Scientists are analyzing new data that’ll determine whether offshore wind farms are viable in Lake Michigan and the data is more detailed than any available from the Great Lakes so far.
A floating eight-ton research buoy is collecting the data. There are only three such vessels in the world and this is the first one launched in the United States.
The buoy has been anchored about 37 miles off shore for about two months now. Recently crews retrieved the first set of data cards – with information about wind conditions and any bats and birds that fly by. Scientists are now analyzing that data.
Arn Boezaart heads the Michigan Alternative and Renewable Energy Center that’s operating the buoy. "I think we are getting data at this point that will be very useful and will validate the fact that the wind conditions at mid-lake are very promising for potential future use as a commercially viable wind source," Boezaart says.
But right now there is no clear path to proposing an offshore wind farm in the Great Lakes inside the Michigan border.
Of all the land in Michigan, the state owns a little less than 7 and a half percent. That’s about four and a half million acres. And, some people think that’s too much. Some people think it’s not enough. Regardless, every few years, there’s a new call to take a look at how much land is owned by the state, and how it’s being used.
Governor Snyder signed a law recently that limits how much land the state can acquire while the state Department of Natural Resources conducts a study of what the state has and how it’s used.
“The state itself owns millions of acres of land, let alone cooperating with the private sector and there’s no cohesive strategy on how we manage our resources for both terrestrial things like – land-based things, but also aquatic. So one of the things I’d like to see in the special message is setting the framework of how we’re going to evolve over the next few years to have comprehensive strategy for how we’re going to manage land and aquatic resources in the state of Michigan," the Governor said recently.
A news investigation found two natural gas companies might have colluded when bidding on drilling rights in Michigan. Reuters obtained e-mails exchanged between officials from Chesapeake Energy Corp. and Encana Corp. The paper says the e-mails show "that top executives of the two rivals plotted in 2010 to avoid bidding against each other in a state auction and in at least nine prospective deals with private land owners." State lawmakers are pushing for resolution with an investigation.
Tue Jul 24, 2012 7:03am EDT (Reuters) - Two Michigan state representatives have called on officials there to step up their investigations into possible collusion between Chesapeake Energy Corp and Encana Corp, following a Reuters report that the energy rivals plotted to avoid bidding against each other in Michigan land deals.
If you're planning a trip to Michigan's state parks this summer, expect some company.
The parks are on track to break attendance records this year, with more than 25 million visits expected.
It’s mostly thanks to hot weather, lowers gas prices, and cheaper park passes, says Harold Herta of the Department of Natural Resources. "We've seen a lot of people coming out to the parks this year that said, I haven't been to a state park in years, and I thought I'd try it out. Especially in the metro-Detroit area."
The dredge, the Arthur J, sinking on Lake Huron. The boat is owned by MCM Marine.
Credit U.S. Coast Guard
The sheen of diesel fuel on the shores of Lake Huron near Lakeport, Michigan.
Credit U.S. Coast Guard
Diesel fuel on the water of Lake Huron near Lakeport, Michigan. The U.S. Coast Guard says people near the spill will likely smell the odor of diesel fuel.
Credit U.S. Coast Guard
Diesel fuel on the shores of Lake Huron near Lakeport, Michigan. Clean up efforts continue, but the Coast Guard says the weather hasn't been ideal for clean up efforts.
The U.S. Coast Guard issued a press release this morning saying all the fuel valves and vents connected to the fuel tank on the sunken barge, the Arthur J, have been plugged.
Crews continue to work on salvaging the 110-foot dredge barge and 38-foot tug that sank yesterday morning one mile off the coast of Lakeport, Michigan.
From their release:
The Arthur J has ten vents to its fuel tank and responders where able to plug four of them early Thursday afternoon, but six remained open until responders were able to plug them late Thursday night.
The impact to the shoreline has been minimal; however there is visible sheening along the shores of Lakeport, but there has been no report of a thick product wash ashore. However, there is still a strong diesel odor in the air, so residents and visitors of the lower Lake Huron area are encouraged to avoid areas where there is an odor in the air. Those who live in the area should remain inside with doors and windows closed as much as possible.
The Coast Guard says the Michigan State Health Department has closed beaches from the Blue Water Bridge north to Lakeport State Park.
The diesel fuel that did spill remains on the lake. No wildlife impacts have been reported yet. The Coast Guard says "weather and lake conditions are not optimal for product clean up, but the clean-up efforts continue vigilantly."
The sunken dredge barge and tug were owned and operated by MCM Marine.
Early reports indicated the barge and tug began taking on water around 4 a.m. yesterday. The Coast Guard reports the cause of the accident at this time is still unknown.
The U.S. Coast Guard released a statement this morning declaring that the diesel fuel tanks onboard the sunken dredge, the Arthur J, have been secured and that no more diesel fuel is spilling into Lake Huron:
All the fuel valves and vents on the Arthur J have been plugged.
The Arthur J has ten vents to its fuel tank and responders where able to plug four of them early Thursday afternoon, but six remained open until responders were able to plug them late Thursday night.
The impact to the shoreline has been minimal; however there is visible sheening along the shores of Lakeport, but there has been no report of a thick product wash ashore. However, there is still a strong diesel odor in the air, so residents and visitors of the lower Lake Huron area are encouraged to avoid areas where there is an odor in the air.
Thursday, July 19, 12:26 p.m.
Mlive.com reports that if storms do not let up, all 1,500 gallons of diesel fuel will get into Lake Huron.
The Michigan Department of Enviromental Quality is monitoring the situation from the periphery, and spokesman Brad Wurfel said ongoing storms may limit the effectiveness of the containment boom.
"We're hoping to recover all we can," he said. "But it's anticipated that if the storms do not let up, it's best to plan on the idea that all 1,500 gallons will get into the lake."
The weather, the weight of the fuel, wind direction and underwater currents make it difficult to predict where the fuel may head. Some local beaches may see a sheen, Wurfel said, but the "environmental impact is not expected to be catastrophic."
"The upside is, it's a big lake. A lot of this will dissipate."
St. Clair County officials have closed all public beaches on Lake Huron as a precautionary measure, according to health education and planning director Jennifer Michalul.
A local hazmat team and fire crew are aiding the Coast Guard, which has established 100-yard safety zone around the periphery of the oil sheen.
Lightning and light pollution along the Florida coast.
Credit Wicked Delicate Films, LLC.
Lighting store owner Larry Birnbaum shows off his collection of antique and modern lighting.
Credit Wicked Delicate Films, LLC.
A view of the Manhattan skyline.
Credit Wicked Delicate Films, LLC.
The filmmaker’s childhood home in Maine.
Credit Wicked Delicate Films, LLC.
Hatching sea turtles struggle to find the sea. Scientists have found that the turtles are drawn to artificial lights along the coast, instead of moving toward the ocean.
When was the last time you were someplace so dark that you could look up at the night sky and actually see the stars? Not just a handful, but hundreds or thousands?
“The Milky Way when it rises here looks like a thunderstorm coming toward you. And you think, oh my god, it’s going to cloud over and it’s not, it’s the Milky Way rising, it’s the edge of our galaxy coming up.”
That’s a scene from a new documentary. It’s called The City Dark and it airs on PBS stations starting tonight (check your local listings).
The film takes a look at our love affair with artificial light – and why humans and wildlife need the night sky. Ian Cheney directed and produced The City Dark and we spoke with him for today's Environment Report. Cheney grew up in rural Maine but has been working in New York City. I asked him why he wanted to make this film.
Ian Cheney: Well, when I moved to New York City, one of the first things I realized was that I was missing the night sky, and that launched me on a journey to explore this broader topic of light pollution and how artificial light affects our world.
Scientists know a lot about how natural places process carbon dioxide. But there hasn’t been a lot of research into what happens throughout the year in the green spaces in cities and suburbs.
