Residents of Wisconsin believe their home state is shaped like a mitten. Since when? If you’re going to use another state’s trademark, at least choose a state on the other side of the country, not one right next to you. Or be shaped more like a mitten.
Those of us who live in Michigan have a hard time accepting Wisconsin as the place where you use your hand to point out where you are from.
According to the Kalamazoo Gazette, on Dec. 1, Wisconsin’s Tourism Department released their photo of a stretched-out …

Great Lakes ships may be getting natural gas makeovers.
Researchers with the Great Lakes Maritime Research Institute will soon study converting steam-powered ships to natural gas, using either compressed or liquid natural gas as primary fuel sources.
The team is also working with the Lake Michigan Carferry Service to determine the possibility of converting the controversial S.S. Badger to natural gas. From mid-May through mid-October, the S.S. Badger travels between Manitowoc, Wisc., and Ludington, Mich., every day. The monster vessel is the only coal-fired steamship operating in the U.S. and has come …

Urban farmers in Flint, Mich., have run into a problem – finding water for their crops. The challenge stems from zoning laws, unwilling neighbors and chemicals.

 
Filmed and produced by Michigan State University’s  School of Journalism and by the Department of Telecommunication, Information Studies, and Media.
Featured image: Velo Steve (Flickr)

Scientists are still unsure about what impact bloody-red shrimp have on Great Lakes ecosystems, but the tiny invaders seem to be a popular snack for some hungry fish.
New research suggests bloody-red shrimp may become a new food source for Great Lakes fish, easing concerns that the invader would negatively impact food webs.
Researchers from Queen’s University in Ontario looked in some fish bellies to see what they’re eating. They also measured the carbon and nitrogen in their muscle tissue to see if it matches the carbon and nitrogen in areas with a lot …

Make your yard a sanctuary for migrating birds with help from the Wisconsin Stopover Initiative.
The initiative, a partnership of government agencies, private organizations, businesses and bird lovers, helps identify and protect the places migratory birds visit as they travel north and south. These in between habitats are called stopover sites.
Protecting stopover sites at home is easy with these tips listed by the initiative.

Remove invasive plants (the ones not native to your area) and preserve native trees and shrubs on your property.
Build a brush pile for migratory birds to find shelter …

For years there was great disagreement about the presence of cougars in Michigan, and now one photogenic cat keeps dismissing the naysayers by strutting in front of trail cameras in the Upper Peninsula.
The Michigan Department of Natural Resources confirmed a radio-collared cougar on Nov. 17 caught on camera in northern Houghton County. They consider it to be the same one caught on camera twice before.
“This is the third time this animal has been captured on trail cameras in the Upper Peninsula,” said Adam Bump in a prepared statement. Bump is a …

Great Lakes photographers have the opportunity to have their work displayed in the 2012-2013 Wisconsin’s Great Lakes Calendar published by the Wisconsin Department of Natural Resources.
The Great Lakes Photo Contest has four entry categories: natural features and wildlife, people enjoying Wisconsin’s Great Lakes, historic and cultural features and lake protection activities. Contestants can submit up to three photos.
The contest is open through Feb. 1, 2012. Send your photos of Wisconsin’s Great Lakes – Lake Michigan, Lake Superior and their wetlands and tributaries – to DNRGreatLakesPhotoContest@wisconsin.gov. Photos must be taken in …

As an angler and mandolin player, I’ve often wondered what it is about the two seemingly disparate hobbies that draws me to them.
And I’m not alone. Most anglers I know have an acoustic lying around somewhere, and most guitar pickers I know have some pretty good trout stories.
Well, that’s research for another day. But Bret Shaw, an environmental communication specialist at the University of Wisconsin-Extension, is looking to tap into this connection to prevent the spread of aquatic invasive species in the Great Lakes region.
Shaw worked with a group of …

Recent Changes in Great Lakes Fisheries

University of Wisconsin Sea Grant fisheries expert Phil Moy explains how the Great Lakes fisheries have changed in the last 25 years. With more invasive species and less phosphorus pollution, Great Lakes fish species face new challenges. With the incoming carp invasion, they’ll face even more.
(Featured image: EPA)