The state has permission to kill up to 9,650 birds and destroy up to 1,400 nests, a move state wildlife managers hope will reduce pressure on fish populations valued by anglers. Opponents say the birds are scapegoated for a fish collapse they didn’t cause.
Rural Michigan
Posted inMichigan Environment Watch
Emergencies surge at northern Michigan parks, lakes. Time for a rescue tax?
A death at Pictured Rocks National Lakeshore is the most recent incident in a summer of tragedy in Michigan’s remote wildernesses. That’s stretched resources and has lawmakers thinking of new funding sources.
Posted inQuality of Life
Donkeys and yoga, tree houses with TVs at alternative Michigan campsites
With campsites at state and national parks hard to book in a pandemic, creative property owners with very particular passions are renting out space through sites like Hipcamp and Tentrr. One official called it the “wild, wild West.”
Posted inBusiness Watch
Michigan’s tart cherry growers blame weather for yet another low harvest
One of the state’s signature crops is facing its second year of decline. Growers weighed whether the work of the small harvest would be worth it and experts are wondering what it means for the industry.
Posted inMichigan Health Watch
Northern Michigan pushback to clean needle programs for drug users
Some officials in Kalkaska and Grand Traverse counties have denied funding for needle exchange programs, arguing they encourage drug use. Such fears have been refuted by decades of research showing exchanges reduce HIV and other health problems and encourage more people to seek treatment.
Posted inMichigan Environment Watch
Michigan rethinks target shooting in game areas amid hail of AR-15 fire
State game areas — hunting lands typically open to target shooting — have become increasingly popular with handgun and AR-15 enthusiasts. But the noise, trash and wayward bullets worry neighbors, hikers and others.
Posted inMichigan Health Watch
Halted vaccine was key to reaching hard-to-reach Michigan. Now what?
The Johnson and Johnson vaccine helped health workers reach rural and island residents, the homeless, agricultural workers and freighter crews — people more likely to need a single-dose vaccine. The vaccine’s halt Tuesday complicates the state’s path to herd immunity.
Posted inMichigan Health Watch
Michigan tops U.S. in new COVID cases. Is it variants or just our turn?
Coronavirus cases in Michigan are increasing faster than in any other state, leaving many to wonder what’s driving the surge.
Posted inMichigan Environment Watch
Small towns like Ishpeming put off water upgrades. The bill is now due.
Rural Michigan is trying to balance the urgent need for updated sewer and water infrastructure with the financial constraints faced by towns with aging and shrinking populations.
Posted inMichigan Health Watch
One plane, one island and 50 vaccines, a year after COVID struck Michigan
The residents of Bois Blanc, in the Straits of Mackinac, were ready when a small, single-engine plane landed Tuesday with an island’s worth of doses.
