There are many undeveloped areas throughout the Great Lakes: it’s one of the things people find appealing about the region. One of the least developed is the North Shore of Lake Superior. But the Minnesota shoreline, like many relatively wild areas, is now being threatened by runaway development. Planning is underway for a sewer line to be extended up the shore from Duluth. Advocates say the sewer line is needed because most of the septic tanks along the shore are failing, and polluting the ground water and the lake. But a sewer would allow more development, which could actually bring more pollution to the area. The Great Lakes Radio Consortium’s Stephanie Hemphill reports:
Month: May 2001
Sandhill Crane Migration Successful
Biologists have succeeded in teaching a common type of crane
to migrate. Now they can work on its endangered relative. The Great
Lakes Radio Consortium’s Susan Stephens reports:
Waiting for Residential Fuel Cells
Fuel cell developers are racing to be the first to release a small,
affordable power plant for the home. Some developers hoped to have
something on the market this year… now, they’re predicting a release
early next year. But as the Great Lakes Radio Consortium’s
Mark Brush reports, that still might be too optimistic:
Whitman Touts New Oil Drilling Techniques
The head of the Environmental Protection Agency says some
consumers and environmental advocates may not want to see oil drilling
in the Great Lakes… but it might be necessary to keep up with
energy demands. The Great Lakes Radio Consortium’s
Jesse Hardman has more:
New Fishing Nets Obstacles for Boats?
Fishing nets will be appearing in Great Lakes areas where they haven't been for decades. Boaters are warned to avoid them.Illustration by Dave Brenner. Courtesy of Michigan Sea Grant.
Boaters and anglers on the Great Lakes could get tangled up
in some new fishing nets if they’re not careful. The Great Lakes Radio
Consortium’s Lester Graham reports:
COMMENTARY – a SIMPLE BANDANNA
Most of us don’t give much thought to what we have around
our necks unless it’s a noose or a tight necktie. Great Lakes Radio
Consortium commentator Michael Delp moves beyond the necktie to
meditate on the desire to preserve our inner wildness by wearing a
simple bandanna:
DETECTING FUTURE INVADERS (Part 3)
Devastating weed infestations in natural areas of the Great
Lakes region present a big challenge to land managers, educators,
scientists, and government agencies. That’s why hundreds of people
came to an invasive plants conference held recently in Eau Claire,
Wisconsin. In the third of a three-part series, the Great Lakes Radio
Consortium’s Mary Jo Wagner reports…those attending formed an
organization to deal with the problems and to spot new threats:
WEEDING OUT INVASIVES (Part 2)
Government officials say invasive plants are taking over
public lands at the rate of thousands of acres a day. These invasives
are plants that are not native to the area. Often, plants such as
garlic mustard and kudzu were brought to a region for ornamental use,
before spreading to other areas where they weren’t wanted. The
problem attracted hundreds of people to an invasive plants conference
in Eau Claire, Wisconsin recently to discuss the current state of
control.
In the second of a three-part series, the Great Lakes Radio Consortium’s
Mary Jo Wagner reports that so far, efforts to stop the spread of these
plants have been spotty:
TRACKING INVASIVE PLANTS (Part 1)
Invasive plants, such as this patch of purple loosestrife in Saginaw Bay, have been out-competing native plants in the Midwest for years.Photo courtesy of Karen Holland, USEPA
The unchecked spread of invasive plants is causing alarm
throughout the Great Lakes region. Invasives are plants that are
often imported for ornamental use, and have now gone wild and
spread to places they’re not wanted. The concern over these plants
is so great that hundreds of land managers, educators, botanists and
others attended a recent conference in Eau Claire,
Wisconsin to learn more about the problem. In the first of a
three-part series, the Great Lakes Radio Consortium’s
Mary Jo Wagner reports: