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From: Eric Freedman
http://news.jrn.msu.edu/capitalnewsservice/
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EDITORS: This is our 3rd Michigan environmental summer package in collaboration with our partner Great Lakes Echo. Our 1st file of the fall will be Friday, Sept. 18.
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HERE’S YOUR FILE:
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WHITEFISH FUNDING: For the first time, the Legislature has put a line item in the state budget for whitefish restoration, but it’s only a $350,000, one-time shot in the arm for the declining population. We hear from the DNR and Clean Water Action. By Anna Barnes. FOR ALL POINTS.
w/WHITEFISH FUNDING PHOTO: A whitefish. Credit: Department of Natural Resources
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EV ACCESS: Michigan is actively expanding electric vehicle infrastructure and promoting the transition to electric transportation, but the presence of charging stations doesn’t necessarily mean all residents can benefit equally from electric vehicles, say researchers from Michigan Tech and University of Wisconsin. By Kyrmyzy Turebayeva. FOR ALL POINTS.
w/EV ACCESS PHOTO CAR: Electric vehicle charging at a park. Credit: Department of Environment, Great Lakes and Energy
w/EV ACCESS PHOTO SCHELLY: Chelsea Schelly, a professor at the University of Wisconsin-Madison. Courtesy of Chelsea Schelly
EV ACCESS PHOTO IDOKO: Vincent Edache Idoko, a doctoral student at the University of Wisconsin-Madison. Courtesy of Vincent Edache Idoko
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WILDFIRE WILDLIFE PETS: While health officials urge people to stay indoors due to the smoke draping the Midwest, experts, including an MSU veterinary pathologist, say to remember that the same polluted air affecting humans also threatens wildlife and pets. On July 16, Detroit ranked as the city with the worst air quality in the world. By Julia Roeder. FOR ALL POINTS.
w/WILDFIRE WILDLIFE PETS PHOTO: Smoke from wildfires threatens animal health. Credit: Department of Environment, Great Lakes and Energy
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ALGAL REMOVAL: A three-year project to remove algal mats from Lake St. Clair – a problem that has closed water access and worsened since the arrival of invasive mussels – begins this fall. Sponsors are from Harrison Township and St. Clair Shores. We hear from Macomb County Public Works and MSU Extension experts. By Anna Barnes. FOR ALL POINTS.
w/ALGAL REMOVAL PHOTO: Algal mats accumulated at a former Department of Natural Resources boat launch in Harrison Township. Credit: Macomb County Public Works
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MIDWEST DIVERSITY: A recent study uncovers changes within historical tree biodiversity hotspots in Michigan and elsewhere in the Midwest, with implications for new conservation efforts in forested areas of concern. Experts from MSU, Virginia Tech and the Nature Conservancy explain. By Akia Thrower. FOR ALL POINTS.
w/MIDWEST BIODIVERSITY FOREST PHOTO: Dappled sunlight through a beech-maple forest in Sleeping Bear Dunes National Lakeshore. Credit: National Park Service
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CONSERVATION FUNDING: The state’s new budget includes $2 million for wetlands conservation efforts, double last year’s amount. The DNR, Audubon Great Lakes and Detroit Bird Alliance explain the importance of wetlands as critical habitat for numerous species, including marsh birds and migratory birds. By Akia Thrower. FOR ALL POINTS.
w/CONSERVATION FUNDING CAMERA PHOTO: Ava Landgraf installs a nest camera at St. Clair Flats near the St. Clair River. Credit: David Fuller
w/CONSERVATION FUNDING PHOTO NEST PLATFORM: Black tern nest on a nesting platform. Credit: Ava Landgraf
w/CONSERVATION FUNDING PHOTO BLACK TERN: Black tern in flight. Credit: David Fuller.
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WASP RESEARCH: MSU researchers have launched a long-term effort to combat the invasive scarlet lily beetle, using specialized wasps instead of pesticides to reduce populations of the destructive garden pest. By Demonte Thomas. FOR ALL POINTS.
w/WASP RESEARCH BEETLE: Adult scarlet lily beetle. Credit: Sheila Babbitt/ Michigan State University
w/WASP RESEARCH PHOTO DAMAGED LILY: Damaged lily flowers from invasive scarlet lily beetles. Credit: Marianna Szucs/ Michigan State University
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RATTLESNAKE: The DNR is warning the public to keep away from the eastern massasauga rattlesnake, Michigan’s only native venomous snake. It hasn’t killed anybody in the state in over a century, but a man was bitten this summer in Oakland County. By Anna Barnes. FOR ALL POINTS
w/RATTLENSAKE PHOTO: An eastern massasauga rattlesnake. Credit: Department of Natural Resources
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CONSERVANCY TRAIL: Lansing-area residents and visitors will have access to a new nature trail come October. The Mid-Michigan Land Conservancy is nearing completion on the Ionia Natural Area Trail, which will be just under one mile long. By Demonte Thomas. FOR ALL POINTS
w/CONSERVANCY TRAIL PHOTO: The Mid-Michigan Land Conservancy will make its Ionia Natural Area Trail available to the public in October 2026. Credit: Mid-Michigan Land Conservancy
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