Category: Great Lakes Echo
Students at Michigan State and Wisconsin win EPA funding for environmental health innovations
By Isabella Figueroa Student researchers from Michigan State University and the University of Wisconsin are among the winners of an Environmental Protection Agency contest for innovations in sustainability. The EPA established the People, Prosperity and the Planet Student Design Competition to support teams of undergraduate and graduate students working to develop solutions to environmental and […]
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Lawmakers plan bills to protect Michigan sand dunes
Red highlighted areas on this map indicate Michigan townships that contain critical dunes. Image: Department of Environment, Great Lakes, and EnergyBy Clara Lincolnhol Michigan’s towering freshwater sand dunes make up a one-of-a-kind natural resource and the largest collection of freshwater dunes on the planet. But environmentalists say the state’s legal protections are vague and leave […]
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Industry opposition, partisan politics slow polluter-pay bills
By Elinor Epperson Capital News Service It’s been one year since Michigan Democrats introduced legislation that would significantly change the state’s environmental regulations. But those bills are stuck in committee. Election distractions, negotiation, and a slim Democratic majority in the state House have kept a suite of polluter-pay bills in limbo, according to environmental advocates […]
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Efforts to bridge digital divide expand in Michigan’s rural areas
By Donté Smith Capital News Service The digital divide remains a pressing issue for Michigan’s rural communities, where broadband access lags due to challenging geography and limited infrastructure. Jason Hamel, the operations manager and product assembler for Hower Tree Baler Corp. in Merritt, says current dial-up connection speeds in the area “aren’t worth it.” “It […]
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Animal shelters struggle with challenges
By Victor Wooddell Capital News Service Animal shelters in Michigan are at capacity, even while facing staff and resource shortages. According to experts, more animals are being abandoned and too few pet owners are having their animals spayed or neutered. In 2020, adoption rates soared due to pandemic-related stay-at-home orders across the country, according to […]
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An uncommon wildfire season is exceeding averages
By Gabriel S. Martinez Capital News Service An unusually busy fall fire season in Michigan has produced more than double the seasonal wildfires originally anticipated so far. About 100 prescribed burns are scheduled on both state and federal land for next year to help reduce damage from future wildfires. According to the state Department of […]
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Crescent Wind Farm fuels push for greener Michigan
By Donté Smith Capital News Service In the rolling farmland of southern Michigan’s Hillsdale County, the Crescent Wind Farm towers over the landscape, generating renewable energy while stirring both hope and contention among residents. The wind farm, operated by Consumers Energy in Adams, Moscow and Wheatland townships, is part of the state’s growing push to meet […]
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Steam railroad takes passengers on journey through time | Great Lakes Echo
By Donté Smith As the crisp autumn air settles over Michigan, the gentle chug of steam engines echoes through Coldwater. The Little River Railroad, a historic steam railway, invites passengers to step back in time for a ride filled with charm and nostalgia. It’s one of 55 steam locomotives in the state, 15 of them still […]
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Coyotes roaming Michigan | Great Lakes Echo
By Anna Rossow Capital News Service Some residents across Michigan are becoming more familiar with unexpected visitors roaming the streets. Coyote sightings in residential neighborhoods have become more common due to the canines’ drive for food and quick adaptability skills, experts say. Coyotes prey on rabbits, chipmunks and squirrels, small animals that enter in and […]
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The Poweshiek skipperling has disappeared from most of Michigan’s prairies. Now scientists are raising them in zoos for release back into the wild. | Great Lakes Echo
By Ruth Thornton Standing next to a converted hoop house in one of the back areas of John Ball Zoo in Grand Rapids, David Pavlik points to a line of small cloth-covered cages filled with yellow black-eyed Susans and small orange butterflies. “These cages out here are females that have already bred in the facility,” […]
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