CNS Summer 2024 2nd Michigan Environmental budget

July 17, 2024

To: CNS Editors

From: Eric Freedman

http://news.jrn.msu.edu/capitalnewsservice/

For technical problems, contact CNS technical manager Eryn Ho at (616) 485-9295; hoeryn@msu.edu. 

For other matters, contact Eric Freedman at (517) 256-3873; freedma5@msu.edu

You are welcome to use the CNS logo: 

Editors: This is the 2nd CNS summer Michigan environmental package in partnership with Great Lakes Echo.

Here’s your file:

LAKE SUPERIOR PRESIDENCY: Yes, Lake Superior is a declared candidate for president of the United States and is in search of a running mate. The self-proclaimed #GLOAT (Greatest Lake Of All Time) is running on a “Water First Agenda,” is active on the social media platform X and maintains a campaign website. We hear from the campaign’s account manager, an MSU science communication expert and the Great Lakes Indian Fisheries and Wildlife Commission. By Elinor Epperson. FOR ALL POINTS.

w/LAKE SUPERIOR PRESIDENCY PHOTO PICTURED ROCKS: Lake Superior at Pictured Rocks National Lakeshore. Credit: National Park Service

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DAM REMOVAL: Removal of a 148-year-old dam on the Huron River in Ypsilanti could improve fish habitat, create more green space for recreation and avert the possibility of a damaging dam failure, removal advocates say. But some area residents prefer to have the dam rehabilitated to produce hydropower and preserve its heritage, including the site of an historic paper mill. The Huron River Watershed Council, a city council member and a dam safety expert explain the proposal. DNR and DEGLE support its removal. By Elinor Epperson. FOR ALL POINTS.

w/DAM REMOVAL PHOTO POWERHOUSE: The Peninsular Paper Co. powerhouse and its sign are symbols of Ypsilanti’s heritage. Credit: Elinor Epperson

w/DAM REMOVAL PHOTO DAM: Peninsular Dam is one of over 90 dams along the Huron River, and the only one within Ypsilanti city limits. Credit: Elinor Eppeson

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E-BIKES: Officials are considering a controversial proposal to allow increasingly popular electric bicycles to use more state trails. We hear from the League of Michigan Bicyclists and the DNR. By Gabrielle Nelson. FOR ALL POINTS.

w/E-BIKES PHOTO: In Michigan, e-bikes are banned from state-managed dirt trails, and some are banned from paved trails. Credit: Shutterstock

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LAKE ERIE ALGAL BLOOM: Lake Erie’s annual algae bloom has begun to form weeks ahead of schedule off the coast of southeast Michigan, but scientists say they expect only a moderate bloom this year. We hear from a National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration expert. By Gabrielle Nelson. FOR ALL POINTS.

w/LAKE ERIE ALGAL BLOOM PHOTO: Every summer, toxic algae blooms form on Lake Erie, posing a health risk to humans and animals. Credit: National Centers for Coastal Ocean Science

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AGING MOOSE: Getting old can be rough. Osteoporosis. Osteoarthritis. Periodontitis – a trio of chronic diseases that make bones fragile, make joints degenerate and make teeth become loose. That triple-whammy also besets moose, say Michigan Technological University and Duke University researchers who’ve studied the bones of 180 moose that died of natural causes in Isle Royale National Park. By Eric Freedman. FOR ALL POINTS.

w/AGING MOOSE SKULL PHOTO: Bull moose skull found on Isle Royale shows severe osteoporosis. Credit: Sarah Hoy

w/AGING MOOSE JAW PHOTO: Moose jaw shows signs of severe periodontitis. Credit: Sarah Hoy

w/AGING MOOSE MOOSEWATCH PHOTO: Volunteers on a Moosewatch Expedition search for bones of moose that died in Isle Royale National Park. Credit: Ron Porrit

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INVASIVE CRAYFISH: – Researchers are exploring new techniques to remove an invasive crayfish from Michigan waters. The DNR has been fighting an invasion of red swamp crayfish since they first appeared in the state in 2017 but aggressive attempts to trap and remove the crustacean haven’t worked. By Elinor Epperson. FOR ALL POINTS.

w/INVASIVE CRAYFISH PHOTO: A Department of Natural Resources technician collects a red swamp crayfish from a retention pond in Novi in August 2022. Credit: Matthew Clara/ DNR

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DRONES & SNAKES: Faculty and student researchers from Grand Valley State University are using a drone-mounted camera to locate the rare and secretive eastern massasauga rattlesnake, Michigan’s only venomous snake. We go into the field with them near Hastings to see how it’s done. By Ruth Thorton. FOR ALL POINTS.

w/DRONES & SNAKES RESEARCHERS: Student researchers Ava Whitlock and Brody Glei get ready to fly a drone equipped with a heat-sensitive camera to find rare eastern massasauga rattlesnakes. Credit: Ruth Thorton

w/DRONES & SNAKES PHOTO CAMERA: The drone is equipped with a heat-sensitive camera. Credit: Ruth Thorton

w/DRONES & SNAKES PHOTO SNAKE IN TUB: Marianna Vanderweide carefully places a pane of plexiglass on an eastern massasauga, squeezing it into the foam bottom of the container. Credit: Ruth Thorton

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CONTAMINATED PLUME: Gelman Sciences manufactured medical filters for decades, but dioxane from the Scio Township plant leaked into Ann Arbor’s groundwater, creating a plume of contamination more than 4 miles long. Gelman had been dumping the chemical since 1966, and 40 years after its discovery the plume is larger than ever. By Elinor Eppeson. FOR ALL POINTS.

w/CONTAMINATED PLUME PHOTO: Third Sister Lake, the lake where Dan Bicknell first found contamination in 1984. Credit: Roger Rayle

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HEAT WAVE: Extreme heat events in the Great Lakes region will only become more frequent as climate change warms the oceans, lakes and air, a U-M climate expert says. And the earlier that heat waves start each season, the more there may be in the months to come. By Elinor Epperson. FOR ALL POINTS.

CNS

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