http://blog.mlive.com/ecologic/Environment news about Michigan and the Great Lakes from Muskegon Chronicle reporter Jeff Alexander.enThu, 23 Apr 2009 22:10:48 PDTMovable Type Enterprise 1.52 http://www.sixapart.com/movabletype/noEnvironment news about Michigan and the Great Lakes from Muskegon Chronicle reporter Jeff Alexander.ecologic-mlivehttp://feedburner.google.comhttp://feedproxy.google.com/~r/ecologic-mlive/~3/0zWSvttE_ZY/farewell_to_my_newspaper_caree.htmlEcoLogicJeff AlexanderThu, 23 Apr 2009 22:10:48 PDTtag:blog.mlive.com,2009:/ecologic//3581.2588010 ]]> My head throbbed and there was a lump in my throat the size of a golf ball as I struggled to write my last article for The Chronicle. As my colleagues worked diligently to produce the next day's newspaper,...http://blog.mlive.com/ecologic/2009/04/farewell_to_my_newspaper_caree.htmlhttp://feedproxy.google.com/~r/ecologic-mlive/~3/QF_7WbBonRo/hogzilla_massive_feral_pigs_ro.htmlEcoLogicJeff AlexanderWed, 22 Apr 2009 09:15:49 PDTtag:blog.mlive.com,2009:/ecologic//3581.2599367 ]]>Muskegon Chronicle - Darren BreenTina and Jim Boes show off the four feral hogs they killed Sunday in northern Muskegon County. Michigan's feral pig problem is getting downright scary. First came the news that Muskegon County residents Jim and Tina...http://blog.mlive.com/ecologic/2009/04/hogzilla_massive_feral_pigs_ro.htmlhttp://feedproxy.google.com/~r/ecologic-mlive/~3/K6IuEloK_o8/caught_in_the_act_stupid_fish.htmlEcoLogicJeff AlexanderTue, 14 Apr 2009 13:46:12 PDTtag:blog.mlive.com,2009:/ecologic//3581.2552099 ]]>This month's reports from Michigan's conservation officers feature some unbelievably stupid human tricks by fish poachers. Here's a hat trick of men behaving badly: • Officers Mike Bomay and Sgt. Scott Wilk caught a guy netting steelhead on a closed...http://blog.mlive.com/ecologic/2009/04/caught_in_the_act_stupid_fish.htmlhttp://feedproxy.google.com/~r/ecologic-mlive/~3/1Q3eNwrZjzY/floridas_hot_michigan_is_cool.htmlEcoLogicJeff AlexanderMon, 13 Apr 2009 10:06:58 PDTtag:blog.mlive.com,2009:/ecologic//3581.2544557 ]]> I just returned from spending a week on a delightful beach on Florida's Gulf Coast. Unlike many snowbirds, my family has never ventured to Disneyworld or the countless other tourist traps in Florida in the 15 years we've been...http://blog.mlive.com/ecologic/2009/04/floridas_hot_michigan_is_cool.htmlhttp://feedproxy.google.com/~r/ecologic-mlive/~3/EiF1Xjkg5Ik/spring_the_mean_season_for_sur.htmlEcoLogicJeff AlexanderThu, 12 Mar 2009 08:52:15 PDTtag:blog.mlive.com,2009:/ecologic//3581.2365242 ]]>Marge BeaverThis aerial photo shows the plume of dirt and pollutants that the Grand River pumps into Lake Michigan after heavy rains and periods of snowmelt. Spring is such a hopeful time of year. The snow melts, the days grow...http://blog.mlive.com/ecologic/2009/03/spring_the_mean_season_for_sur.htmlhttp://feedproxy.google.com/~r/ecologic-mlive/~3/OAAb9VtJl40/are_you_a_water_hog.htmlEcoLogicJeff AlexanderWed, 04 Mar 2009 11:33:08 PSTtag:blog.mlive.com,2009:/ecologic//3581.2318196 ]]> I ran across an interesting Web site that allows individuals to calculate their water footprint, or the amount of water used daily. The process is similar to measuring your carbon footprint -- the amount of carbon dioxide you generate...http://blog.mlive.com/ecologic/2009/03/are_you_a_water_hog.htmlhttp://feedproxy.google.com/~r/ecologic-mlive/~3/zQ2ymWT4enI/good_news_toxins_decline_in_pe.htmlEcoLogicJeff AlexanderThu, 26 Feb 2009 13:49:22 PSTtag:blog.mlive.com,2009:/ecologic//3581.2284812 ]]> Finally, a bit of good news on the environmental front. Environmental Health News reports on a new study by the state of Wisconsin that found that anglers who ate Great Lakes fish have 33 percent fewer PCBs and 43...http://blog.mlive.com/ecologic/2009/02/good_news_toxins_decline_in_pe.htmlhttp://feedproxy.google.com/~r/ecologic-mlive/~3/6dYm5cxvhas/a_great_lakes_menace_quagga_mu.htmlEcoLogicJeff