Public health sanitarian Regina Young wasn’t sure what her staff would encounter when the Barry-Eaton District Health Department clamped down on failed septic systems in 2007. IT WENT WHERE?: More than 100,000 septic systems are estimated to be malfunctioning and polluting the surrounding environment. (Bridge photo illustration/A.J. Jones) They quickly discovered more problems than anyone […]
Great Lakes
Posted inMichigan Government
Michigan has nation’s weakest regulations on septic systems
A WORLD OF …: This riding lawnmower was swallowed by a pit created by a failed septic system in Midland County. The state estimates that 10 percent of septic systems in Michigan – more than 130,000 – have failed. (courtesy photo/xxxx) In 2004, former Gov. Jennifer Granholm unveiled a water protection plan that called for […]
Posted inLand O Links
Land O Links
COMING DOWN?: The two observation towers in Michigan’s Irish Hills – one built out of “spite” – will be demolished in October unless preservation advocates can raise enough money to save them. (Bridge archive photo) *Historic observation platforms in Michigan’s Irish Hills, near Jackson, face the wrecking ball unless history buffs can raise the money […]
Posted inBrunch with Bridge
In Michigan, we celebrate – and ignore – nature’s rhythms of change
WATER MEETS WATER: Lower Lake Herring flows into Lake Michigan between Arcadia and Frankfort. (courtesy photo) Our family tradition every summer is a special week amongst the magnificent dunes along Lake Michigan. The first thing we do when we arrive is run down to the lakeshore to the outlet where Lower Lake Herring connects to […]
Posted inGuest Commentary
Guest commentary: Fish eDNA suggests Asian carp closing in on Great Lakes
By Andy Mahon/Central Michigan University CMU biology professor Andy Mahon and a research team introduce a new screening method to detect the abundance of invasive species in water. (courtesy photo/Central Michigan University) It all started with a simple question. In late 2008, while sitting around after work with a group of colleagues, Lindsay Chadderton from […]
Posted inLand O Links
Land O Links
*Two Michigan suburbs are ranked in the top 10 nationally for offering the best in the way of suburban life. Hint: One is in metro Grand Rapids and one is in metro Detroit. Click through to see if your guess was right. UNCOVERED: Ice coverage of the Great Lakes is on a steady decline, says […]
Posted inBrunch with Bridge
Nervously watching Michigan’s beach expansions
CONVERSION: Sand is replacing water as beaches grow along the shores of Lake Huron, a consequence of declining water levels. (courtesy photo/used under Creative Commons license) The joke among the people who share the Lake Huron cove on which our summer home sits is that the township may soon try to tax us on the […]
Posted inGuest Commentary
Guest column: Michigan will spend for better state
By John Austin/Michigan Economic Center Over a year ago a set of citizens, leaders and organizations came together in the Michigan Economic Center to tap Michigan citizen’s ideas about how to move our economy forward. Our motivation was a belief that foundational economic assets of our state, which also are parts of our unique identity, […]
Posted inQuality of Life
Water expert says conservation is in Michigan’s future
The Great Lakes could reach record low water levels next year. With the state’s defining natural features dropping after a hot, dry summer, Bridge asked Alan Steinman, president of the Annis Water Resources Institute at Grand Valley State University and a leader on water issues in the Great Lakes region since moving here in 2001, […]
Posted inLand O Links
Land O Links
“Doubt grows with knowledge” — Johann Wolfgang von Goethe, 18th century German poet. * Rep. Mike Shirkey, R-Clarklake, has filed a bill that would address what he termed “economic stonewalling” from government agencies confronted with Freedom of Information Act requests from the public. (Hat tip to Gongwer News Service.) The stonewalling technique, for the unitiated, is […]
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