Anglers enlisted in water fight

By COLLEEN OTTE
Capital News Service
LANSING — Alert anglers are to the Great Lakes what the military is to the United States: the last line of defense against invaders. “Anglers are kind of the eyes and ears on the water for us,” said Seth Herbst, aquatic invasive species coordinator for the Department of Natural Resources (DNR) Fisheries Division. A recent study by researchers at Cornell University found that anglers in the Great Lakes region are aware of and concerned about the threat of aquatic invasive species. Already such invaders have significantly altered the ecological makeup of the Great Lakes. In the 1950s and 1980s, populations of alewife, a herring species, peaked in Lake Huron and Lake Michigan.

Eye in the sky looks at Great Lakes wrecks

By COLLEEN OTTE
Capital News Service
LANSING — When spotting submerged shipwrecks proved difficult, researchers oddly looked to the sky. Shipwrecks can threaten the Great Lakes environment if remaining onboard fuel leaks or they harbor invasive species that like to stick to them. A recent study in the Journal of Archaeological Science suggests that satellite imagery can be used to locate these potentially hazardous wrecks that may otherwise go unnoticed. Shipwreck searchers rely on sonar in deep waters and airborne laser systems in clear waters. But neither method is as effective for near shore areas with cloudy, shallow waters, according to the study.

Hope for ash?

By COLLEEN OTTE
Capital News Service
LANSING —
Experts used to say the number of ash lost in Michigan was tens of millions. Now they say hundreds of millions, according to Deborah McCullough, a professor of entomology and forestry in Michigan State University. Still, there’s hope for the ash’s survival. “In a nutshell, what I found is that ash seems to be holding on quite well,” said Dan Kashian, who studies ash tree regeneration. The mortality varies among species, but now the devastation has become an international epidemic, McCullough said.

Lake Michigan bird carcasses make waves in botulism research.

By COLLEEN OTTE
Capital News Service
LANSING — Using satellites to follow dead birds drifting on Lake Michigan may hold the key to locating the source of the elusive botulinum toxin, which causes paralysis and death in birds. To track down where waterbirds might be exposed to the toxin, a recent study developed a model of how loon carcasses drift using an approach similar to that of search-and-rescue operations, said Jennifer Chipault, a wildlife biologist for the U.S. Geological Survey National Wildlife Health Center. The idea stems from previous evidence that loons – the most plentiful victims of avian botulism – feed as deep as 250 feet. That suggests the birds may be contracting the toxin further offshore than originally thought. The impact of the disease can be massive.

Weather, water conditions pose threats to Isle Royale

By COLLEEN OTTE
Capital News Service
LANSING — The introduction of invasive species and the decline of native species are among the most pressing issues facing Isle Royale, according to the national park’s top administrator. And rising temperatures make those problems even worse, Park Superintendent Phyllis Green said. “Some things that factor into the islands pretty heavily are that winds over the Great Lakes are stronger – Lake Superior being about 12 percent higher than it was in 1985,” Green said in a talk at Michigan State University. “And the waters in the Great Lakes are hotter, increasing faster than the air temperatures.”

Lake Superior’s temperature rose 4.5 degrees from 1979 to 2006, double the air temperature increases. The added heat could help with the survival of aquatic invasive species, Green said.

Solar power projects heat up across Michigan

By COLLEEN OTTE
Capital News Service
LANSING — Michigan’s solar future is so bright that advocates say you might have to wear shades. Assuming all goes as planned, Michigan may soon see a solar project nearly 50 times larger than its largest existing installation. The state’s biggest solar project now operating is a 1.1 megawatt generator owned by DTE Energy in Ann Arbor, said John Sarver, president of the Great Lakes Renewable Energy Association. “But there are much bigger projects planned, including 10 megawatts at Michigan State University and 20 megawatts with the Lansing Board of Water & Light,” Sarver said. DTE is constructing a 1.9-megawatt solar array that will be the largest in the state when it comes on line at the end of the year, said DTE communications specialist Vanessa Waters.

Outdoor activities can boost tourism economy, influence Great Lakes restoration, study says

By COLLEEN OTTE & ERIC FREEDMAN
Capital News Service
LANSING — Ecosystem assets in the Great Lakes region, such as sport fishing, boating, beach use, park visits and birding, contribute significantly to the tourism economy of shoreline communities and can help shape restoration priorities for the lakes, according to a new study that incorporates highly detailed maps. Such “cultural ecosystem services” are valuable to society and have “great potential for benefiting natural resource management and conservation,” it said. Those services or activities vary in where they take place, and so do stressors, threats, to the Great Lakes, said the lead author of the study, David Allan, a professor emeritus at the University of Michigan’s School of Natural Resources and Environment. He said, “There might be better decision-making afforded by our looking at both threats and benefits together instead of just identifying threats and trying to combat them.”
The study said the public takes advantage of recreational activities differently in each part of the region. For example, sport fishing is most popular on the U.S. side of lakes Erie and Ontario and in south-central Lake Michigan.

App shows energy sources, emails preferences to state officials

By COLLEEN OTTE
Capital News Service
LANSING –A new web application calculates the sources of energy used by people in Michigan and lets them adjust the mix on their screen to reflect their preferences. PicMyEnergyMix – developed by the Clean Energy Now Coalition, Engage Michigan and Resource Media – is still in the piloting stage, said Marissa Luna, Engage Michigan’s new media specialist. Developers hope to expand the app to more states, beyond Michigan and Colorado where it’s now available, and utility companies, she said. “It shows you the types of energy that are being used by your utility to power your home,” said Luna. In Michigan, DTE and Consumers Energy customers can see what powers their homes – whether it’s coal, natural gas or another resource – and the percentages of each.

New challenges when wildlands meet development

By COLLEEN OTTE
Capital News Service
LANSING — A stretch of lakefront. Expanses of forest on either side. Abundant wildlife. These are characteristics that most people view as ideal for a family cottage or a retirement home. They are formally known as the wildland-urban interface and are detailed in a recently U.S. Forest Service publication.

Train Routes

By COLLEEN OTTE
Capital News Service
LANSING – Michigan’s transportation organizations are studying planes, trains and automobiles. More options for public transit could play a huge role in the state’s competitiveness in attracting and retaining people, young and old, transportation experts say. They’ve recently launched four studies to assess the feasibility of new Michigan rail routes. The studies will assess traffic flows, taking into consideration automobile, bus and air traffic, said Elizabeth Treutel, a Michigan Environmental Council policy associate. “A big goal of the studies is understanding what are the traffic flows now?” she said.