For Friday, March 11, 2022

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1 -Boaters are encouraged to recycle the shrink wrap used to protect their vessels during the winter. 

The Michigan Recycling Coalition has a program with the state Department of Environment, Great Lakes, and Energy to recycle polyethylene film plastics.

Shrink film is commonly used to insulate and protect boats for winter storage and at farms and greenhouses. 

Film plastics are not biodegradable and contribute significantly to landfills. 

Boaters are advised to recycle their shrink wrap by using EZ-Fill bags and businesses can register as drop-off sites to have the bags collected. 

Recycled plastics from the program as used to make composite decking. 

For more information, see MichiganRecycles.org.

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2 – The National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, also known as NOAA, is highlighting cleanup projects under the federal Great Lakes Restoration Initiative. 

Under the initiative, 85 NOAA-supported projects in Michigan and five other Great Lakes states have restored nearly 4,600 acres of habitat since 2010.

That includes habitat restoration in places like the Detroit River here in Michigan and the Buffalo River in New York.

The 4,600 acres restored represents habitat for fish and wildlife. NOAA says the work has improved fish passage, cleaned up debris, restored coastal wetlands and managed invasive species. 

An online Restoration Atlas shows two projects in the Saginaw Bay region including survey and engineering work to improve 1,250 acres of emergent wetlands in the Saginaw River.

The Saginaw Bay and River are listed as an Area of Concern under the 1987 Great Lakes Water Quality Agreement and restoration activities are ongoing. Three of 12 impairments have been removed from a list of environmental problems.

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3 – Organizers say a new Saginaw Valley program has the potential to create a market for a certified “sustainably-raised” wheat crop. 

The program is by Star of the West Milling Co., a grain processor in Frankenmuth, and The Nature Conservancy. 

The effort is focused on improving soil health and protecting drinking water used by almost 1 million people in the Saginaw Bay watershed. 

The program will enroll up to 15 wheat farmers a year who are interested in improving the sustainability of their farms. 

The conservancy will work with Star of the West experts on enrollments, evaluations and verification of in-field practices. 

Once verified, participating growers will be eligible to receive nature-based bonus payments when they sell their wheat at Star of the West.

– Mr. Great Lakes is heard Friday mornings in Bay City, Michigan, on Delta College Public Radio 90.1 FM (listen live). Follow @jeffkart on Twitter #MrGreatLakes

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