Archive for September 2011

Sep 9 2011 | | No Comments
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To submit an image to Great Lakes Echo Photo Friday, send photo, caption and your name to greatlakesecho@gmail.com.

goodstream

The fate of the Muskegon River in a warming climate depends on how the land around it is managed.

Sep 8 2011 | | No Comments
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You don’t have to step into waders to get the latest information on Muskegon Lake.
Thanks to the Muskegon Lake Buoy Observatory and Grand Valley State University, you can get updates on the lake’s water quality, food web structure and more without getting your feet wet.
The solar-powered buoy observatory is anchored from April to November collecting information from the water and the air to put together a real-time picture of Muskegon Lake’s environment.
The EPA dubbed the lake an Area of Concern in 1985 due to its history of trouble with water …

Sep 8 2011 | | 3 Comments
Wild rice.  Image:  Virginia Department of Conservation & Recreation

Phragmites grow aggressively out-competing natives like bulrushes, cattails and sage plants and now wetland managers want it eradicated and replaced by native species.

Photo: University of Michigan

The most visible legacy of Michigan’s lighthouse heritage is in the buildings preserved along the coast – among them the Whitefish Point Light Station on Lake Superior, Grand Traverse Lighthouse in Leelanau State Park and Big Sable Point.

Sep 6 2011 | | No Comments
garlic mustard

An invasive species taking over an ecosystem is a familiar nightmare. Stories abound of quagga mussel, emerald ash borer and garlic mustard terrorizing the Great Lakes region.
Now a group of scientists supported by the U.S. National Science Foundation called the Global Invasions Network is finding out if garlic mustard is just as aggressive in North America where it’s invasive, and Europe where it’s native.
And they need your help.
The Global Garlic Mustard Field Survey collects information about garlic mustard from samples gathered by citizen scientists in North America and Europe. The samples  …

Sep 6 2011 | | No Comments
Finishing up the drilling

A small Detroit suburb is tapping the earth’s natural energy by creating a geothermal utility – the first of its kind in the Great Lakes region.

Sep 2 2011 | | 5 Comments
chicagoview

The carp fights rage on.

An appeals court ruled against closing the Chicago locks. Now Great Lakes state attorneys are looking for support outside the region.

Sep 1 2011 | | 8 Comments
monarch butterfly

Lake Erie’s Point Pelee National Park will turn a brighter shade of orange this month, as monarch butterflies begin their long migration from Canada to Mexico.
The park is set on a peninsula jutting south into the lake and that funnels the monarchs on the shortest route across the water. Every year when the weather is right, the monarchs take flight and stop for a final rest on Point Pelee where visitors can see them decorate trees like tinsel at Christmas.
A study published in March found that the area occupied by …