A Cross-Country Skiing Renaissance?

Cross-country skiing is a passion for thousands of people in the Midwest. The sport has suffered in recent years, with mild winters bringing sparse snow. This winter, conditions have been perfect and Nordic skiing is enjoying a renaissance. Now, environmental writer Bill McKibben has written a book about the sport. The Great Lakes Radio Consortium’s Brian Mann has this profile:

Greenhouse Gas Demystified

Last summer, an international team of scientists announced a startling discovery. Writing in the journal Science, the team reported finding a rare gas in Antarctic snow and in the air. The compound has an unusually powerful ability to trap heat in the atmosphere. The paper did not identify the source of the gas, a riddle that puzzled climate researchers worldwide. Now a surprising announcement appears to solve the mystery. The Great Lakes Radio Consortium’s Daniel Grossman has the story:

De-Icing Great Lakes Shipping Routes


In many parts of the Great Lakes, spring still seems a ways off. But on the ice-choked St. Lawrence River, there is a sign of warmer days to come. Huge icebreakers are clearing a path for the international freighters that use the Seaway nine months of the year. The interior of North America as far west as Duluth will soon re-open to the Atlantic Ocean, and to the rest of the world. The Great Lakes Radio Consortium’s David Sommerstein climbed aboard the tugboat Robinson Bay for its second day of icebreaking on the lock canal that parallels the river:

Studies Trigger Tighter Fish Advisories

In a move that may spark similar decisions in other Great Lakes states,
Wisconsin has changed its fish advisories because of mercury
contamination. The changes are based on new studies which show mercury
is more of a health concern than previously thought. Those studies have
found that even smaller doses of mercury can lead to heart and nerve
problems. The Great Lakes Radio Consortium’s Nick Van Der Puy has more:

Commentary – The Naked Truth

There’s an old riddle that goes something like this: if a tree falls in
the forest and no one hears it – did it make a sound? And what if an
activist ”acts” and no one sees it – did it really happen? With
television, the Internet, newspapers, magazines, radio, etc. it’s
getting harder and harder to get noticed. Great Lakes Radio Consortium
commentator Julia King wonders how far a person should go to be heard
above all the noise:

Navigation Upgrades Spark Debate

The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers is reviewing the entire navigational
system in the Great Lakes. The study could result in changes to ports
and harbors throughout the region. It could also give the go-ahead for
deepening shipping channels and widening locks on the St. Lawrence
Seaway. As the Great Lakes Radio Consortium’s David Sommerstein
reports, environmentalists are warning such projects could pose a threat
to the delicate marine ecosystem: