Mr Great Lakes

For Friday, Dec. 9, 2016

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1 – More than 1,000 acres on the Upper Au Sable River is closer to being protected.

The Michigan Natural Resources Trust Fund Board has approved $3.1 million for a conservation project on the river near Grayling. The funding still needs approval by the Legislature.

The land has been owned for more than 70 years by a family who enjoyed it for hunting and fishing.

The land is to be sold to the state so it can be enjoyed by other families and outdoor enthusiasts. It is bordered to the north and south by state-owned property.

Huron Pines, a local nonprofit, says the project is important for linking together protected natural lands, maintaining healthy wildlife populations and protecting the waters of the Au Sable River.

The land sale has received community support from Crawford County, Frederic Township, the Grayling Chamber of Commerce and businesses. Huron Pines expects the sale to be finalized by the fall of 2017.

2 – Michigan needs to invest in infrastructure to address priorities including transportation, water and sewer systems, telecommunications and energy.

This is according to a report from a 21st Century Infrastructure Commission, unveiled this week by Gov. Rick Snyder.

The group says close to $60 billion in additional public spending is needed for the improvements over the next 20 years.

The report calls for replacing aging water systems, investing in roads and bridges, modernizing the electric grid, and making Michigan a top-five state for broadband internet service.

Recommendations from the Commission include expanding efforts to reduce energy waste, and obtaining 30 percent of Michigan’s energy needs from energy efficiency and renewable energy.

– Mr. Great Lakes is heard at 9:30 a.m. Fridays in Bay City, Michigan, on Delta College Q-90.1 FM NPR. Follow @jeffkarton Twitter #MrGreatLakes

 

For Friday, Nov. 20, 2015

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1 – There’s a bear hunt going on in northern Michigan.

This is a hunt for black bear dens. Hunters and trappers are being asked to report bear dens that they come across this season. The state Department of Natural Resources is looking for the locations of bear dens for an ongoing research program.

After locating a denned bear, DNR biologists will determine if the animal is a good candidate for the project. Bears that are selected will be sedated and fitted with a radio-tracking collar and ear tags.

The bear will then be returned to its den, where it will sleep through the winter.

Information gathered from bears will assist in managing the population, according to a DNR biologist in Roscommon.

Currently, three female bears are being monitored from the air and ground using radio tracking equipment.

2 – Bay Alerts are back in Bay County.

The county’s 911 department recently relaunched a new and improved Bay Alerts Emergency Management Notification system. The system includes new features that allow residents to manage the type, frequency, and method of emergency alerts that they receive.

Residents who sign-up for Bay Alerts receive text or email notices advising them of emergency information on severe thunderstorms, tornado, and winter storm warnings.

Bay Alerts also can notify residents via land-line telephones.

Residents can choose to receive additional alerts on traffic, road closures, preparedness tips and more.

To sign up or for more information, see the Bay County website or call 895-4112.

• via the Bay County newsletter

3 – Wind farms can bring a windfall to Michigan.

The American Wind Energy Association and Wind Energy Foundation recently looked at calculations made by the U.S. Department of Energy.

The analysis says further expansion of wind energy in Michigan could supply the electricity for more than 710,000 homes by 2030, and add more than $17 million in annual property tax revenue. More wind energy also could bring in $7.6 million in annual lease payments to Michigan landowners.

Wind farms provide about 3.7 percent of the electricity generated in Michigan; the report envisions 6.8% by 2030.

Wind energy has attracted almost $3 billion in investment to Michigan, and rural landowners receive a total of about $4.6 million a year in land lease payments for hosting wind turbines.

Currently, about 4,000 jobs are supported by wind power in Michigan, including at 33 factories that produce parts and supplies. The state has about 900 wind turbines installed, powering the equivalent of about 355,000 homes.

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Happy Thanksgiving!

– Mr. Great Lakes is heard at 9 a.m. Fridays in Bay City, Michigan, on Delta College Q-90.1 FM NPR.

Follow @jeffkart on Twitter

 

 

For Friday, Nov. 6, 2015

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1 – Microbeads continue to threaten the health of the Great Lakes. They’re used in products like facial scrubs, body washes and toothpaste.

