Teens Design Program to Evaluate Trees

Last winter, small towns and villages throughout the Northeast were devastated by an ice storm. Many residents lived without power for two weeks. But even after electricity was restored and the roads were cleared, the damage to thousands of trees remained. Local officials quickly cut many of them down, despite protests from residents. Now, a group of high school students has developed a software program that they hope will help the public officials make better decisions about the fate of damaged trees:

Farmland Threatened by Development

The outward growth of big city suburbs and of small towns booming because of retirees getting out of the city is putting pressure on some farm areas. The Great Lakes Radio Consortium’s Lester Graham reports state governments are stepping in to regulate some of the seemingly out-of-control growth:

IJC Wants Bi-National Support for Clean-Up

The International Joint Commission is calling on the United States and Canadian governments to commit to cleaning up long polluted areas of the Great Lakes. As the Great Lakes Radio Consortium’s Mike Simonson reports, the commission hopes to hold both countries accountable for the health of the lakes.

States Turn to the Feds to Fight Gypsy Moths

Last month (July, 1998), Congress cut funding for an ongoing program to control the gypsy moth. Now, five Great Lakes states hope Forest Service dollars might save the program. The Great Lakes Radio Consortium’s Patty Murray has more:

Cormorants Slaughter Remains a Mystery

The shotgun massacre of nearly 9-hundred young cormorants on a Lake Ontario Island has prompted offers of rewards for information from the U-S Fish and Wildlife Service, and at least one animal rights group. State and federal agents have mounted what they term a "large and aggressive" investigation. The Great Lakes Radio Consortium’s Martha Foley reports:

A Summer Camp for the Children of Chernobyl

For many kids, summer camp means living in rustic cabins and taking part in outdoor activities. But some children are taking a break away from home to help them recover from the results of the Chernobyl accident. For the sixth year in a row, children from Belarus and Ukraine are spending the summer with families in Ohio…a visit some people believe is a matter of life or death. The Great Lakes Radio Consortium’s Kevin Niedermier has more:

Jet-Ski Controversy

The popularity of Jet Skis, Sea-doos, and other personal watercraft has exploded… But at the same time the number of complaints about the noise and accidents associated with the water-bikes has escalated. Some lakes and shores have banned or restricted them. The Great Lakes Radio Consortium’s Lester Graham reports on some of the controversy surrounding the small, powerful boats:

Not a Place for Weenies

Newsweek magazine has named Michigan’s Isle Royale National Park on Lake Superior as one of the seven best places in the world…to get away from it all. As the Great Lakes Radio Consortium’s Mike Simonson reports, this isolated island is one of the least-visited places in the national park system: