Volunteers of two local commissions will plant four redbud trees at the Wyoming Veteran’s Memorial Garden for WWII and Korean War veterans (Courtesy, The City of Wyoming Historical Commission)
Only one evergreen tree (not pictured) currently remains to the east of the monument. With funding from the Greater Wyoming Community Resource Alliance, The Tree Amigos and Historical Commission plan to spruce up the memorial originally erected in 1945 at the intersection of Lee Street and Porter Street. Plantings adjacent to the monument will be updated in the spring.
(Courtesy, The City of Wyoming Historical Commission)
“The Wyoming Historical Commission is grateful to The Tree Amigos for beautifying the Wyoming Honor Roll Memorial dedicated to our veterans from Wyoming who served during WWII and the Korean Wars,” says Vicki Briggs, board member of The Historical Commission.
“This memorial was dedicated on May 30, 1945. The original plantings had been removed due to their age and now will be renewed.”
Tree dedication ceremony
A brief ceremony dedicating the trees and remembering the veterans named on the monument will take place at 12 p.m. on Veteran’s Day, Nov. 11.
Representatives from the City of Wyoming and the Historical Commission will say a few words, along with American Legion Post 154 Post Commander Keith Wakefield. The Tree Amigos will also make an announcement about future projects.
“That’s so exciting, and I appreciate what Tree Amigos is doing to beautify the neighborhood,” says Kalene McElveen, owner of Tasteful Vegan Ice Cream Shop, a business adjacent to the planting site.
Local history
Boyce Slootmaker lied about his age to join the Navy at age 16 (Courtesy, Slootmaker family)
Among those named on the memorial are family members of The Tree Amigos chairperson, Estelle Slootmaker: Boyce Slootmaker (WWII), Howard Joyce (Korean War), and Clayton Burkholder (WWII).
Lieutenant Commander Roger B. Chaffee was added to the memorial in 1967. Born and raised in Wyoming, Chaffee died on Jan. 27, 1967 in the Apollo spacecraft flash fire during a launch pad test at Kennedy Space Center, FL.
Grand Valley fans are encouraged to join Grand Valley Athletics and its partners, WLAV, SpartanNash and the American Red Cross, in relief efforts for hurricane victims across the southeastern United States.
Donation items
The American Red Cross is asking the public for donations of individually-wrapped snacks such as granola bars; fruit cups; bags of pretzels, chips, popcorn, or crackers; juice boxes or beef jerky.
Help hit GVSU’s goal of contributing 150,000 individually wrapped snacks. Something to eat can make a big difference for someone dealing with the aftermath of a disaster.
Even something as small as a snack can help those in need (Courtesy, pxhere.com)
Where and when to drop off
Lakers fans can drop off these items prior to Grand Valley’s home game against Northern Michigan from 3-7 p.m. on Oct. 12 in Parking Lot B2 at WLAV’s location in Tailgate Town.
Three SpartanNash store locations are also accepting donations through Saturday: Family Fare, 6370 Lake Michigan Drive, Allendale; D&W, 1116 Robbins Road, Grand Haven; and Forest Hills Foods, 4668 Cascade Road SE, Grand Rapids.
Gerald R. Ford International Airport has been certified through the Airports Council International’s Airport Carbon Accreditation (ACA) program. The program is recognized internationally, with airports across the globe participating.
ACA includes a framework that helps airports identify, manage and ultimately reduce carbon emissions. The program comprises seven levels of certification, each of which represents a unique phase in carbon emission identification and reduction.
The Ford International Airport was certified at “Level 2,” which recognizes ongoing reductions in carbon emissions and sets goals for future carbon management. To date, the Ford International Airport continues to transition light fixtures to LEDs throughout the terminal and on the airfield. In addition, the terminal lighting system integrates efficiency measures such as light sensors in all the restrooms, private offices and passenger space in Concourses A and B. The Ford International Airport’s newly expanded Concourse A includes energy efficiency design as well. The design of Concourse A focused on leveraging building performance to enhance energy efficiency; there is a 70% energy reduction goal from 170 kBTU/sf/year down to 51 kBTU/sf/year.
“The Ford International Airport is committed to environmental and sustainable leadership,” said Tory Richardson, president and CEO of the Gerald R. Ford International Airport Authority. “This is just the beginning of ongoing efforts as we continue our journey to reduce our environmental footprint in the West Michigan community.”
As a part of the ACA program, the Ford International Airport has developed and is implementing a carbon management plan to continue reducing emissions from sources under its control. The Ford International Airport has published its carbon reduction policy commitment with a goal of 20% reduction in Scope 1 and 2 emissions per passenger (measured in kilograms per passenger) by 2035 compared to 2021 levels.
“We are thrilled to receive this certification as it underscores our commitment to sustainable aviation and responsible carbon management,” said Michelle Baker, environmental manager for the Ford International Airport Authority. “Our team has worked incredibly hard over the past three years to reduce emissions.”
Recognition of the Ford International Airport’s certification took place during the Airports Council International – North America’s (ACI-NA) 2024 Annual Conference in Grand Rapids in September 2024. It is one of only 57 commercial airports in North America to successfully become certified through this program.
“Congratulations to the Ford International Airport,” said Kevin M. Burke, president and CEO of ACI-NA. “This achievement will contribute to our industry’s shared vision of achieving net zero emissions by 2050. We look forward to continuing our collaborative efforts with airports to further reduce our collective carbon footprint.”
This exciting exhibit provides new insights into biology and technology with eight robotic animals of considerable size. Visitors will discover how chameleons change color, giant squids propel themselves, flies walk on the ceiling and more.
Over a dozen hands-on activities illustrate fascinating real-life animal characteristics. Cutaways expose the mechanical animals’ insides as a host of easily recognizable machine parts and gadgets that demonstrate what makes them work.
“By comparing the anatomy, environments, and size of the actual creatures to the mechanic counterparts, The Robot Zoo provides fantastic new insights into biology and engineering, and hands-on fun for all ages,” the website states. “This exhibit reveals the magic of nature as a master engineer.”
Plan a field trip!
Educators are invited to bring students to experience The Robot Zoo. GRPM’s Educator’s Guide can enhance your group’s visit with a fun collection of multidisciplinary activities.
Insect investigations, sensory experiences of the rhinoceros and additional crafts and experiments can be utilized before or after the exhibit experience.
Cutaways expose the mechanical animals’ insides as a host of easily recognizable machine parts and gadgets (Courtesy, GRPM)
Dive deeper with books!
The GRPM and Kent District Library have collaborated to expand learning opportunities about biology, robotics and biomechanics with a variety of English and Spanish book titles for all ages.
Explore the fascinating worlds of animals and machines with these books!
Volunteers of all ages and abilities are welcome to meet at Lemery Park in Wyoming at 8:30 a.m. on Saturday, Aug. 24 to help remove trash from Buck Creek during the Annual Buck Creek Clean Up event.
“This year’s clean up is expanding to new areas and is shaping up to be one of our best!” said Martha Stout Vermeulen, Founder and former President of Friends of Buck Creek-Michigan (FOBC).
A family-friendly, active event, volunteers will remove trash and debris from various sites in the Buck Creek Watershed. Now under the leadership of FOBC board members Grant Simons and Lizzy Rozeboom, the clean up is expanding to include the area south of M-6.
Trash pulled from previous Buck Creek Clean Up event (Courtesy, FOBC)
An environment in danger
Buck Creek is a tributary of the Grand River found in Kent and Allegan counties in the U.S. state of Michigan.
Stretching 20.3 miles long, Buck Creek consists of 37.5 acres in nature preserve and 32,392 acres in watershed. The creek is a source of abundant wildlife and a habitat for many aquatic and semi-aquatic species. It is also integral for clean water.
However, Buck Creek is a cold water resource that continues to be threatened because of its urban location.
“A clean and healthy environment is critical to the overall health of our waterways and communities,” the FOBC website states. Removing trash within the community ensures a swimmable, drinkable, and fishable future for local waters.
Volunteers at the 2021 Buck Creek Cleanup (Courtesy, FOBC)
Several tons of trash have been removed from the rare urban trout stream’s waters.
Tires, shopping carts, microwaves and 55 gallon drums are only a few items removed from the creek. The most frequent and toxic trash recovered is plastic and styrofoam.
“Getting citizens up close and personal with Buck Creek reveals problems that a disposable society creates, and increases awareness to reduce and reuse,” said Vermeulen at a previous Buck Creek Clean Up event.
Clean up event details
Coffee and doughnuts will be provided at 8:30 a.m. clean up check-in at Lemery Park, along with gloves and bags. Insect repellant and poison ivy wipes will also be available.
Comfortable shoes or boots (that can get wet/dirty) and layered clothing are recommended. A long shirt and pants can help protect from bug bites and poison ivy.
Volunteers should bring a reusable water bottle. Work gloves, waders and grabber sticks are welcomed and encouraged.
Following clean up, lunch at Wedgwood Park in Grandville will be provided to volunteers, compliments of Grandville Mayor Steve Maas (tax money is not used for this meal).
It is not uncommon to find discarded tires during the clean up (Courtesy, FOBC 2021)
Registration and sponsorship
Register to attend the clean up here. FOBC will email additional instructions before the event.
Sponsors of the annual clean up are welcomed and can email mibuckcreek@gmail.com for more information.
Event details and updates can also be found on the FOBC Facebook page.
Join the FOBC board!
The purpose of FOBC is to inspire, initiate, promote and engage in activities that improve the environmental quality and beauty of Buck Creek.
Volunteers are invited to take a more active role in “Friends of Buck Creek” by joining the board. Those interested can click here.
Frederik Meijer Gardens & Sculpture Park is proud to announce the groundbreaking exhibition David Smith: The Nature of Sculpture, showcasing the prolific and inventive work of David Smith (1906–1965). This landmark exhibition, the first to explore Smith’s deep engagement with nature, will open on Sept. 23, 2024, and will be on view through March 2, 2025.
The art of David Smith is profuse and inventive. Working in multiple media, formats, and scales, he blurred boundaries between painting and sculpture and between traditional genres such as landscape and figuration.
Smith’s bountiful oeuvre has secured him a firm place within art history, and his adventurous approach to three-dimensional form has permanently expanded the vocabulary and range of sculptural practice.
Forging new ground
Smith is widely hailed as the first American artist to make welded metal sculpture and to absorb industrial methods and materials into his creative repertoire. His inventiveness and contributions to sculptural practice extend far beyond machine vernacular and technique, however. Many have traced the origins of modern sculpture parks to Smith’s unprecedented outdoor installations on his Bolton Landing property in upstate New York.
David Smith’s Raven IV, 1957 (Courtesy, FMG)
For Smith, nature was not only a source of inspiration but also served as studio, accomplice and staging ground for his complex sculptural works.
“While David Smith is recognized as the most important sculptor of the 20th century, there is still much to be learned about his expansive art, especially as it relates to the natural world,” says Suzanne Ramljak, Vice President of Collections & Curatorial Affairs at Meijer Gardens.
“We are excited to reveal this crucial and lesser-known aspect of Smith’s career at Meijer Gardens, where sculpture and nature are so intimately bound.”
What to expect:
David Smith’s Cubi XII, 1963 (Courtesy, FMG)
David Smith: The Nature of Sculpture will feature a selection of some 40 sculptures, alongside related paintings, reliefs, and works on paper, providing an in-depth exploration of Smith’s sustaining connection with nature.
Uniting key loans from major lenders—including The Whitney Museum of American Art, Hirshhorn Museum and Sculpture Garden, and Storm King Art Center—the exhibition will be arranged in loose chronological order, beginning with Smith’s earliest sculptures from 1932 to the year before his accidental death in 1965.
Viewers will encounter nature-based work from every decade of Smith’s career, including:
1930s constructions with stones, shells, coral, and wood, along with biomorphic cast metal sculptures.
1940s and 1950s pictorial sculpture landscapes, a genre of Smith’s own invention, which he enlisted to address an array of themes—from autobiography, House in a Landscape and his epic Hudson River Landscape; to color theory, Helmholtzian Landscape; to social norms, Cloistral Landscape.
Mid-1950s bronze reliefs depicting botanic motifs such as Rose Garden, Wild Plums, and Skull and Tree.
Late 1950s and early 1960s avian sculptures, including a series focused on ravens.
A selection of outdoor works that find their completion in the company of sky, wind and earth, as Smith intended.
This exhibition will have a particularly strong resonance at Meijer Gardens, where Smith’s work will be in direct dialogue with the natural environment, including larger pieces situated out of doors. Witness David Smith’s thrilling sculptural translations of the natural world he knew and loved in this exclusive Grand Rapids exhibition.
David Smith: The Nature of Sculpture will be accompanied by an exhibition catalogue co-published by Meijer Gardens and Hirmer/University of Chicago Press.
The publication will feature contributions by the artist’s daughters, reflecting on Smith’s lived domestic experience of nature; an essay by curator Suzanne Ramljak, surveying Smith’s engagement with nature as material source, subject matter, and preferred site for his sculpture; appreciations by contemporary artists Beatriz Cortez and Mark di Suvero, addressing Smith’s contributions and connections to current art practice; and an illustrated artist’s chronology highlighting key nature-based events in David Smith’s life and art.
David Smith’s Steel Drawing, 1945 (Courtesy, FMG)
Exhibition Programming:
Unless otherwise noted, programs are included in the cost of admission and registration is not required.
Moving Out: David Smith & Outdoor Sculpture
Join Suzanne Ramljak, exhibition curator and Vice President of Collections & Curatorial Affairs, and Amber Oudsema, Curator of Arts Education, on a walk to explore David Smith’s lasting legacy. Discover his influence on sculpture parks as we know them and the many successful artists who followed in Smith’s creative footsteps.
This event will take place Wednesday, Oct. 9 from 2-3 p.m.
A full list of exhibition-related activities can be found here.
Extending gratitude
David Smith: The Nature of Sculpture is made possible by the Louis and Helen Padnos Foundation, Meijer Foundation, Bill Padnos and Margy Kaye, Frederik Meijer Gardens & Sculpture Foundation and Botanic and Sculpture Societies of Frederik Meijer Gardens & Sculpture Park.
An Eastern Tiger Swallowtail butterfly and a bumblebee were found sharing space on a milkweed plant at Van Buren State Park over the weekend.
Both pollinators, butterflies and bees are often drawn to brightly colored flowers, as well as open or flat tubular blooms with an abundance of pollen or nectar.
Butterflies
(Courtesy, Cris Greer WKTV)
Butterflies typically probe for nectar, which is their flight fuel. Clusters of flowers that provide a stable landing platform and nectar deeply hidden inside the blooms are most popular.
Flowers containing nectar guides that help the bees find the flower’s center quickly are also a favorite – and facilitate rapid nectar collection and flower pollination.
Though an adequate pollinator, butterflies are not quite as efficient as its bumblebee partner due to their long, thin legs creating a higher perch on the flower. The thin legs and higher perch prevent as much pollen from sticking to the body of the butterfly versus that of the bumblebee.
Bumblebees
(Courtesy, Cris Greer WKTV)
Fat and furry, bumblebees are slightly smaller than similar-looking carpenter bees. The hairs on their legs and body, called setae, help the bumblebee collect pollen and nectar.
Bumblebees are drawn to flowers in the ultraviolet color range, though they cannot see red like butterflies can. Fragrant flowers are particularly appealing to bees.
Like butterflies, bees are also attracted to clusters of flat or tubular flowers that provide a landing pad and a wealth of pollen and nectar.
This event is free, but RSVPs are appreciated and can be completed here.
Helpful event details
Volunteers are asked to wear closed-toe shoes and comfortable clothing and bring a shovel, hard rake, and work gloves if they have them.
The group will meet at Godfrey-Lee Early Childhood Center at 8:45 a.m. to sign in, enjoy refreshments, and watch a planting demonstration with ReLeaf Michigan’s tree experts.
Families are welcome! The event occurs rain or shine. No planting experience is necessary.
One morning of tree planting will leave an environmental legacy that will add beauty to the community for generations (Courtesy, Wyoming Tree Commission)
An environmental legacy
Trees provide incredible benefits to the communities in which they are planted. Trees improve air and water quality, reduce stormwater runoff, improve mental wellness, reduce childhood asthma rates, cool our neighborhoods, and enhance commercial and economic vitality.
Join us for the morning and leave an environmental legacy that will add to the beauty of your community for generations!
Funding for this project has been provided by the USDA Forest Service and MDNR Urban and Community Forestry Programs through the Inflation Reduction Act of 2022.
West Michigan resident, Matthew Reed, was able to view the Aurora and capture stunning images of the lights from his own home in Rockford, MI (Courtesy, Matthew Reed)
Residents from all over West Michigan were treated to the bright lights and colors of the Aurora Borealis, also called the Northern Lights, over the weekend.
The Aurora showcased her beauty on the evenings of Friday, May 10 and Saturday, May 11. Reports of sightings began around 10 p.m. on Friday. According to the NOAA, the Aurora is usually best viewed between 10 p.m. and 2 a.m.
(Courtesy, Matthew Reed)
What is the Aurora Borealis?
The Aurora occurs when there are collisions between electrically charged particles (electrons) from the sun as they enter earth’s atmosphere.
The electrons transfer their energy to the atmosphere, stimulating the atoms and molecules to higher energy states. When decreasing back to lower energy states, the electrons release energy in the form of light.
WKTV Managing Editor Cris Greer viewed the Aurora phenomenon at South Haven the evening of May 10 (Courtesy, Cris Greer)
What to expect when viewing the phenomena
While pale green and pink are the most common colors in auroral displays, blue, violet, green, yellow and red were also reported. The Aurora may also appear in various forms, from patches of light to arcs, rippling curtains or shooting rays.
(Courtesy, Matthew Reed)
The best way to view the Aurora
To view the Aurora, minimal light pollution is best. The lights will be visible on the northern horizon, or will appear higher in the sky if you are further north.
When taking pictures of the Aurora, longer exposure times will more clearly reveal the phenomenon’s colors that may only appear in faint hues to the naked eye.
The City of Kentwood will once again honor Arbor Day with a tree planting and celebration, which will include a free tree seedling giveaway.
Residents of all ages are invited to join Kentwood’s Arbor Day Celebration on Friday, April 26 at Pinewood Park, 1999 Wolfboro Drive SE. The event begins at noon with an Arbor Day proclamation, followed by a tree planting and a guided tree identification walk in the park. Complimentary refreshments also will be provided.
Arbor Day is an annual observance held each spring to recognize the impact of trees in the community and encourage tree planting.
“Our trees, of different species and sizes, offer more than just visual charm,” Mayor Stephen Kepley said. “They serve as vital contributors to a cleaner and healthier environment. Our Arbor Day Celebration is an opportunity to collaborate and encourage one another by not only planting new trees, but also protecting our existing tree canopy from invasive species for the preservation and enjoyment of today and future generations.”
Pick up your free seedlings April 23-26
Residents can pick up free tree seedlings at the Kentwood Activities Center, 355 48th St. SE, or at Kentwood Department of Public Works, 5068 Breton SE, ahead of the celebration. The seedlings will be available during business hours Tuesday, April 23 through Friday, April 26 while supplies last.
Community members can check on tree seedling availability by calling the Parks and Recreation Department at 616-656-5270. The Kentwood Activities Center is open 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. Monday through Thursday and 8 a.m. to 4 p.m. Friday. Residents are invited to share a photo of their planted seedling on social media using the hashtag #GreeningKentwood.
The Arbor Day Celebration is sponsored by Railtown Brewing Company and Metronet. (Courtesy, City of Kentwood)
The Arbor Day Celebration is sponsored by Railtown Brewing Company and Metronet. Railtown Brewing Company also held a fundraiser through March where a portion of the proceeds from every Bike Ride Blonde ale purchased went towards supporting the planting of trees in Kentwood for Arbor Day.
More information about Kentwood’s Arbor Day Celebration can be found at kentwood.us/ArborDay.
Community members who are looking for more ways to get involved beyond Arbor Day are invited to join the Kentwood Park Stewards, an environmentally focused program that helps preserve and maintain neighborhood parks, trails and public spaces. More information about the program is available at kentwood.us/ParkStewards.
West Michigan resident and astronomy enthusiast Matthew Palmieri traveled to Lebanon, IN with his wife and two daughters over the weekend to view the 2024 solar eclipse.
Palmieri used his personal 6″ Newtonian telescope, reflected with a solar filter to make viewing safe, to capture stunning images of the eclipse.
(Courtesy, Matthew Palmieri)
The band director for Southwest Middle High School in Grand Rapids, Palmieri is as passionate about the cosmos as he is about music.
“Seeing the eclipse lets you see the solar system as a three dimensional place, and it gives you a glimpse of our place in the universe,” Palmieri told WKTV Journal. “The closest experience I’ve had to seeing the eclipse was seeing the Grand Canyon.”
Enjoy an up-close encounter with thousands of unique tropical butterflies as they fly freely throughout the Lena Meijer Tropical Conservatory!
A global journey
Tailed Jay (Courtesy, FMG)
Frederik Meijer Gardens & Sculpture Park announces the return of the much-loved Fred & Dorothy Fichter Butterflies Are Blooming exhibition, now in its 29th year.
The largest temporary tropical butterfly exhibition in the United States, this event showcases the stunning diversity and intricate beauty of butterflies and moths.
Butterflies Are Blooming opens March 1 and runs through April 30. Visitors are invited to celebrate the unique spectacle of lepidopteran flight and the exquisite patterns of their wings in the lush environment of the Conservatory.
This year’s exhibition is a true global journey. More than 60 species from Africa, Asia, and Central and South America will be featured.
The five-story, 15,000-square-foot glass house provides the ideal tropical setting for these vibrant world travelers. Featured species include dazzling blue morphos, stealthy clearwings, majestic Atlas moths and elegant tree nymphs. Each species adds its own unique brushstroke to this living canvas of color and motion.
