For Friday, Sept. 20, 2024

1  – More baby sturgeon will soon be swimming in the Saginaw Bay watershed. 

Public release events are planned for Saturday, Sept. 21, for the Cass, Flint, Shiawassee and Tittabawassee rivers. 

More than 100 hatchery-raised sturgeon will be released into each of the tributaries. 

The fish come from lower Lake Huron near the upper St. Clair River. They were reared at a U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service hatchery in Wisconsin, according to Michigan Sea Grant. 

Saturday’s public release events are set for 11 a.m. in Midland, noon in Chesaning, 2 p.m. in Flint and 2:30 p.m. in Frankenmuth. 

The events are part of efforts to restore sturgeon to a self-sustaining level in Michigan. 

Sturgeon are a prehistoric fish that were once abundant in many Michigan lakes and rivers. But they were nearly eradicated due to overfishing and habitat loss.

More info is online at saginawbaysturgeon.org.

…

2 – Michigan’s 19 million acres of forests are transitioning to fall colors.

A Pure Michigan campaign is spending more than half million dollars to target in-state travelers and out-of-state folks in Illinois, Ohio, Indiana, Wisconsin and Minnesota. 

Not only are the leaves beautiful, but Pure Michigan officials say the colors play a vital role in driving economic activity in communities across the state. 

According to research conducted by SMARInsights, the Pure Michigan campaign was directly responsible for 1.5 million visitor trips in 2023, resulting in $2.5 billion in visitor spending which generated $156 million in state tax revenue.

More info on fall in Michigan, including color updates and forecasts, is online at Michigan.org/fall.

…

3 – Great Lakes advocates will gather in Chicago next week (Sept. 26-27) for the annual conference by the Healing Our Waters-Great Lakes Coalition. 

Organizers says the conference comes at a pivotal moment, as the U.S. Congress attempts to pass legislation to maintain federal investments to restore and protect the Great Lakes, the source of drinking water for more than 30 million people. 

This year marks the 15-year anniversary of the federal Great Lakes Restoration Initiative, which funds the clean-up of toxic pollution, restoration of fish and wildlife habitat, reduction in runoff pollution and management of invasive species.

The Healing Our Waters-Great Lakes Coalition has been around for 20 years and includes more than 180 groups whose common goal is to restore and protect the Great Lakes.

– 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

-30-