Crushed-Up Mussels, Great Lakes Cruises & a Clean Energy March

via SVSS

As heard on Friday Edition, May 11, 2012, 9 a.m. Eastern, on Delta College Q-90.1 FM …

March in May

Students in the Bay City area will be marching for clean energy on Saturday, May 19.

The Students March for Clean Energy will begin at 11 a.m. at Pershing Park in Bay City, and go to Veterans Memorial Park.

The march is being organized by area environmental group the Lone Tree Council.

The march is meant to support conservation, and the development of green energy sources. The group says such sources can be substituted for the coal plants and gasoline that’s now consumed for electric generation and transportation.

The group is inviting students to join in the march at Pershing Park, just east of the Sage Library, and march down Midland Street to John F. Kennedy Drive and south to Vets Park.

A Spring 350 Picture Event will be held at the park at noon. The Saginaw Valley Sustainability Society also is participating. The event is meant to bring attention to climate change. Students, families and area residents are invited.

The 350 refers to a global grassroots movement to combat climate change, involving thousands of volunteer organizers in more than 188 countries.

Take a Cruise for $10-25

You can learn about the Great Lakes by floating on the Great Lakes.

Michigan Sea Grant Extension has announced Summer Discovery Cruises for 2012. This is the 11th year that Sea Grant has organized the cruises.

Cruises depart from Lake Erie Metropark, with cruises on the lower Detroit River and Lake Erie, and Lake St. Clair Metropark, cruising Lake St. Clair.

There will be more than 20 educational cruises around themes including Fisheries, Wildlife, Wetlands, Shipwrecks, Lighthouses, Weather and Shipping.

Cruises for educators wanting to enhance the use of Great Lakes content in their teaching also are available. The cruises run from 2 and a half to four hours, and cost $10-15 for children and $20-25 for adults.

More information is available online at discoverycruises.org.

The Beachmaker

There’s a new weapon in the fight against zebra mussels.

It’s a zebra mussel crushing machine called the Beachmaker.

As reported in Great Lakes Echo, the Beachmaker sucks up invasive zebra mussel shells and crushes them into sand-like particles.

The device, invented by a Wisconsin man, can reportedly crush a dump truck’s worth of dead mussels in an hour.

And the crunched up remains only take up a third of their original space.

What to do with the crushed up mussels, environmental impacts, and legal and permit requirements still remain for the device.

But it’s something that Great Lakes beach managers will be investigating this summer.

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Adopt-a-Beach along Saginaw Bay, and a Gust of Great Lakes Offshore Wind Support

As heard on the April 6, 2012, Environment Report, part of Friday Edition at 9 a.m. Fridays on Delta College radio, Q-90.1 FM.

Alliance for the Great Lakes

A statewide Adopt-A-Beach program is looking for help in the Saginaw Bay area.

Via windpoweringamerica.gov

Statewide coordinators for the volunteer program are holding informational sessions throughout the state.

One will be held on April 21 at the Bay City State Recreation Area, during the park’s Wetland Wake-Up Day events.

The Adopt-a-Beach program uses volunteers to collect data on beach conditions. That data is shared with local, state and regional health officials, and used by the Alliance for the Great Lakes to help set standards for coastal areas.

The session planned for Bay City is an introductory training session by the Alliance. It will be held on April 21, 10 a.m. to noon, inside the Saginaw Bay Visitor Center, located at the Bay City state park.

For more information, see the Alliance website at greatlakes.org.

Great Lakes Offshore Wind Energy Consortium

Plans for offshore wind projects have received a gust of support in the Great Lakes.

The governor of Michigan recently signed a Memorandum of Understanding with 10 federal agencies to enhance the coordination of offshore wind projects in the lakes. Gov. Snyder was joined by the governors of Illinois, Minnesota, New York and Pennsylvania.

The aim is to promote the efficient, orderly and responsible evaluation of offshore wind proposals for the lakes, according to the Great Lakes Commission.

The agreement (pdf) is modeled after similar ones signed between 10 states on the East Coast and the U.S. Department of the Interior.

The agencies in the Great Lakes agreement include the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, and other agencies that have regulatory roles or federal interests related to permitting offshore turbines in the lakes.

The Memorandum of Understanding will establish a Great Lakes Offshore Wind Energy Consortium to coordinate and expedite the review of proposals for offshore wind projects.

