12/04/20 CNS Budget — Week 13
To: CNS Editors
From: David Poulson and Judy Putnam
http://news.jrn.msu.edu/capitalnewsservice/
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Here is your file:
TRANSIT FUTURE: Federal funding helped Michigan transit agencies stay in good shape throughout the pandemic. It’s the fiscal year that starts Oct. 1, 2021 that transportation authorities worry about. Concerns that the pandemic will eat up state revenues for the 2022 fiscal year have transit authorities looking for budget solutions. We talk to a statewide association and authorities in Lansing, Traverse City and Saginaw. By Zholdas Orisbayev. For TRAVERSE CITY, LEELENAU, LANSING AND ALL POINTS.
STARGAZING: Stargazing is providing a reprieve from the COVID-19 pandemic, including at internationally recognized dark parks in Emmet and Cass counties. Glimpsing stars, planets and nebulae can still be done safely with access to a darkened backyard, field, park or even the shores of the Great Lakes. We talk to a Cass County dark sky advocate, Oakland County astronomers and a U-M expert on the emotional benefits of stargazing. By Claire Moore. FOR PETOSKEY, HARBOR SPRINGS, STURGIS, THREE RIVERS AND ALL POINTS.
w/STARGAZING PHOTO 1: The Pleiades, also known as the “Seven Sisters” and Messier 45, is photographed from Dr. T.K. Lawless Park in Cass County. Credit: Robert Parrish.
w/STARGAZING PHOTO 2: A Headlands sign directs visitors to the park’s dark sky viewing spots. Credit: Headlands International Dark Sky Park.
: Earth’s moon, in its full phase, is photographed Oct. 31, 2020, in central Michigan. Credit: Claire Moore.
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COAST GUARD CUTTER: The U.S. Coast Guard wants to retire its oldest cutter on the Great Lakes, the 57-year-old cutter Buckthorn based in Sault Ste. Marie. Doing so will take years, however, as the Coast Guard awaits congressional budgetary approval to begin the process of replacing up to 35 aging cutters. The Buckthorn covers between Whitefish Point on Lake Superior through the St. Marys River connecting Lake Huron to Lake Superior to Cedarville. The first replacement may not be ready until 2025, and it could take until 2030 for all the new ones to enter service. We talk to its commanding officer. By Eric Freedman. FOR SAULT STE. MARIE, ST. IGNACE, CHEBOYGAN, ALCONA, MONTMORENCY, MARQUETTE, BAY MILLS AND ALL POINTS.
w/COAST GUARD CUTTER PHOTO: U.S. Coast Guard cutter Buckthorn is the oldest cutter on the Great Lakes. Credit: U.S. Coast Guard
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GRAY WOLVES: The Trump administration decision to remove the gray wolf from the endangered species list in the lower 48 states is generating controversy and threatened litigation. The Fish & Wildlife Service says the wolf has met recovery goals that make it unnecessary for Endangered Species Act protection. There are roughly 4,000 in Michigan, Wisconsin and Minnesota. The superintendent of Isle Royale National Park says delisting might decrease public interest in funding the translocation of wolves to places like Isle Royale where the population is under 20 and they are needed to balance the moose population. By Chioma Lewis FOR MARQUETTE, BAY MILLS, SAULT STE. MARIE, CHEBOYGAN, ST. IGNACE AND ALL POINTS.
w/GRAY WOLVES PHOTO1: About 4,000 gray wolves are in Michigan, Wisconsin and Minnesota. Credit: Gary Kramer, U.S. Fish & Wildlife Service.
w/GRAY WOLVES PHOTO2: Superintendent Denice Swanke of Isle Royale National Park said removing gray wolves from the endangered species list may make it harder for the population to grow on the island. Credit: National Park Service.
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COVID CLEAN AIR: The same pandemic that restricts travel and manufacturing is having a measurably decreased air pollution in parts of the Great Lakes region, experts say. It is an impact that scientists can detect with sensors mounted on NASA satellites and that measure nitrogen dioxide, a pollutant that can exacerbate human respiratory problems such as asthma, cause acid rain and speed the creation of ozone and the pace of climate change. But sparsely populated areas like Michigan’s Upper Peninsula see little benefit, partly because they already have less economic activity and are affected by other pollution sources such as wildfire. By Capital News Service. FOR MARQUETTE, ST. IGNACE, SAULT STE. MARIE AND ALL POINTS
CNS