The science behind butterflies
Butterflies are cold-blooded insects requiring a body temperature of 85–105 degrees Fahrenheit to take flight. The black markings on northern species are not just for show, they are nature’s solar panels, absorbing sunlight to warm these delicate creatures.
Red Lacewing (Courtesy, FMG)
The dual-wing design of butterflies is a marvel of nature’s engineering, providing lift and precise steering. Witness the distinct flight patterns of each species, from the powerful and swift swallowtails to the playful, zigzagging flight of the large-winged morphos.
Up-close experiences
Chrysalides and cocoons can be seen at the Observation Station (Courtesy, FMG)
In addition to the butterflies’ aerial ballet, the exhibition offers guests unique up-close experiences at feeding stations brimming with nectar plants. At the Observation Station, thousands of chrysalides and cocoons emerge and reveal the magic of metamorphosis.
Approximately 1,000 chrysalides are delivered to Meijer Gardens each week of the exhibition. This year, grapevine spheres adorned with flowering vines and other tropical plants were introduced, creating enchanting landing spots for the winged guests.
“As we eagerly welcome the return of the Fred & Dorothy Fichter Butterflies Are Blooming exhibitionfor its 29th year, we invite guests to immerse themselves in the spectacular world of butterflies and moths here at Meijer Gardens,” said Steve LaWarre, Vice President of Horticulture. “This year’s exhibition is more than just a display; it’s a celebration of the breathtaking beauty of flight.
“Each visit is a unique journey through the vibrant patterns and unique flight dynamics of these enchanting creatures. We’re also thrilled to enhance this experience with special events, educational programs and exclusive member activities.”
FMG invites guests from near and far to join us in celebrating the wonder of these magnificent creatures. The Fred & Dorothy Fichter Butterflies Are Blooming exhibition is a vivid reminder of nature’s incredible artistry, the beauty of flight, and the delicate balance of our ecosystem.
(Courtesy, FMG)
Exhibition rules:
Please do not touch the butterflies.
During the butterfly exhibition, tripods are not allowed in the Lena Meijer Tropical Conservatory. While monopods may be used, please be courteous to other guests.
Per USDA regulations, no butterfly or plant materials may leave the Lena Meijer Tropical Conservatory.
Extended Hours & Exhibition Activities
Extended Spring Break Hours: Open until 9 pm March 29 and April 1–5.
Exclusive Member Early Hours: Members enjoy exclusive early open hours every Sunday morning in March and April, from 9–11 a.m.
Native plants flourish in Andrea Belden’s urban garden (Courtesy, Andrea Belden)
By Deborah Reed
deborah@wktv.org
Native plants not only beautify yards and natural habitats, they increase safe havens for pollinators and decrease effects of climate change.
A trillium flower flourishes in its natural habitat (Courtesy, www.pxhere.com, Nicholas A. Tonelli)
Friends of Buck Creek and Alysia Babcock, “The Garden Guru,” are hosting a free public event to teach the “hows” and “whys” of inhabiting land without damaging it.
“Gardens with native plants provide habitat for many organisms such as pollinators, birds, and small animals,” states Babcock on The Garden Guru Kzoo website. “These pocket gardens are safe havens that help reverse the effects of climate change. We need pollinators for our food crops, birds to distribute seeds, and small animals to keep garden pests at bay resulting in healthy viable plants.”
At 10 a.m. on Saturday, Sept. 16, Babcock will give an hour-long presentation titled “Cleaning Our Watershed and Beautifying Your Property with Native Plants” at Grandville Kent District Library. This presentation will teach how to beautify personal properties while cleaning stormwater and providing food and shelter for pollinators.
“I have always been an advocate for nature and find nature’s beauty everyday,” said Babcock on her website.
Native plants and flowers provide a natural habitat for many organisms (Courtesy, www.pxhere.com)
An Advanced Master Gardener, Conservation Steward and Master Naturalist, Babcock also has a Master’s Degree in Education, and is part of a newly formed Strike Team with the Rockford Sustainability Committee. Babcock is also the owner of The Garden Guru Kzoo LLC, a company dedicated to designing and implementing garden makeovers that specialize in native plants.
“I’d say [that] using native perennials in a landscape is a win-win-win-win,” said Martha Stout Vermeulen, founder and former President of Friends of Buck Creek-Michigan (FOBC). “Less money, less work, more beauty, healthier habitat.”
Vermeulen went on to explain that in the first year, native plants “sleep,” growing deep, water-cleansing roots. The second year they “creep,” beginning to beautify, and the third year they “leap” to their full glory.
Daisies come in several shapes, sizes, and colors (Courtesy, www.pxhere.com)
“Since caterpillars are a primary food source for our dwindling bird population, nibbled leaves mean the garden is doing its job,” said Vermeulen.
Native plants will be available for purchase after Babcock’s presentation.
Parking is available on the south side of the KDL Grandville Branch. The building is wheelchair accessible.
For more information or questions, contact Martha Stout Vermeulen at seasister8@gmail.com.
A wicker casket can be an environmentally friendly alternative (Courtesy, Ridgeview Memorial Gardens)
By Rachel Rickman
WKTV Contributor
When researching options for her husband’s burial in 2019, Stephanie Edwards believed natural burial fit perfectly with Tom’s life and his love of nature.
“I believe that Tom would have appreciated the ecologically friendly process of this burial,” said Edwards in a Green Burial Council testimonial about her husband’s burial at Penn Forest.
A family chooses to bury their loved one in a shroud at Ridgeview Memorial Gardens (Courtesy, Ridgeview Memorial Gardens)
Throughout preparation for the burial, Edwards also found the process to be one of healing.
“Funerals have always been traumatic for me, but this was a beautiful, healing experience,” Edwards said after Tom’s burial was complete.
What happens with our bodies after death is often discussed among loved ones, and available options are growing in number.
While not always a comfortable conversation topic, it is an inevitable occurrence, so why not have some say in the matter?
Familiar traditions and a new (old?) alternative
Embalming/burial and cremation are two familiar and popular traditions. However, a new option is a natural or green burial, which was recently approved in Michigan but only in certain cemeteries and locations.
In West Michigan, the only currently approved green burial location is Ridgeview Memorial Gardens in Grandville.
Proponents of green burials highlight minimal environmental impact, cost effectiveness, and peaceful, natural settings.
In total, Michigan has 14 designated green burial areas. More cemeteries are adding or looking to add a natural burial section as they grow in popularity. So why don’t more cemeteries offer this option?
“Because they’re more labor intensive,” says Ron Zartman, Executive Director of Ridgeview Memorial Gardens and member of the Green Burial Council.
Zartman explains that he has been contacted by other municipalities about adding a green burial option, but they find the labor-intensive aspect to be an obstacle.
Burial types and their environmental impact
A traditional burial involves a casket and vault made from concrete, creating little maintenance after the burial. With a natural burial, it is necessary to maintain and service the grave site three or four times as the earth settles.
Wood caskets and cremation containers are often used for natural burials (Courtesy, Ridgeview Memorial Gardens)
A green burial allows for natural decomposition as opposed to dealing with chemicals involved in the embalming process. Keeping embalming fluids and chemicals used on traditional burial sites—such as herbicides, pesticides, and fertilizers—out of the equation lessens negative impact on the environment.
In a natural burial, even headstones are considered. While headstones have traditionally been made from imported stones such as marble, designated green burial sites are required to use stone native to the area. Using local stone guarantees all aspects of the site retain their natural integrity.
Embalming, while often still a popular option, is not required in Michigan, though it can be deemed necessary for purposes of transportation or in other specific circumstances.
During the embalming process, a body is drained of blood and those fluids are exchanged for embalming chemicals such as formaldehyde, which delays the body’s natural decomposition process. The practice of embalming has been around a long time—think Ancient Egypt and mummies—but it was popularized during the Civil War as a way to transport bodies home over a long distance.
Natural burials, in contrast, have been “the way the human race handled burial before embalming,” said Zartman.
Before the growing popularity of natural burials, cremation was considered a more natural and less environmentally impactful method of handling a body. However, cremation does carry an environmental footprint because it releases CO2 and other chemicals into the environment.
Costs and requirements
Many people associate death with a casket. However, Michigan law does not require a casket for burial or cremation.
Due to cost, caskets can often be one of the biggest expenses of a funeral.
Be sure to check with cemeteries about their burial requirements (Courtesy, Ridgeview Memorial Gardens)
Zartman stated that the “average funeral in Michigan runs $8,500, but people easily put $10,000 into a burial. Even cremation can be expensive.”
If cost is a consideration, know you have options when choosing a casket, and question if a funeral home or crematory service pressures you into purchasing one.
While you are not required to have a casket for burial, you will need to check with your chosen cemetery about their “container” requirements.
Zartman said that cost is a big factor in why people choose a natural burial. Natural burial services can cost as little as $3,200 compared to higher costs associated with other options. Alleviating more expensive items such as a vault and casket lowers the total cost considerably.
“80% come in cardboard boxes—cremation containers,” said Zartman. However, there are other biodegradable green burial containers available, such as wicker caskets.
Each state has their own rules and regulations when it comes to how a body is handled after death. Whether you or a loved one have chosen cremation, embalming and burial, or natural burial, there are specific guidelines to adhere to.
If you are looking for more information about green burials in Western Michigan for you or a loved one, Zartman is ready to answer your questions.
“Families need help,” Zartman said. “They need sound advice.”
Discussing what to do with your body or the body of a loved one after death is not a comfortable subject, but knowing your options and the costs associated can save a lot of stress during an emotional time.
Rachel Rickman is a freelance writer, editor, and former university English Instructor with a BA, MA, and MFA focused on writing. She grew up in Michigan’s Upper Peninsula, but currently resides in Rosarito, Mexico with her husband and son. Much of her work focuses on “narrative recipes”—personal essays with recipe/cooking ideas.
Monarch butterflies play an important role in supporting our natural environment (Courtesy, John Ball Zoo)
By John Ball Zoo
deborah@wktv.org
Monarch butterflies will be released into the wild at John Ball Zoo on Saturday, Sept. 9 as part of a wildlife conservation celebration.
During Monarch Day at the Zoo, butterflies will be released at one hour intervals amid family-friendly events designed to teach participants why the butterflies are so important. Butterfly releases will take place at 11 a.m., 12 p.m., 1 p.m., 2 p.m. and 3 p.m.
Monarch Day at the Zoo will feature several family-friendly activities and opportunities to learn about the butterflies (Courtesy, John Ball Zoo)
“We are so excited to welcome guests to experience the wonder of releasing monarch butterflies into the wild so their population can improve, and they can migrate to wintering grounds in Mexico,” said Dan Hemmann, area curator at John Ball Zoo. “People of all ages can enjoy the events of Monarch Day while learning about why this species is so important.”
From 9 a.m.-6 p.m., John Ball Zoo is offering fun, family-friendly activities and opportunities to learn about monarch butterflies and how pollinators help support our natural environment. Characters including Mirabelle, Rapunzel, Tinkerbell and Fawn will be present throughout the day to help spread the message on conservation efforts everyone can take to contribute to a healthy environment for pollinators.
Events also include story time with Circle Theatre at 11 a.m., as well as an aerial performance provided by Gemini Circus from 11 a.m.-2 p.m. Monarch Day will also feature live music by Kohns from 4-6 p.m., face painting, and animal activities throughout the day.
The massasauga rattlesnake is the only venomous snake in Michigan (Courtesy, John Ball Zoo)
By Deborah Reed
deborah@wktv.org
The eastern massasauga rattlesnake is venomous, slithery, and not at all cuddly, but the conservation department at John Ball Zoo (JBZ) is working hard to preserve the endangered species.
The only venomous snake out of 18 snake species found in Michigan, the massasauga is an extremely valuable part of Michigan’s wetland ecosystem. Several other species, including butterflies, small mammals and amphibians, rely on the massasauga’s habitat to survive.
As a benefit to both wildlife and humans, the massasauga also consumes a large number of ticks.
“There are some studies that suggest that a healthy snake population actually helps reduce the number of ticks on the landscape,” said Bill Flanagan, Conservation Manager at John Ball Zoo.
As the JBZ conservation team works to preserve the massasauga snake population, they are also working to protect other endangered species in the area that live in the same kind of habitat.
“All the work that we do to protect the massasauga, or one of those other species, works for all of those species,” said Flanagan.
However, the massasauga is declining in numbers and considered a federally threatened species in Michigan due to fragmented habitat and habitat loss.
“This is a really unique, threatened species that is linked to Michigan in a large way,” said Flanagan, adding that Michigan has more massasauga populations than any other state or province. “Michigan is critical for the eastern massasauga rattlesnake. Whatever happens to the massasauga in Michigan will define the outcome for the species.”
Counting snakes and building fences
John Ball Zoo has partnered with Sarett Nature Center in a long-term monitoring program to learn more about the massasauga with the goal of helping their population recover and thrive.
“One of the biggest challenges with these kinds of efforts to save species is that it’s really hard to actually count them,” said Flanagan. “The methodology for counting them has evolved over the years.”
Severe damage can be done to the habitat simply by walking through it while counting the species.
“We want to be really cautious and figure out a way that we can do that without having to walk into the habitat as much as we have in the past,” said Flanagan.
Massasaugas have unique markings to help conservationists identify individual snakes (Courtesy, John Ball Zoo)
In May, members of JBZ’s conservation team began data collection at Sarett Nature Center using new technology that is less disruptive than the traditional approach of sending out conservation team members on foot. The conservation team set up a two-foot drift fence that runs across the habitat where the rattlesnakes are most active. The fence functions as a funnel, encouraging small animals to crawl through a bucket that has a camera.
“It’s a passive way to count and see what’s there,” said Flanagan, noting that massasauga snakes have a unique saddle pattern on their backs like fingerprints and unique markings on their heads that can help identify individual snakes.
The fence will stay up indefinitely and capture data when the massasauga is most active — in May and during the fall months of September and October.
“Working with Sarett Nature Center, John Ball Zoo has been able to monitor the massasauga rattlesnake,” Flanagan said. “This new monitoring system will be an excellent low-impact method to track massasaugas while protecting the habitat that supports them. What we learn from this program will help inform us for future conservation strategies.”
Preserving more than just snakes
This conservation project is part of the Zoo’s greater mission of preserving wildlife and wild places.
“Part of our mission is to protect wild animals, but also wild places,” said Flanagan. “The work we do to protect wild places is critically important for those wild animals, but it also makes a nicer place for people too.”
Enjoying the massasauga experience – from a distance
Some of the massasauga’s population decline, aside from habitat loss, is intentional killing due fear of it being venomous. Flanagan, however, said that massasaugas are shy and will often freeze and wait for human observers to move on, often rattling their tails as a warning if they feel threatened.
JBZ encourages those who encounter the species, or another type of snake, to leave it alone and do not attempt to handle it.
“Enjoy that experience – from a distance – if you encounter one,” said Flanagan, saying the best course of action is to take a picture from a safe distance and report the viewing. “That’s the kind of information that is really valuable for the conservation community and knowing where these (massasaugas) are.”
Volunteers with trash pulled from Buck Creek 2021 (Courtesy, Martha Stout Vermeulen)
By Deborah Reed
deborah@wktv.org
Volunteers of all ages are welcome to meet at Lemery Park in Wyoming at 8:30 a.m. on Saturday, Aug. 19 to help remove trash from Buck Creek during the family-friendly 10th Annual Buck Creek Clean Up event.
Event team leaders will assist in finding sites that meet volunteer needs and will provide necessary information.
“It has been said that an individual’s effort is a single drop, but when a community gives effort, it is a tsunami,” said Martha Stout Vermeulen, Founder and former President of Friends of Buck Creek-Michigan (FOBC).
Trash lines a portion of Buck Creek near an EJ manufacturing facility (Courtesy, Martha Stout Vermeulen)
FOBC began as a grassroots group of concerned citizens that has evolved into a nonprofit watershed organization with hundreds of followers on Facebook and Instagram. FOBC’s focus is to inspire, initiate, promote, and engage in activities that improve and enhance both the environmental quality and the beauty of Buck Creek.
Over the past decade, Friends of Buck Creek-Michigan (FOBC) and Schrems West Michigan Trout Unlimited (SWMTU) have partnered to remove trash from the Buck Creek watershed in Grandville by organizing the annual Buck Creek Clean Up. On Aug. 19, current FOBC President Becky Dykhuis will extend the clean up into Kentwood and Byron Township.
Volunteer numbers have grown steadily since the event’s inception, with several tons of trash removed from the rare urban trout stream’s waters. Tires, shopping carts, microwaves, 55 gallon drums, and scary-looking dolls are only a few items removed from the creek.
The most frequent, and toxic, trash recovered is plastic and styrofoam.
A portion of Buck Creek after clean up near an EJ manufacturing facility (Courtesy, Martha Stout Vermeulen)
Vermeulen says she has observed several benefits resulting from the annual clean up, and a definite reduction in trash in areas that have been frequently cleaned.
“Getting citizens up close and personal with Buck Creek reveals problems that a disposable society creates, and increases awareness to reduce and reuse,” said Vermeulen. “Indeed, it takes a community to love a creek!”
The state of Michigan has allocated another $5 million to the Department of Environment, Great Lakes, and Energy (EGLE) to help with the development of the Sustainable Business Park in Kent County that will create jobs and increase recycling.
The budget allocation will support site infrastructure at the Sustainable Business Park and follows an initial $4 million state investment for the project in 2022. Last month, the Michigan Public Service Commission also granted a $5 million Low Carbon Energy Infrastructure Enhancement and Development grant for the Kent County Bioenergy Facility, the anchor tenant at the Sustainable Business Park.
The Kent County Bioenergy Facility represents a once-in-a-generation opportunity for West Michigan and the state to drastically increase recycling, reduce dependence on landfills, and create local jobs. The facility is a public-private partnership between the Department of Public Works and Anaergia. The Sustainable Business Park, planned for 250 acres adjacent to the South Kent Landfill in Byron Center pending approval by the Kent County Board of Commissioners, will be built on land that was initially purchased by Kent County to create a new landfill.
(Courtesy, pxhere.com)
“For too long, Michigan has been a dumping ground for trash and the Sustainable Business Park will help change that by increasing recycling and boosting our energy independence starting right here in Kent County,” said Dar Baas, director of the Kent County DPW. “We are thankful the state of Michigan recognizes the importance of reducing our dependence on landfilling so we can help protect our land, air and water, including our Great Lakes.”
The Kent County Bioenergy Facility is a mixed waste processing facility that will process up to 600,000 tons per year of municipal solid waste and 175,000 tons per year of organic waste to produce natural gas and fertilizer. The facility and greater Sustainable Business Park will help Kent County achieve its goal of diverting 90% of trash from landfills by 2030.
“Sustainable materials management is essential to Michigan growing a vibrant circular economy that puts Michiganders to work making new products from the materials residents take to their curb each week,” said EGLE Public Information Officer Jeff Johnston. “EGLE is eager to support projects that align with the State of Michigan’s new materials management plan to increase recycling, conserve natural resources, and reduce greenhouse gas emissions.”
State Rep. Rachel Hood (D-Grand Rapids) said, “Kent County’s Sustainable Business Park will define the future for waste management in Michigan and boost the viability of circular economy concepts.”
The new facility will also reduce Kent County’s reliance on landfilling municipal solid waste, meaning resources will not be spent constructing, maintaining, and monitoring additional landfills.
“Building the facility in Kent County will put West Michigan on the map as a national leader in recycling and reducing waste, as well as create jobs and investment from companies that can join the Sustainable Business Park and convert waste into usable products,” Bass said.
The Kent County Development of Public Works provides municipal solid waste disposal services to ensure the effective removal, storage and disposal of residential and commercial solid waste through various facilities and programs, including Waste-to-Energy, the Recycling and Education Center, North Kent Transfer Station, and South Kent Landfill.
An Air Quality Alert has been issued across Michigan due to wildfire smoke from Quebec, Canada that has blanketed West Michigan, creating a haze that has drastically reduced visibility and air quality throughout the state.
With 483 active fires across Canada and that smoke infiltrating the United States, an Air Quality Alert has been issued for all of Michigan through June 28.
Earlier this week saw the Air Quality Index (AQI) for Grand Rapids well over 200, firmly in the “very unhealthy” category. As of 8 a.m. Wednesday, the AQI is classified as “unhealthy” with AirNow placing Grand Rapids at 195 and IQAir at 192.
While these numbers fluctuate and are projected to drop over the next few days, the current air quality has prompted health advisories that remain in effect.
Recommendations:
*Avoid strenuous outdoor activities
*Shorten the length of outdoor activities
*Move physical activities indoors or reschedule them
Wyoming concert and Whitecaps canceled Tuesday night events
Several West Michigan activities were canceled or postponed, including the West Michigan Whitecaps game scheduled for Tuesday evening and the Wyoming Concerts in the Park performance by Cabildo. The Whitecaps game has been rescheduled to Friday, June 30 as the first game of a doubleheader.
“Having to reschedule activities due to poor air quality was new terrain for us,” said Krashawn Martin, Wyoming Parks and Recreation director. “While it was disappointing to postpone the concert, we are looking forward to rescheduling and hosting this community event. Public safety is of the utmost importance and that guides the decision to cancel or postpone programs.
“Stay tuned for Concert in the Parks updates by following us on social media.”
The Whitecaps posted a statement on Twitter stating, “In consultation with local weather and health officials, and for the safety of fans and players and in accordance with MLB safety guidelines, tonight’s game has been postponed due to poor air quality.”
While many outdoor events were canceled or postponed and others moved indoors, some events like the Michigan National Guard Air flyover on Tuesday still occurred, though those lining the Grand River were disappointed, unable to see the aircraft due to the smoke covering the sky.
West Michigan residents are urged to continue precautions and limit outdoor activities through Wednesday, June 28th.
For more information on the Canadian wildfires, visit the Canadian Interagency Forest Fire Centre Inc website.
