As people start heading toward the beaches this summer, they
might see a new sign. If they do, it’s a good sign. It means their
beach is
clean and safe. The Great Lakes Radio Consortium’s Lester Graham
reports:
Month: May 2001
Park Ban on Watercraft Revisited
This summer the National Park Service will be watching to see if
Jet Skis damage the environment at parks where the personal watercrafts
are still allowed. The Great Lakes Radio Consortium’s Lester Graham
reports:
Global Pop Ban to Become Law?
One hundred nations have signed an agreement that will reduce
some of the pollutants that affect the Great Lakes region the most. The
treaty still has to be ratified by each country’s government. The Great
Lakes Radio Consortium’s Lester Graham reports:
Managing Forests for the Lynx
In the wake of last year’s decision by the Fish and Wildlife
Service to list the lynx as a threatened species, the Forest Service is
now considering whether it should improve the habitat for these shy
cats in the Great Lakes region. The Great Lakes Radio Consortium’s
Rebecca Williams reports:
Bush Plan Offers No Leadership
Energy and the environment are on center stage after White
House Task Force on Energy chairman Dick Cheney announced plans
to build nuclear power plants, increase production of oil and coal, and
do
little to encourage conservation. Concerned about the environmental
consequences of nuclear power and of burning fossil fuels, Great Lakes
Radio Consortium commentator Julia King thinks the plan might need
some ”tweaking”:
Ethanol Forgotten in Energy Plan?
President Bush recently unveiled his plan for an energy policy.
The plan’s reliance on traditional energy sources, such as oil, coal and
nuclear power, has received a great deal of attention. However, one
potential fuel source that’s very important to Midwestern farmers
barely received mention. Midwest states produce more than half
of all the ethanol used in the U.S. and Canada. But the corn-based
fuel is referred to in only two sections of the one hundred and seventy
page document. The Great Lakes Radio Consortium’s
Jonathan Ahl reports that there are very differing opinions among
supporters of ethanol on how to interpret the fuel’s role in the
administration’s plans:
Sowing Trust With Farmers
For years, environmentalists, government workers and others
have been puzzled about why more farmers don’t make use of
environmentally friendly land management practices. Now, researchers
have found some of the reasons farmers persist in farming the way they
do and why they don’t listen to outside experts. The Great Lakes Radio
Consortium’s Lester Graham reports:
Controlling Aquatic Invaders
A U.S. and Canadian commission charged with monitoring
the Great Lakes is looking at ways to prevent more invasive species from entering the lakes. Dozens of aquatic animals and plants have already
entered the region, sometimes causing severe environmental damage.
The Great Lakes Radio Consortium’s Lester Graham reports:
Perrier to Tap Midwest Water?
Hoping to find a new source of Midwestern water, a large
bottled water company is giving up on Wisconsin for now and instead
plans to tap into a Michigan spring. The Great Lakes Radio
Consortium’s Lester Graham reports:
Cheap Ethanol Could Boost Corn Sales
Government researchers may have found a cheaper way to
produce ethanol. That could become a major boon to Midwest farmers.
The Great Lakes Radio Consortium’s Jonathan Ahl reports: