(No live segment this week due to technical difficulties) For Friday, June 5, 2026

1 – Happy June. Wildlife Drive is open. 

The 7-mile auto route starts at 6000 Bishop Road in Saginaw and goes through the wetlands, prairies and forested habitats of the Shiawassee National Wildlife Refuge.

It’s free and is said to provide excellent opportunities to see wildlife and the great outdoors. 

Wildlife Drive is open annually from June 1 through Sept. 30 during daylight hours. 

The entrance is located about nine miles south of I-675 and five miles west of M-33. 

Folks on Facebook report seeing eagles and osprey during recent drives.

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2 – You might call it potato propaganda, meant to sow opposition to renewable energy projects. 

The nonprofit Canary Media has a news report on some lawmakers in Michigan and Pennsylvania who are spreading false claims about solar panels and leaching. 

The claims are that companies won’t buy potatoes from farmers on land where solar developments are sited. 

As one lawmaker said in a video posted online: “Any field that had solar panels installed on it will never be allowed to grow potatoes for human consumption due to the leaching.” 

PepsiCo, which owns Frito-Lay, denied the claim. 

The news report says there is not any published evidence that solar farms have a negative impact on potato farming. Panels can actually benefit from growing alongside shade-making solar panels. 

– Mr. Great Lakes is (normally) 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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