March 19, 2021 CNS Budget — Week 8
To: CNS Editors
From: Eric Freedman & Judy Putnam
http://news.jrn.msu.edu/capitalnewsservice/
For technical problems, contact CNS technical manager Eryn Ho at (616) 485-9295; hoeryn@msu.edu.
For other matters, contact Eric Freedman at (517) 256-3873; freedma5@msu.edu.
Here’s your file:
FARMERS AND CLIMATE: Agriculture is on the front line in the fight for sustainability and against climate change. We talk to an Owosso dairy farmer, the director of the Department of Agriculture and Rural Development, the president of the Michigan Agri-business Association and the Michigan Agriculture Environmental Assurance Program. For news and agriculture pages. By Sophia Lada. FOR MICHIGAN FARM NEWS, LANSING CITY PULSE AND ALL POINTS.
w/FARMERS AND CLIMATE PHOTO 1: A sign on Allen Family Farms in Owosso shows the farm has met environmentally friendly standards under a state program. Credit: Shelly Allen.
w/FARMERS AND CLIMATE PHOTO 2: A concrete manure containment barn on the Allen Family Farms in Owosso keeps contaminants from reaching a creek on the property. Credit: Shelly Allen.
—
EARLY EDUCATION: The pandemic has been especially difficult for early education and preschool teachers and children. The Michigan Association for the Education of Young Children and the director of a preschool in Ludington explain why. By Kristia Postema. FOR LUDINGTON, MANISTEE AND ALL POINTS.
—
HEALTH CRISIS: Gym and fitness center owners say it’s safe for the state to increase their capacity due to the low risk of transmitting COVID-19 in their facilities. They also say they’re concerned about rising obesity, addiction and depression rates after last year’s pandemic-related lockdowns. We talk to several, including ones in Metro Detroit and the Grand Rapids area. By Chloe Trofatter. FOR DETROIT, GRAND RAPIDS BUSINESS AND ALL POINTS.
—
MURDER HORNETS: A U.S. Department of Agriculture researcher has warned Michigan beekeepers about the threat that so-called “murder hornets” — invasive Asian giant hornets — pose if they reach the state. Already found in the Pacific Northwest, they can attack and destroy a honeybee hive within a few hours. We hear from the researcher and the Michigan Beekeepers Association. For news and agriculture pages. By Brandon Chew. FOR MICHIGAN FARM NEWS AND ALL POINTS.
w/MURDER HORNETS PHOTO 1: Two dead murder hornets on a notebook. Credit: Washington State Department of Agriculture.
w/MURDER HORNETS PHOTO 2: Queen murder hornets can be 2 inches long. Credit: Washington State Department of Agriculture.
—
FISHING: Charter boat operators sound optimistic about prospects for spring and summer business, thanks in part to pandemic-related travel restrictions that keep anglers closer to home. Captains from St. Joseph, Charlevoix and Traverse City explain. By Sheldon Krause. FOR HOLLAND, LUDINGTON, MANISTEE, PETOSKEY, HARBOR SPRINGS, ALCONA, TRAVERSE CITY, LEELANAU, CHEBOYGAN, ST. IGNACE, MARQUETTE, SAULT STE. MARIE, BENZIE, OCEANA AND ALL POINTS.
w/FISHING GRAPHIC: Michigan fishing license purchases, 2015-20. Credit: Department of Natural Resources.
w/FISHING PHOTO 1: Capt. Russ Clark of Sea Hawk Charters in St. Joseph. Credit: Russ Clark.
w/FISHING PHOTO 2: Capt. Dan Lasky of Going Deeper Sportfishing in Charlevoix. Credit: Dan Lasky.
—
FISH GENES: Understanding how genes affect which fish can see deep in Lake Superior could help scientists understand how to protect them. Kiyis belong to the ciscoes, which play a key role in Great Lakes food webs and are food source for siscowet lake trout. They may have regained an ancestral adaptation that enables better vision in deep water. By Kyle Davidson. FOR MARQUETTE, SAULT STE. MARIE, BAY MILLS, ST. IGNACE, ALCONA, MONROE, CHEBOYGAN, HARBOR SPRINGS, PETOSKEY, TRAVERSE CITY, LEELANAU, HOLLAND, LUDINGTON, MANISTEE, BENZIE COUNTY, OCEANA COUNTY AND ALL POINTS.
w/ FISH GENES PHOTO 1: Kiyis live in the depths of Lake Superior. By studying the kiyis’ genetics, scientists may be able to help restore them in the other Great Lakes. Credit: U.S. Geological Survey.
w/ FISH GENES PHOTO 2: Katherine Eaton, the lead author of a recent study on kiyis in Lake Superior, developed a new way to identify the vision gene carried by the fish. Credit: Katherine Eaton.
—
DETROIT RIVER: Thanks to a spongy M&M-like technology, contaminated soil in the Detroit River has been contained. Powdered activated carbon absorbed the contaminated soil in the $3.6 million Detroit Riverwalk project that finished in December. The progress makes it possible to start construction on a 3.5 mile extension of the Riverwalk along the east riverfront. We talk to a contractor and the Detroit Riverfront Conservancy. By Brianna M. Lane. FOR DETROIT AND ALL POINTS.
w/DETROIT RIVER PHOTO 1: An excavator drops activated carbon into the Detroit River. Credit: AquaBlok
w/DETROIT RIVER PHOTO 2: The technology that acts like M&Ms, AquaGate +PAC, was used to contain contaminants for the Detroit Riverwalk project. Credit: AquaBlok
—
DROWNINGS: A new study says the COVID-19 pandemic indirectly caused more drownings in the Great Lakes, an estimated 24 more drownings in 2020 than the historical average in lakes Michigan, Ontario and Huron. Drowning spikes on Lake Michigan and Lake Ontario occurred around the time surrounding states were re-opening from stay-at-home orders. The increase for Lake Huron came after Ontario residents were allowed to travel further. There was no significant change in Lake Erie drownings. By Taylor Haelterman. FOR ALCONA, CHEBOYGAN, ST. IGNACE, MARQUETTE, SAULT STE. MARIE, TRAVERSE CITY, HARBOR SPRINGS, PETOSKEY, MONROE, LEELANAU, HOLLAND, MANISTEE, LUDINGTON, OCEANA, BENZIE , CHEBOYGANAND ALL POINTS.
w/DROWNINGS PHOTO 1: The Great Lakes Surf Rescue Project advocates for public beaches to employ lifeguards to prevent drownings. Credit: Richard Bell via Unsplash.
w/DROWNINGS PHOTO 2: Life-saving equipment is one tactic to prevent drownings on the Great Lakes. Credit: Michigan Sea Grant.
CNS