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 4.29-advance 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.htmlEcoLogicjalexander@muskegonchronicle.com (Jeff Alexander | Muskegon Chronicle)Thu, 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.htmlEcoLogicjalexander@muskegonchronicle.com (Jeff Alexander | Muskegon Chronicle)Wed, 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.htmlEcoLogicjalexander@muskegonchronicle.com (Jeff Alexander | Muskegon Chronicle)Tue, 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.htmlEcoLogicjalexander@muskegonchronicle.com (Jeff Alexander | Muskegon Chronicle)Mon, 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.htmlEcoLogicjalexander@muskegonchronicle.com (Jeff Alexander | Muskegon Chronicle)Thu, 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.htmlEcoLogicjalexander@muskegonchronicle.com (Jeff Alexander | Muskegon Chronicle)Wed, 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.htmlEcoLogicjalexander@muskegonchronicle.com (Jeff Alexander | Muskegon Chronicle)Thu, 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.htmlEcoLogicjalexander@muskegonchronicle.com (Jeff Alexander | Muskegon Chronicle)Thu, 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.htmlEcoLogicjalexander@muskegonchronicle.com (Jeff Alexander | Muskegon Chronicle)Thu, 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.htmlEcoLogicjalexander@muskegonchronicle.com (Jeff Alexander | Muskegon Chronicle)Fri, 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.htmlEcoLogicjalexander@muskegonchronicle.com (Jeff Alexander | Muskegon Chronicle)Thu, 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.htmlEcoLogicjalexander@muskegonchronicle.com (Jeff Alexander | Muskegon Chronicle)Fri, 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.htmlEcoLogicjalexander@muskegonchronicle.com (Jeff Alexander | Muskegon Chronicle)Wed, 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.htmlEcoLogicjalexander@muskegonchronicle.com (Jeff Alexander | Muskegon Chronicle)Mon, 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.htmlEcoLogicjalexander@muskegonchronicle.com (Jeff Alexander | Muskegon Chronicle)Fri, 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.htmlhttp://feedproxy.google.com/~r/ecologic-mlive/~3/X0bIaDzL5NU/losing_weight_isnt_rocket_scie.htmlEcoLogicjalexander@muskegonchronicle.com (Jeff Alexander | Muskegon Chronicle)Fri, 30 Jan 2009 06:01:54 PSTtag:blog.mlive.com,2009:/ecologic//3581.2120051 ]]> I had the good fortune recently to write about a Fremont lawyer, Bob Springstead, who lost 162 pounds in one year. Springstead's story was so compelling because he didn't lose weight by undergoing stomach reduction surgery or going on...http://blog.mlive.com/ecologic/2009/01/losing_weight_isnt_rocket_scie.htmlhttp://feedproxy.google.com/~r/ecologic-mlive/~3/ABXY5-OP_zg/lake_michigan_in_crisis.htmlEcoLogicjalexander@muskegonchronicle.com (Jeff Alexander | Muskegon Chronicle)Mon, 12 Jan 2009 09:16:56 PSTtag:blog.mlive.com,2009:/ecologic//3581.2029888 ]]>I don't want to sound like Chicken Little but there are some very bad ecological changes taking place in Lake Michigan. All of these disturbing trends are being caused by invasive species that ocean freighters accidentally imported to the Great...http://blog.mlive.com/ecologic/2009/01/lake_michigan_in_crisis.htmlhttp://feedproxy.google.com/~r/ecologic-mlive/~3/-RCAUYocyZg/get_the_lead_out.htmlEcoLogicjalexander@muskegonchronicle.com (Jeff Alexander | Muskegon Chronicle)Fri, 30 Jan 2009 06:01:40 PSTtag:blog.mlive.com,2009:/ecologic//3581.2017958 ]]>Here's another reason to prevent childhood lead poisoning: Kids exposed to the toxic compound are more likely to become violent criminals as adults, according to a new study....http://blog.mlive.com/ecologic/2009/01/get_the_lead_out.htmlhttp://feedproxy.google.com/~r/ecologic-mlive/~3/5XYSA3WDPcQ/new_jobs_for_michigan.htmlEcoLogicjalexander@muskegonchronicle.com (Jeff Alexander | Muskegon Chronicle)Fri, 30 Jan 2009 06:02:26 PSTtag:blog.mlive.com,2009:/ecologic//3581.2013821 ]]>Call me crazy but I think there might be a way for Michigan to create jobs and help the environment at the same time....http://blog.mlive.com/ecologic/2009/01/new_jobs_for_michigan.htmlhttp://feedproxy.google.com/~r/ecologic-mlive/~3/2FZZDqvmQq0/government_gone_mad.htmlEcoLogicjalexander@muskegonchronicle.com (Jeff Alexander | Muskegon Chronicle)Fri, 30 Jan 2009 06:06:29 PSTtag:blog.mlive.com,2008:/ecologic//3581.1859229 ]]> News item: The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency is considering imposing a gas tax on pigs and cows because the animals emit enough greenhouses gases (in the form of methane-laden flatulence) to violate the intent of the Clean Air Act....http://blog.mlive.com/ecologic/2008/12/government_gone_mad.htmlnonadult