For Friday, August 29, 2025

1 – What do you call animals without a backbone that can be seen with the naked eye? Aquatic macroinvertebrates. 

Volunteers are needed for a stream sampling event that uses these tiny animals to assess water quality in the Cedar River. 

The event is Saturday, Sept. 13. Teams will gather at 10 a.m. at the Gladwin Conservation District’s Community Garden before heading out to six sampling sites across Gladwin and Clare counties.

This is the 11th year for the stream monitoring program, put on by the Little Forks Conservancy of Midland. 

More information on the Sept. 13 stream sampling event is online at LittleForks.org. 

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2 – Happy belated World Lake Day. 

Wednesday, Aug. 27, was officially the first-ever World Lake Day, as declared by the United Nations. 

World Lake Day is dedicated to “preserving, celebrating, and sustainably managing the world’s lakes.”

The state marked the occasion with proclamations from the governor and Michigan Department of Environment, Great Lakes, and Energy. 

That included a list of timeless opportunities to get involved.

They include picking up trash or joining an organized cleanup, swimming, boating, fishing, and supporting organizations advancing research or stewardship.

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3 – Range anxiety is a real concern for folks considering an electric vehicle. That is, the fear of not having enough of a battery charge to make it to your destination, or the next charging station. 

Michigan State University researchers recently contributed a report from the Michigan Economic Development Corp. on EV charging stations in the state. 

The report looks at how many charging stations are needed and where they should be located to meet current and future demands. An executive summary: The need totals $998 million. Right now, there are less than 4,000 public charging stations in Michigan. The study said Michigan would need more than 66,000 new charging stations if 25 percent of Michigan drivers chose electric vehicles.

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