Archive for October 2011

Oct 31 2011 | | 2 Comments
ghost2

Echo is leaving behind the aquatic and terrestrial to cover a new ominous, shadowy Great Lakes environmental realm – the paranormal.

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Oct 31 2011 | | One Comment
The mouth of a sea lamprey is about as horrifying as it gets. Photo: michiganseagrant (Flickr)

Sometimes the environmental news at Echo can be terrifying – or at least extremely gross.
With tongue in cheek and in honor of Halloween, today we’re asking you to conceive of Great Lakes horror headlines.
You’ve got plenty of fodder: Slimey green algae, blood-sucking  sea lamprey, giant leaping carp.
Some examples to get you started:

The attack of the bloody red shrimp
The e.coli that ate the beach
It came for our water
The case of the disappearing diporeia
The storm sewer that swallowed Chicago

But you can do better. Show us in the comments section below.

Oct 28 2011 | | 9 Comments
chicagoview

Water privatization has the potential to impact everyone, not just thousands of poor people who have had their water shut off in Detroit.

Ford's Michigan Assembly Plant Solar Power Generation System

Michigan companies have hopped on the renewable energy bandwagon, which some state officials and company executives say is reviving the state’s manufacturing industry.

Oct 27 2011 | | 3 Comments
This cougar was spotted by a trail camera in Juneau County, Wisc. Photo: Wisconsin Department of Natural Resources

Another cougar was photographed by a trail camera earlier this month in the Great Lakes region – this time in Juneau County, Wisc.
Wisconsin Department of Natural Resources biologists confirmed the presence of four cougars over the last three years, and seven trail cameras have documented cougar activity in the state according to a press release from the Department.
Biologists believe most of these cougars are from South Dakota, making their way through Wisconsin to find territory and mates.
Who knows, maybe they’ll end up in the Upper Peninsula.
 

Oct 26 2011 | | No Comments
Breakwater Lighthouse in Duluth, Minn. Photo: James Jordan (Flickr)

Here’s a way to get from the western end of Lake Superior to the eastern end of Lake Ontario in a scant 14 minutes.
This Great Lakes Tour created by the Great Lakes Environmental Research Laboratory is more than a video.
The tour makes 20 stops while rattling off Great Lakes factoids about size, ecosystems and environmental threats.  You’ll go scuba diving, see a ship leaving the Soo Locks, a sinkhole and more.
Pause the tour and you can click and drag the image to peek at any place in the world. Push …

Oct 26 2011 | | 2 Comments
Converting second generation sources, like corn stalks and switchgrass, to biofuels is easier when they're pre-treated with ammonia.  Photo: mae.noelle (Flickr)

Unlocking the energy in yard clippings, corn stalks and leaves may get much easier, according to a recent study.

grayling

A fish species that vanished from Michigan’s rivers around a century ago could once again swim in the Manistee River if it can survive the predator-laden, dam-warmed waters under consideration.

Oct 25 2011 | | 2 Comments
Photo : Bruno Monginoux / www.Landscape-Photo.net (cc-by-nc-nd)

Scientists are in Washington D.C. today to present to federal lawmakers research suggesting the Great Lakes region has more problems with mercury than previously thought.
Their visit comes just weeks after the GOP-led House of Representative passed two bills that would handcuff the EPA from limiting mercury emissions.
As Echo reported, scientists reviewed research on mercury in the Great Lakes region and found despite overall decreases in the pollutant, concentrations are rising in some species and health risks are occurring at lower levels than expected.
The new report, published by the Biodiversity Research …