Laws protecting Great Lakes shipwrecks from looting vary from
state to state. But officials agree it’s nearly impossible to catch
underwater thieves… and only a handful of arrests are made each year.
Now, a Michigan case is encouraging officials to step up their efforts
to
save the shipwrecks. The Great Lakes Radio Consortium’s Wendy
Nelson reports:
Tag: dnr
Tribes Re-Negotiate Fishing Rights
In the mid 1800’s the federal government established several treaties
with Native American tribes. Those treaties gave them broad rights to
fish the Great Lakes and they must be
re-negotiated every few years. These treaties have become a major point
of contention as fish resources become more strained. The Great Lakes
Radio Consortium’s Mark Brush reports that Michigan is in middle of
working out a new settlement with the tribes in their state:
Cormorant Control Begins in Earnest (Part 1)
In many ways, the double-crested cormorant is a wildlife success story. The
birds were almost wiped out by pesticide exposure in the 1960’s. But in
recent years, they’ve returned in large numbers to prime fishing areas in
the Great Lakes and elsewhere. In fact, they’re so good at catching fish,
commercial fishermen have been affected. In the first of a two part series,
the Great Lakes Radio Consortium’s Karen Kelly found that the biologists who
protect these birds are also looking for ways to get rid of them:
Legacy Left by Cormorant Slaughter (Part 2)
The double-crested cormorant has been an enemy of fishermen for centuries.
They’ve eaten salmon on the Atlantic coast, catfish in Missouri and game
fish in the Great Lakes. Fishermen complain the cormorants are bad for
business. And last summer, fishing guides on Lake Ontario made their point
by killing more than two thousand birds. A year later, they’ve been caught
and arrested. In the second of a two part series, the Great Lakes Radio
Consortium’s Karen Kelly reports the effect of those killings is still being
felt:
Wilderness Survival
There’s been an increasing interest in wilderness survival classes recently,
sparked in large part by Y-2-K doomsayers. But survival training isn’t
new – for years, hikers, campers and other outdoor enthusiasts have taken
these classes to improve their skills…and along the way, often realize a
deeper connection with the environment. The Great Lakes Radio Consortium’s
Wendy Nelson reports:
Mercury Levels Spur Fish Advisories
Officials in three Great Lakes states are warning anglers that any fish
caught in their streams, rivers or lakes could have high levels of mercury .
The Great Lakes Radio Consortium’s Tom Scheck reports:
CUT: SCHECK (1:03 "…I’M TOM SCHECK.")
Wolf Killed by Government Order
A timber wolf has been shot by a federal officer in Wisconsin. For the
past twenty-five years the wolf has been listed on the federal
endangered species list. But now the wolf’s status is being changed from
endangered to threatened making it easier to use lethal force on problem
wolves. The Great Lakes Radio Consortium’s Nick Van Der Puy has more:
Quieting Those Annoying Jet-Skis
Manufacturers of personal watercraft are making efforts to cut down on
complaints this summer. Plans include better training for people who
buy the waterbikes and cutting down on noise. The Great Lakes Radio
Consortium’s Mike Simonson has more:
State Tries to Avoid Superfund Stigma
A polluted river in northeastern Wisconsin is due for a clean-up. But
who runs the massive project is a hot topic. The Environmental
Protection Agency may add the Fox River to its national priorities list,
more popularly known as Superfund. But state officials would rather
handle the project on their own…and have recently released preliminary
studies on how they envision the cleanup. The Great Lakes Radio
Consortium’s Patty Murray reports:
New Method for Counting Deer
When wildlife managers and animal rights groups clash over whether to
kill deer, one of the big disputes is whether the herd has been counted
correctly. The Great Lakes Radio Consortium’s Lester Graham reports on
a new method that more accurately counts deer in the forest: