For Friday, June 12, 2015

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1 – This weekend is Free Fishing Weekend in Michigan.

That’s Saturday and Sunday, June 13 and 14.

All fishing license fees will be waived for the two days. Residents and out-of-state visitors may enjoy fishing for all species on inland and Great Lakes’ waters.

Research shows that young people today do not have access to fishing opportunities that were enjoyed by previous generations. Reasons include living in urban or suburban areas, competition for time by an ever-increasing schedule of special activities, and too little time for unstructured leisure.

Events are being held around the state. In Bay County, there’s a Free Fishing Festival at the Bay City State Recreation Area in Bangor Township. That includes a Family Fishing Derby, with rods and bait provided and trophies for the largest of each species of fish caught. There also will be a “Fishing Fairway,” where booths will be set up to teach and demonstrate skills, safety and knowledge which can be helpful while fishing Michigan’s waters.

Michigan offers some of the finest freshwater fishing in the world, according to the Department of Natural Resources, with more than 3,000 miles of Great Lakes shoreline, more than 11,000 inland lakes and tens of thousands of miles of rivers and streams.

2 – The Great Lakes Protection Fund is looking for projects.

The aim is for projects that create ecological improvements on a regional scale.

The cutoff date for preproposals is Aug. 3, and decisions are expected in December.

Themes being explored include

• Prototypes of Insurance, Assurance and Financial Products for the Ecosystem
• Performance-Based Green Infrastructure Competition
• Smarter Water – Healthier Lakes

The Great Lakes Protection Fund is a private, nonprofit corporation formed in 1989 by the governors of the Great Lakes states. To date, the Fund has awarded more than $72 million to support 259 projects.

To find out more, visit glpf.org.

3 – Renewable energy is paying off.

DTE Electric, Michigan’s largest electric utility, recently filed a rate change request to eliminate renewable energy surcharges from customer bills.

The surcharge will be removed beginning in January 2016, reducing electric rates by $15 million a year.

Consumer’s Energy, the second-largest investor-owned utility in Michigan, has already eliminated renewable surcharges on consumer bills.

The Michigan Energy Innovation Business Council, a trade association, says the elimination of the surcharges is additional proof of the rapid decline in costs associated with renewable energy in the state.

It also demonstrates the success of a 2008 renewable energy law that has spurred more than $3 billion in economic activity tied to renewable energy projects in Michigan.

— Mr. Great Lakes is heard at 9 a.m. Fridays in Bay City, Michigan, on Delta College Q-90.1 FM NPR.