Snow Geese Hunting Restrictions Eased

The U-S Fish and Wildlife Service has allowed most of the states in the
Great Lakes region to ease restrictions on hunting Canadian Snow Geese.
And as the Great Lakes Radio Consortium’s Tom Scheck reports, the effort
is being made to protect a region in Canada:

Second Best

There’s something enchanting about the crisp feel of a brand new shirt
or the scent of a book that’s never been read. In our preference for
what’s new, Americans toss about 116-million tons of what’s old into
landfills each year. But commentator Julia King suspects that if we
took the time to look (and listen), we’d find that it’s not only the
shiny and new that’s worth keeping:

Sturgeon Restrictions Threatens Tradition

Sturgeon numbers have been steadily declining around the Great Lakes
for years. In order to rehabilitate sturgeon populations, some states
are adopting new restrictions on harvesting the fish. In Wisconsin, the
sturgeon spearing season was shut down this year after just three days,
when the quota of fish had been caught. It was the state’s shortest
season on record. In Michigan, new restrictions will start next year.
But the new rules endanger something else: a way of life for
communities where the tradition of sturgeon spearing spans generations.
The Great Lakes Radio Consortium’s Wendy Nelson reports:

The Tradition of Sturgeon Spearing

It’s not unusual to see avid ice fishermen out on lakes as soon as they
freeze over. But in a few parts of the region, there’s a special type
of ice fishing going on…it’s the ultimate challenge of man against
fish, and in some places, it’s been a tradition for generations. The
Great Lakes Radio Consortium’s Wendy Nelson reports:

Skating Canal a Unique Winter Experience

Winter can be tough. It’s cold, it’s slippery and it seems to go on
forever. Some people choose to hibernate. But others, like the residents
of Ottawa, Ontario, try to make the best of it. Ottawa is home to the
longest skating rink in the world. As the Great Lakes Radio Consortium’s
Karen Kelly found, it’s a place where young and old come to celebrate
winter:

Plutonium Hits the Road

World leaders have agreed to help the U.S. and Russia find and test
methods of disposing excess nuclear warhead material. One option is to
create what’s called MOX (MOCKS) fuel to be burned in a nuclear
reactor. MOX fuel is created when uranium oxide is mixed with
weapons-grade plutonium. There are plans to test MOX fuel in Canadian
nuclear reactors this spring. But shipping the material to Canada
worries people on both sides of the border. The Great Lakes Radio
Consortium’s Todd Witter reports:

All Natural Irritability

In growing numbers, Americans are bypassing traditional medicine and
getting “back to nature” for what ails them. From chamomile tea to St.
John’s Wort, herbal remedies are becoming wildly popular. The move
toward nature could be a sign that we are finally understanding our
connections to the Earth. Then again, Great Lakes Radio Consortium
commentator, Julia King, wonders if we aren’t just trading one vice for
another: