jeffkart

Solar-Powered Hatcheries, Shoreline Cleanups and a Climate Talk

For Friday, Sept. 13, 2024 🩸

1 – You may know about fish stocking in the Great Lakes, which is done to enhance sport fishing, among other things. 

But did you know that five of Michigan’s six hatcheries run on solar power? 

Illustration of solar panels providing renewable energy at a fish hatchery. Credit: OpenAI’s DALL·E

The Department of Natural Resources received funding in 2021 to install solar arrays at five hatcheries. These sites are the department’s highest energy users due to the equipment required for fish rearing. 

Officials say the solar arrays produced more than 652,000 kilowatt-hours between June 2023 and March 2024. 

That resulted in expected cost savings of $89,000 in the first year of production. Savings of $2.5 million are projected over 25 years. 

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2 – More than 10 million pieces of litter were removed from Great Lakes shorelines over 20 years. 

That’s according to a report from the Alliance for the Great Lakes, which organizes Adopt-a-Beach cleanups.

Volunteers who participate in cleanups catalog what they find, which is mostly smaller bits of plastic trash. 

The nonprofit says data from beach cleanups help identify litter patterns, raise awareness about plastic pollution and support reduction policies.

Beach cleanups go on even after beach season ends. A private event is planned for later this month at the Bay City State Park. 

To find out more, see adopt.greatlakes.org.

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3 – More information is out about the upcoming State of the Bay Conference in Bay City. 

The Sept. 26 event at the Doubletree in downtown Bay City will gather people who are working to promote, guide and implement restoration and conservation projects across the region.  

Jane Elder, author of “Wilderness, Water and Rust: A Journey toward Great Lakes Resilience,” will keynote the event. 

Dr. Daria Kluver of Central Michigan University also will offer a lunch discussion about climate change and what it means for the Saginaw Bay watershed. 

More information is online at StateOfTheBay2024.org. 

– Mr. Great Lakes is heard at 6:45 and 8:45 Friday mornings on Delta College Public Radio 90.1 FM in University Center, Michigan, near Bay City (listen live). Follow @jeffkart on Twitter #MrGreatLakes

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