According to the Obama administration, offshore wind energy resources in the Great Lakes could yield tremendous economic and environmental benefits. Offshore wind in the lakes has the potential to produce more than 700 gigawatts of energy. That’s about one fifth of the total offshore wind potential in the United States.

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A New Beach, Events & an Earth Day Contest to WIN

As heard on the March 23, 2012, Environment Report, part of Friday Edition at 9 a.m. Fridays on Delta College radio, Q-90.1 FM.

Photo by Eli Duke.

New Beach

Bay County plans to clean up a public beach in Pinconning.

The county has received $10,000 from ITC of Kawkawlin. The company builds transmission lines for power distribution.

County Executive Tom Hickner says the gift from the company will be used for beach improvements at Pinconning Park, a county owned campground and recreation spot in Pinconning Township.

The county plans to clean the existing beach there, and groom and prepare the surface. Then, about 900 yards of fresh sand will be brought in to replenish the shoreline.

The county also will construct a small changing booth and fresh water shower for swimmers.

Solar-powered channel markers for boats also will be installed at a nearby boat launch.

Earth Day Events

Earth Day is Sunday, April 22.

Several events are planned in Bay County and local cities and townships.

They include: a Bangor Township “Green Team” and Waste Management Used Battery Drop-Off at Bangor Township Hall, a Bay Soil Conservation District Tree Sale, and a Bay County Earth Day Electronics Recycling Drop-Off at the Bay County Fairgrounds.

In addition, there will a Mayor’s City Wide Clean Up event, and the Annual Ed Golson Earth Day Compost Giveaway in Bay City.

You can find specific information on each event at the Bay County website.

WIN It

Saginaw Bay WIN is funding one great environmental idea for Earth Day.

WIN, which stands for Watershed Initiative Network, is holding a Facebook contest (pdf).

It’s looking for nonprofits to submit ideas for environmental projects, summed up in 50 words or less.

Topics include:

• Conservation;
• Public Access to Natural Resources;
• Natural Resource-based Recreation or Education; and,
• Energy Efficiency.

Ideas will be posted to WIN’s website and Facebook page.

The idea that receives the most votes, or “likes” on Facebook, will receive a $1,000 grant.

There also will be a random drawing for gift cards. You can find out more at saginawbaywin.org.

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Beach Cleaning, River Restoring & Asian Carp Stopping

Lots of ‘ings’ on this edition of The Environment Report. Heard Fridays @ 9 AM on Q-90.1 FM, Delta College:

Photo by z287marc

Friday, March 2, 2012 (audio):
1 

Beach boosters are planning another wellness event for June at the Bay City State Recreation Area.

This year’s Beach Wellness event, on June 23 at the Bay City state park, will include a run and walk, volleyball tournament and classic car cruise.

The event is a fundraiser to help keep the shoreline clean at the Bay City state park.

There will be 10K and 5K runs, a 5K walk; and a kids quarter-mile run.

The tournament will feature four-person volleyball teams competing on the public beach at the Bay City state park.

The sixth annual Beach Wellness event is being organized by the Save Our Shoreline property owners group.

Registrations are now being taken by members of Save Our Shoreline.

2

Efforts to restore rivers in Northern Michigan are being highlighted by a nonprofit Grayling group.

The group, called Huron Pines, has published a new website that show a variety of river restoration accomplishments in Northern Michigan.

On the website, you can search for road and stream crossings, and streambank erosion sites by watershed and county.

The group says many accomplishments listed at the site have involved completing BMPs, or Best Management Practices, at problem sites.

These practices involve methods that reduce the movement of sediment, nutrients, chemicals and other pollutants from the land to the water.

Examples are tree and shrub plantings, and culvert or bridge replacements at road and stream crossings.

The website address is www.northernmichiganstreams.org.

3

National Geographic recently featured a familiar fish as its Freshwater Species of the week.

It was the Asian carp, which comes in varieties like silver and bighead.

So far, only a few of the carp have been found in the Great Lakes, and efforts are ongoing to keep them from an becoming established species in the lakes.

The Obama administration has committed more than $50 million to a 2012  Asian Carp Control Strategy.

That includes increased efforts to monitor and catch carp iin rivers that connect to the Great Lakes.