Emily Peters is an author of a paper out this week in the Journal of Geophysical Research. She’s been looking at how plants and trees in one suburban neighborhood take in carbon dioxide during the year... and how they offset the carbon dioxide people in the neighborhood emit – by say, driving their cars.
“In the summer we found the uptake of carbon dioxide from the vegetation is enough to offset fossil fuel emissions – just in the summer.”
She says evergreen and leafy trees took in more CO2 during the middle of the summer. Lawns did the best job of taking in CO2 during the spring and fall. But Peters says those plants did NOT balance out the total amount of carbon dioxide released in the suburban neighborhood by burning fossil fuels over the year.
If you're wondering: do certain species of trees do a better job than others?
"That is the question everybody wants answered - we can’t go out with this study and tell city foresters they should plant more of this kind of tree vs. this kind of tree."
Rolf Peterson holds up the song sheet for the evening. Candy Peterson loves to get people singing. She says "people shouldn't say, 'I can't sing,' they should say 'I don't sing very often.'"
Credit Mark Brush / Michigan Radio
Rolf Peterson outside of the Bangsund Cabin on Isle Royale. Peterson has been studying wolves and moose on Isle Royale for 42 years. With the wolf population down to nine, the longest running predator-prey study in the world hangs in the balance.
The ups and downs of the wolf and moose populations on Isle Royale. The 54 year study holds an incredible amount of data. The wolves are at their lowest point yet.
Credit John Vucetich/Rolf Peterson / Michigan Tech
The "West-End Duo." Possibly the only breeding pair left on the island.
Credit John Vucetich/Rolf Peterson / Michigan Tech
The Chippewa Harbor Pack howling in winter. An unusual time of year for this kind of behavior. The wolves could be looking for new mates.
The probability of a new ice bridge forming is lessening as the planet warms. Circles on top show when an ice bridge formed. Circles on bottom show when there was no ice bridge.
Credit John Vucetich/Rolf Peterson / Michigan Tech
Wolves on Isle Royale.
Credit John Vucetich/Rolf Peterson / Michigan Tech
The alpha male of the Middle Pack. The pack was wiped out in the last year.
Credit John Vucetich/Rolf Peterson / Michigan Tech
The Chippewa Harbor pack on Isle Royale.
Credit Mark Brush / Michigan Radio
Candy Peterson, Rolf Peterson's wife and research partner, gives a talk to the Moosewatch volunteers at the Daisy Farm campground. Her subject this evening, "reverence."
Credit Mark Brush / Michigan Radio
Candy Peterson talking about "reverence" at Daisy Farm campground on Isle Royale. She's talking to a group of Moosewatch volunteers.
Credit Mark Brush / Michigan Radio
Candy Peterson uses part of the Isle Royale wolf-moose study bone collection in her talk.
Researchers like Durwood Allen, and Michigan Tech's John Vucetich and Rolf Peterson have been keeping a close eye on the animals on the island for more than five decades.
Peterson has been doing it the longest. He's been watching and documenting things on Isle Royale for 42 years.
The Isle Royale Queen IV docked at Rock Harbor on Isle Royale.
Credit Mark Brush / Michigan Radio
Rock Harbor on Isle Royale.
Credit Mark Brush / Michigan Radio
The Isle Royale Queen IV at Rock Harbor. Isle Royale is the least visited National Park, but the most re-visited.
Credit Mark Brush / Michigan Radio
The Isle Royale Queen IV at Rock Harbor.
Credit Mark Brush / Michigan Radio
Relaxing on the deck of the Isle Royale Queen IV.
Credit Mark Brush / Michigan Radio
Retired Captain Don Kilpela at the helm of the Isle Royale Queen IV. Kilpela first came to the island in 1945. He started the ferry service from Copper Harbor in 1971.
Credit Mark Brush / Michigan Radio
Don Kilpela, Jr. handling the lines on the Isle Royale Queen IV.
