Parks & Recreation

Hunt for virtual wildlife leads to real nature encounters

By |

By EAMON DEVLIN
Capital News Service
LANSING — If you want to see wildlife you go outside. The same is true for the critters in Pokémon Go. So while people chase the virtual wildlife in that popular new game, they’re getting a taste of real nature. One group of Pokémon hunters even pooled their money to rent a boat to chase after the creatures on Lake Michigan, said Maia Turek, a recreation programmer with the Department of Natural Resources (DNR). It’s the kind of enthusiasm that has state parks across Michigan seeing attendance increase as people hike on trails and through campgrounds, enjoying nature as they search for Pokémon, she said.

Energy

Detroit Zoo has $1 million manure plan

By |

By JOSH THALL
Capital News Service
Lansing — The Detroit Zoo plans to build a machine to effectively use one of its more plentiful resources — manure. The zoo’s proposed $1 million anaerobic biodigester would break down animal waste and produce a biogas as a source of electrical energy. It would be the first zoo-based biodigester built in North America. It could save the zoo around $70,000 to $80,000 in electricity per year, said Gerry VanAcker, the chief operating officer for the Detroit Zoo. Another $30,000 to $40,000 could be saved in operational costs, including cleanup, disposal and equipment expenses for the current waste-disposal process.