Parks & Recreation

Hunt for virtual wildlife leads to real nature encounters

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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.

Parks & Recreation

Conservation in the Bat Zone

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By EAMON DEVLIN
Capital News Service
LANSING — Michigan – Bat-ter up! You can step up to the plate at the newly renovated Bat Zone in Bloomfield Hills. We’re not talking new batting cages at a fun park. This is North America’s only sanctuary and education center for bats and other nocturnal creatures.  It is run by the Organization for Bat Conservation at the Cranbrook Institute of Science.

Environment

New method improves vaccines for fish farms

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By EAMON DEVLIN
Capital News Service
LANSING — Forget about the debate over vaccinating kids. There’s no debate that vaccinating fish can allow the aquaculture industry to grow. A recent study in the Journal of Vaccine shows that a new technique makes it possible to give fish two vaccines at a time. That’s important because it could save time and money for fish farmers trying to expand the industry. A traditional method is to vaccinate fish by injection.

Agriculture

Where, oh where, is my salmon from?

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By EAMON DEVLIN
Capital News Service
LANSING – When you reel in the salmon of your dreams, people may ask how big or what kind it was. It’s unlikely someone will ask where it was born. But that’s what researchers at Michigan State University are now asking to better understand how many Chinook salmon move from Lake Huron to Lake Michigan. So, where are the fish born? For researchers, the answer lies in a stone in the fish’s ear.