Credit Mark Brush / Michigan Radio
Isle Royale from the bow of the Isle Royale Queen IV.
Credit Mark Brush / Michigan Radio
Much of the main island is surrounded by smaller outer islands.
Credit Mark Brush / Michigan Radio
Aboard the Isle Royale Queen IV.
Credit Mark Brush / Michigan Radio
The stern of the Isle Royale Queen IV.
Credit Mark Brush / Michigan Radio
Inside the Isle Royale Queen IV. The boat was put in service as the ferry from Copper Harbor, MI in 2005.
For some, the magic of Isle Royale doesn't necessarily reside in the boat trip to the island.
Two days before Rebecca Williams and I left on our reporting trip, a friend and I were having lunch together.
"You're not riding on the 'Barf Barge' are you?!"
"The boat from Copper Harbor?"
"Yeah, I took that trip. We were on Isle Royale for a week. The first half of the week, all we could talk about was the boat trip over. And the second half of the week, all we could talk about was the boat trip back!"
On her trip, as the ship pulled out of Copper Harbor, the captain came on the loudspeaker.
"O.k., folks," the captain started. "We have the forecast for our crossing. And I just want to say... we're all in this together. We can get through this."
The snack bar was not open on that crossing.
But the snack bar was open for our trip.
The seas got a little rough (I saw a few eight footers roll by). And a trip to the restroom wasn't a straight walk to the door. You had to ping-pong yourself from table, to wall, to other passenger (excuse me), to the door.
Emergency cups and plastic grocery bags were deployed by some, but their "green-around-the-gills" condition didn't spread throughout the cabin.
The owners of the Isle Royale Line from Copper Harbor tell me the round-bottomed "Barf Barge" was retired in 2004. Their new boat, the Isle Royale Queen IV, rolls a lot less in heavy seas, and the new boat cut an hour off the trip.
What once took around four hours, now takes around three.
To get a sense of the crossing, I mounted a time lapse camera near the bridge. So here's the 54 mile crossing in less than two minutes.
Cell phones don't work on the island. Senses that can be overwhelmed by a connected, electric lifestyle are freed to look up, and take in the wind, waves, rock, and soil.
What makes the Isle Royale so special? We asked the Isle Royale Line's retired Captain Donald Kilpela that question:
Kilpela first made the trip to Isle Royale in 1945. And he and his family have been running the ferry service in Copper Harbor since 1971. His sons Ben and Don Jr. now run the boat. The family has been crossing Lake Superior to Isle Royale every summer since they started the business.
Two other people who know the island well have spent a good part of their lives here.
Rolf Peterson has been studying the interactions of wolves and moose on Isle Royale for more than 40 years. He and his wife Candy spend around eight months of each year on the island, and they raised their two kids on Isle Royale while living in the tiny Bangsund Cabin.
Isle Royale became a National Park in 1940, and was designated as a wilderness area in 1976. Humans are not in control here. It's an ideal laboratory for Peterson and the other researchers studying wolves and moose here.
Much of what scientists around the globe know about wolves and their behavior comes from Michigan's Isle Royale. The research project here is the longest running continuous study of any predator-prey system in the world.
All this week, we'll bring you stories about this research and about the people who make it happen - online and on-air.
Isle Royale is the least visited National Park, but as Captain Kilpela pointed out, it's the most re-visited one.
Many of you have had your own personal experiences with the island. We invite you to share your experiences about Isle Royale in the comment section below. In six words or less - tell us - what's so special about Isle Royale?
The Nature Conservancy has released an analysis saying that invasive species such as zebra mussels and sea lamprey cost businesses and consumers hundreds of millions of dollars each year, besides damaging the environment in the Great Lakes region.
Power companies spend $130 million annually removing mussels from electric plants.
The report out yesterday said tourism and other industries lose $50 million a year in reduced demand because of invasive species.
The study conducted by Anderson Economic Group of East Lansing says the situation will get worse if Asian carp reach the Great Lakes.
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