Sanctuary, an underwater preserve sheltering an estimated 116 shipwrecks dating from the nineteenth century to the present. “Thunder Bay National Marine Sanctuary is unique in the world,” said Deb Pardike, executive director of the Alpena Convention and Visitor’s Bureau.