D. A. (Deborah) Reed is an award-winning author of young adult novels and a creative writing instructor from the Grand Rapids area. To find out more about D.A. Reed, visit her website: D.A. Reed Author
LANSING – My favorite summertime activity has always been biking or walking to the best ice cream shop in Lowell: Ball’s Softee Creme.
Ball’s Softee Creme sign in Lowell. (Courtesy, Mackenzie DeRaad)
Situated at the end of town by the Flat River, Ball’s Softee Creme is the perfect place to grab an ice cream cone with friends during the summer months.
You can get anything your heart desires at Ball’s — the best pulled pork sandwich ever, a glacier, which is half slushie-half vanilla ice cream, the largest plate of bean and chili cheese nachos you can imagine and a simple chocolate-vanilla ice cream twist in a cake cone.
Ball’s Softee Creme is the oldest ice cream shop in Lowell, celebrating its 51st year of operation in 2022. Many generations have enjoyed its sweet treats.
Now, I mentioned global warming in the title of this commentary.
Ball’s Softee Creme has nothing to do with global warming, of course, but it is benefitting from it.
The last eight years were the hottest ever recorded, according to a World Meteorological Organization report.
The small, family-owned shop is open only in the warm season, and because of global warming, that season is rapidly lengthening.
In 2022, Ball’s opened for business on April 2 to celebrate another year. In 2020, it opened on March 11 and stayed open into September.
March 11 is more than two months earlier than its opening day in the first years of operation, which hovered around Memorial Day.
Believe me, I love this little ice cream shop, so I can’t complain that it’s opening its windows earlier and keeping them open later in the year.
But I can’t stop thinking about climate change.
Lowell sits at the intersection of the Flat River and Grand River, so it’s no surprise that much of the community is a floodplain.
2013 brought one of the largest floods Lowell has ever seen, caused by days of constant, heavy rain.
Lowell isn’t the only place experiencing heavier rains though.
Aerial view of 2013 flood in Lowell. (Coiurtesy, NOAA)
A study by researchers at Northwestern University compared rainfall from two periods — 1951 to 1980, and 1991 to 2020 — and found that climate change is causing rains to be heavier in the United States.
The central and eastern parts of the lower 48 states are experiencing the most extreme rainfalls, and Lowell is at the center of it all.
Lowell wasn’t spared then, and record-breaking floods are still occurring each year. 2018 brought the fourth-largest flood Lowell has ever experienced, just shy of the 2013 flood level.
I remember my mom packing my brother and me up into the car to drive as far as we could into town to check out the damage. We sat in silence as we passed through downtown and parked by the city hall.
We saw our friends, our neighbors, our community members kayaking and canoeing down the streets because they couldn’t drive anywhere.
A local company, Timpson Trucking, donated sand from its sand mine to help residents fill sandbags.
There were sandbags stacked around homes and businesses, cars trapped under the murky water and paramedics, cops and firefighters on call.
Ball’s Softee Creme even had sandbags up to protect its shop about half a mile from the rising river.
It was like doomsday on Main Street.
Catastrophic.
So there I sat on that mild April day, wondering how my community would recover from this.
And now I sit, eating my melty chocolate cheesecake flurry, wondering how my community is going to recover from global warming.
A new University of Michigan study aims to understand how environmental exposures in Michigan contribute to cancer.
Sara Snyder is project director of the Michigan Cancer and Research on the Environment Study, or MI-CARES. (Credit: University of Michigan)
The Michigan Cancer and Research on the Environment Study, or MI-CARES, is largely motivated by Michigan’s history of toxic environmental exposures and environmental injustice, said Sara Snyder, the project director.
Researchers are recruiting 100,000 ethnically diverse, cancer-free Michiganders ages 25 to 44. It’s a statewide survey, but they’ll focus enrollment on what they’ve identified as six major environmental injustice hotspots: the Detroit metropolitan area, Saginaw, Lansing, Kalamazoo, Grand Rapids and Flint, Snyder said.
Environmental injustice refers to people who belong to groups that are discriminated against and are disproportionately exposed to contaminants and other health hazards.
June 1 marked the soft launch to test the website used to recruit candidates. People enroll every day, but the study’s full launch was earlier this fall.
A first in Michigan
“Nothing like this has been done in the state of Michigan before, which is almost shocking if you know about the levels of environmental injustice that have taken place,” said Lilah Khoja, a doctoral student at the University of Michigan on the MI-CARES team.
“There isn’t a community in Michigan that hasn’t been impacted in some way by environmental injustice,” she said.
It dates back decades: the PBB contamination of dairy products in the 1970s, the Flint water crisis, industrial pollution in Detroit and now PFAS, or per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances, nicknamed “forever chemicals” because they don’t break down in the environment, Snyder said.
The project, funded by the National Cancer Institute and the University of Michigan, will track participants through annual questionnaires for at least six years, Snyder said.
They’ll be asked about employment and residential histories,race, ethnicity, major health and life events and overall lifestyle to gauge participant health and previous exposures to industrial chemicals or other contaminants, Snyder said.
Beyond cancer, the surveys might also shed light on how exposures to chemicals in the environment cause heart disease, asthma or even Alzheimer’s disease, said Dana Dolinoy, the principal investigator of biomarker evaluations for MI-CARES.
Compiling the data needed for change
Such surveys have a proven track record. For instance, cancer rates are significantly higher in Flint compared to the rest of Genesee County and the state after lead contaminated the city’s water supply.
“My cousin, my aunt, my friend have all died of cancer,” said Arthur Woodson, a Flint resident and community activist. “People are dying in high numbers here of cancer.”
Community activists at the Pittsfield Farmers Market offer information about MI-CARES. Credit: MI-CARES.
Such anecdotal reports can be reinforced by hard data produced by health studies from the Genesee County Health Department proving elevated cancer levels in the area.
A study recently published in JAMA Network Open found that 1 in 5 Flint residents have presumptive major depression and another 1 in 4 have presumptive post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD).
“They fixed the water, but they didn’t fix the people,” Woodson said.
Providing people with the data they need
A large goal of MI-CARES is to give people access to data that will help them advocate for a cleaner environment and a healthier life, Khoja said.
“You can’t advocate for change if you don’t have the numbers to show that this is why it needs to change,” she said.
Cancer-centric studies like this one, whether linking it to smoking, a lack of physical activity or poor diet, played a role in a 29% drop in cancer death rates between 1991 and 2017, according to the American Cancer Society.
MI-CARES’ data will help improve Michiganders’ health while informing policy to reduce environmental injustices and harmful exposures, Snyder said.
Researchers looked at what was going on in the state and narrowed the study’s focus to the most prominent of the 80,000 chemicals in the environment: exposure to metals, like lead, chemicals in personal care products, air pollution and PFAS, Dolinoy said.
Addressing the issues
Michigan has the highest known PFAS levels of any state.
To measure some contaminants like lead, participants from the six environmental injustice hotspots will send in blood and saliva. These measurements, called intermediate biomarkers, show if a past environmental exposure changed the epigenome – the instruction book telling genes how to behave – to make them more susceptible to cancer and other diseases, Dolinoy said.
The study focuses on a younger population so that researchers might recognize any diseases before they manifest, Dolinoy said.
“This gives us time to intervene and treat individuals, because when the disease is already on board, it’s really hard to reverse it,” she said.
There’s evidence, though, that relatively easier things like changes in lifestyle and diet might reverse changes to that epigenetic instruction book, especially early in life, Dolinoy said.
Building a better tomorrow
The hope is to inspire policy intervention with MI-CARES findings, forcing industry and other institutions responsible for poisoning the environment to change. That is a challenge that the health survey hopes to meet.
“It’s very difficult to translate some of this science in a way that will directly change the economics of a company,” Dolinoy said. “But studies like MI-CARES can provide a weight of evidence that shows our environment can negatively contribute to disease status.”
To apply to be part of the survey, visit https://micares.health and click “Join the Movement!” Applicants must be 25 to 44 years old and cancer-free.
LANSING – Fifteen businesses across the state, including Ford Motor Co. and two West Michigan microbreweries, have written to Gov. Gretchen Whitmer in support of her administration’s carbon neutrality goals.
Broad Leaf Brewery’s owner Kris Spaulding signed a letter in support of Gov. Gretchen Whitmer administration’s carbon neutrality goals. (WKTV)
The goal to be a carbon-neutral economy was laid out in a 2020 executive order that also created the Council on Climate Solutions.
The Whitmer administration’s newly released MI Healthy Climate Plan would generate 60% of the state’s electricity from renewable resources, phase out all remaining coal-fired plants by 2030 and build infrastructure to support 2 million electric vehicles on the roads by 2030.
“The companies that signed this letter know that climate action and statewide strategies are not only an economic opportunity for the state, but also a business imperative for them,” said Deana Dennis, the senior manager of state policy at Ceres.
Ceres is a Boston-based nonprofit that advocates for sustainability by working with investors and the companies that initiated this letter.
In Michigan, the organization works with companies to advocate policies to achieve a carbon neutral economy, which would reach zero net emissions through carbon offsetting practices and projects.
“We’re hearing regularly from our companies that they need supportive policies at both the federal and state levels that will help achieve their climate pollution targets,” she said.
It’s also important that these businesses’ goals be achieved as equitably and cost-effectively as possible, said Dennis.
Dearborn-based Ford is taking action to reduce emissions from its operations, according to its website. Previously, the company installed LED lights throughout its plants, updated its painting operations and reduced its emissions by 15.1%.
Asher FreedmanClimate solutions logo.
Ford plans to achieve carbon neutrality by 2050 and use 100% local renewable energy in all of its manufacturing by 2035, according to its website.
Dennis said the companies that sent the letter have ambitious climate goals and know they need to ramp up their own efforts and advocacy work.
“That’s why they want to see Michigan take the lead on statewide strategies, such as through the governor’s MI Healthy Climate Plan,” she said.
The plan’s goals include developing new clean energy jobs by putting the state on a path towards becoming carbon neutral by 2050. It also proposes to reduce emissions from heating homes by repairing and improving buildings, triple the state’s recycling rate to 45% and cut food waste in half by 2030.
The businesses’ letter to Whitmer said, “We are committed to locally sourcing our purchases, including agricultural inputs, both in support of our local economy and in an effort to reduce transportation.”
Brewery Vivant in Grand Rapids signed the letter “to show that businesses are in support of the government taking action to address climate change,” said Kris Spaulding, who owns it and Broad Leaf Brewery in Kentwood.
They are the first microbreweries in the world to be certified in Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design, or LEED, through their efforts to minimize waste and energy use.
The two microbreweries are also committed to reduce greenhouse gas emissions by 50% and energy intensity over the next decade, according to the letter.
Dennis said Crystal Mountain in Benzie County’s Weldon Township, which signed the letter, is working to become greener.
The resort has opened walkable and bikeable grounds, provided free electric vehicle charging for guests and invested in other energy-efficient infrastructure such as LED lights and energy-efficient water pumps.
“Respecting the environment is one of our core values, and we strive to ensure our resort is committed to more sustainable solutions,” the company said in the letter.
The signers are from diverse business sectors, and Dennis said one goal of Ceres is to show unified support from businesses.