Officials also will be testing scent-based lures, an acoustic water gun and improved electric barriers.

The U.S. government has already spent more than $100 million on keeping the bighead and silver Asian carp from invading the Great Lakes.

Just this week, the U.S. Supreme Court rejected a petition by Michigan and other states to install nets in Chicago area rivers and speed up a study on a permanent separation of the Great Lakes and Mississippi River basins.

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The Greatest of the Great Lakes (vote) & Raising Renewable Standards

As heard Friday, Feb. 3, 2012, on Q-90.1 FM, Delta College’s NPR Station …

Right now, Michigan’s electric utilities are working to increase the amount of energy they generate from renewable sources like wind and solar. The work is part of a state law that requires utilities to get 10 percent of their energy from cleaner sources by 2015.

That means burning less coal. But utilities could do even better, according to the Michigan Energy, Michigan Jobs coalition. The coalition is working to more than double the state’s renewable energy standard from the current 10 percent by 2015 to 25 percent by 2025.

The Michigan Energy, Michigan Jobs coalition includes business, labor and health care groups. They are trying to raise more than $1 million to collect signatures to put the 25 by 2025 question on the Nov. 6 general election ballot.

According to the Great Lakes Renewable Energy Association, the group has until July 9 to file a petition with the state that contains more than 322,000 valid signatures. Proposed ballot language has already been filed.

The proposal would require at least 25 percent of Michigan’s energy to come from renewable sources including wind, solar, biomass and hydropower, by 2025.

The proposal also would limit rate increases to comply with the standard to 1 percent per year.

See also: Renewable energy standards: Seeing beyond percentages

What About Lake Huron?

 

Which of the Great Lakes is the greatest?

 

Great Lakes Echo, a Michigan State University publication, is taking votes on the single best thing to do on each of the Great Lakes.

 

So far, here are some of the ideas.Lake Michigan is the best for surfing, because it has the most consistent waves.

 

Lake Erie is the best for fishing, with the most productive fishery, according to some scientists.

Lake Huron is the best for canoeing, with the most coastline of the five lakes, totaling more than 3,800 miles.

What about the best beach? That’s Lake Michigan, according to the Echo. Lake Michigan is home to Sleeping Bear Dunes, which was named most beautiful place in the United States last year by Good Morning America. It beat out places in Hawaii and California.

Lake Huron also could be considered the best place for kayaking. It’s home to Turnip Rock, a large rock island less than 100 feet off the shores of Port Austin, at the tip of the Thumb.

 

Most scenic? What about Lake Ontario, with Niagara Falls at the west end and 1,000 islands to the east?

 

You can read more and leave comments at greatlakesecho.org.

 

- Photo comp. via Spell with flickr

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Mystery Genes in Great Lakes Beach Sand & Fixing Fishing Guides

As heard at 9 a.m. Eastern, Fridays on Q-90.1 FM, Delta College …

Speak Up on DNR Fishing and Hunting Guides

Photo by Anthony D'Onofrio

The state Department of Natural Resources is working on improved fishing guides and hunting digests for 2013.

But first, they’re asking for public input in an effort to make the guides more useful.

So if you’ve ever struggled to understand or make sense of a fishing or hunting guide from the DNR, here’s your chance to speak up.

Feedback is being gathered over the next several months from focus groups and surveys, according to Michigan United Conservation Clubs.

The surveys must be completed by Feb. 3.

The results will help identify discussion topics for focus groups to be held in late February and March.

For more information, see the Hunting and Trapping Digest survey, and the Fishing Guide survey.
…

This E. Coli Attaches to Your Intestines

Central Michigan University researchers have found mysterious genes in the sands of Great Lakes beaches.

The genes are from disease-causing E. coli bacteria, which can make people sick and lead to beach closings.

E. coli is a common indicator bacteria used by health departments to test beach waters.

But here’s something more uncommon: The E. coli pathogens found at seven beaches contained genes that can attach to a person’s intestinal wall and secrete toxins.

Those were found in sand at public beaches along Lake St. Clair, and Lake Huron. Researchers speculate that the bacteria could be using these “attachment genes” to survive in the sand.

The scientists say more study is needed to assess the health implications of these findings.

You can reach more in the Journal of Great Lakes Research.

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Dow Corning Makes Solar Stick, Beach Testing & Saving $4 By Spending $1

Courtesy Phoenix Solar

Michigan Enviro Report, as heard Friday, Jan. 6, 2012, at 9 a.m. Eastern on Q-90.1 FM, Delta College …

1 - New federal beach testing standards are coming out in October.

Meanwhile, a federal study says more beach testing needs to be localized.

The study by the U.S. Geological Survey found that water quality information collected by local officials may provide increased beach access while minimizing swimming-related illnesses from harmful bacteria.

The USGS study found that current water quality testing at Great Lakes beaches may be applied too broadly, possibly resulting in hundreds of beach closings between 2004 and 2010 that may have not occurred if a more localized approach was taken.

By basing beach closure decisions on local variations in bacteria concentrations, beach managers will likely be able to keep their beaches open more often, one scientist says. And this can be done without increasing presumed health risks or violating EPA guidelines.

The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency plans to release new recreational water quality criteria later this year. The criteria will update current beach water quality standards that are based on sites affected by sewage contamination.

 

2 -

What can make solar energy stick around? How about adhesives developed by Dow Corning?

Dow Corning has just completed a solar installation at its world headquarters in Midland.

The project, done by Phoenix Solar, will allow both companies to collaborate on efforts to commercialize structural adhesives for mounting solar panels on rails.

Structural adhesives developed by Dow Corning can replace metal clamps, clips and bolts that that typically used to secure panels to mountings.

Company officials say using adhesives rather than clamps and bolts can lower the costs of materials and labor, and reduce installation time.

Phoenix Solar has installed  a 23- kilowatt demonstration plant on the grounds of Dow Corning’s corporate headquarters.

 

3 -

Every dollar spent on energy conservation and efficiency measures saves more than $4 in energy bills.

The Michigan Public Service Commission recently released an Energy Optimization (EO) Program annual report (pdf).

The report shows that savings to electrical and natural gas customers from energy conservation programs run by utilities in the state were much higher than expected.

And, the $135 million spent on EO programs by utilities in 2010 resulted in cost savings to ratepayers of more than four times that amount.

Or, for every dollar spent, savings were calculated to be about $4.88.

The money for Energy Optimization programs comes came from surcharges on customer bills.

So if you don’t use the programs, they won’t pay you back.

Residential programs fall into several categories:

• lighting
• heating, ventilating and air conditioning
• weatherization
• and energy education.

Contact your local utility for more information.

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Mich Enviro Report: Reptiles and Amphibians along Saginaw Bay & State Park Passports

As heard on Delta College radio, Q-90.1 FM … on Friday, 11-11-11 …

1.

A new visitor passport system is bringing in more money to Michigan state parks. 

According to Great Lakes Echo, Michigan Recreation Passports now allow almost 2 million vehicles access to all state parks.

The passports cost $10 per year and can be purchased when people renew their vehicle registrations.

Under the old system, annual visitor permits were more than $20 each.

But more people are purchasing the less-expensive yearly passes.

In the year since the passport program took effect, it has raised almost $19 million..

That money has paid for improvements to many state parks, including repairs to water and electrical systems, bathrooms and shower facilities.

The money generated under the new system is $7 million more under the previous system, in 2010.

2.

How many reptiles and amphibians live in the Saginaw Bay area?

The Saginaw Basin Land Conservancy is working to conduct a broad survey of Saginaw Bay coastal habitats to document what reptiles and amphibians live there.

The conservancy says that amphibians and reptiles are particulary sensitive to water contamination and habitat disturbances.

The number of critters living in coastal habitats can often indicate environmental problems.

In that regard, the survey is being done to evaluate the integrity of local and regional ecosystems.

The results will help local and other decision-makers to determine how to best protect these animals and, if necessary, restore their habitats.

So far this year, portions of more than 30 square-miles of shoreline across the bay have been surveyed, according to the conservancy.

Twenty-three species were identified. The Blanding’s Turtle, a state Species of Special Concern, was observed in several locations. Also, the rare Four-toed Salamander was documented for one of the first times in the Thumb area.

The Saginaw Basin Land Conservancy project is being funded by the Michigan Department of Environmental Quality through  a grant from the  National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration.

3.

Mark your calendars.

There’s an informational meeting scheduled for Monday, Nov. 28, on Saginaw Bay coastal activities.

The meeting will provide an update on activities from the past year, including shoreline locations of treatment projects to control phragmites, an invasive plant, in Bay and Huron counties.

Also on tap is a report on beach closings and algae problems in the bay.

Further details, including a location for the Nov. 28 meeting, are to be announced soon.

You can check with the Bay County Environmental Affairs office, or tune in here for more information.

- Photo by Matt M.

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Mich Enviro Report: Phragmites, Purple Loosestrife & Teaching in Bay City

As heard Sept. 30, 2011, on Q-90.1 FM, Delta College …

1. An environmental teaching conference is coming to Bay City.

The Michigan Alliance for Environmental and Outdoor Education is holding its 23rd Annual Conference from Oct. 7-9 at the Delta College Planetarium in downtown Bay City.

The event will bring together teachers, naturalists, and outdoor recreation leaders from throughout the Midwest.

This year’s conference will explore the concept of sustainability and ways to address the concept in teaching practices. Topics to be discussed include earth science and technology, Michigan agriculture and freshwater studies.

Field trips also are planned aboard the Appledore schooners, operated by BaySail, and to the Saginaw Bay Visitor Center at the Bay City State Recreation Area.

2. Invasive reeds are being doused along Saginaw Bay.

The reeds are a plant called phragmites, which have sprouted up along large parts of the bay shoreline in recent years. Bay County officials say aerial spraying to control the plants will be done along the the shoreline at the county-owned Pinconning Park  and Fraser Township’s Linwood Scenic Park.

The aerial treatment will be done by helicopter, weather permitting, sometime during the next several weeks.

A herbicide mixture will be used to treat areas with dense stands of phragmites, which can grow to be more than 10 feet high.

There will be a 24-hour water use restriction in the treatment areas with signs posted against swimming and wading at the sites.

Phragmites is a perennial wetland grass.

It thrives in coastal and inland environments, chokes out native habitat for birds and mammals, and makes it difficult for humans and wildlife to access the water bodies it surrounds.

A chemical released through the plant’s root system also can kill fish.

3. Other invasive plants have already been removed by Huron Pines Invasive Species SWAT Team.

The group says it’s removed every blossom of purple loosestrife on the North Branch of the Au Sable River.

In August and September, the team covered more than 20 acres of riverbank, pulling and digging out single and small groups of plants. They also clipped blossoms from large areas to prevent seeds from entering the river.

The team of volunteers received assistance from the North Branch River Keepers.

Purple loosestrife is a perennial herb native to Eurasia.

It decreases native vegetation, can alter a wetland’s structure and function, and forms a dense monoculture where it grows.

— Photo by Liz West/CC

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Mich Enviro Report: Check BeachGuard & That Water Compact Deadline

As heard July 1, 2011, on Delta College Q-90.1 FM

1.

Before you go to the beach, check the internet.

The sun may be shining, but not all Michigan beaches may be ready, or safe, for swimming this summer.

The Michigan Department of Environmental Quality reminds beachgoers to check an online database to ensure that their favorite beach will be open for swimming.

The DEQ works with local health departments to monitor water quality at 1,210 of Michigan’s public beaches. Water quality at certain beaches can be impacted by runoff and sewer overflows during extended rain events.

As of Thursday morning, contamination advisories were posted for eight beaches in Michigan, including two in Roscommon County and one in Arenac County.

Beach results are reported on a daily basis on the DEQ’s BeachGuard Web site.

Michigan’s 2010 annual beach monitoring report also is available online.

Beach monitoring work is paid for with federal and state funds.

2.

December is the deadline for Great Lakes states to fully implement conservation and efficiency programs and measures under an international Compact.

According to a report from the Natural Resources Defense Council, Great Lakes states have some catching up to do after missing deadlines from last year.

Great Lakes Echo reports that Wisconsin came close, and states like New York have recently passed legislation. But no states are in full compliance with the compact timeline.

It’s not too late to come into compliance. The NRDC report suggests ways states can meet requirements of the agreement, such as setting conservation water rates, requiring meters on homes and apartments and fixing leaks or breaks in water systems.

Michigan has developed an online screening tool for water use, according to the report, but the state didn’t follow recommendations from its own advisory committee while drafting goals and objectives.

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