Q-90.1's The Environment Report

Big batteries are going in at Consumers Energy sites in Hampton and Oscoda townships. Close to 19 million fish have been stocked to rivers and lakes in Michigan this year. Federal scientists are testing a new method for keeping invasive carp out of the Great Lakes. For more, visit https://mrgreatlakes.com/

This month, the Lake Guardian began its annual summer water quality survey of the Great Lakes. A $35 million Septic Replacement Loan Program helps Michigan homeowners with the high costs of repairing or replacing failing septic systems. Hundreds of baby sturgeon are coming to the Saginaw Bay watershed. For more, visit https://mrgreatlakes.com/

Bay City celebrates the 30th annual Saginaw Bay Waterfowl & Outdoor Festival, the once-endangered Kirtland’s warbler isn’t doing so well these days, and lawmakers advocating for the Great Lakes have a new statistics hub. For more, visit https://mrgreatlakes.com/

Harmful algal blooms pose a serious danger to dogs at the beach, Lake whitefish are crashing in Lakes Michigan and Huron, and more than a dozen leading scientists released a report highlighting climate change impacts on the Great Lakes region. For more, visit https://mrgreatlakes.com/

Lake Huron is expected to rise by an inch over the next month. The Michigan Clean Water Corps is hosting its first-ever statewide aquatic invasive species BioBlitz from June 28-July 6. The Saginaw Bay Cooperative Invasive Species Management Area is offering free kits to build spotted lanternfly traps. For more, visit https://mrgreatlakes.com/

Local conservation and education efforts are getting a boost from the state. The Great Lakes Stormwater Collaborative is putting on a summer webinar series about stormwater management. The first is June 24. A great day at the beach can be spoiled by pollution. The state has launched an enhanced version of BeachGuard online notification system for closures and advisories. For more, visit https://mrgreatlakes.com/

Sea lamprey control is planned for a Lake Huron tributary. Pinconning-based Serafin Fish Co. has been issued a commercial fishing license for lake whitefish in southern Lake Huron from the port of Harbor Beach. It’s that time of year. University researchers want to know how you feel about ice. For more, visit https://mrgreatlakes.com/

U.S. Rep. Kristen McDonald Rivet is pushing for federal funding to expand access to safe, clean drinking water in mid-Michigan. Little Forks Conservancy recently hosted another Cedar River Stream Sampling event, engaging volunteers in collecting valuable data to monitor the health of the watershed. For more, visit https://mrgreatlakes.com/

Climate change is making Michigan summers more dangerous for pregnant women, more than 27 million trees were planted across the Great Lakes and St. Lawrence region last year, and the nonprofit Conservation Fund is supporting projects that bring green space into Michigan neighborhoods. For more, visit https://mrgreatlakes.com/

Michigan’s recycling rate reached a new high for the fourth year in a row. Permeable pavement can reduce stormwater runoff by up to 19%, a recent study says. Low-carbon energy sources provided nearly 41% of the world’s electricity in 2024. For more, visit https://mrgreatlakes.com/

A Detroit nonprofit called Make Food Not Waste has an initiative to cut Michigan’s food waste in half by 2030. There’s a Give a Scrap Food Scrap Pickup Service available in Bay City, Saginaw and Birch Run. May 31 is the date for a Scrap Tire Drive put on by Bay County Mosquito Control. For more, visit https://mrgreatlakes.com/

Artificial intelligence is putting pressure on the Great Lakes. Bay City’s sister city has committed to protecting Lake Huron. A new program will award millions of dollars in grants to projects that help meet goals of a state Healthy Climate Plan. For more, visit https://mrgreatlakes.com/

Helped Wanted: 12,000 volunteers. That’s the message from the Alliance for the Great Lakes, the environmental group that organizers Adopt-a-Beach cleanups. Earth Day is this week, celebrated on Tuesday, April 22. Executive orders from President Trump aim to halt state climate laws and revive the coal industry. For more, visit https://mrgreatlakes.com/

Climate change is supercharging the water cycle, bringing heavier rain extremes and related flood risks across the U.S. The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency’s largest research vessel, the Lake Guardian, has begun its annual spring water quality survey across the Great Lakes. Part of the “Free-Flowing Success” of environmental efforts last year in the Saginaw Bay region included the Three Ponds Nature Preserve. For more, visit https://mrgreatlakes.com/

The federal government is giving people more time to comment on a proposal to list the iconic monarch butterfly as threatened. You can learn how to contribute to community science by monitoring for endangered piping plovers and changes along the Lake Huron shoreline. The Great Lakes Renewable Energy Association notes that utilities in Michigan can’t stand in the way of residents using a Ford electric vehicle to keep their lights on during power outages. For more, visit https://mrgreatlakes.com/

Artificial intelligence and machine learning are expected to change how scientists monitor and model the Great Lakes. You can help monitor water quality in Michigan through the Clean Water Corps. An online Michigan Boating Facility Finder includes an interactive map to find out about launch points, watercraft rules and closures. For more, visit https://mrgreatlakes.com/

Saginaw Bay is among the best ice fishing destinations in the United States. The University of Michigan is using $5 million from the U.S. Department of Energy to help make wave and offshore wind energy more reliable, quieter and easier to test. The Fred and Barbara Erb Family Foundation in Birmingham is making a major commitment to the future of the Great Lakes and other key causes, pledging to spend its remaining $350 million over the next decade. Mr. Great Lakes: https://mrgreatlakes.com/ Support this podcast: https://www.deltabroadcasting.org/donate/

Recent state grants focus on coastal management. If you want to take an active role in protecting and preserving the Great Lakes, you might want to check out a webinar from the Alliance for the Great Lakes. Fish-eating birds nesting in polluted shoreline areas of Michigan suffer from lower reproductive success and higher rates of deformities. Mr. Great Lakes: https://mrgreatlakes.com/

Filter First laws have been in place for a year in Michigan. Michigan saw the most benefits in the nation from federal clean energy funding. Mr. Great Lakes https://mrgreatlakes.com/

Worried about how electric vehicles handle cold winters? The latest tech might ease your mind. Algal blooms are often associated with summer but they’re a concern in the winter, too. And there’s a Wildlife Weekend planned for early February at the Department of Natural Resources center in Roscommon. Mr. Great Lakes https://mrgreatlakes.com/