“The state needs to consider sector-wide strategies,” she said. “That includes the power sector, how we generate electricity. That also includes transportation, which is nationally the sector with the highest amount of emissions.”
Spaulding said, “There is often a feeling that businesses are opposed to any additional regulation, but without us, we as a greater society won’t be able to tackle this pressing issue.”
The other companies signing the letter are Ben & Jerry’s, DSM, EILEEN FISHER, General Mills, General Motors Co., IKEA, JLL, Johnson Controls, Siemens, Uplight and Worthen Industries.
LANSING — A program that gives low-income Michigan residents fresh fruit and vegetables and a path to healthier nutrition recently got a $2 million boost from state lawmakers.
That’s up from the $900,000 they allocated last year for the Double Up Food Program. The program gives participants a dollar-for-dollar match on fresh fruits and vegetables. Families receive twice the quantity of produce for half the price.
“It feels as if when this program was started, it was just a crazy idea,” said Alex Canepa, the policy manager for the Fair Food Network, which manages the program. “Now it’s time has come. Both Lansing and D.C. (legislators) are talking about the importance of nutrition security.”
Michigan’s Double Up program launched in 2009 as the first state in what is now a 29-state program run by the Fair Food Network based in Ann Arbor. The program has grown from five Detroit-area farmers markets to around 250 farmers markets, mobile markets, food stands and independent grocers.
The U.S. Department of Agriculture awarded the food network a four-year, $12.5 million grant in 2019 for program expansion. But to get the money, the program needs a 50% match, Canepa said.
“The state money allows us to draw down the full remaining balance,” Canepa said.
This added benefit is necessary for a state that has 1.9 million people who are food insecure, according to a Food Security Council report.
“One administrative change the state made early in the pandemic was to eliminate the $20-per-day limit for Double Up Food Bucks,” Julie Cassidy, the senior policy analyst for the Michigan League for Public Policy, wrote in an email. “This helped families stretch their food assistance dollars as far as possible when so many were suddenly struggling, food prices were skyrocketing, and local pantries were pushed to the limit.”
“It gives customers really good options,” said Courtney King, the manager of King Orchards in Kewadin and Central Lake in northern Michigan. “I love that it’s just for like fresh produce, which really helps us and them.”
Michigan farmer markets and farm stands are part of the Double Up Food Bucks program. (Supplied)
Becoming a Double Up Food Bucks retailer requires a lot of accounting, but it’s a great way to provide fresh produce to people who might otherwise think it is too expensive, King said.
“It’s a multi-pronged process,” said Joe Lesausky, food access director for the Michigan Farmers Market Association.
Farmers markets and farm stands first apply to be approved by the U.S. Department of Agriculture as a vendor for the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program, also known as SNAP. Then they must contact the Michigan Farmers Market Association to apply to become a Double Up Bucks retailer.
The program is in 67 of Michigan’s 83 counties and adds about 10 new sites a year, Lesausky said. Officials say they hope to reach all of the state’s counties in the next three years.
“We saw an increase of Double Up spending before the pandemic in even middle and upper-middle class communities,” Canepa said.
“Nutrition insecurity isn’t always where you expect it to be.”
Barbara Bellinger is a master’s student in journalism at Michigan State University. Her journalistic interests include undocumented immigration, international journalism and the criminal justice system. She hopes to become a reporter for CNN, NPR or a local Michigan news outlet.
Michigan Department of Natural Resources: A visitor uses a track chair to access the beach. Unimproved areas are otherwise inaccessible to those in wheelchairs
LANSING — Trails that can accommodate strollers, wheelchairs with tank treads and baby changing stations in men’s bathrooms are part of a push to accommodate a surge of new visitors at Michigan state parks.
The parks system has taken an interest in serving new parents, people with physical disabilities and people who live in urban areas of the state, Department of Natural Resources (DNR) officials said.
One reason is that the pandemic sparked an influx of new visitors, according to the agency.
The system saw 35 million visitors in 2020, a 30% increase over the previous year, according to the department.
Pampers, a major diaper manufacturer, is partnering with the department as part of its #LoveTheChange campaign. Pampers says that nine out of 10 fathers have gone into a restroom without a changing station.
“Pampers reached out to us and asked if there was a need in the state parks,” said DNR Fund and Resource Development Coordinator Michelle O’Kelly. “They supplied us 186 units to be distributed over 52 locations.”
O’Kelly says that parks have been receiving these units over the summer and fall and that they should be installed for use by next season because the workload this year has been intense for DNR workers.
Michigan Department of Natural ResourcesPark workers use a helicopter to install a new pedestrian bridge at Tahquamenon Falls State Park.
“The parks are at capacity,” O’Kelly said. “On weekends that we would normally never fill, we are filling all our parks”
O’Kelly said that she thinks that the large number of people working remotely has been pushing back traditional vacation seasons, so maintenance that would traditionally be done in fall had to be pushed back as well.
The department is also working to pave miles of trails across the state, a welcome relief for more than just parents, said Jon Spieles, the agency’s interpretative manager.
“One of the coolest things about our efforts to improve state parks accessibility is how those improvements work for parents with strollers and all kinds of wheeled equipment.” Spieles said. “The fact is we will all benefit from these great steps forward at one point or another.”
The DNR lists over 30 trails and recreation areas with paved or accessible trails and plans to increase that number. But for areas without paved access, the DNR has also started to provide tracked chairs, which look like wheelchairs equipped with tank treads.
Video of the device provided by the department shows the chairs going over sand, forest floors, tall grass and even deep snow. These chairs are available at nine parks, but officials hope that donations to the program will allow the DNR to provide these chairs to more sites across the state.
Urban residents are the least likely to visit the park system, according to a report by the Dow Sustainability Fellows of the University of Michigan. It cited lack of access to transportation as a major reason that urban Michigan residents don’t take advantage of the state natural areas.
State officials announced this summer the creation of a state park in Flint.
The $26.2 million investment in a former industrial site was targeted to reach people disproportionately affected by COVID19.
Spieles, who primarily works with educators and children, says one of the best state parks for kids is in an old Detroit warehouse, not a location typically associated with the great outdoors.
“An opportunity for families and school or youth groups is at the Outdoor Adventure Center in William G. Milliken State Park in Detroit,” Spieles said. “The center provides a taste of Michigan’s great outdoors with hands-on activities, exhibits and simulators.”
The facility includes a multi-story waterfall, a re-creation of a Michigan oak tree and a fishing game, that allows urban park goers to learn about the outdoors and inspires future visits to the actual wilderness.
O’Kelly said that public-private partnerships like the Pampers deal are welcome additions, but most state park initiatives are funded locally.
“It’s all just based on need,” O’Kelly said. “Some of our parks have formal nonprofit ‘friends of the park’ groups. So if a park need a new playground, there is usually a strong (local) campaign to secure funding.”
Officials say that such bottom-up strategies will help the state park system meet the changing needs of visitors in both the short term and for projects in the future.
Nicholas Simon is a multimedia reporter from South Haven, Michigan. His areas of interest include international relations, commercial spaceflight, ecology, and globalization. He has covered events for both print and broadcast outlets ranging from protests to presidential debates and currently covers the Grand Ledge community for the Spartan Newsroom.
The Wyoming Tree Commission is looking for a few more people to help with tree plantings this weekend and next.
Plantings are set for the morning of Oct. 2 and 16, which are both Saturdays. For more information on helping, email treeamigoswyoming@gmail.com.
Recently, the Tree Commission received a DTE Energy Tree Planting Grant of $3,000. With an additional $1,000 from the commission’s funds, was able to purchase about 25 8-foot and 10-foot trees. More than a dozen residents have signed up to receive a tree. The trees are free to residents but they are required to help plant it and commit to maintaining the tree.
The city’s recently revised Master Plan calls for the city to set a tree canopy goal. the Tree Commission recommendation was a goal of 40%, the same goal as many cities have set such as the City of Grand Rapids. Currently, Wyoming has an approximate tree canopy of 13.5%, as determined by an iTree survey that looks at aerial photographs.
The Tree Amigos is a volunteer City of Wyoming commission seeking to improve the city’s overall tree canopy. They meet every second Monday of the month at 12:30 p.m. at the Wyoming City Hall, 1155 28th St. SW.
Maintenance of birdhouses is important and should be done in the fall. (pxhere.com)
By McKoy Scribner Capital News Service
In Michigan, there are over 350 species of birds.
After birds lay their eggs and their fledglings take off in the spring, you might have an empty bird box at this point. Should you clean out the nest they leave behind?
Whether to clean out nests from birdhouses at the end of summer is an ongoing debate.
Some people fear if they clean out a nest box, they might be disrupting a family of birds who might need it for future use.
Meanwhile, others claim you can lend a helping hand to birds by cleaning the birdhouse of any buildup that could cause parasites.
MSU Extension’s Elliot Nelson says there’s no clear-cut answer, but basic maintenance of nest boxes is necessary.
“There’s a lot of research still to be done on nest boxes and cleaning them, and the science isn’t exactly totally clear yet. But there are some things you can do to make sure your nest boxes are safe and healthy for birds.”
This includes making sure a nest isn’t built too close to the entrance hole, which poses the risk of predators getting in.
Annual monitoring of the box for a buildup of mold or debris is also a good idea to help prevent mites or lice.
Nelson says predators and parasites are the two main threats to birds.
If there’s too much buildup of nesting material, ectoparasites like mites and lice could attack a group of nestlings the next time birds make a home in the house.
Be sure that a birdhouse hole is the right size and that ectoparasites “aren’t going to be able to build up in there too much,” Nelson said, then clean it occasionally by removing the nest material.
If there’s a lot of moisture or mold in the birdhouse, that’s a sign to remove all nesting materials to give it a deep clean, he said.
When determining a good time for a cleaning, Some species have multiple clutches in the same summer, so it’s best to wait until fall arrives in September after all possible nestings are done, he said.
To deep clean a nest box, bird enthusiasts should use a simple bleach solution or hot water.
Nature enthusiasts surpassed the goal set by the 2020 challenge by cleaning 151 forest sites, as well as removing 459 cubic yards of trash. (WKTV/Joanne Bailey-Boorsma)
By McKoy Scribner Capital News Service
Every year, tons of trash is illegally dumped in Michigan’s public lands, but a state program has been running for three decades to mitigate the problem.
The Adopt-a-Forest program is volunteer-driven and helps people engage with the outdoors and encourages them to keep public lands clean, the state Department of Natural Resources says.
The DNR conducts outreach to find volunteers and then connects them with a site in need of a cleanup.
Rachel Coale is a communications representative for the DNR. She says the work done in the past year has been fantastic and she’s eager to see what’s to come.
“So, last year we conducted a ‘100 cleanups in 100 days’ campaign, which despite the pandemic, we blew past our goal, which was really exciting,” she said. “So, this year we haven’t run any specific campaigns, but we’re definitely seeing more and more people get out in the woods.”
Nature enthusiasts surpassed the goal set by the 2020 challenge by cleaning 151 forest sites, as well as removing 459 cubic yards of trash.
The challenge was also a part of celebrating 100 years of the National Association of State Foresters and its effort to promote thriving forests.
