Midland man to document Greenland warming, updates on energy forums and Bay City transport projects

Mr. Great Lakes (Jeff Kart). As heard in Bay City, Michigan, on Friday Edition – 9 a.m., May 17, 2013, on Delta College Q-90.1 FM

1 – Midland resident Peter Sinclair will join a scientific team on the Greenland ice sheet this summer.

Via NASA

Along for the ride will be well-known climate activist and writer Bill McKibben, who will cover the journey for Rolling Stone magazine.

The effort is called the DarkSnowProject, and it’s being led by Jason Box, formerly of the Byrd Polar Center at Ohio State, now with the Denmark Geological Survey.

Box and the team will be sampling snow at key points on the ice sheet, to determine the causes of a decreased whiteness that has been observed in the past decade. A darkening of the ice causes more solar energy to be absorbed, and more melting.

Box recruited Sinclair to document the expedition in video and photos.

Sinclair produces a popular YouTube series called “Climate Denial Crock of the Week,” which pokes fun at those who doubt the science of global warming and climate change.

The expedition has been funded through private donations and via an Internet campaign.

The researchers will be on the Greenland ice during late June and early July.

2 - Earlier this year, state-sponsored forums on Michigan’s energy future were held throughout the state, including on March 4 at Delta College.

A recent analysis by the Michigan Land Use Institute says the seven forums drew big crowds and strong support for clean energy development.

All but two of the forums attracted full houses, and a total of almost 250 people spoke during the sessions.

A coalition that’s pushing for higher renewable and energy efficiency requirements in the state said a majority of commenters at each forum endorsed one or both of the goals.

State officials are now mulling more than 1,000 comments submitted as part of the sessions. They are to be presented to Gov. Rick Snyder this fall, and he plans to offer recommendations in December.

Michigan’s current standard requires utilities to generate 10 percent of their power from renewable sources like wind and solar by 2015.

3 – The Bay City Area Transportation Study is hosting an open house on May 30 in Bay City.

The Study helps channel federal money to road and transportation projects in the area. Bay County planners are seeking public comment on a proposed Transportation Improvement Program for 2014 through 2017.

The public open house will be held on Thursday, May 30, from 4-7 p.m. at the Wirt Library in Bay City.

All users of the transportation system in the Bay City Area, from pedestrians and bicyclists to bus riders, commuters, truckers and shippers are invited to attend.

There also are opportunities to review the plan and comment by phone, fax, mail and email until June 4.

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Mich Enviro Report: GREEN River Testing, Steudle in Charge & Offshore Wind

As heard Friday, Oct. 7, 2011 on Delta College Q-90.1 FM …

1.

Students from Bay City Central High School were out this week helping with water quality testing on the Saginaw River.

About 90 students were involved. They worked with volunteers from General Motors, the Bay City School District, the Michigan Department of Natural Resources and the nonprofit BaySail organization.

The students visited the Saginaw River to assess its water quality as part of the Earth Force GREEN program, funded by GM.

They waded in with sampling nets and chemical testing equipment. Water testing and environmental education stations were set up in the Visitor Center at the Bay City State Recreation Area.

The GM GREEN program aims to inspire youth to be active in their communities and learn more about the complexities of environmental issues. The automaker has been sponsoring the program for about 20 years.

2.

A former Essexville official will lead the American Association of State Highway and Transportation Officials.

Kirk Steudle, a former member of the Essexville City Council, has been appointed to the presidency of the association. Michigan environmental groups say the post will allow Steudle to have a positive influence on national transportation policy.

According to the Michigan Environmental Council, Steudle has previously supported important initiatives in the areas of passenger rail service and making towns and cities safer and more accessible for pedestrians, cyclists, wheelchair users and others.

One of Steudle’s immediate priorities will be working with Congress on the Highway Trust Fund, which maintains highways and other federal transportation infrastructure through a per-gallon tax on gasoline.

Steudle has been director of the Michigan Department of Transportation since 2006.

Prior to that, he was MDOT’s Bay Region Engineer, and responsible for state transportation programs and services for a 13-county region surrounding the Saginaw Bay area. He served on the Essexville City Council in the late 1990s.

3.

The University of Michigan is studying the impact of ice on power-generating turbines operating offshore in the Great Lakes.

The U.S. Department of Energy has awarded more than $1 million to the school for two studies that will explore the effect of winter ice on the collection and distribution of power by offshore wind turbine in the lakes.

According to university officials, the work will include a $400,000 grant to develop computerized modeling tools that will simulate surface water ice and the impact of ice-loading or pressure on offshore structures.

The analysis will inform the design of turbines that could be deployed at varying depths in Lake Huron and Lake Michigan.

A second, $690,000 award will go to analyze seasonal trends and conduct field measurements related to ice, wind and wave loads on fixed offshore structures.

The studies are tied to another project on the feasibility of offshore wind power on Lake Michigan.

— Photo by Randen Pederson

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Mich Enviro Report: BaySail Scholarships, Used Car Mileage & Great Lakes Benefits

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

Audio Link

1.

The BaySail program is gearing up for the spring 2011 season, and offering nine fully funded scholarships.

The Appledore schooners. Via BaySailBayCity.org

The scholarships will go to fund environmental education programs for seventh grade classrooms in Bay, Saginaw and Midland counties.

The program is called Science Under Sail. It features hands-on science lessons aboard two Appledore schooners operated by BaySail, a nonprofit located in Bay City.

Scholarship applications are being taken through March 25th.

The trips will be paid for by the Dow Corning Donor Advised Fund.

Interested teachers need to submit a short scholarship application and a letter of support from a school administrator.

The Science Under Sail program focuses on water quality and ecosystem health. Students aboard the schooners analyze water, sediment and plankton samples that they collect while the ships are underway.

You can find out more information on the program online at baysailbaycity.org.

2.

Car shoppers and car dealers, take note.

If you’re shopping for, or selling a used car, you need to know about an EPA program for window stickers.

Usually, fuel economy stickers only appear on new cars or trucks.

But the EPA is now offering fuel information for used vehicles, in a window sticker format.

The fuel economy ratings for older cars go back to 1984.

The EPA is encouraging car dealers to use the new labels.

The fuel economy numbers are for older model vehicles, but the EPA has applied updates to the numbers based on a new estimating method from 2008.

You find the used car fuel economy labels online at fueleconomy. gov.

3.

There’s a new study out on the economic benefits of restoring the Great Lakes in Michigan.

The bottom line: The benefits far exceed the costs.

The study, done by economists at Grand Valley State University, looked at a $10 million federal project to restore the shoreline of Muskegon Lake.

They concluded that $10 million spent to restore fish and wildlife habitat along several miles of the lake increased the collective value of nearby homes by $12 million.

That same $10 million investment also upped the lake’s recreational value by $2.5 million.

Added together, that’s $15 million of value for $10 million. Not a bad investment, the economists say.

The cost-benefit analysis also doesn’t include other positives, like jobs created by restoration projects.

Funding for Great Lakes restoration is due to drop this year. A total of $475 million was provided last year, under the Great Lakes Restoration Initiative. This year’s funding could drop to $225 million. The measure is still being debated in Congress.

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Mich Enviro Report: Slow Down for Eagles, More Warblers & MDOT Praise

1.

While you’re out on the roads this holiday season, watch out for bald eagles. Really.

State and federal wildlife officials say bald eagle deaths from motor vehicles are on the rise in Michigan.

Vehicle accidents accounted for 29 percent of recorded eagle deaths between 1987 and 2008, according to the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service. A total of 222 birds are known to have died from auto accidents during that period.

Eagles have been hit when they’re feeding on road kill.  Scavenging behavior tends to increase during the winter months when ice develops on lakes and rivers, making foraging for fish more difficult.

So slow down if you see a dead animal alongside the road. A bald eagle may be nearby.

In Michigan, bald eagle populations have increased from 52 breeding pairs in 1961 to 630 breeding pairs in 2010. The bird was removed from the endangered species list in 2007, but is still protected by law.

http://www.fws.gov/midwest/eastlansing/eagleform.htm
http://www.michigan.gov/som/0,1607,7-192-29938-248523–,00.html

2.

Speaking of birds, the Kirtland’s Warbler is still on the endangered species list. But populations are exceeding recovery goals.

The latest annual survey of the birds in Michigan shows that the state’s population remains steady. A total of 1,733 singing males were recorded this year by biologists and researchers. The numbers have been steady for the last three years.

This year, singing males were found in 11 northern Michigan counties, including, Clare, Crawford, Iosco, Ogemaw, Oscoda and Roscommon counties.

The Kirtland’s Warbler is still listed as endangered, but forest management programs have helped stabilize their habitat, officials say.

The recovery goal for the birds is 1,000 singing males. Now, with the population at almost twice that number, state and federal officials are working to remove the species from the endangered species list, so funds and efforts can be focused on other species more in need of recovery efforts.

http://www.michigan.gov/dnre/0,1607,7-269–248408–,00.html

3.

Environmental groups are praising the reappointment of Kirk Steudle as director of the Michigan Department of Transportation.

Steudle, a former Essexville city commissioner, has been reappointed to the position by incoming Governor Rick Snyder.

The Michigan Environmental Council says MDOT is a key player in transportation policy in Michigan, and Steudle has done a good job with limited resources since taking over the department in 2006.

Steudle also has supported important initiatives in the areas of passenger rail service and making towns and cities safer and more accessible for pedestrians, cyclists, wheelchair users and others, the environmental group says.

Steudle, who now lives in South Lyon, was formerly an MDOT engineer for the bay region.

http://www.michigan.gov/mdot/0,1607,7-151-9623_10724-61418–,00.html

— Photo Credit: Alan Vernon

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Michigan streets to get bike friendly, Saginaw Valley to get greener

Notice I said Saginaw Valley. I can’t find the Great Lakes Bay on a map. I can, however, smile when I see my youngest daughter riding her bike on two wheels. She learned earlier this year, a little later than her older sister. Today, she was riding with a neighborhood boy, a nice little guy. It will be a few years before I have to start telling him “I’m not afraid to go back to prison” and quote verses from “Cleaning This Gun.”

Hopefully, it will be sooner before there are better places to ride your bike in the Saginaw Valley (there it is again) and people here will be more aware of what’s going on with the local environment (as in green, not development).

News came today that “Complete Streets,” a nationwide campaign to make America’s streets more bicycle- and people-friendly, has passed the House and is headed to the Senate. Michigan, being an auto state, is historically unfriendly to the nonmotorized, and it’s made us fat and helped fuel urban sprawl.

Also coming down the road in my neck of the Saginaw Bay woods is a new “Green News Network” at Saginaw Valley State University. Coverage of environmental news around here just ain’t what it used to be (shameless plug), but this should help spread awareness, and keep important environmental issues like beach muck and coal-fired pollution on people’s minds. A better informed populace equals a cleaner environment, in many cases. Remember all the harping about beach muck and how it eventually got the attention of state leaders? Although the public needs to start squeaking about that again.

The GNN (like a green CNN) will be funded with a $2,522 grant from the school’s Student Research and Creativity Institute. The grant went to sisters Julie and Lisa Luce, both professional and technical writing majors from Bay City, and will be used to report on enviro news at SVSU. That includes buying video equipment and building a Web site. Up to five students will report for the network.

Not bad. Just what our bay needs, more eyes and ears. Like Complete Streets, it’s a path to improvement (clever, huh?).