Great Lakes Echo

The other Great Lakes

Karessa Weir — Wed, 10 Mar 2010 12:40:00 +0000

Ever Google “Great Lakes”? As part of my job as links hunter for Great Lakes Echo, I will run searches for Great Lakes stories through Google News to catch some of the more obscure publications that I don’t normally check. Google has been great about sending me some interesting reads. But occasionally it also sends me half way around the world. The Great Lakes of Africa are a system of seven lakes spread through three river basins. It is dominated by Lake Victoria, which is the continent’s largest lake and the third largest ...

Falconry is a team sport with Great Lakes roots

Alice Rossignol — Wed, 10 Mar 2010 01:09:55 +0000

The first falconry field meet in North America was in 1938 in Pennsylvania. It's a sport that continues to be cherished throughout the Great Lakes states. “It’s like a front row seat to an I-max movie to nature,” said Kory Koch, communications director of the Michigan Hawking Club. Falconers commit to extensive training as apprentices. Unlike firearms hunting, their weapon cannot be put away in the off-season. The raptor must be fed, protected and exercised daily year round.

Food hardship widespread; Great Lakes residents among those struggling

Haley Walker — Tue, 09 Mar 2010 13:39:14 +0000

Nearly 19 percent of Michigan residents reported a time in the past 12 months when they lacked enough money to buy food. The statistic comes from a national Gallup survey of more than 530,000 Americans asked about food hardship experienced by themselves and their families. The Food Research and Action Center,a non-profit group working to eliminate hunger and under nutrition, analyzed the 2010 Food Hardship Report that was released in January.

IJC study: Lake level lament

Jeff Gillies — Tue, 09 Mar 2010 13:34:10 +0000

This summer, Echo ran a five-part series on a controversial study of a possibly human-driven drop in Lake Huron and Lake Michigan. The $3.6 million, International Joint Commission-funded study started in 2004 and a final report of the results came in Dec., 2009. The study looked at erosion in the St. Clair River, which runs between Lake Huron and Lake Erie. The researchers found that the “head difference” between the two lakes – that’s a measure of how high the Lake Huron surface is above the Lake Erie surface – has ...

Lake politics: Stimulate America?

Andrew Norman — Tue, 09 Mar 2010 13:29:42 +0000

Stimulus funds for wind turbines and materials for other clean energy projects should go to companies that manufacture them in the U.S., three Great Lakes senators say. Democratic Sens. Chuck Schumer (D-NY), Sherrod Brown (D-Ohio) and Bob Casey (D-PA), along with Montana’s Jon Tester, introduced legislation to include a “buy American” provision on stimulus funds. The senators say more than three-fourths of $2 billion spent on wind-enery projects have gone to foreign companies. “Stimulating” American — rather than foreign companies — seems to be a sensible use of U.S. tax dollars. But ...

Daily carp bomb: Is it carp season?

David Poulson — Mon, 08 Mar 2010 13:13:55 +0000

Perhaps direct confrontation is the best way to repel an invasion. “He’s doing his part to control the invasion of Asian Carp at Leelanau State Park,” writes casglass on the Echo carp bomb flickr group. Want in on the carp bomb photoshop fun? Learn how to create your own.

MONDAY MASHUP: Where the (Great Lakes) wild things are

Rachael Gleason — Mon, 08 Mar 2010 13:12:18 +0000

Many state natural resources departments in the Great Lakes region produce interactive maps to illustrate wildlife areas. Some are designed for hunters; others just show where common fish and animals are located. Click the headline to find where the wild things are in Great Lakes states.

Reporting with bias

David Poulson — Sat, 06 Mar 2010 23:20:54 +0000

Washington Post columnist David Broder made an odd confession recently: “If you want to be a stickler for journalistic ethics, I shouldn’t even be writing about the Great Lakes, because I have a huge bias — especially when it comes to Lake Michigan.” Broder recalled youthful summer visits to a cabin on Lake Michigan and explained that for the past 50 years he has enjoyed another cabin on the lake’s Beaver Island. “Like everyone who comes under its spell, I love Lake Michigan,” he wrote. Broder felt a need to reveal that background before ...

Lake politics: Legislation would send $3 billion to the Great Lakes

Andrew Norman — Fri, 05 Mar 2010 16:46:27 +0000

A bipartisan group of Great Lakes congressmen introduced legislation Thursday to provide $650 million annually for the next five years for programs to restore the Great lakes. The more than $3 billion in federal money would fund programs to clean up toxic pollution, control invasive species and restore habitat.

Detroit River’s Humbug Marsh gets international designation

Great Lakes Echo — Fri, 05 Mar 2010 12:53:19 +0000

A decade ago, development was proposed for the Detroit River's Humbug Marsh. Citizens pressured government for protection. And recently the site received international recognition. Today the marsh is vital habitat for 51 species of fish, 90 species of plants, 154 species of birds, seven species of reptiles and amphibians and 37 species of dragonflies and damselflies.