But they’re ending up in the Great Lakes because they’re too tiny to be filtered out by wastewater treatment plants.

There’s concern that fish and other creatures are eating the beads, and that the beads are absorbing pollutants.

What’s a consumer to do? Michigan State University Extension suggests that consumers look for products that contain natural ingredients instead of plastic.

That means stop buying products that contain ‘polypropylene’ and ‘polyethylene’ and look for products that contain pumice, oatmeal, apricot pits and walnut husks.

A Michigan House bill would halt the manufacture and sale of products containing plastic microbeads by 2018.

2 – A Frankenmuth project has opened up spawning habitat to fish.

The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers recently announced the completion of the Frankenmuth fish passage project, located in Saginaw County.

The project restores fishery access to more than 73 miles of river and spawning habitat. Previously, the Cass River Dam prevented walleye, lake sturgeon and other native species from accessing the areas.

A rock ramp was constructed downstream from the dam to allow fish to pass. The rock ramp will allow fish to access spawning habitat that had been unreachable for more than 150 years.

The improvements are intended to restore the walleye population in the Cass River, so it can be largely self-sustained through natural reproduction. The river has been identified as one of six in the Saginaw Bay watershed that are key to increasing the natural reproduction of walleye.

3 – Michigan leaders want to double the state’s recycling rate.

They’re planning a challenge called Recycle by Design that will launch early next year.

Michigan’s overall recycling rate is 15 percent, lower than every other Great Lakes state, and below the national average of 34 percent, according to the state Department of Environmental Quality.

Recycle by Design is due to kick off on Feb. 15.

The challenge aims to foster public and private partnerships that result in successful strategies to increase recycling in Michigan.

For more information, see michiganrecycles.org.

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– Mr. Great Lakes is heard at 9 a.m. Fridays in Bay City, Michigan, on Delta College Q-90.1 FM NPR.

Follow @jeffkart on Twitter

For Friday, Aug. 21, 2015

[audio https://dl.dropbox.com/s/hftnawg96hepxmn/mr-great-lakes-8-21-15.mp3]

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1 – Michigan officials are reviewing a new federal rule regulating carbon emissions from power plants.

The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency issued the Clean Power Plan earlier this month. It will regulate carbon emissions from utilities for the first time, to help address climate change.

Multiple state agencies are looking at the rule and its implications for Michigan. An official with the Michigan Agency for Energy says the state hopes to find “a reasonable path to compliance,” and the public will have a chance to participate in the development of a plan.

Gov. Rick Snyder has said that, even without the rule, the expected retirement of a number of Michigan coal-fired power plants due to environmental regulations and age, means that up to 40 percent of the state’s power should be coming from cleaner sources by 2025.

State officials hope to have their review and analysis complete shortly after Labor Day.

See also: Michigan is more than halfway toward meeting a clean power goal

2 – There’s still time to comment on a water strategy for Michigan.

A draft of the strategy was released earlier this year, and public meetings have been held in Saginaw and other locations.

The strategy is built around a 30-year vision.

Key recommendations include:

●   Achieving a 40 percent reduction to phosphorus in the western Lake Erie basin

●   Preventing the introduction of new aquatic invasive species and controlling established ones

●   Supporting investments in commercial and recreational harbors and maritime infrastructure

●   Developing a water trails system.

The plan was put together by the state Department of Environmental Quality, along with the state Departments of Natural Resources, and Agriculture and Rural Development, the Michigan Economic Development Corp., and communities and organizations around the state.

Comments are due by Friday, Aug. 28.

3 – You can use your smartphone to build a rain garden.

You’ll also need a shovel.

A free Rain Garden App, highlighted recently by the Great Lakes Protection Fund, is designed to help a person properly install a rain garden at their home or office.

It includes video tutorials and diagrams, and guides on selecting plants. There also are tools for determining soil type, and measuring the size of the area.

In case you’re not familiar, a rain garden is an area, usually about 6 inches deep, that collects stormwater that runs off of a roof, driveway or yard, and helps filter out pollutants.

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– Mr. Great Lakes is heard at 9 a.m. Fridays in Bay City, Michigan, on Delta College Q-90.1 FM NPR.

Follow @jeffkart on Twitter