Individuals or groups that volunteer are recognized with a certificate. If they adopt and clean over 640 acres of land, they can request a sign in recognition of their work.
Coale says volunteers have found everything from paper waste to mattresses in the woods.
“It really helps to have those eyes in the woods because we can’t have a conservation officer everywhere, all the time. But you know, we have a great group of volunteers who can say what’s happening out there and let people know.”
Through the program, half of the trash taken off public lands has been successfully recycled.
McKoy Scribner reports for WKAR and Great Lakes Echo.
Active Commute Week – a movement to promote more eco-friendly modes of transportation – is underway and runs through Friday.
“Active Commute Week is a great collaboration between individuals, organizations, and employers to promote healthy, sustainable modes of transportation around our region,” said Bill Kirk, spokesperson for The Rapid, and former participant in ACW. The Rapid and its commuter transportation program, West Michigan Rideshare, administer the technology utilized for Active Commute Week.
“Whether participants elect to ride The Rapid, hop on their own bike, take a walk, or utilize a scooter or bikeshare bike, that choice benefits our entire community by reducing emissions and improving public health outcomes,” said Kirk.
Kirk emphasized that the challenge is not just for work commute – participants can log a trip to the grocery store, restaurant, or library.
“Personally, I will be riding my bike or taking Route 5 to work and trying to make all my trips around my neighborhood by foot,” said Kirk.
The event will feature an employer challenge, designed to encourage friendly competition among organizations. Currently there are 25 Grand Rapids employers participating in the challenge.
Active Commute Week was postponed in 2020, but the event in 2019 was the largest yet. In a five-day period in June of 2019, a total of 393 individuals logged more than 4,000 green trips. The actions of those participating in the challenge reduced vehicle miles traveled by 19,293 miles, reducing pollutants by nearly 20,000 lbs, and saving commuters more than 900 gallons of gas. This year the event will take place across a seven-day period, in order to encourage participation on the weekend.
The Happy Hour recap event will take place on September 17 at Garfield Park. There will be an awards ceremony, and challenge participants will have a chance to win prize packages. It is not too late to sign up – Details on the event can be found at wmrideshare.org/acwgr
The City of Wyoming Tree Commission, “The Tree Amigos,” is celebrating some great news for the city’s tree canopy. For one, not only did the DTE Energy Tree Planting Grant Program approve their grant application, but the foundation is awarding an extra $1,000 above the requested $2,000. As The Tree Amigos has budgeted $1,000 of its own funds for the planting, $4,000 is now available for the purchase and delivery of up to 25, eight-to-ten-foot trees. The Tree Amigos has more than a dozen residents signed up to receive a tree but is still looking for a few more. Volunteers will plant the trees the mornings of October 2 and 16. Residents will receive a tree free of charge but are required to help plant it and commit to maintaining the tree.
In addition, the new City of Wyoming Master Plan calls for the city to set a tree canopy goal. City planner Nicole Hoffert asked for the Tree Commission’s recommendation. The commission requested Wyoming’s goal be 40%, the same goal as many cities have set, including the City of Grand Rapids. Currently, Wyoming has an approximate tree canopy of 13.5%, as determined by an iTree survey that looks at aerial photographs.
The Master Plan also calls for a more rigorous tree survey to be done in the future. Having a comprehensive survey will provide the City with data needed to plan not only where to plant more trees, but also how to develop a maintenance plan that preserves the mature trees already growing here. The survey will also provide data on the economic value that Wyoming’s trees provide when it comes to stormwater retention, pavement life, energy savings, reducing carbon footprint, and removing toxins from the air.
“Establishing the 40% canopy goal and having a comprehensive tree survey commissioned are two items at the very top of our wishlist. We are thrilled that the City is taking action on these,” says Estelle Slootmaker, chair, The Tree Amigos. “We also look forward to sharing insights with Nicole as the city develops a new tree ordinance that will better preserve the beautiful mature trees that we have and create a blueprint for planting more trees.”
Cities around the world are recognizing the important role of trees in mitigating climate change, maintaining storm sewer systems, making neighborhoods safer, increasing property values, and reducing health impacts of air pollution and stress.
“Wyoming’s slogan is ‘City of vision and progress.’ Only when we have a true vision of the important role trees play as part of our city’s infrastructure will we, as a city, be able to make sustainable progress environmentally and economically—and create a safer, healthier, happier place to live and work,” Slootmaker says.
Cougar habitat in North America has been shrinking due to development and land fragmentation, while “human-induced mortality” has shrunken their numbers, wildlife researchers warn.
Even so, the future of these alpha predators isn’t all gloom and doom, say scientists who compiled 180 reports of confirmed cougar observations in Michigan, Wisconsin and Minnesota between 2010 and 2020.
Sightings rose that decade, helped by improved technology such as trail cameras and camera phones, they said.
“Cougars have lost substantial portions of their historical range, yet increased sightings suggest potential for re-establishment in some regions,” researchers from the Michigan, Minnesota and Wisconsin departments of Natural Resources and the State University of New York College of Environmental Science and Forestry wrote in a recent article in the journal “Biological Conservation.”
The Michigan DNR says the last wild cougar known to have been legally hunted in the state was killed near Newberry in 1906.
“The Great Lakes region will likely be an important area for cougar range expansion into the Midwest and Eastern U.S.,” the study said. “Greater understanding of potential distribution and connectivity is necessary to make sound management and policy decisions.
Cougar traffic is apt to move from west to east, the study said. “An individual cougar moving randomly through the study area would be more likely to move through northern Minnesota, northern Wisconsin and the Upper Peninsula of Michigan.”
The goal of their project was to develop a regional map that highlights suitable habitat and connectivity, referring to a physical network of pathways linking locations where cougars may live. Their study area was 44% forested and 37% agricultural land, with wetlands, shrublands and developed land accounting for the rest.
The team mapped 362 linkages – pathways from a half-mile to 3.7 miles long – connecting 191 “core patches” of land, primarily in the northern part of the three states. About half the core patches are in legally protected areas, such as national forests, natural resource management areas, and state and local conservation areas.
As for the other half, private landowners should play an essential role in protecting habitat and connectivity, the study said.
Not many years ago, the mere presence of cougars in Michigan was questioned, with reported observations but no scientifically conclusive proof.
“There was a long history of sighting reports” but “they were not only not accepted by the DNR but met with animosity,” said Patrick Rusz, the director of wildlife programs at the Michigan Wildlife Conservancy, based in Bath. People who claimed to have seen the animals or their tracks “were ridiculed and called crazy.”
Rusz, who studied sightings across the state, said, “It wasn’t like a phenomenon that popped up. It had been going on as long as Michigan had been settled. I found, to most people’s satisfaction, there were cougars out there.”
He said skeptics then shifted their arguments to contend that the sightings were of pets or transitory visitors, but “the problem (with that argument) was that these were resident animals, not wandering around aimlessly. They had core ranges because we found them again and again and again.”
And technology – in the form of trail cameras and smartphones – has provided “evidence you can’t ignore, Rusz said.
As for the new study, Rusz said he’s skeptical about the relevance of modeling and mapping of connectivity. “It looks good, but whether it has anything to do with the future of cougars or not I tend to question.”
That’s because cougar survival in the Great Lakes region doesn’t depend on pathways and core patches, he continued.
“There’re corridors everywhere. A cougar doesn’t need a corridor. They could care less about that. They do really well around people.
“If our cougars are limited in some way, they’re limited by genetics, not limited by habitat and such. They have a tremendous ability to live in a variety of cover types,” Rusz said. “In the West in deserts, urban areas, plains – anywhere they have something to eat.”
Brian Roell, a Marquette-based wildlife biologist for the DNR, said the Dakotas are likely the source of Michigan cougars.
He said the Michigan DNR’s cougar team hasn’t identified any females, and “we suspect we don’t have a breeding population.”
He said the team has confirmed at least two observations in the Upper Peninsula so far this year.
Wherever they are, they’re at low density, Roell said. They aren’t expected to harm or kill other wildlife species or farm animals.
“We have not confirmed any depredation from cougars,” he said, adding that there have been no claims by Upper Peninsula farmers for indemnification from the state. A claim in the Lower Peninsula was turned down because the predator turned out not to be a cougar.
Humans pose the biggest challenge to cougars, Roell said, calling it a matter of “social tolerance – will people leave them alone?”
Eric Freedman is professor of journalism and former associate dean of International Studies and Programs. During his 20-year newspaper career, he covered public affairs, environmental issues and legal affairs for newspapers in New York and Michigan, winning a Pulitzer Prize for coverage of a legislative corruption scandal.
A biologist sampling for aquatic insects. Michigan Department of Environment, Great Lakes and Energy staff sampled 741 locations over the summer of 2020. Credit: Department of Environment, Great Lakes and Quality. (Supplied)
By McCoy Scribner Capital News Service
The Department of Environment, Great Lakes and Energy is assessing the state’s water quality, something that’s necessary in a state that’s rich in water resources.
The department is conducting its annual surface water sampling to protect human health and aquatic life and to maintain suitability for recreation.
Water sampling is done at locations across the state. But certain locations are trend sites. This means staff will return in consecutive years to understand what long-term developments look like.
Kevin Goodwin is an integrated report specialist for water assessment with Environment, Great Lakes and Energy. He says the department samples for a variety of reasons.
“Things like bacteria levels, E. coli for concerns for human health, to fish contaminants looking at whether or not folks can eat fish safely in the state, to looking at insects and other fish communities to see what the ecosystem looks like and a host of other things,” Goodwin said.
Sampling takes place in rivers, lakes, and other bodies of water.
In 2020, the staff sampled:
151 macroinvertebrate sites
73 water chemistry monitoring sites
31 harmful algal bloom monitoring sites
123 E. coli monitoring sites
48 fish contaminant monitoring sites
287 PFAS surface water sampling sites
7 sediment sampling projects
9 river nutrient expression sampling sites
12 lake nutrient expression sampling sites
Goodwin says the team has a process where it asks for input on where staff should go and what problems there might be.
“That’s kind of a targeted approach. We can pick places that we or others have an interest or concern and we can look there. Then we’ve got other programs that we’re just kind of broadly moving around the state just to kind of keep general tabs of what’s going [on].”
Results start becoming available in the fall through the winter. The timing depends on how long it takes to get the lab results entered into various databases, quality-checked and then analyzed.
McKoy’s story is brought to you as part of a partnership between WKAR and Michigan State University’s Knight Center for Environmental Journalism.
Climate change could be the next impact on public health. (pxhere.com)
By Elaine Mallon Capital News Service
More than three-quarters — 77% — of local health department officials surveyed across Michigan agree that climate change will impact their jurisdiction in the next 20 years, according to a recent study in the Journal of Environmental Studies and Sciences.
The study examined local health departments’ readiness and perception of climate change on public health.
An undergrad at the University of Michigan, Julie Carter, led the research for her honors thesis project. Carter said the discrepancy between health officials’ view on the impact of climate change and how they prioritize climate change was the most interesting take away from the study.
Only 35% of the officials said that climate change was a priority in their department, even though over three quarters said it will be a problem in the future.
The state Department of Health and Human Services has identified five adverse health effects of climate change. They are heat illness, respiratory diseases due to change in air quality, waterborne diseases, vector- borne diseases, and injury and carbon monoxide poisoning.
Patricia Koman is a research investigator in environmental health sciences at the University of Michigan and a co-author of the study.
According to Koman, health departments can’t direct policies centered around climate change without the support of community leaders. She said it’s crucial for people like elected officials and business leaders to also be knowledgeable about health effects related to climate change.
“If these groups have little or no knowledge, or if the local public health department doesn’t know what’s going on with these leaders, that means that they’re not having the necessary conversations about climate change,” Koman said.
“It means that they aren’t doing everything they can to prepare. As we saw in the (Covid-19) pandemic, when we’re not prepared, people suffer.”
Each negative health effect was recognized as a current issue for local departments.
However, 56% of those surveyed said vector-borne illness is a problem. Health and Human Services reports that as winters become milder and summers become hotter, mosquitoes and ticks will survive in larger numbers, leading to greater risk of Lyme and West Nile diseases.
The Michigan Environmental Public Health Tracking reports that 334 ticks were collected in 1999. The population has fluctuated each year, but a record number of 1,412 ticks were collected in 2019. In 2020, the number fell to 650.
In line with the rise in ticks is the rise in Lyme disease cases. The department found 66 Lyme disease cases in 2011. Eight years later, 370 cases were recorded.
Kalamazoo County reported the most cases: 53.
The survey, conducted in 2019 but not published until earlier this year, went to officials from all 45 local health departments in the state. There were 35 responses from both urban and rural areas, representing 60% of the agencies.
Koman said the attitudes of health department officials on climate-related health issues may have changed since 2019.
“The public health implications of climate change are becoming more and more apparent,” Koman said.
According to Koman, recent flooding in the Detroit area, which prompted Gov. Gretchen Whitmer to declare a state of emergency, and the severe drought at one point across over a third of the state indicate that not only are these effects happening now, but they’re expected to increase.
Since 2010, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention’s Climate and Health Program has worked with states in implementing policies and procedures oriented around climate change. The nationwide program receives $10 million in funding, but the Biden administration budget blueprint allocates an increase to $110 million.
At the state level, the climate health program has received $200,000 each year for the past 10 years, according to Aaron Ferguson of the state Department of Health and Human Services.
“At least from our program’s perspective, that doesn’t leave a lot to provide direct funding for local health departments,” Ferguson said.
The state agency focuses on training local health department leaders by integrating environmental health impacts in assessments of a community’s needs, and also helps track climate data.
Both Carter and Koman said that one reason local departments may not prioritize climate health effects is because they are underfunded. However, Ferguson said it doesn’t necessarily require extra work to integrate climate health planning into what officials are already doing.
“We just have to reshape with climate effects in mind,” Ferguson said. “Climate change is a risk multiplier, so the things that are already impacting communities, climate change has the potential to make it worse.”
As the manager of the state agency’s climate and tracking unit, he said that while each community may differ in the severity of climate health effects, increased precipitation is the most pressing issue at hand for everyone.
“Mid-Michigan overall has gotten wetter,” he said. “Precipitation is heavier. And just a couple of weekends ago, we saw that the 100-year or 500-year rain and flood events are occurring much more frequently than that. We’ve probably seen four or five of these types of events in the seven years since I’ve been with the department.”
In addition to putting a strain on farmers, increased precipitation has led to flooding in peoples’ basements and potential exposures to sewage and other contaminants.
After a 2014 flood event, Macomb County did a health impact assessment and found an increase in negative mental health effects from the disaster — particularly in low-income and minority areas of the county.
“Mental health in these sorts of recurring events is a big issue, especially when you’re already in the middle of coming out of a pandemic,” Ferguson said.
Along with proponents integrating climate change into the conversation of public health, he said that it must transcend all facets of public life.
“There’s a lot of room for infrastructure design for the climate that we have now,” Ferguson said. “It goes back to bringing the health perspective to infrastructure planners. We need to help them understand that there’s a real health impact, and a lot of it is from climate change, but a lot of it’s because our communities aren’t prepared for that kind of stuff.”
As electric vehicle demands grow, one focus of concern is how to make them more environmentally sustainable.
A new project by recycling company Battery Solutions and sustainability-focused group NextEnergy aims to make electric vehicle recycling opportunity recommendations to the Department of Environment, Great Lakes and Energy by February 2022.
The project is funded by a $50,000 grant from the state department as part of its NextCycle Michigan initiative.
A major part of the project is to build capacity in the state for repurposing and recycling electric vehicle batteries, said Jim Saber, the president and CEO of Detroit-based NextEnergy.
The six-stage project will involve cataloging, evaluating and analyzing Michigan’s electric vehicle battery supply chain and infrastructure.
The project will also analyze gaps in electric vehicle battery secondary use and recycling opportunities.
“When you identify those areas within the actual chain that are sometimes a challenge, it provides opportunity for Michigan to enhance its foothold within sustainability,” said Danielle Spalding, the director of marketing and communications at Battery Solutions in Wixom.
The downsides to not recycling those batteries are largely environmental, said Thomas Bjarnemark, the president and CEO of Battery Solutions, who said. people don’t want the stuff to be dumped in landfills or contaminate the environment.
Another downside is the reliance on natural resources extracted from the ground, said Matt Flechter, a recycling market development specialist at Environment, Great Lakes and Energy.
Recycling and repurposing will be better for the environment and in how people best manage available natural resources, Saber said.
Bjarnemark said that during recycling, batteries are disassembled into components that can be used to manufacture new batteries or be repurposed for other industrial uses.
Other applications involve reuse of the batteries for renewable power or energy sources.
“So even if they don’t go into new battery manufacturing, they can be put to good use,” Bjarnemark said.
The more that people understand the opportunities in the size of regional markets, they can develop circular economy applications, Saber said, “Where we use it locally, we repurpose it locally, and then we recycle or redeploy locally.”
Flechter said recycling is a system that depends on experts using their skills to inform residents and businesses about how, why and where to recycle.
There are many reasons peoplet want to recycle, he said.
“It’s not only an economic issue that moves materials back into manufacturing,” Flechter said. “It’s also an environmental issue where we can reduce greenhouse gases and save energy while supporting the environment and the economy.”
The NextCycle Michigan initiative provides grants that fund ideas and opportunities for recycling.
The partnership between Battery Solutions and NextEnergy strives to do that, he said.
“It’s also really important in that system, that we think about the entire lifecycle of that product,” Flechter said. “Once I’m done with it, who can use it next? And how can partnerships create opportunities for those materials once thought of as waste?”
Guests can tell Zenon and Chione apart because males are more uniformly white and smaller than females. Females have a more extensive black speckled pattern.(Supplied)
The latest addition to the John Ball Zoo is two snowy owls which have now made their home in a newly constructed habituated located at the zoo’s Forest Realm near the Amur tigers.
The zoo recently acquired the two owls from different Michigan raptor rehabilitator organizations. The owls, the male is Zenon named after the Zeno the Greek philosopher and the female is Chione after the Greek goddess of snow, cannot be released back it not he wild because of injuries.
Zoo officials said they hope for a mating match as Zenon and Chione are recommended for breeding as part of the snow owl’s Species Survival Plan (SSP). The SSP oversees the population management of select species within the Associations of Zoos and Aquariums member institutions and to enhance conservation of this species in the wild.
In the wild, snowy owls live in the northern hemisphere around the world, along open fields, tundra, and shorelines. They primarily eat other birds, fish, and small mammals – typically lemmings and mice. Also, unlike many other owl species, snowy owls are active during the day and spend a majority of their time on the ground.
Snowy owls utilize sight, sound and touch to communicate and perceive their environment. Males “hoot” more frequently than females, and seem to use this vocalization in territorial defense and establishment. Males and females also give a variety of other calls, including a “rick, rick, rick”, a “kre kre kre”, a mewing and a hiss.
With an approximate number of 28,000 mature individuals in the wild, the snowy owl’s conservation status is vulnerable. Humans are considered the most prevalent predator of snowy owls. Snowy owls are killed by humans for food, trophies, and to protect game animals. Other predators include foxes, jaegers, and probably dogs, wolves and other avian predators.
The new playground at Jackson Park. (WKTV/Joanne Bailey-Boorsma)
This Saturday, the City of Wyoming will be hosting a reopening event for Jackson Park, located at 1331 33rd St. SW, right next to the Wyoming Intermediate School. The event will start at 10 a.m. and include the official opening of the park’s new splash pad. The park has a new playground, shelter area, bathrooms, and parking lot. Also taking place will be a free yoga class at 11:15 a.m.
Festival Returns
Festival of the Arts will be a little different this year.
The first weekend in June has always meant Festival of the Arts, which has returned this summer albeit a little different. Because of uncertainty in social distancing guidelines, the organization is offering Plein Air and performances this weekend. Artists will be out Friday, Saturday and Sunday with musicians performing on Saturday only on Monroe Center and Ottawa Avenue. Saturday is scheduled to be a beautiful day to walk around downtown Grand Rapids on Saturday and Sunday to soak it all in. Oh, and if you are out on Saturday, we recommend Total Eclipse of the Harp featuring Emily Smith, who will perform at 10 a.m., 3 and 6 p.m.
Splash Pads Now Open
The splash pad at Oriole Park.
Summer is here! How do we know? The splash pads in both the cities of Wyoming and Kentwood are now open. The City of Kentwood has two splash pads, one at Pinewood Park, 1999 Wolfboro Dr. SE, and Veterans Memorial Park, 355 48th St. SE. Both are open from 11 a.m. to 8 p.m. The City of Wyoming has three splash pads, Lamar Park, 2561 Porter St. SW; one at Oriole Park, 1380 42nd St. SW., and the third is at Southlawn Park, 4125 Jefferson SW. Wyoming’s splash pads are open from 10 a.m. to 8 p.m. A fourth splash pad at Jackson Park is set to open on Saturday during the park’s reopening ceremony.
Fun Fact: I’m Your Venus
With NASA’s recent announcement that it is planning two missions to Earth’s other neighbor, Venus, we thought it might be fun to share a few facts about the second planet closest to the sun. Besides the fact that it is named after the Roman goddess of love and beauty:
Venus is hotter than Mercury despite the fact that Mercury is closer to the sun.
A day on Venus is longer than a year on Earth.
Venus has about 90 times the atmospheric pressure of Earth, which is the same pressure at about 1 km depth in the Earth’s oceans.
It is believed that Venus had a celestial collision early in its history which caused the planet to get flipped upside down. This resulted in the planet rotating clockwise unlike the rest of the planets in our solar system which rotate anti-clockwise.
Humans have been studying Venus since the second millennium BC because it is one of the brightest objects in the sky and easy to spot with the naked eye. In the upcoming Venus explorations, which are scheduled to launch in 2028-2030, NASA aims to understand how Venus became an inferno-like world when it has so many other characteristics similar to ours – and may have been the first habitable world in the solar system, complete with an ocean and Earth-like climate.
