For Aug. 17, 2018

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1 – Save the date for a Sept. 15 beach cleanup.

September Adopt-a-Beach is the largest annual day of action for the Great Lakes, say organizers from the Alliance for the Great Lakes.

During the volunteer event, thousands join together to cleanup local beaches and collect data on beach litter.

Last year, more than 6,300 volunteers picked up more than 11,000 pounds of debris at more than 240 sites around the region, including Saginaw Bay.

Volunteers are still needed for September Adopt-a-Beach.

Sept. 15 is a Saturday, and event times vary by location.

To find cleanups in your area, go online to greatlakesadopt.org.

 

2 –  If you’re up to it, the Michigan Department of Natural Resources is asking people who find Asian longhorned beetles to put them in a jar and report the finding to the DNR.

The Asian longhorned beetle is a highly destructive, invasive pest that can kill maple, birch, elm and other hardwood trees. Officials say reporting sightings or signs of the pest can help prevent widespread tree loss in Michigan. It hasn’t been found here yet.

Adult beetles have bullet-shaped bodies from 3/4 inch to 1-1/2 inches long. The beetle is shiny black with white spots and long, black-and-white-striped antennae. Its legs and feet may be bluish in color.

If you can capture the insect, look to see if it has a spot between the top of its wing covers – if so, it likely is a white spotted pine sawyer, which is often mistaken for an Asian longhorned beetle.

If it doesn’t have the spot, put the insect in a jar and freeze it.

Take photos, note the location and report it as soon as possible to the DNR: email to the Michigan Department of Agriculture and Rural Development at MDA-info@michigan.gov, call 800-292-3939 or go online to the Midwest Invasive Species Information Network at misin.msu.edu.

– Mr. Great Lakes is heard at 9:30 a.m. Fridays in Bay City, Michigan, on Delta College Q-90.1 FM NPR. Follow @jeffkart on Twitter #MrGreatLakes