Last June, Interior Secretary Bruce Babbit announced he wanted to remove thetimber wolf from the Endangered Species list because of dramatic populationrebounds in Minnesota, Wisconsin and Michigan. But before that can happen,each state must come up with a plan to manage the populations. Wisconsinand Michigan already have draft plans ready for public comment. ButMinnesota is lagging behind. The Great Lakes Radio Consortium’s StephanieHemphill reports:
Month: August 1998
Commentary – Biking to Work
The pressure to meet the climate change targets of the Kyoto agreements haseveryone advocating alternative, non-polluting modes of transport. But asGreat Lakes Radio Consortium commentator Suzanne Elston points out, gettingthere is only half the problem:
Community Keeps Growth in Check
When the Chicago Tribune named Bayfield, Wisconsin as the best small town inthe Midwest last year, there was celebration and some reservation. Thispristine gateway to Lake Superior has seen steady growth since then. But agrassroots effort by residents of that area is trying to keep expansionunder control. The Great Lakes Radio Consortium Mike Simonson has more:
Landfill Golf Takes Off
For years, developers have been have been re-using old dumps by buildingover them. Some of these projects have been successful. The HarborsideInternational Golf Center in Chicago, built over a landfill, is one of themost popular in the city. But other cities have been forced to CLOSElandfill golf courses. The Great Lakes Radio Consortium’s Julie GrantCooper reports on the first landfill golf courses in Ohio, and the lessonsits developers are learning from older projects:
Beetle Infestation Spreads
A recent discovery of the Asian long horned beetle has caused entomologistsin the Chicago area to declare an outbreak. That worries officials that thetree killing bug could make it’s way into other parts of the Great LakesRegion. The Great Lakes Radio Consortium’s Tom Scheck reports:
Hybrid Weeds Resistent to Herbicide
A new study indicates weeds that cross with genetically altered crops can cause problems, like tough to kill weeds. The Great Lakes Radio Consortium’s Lester Graham has more:
Tracking the Round Goby Invasion
The five-inch long round Goby has been found for the first time in Lake Ontario. This summer’s discovery means this European transplant has infiltrated all of the Great Lakes, just eight years after it was first located near Detroit:
Commentary – Rediscovering the Clothesline
Smog levels in the Great Lakes basin can reach dangerous levels during the summer months. But as the Great Lakes Radio Consortium’s Suzanne Elston points out, simple gestures, like hanging our clothes out to dry, can add up to major savings for the environment:
Bringing Back the Loons
For many residents of the Great Lakes region, the loon is synonymous with wilderness – an enduring symbol of the wild outdoors. But, in northern Wisconsin, as development pressures increase, there are fewer and fewer places for the loons to nest. Now, one woman has decided to do something about it. The Great Lakes Radio Consortium’s Nick Van Der Puy reports:
Controversy Over Nat’l Park Lease Agreement
For two decades, the park service has worked to return populated areas back to their natural state through a policy of land purchases and lease backs. In 1970, federal legislation designated more than seventy-thousand acres of land along Michigan’s northwestern coast as a national park. In most cases, the park service allowed those residents to "lease-back" their properties for as many as 40 years. But now that many of their leases have expired, many residents are refusing to leave. The Great Lakes Radio Consortium’s Wendy Nelson reports: