Mich Enviro Report: Gypsy Moth Eggs, Water Power & Student Scientists

As heard Nov. 4, 2011, on Q-90.1 FM, Delta College …

1.

Don’t scrape that tree. The Bay County Gypsy Moth Suppression Program is conducting egg mass surveys for the fall.

The surveys are used to determine the size of the Gypsy Moth population in wooded areas of the county.

If the egg mass surveys indicate that the population may be growing, the area will be included in spray operations next spring. The county program works to control the bugs, which feed on the leaves of hundreds of species of trees and other plants, commonly oak and aspen.

For that reason, residents are advised not to scrape egg masses off their trees until after the survey and count in increasing. A low count can disqualify a property from being sprayed next spring.

2.

A new study evaluates the impacts of power plants on Great Lakes water resources.

According to the Great Lakes Commission, about 90 percent of the electrical power in the Great Lakes basin is produced by thermoelectric plants, which use 26 billion gallons of water a day for cooling.

A commission report based on 18 months of research says that about 25 percent of water used for power generation in the basin comes from groundwater and tributaries.

The report also says about a quarter of all watersheds in the basin may be ecologically vulnerable to water withdrawals under certain “low-flow” conditions. Such conditions are likely to be more frequent in the future as the impacts of climate change become more severe.

The research is called the Great Lakes Energy-Water Nexus project.

The analysis also identified ways for public utilities to evaluate environmental impacts and use those results in decision-making, including requiring periodic water resource impact studies.

The Great Lakes Commission is an interstate compact agency established under state and federal law. The Commission consists of governors’ appointees, state legislators, and agency officials from eight member states. Commission offices are located in Ann Arbor.

3.

Three Bay area elementary schools were “Wired for Wind” in October.

Washington, Hampton and MacGregor schools received 4-H funding from Michigan State University to enhance their science education programs.

Students worked in teams to design light-weight, fast-moving wind turbine blades. The blades were then tested to see how much electricity they could potentially generate. The student scientists made changes to their designs based on the results.

The same program was conducted nationwide, as part of a Wired for Wind national science experiment.

The idea is to get young people involved in implementing alternatives to traditional energy production.

According to Bay County officials, there is a national shortage of young people pursuing science college majors and occupations. The 4-H organization is working on a goal to engage 1 million new young people in science, engineering, technology and applied math programs by the year 2013.

— Photo by John B.

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Wild and Scenic Enviro Film Fest in Marquette

Soak up some environmental entertainment. Yes, climate change, food security and water quality can be entertaining, if they’re presented with popcorn.

I’m talking about the Wild and Scenic Environmental Film Festival, which is on a national tour and hits Marquette, Michigan, on Nov. 4. I had never heard of it either — just one more reason to spotlight the event here.

This year’s Marquette stop is the second annual, and will be held at 6 p.m. in Jamrich Hall on the campus of Northern Michigan University. The hosts are the Yellow Dog Watershed Preserve, Downwind Sports and Students for Sustainable Living. There will be food, displays, speakers, and films.

Ducats are $8 for civilians, $2 for students and free for kids 18 and under.

The fest is headquarted in Nevada City, California. See the video below. It’s worth checking out.

Films to be shown in Marquette include:

Planting Hope

Every Day at School and

Watershed Revolution.

Recycle This: Shut Down the U.S. Postal Service

The U.S. Postal Service wants you to know about a new, cheery feature: More recycling opportunities at its offices. Uh huh. Since people go there so often. This stinks of an antiquated government agency grasping at straws to stay alive.

Every time I turn around they raise the prices of stamps. Hint: Because people don’t use the mail as much anymore. E-mail, social networking, cell phones, have replaced the need for shipping paper across long distances.

As CNN reports, the Postal Service projects a $7 billion deficit next fiscal year. Last year, the amount of mail sent declined 12.7%.

My point: We don’t need more recycling bins at post offices. We need fewer post offices, or no postal service at all. If the U.S. Postal Service wanted to help the environment, it would take more of its trucks off the road and keep less offices cooled, heated, electrified.

I don’t want to put people out of work, but I also don’t think it’s wise to keep funding this dying beast. I used to work at a newspaper, fer God sakes.

If I want to receive or send mail let me contract with a service like UPS or FedEx. They’re going to be in my neighborhood sooner or later anyway. Maybe not every day, but I can live with that.

Most mail I receive from the USPS is junk mail, which goes straight to the recycle bin. The important mail that I need to receive can in most cases be delivered electronically. If I must have the mail delivered in paper form, I can pay for it. I don’t have all the answers, but I tell you what, my pay-as-you-go mail bill would be very small.

Back to the press release:

“From Dallas to Detroit, Nome to San Juan, and 115 national parks, memorials and historical sites in between, recycling mail at Post Offices has just gotten more convenient. With more than 10,000 locations across the country, nearly 50 percent more than last year, it’s even easier to be green by recycling Post Office Box mail …

“‘Last year, the Postal Service recycled more than 220,000 tons of paper, plastics and other waste, which avoided more than 700,000 metric tons of greenhouse gas emissions,’ said Deborah Giannoni-Jackson, vice president, Employee Resource Management. ‘Lobby recycling is an important part of the Postal Service’s conservation efforts, because it helps divert paper waste from landfills and helps our bottom line, making us greener and smarter.’”

It drags on from there.

Fried Egg on the Sidewalks of Michigan

Credit: House of Sims, Flickr.

Back in my MSU days, I was in an acoustic band and we had a song called “Fried Egg.” It was about wanting a fried egg for breakfast. Pretty deep stuff. And with the recent scorching hell-on-Earth temperatures in my part of Michigan, I wonder to myself, “Mr. Great Lakes, is it hot enough to fry an egg on the sidewalk?”

It was 99 degrees in Bay City yesterday, according to my wife and my truck thermometer. Not hot enough to fry an egg on the sidewalk, or even heat-seeking black asphalt, according to a search of the Internets. It seems the topic of “Is it hot enough to fry an egg on the sidewalk?” is pretty popular.

This guy tried it in Phoenix, at 112 degrees. No go. Gooey egg.

The crack reporters at The New York Times tried it yesterday, on the hottest day in the city since 2001. Fail.

According to Alberta Egg Producers, “Egg white begins to coagulate at 62°C (144°F) while yolk begins to coagulate at 65°C (149°F).”

Either way, as James Bruggers has observed, it’s not a good day to make fun of global warming.

Happy sweating.

Asian carp almost ruined my weekend

Ray Jr. walks on the water of Torch Lake.

Where is Mr. Great Lakes? The biggest story of the year just broke. One Asian carp caught in Illinois. Yawn. I already wrote that story, more than once. It’s about as surprising as a sunrise. On to bigger things, like global warming and climate change. I’m going this weekend to some family property near Torch Lake. And my brother-in-law Ray is bound to be shirtless. It’s a sign that global warming needs more attention.

Oh no. Not the same old global warming story. No, this is about “Days of Ray,” as in days Ray (and Ray Jr.) will be shirtless, in years to come, because of rising temperatures brought on by human-induced climate change. If you think one Asian carp is bad, try thinking about the impending effects of climate change on the Great Lakes (and try seeing Ray shirtless).

Don’t just believe me. Believe the scientists. Oh, most of them are just in it for the money, and more research dollars, right?

It turns out that scientists who oppose government policies to reduce greenhouse gas emissions generally lack the expertise of scientists who warn that human activity is causing global warming, Yale 360 recently pointed out.

Researchers at Stanford University analyzed the publishing background of close to 1,400 academics. Almost all, 97 percent, of published climate scientists agree that human activity is responsible for a warming climate. The scientists who have signed public statements opposing efforts to stave off the worst effects of climate change just don’t have the expertise. Would you hire a transmission guy to fix your brakes? Not me. You’d be able to keep going full-speed ahead, but you’re eventually going to crash.

The findings are consistent with surveys in 2009 and 2004. Remember the warnings galore about Asian carp invading the Great Lakes?