AlexanderThu, 26 Feb 2009 11:24:41 PSTtag:blog.mlive.com,2009:/ecologic//3581.2283698 ]]> Here's a wakeup call for narrow-minded federal officials who believe quagga mussels and other invasive species laying waste to Great Lakes ecosystems is a regional problem: Quaggas are now wreaking havoc on lakes and streams in Nevada and California....http://blog.mlive.com/ecologic/2009/02/a_great_lakes_menace_quagga_mu.htmlhttp://feedproxy.google.com/~r/ecologic-mlive/~3/WC4HC-oJZko/sinkholes_discovered_in_lake_h.htmlEcoLogicJeff AlexanderThu, 26 Feb 2009 08:19:04 PSTtag:blog.mlive.com,2009:/ecologic//3581.2277395 ]]>This aerial photo shows a 27-foot boat floating above the edge of a sinkhole in Lake Huron's Thunder Bay. A team of scientists from Grand Valley State University and the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration's Great Lakes laboratory have discovered...http://blog.mlive.com/ecologic/2009/02/sinkholes_discovered_in_lake_h.htmlhttp://feedproxy.google.com/~r/ecologic-mlive/~3/n-Qqv7x5HQ0/beach_bums_trash_great_lakes_s.htmlEcoLogicJeff AlexanderFri, 20 Feb 2009 07:04:07 PSTtag:blog.mlive.com,2009:/ecologic//3581.2247947 ]]>A sampling of trash collected last year on a Lake Michigan beach near Muskegon. The Alliance for the Great Lakes has released the results of its 2008 Adopt-a-Beach cleanup program. As usual, the data are appalling. The Alliance's 7,000 volunteers...http://blog.mlive.com/ecologic/2009/02/beach_bums_trash_great_lakes_s.htmlhttp://feedproxy.google.com/~r/ecologic-mlive/~3/GdCKxYsj9xg/deer_kill_debate_rages_in_subu.htmlEcoLogicJeff AlexanderThu, 12 Feb 2009 11:39:30 PSTtag:blog.mlive.com,2009:/ecologic//3581.2203581 ]]>The city of Rochester Hills, in suburban Detroit, bowed to public opposition recently and cancelled its program to thin the city's deer herd. The city began killing deer last month but reversed course due to opposition from residents. Opponents said...http://blog.mlive.com/ecologic/2009/02/deer_kill_debate_rages_in_subu.htmlhttp://feedproxy.google.com/~r/ecologic-mlive/~3/_3TKSi8HZ-I/kill_bambi_too_many_deer_are_b.htmlEcoLogicJeff AlexanderFri, 06 Feb 2009 12:43:29 PSTtag:blog.mlive.com,2009:/ecologic//3581.2170447 ]]>The city of Grand Haven recently made headlines with its decision to thin the city's deer herd by killing 22 of the gorgeous but ecologically destructive creatures. Critics called the deer massacre unnecessary and cruel. I disagree....http://blog.mlive.com/ecologic/2009/02/kill_bambi_too_many_deer_are_b.htmlhttp://feedproxy.google.com/~r/ecologic-mlive/~3/8BBz2Wenj8A/catch_a_rising_starook.htmlEcoLogicJeff AlexanderWed, 04 Feb 2009 09:04:27 PSTtag:blog.mlive.com,2009:/ecologic//3581.2155419 ]]>If you weren't one of the hearty folks who braved frigid temperatures Tuesday night to hear Muskegon native Steven Rinella talk about his new book - "American Buffalo: In Search of A Lost Icon," I have a tip for you....http://blog.mlive.com/ecologic/2009/02/catch_a_rising_starook.htmlhttp://feedproxy.google.com/~r/ecologic-mlive/~3/4fD19V6Ymbw/oh_canada_the_dirty_version.htmlEcoLogicJeff AlexanderMon, 02 Feb 2009 10:04:38 PSTtag:blog.mlive.com,2009:/ecologic//3581.2142933 ]]> There are many reasons to love Canada: Hockey, great beer and fantastic provincial parks. And there's one reason to be furious at our neighbor to the North: Canada dumps more than 10 million cubic yards of trash in Michigan...http://blog.mlive.com/ecologic/2009/02/oh_canada_the_dirty_version.htmlhttp://feedproxy.google.com/~r/ecologic-mlive/~3/xv4DAI1MFfA/cmon_muskegon_lets_recycle.htmlEcoLogicJeff AlexanderFri, 30 Jan 2009 06:00:12 PSTtag:blog.mlive.com,2009:/ecologic//3581.2123447 ]]> A recent report commissioned by the Muskegon Area Sustainability Coalition found that less than half of all households in Muskegon County recycle on a regular basis. There are many reasons for that, including a lack of curbside recycling in...http://blog.mlive.com/ecologic/2009/01/cmon_muskegon_lets_recycle.htmlnonadult