Parks & Recreation

Craft beer fuels Michigan hops binge

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By JOSH BENDER
Capital News Service
LANSING — Michigan’s hop industry has exploded into the nation’s fourth-largest, according to a Michigan State University study. Renewed hop production in the state began in response to a crop shortage elsewhere between 2007 and 2008 and to the growing popularity of Michigan’s craft beer, said Rob Sirrine, a MSU Extension expert. Michigan is home to between 60 and 90 commercial hop farms, Sirrine said. Grand Traverse County grows close to 300 acres of hops, the most in the state, according to a June 2016 survey by MSU. Leelanau County is second, growing close to 150 acres, followed by Barry and Kent counties.

Environment

Want to buy a Great Lakes lighthouse?

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By JOSH BENDER
Capital News Service
LANSING — If you’re in the market for some truly unique property, four Lake Michigan lighthouses are up for auction by the federal Government Services Administration. For sale: The North Manitou Offshore Lighthouse near the Manitou Islands, the Minneapolis Shoal Lighthouse at the entrance to Little Bay de Noc in the Upper Peninsula and the White Shoals and Grays Reef lighthouses, both between Emmet County and Beaver Island. The North Manitou Offshore Lighthouse began operating in 1935. It was one of the last lighthouses run by an actual crew until it became automated in 1980, according to Great Lakes lighthouse historian Kraig Anderson’s Lighthouse Friends database. The White Shoals light began operating in 1910, according to the University of North Carolina Lighthouse Directory.

Environment

Shining lights on Great Lakes history

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By JOSH BENDER
Capital News Service
LANSING — Three Lake Superior lighthouses, including one in the Upper Peninsula, were recently added to the National Register for Historic Places. The Presque Isle Harbor Breakwater Light was built in 1941 to assist in shipping out iron ore mined in Michigan’s Upper Peninsula, according to U.S .Coast Guard historian Daniel Koski-Karell, who applied to get the lighthouses added to the register. Standing in Presque Isle Harbor, the light is still used for this purpose today. The harbor is the ninth-busiest in the Great Lakes, according to the National Register application. In addition to shipping out iron ore, the harbor receives freighters bearing coal to fuel the Presque Isle Power Plant.

Environment

State parks vie for new campers

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By JOSH BENDER
Capital News Service
LANSING — To attract new visitors and save money, many state parks in Michigan and across the Great Lakes region are updating utilities and campsites and creating programming for less traditional visitors. That includes seek growth in usership by trying to attract non-campers. For example, those participating in Michigan’s First Time Camper program and Ontario’s Learn to Camp program arrive to a fully set-up campsite with park employees to guide them. The Department of Natural Resources (DNR) partnered with camping goods manufacturer North Face and retailer Gander Mountain to provide free equipment for the department’s two-night camping program, said Ron Olson, the department’s parks and recreation chief. DNR’s Rec 101 programs teach new campers such skills as kayaking, paddleboarding, mountain biking and geocaching, he said.

News

Local governments want revenue sharing increase

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By JOSH BENDER
Capital News Service
LANSING — Many Michigan communities are feeling the pinch of the loss of $7.5 billion in state revenue sharing funds since 2002. And so now they’re gearing up to pressure for its return. On Monday, April 21, the Michigan Municipal League plans to unveil a new online tool at a press conference that explains how communities are harmed by these cuts. “We are simply not adequately funding local government, and you can see the impact across the state,” said Anthony Minghine, associate executive director of finance and chief operating officer of the organization, which represents cities and villages. “All we’ve done is put band aids on the system, and I think it’s time we work to actually fix things.”
Although the league is not asking for specific changes at the press conference, it said it hopes the database’s unveiling will stoke the conversation surrounding local government, Minghine said.