A major link in the food web is disappearing from the Great Lakes. Researchers are concerned that its absence will damage fish populations. The Great Lakes Radio Consortium’s Lester Graham has more:
Month: June 2001
Biological Control Gone Awry
Many of the earth-friendly pest control methods developed by organic farmers have become popular among gardeners and homeowners. But when Great Lakes Radio Consortium commentator Tom Springer bought guinea hens to eat troublesome insects, he ended up with a different kind of pest… and a new respect for the challenges of organic agriculture:
Reviving Songs of the Great Lakes
Ships continue to steam on across the Great Lakes this summer, and that gives Lee Murdock something to sing about. Murdock has made his career singing songs of the Lakes; from 200-year-old sailors’ work songs, to his own compositions based on Great Lakes folklore. The Great Lakes Radio Consortium’s Chris Julin caught up with Murdock at a concert in Duluth, and he filed this report:
Artists Ply the Waters
“Fritz Seegers and Mary Brodbeck in front of 'Alwita.’ They’ ll sail the wooden boat around Lake Superior this summer.”
This month a rotating group of artists begin circumnavigating Lake Superior in a sailboat. The artists will be painting, photographing, and making sketches of their journey. They’ll also be collecting stories to share with school children after their return. The Great Lakes Radio Consortium’s Tamar Charney caught up with some of the artists before they left:
Barn-Raising Creates Community
"A timber framed barn being raised in New York's Adirondack Mountains."
When you pass those old barns by the side of the road, you’re seeing the work of whole communities. Farm towns across the country have a long tradition of neighbors helping each other. A tradition that faded as many farmers turned to steel-frames and sheet metal for their new barns. Now, a group of builders are working to recreate the old ways, raising barns using techniques handed down from early America. The Great Lakes Radio Consortium’s Brian Mann has the story:
Mowing Harms Grassland Birds
Wildlife experts are urging landowners and road maintenance crews to delay mowing roadsides. Mowing kills many grassland birds by destroying nests. The Great Lakes Radio Consortium’s Lester Graham reports:
A Price Tag on Water Exports?
Despite calls to ban bulk exports of water from the Great Lakes, the Canadian government plans to hire experts to put a price on water in the event water is exported. The Great Lakes Radio Consortium’s Lester Graham reports:
Small Business Energy Efficiency
It’s surprising to think so, but small business may hold the key to solving the energy crisis. That’s what Great Lakes Radio Consortium commentator Byron Kennard argues. In his view, dramatic gains in energy efficiency by small businesses are practical because they cut energy bills dramatically and swiftly:
Will Hybrid Sales Run Out of Gas?
The Federal Reserve Bank is predicting slightly lower oil prices next year. That might sound like good news, but the makers of new fuel efficient cars are concerned. The Great Lakes Radio Consortium’s Lester Graham reports:
Coping With the Effects of Hog Farms (Part 2)
The agriculture industry’s shift to bigger and more efficient production methods have created factory-like living facilities for animals, as well as huge repositories of waste. Neighbors complain the emissions from these pits and lagoons are making them sick. In the second of a two-part series, the Great Lakes Radio Consortium’s Dan Gorenstein reports. with little regulation from federal or state government, the local communities are experimenting with different technologies to control these ever-expanding bodies of waste: