By Tyler Becker, Michigan State University Extension
Due to the importance of exercise, there are physical activity guidelines for both youth and adults. Overall, physically active youth have stronger muscles and bones, lower body fat and lower risk for depression and anxiety than physically inactive youth. Physically active youth are usually healthier adults with a lower risk for cardiovascular disease, type 2 diabetes and numerous other chronic diseases. The current guidelines for children 6 to 17 years of age include being physically active for at least 60 minutes or more each day with aerobic, muscle and bone strengthening activities.
Aerobic Activity
Aerobic or cardiovascular exercise is defined as activity in which an individual is rhythmically moving large muscle groups thereby increasing one’s heart rate and use of oxygen. In turn, this increases an individual’s cardiorespiratory fitness. Examples of aerobic activity include biking, running, jogging, swimming, jumping rope, etc. Majority of a child’s daily physical activity should be either moderately or vigorously intense aerobic activity, with the latter included in at least three days of the week. Examples of moderately intense aerobic activity includes hiking, biking and brisk walking and examples of vigorous-intense aerobic activity include running, active games with a running component like tag, some sports like basketball or tennis and martial arts.
Muscle Strengthening Activity
Muscle strengthening activity is movement in which the body’s muscles perform more work than is usually done in daily life. When we think of muscle-strengthening activity, we commonly think of lifting weights, however, this is not necessarily the case. Examples of other muscle-strengthening activities for children include bodyweight exercises like push-ups, squats or curl-ups, resistance exercises with bands, games such as tug-of-war and playing on playground equipment. Muscle-strengthening activities should be included as part of the 60 minutes or more of daily physical activity at least three days per week. For further information related to muscle-strengthening activity in younger male and female children, refer to the Updated Youth Resistance Training Position Statement from the National Strength and Conditioning Association.
Bone Strengthening Activity
Bone strengthening activity is primarily designed to increase bone strength and growth by providing an impact or tension force on the bones. Bone strengthening activities can also be muscle strengthening or aerobic activities as well. Examples of these include jumping rope, running, gymnastics, basketball, volleyball, etc. Bone strengthening activities should also be performed as part of the 60 minutes or more of daily physical activity at least three days per week.
What about children under 6 years of age?
The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention acknowledges that physical activity in children less than 6 years of age, including infants, is important, however, there currently are not any recommended guidelines. The recommendations emphasize that physical activity be performed to promote health-related fitness and movement skills that are age appropriate. For further information, refer to Physical Activity from Birth – 5 years.
Overall, youth aged 6 to 17 years of age should be performing at least 60 minutes or more of physical activity each day, consisting of primarily aerobic activity, but also muscle and bone strengthening activities at least three days per week. Michigan State University Extension recommends gradually increasing the number of days and time spent being active to help reduce chances of injury.
School is is session and all across the nation parents are asking their children the same question, “What happened at school today?”, and the majority of kids respond indicating that nothing happened at school. Where are the details? Parents want details!
Getting kids to share what happened during the school day can be difficult and frustrating. Child care expert Lynn Gibson, offers suggestions for starting conversations that will elicit more than a single word when you ask that important question. Putting all your questions on hold is the first order of business. Give your kids some breathing space when they first get home, they have been following different expectations all day and need to switch out of school mode. Be patient if your child has some ornery moments, eventually they will be ready to share their day.
The period of time between arriving home, having dinner and bedtime is very hectic. Take some time to allow your child to relax and catch their breath to benefit the remainder of the night.
When it comes to asking your kids questions about their day, first ask yourself if you have time to listen. Your child is not on the witness stand so refrain from firing one question after another at them. Less can be more when getting information about their day.
In addition to Lynn Gibson’s conversation starters mentioned above, a blog from Simple Simon & Company offers up a great list of 25 questions to ask kids, here are a few to get you started:
What was the best (and the worst) thing that happened at school today?
Who is the funniest person in your class and why is he/she so funny?
Tell me something that made you laugh today.
What word did your teacher say most today?
How did you help somebody today?
How did somebody help you today?
Is there anyone in your class that needs a time out?
Where do you play the most at recess?
Do not get in the habit of asking the same four questions every day or this important conversation will just stall out after the first few days of school and you are back to hearing that nothing happens at school.
Art work and activity papers that come home are great conversation starters. In fact, a research study by Marvin and Privratsky (1999) showed that when four-year-old children brought home their art projects, they talked significantly more about school activities than when they did not bring home artwork.
Post a copy of the school schedule so you know which day is gym, library day or art. You can ask specific questions about each of those days to keep the conversation going. Example questions may be asking if your child picked out a new library book or asking what they played in gym.
Many kids won’t tell you much until they are all tucked in at night. If this is the case for your child, plan this into the schedule so you can enjoy this one-on-one time and discover what may be on your child’s mind.
Dr. Charles Fay suggests that kids are more likely to talk when they are engaged in something fun like playing a board game, going on a walk or helping in kitchen. The spot light is off the child to report school happenings and focus is on the activity, which helps them feel comfortable share what they experienced during school.
Providing opportunities for conversations, listening and asking the right questions will foster communication and enhance your relationships with your children. These skills will also help children make their way in the world. For more information on healthy relationships, communication and parenting skills, visit the Michigan State University Extension website.
By Brenda Long, Michigan State University Extension
For more information contact Brenda Long.
Health insurance helps provide financial protection. It is for managing the risks of very high medical expenses for potential future health problems. Plan your choices during health insurance open enrollment for 2019. If you obtain health insurance from your employer, ask about the enrollment dates and options. The information below is for people buying health insurance on their own.
Changes for 2019 include the following:
1. Premiums have flattened out for 2019 Health Insurance Marketplace plans after several years of spikes, according to the Michigan Department of Insurance and Financial Services. Consumers should find more affordable, more comprehensive coverage. In Michigan, nine companies will be competing for policy holders to purchase Qualified Health Plans in the Michigan Health Insurance Marketplace:
Blue Care Network
Blue Cross Blue Shield of MI
McLaren Health Plan Community
Meridian Health Plan of MI, Inc
Molina Healthcare of MI
Oscar Insurance Company
Physicians Health Plan
Priority Health
Total Health Care USA
2. The repeal of the individual mandate requirement to pay for health insurance is still in effect in 2018 but will not be included in 2019. This means when you file federal income taxes for 2019, you will not pay a penalty for not having health insurance.
3. Short-term, limited-duration plans are allowable to cover an initial period of less than 12 months with renewal options, and up to 36 months total. This provides for new, more affordable options. These plans can provide coverage for people transitioning between jobs, students taking time off from school, and middle-class families without access to subsidized ACA plans. These plans offer lower premiums than comprehensive health insurance, but also cover less. They do not have to take people with pre-existing medical conditions. They may not cover maternity, mental health, prescription drugs and substance abuse treatment. Read the fine print if you are considering this coverage.
Not new but important to mention are Health Savings Accounts (HSA), which can be set up through your employer or by an individual. These tax-exempt accounts can be used to pay for eligible out-of-pocket health care expenses not covered by traditional health plans. HSAs must be established with a high deductible plan so that the HSA pays for routine health expenses and the health plan for more significant costs. Individuals can go to many banks and credit unions in Michigan to set up an account.
Know the dates of the Open Enrollment period. The Health Insurance Marketplace has a 45-day enrollment period from Nov. 1 to Dec. 15, 2018. The Medicare open enrollment period is different from the Marketplace time frame, from Oct. 15 to Dec. 7, 2018. If you qualify for the Healthy Michigan Plan, Medicaid or MiChild, you can enroll at any time of the year.
Ask your employer if it offers health insurance as a benefit. Some employers make use of the Small Business Health Options Program (SHOP) for employees. If not, you may need to get coverage through the Marketplace, or directly from a health insurance agent or company.
Make a list of questions before it is time to choose your health plan. Do you want to stay with your current doctor? Will the plan provide coverage when you are travelling? This will help you compare multiple plans. Have you received a notice from your current health plan about changes to its provider network, co-pays, co-insurance, or prescription drug coverage and what does this mean for you? Read the notice carefully.
Gather your household income information. With the Marketplace, many people qualify for tax credits to save money based on family size and income. Find your most recent W-2, pay stubs or tax return.
Set your budget. You need to figure out how much you can afford to spend on premiums each month. Think about your health care needs, how often you visit the doctor, the number and cost of prescriptions. If you expect frequent visits, prescriptions or medical services, you might want a plan that has higher monthly premiums but pays more medical costs when you use them, so you have fewer out-of-pocket costs. For more information about managing plans with high deductibles, see my February 21, 2017, news article.
Setting family rules is the first step to establishing boundaries for your child’s behavior. Rules tell your children what you value, what is important to you and your family. When rules are enforced, it is an opportunity for children to practice making decisions and dealing with the consequences of their choices. Boundaries that you set will help guide your child’s behavior.
Keep the rules simple. The more complicated a rule, the harder it is to remember. Keep your rules short and simple so it is easier for young children to learn and remember. Rules for young children should be very easy to understand and there should be as few rules as possible.
Make sure rules are enforceable. Rules or boundaries should be connected to consequences, or what will happen if the rule is broken. Set consequences that are fair and reasonable and give your child the opportunity to learn to make better choices in the future.
Enforce rules consistently. If a rule is only enforced some of the time, your child will notice and they will learn that the rule doesn’t need to be followed. Make sure you enforce rules consistently and as soon as possible. This helps build a cause-and-effect relationship for your child (if I do this, then this will happen). This will help them learn to make better choices in the future.
Remind the rule. Kids need lots of reminders about rules and boundaries. Post a picture chart for your family rules in the house where your child will be able to see them regularly. Remind your child of the rules often, and give the warnings so they have the opportunity to change their behavior before facing consequences.
Remember that rules are for everyone. If you set a rule for your family and you break it, you are sending a message to your child that you do not value that rule. It’s important to practice what you preach and impact upon your child that the rule is so important, even you will follow it.
Family rules can help calm the chaos and set limits that will help your child understand boundaries and learn to make good choices.
For more articles on child development, academic success, parenting and life skill development, please visit the Michigan State University Extension website.
To learn about the positive impact children and families experience due to MSU Extension programs, read our 2017 impact report. Additional impact reports, highlighting even more ways Michigan 4-H and MSU Extension positively impacted individuals and communities in 2017, can be downloaded from the Michigan 4-H website.
You found a great sale on meat and bought more than you can use within a day or two. You can preserve it by canning, drying or freezing. Freezing is by far the simplest method of preserving meat. Michigan State University Extension has some helpful tips when freezing meat.
You can freeze fresh meat and poultry in its supermarket wrapping if you will use it in a month or two. The United States Department of Agriculture recommends that you add a second wrapping for long-term storage to maintain quality and prevent freezer burn. Overwrap the package of meat with airtight heavy-duty aluminum foil, freezer paper or place the package inside a freezer bag. While it is safe to freeze fresh meat or poultry in its supermarket wrapping, this type of wrap allows air to pass through, which can lead to freezer burn. Foods with freezer burn are safe to eat, but will be dry and may not taste good.
Keep your freezer at 0º Fahrenheit or lower. Put no more food in your freezer than can get frozen in 24 hours.
Spread out the bags of meat in your freezer when you are first freezing them. You can neatly stack and organize them in your freezer once they are completely frozen.
Do not stuff any kind of meat or poultry before freezing it. Harmful bacteria can grow in the stuffing before it gets completely frozen and then it can once again grow when it is being thawed.
Thaw all meats in the refrigerator for the very best quality. Cook the meat once it is thawed.
Freeze meat in meal size portions. Label the package with the kind of meat, the amount in the package and the date it was frozen.
Freezing keeps food safe almost indefinitely, but the quality and nutritional value decreases over time. Recommended storage times from the United States Department of Health and Human Services are for quality only.
As the days draw shorter and temperatures decrease, we know that the holiday season is upon us. Not only do we usually indulge ourselves during this time, but we also become less physically active.
It is not surprising that the average American gains about a pound this time of year.
There are numerous reasons for this weight gain, especially the overall busyness we tend to have, with parties and preparing for them. Outside of the usual overindulging we go through with at the table, these busy schedules often cause us to reach for more convenient options that are not necessarily the most nutrient-dense.
What are some approaches we can use year round, but especially at this time of year to minimize or prevent weight gain?
Methods to Utilize When Eating This Holiday Season
There are numerous techniques that can be employed to help us enjoy eating during the holiday season, while not going overboard by eating too much. One of these options is to utilize mindful eating practices, as described in previous articles. Mindful eating allows you to checking in with yourselves to see if you are actually hungry, gives you time to appraise and admire your meal, encourages slowing down your eating, lets you savor and taste every bite and helps you stop when you are full.
Another method is to substitute foods with lower calorie options. This could include using sugar substitutes during baking to maintain the sweet taste we enjoy in our desserts, but reducing the number of calories we consume. Other options could be using low fat or fat-free substitutes. One could also load up on more nutrient-dense foods such as fruits and vegetables, but also include some dessert. Other helpful hints for eating during the holiday season can be found here.
Physical Activity During the Holidays
Although the holiday season is upon us, this is not a reason to give up on your current physical activity habits. The best recommendation is to maintain your current physical activity schedule, whether that is going to the gym or outside for a run. However, the busyness of this time of year, plus changes in the weather, are not necessarily conducive to performing physical activity. There are approaches to this dilemma. For example, if you currently run outdoors, you may have to make some modifications such as running on an indoor track, or taking up cross-country skiing or snowshoeing.
To prevent extra weight gain, the simplest method is to burn, or expend, more calories. This could be as simple as adding an extra workout day, or encourage some family bonding time and going for walks. Remember, although you may miss a workout or two, it is not the end of the world nor the most important part of the holiday season.
This time of year, we usually consume more foods, especially the sweet ones, and perform less physical activity, however, there are numerous methods we can employ to help us still enjoy the holidays, without gaining that extra pound of body weight. This could be changing the way we eat, or performing extra physical activity. Regardless, we should also utilize these methods throughout the year.
No amount of running or other exercise massages our insides and settles or resets our mood the way laughter does.
By Tracie Abram, Michigan State University Extension
Not only is laughter universal, it is ageless. Picture a baby’s first belly laugh or seeing an older adult’s eyes light up with laughter. No matter what your age, laughter is good medicine and is an exercise everyone can enjoy doing. Laughter therapy has been practiced for centuries to help heal and today laughter is fast becoming the preventative exercise of choice due to its physical, mental, emotional and spiritual powers.
In the book, Laughter Therapy, by Annette Goodheart, Ph.D.; a whole chapter is dedicated to the physical benefits of laughter. You learn that laughter engages every major system in the body. Have you ever fallen out of your chair laughing or seen kids fall onto the floor and spitting food out of their mouths from laughing? Yes, it is known to cause us to wet our pants occasionally too! When we laugh, we literally lose muscle control.
The diaphragm is a muscle that separates our abdominal cavity from our chest cavity and is the only muscle in our body that is attached to other muscles. When we laugh, our diaphragm convulsively pulls on our side muscles and shakes up our stomach and other vital organs. We get an internal massage, which leaves our organs invigorated, juicy, pumped-up and alert.
Laughter has been clocked exiting our lungs at speeds up to seventy miles per hour. Needless to say, it gives our respiratory system a massive work out. Laughter sessions can provide a cardiovascular, pulmonary workout as well as massage your insides.
No amount of running or other exercise massages our insides and settles or resets our mood the way laughter does. People of all ages can do it together and it’s fun.
Laughing to relieve stress
Negative stress is both mentally and physically draining and can manifest as physical illness if not identified and managed. Laughter can help you manage stress similar to how physical exercise does. Laughter is both a pulmonary and cardiovascular workout in that it makes the heart and lungs work faster, which in turn pumps oxygenized blood to your cells faster, this stimulates your brain to make you more resilient to stressors.
Laughter is free, natural and you can access it easily. In fact, as Goodheart explains you don’t even need to find something funny or be feeling happy to practice laughter and benefit from it.
Don’t let emotional tension build to the point of tears. Set a goal to be aware or mindful of how many times per day you laugh. Think of it as an attitudinal exercise for your mind. Schedule time to practice laughter or join a laughter club.
Laughter education
Laughter education comes in a wide variety of forms and can be called clubs, classes, circles, programs or sessions. The most beneficial of these involve systematic programmable activities, typically provided in a group setting that provides laughter exercise and attitudinal mindfulness to achieve general or targeted goals. Laughter session objectives can include:
Increase awareness about attitudes and feelings towards laughter.
Provide opportunities for individuals to laugh.
Promote laughter in everyday life.
Provide respite from daily stress and worries.
Teach how laughter can be an effective mood regulator.
Encourage healthy choices and laughter, humor and mirth as self-care strategies.
Depending on the setting, individual participation in a therapeutic laughter program can be encouraged as a way to meet individual goals such as socialization, emotional expression, communication, focus, concentration and use of muscles and joints.
Raising young children can be stressful and from time to time it can take its toll on parents and other caregivers. Self-care is a crucial way to ensure adults caring for young children are prepared to invest the time and energy they need to be the best caregivers they can be. If you aren’t taking care of yourself, you may not have much left to give your children.
Make sure your basic needs are met. In the hustle of trying to take care of young children, the needs of parents and caregivers often get overlooked. Think about the energy you invest in making sure your child’s needs are met. You make sure they get enough to drink and eat, provide enough time for them to get the restful sleep they need as well as the exercise and time to play—do you do the same for yourself?
Make it a routine. Just like you develop routines for your child, make self-care part of your daily routine. Come up with simple routines you can do to help you relax and unwind and take care of yourself. Maybe it’s taking a quick walk by yourself a few days a week or making time to bake if that’s a hobby you enjoy.
Start small. Big changes can seem intimidating, so don’t think of increasing your self-care as something big you have to do overnight. Break up the task into small pieces and find something small to start with, like challenging yourself to drinking less caffeine to help you sleep better at night. Try writing down your goals and keeping track of your efforts—this can help motivate you to keep going and is a great way to see your progress. Once you have incorporated that change, try making another small change.
Model self-care for your child. Let your child know what you’re doing and why self-care is so important. You can tell them, “This is Daddy’s time to himself. When I go for a walk alone it gives me time to think and helps me feel calm and relaxed.” Children learn from watching us and when we show them we value self-care, they learn to value it too.
Investing in your own well-being is a way to invest in your child’s well-being. Take the time to nurture yourself so you have the energy and motivation to nurture your child.
For more articles on child development, academic success, parenting and life skill development, please visit the Michigan State University Extension website.
To learn about the positive impact children and families experience due to MSU Extension programs, read our 2017 impact report. Additional impact reports, highlighting even more ways Michigan 4-H and MSU Extension positively impacted individuals and communities in 2017, can be downloaded from the Michigan 4-H website.
By Terry Clark-Jones, Michigan State University Extension
Is there a way to fight fairly? Yes, there is! Resolving conflicts with positive communication can bring people closer together and make relationships stronger. Below is one way you can begin to learn how to deal with conflict fairly, as well as teach those close to you how to fight fair. This works best in close relationships, such as those involving parents, partners, spouses, children, other family members or roommates. Begin by setting some time to explain conflict resolution to everyone in the household. Each person needs to be willing to follow the steps and a chance to practice.
Start with an agreement –Agree that conflicts exist in order to reach common ground at the end of the disagreement. Therefore, trust, love, respect, caring and kindness are key elements in every disagreement.
Stop and think — The next time you find yourself arguing with someone close to you, stop and think about your anger threshold, that point at which you know you are losing it. This is the point at which you can most effectively make changes. At lower levels of frustration, we are all capable of some self-control.
Code word — Choose a code word for anger thresholds. All household members must agree to respect the code word. You can call the code word yourself, if your own anger has reached your threshold or somebody else can call the code word, if they see anger rising in you or in someone else. Give everyone a chance to practice using the code word. For example, “I am calling a time out”.
Calm down — When someone calls the code, everyone must stop talking and moving for one minute. During that one minute, everyone should try to relax physically and think calming thoughts. Be a model of calm.
Come back and try again — Once everyone is calm, discuss the problem using “I statements”. At the end of one minute, someone can ask, “Are we calm enough to talk?” If everyone answers “yes,” you can start to work on a solution together. You may decide that more time is needed to calm down. If that is the case, each person needs to go to a separate place for some quiet time.
Be specific — Individuals need to be specific about what is bothering you. Accept statements and try to understand them for what they mean.
Keep the issue in the present — Do not bring up previous incidences, previous fights, actions, inactions or behavior which have nothing to do with the topic of the current fight. No one can fix an always or never situation such as, “you have always been stubborn” or “you never listen to me.”
Use respectful language — No name calling, swearing, insults, threats or intimidation. This creates an atmosphere of distrust, more anger and vulnerability.
Use calm voice — No raising your voice and dominating the conversation. Do not attempt to control by out-shouting or making more noise to drive home a point.
Name it to tame it — Always acknowledge the other’s basic feelings. For example, “I understand you are feeling frustrated right now, and I am glad you shared that.”
In the end of a fight or conflict, the ultimate goals is for individuals involved to come away feeling respected, understood and committed to change some behavior that may be irritating or difficult for another to accept. Compromise is always a win-win resolution to conflict.
With some or all of these guidelines in place, conflicts will become less destructive and with more constructive expression of anger.
What should I do about all the webs in my trees? A caller to the Michigan State University Extension Lawn and Garden Hotline was concerned that caterpillars within the webbing were still causing damage to her trees. Should I spray? Should I trim it out of the tree? Can I burn it out of the tree? If I leave the web, will the insects return to it next season?
Fall webworm, Hyphantria cunea, is a moth that is better known for its caterpillar stage that creates large webbing at the ends of branches. Webs up to 2 to 3 feet in length can be seen at ends of branches from mid-summer and into fall. When active in the summer, they may contain a colony of hundreds of webworm caterpillars.
This native species feeds on at least 80 species of trees, though most commonly seen on walnut, birch, black cherry, elms and maples. Young larvae begin to feed in early July in southern Michigan, and at the start of August in northern Michigan. Protected within the webs, newly hatched caterpillars first feed on the upper surface of the leaves, and after several molts the larger caterpillars consume whole leaves.
Explaining that it is not a serious threat to the tree is often not the answer expected. Since the colony of caterpillars feed from mid- to late summer, it causes less damage than insects that feed in the spring. By late summer, plants have had time for their leaves to produce energy reserves for the following season. Trimming out the web is an option, but often it is not feasible as it is high up in the canopy and cannot be reached.
Fall webworm caterpillars feed on leaves for about six weeks. Once done feeding, the 1-inch long caterpillars move from the webbing to bark crevices or move down into the soil where they form a cocoon. Within this cocoon, they survive the winter to emerge as a moth the following spring.
This late in the season, most of the caterpillars have left the nest and a close inspection of branches within the webs reveals developing buds for next season. Webs will deteriorate over the winter and webworm caterpillars will not return to these webs next spring.
Photo by Jean Persely
Never burn the webbed branch while it is in the tree. This extreme measure damages the plant more than the insect would. Trimmed out branches can be burned or buried. Although feeding by the webworms strips leaves within the webs, it likely will not kill the branch.
Control measures work best when webs are still small. The webbing makes it difficult to spray with pesticides since the caterpillars are protected within the web. Pesticides will work if nests are torn by a high pressure spray. Even a garden hose set to a high pressure can tear into a nest and kill many caterpillars.
Fall webworm can be managed with lower toxicity pesticides, but a smart gardener will first consider if pesticides are even needed. There are times when a number of webs in one smaller tree would create a situation where management options need to be considered. See this Fall Webworm tip sheet from the University of Minnesota for management options.
Will a nest left in the tree result in caterpillars returning to the nest in the spring? No, they do not return to these nests, but it is possible the insects that survive within cocoons on the bark or in the soil emerge as moths to lay eggs on leaves on the same tree or nearby trees. The good news is that for the most part, fall webworm nests are rarely a stress on the tree and fortunately nature has provided dozens of parasitoids and predators to help keep it in check.
Hungry families and individuals who use community emergency food pantries receive several canned foods, like fruits and vegetables, as well as other non-perishable foods.
While fresh foods are always recommended for meal preparation, studies show canned foods are comparable to cooked, fresh and frozen varieties in providing major vitamins to the American diet.
According to the Canned Food Alliance, using canned foods in your meal planning has an array of benefits:
Canned foods add a variety of food types to your meal planning. Adding canned beans or chickpeas and canned tuna to a fresh garden salad instantly makes the meal more interesting and adds important nutrients, just from opening up a can.
Using canned foods and other forms of food (fresh, frozen, canned and dried) in your cooking can add more flavors to your meals and save on your food budget.
If you are crunched for time to prepare meals like many busy families, especially during the week, using canned foods will help you to get food on the table quickly.
Fresh food, while undoubtedly delicious and nutritious, can spoil if not used a short time after purchase.
Michigan State University Extension recommends that canned vegetables and beans first be rinsed to decrease salt content. Be sure to always read food labels and when possible, choose the low sodium varieties of canned foods.
There are still consumer questions about whether or not canned foods are healthy for you. The Canned Food Alliance says that despite the fact canned foods are getting a “bad rap”, they are actually nutritious, accessible, convenient, affordable and flavorful.
Keep food safety in mind when visiting and choosing canned food at your community food pantries. Never choose canned foods that are past their expiration dates or having any flaw such as dented or bulging.
Families who are on a tight food budget often use community food pantries and want to know how to flavor and spice up canned foods when preparing meals.
Ask your community food pantry if they have recipes for their participants, most community food pantries offer low-cost recipes. For additional recipes, you can also checkout Feeding America’s cookbook for a cause for tasty snacks and entree ideas.
There are several ways you can add pizazz to your meal preparation by using canned foods the following ways:
Canned chili beans, green chilies, mushrooms to casseroles, salads, etc.
Canned vegetables to soups, stews, salads and casseroles
Canned beans to soups, stews, nachos and casseroles
Canned tomatoes and tomato products to one-pot and skillet meals, casseroles, soups and stews
Canned cream soups to casseroles
Canned fruit to fruit salads, fruit parfaits and other desserts
Using canned foods are an economical way of saving money and provide satisfying and favorable homemade meals for your family. Using the above simple tips for preparing meals, entrée, desserts, etc. can be pleasing and provide a sense of well-being to those who are cash strapped.
Since 2015, Chronic wasting disease (CWD) has been found in deer in several of Michigan’s Lower Peninsula counties including Clinton, Ingham, Ionia, Kent, and Montcalm, as well as most recently in October 2018 in Michigan’s Upper Peninsula Dickenson county. Deer hunters should be aware of how easily CWD can be transferred to in cervids such as deer, elk or moose.
CWD is a neurological disease that affects cervid animals. It can be transmitted through direct animal to animal contact or contact with saliva, urine, feces, blood, and/or certain carcass parts such as brain tissue and spinal cord of an infected animal.
Hunters need to be aware that the disease can also be spread via infected plants and soil. Prions, which are single proteins that cause the infections, are not easily killed by traditional strategies such as heat. Research from The University of Texas Health Science Center at Houston has shown prions have been able to bind to the roots and leaves of wheat grass plants when incubated with contaminated material, even in highly diluted amounts. They also found that plants grown in infected soil can transport the deadly prions. Hamsters fed the contaminated plants contracted CWD in the research project.
Although current research has found no direct link from CWD to variant Creutzfeldt-Jakob disease (vCJD), the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention recommend not consuming venison from infected deer. Michigan State University Extension highly recommends that venison from a positively infected CWD deer not be consumed. When in doubt, do not consume the venison and properly dispose of the entire carcass. This brief background is meant to emphasize that CWD is a serious emerging disease in Michigan and hunters can take steps to prevent the spread of it.
Several pairs of tight-fitting, disposable gloves — these not only can protect hunters from disease but also assist in keeping the deer carcass clean during the dressing process.
Clean, sharp knife to make cuts and split carcass. Use separate knives from your household knives.
Pre-moistened wipes and/or container of clean water to maintain sanitation of knife and saw.
Strings about six to eight inches long to tie off the anus and assist in other dressing procedures.
Large resealable food grade plastic bag to place the heart and/or liver.
Clean, dry towels or paper towels to dry the carcass with after washing.
Rope to tie legs apart or drag deer.
Kill tag attached to a string.
Multiple non-porous disposable trash bags if hunting in the CWD core management zones to dispose of all carcass parts, including guts, and remove them from the environment.
All deer harvested in the Michigan CWD Core Area (Ionia, Kent, Mecosta, Montcalm, and Newaygo counties) and Management Zone (Calhoun, Clinton, Eaton, Gratiot, Hillsdale, Ingham, Ionia, Isabella, Jackson, Kent, Mecosta, Montcalm, and Newaygo counties), cannot be moved out of those areas unless:
It is deboned meat, quarters or other parts of a cervid that do not have any part of the spinal column or head attached, antlers, antlers attached to a skull cap cleaned of all brain and muscle tissue, hides, upper canine teeth, or a finished taxidermist mount; or
The head is submitted at a designated DNR drop off locations within 24 hours after killing the deer. Drop-off locations include DNR check points, drop boxes and some venison processors.
Carcasses can be moved into the CWD Core Area from a CWD Management Zone county with no restrictions. Hunters may not take a deer from the CWD Core Area into the CWD Management Zone for processing unless the conditions above are met.
Kids are more likely to eat lunches that they pack, or help pack. (Courtesy Michigan State University Extension)
By Sarah Eichberger, Leah Bennett, Michigan State University Extension
Healthy students are better learners. As a parent or caregiver, you can help your child make smarter decisions by providing them with a colorful and healthy school lunch that will fuel their body and brain. When children skip lunch or consume a low-nutrient lunch, they may have problems concentrating in class and lack energy. Consider the following suggestions when planning your next packed lunch:
Involve your child. Ask your child to help with planning and packaging of lunches. Not only is this an opportunity for you to discuss healthy food options, but you can help include nutritious foods that will appeal to your child. Kids are more likely to eat lunches that they pack, or help pack. Make a packed lunch a positive experience for your child by incorporating colorful packaging, leaving little notes in their lunch, and allowing your child to pick out their own lunch box.
Seek balance and color. Create a balanced lunch that is nutrient-rich and includes a variety of foods from all food groups: grain, dairy, protein, fruit and vegetables. Reference the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) MyPlate to find more information on recommended foods and information on appropriate serving sizes for your child.
Stay away from pre-packaged lunches. Although they are appealing due to the convenience factor, they are relatively more expensive than packing a lunch, lower in nutritional value, include processed ingredients and typically are higher in sodium, fat and calories. If this style of lunch appeals to your child, be creative and use healthier ingredients to create your own look-a-like lunch by buying plastic containers that have compartments where you can divide different foods. Come up with fun options with your child that will allow them to assemble their own food and give ownership over their meal without the added sodium, fat or sugar.
Keep cold foods cold and hot foods hot. Keep hot foods hot in a thermos or cold foods cold in an insulated lunch box with an ice pack. The USDA Food Safety and Inspection Service has a great tip sheet on keeping lunches safe. The transition from class to lunch may not allow for your child to have easy access to wash their hands. Pack wipes or hand sanitizer in their lunch box to help remind your child to wash their hands before eating.
Healthy eating is about what works for you. As a parent you can help implement small changes to build healthier eating styles with your child as the new school year is beginning. Michigan State University Extension encourages small changes that work for your lifestyle such as allowing your child to pack their own lunch with healthy items that appeal to them.
In Michigan’s wildland forests, there are about 75-85 tree species, depending upon where the line is drawn between a tree and a shrub. The number of species significantly increases when the urban/residential trees and ornamental varieties are counted.
Trees are good ecological indicators of site productivity and ecological conditions. Trees are the dominant life form of forest systems. They pretty much determine what else grows on the site and which wildlife species will inhabit a particular place.
Knowing the ecological requirements and implications of trees provides a more satisfying forest visit. Tree identification is just the first step. However, it’s the forest dynamics that become more interesting, rather quickly. It takes some time and study to learn to read the forest like a forester.
For northern Michigan, the Upper Peninsula Tree Identification website is a good tool. The image sets have been recently updated to reflect the changes in computer technology since the website was first introduced in the late 1990s.
UPTREEID also has an extensive forest health section tied to particular tree species.
There are about a dozen characteristics available to help identify trees. Learning which subset of characteristics to use for a particular tree is where practice and skill are needed. Some characteristics are seasonal, such as leaves, fruits and flowers. Most others are more year-round, such as twig and branching patterns, buds, bud scars, bark, tree form, site and tree associates.
For some trees, paper birch for instance, most people only need to look at the white, peeling bark. Although, sometimes pale versions of quaking aspen have been mistaken for paper birch. Trees with acorns are one of several oaks. Most of our conifers carry needles year-round, but not all.
Many people refer to all conifers as pines when, actually, most conifers are not pines, especially in the U.P. Pines make up about 44 percent of the conifer volume in Michigan (14 percent of total tree volume) and about 25 percent in the U.P. (11 percent of the total). Northern white-cedar is the most common conifer in Michigan. It’s not a pine! Neither are hemlocks, spruces, firs, tamaracks or larches. Michigan is mostly a hardwood state.
Because there are only about a dozen common conifers (only four are pines) in the forest, conifer ID is fairly easy. It’s a good place to begin in order to build some confidence and skill.
Another good tactic for beginners is learning the ten most common tree species first: sugar maple, red maple, white-cedar, red pine, white pine, northern red oak, quaking aspen, bigtooth aspen, black cherry and hemlock. Once these trees are known, comparing them to unknown species will often make the identification process move quicker.
For about five months, leaves are good tree ID characteristics. However, beware of the variability within a particular species. Size, shape, color and other features can change from one part of a tree, or among trees of the same species, due to site conditions and tree health.
Using leaves to confirm a species ID allows an observer to more easily become familiar with year-round ID characteristics, such as bark, buds, branching patterns, etc. Once a person becomes proficient at tree ID, then, like learning to read, a whole world of science, history and ecology opens up.
Our wild land forests have been shaped by historical practices, especially the over-harvesting and burning of a hundred years ago. That period set the stage for much of what we see today, as the forests have recovered. Forest management has done much to bring the forest resource to conditions that are now able to supply a wide range of goods and services.
Forests are an essential resource for human survival. Their renewable nature provides a large measure of potential for human benefit, if properly cared for. Learning to identify some of the pieces goes a long way to a deeper understanding of the ever-changing forest puzzle.
Photo courtesy Michigan State University Extension
By Sara Keinath, Michigan State University Extension
As young people prepare for their future careers, it is advantageous for them to gain experience and confidence in a few key skills. Teamwork is often cited as one of the crucial skills that employers look for during an interview. The ability to work in teams is often rated as an essential skill for both employers and higher education. Michigan State University Extension recommends understanding what teamwork is, as well as looking at how to build your skills in this area while still in high school.
The ability to work well on a team involves interacting and communicating with others, understanding goals and priorities, and being able to contribute to the greater good. These skills can be demonstrated through respect for others, as well as being reliable and competent. There are many places teamwork is used in a workplace. Often, a project requires multiple skills to successfully complete it, a job requires working with different people on a daily basis, or management can see the benefits of a team approach. No matter what kind of job or career a young person hopes to pursue, employers are interested in candidates who can exhibit the ability to work well with others.
There are many ways teenagers can build teamwork skills while in high school:
Join a club. Many extracurricular activities such as 4-H, sports or band provide youth with many opportunities to work as part of a team.
Organize or join a community service project. This is a great place to practice leadership as well as teamwork in a setting similar to a work environment while doing something good for the community at the same time!
Collaborate with peers or community members on school projects, fundraising targets or civic issues. Pay attention to the skills needed to accomplish the task, as well as the outcomes when a team works together for a common goal.
Teens should document teamwork skills on a résumé. Whether or not the experience was in a work environment, these skills can be very appealing to potential employers, and including them may offer an opportunity to provide more detail about teamwork experiences in an interview. Sample résumés and related activities can be found on the Michigan 4-H website.
Michigan State University Extension and Michigan 4-H Youth Development help to prepare young people for successful futures. As a result of career exploration and workforce preparation activities, thousands of Michigan youth are better equipped to make important decisions about their professional future, ready to contribute to the workforce and able to take fiscal responsibility in their personal lives.
For many youth, getting a car can be an exciting major milestone. Car insurance needs to be a part of that education and milestone as well. It is important to have car insurance to protect your assets, satisfy lenders and comply with state laws that require auto insurance.
Take time to get three quotes. While this takes time, each insurer rates risk differently, so it is important to find out what they will charge you based on your circumstances.
Find out if your employer or any organizations you belong to offer discounts for insurance. Sometimes large organizations offer insurance plan discounts for their members. Insurance companies may also provide discounts or deals for students, good driving records or bundling of services. It might also make more sense for youth to be added to a parent’s insurance, if possible, because of the higher rates for insurance for teen drivers. The insurance company will often view the youth driver as less risky with the oversight from parents or guardians as opposed to the youth getting insurance on their own. (If added to a parent or guardian’s insurance, know that it will raise the premiums for those adults as well.)
Know what type of coverage you need, how much you can afford monthly, how often you need to pay your premium (and if you can meet that requirement), what deductible you can afford and the reputation or credibility of the insurance company.
Michigan State University Extension and Michigan 4-H Youth Development help to prepare young people for successful futures. As a result of career exploration and workforce preparation activities, thousands of Michigan youth are better equipped to make important decisions about their professional future, ready to contribute to the workforce and able to take fiscal responsibility in their personal lives.
BySuzanne Pish, Michigan State University Extension
There has been a lot of controversy about whether or not young children should begin to play football. As a mother, it is hard to watch your child be under a pile of other players, wondering if they are going to get up and listening to coaches yelling at them. However, there are some great lessons learned from playing football that go far beyond the hitting and yelling. These young children are learning life skills that they can use the rest of their lives.
The social aspect of sports might be what entices children to play in the first place. Youth sports participation lets children spend time with friends in a safe environment while practicing social skills that are likely to last a lifetime. Aside from bonding with peers, kids learn to solve conflicts effectively, reach common goals and learn to be more assertive, all while getting much needed physical activity. A child’s communication skills are improved while playing a sport, giving a child needed life skills.
2. Competitive skills
Although there is such a thing as being too competitive, it’s important for a child to understand the positive aspects of competition. Adults are surrounded by competition, from getting a job to moving up in the work force. When children learn the basics of competition early, they have a better chance of succeeding. Sports participation helps children cope with competition in a friendly environment. Working to achieve a goal or being part of a team can help kids gain healthy competitive skills that they can use for the rest of their lives.
3. Sportsmanship
Sportsmanlike behavior is a lesson that children obtain from playing sports. Children learn to positively handle both the winning and losing aspect of playing a sport. Good sportsmanship is a trait that carries over from childhood to adulthood. Athletes who focus on mastering personal improvement have a good chance later on becoming good citizens and hard workers. A child who learns to be a good sport can translate that skill to better cooperating with others and making decisions based on their own morals rather than being ego-oriented individuals who behave badly, according to Education World, an online resource for educators .
4. Leadership abilities
Obtaining leadership qualities that range from being a good character to respecting others and being task oriented can be accomplished in both team and individual sports. A solid support system, such as a strong parental involvement and effective coaching can help mold a child into being a leader now, and later in life.
The coaching staff for my son’s team told them in the huddle that giving 100 percent on the field will help them to give 100 percent in whatever else they do in life. Do these boys understand that concept at this young age? Maybe not, but having the discipline to play as a team day after day and to give all they can to their team will certainly pay off for them in the long run as adults.
By Brenda Long, Michigan State University Extension
The majority of U. S. households, 63 percent, have equity in their own homes. For many, it’s the largest piece of their asset portfolio, according to U.S. Census data and University of Illinois Extension. Regular maintenance and repair should be in your plans so that you can retain the value of your home. It requires time and money, whether you do the work yourself or hire someone else.
Home maintenance should be done monthly, seasonally or annually, so the expenses should not be a complete surprise. Prepare by setting aside money each month toward a home maintenance fund so that it will be there when you need it. The Consumer Financial Protection Bureaumonthly payment worksheet says a common rule of thumb is to plan to invest one percent of your home value in home maintenance each year. For example, if your home’s market value is $100,000, then 1 percent is $1,000. This amount may vary depending on your home and needed repairs.
It’s a good idea to walk around inside and out monthly to visually inspect for potential issues. Look up as well as down. Use a checklist such as this one from the University of Georgia Extension.
Water Drainage/Damage: Rain (and snow in cold climates) can cause serious water damage to insulation and drywall. Be sure gutters and downspouts are working. Look for stains and mold growth, damp carpeting, loose tiles, and cupping wood floors.
Heating/Cooling Issues: Yearly cleaning plus regularly change the filters (monthly is recommended by experts) for both long life and efficiency of these systems. If you have a fireplace, annual flue cleaning is essential to prevent the considerably higher expense relining the flue.
Roof Damage: Heavy snow, heavy rain and high winds can influence roof quality. Look for signs of damage on the roof and in the attic for water leaks. Asphalt shingles generally last about 20 years, and aluminum or steel shingles last about 50 years. Avoid walking on the roof and do not store heavy items in your attic.
Windows: Although aluminum windows are less costly, wooden windows last about ten years longer. Check regularly for peeling paint, cracks and chips in the glazing.
Several government assistance programs are available to better afford repairing and improving your home. Home improvements such as the cost of insulation, energy-efficient exterior windows, and energy-efficient heating and air conditioning systems qualify for IRS residential energy tax credits. Installation costs do not qualify. Visit the Energy Star website, energystar.gov/taxcredits for details.
Plan ahead to fit home maintenance tasks into your schedule and expenses in your budget. Find tips in Jinnifer Ortquist’s article on Planning Home Improvements and Costs. Doing small repairs promptly can save you from large, costly repairs later. For example, small leaks in a roof can lead to significant damage in internal walls over time. Also learn about assistance programs and energy tax credits to stretch your dollars. For more information about homeownership in Michigan, go to the Housing link at www.mimoneyhealth.org.
It is hard to believe it is time to start putting our gardens, lawns and flowers to rest for the winter. Michigan State University Extension offers these tips to make next year’s spring and summer vegetable and herb gardening easier and more fruitful.
As you pick and preserve your garden’s current crops, take time to prepare your soil for next year’s growing season. Remove all non-bearing, dead and diseased plants as you harvest your current crops. After frost has blackened the leaves on the remaining plants, pull them up and compost them. If they are diseased, take care not to add them to your compost pile, as many pests are able to overwinter and come back with a vengeance next spring.
Easy-to-do fall gardening chores for your vegetables
Remove all weeds and debris. This reduces homesteads for overwintering insects and diseases.
Till the soil. Fall is a great time to oxygenate the soil.
Tilling should be done once in both directions—a rough till is fine in the fall.
Tilling in the fall reduces the need for tilling wet, spring soil. Tilling wet soil is never recommended. Soil can be too sticky in early spring.
Adding organic matter, humus and manure in the fall allows time for it to become married to the soil. Organic matter is not immediately available for plants, so giving it time will have your plants functioning at peak performance earlier next spring.
Microorganisms are not as active in early spring; feeding them in the fall gives your garden a head start in the spring.
You may also choose to till in the organic matter.
A cover crop can be planted as an option to help improve your soil.
Winter wheat and cereal rye are good options for a Michigan garden cover crop.
If you have a very unruly area that has just gone to the weedy side, cover it with black plastic or cardboard and leave it until it’s time to plant in the spring to kill all sprouting seeds.
Easy-to-do fall gardening chores for your perennial herbs
Keeping your herb healthy during the growing season with well-drained soil, regular watering, fertilization and pruning is key to their winter survival.
Most herbs will also benefit from a good 2-to-4-inch mulch cover. Do not mulch heavily until after the first heavy frost—doing so before can actually weaken plants. Winter mulches help maintain soil temperatures and reduce frequent freezing and thawing.
It is a good time to cut dead wood from sage, oregano and thyme. Trim off dead flower heads.
Windbreaks or a covering of evergreen branches may also aid in the survival of many herbs, protecting them from harsh winds that tend to dry out less cold-tolerant herbs.
By Terry Gibb, Michigan State University Extension
Water makes up 75 percent of the Earth’s surface; the human body is 60 percent water. We use water every day. And then we discard it down the drain to . . . WHERE?
According to the Michigan 21st Infrastructure report, 70 percent of Michigan homes and businesses are connected to a municipal sewer system that collects the dirty water in huge underground pipes, takes it to a treatment plant where it is cleaned, filtered and sanitized before being sent back into local water bodies for reuse.
That leaves 30 percent of homes and businesses that use another system for waste water treatment. For these, onsite wastewater (septic) systems are the only option because a municipal sewer system is too costly to connect to or not available.
What do you know about your waste water treatment?
Are you on a septic or municipal system?
Where is your septic tank and drain field located?
When was the last time you had your septic system inspected?
Do you have a drinking water well?
Is your well near your septic system?
What are some easy actions to protect your septic system from failure and your wellhead from contamination?
Many home and business owners don’t realize there is a problem with their septic system or well until it becomes a major one. A failed system can cost the owner thousands of dollars to repair, if it is even possible, or replace.
Michigan State University Extension is hosting a live webinar, “Septic (Onsite Wastewater) System Maintenance and Wellhead Protection” on Thursday, Sept. 20 from 3 to 4 p.m. This program will cover what a septic system is, how it works, best management practices to protect the system, how to identify trouble in the system, steps to take if a problem occurs and alternative system options. It also will include basic information about drinking water wellhead protection. The presentations will be followed by a live question and answer session via the chat box.
You will receive a confirmation email with login instructions upon registration. Registration is available right up until the webinar begins but please allow additional time to connect to the webinar.
By Brenda Long, Michigan State University Extension
Many older adults value a high quality of life that is directly tied to the ability to continue living independently. Independence depends on if the home continues to meet the older adult’s needs and whether they have a continued connection to daily services, based on a report by the Joint Center for Housing Studies of Harvard University — Projections and Implications for Housing a Growing Population: Older Households 2015-2035. Let’s explore these decisions to help you devise a realistic strategy.
According to the Make the Most of Your Home’s Value lesson from the National Endowment for Financial Education (NEFE), there are some financial obligations to consider related to homeownership. Beyond any mortgage debt obligations, these include property taxes, homeowner’s insurance, utilities, homeowners association (HOA) fees, repairs and cost-of-living increases. Do you have adequate income and savings to cover these expenses? According to the U. S. Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD), housing costs should be less than 31 percent of income to be affordable. However, an estimated 12 million renters and homeowners are cost burdened, paying more than 50 percent of their income on housing. It is recommended to pay off one’s mortgage before retirement, if possible. Also, it is critical to understand the income tax implications for annual deductions and home sale capital gains exclusion.
Other considerations are your values and lifestyle preferences. How do your priorities impact your decision to stay in your current housing or transition to a different situation? Think about these factors:
your social network
proximity to family, friends, and caregivers
access to transportation
weather/climate
closeness to health care services
mobility issues
family legacy and security
local income taxes and/or inheritance and estate taxes
whether or not your home can be modified
manageable home and yard maintenance
Programs from local and national organizations are available in Michigan to help repair single family homes. They include weatherization, repairs and improvements, and accessibility modifications to assist homeowners to stay in their homes.
Consider attending our free Retirement Planning online workshops held several times each year. The September series registration is https://events.anr.msu.edu/RetirementSept18/. Financial planning takes time, patience, and discipline. Find more information about financial and housing decisions at MIMoneyHealth.org.
By Beth Clawson, Michigan State University Extension
Michigan is home to more than 1.3 million onsite wastewater treatment systems. Most are for single family homes that include a septic system. Indeed, the onsite wastewater treatment system including a septic tank and soil absorption field is the most common domestic wastewater treatment system in rural homes in the United States. In Michigan, it is estimated that 10 percent of these systems are in some level of malfunction or have failed.
Malfunctioning and failed onsite waste water systems make our ground and surface waters susceptible to fecal contamination. Several rivers in the Lower Peninsula have been tested during low-flow conditions and were found to contain genetic markers indicating the presence of human fecal matter. This contamination can come from leaky septic systems. Keeping septic systems in good repair can protect Michigan’s water quality.
Rural homes in Michigan include onsite wastewater systems that require regular maintenance. Maintenance and inspection of your system depends upon its size, the number of people that live in the home and what county you live in. Michigan is the last state to still adopt uniform onsite wastewater regulations. Lack of uniform statewide laws leaves regulation and inspection laws up to local officials through county health departments and districts. This means that rules for onside wastewater system laws vary between counties.
Most counties have a sale transfer ordinance requiring septic tank inspections but few have the same or similar size and installation regulations. Most ordinances cite the average of pumping and inspecting recommendation of every three years for a family of four. Many also require inspection of newly installed systems. None return a year or two later to ensure that the system is functioning properly.
An onsite wastewater system typically consists of three basic parts:
The drain waste pipes from the house into a septic tank;
The septic or settling tank, sometimes divided in half with a baffle; and
The dispersion box and soil absorption or drain field.
Waste water flows from the toilets, laundry and sinks in the home through the drain pipes to the septic tank. The septic tank, made of solid cast concrete (in most cases) has an inlet and an outlet for effluent. Once the waste enters the tank the solids settle to the bottom to decompose and become the sludge layer. Effluent water is in the middle and the lighter grease and soaps float to the top to create the scum layer. The effluent water flows out through a pipe to the drain field. Newer tanks sometimes contain a baffle creating a second settling area before water is released to the soil absorption field. Michigan State University Extension’s webpage on Septic systems gives more detail on this topic.
If the sludge is not pumped out on a regular basis then the layer gets thick allowing solids to flow into the drain field. This plugs and compacts in the drain tiles and the soil causing failure. Many times people think that this is a sign that the septic is full, and indeed it is but it is also a failure. Drain field failure requires soil removal and replacement and can become an expensive repair. This is one of the most common failures. Other common causes of septic failure include tanks collapsing from being driven or parked on; tree roots; excessive water from parties or heavy rains; pipes clogged from flushing items other than toilet paper such as, feminine products and personal sanitary wipes; biological processes stopped from over use of chlorine or antibiotic soaps.
If you are experiencing sewage waste backup into your house from your septic tank this may indicate a total blockage of the tank and drain field and could indicate a costly repair or replacement. Regular inspections and pumping can prevent expensive repairs later. Just as it is recommended to regularly inspect our cars and furnaces, we should also inspect and clean out our onsite waste water systems. The average recommendation is every three years for a typical family home with three bedrooms equipped with a 1000 gallon tank. It’s important to know the size of your septic tank.
Older homes may have smaller tanks. Smaller tanks need to be pumped more often. For example, if a three-bedroom home has a 900-gallon septic tank with six people living there, they should schedule their pumping for every one and one half to two years to avoid failure. If a home uses a garbage disposal, consider that they are increasing the amount of solids (pre-digestion) going into the tank. This home will require more frequent pumping.
Concrete, plastic and fiberglass tanks are not infallible, lots of things can cause the material to fail resulting in collapse. Inspectors look at the integrity of your system. Fractures caused by frost/freeze break up, ground heaves, earthquakes, manufacturer defect, burrowing animals, and tree roots all have an impact on our systems. Michigan DEQ does have a guide on subsurface onsite wastewater treatment systems but its recommendations are not enforceable by law. Michigan County Environmental Health departments have laws, consult your County for its recommendations for onsite waste water system maintenance.
For more in depth information the National Environmental Services Center, West Virginia University has a good publication that includes a time table in years for pumping recommendations at http://www.nesc.wvu.edu/pdf/ww/septic/pl_fall04.pdf.
If you want to learn more there are videos available: Click here for a short video (under five minutes) about onsite wastewater septic systems, or click here for a longer training video (about 110 minutes) about onsite wastewater septic systems.
For more information about and water quality contact Beth Clawson, MSU Extension Educator. To learn more about onsite waste water treatment septic tanks, contact Michigan State University Extension Natural Resources educators who are working across Michigan to provide water quality and septic tank maintenance educational programming and assistance. You can contact an educator through MSU Extension’s “Find an Expert” search tool using the keywords “Natural Resources Water Quality.”
Photo of Daniel Miraval by Abbey Miller, Michigan State University Extension
ByAbbey Miller, Michigan State University Extension
Twenty-seven years ago, the Michigan State University (MSU) Extension Master Gardener Program changed Daniel Miraval’s life.
“I was an at-risk youth from the southwest side of Detroit and was given a scholarship to attend a Master Gardener Program, which I successfully completed,” Miraval said. “That program led me into an amazing 26-year-career in horticulture and arboriculture.”
“For me it was the first opportunity to actually engage in an advanced training related to my job which was in the green industry. I learned the basic building blocks and foundation of horticulture and arboriculture. Upon realizing that it was actually a learnable discipline, it was then I decided to stick with it as a career. It would be much later that I used that to make it a profession.”
The MSU Extension Master Gardener Program is an adult horticulture education and volunteer leader program committed to improving the quality of life in Michigan through horticulture-based volunteerism and beautifying communities throughout the state. The program provides instruction in basic, research-based horticulture science to motivated and active gardeners through an adult (18 years or older) educational program offered by MSU Extension. Once trained, Master Gardeners educate others in the community about environmentally and economically sound practices through horticulture-based volunteer activities.
In 1991 at 19 years old, Miraval did not have a clear picture of what he wanted to do. He struggled in school, eventually dropping out, and he had been in trouble with the law as a juvenile. Miraval needed a job and applied for a position at Marvin’s Gardens, a small landscape company, owned by Marvin Welch Jr.
“I’ve always said that the green industry saved my life,” Miraval said. “Had I not been given this opportunity, I may very well not have ended up as successful and accomplished as I have or be dead or in jail or prison.”
Shortly after starting at Marvin’s Gardens, Miraval realized that he had an affinity for and wanted to pursue a career in landscaping because as he says, “landscaping leaves a lasting mark.”
Welch showed an interest in Miraval’s progress and suggested Miraval take a Master Gardener class.
“He gave me a phone number for the Master Gardener Program,” Miraval said. “I called, they said the price and it was beyond my ability to pay.”
However, there was a hardship scholarship program. Welch advised Miraval to tell his story in a letter of application for the scholarship.
Miraval received the scholarship and attended the Master Gardener class. Looking back, Miraval recalls this class was one of the first major commitments he had ever made in his life.
“I was intimidated by Michigan State University in the title of the class,” Miraval said. “I didn’t graduate high school, but now was doing something with MSU.”
“The Master Gardener course provided me with the opportunity to explore the industry and guide me — it saved my life. I would not have put into practice follow-through and commitment. That was my first lesson. Taking the class opened doors for me. It also reaffirmed the fact that being broke is economic, but being poor is a debilitating state of mind. It taught me that when you do find success, you use it as a tool.
“I still refer to the Master Gardener curriculum from time to time,” he said. “The foundation of what I have learned as an arborist is in here [the Master Gardener curriculum] and whoever provided the funding that let me participate 27 years ago, when I had nothing, saved my life.”
Miraval credits the MSU Master Gardener program for helping people like him, who may not have succeeded in traditional education platforms, still attain levels of industry professionalism. He gives full recognition of his success today to where becoming a professional began for him in Welch’s class.
Following the class, Welch continued to serve as Miraval’s first mentor, but certainly was not his last mentor.
“Marvin said I should work for a nursery – a big one. Vidosh was one of those he suggested,” Miraval said.
During a job interview, Miraval recalled that Bruce White, Vidosh Landscape Center owner and operator and MSU horticulture graduate, asked what his 3- to 5-year plan was. Miraval told him he wanted to be like White. Miraval was offered the job where he continued to learn more about the green industry.
“Bruce was the one who recognized my passion for wanting to be a better person and to be part of a winning team,” Miraval said. “He was the one who taught me about hard work and following through with everything you set out to do. He really took me under his wing with the specific intention of recreating me. He became my mentor a month after I graduated from the Master Gardener class when I walked into his office, certificate and test score in hand, looking for more than a job but an opportunity. He served as a mentor for 19 years.”
Miraval then met White’s brother, Wayne White, owner of Emerald Tree Care LLC and MSU forestry graduate.
“Wayne has been a mentor of increasing involvement for the last 10 years, but his influence, commitment to my success and leaving a legacy has been an intense focus for the last 5 years. He is a true champion of mine and how my taking the steps and action to become a Master Gardener showed my passion for the green industry but more importantly it showed my determination to better myself by utilizing whatever means necessary and for me the first step was the Master Gardener Program.
“I think the bottom line is these mentors all taught me the basics of self-motivation, follow-through, work ethic and taking action,” Miraval said. “That seems to be what the Master Gardener Program scholarship contained. Being made available by some endowment I would imagine. I wish I could find out who those people were, and if they are still around, so I could personally thank each one of them. They believed in me without even knowing who I was. I want them to know that the program was a success for me and thank them. Every program needs metrics to prove its worth. I really don’t know what else to say other than thank you and the Master Gardener Program was like a magic carpet.”
Miraval continues to be surrounded by mentors that encourage his success and teach him lessons to live by. As he pursues Advanced Credentials in the Green Industry, he came in contact with Steve Martinko of Contenders Tree and Lawn, LLC from White Lake, Michigan. Steve has been a friend and mentor that has helped Miraval plan for the next ten years in his business.
Today, Miraval is a certified arborist with the International Society of Arboriculture (ISA) and a co-owner of Green Extraction Technologies LLC, based near Chicago. They specialize in root collar excavation, corrective pruning and provide contract digging services for nurseries and specialized plant health care for residents, homeowner associations, municipalities and other organized properties. Among Miraval’s clients are Virginia farms Ingleside Plantation Nurseries, located on over 2,500 acres with 1,000 acres of nursery production, and White House Natives, LLC, dedicated to growing and harvesting 96 different species of native plant materials on their 25 acre site.
In addition to being a professional ISA member, Miraval serves on the Chicago Region Trees Initiative Tree Risk Management work group and is an Openlands TreeKeeper. He is also a member of the Tree Care Industry Association and the Illinois Arborist Association, of which he is a current board nominee. He is a certified tree safety person (CTSP), a certified Illinois pesticide applicator and an Illinois real estate agent.
“When I decided to become a an ISA–certified arborist, I reached back to the Master Gardener Program in respect to compartmentalizing how again this daunting advanced studying I wanted to do was similar to the Master Gardener Program. The information is there, it’s well presented and laid out, and all you have to do is apply yourself and inject your passion, and success is imminent.
“I hope my story inspires someone else or at least the people who make the policies that make these programs possible so they continue to fund them.
“The green industry is a very powerful industry in many ways. Trees are life. They saved mine and now I save theirs.”
"I could never resist the call of the trail." - Buffalo Bill
Take a Hike
For most of West Michigan, the weather is supposed to be fairly decent on Sunday depending on where you are. This means it will be a great weekend to hit the trails and go exploring. West Michigan has an incredible trail system. My personal favorite is walking the Kent Trails until I get to 84th Street in Byron Centre and then heading over to Houseman’s for an ice cream. (Trust me I’ve earned it by then!) For more trailblazing ideas, we turn to our friends at the West Michigan Tourist Association who have put together some really cool trail adventures. And we are totally with WMTA when they say “whether you’re traveling by foot or by bike, once you’ve experienced West Michigan immersive trails, you’ll have a hard time getting back in the car at the end of the day.” Amen to that. For more, click here.
The Neighbors are having a Party
The annual Byron Days Festival takes place this weekend with Saturday being packed full of activities from a pancake breakfast at 7:30 a.m. to a 10:30 a.m. parade and fireworks at dusk. In between there are all kinds of activities such as a classic car show, music, family movies, and food. For more on the event, click here.
The Good Blob
A boat owner pulled their pontoon out of Juno Lake (Cass County, in southern Michigan), and discovered a weird, alien-looking, gelatinous blob attached to it below the water line. Was it an invasive species? Toxic algae? Eggs of an alien from outer space!?
Jo Latimore from the Michigan State University Extension actually says these blobs are a good thing. To learn more, click here.
Be Involved and be informed
In WKTV’s continuing quest to help residents be informed, we take a look at the State House of Representative candidates that are seeking their party’s spot in the upcoming Aug. 7 primary. In the 72nd District race there are two Republican candidates and in the 77th District, there are two Republicans and two Democrats. For more, click here.
Fun Fact:
Rollo or Reginald
Those were the names considered for that famous red-nosed reindeer. Rollo was rejected because it sounded too sunny or happy and Reginald was rejected because it was too British. You can catch Rudolph and the gang this November when the musical makes it way to DeVos Performance Hall.
Are you looking for that extra burst of energy in the middle of the day? How about your teenagers? Are you or your teenagers consuming energy drinks? Frequently, parents question how safe energy drinks are, especially for teenagers.
Caffeine Content of Energy Drinks
Energy drinks contain caffeine and may contain other stimulants such as taurine and guarana. According to the Mayo Clinic, excess caffeine consumption can lead to irritability, nervousness, insomnia, an increase in heart rate and increased blood pressure. Caffeine consumption can be harmful for children with certain health risks. Another reason for concern is that the amount of caffeine in each type of drink varies considerably and the caffeine content may not be listed on the beverage container. The American Academy of Pediatrics (AAP) provides a listing of caffeine content by specific energy drinks that shows caffeine content varying from 70 mg. to over 200 mg. per eight ounces. The AAP has also recommended that children and adolescents should avoid energy drinks altogether.
Calories from Energy Drinks
Energy drinks and other sugary beverages, like soda, add extra calories without other important nutrients that children and teens need for growth. For example, one popular energy drink contains 130 calories and 34 grams of carbohydrates in an 8.3 ounce serving. These calories and carbs in an energy drink are higher than a cola. The National Health and Nutrition Examination Report 2017 (NHANES) found that only 33 percent of youth ages two through 19 met the 2015-2020 Dietary Guidelines for American recommendations to limit added sugars intake to less than 10 percent of total calories. With the higher prevalence of obesity in the United States, reducing sugar consumption is an important strategy towards achieving and maintaining a healthier weight.
Better Beverage choices
In order to avoid consuming caffeine and other stimulants from energy drinks and soda with added sugars, find other ways to quench thirst and to energize. Of course, water is the best choice when it comes to quenching thirst. Try adding fresh fruit slices, such as lemon or orange, to keep it interesting for kids. Low-fat milk and diluted fruit juices are also nutrient-rich choices. Limiting added sugars is recommended in the 2015 Dietary Guidelines. Consumption of beverages with added sugars can easily increase sugar intake above 10 percent of calories, which makes it difficult to achieve a healthy eating pattern.
Choose movement to increase energy
Physical activity increases our energy levels and burns calories too. The next time your children or teens are feeling tired in the middle of the afternoon, think carefully before reaching for an energy drink. Instead, suggest a short walk. Physical activity increases blood flow and results in feeling more energetic.
This alien-looking blob was found attached to a pontoon boat. Photo by C. Daly.
By Jo Latimore, Michigan State University Extension
As an aquatic ecologist at Michigan State University who works closely with Michigan State University Extension, I receive a lot of emails and phone calls about mysterious or unusual discoveries in Michigan lakes. I enjoy responding to them, because it gives me a chance to chat with Michigan residents about all sorts of interesting aquatic phenomena.
This story begins with one of those messages. A boat owner pulled their pontoon out of Juno Lake (Cass County, in southern Michigan), and discovered a weird, alien-looking, gelatinous blob attached to it below the water line. Was it an invasive species? Toxic algae? Eggs of an alien from outer space!? They contacted a friend on a neighboring lake who happens to be a volunteer in our statewide Cooperative Lakes Monitoring Program, and she reached out to me with a photo and inquiry about the aquatic oddity. I was excited to let her know that they’d discovered a colony of bryozoans!
Meet the bryozoans — tiny aquatic organisms that live in colonies. They are filter-feeders, relying on floating bits of food in the water for nourishment. You can view the waving tentacles of a microscopic bryozoan individual on this video. There are many saltwater species of bryozoans, but only a few are native to freshwater lakes. The freshwater bryozoan species that makes blob-like colonies is Pectinatella magnifica. These colonies often form attached to structures like rocks, logs, and — as was the case in Juno Lake — on boats left in the water for a while. Colonies begin to form in the spring, and are most frequently noticed in late summer and fall, when they reach their largest size. Colonies are usually only a few inches across, but can grow to a foot wide or more in the right conditions.
Bryozoan colonies attached to the underside of a pontoon boat pulled from Juno Lake, Cass County, Michigan. Bryozoans are harmless, tiny, filter-feeding aquatic invertebrates that can form jelly-like colonies on solid surfaces. Photo by L. Mroczek.
Still, most Michigan residents have never seen a bryozoan colony before, since they are underwater and often small in size. It’s not surprising, then, that these jelly-like, alien-looking blobs raise concern and worry when they are spotted. Luckily, these native species are harmless to humans (although they do occasionally clog pipes). Even better, they are indicators of good water quality, since they depend on healthy waters to survive.
To learn more about freshwater bryozoans, check out the Missouri Department of Conservation’s excellent web article. If you find an aquatic oddity in Michigan and aren’t sure what it is, take a picture or two and post it using the Ask an Expert link on the Michigan State University Extension website.
School garden advocates have multiple anecdotes that they can share to illustrate the value of including experiential garden education in curriculum and educational programs. They talk about how their students are more engaged, more willing to interact with the subject matter, more likely to eat the food they grow and sometimes even more likely to eat other produce items. Beyond anecdotes, there have been relatively few research studies that address the effects of engaging with school gardens, but researchers are working to change that.
Over the last decade or so, there have been an increasing number of research studies looking at the impacts of school garden education. When the results of these studies are compiled, trends and recommendations are more meaningful, and the experts agree. The Center for Disease Control has a panel of appointed experts that address public health issues. The Community Preventative Services Task Force (CPSTF) provides evidence-based findings and recommendations about community preventative services to improve public health. The task force decided to focus on school gardens last year, ratifying a report that reviewed several recent research studies in December of 2017 entitled Nutrition: Gardening Interventions to Increase Fruit and Vegetable Consumption Among Children.
The task force conducted a systematic review of 14 recent studies that investigated gardening interventions for youth. The studies were conducted in a variety of settings with youth ages 2-18. Study sites included early care and education, schools, after-school programs and communities. Studies were conducted in 4 different countries: United States, Australia, Canada and the United Kingdom.
Results showed that gardening activities increased youth consumption of vegetables and fruits in 13 of 14 studies. When the results were analyzed in relation to increasing vegetable intake alone, 12 of 14 studies showed an increase. Interestingly, fruit intake alone did not change significantly for any of the studies. The amount of vegetable and fruit intake was increased when gardening interventions were combined with nutrition education interventions, rather than just gardening alone.
The results of this review show that there is increasing evidence that garden interventions for youth can and do have an impact on increasing healthy eating habits. The review specifically recommends pairing gardening and nutrition interventions for increased success in fruit and vegetable consumption. Other recommendations included involving parents and caretakers in interventions and to share healthy eating messaging in the home, extending the garden education opportunities in harsher climates through season extension techniques and hiring a garden coordinator when possible that is dedicated to the upkeep and coordination of the garden.
While this review is something that school garden advocates can point to as evidence that school gardens do have an impact, there is still a need for further research that investigates potential benefits of school gardens.
Consumer credit is an important, but confusing topic. Before we can discuss the impact of poor credit, let us first define a few terms:
Credit: According to the dictionary, credit is “money that a bank or business will allow a person to use and then pay back in the future”.
Credit Report: Per the Federal Trade Commission, “Your credit report contains information about where you live, how you pay your bills, and whether you’ve been sued or arrested, or have filed for bankruptcy. Credit reporting companies sell the information in your report to creditors, insurers, employers and other businesses that use it to evaluate your applications for credit, insurance, employment or renting a home.”
Credit Score: According to the Federal Trade Commission, a credit score is model that creditors use “to determine if you’d be a good risk for credit cards, auto loans and mortgages”.
When consumers make financial decisions that lead to negative or derogatory statements on their credit report such as late payments, numerous applications for credit, collections, bankruptcies, etc., this can bring down their credit score. This can result in poor credit. Potential consequences of poor credit include:
The inability to rent an apartment. This can be very challenging, especially since the lack of affordable housing is quickly becoming a national issue.
The inability to get a job. This can make paying back creditors even more of a challenge.
The cost of insurance premiums. Insurance companies will review your credit to determine your insurance premium.
The cost of additional credit. Plainly said, if a person has good credit, they are much more likely to receive favorable credit terms when choosing to take on additional forms of credit such as an auto loan or mortgage (i.e. lower interest rates). When a person has poor credit, they are viewed as a higher risk of non-repayment or default and this typically results in less favorable credit terms (i.e. high interest rates).
For additional money management resources, visit Michigan State University Extension. Michigan State University Extension offers financial literacy and homeownership workshops throughout the year to help you become financially healthy. For more information of classes in your area, please visit either the MSU Extension events page or MI Money Health website. Additionally, you can take the Financial Health Survey at MI Money Health to access if you are financially healthy and discover more ways you can improve your financial health.
Photo courtesy of Michigan State University Extension
By Bonnie Lehman, Michigan State University Extension
Spring and summer in Michigan are great times for parents to garden outside with their children. Gardening together can be beneficial for bonding with children, educational and fun if safety is the first consideration.
Protecting children from exposure to toxic outdoor plants is crucial for keeping children safe. Ingesting plants and planting materials is a common hazard for children. Parents know how fast their small children can pick up anything and everything to put it in their mouth!
When purchasing outdoor plants, consider using safe, non-toxic plants. Plant buyers that want to protect children might not know which plants are non-toxic and will need a reliable, educational source. One source that is available free of charge is the National Capital Poison Center. This site offers a list of plants of poisonous and non-poisonous plants. The common name and botanical name are both listed. The list can be copied and taken with you when purchasing plants.
Know all of the plant names that are in your yard. The National Capital Poison Center and your regional poison center say it is important to know all the names of plants in your yard or home. The Poison Center can be reached at 1-800-222-1222 on a 24-hours-a-day, seven-days-a-week basis. They will need the common name or botanical name of a plant, otherwise they cannot positively identify plants over the phone. Keeping a written list of the plant names and location in your yard can assist child caregivers if they need to call the poison center. Be sure to store bulbs and seeds out of children’s reach.
The parent is the first teacher in a child’s life. Teach your children not to put plants, berries, soil, leaves, bark, seeds and any plant material in their mouth. Young children need patience and repeated messages to learn this skill. Even when a parent thinks the child has outgrown the stage of putting something in their mouth, they could still do it.
Be safety–minded. When gardening together with your child, remember that accidents can happen at unexpected times. They also can happen fast. Keep a watchful eye out for young children exploring the outdoors and think safety first.
You can preserve cookie dough in the freezer just as you can freshly-baked cookies.
Properly frozen dough ensures that your dough will make great cookies when the time is right. Simply follow a few steps offered by Michigan State University Extension.
Tips for freezing baked cookies:
Before freezing your baked cookies make sure they are completely cooled.
Wrap your cooled cookies individually in plastic wrap and store them in a freezer bag or an airtight container.
Cookies can also be placed between layers of waxed paper in the container. Make sure the top layer is covered with wax paper, plastic wrap or aluminum foil so that very little air will get to the cookies. The individually wrapped cookies will store longer.
Freeze frosted cookies, uncovered, until they are firm and then pack them in a freezer bag or an airtight container.
Label the freezer bag or container with the date and type of cookies.
Tips for freezing cookie dough:
Drop unbaked cookie dough onto cookie sheets and place in the freezer until frozen.
Transfer the drops of frozen cookie dough into freezer bags or airtight containers.
Remove as much air from the freezer bag as possible or if using a storage container make sure the top layer is covered well with wax paper, plastic wrap or aluminum foil so that very little air will get to the cookie dough.
If you choose to freeze the entire amount of dough and then thaw it later, to make into individual cookies, wrap the dough with wax paper or saran wrap and then place it into a freezer bag or airtight container.
Label the freezer bag or container with the type of cookie dough and the date.
Keeping air away from cookie dough or baked cookies helps to prevent freezer burn. Freezer burn is not a food safety risk but it affects the appearance and flavor of cookies and dough. It looks like grayish-brown leathery spots on the frozen food. Freezer burn occurs when air reaches the food surface and dries it out.
The suggested storage time for both cookie dough and baked cookies in your 0 degrees Fahrenheit freezer is no more than six months. Most people have no problem eating their cookies within this time-frame! Freezing cookies and cookie dough is both a money and time saving activity that has very tasty results.
Sentinel tree tag for identification of a tree entered into the Eyes on the Forest program. | Photo by Michigan State University Extension
ByMike Schira, Michigan State University Extension
Supported by expanding international imports into the country, new and potentially devastating tree pests, both insects and disease, are being introduced to our woodland and landscape trees. Many of these new exotic species won’t find suitable host species or conditions and will simply die off, a few will be successful in becoming established.
Newly established exotic species, having been introduced from other regions of the globe, have no natural enemies or pathogens to hold their numbers down. Unchecked, these new pest species can spread rapidly thereby being labeled as invasive with the potential of devastating their host species.
Examples of past impacts are the losses of American chestnut and elm from both our urban landscapes and forest stands. The loss of the American chestnut and elm affected not only the trees, but also the wildlife that was dependent on the trees for food and shelter. The lost trees may have been shading stream and river waterways. The loss of shade is contributing to increased water temperatures, which reduces the available dissolved oxygen and causes a reduction of fish populations.
Currently beach bark disease, emerald ash borer and oak wilt are examples of exotic species that have become established and are working their way through many of our forest stands, leaving dead skeletons of once healthy trees as they move through.
Spotted lanternfly was first detected in Pennsylvania in September 2014. It feeds on a wide range of fruit, ornamental and woody trees.
In an effort to enable early detection of new invasive tree pests, Michigan State University Extension has developed the Eyes on the Forest program. With initial funding from a Michigan Department of Natural Resources grant, this ongoing program is an effort to establish a network of sentinel trees across the state. Volunteer enthusiasts select the sentinel tree of their choosing and report on the trees overall general health using the online Midwest Invasive Species Network.
Hopefully, with a strong enough network of sentinel trees, we can achieve early detection of new tree pests and work to eliminate them before they can become established. For more information on the program, visit the MSU Extension Eyes on the Forest website.
I recently attended a meeting in the greater Grand Rapids area where the discussion centered on how we can benefit Michigan and its communities. In typical brainstorm fashion, our large group was divided into smaller tables to discuss and generate ideas which would be reported out to the larger group.
After one group’s suggestion that we help communities recruit individuals, an audience member respectfully suggested, “Why grow?” When the response was “to keep our communities from stagnating,” the audience member persisted that growth is bad, causing unnecessary congestion and build out, and that we should learn to live with what we have. Polite as the discussion was, I resisted the urge to jump up and debate the topic that day.
So there is no misunderstanding, growth is a good thing, if done right. There are countless examples from the old days, and unfortunately present day too, of poorly managed growth in urban sprawl, over taxing of utilities, etc. That is bad growth.
Communities are just like people, they are either green and growing or ripe and rotting, nothing stays the same. Each of us tries to grow personally, professionally and keep in shape, as a result we are better than we were before. In fact, we can choose to continually grow and improve. Yes, we all know that one guy from high school that 20 years later is still sitting on the couch re-living the same game-winning-touchdown-pass he caught. That is an example of no growth. Communities are the same, they can’t sit around remembering the good ol’ days. Instead, they need to look forward and position themselves for a positive, productive future.
If you’ve been paying attention, Michigan has been hemorrhaging for 10 years when three major companies ended 400,000+ manufacturing jobs. This created a ripple effect and tailspin of people leaving our state, taking their skilled talents and families with them. Although Michigan has done many things right and we are gaining back ground, we still need talent. We need people to move back to Michigan bringing their skills and talents, but also their families, ideas and civic involvement. It is this growth that Michigan and our communities desperately need in order to be a vibrant state.
Here’s the fun part. Yes, we have to encourage and embrace growth in order to be better, but we must be smart about it. As communities and as a state we need to decide what type of growth works, where best to encourage it and what happens when it comes. In other words, we must do some advanced planning so that the growth we so desperately need is organized, positive and helps us get to where we want to go.
And here’s the really fun part, there are loads of people and resources out there that can help. From your local economic development organization, in our case the Northern Lakes Economic Alliance, to the MSU Extension, regional planning agencies such as Networks Northwest or the Northeast Michigan Council of Governments to the Michigan Municipal League and others.
Michigan has a bright future, and I hope growth will be part of it!
Michigan State University Extension has had a unique relationship with the regional economic development organization Northern Lakes Economic Alliance (NLEA) for more than 20 years. Recognizing the strength of combining resources, this partnership focuses on economic development, entrepreneurship growth and community infrastructure throughout a four-county region in the northwest Lower Peninsula, specifically Antrim, Charlevoix, Cheboygan and Emmet counties. As a result, the NLEA utilizes resources offered through MSU Extension as it provides leadership to statewide programs sponsored by MSU Extension.
There were two stories of people diagnosed with brown recluse bites in the media recently, “Muskegon woman hospitalized after brown recluse spider bite” from Detroit Free Press and “Rising temps may mean more brown recluse spiders” from Wood TV. One person was reported to have been bitten up in Leelanau County, the other in Nunica, Michigan, in Ottawa County. Both bites were reported to have occurred outside. The offending spider was not collected and identified in either case. The attending physicians based their diagnosis on the appearance of the bite.
Last year, a woman sent me a spider she captured in the act of biting her. The bite festered and she went to the emergency room at the University of Michigan Hospital in Ann Arbor, Michigan. The attending physician diagnosed the bite as that of a brown recluse spider. The spider the lady sent me was a yellow sac spider, Cheiracanthium spp.and (Miturgidae).
It is very difficult to diagnose the perpetrator of a bite based on the appearance of a bite. I am not saying it’s impossible that both of these people were bitten by a brown recluse spider, but it is very unlikely.
Even though Michigan is not in the accepted native range of the brown recluse, it has been found in 10 Michigan counties. Prior to 2017, it had been found in Genesee, Hillsdale, Lenawee, Ingham and Kent counties. The Kent County find came from a home in Grand Rapids, Michigan, where the residents had just returned from a trip to Missouri, where the spider is common. Recluse spiders are known to hitchhike in boxes, suitcases and articles of commerce.
In the spring of 2017, a brown recluse spider was found in an unheated garage in Genesee County and in a building on the University of Michigan campus in Ann Arbor (see the 2017 Michigan State University Extension article, “Update on brown recluse spiders in Michigan”). The owner of the garage indicated she had not traveled out of Michigan prior to finding the spiders. Large universities like Michigan have large transient populations of students and visitors from all over the country, so it is not too surprising for a recluse or two to show up there.
In the past 14 months, over 700 Michiganders have sent me photographs of spiders thought to be recluse spiders they had encountered in their homes and yards. Some people just sent stories about bites thought to be recluse bites. Some of these stories were profoundly heart-wrenching.
Of these 700 spider photos, only seven turned out to be of brown recluse spiders. Five of these represented new county records for the recluse in Michigan. The new county records were for Livingston, Oakland, Shiawassee and Wayne counties. There have been multiple finds in Genesee, Washtenaw and Lenawee counties.
Here is a map of Michigan showing the counties where the recluse spider has been found. The counties shown in blue are where the brown recluse had been found prior to 2017. Red counties are where it was found in 2017.
One of these recluse populations, located in a single family residence in Tecumseh, Michigan, in Lenawee County, has been eradicated. This was a true reproducing population of brown recluse spiders consisting of numerous individuals of all life stages including eggs, juveniles and adults. After several attempts using conventional insecticide sprays failed to rid the spiders from their home, the homeowners took out a second mortgage and hired a crew to encase the home in plastic sheeting and pump it full of Vikane gas. They felt they had no other choice to protect their small children.
Photo courtesy Michigan State University Extension
No one in this family was ever bitten by the spiders over the several years they had shared their home with them. They sent me this photo of their home while it was prepped for the fumigation.
So what does this all mean? It means there are rare, isolated populations of brown recluse spiders living in Michigan. It means that the vast majority of Michiganders will never come within a half-mile of a brown recluse spider. None of the brown recluse spiders that have been found in Michigan walked here from Arkansas or even southern Ohio for that matter; they were brought or carried here in suitcases, boxes or some other cartage.
I think it is too early to suggest they represent the beginning of a great northern migration of the brown recluse. There has been only one report of a recluse spider from Wisconsin and that was in 2016. There have been no reports of recluse spiders marauding through the northern parts of Ohio, Indiana or Illinois, so try to relax and enjoy your summer. Please. If you think you found a recluse, send me the spider or a photo of the spider to bugman@msu.edu. I will either put your mind to ease or ruin your summer.
There are about 37,000 species of spiders worldwide with about 3,800 species in North America. Michigan is home to just 500 or so native species of spiders, only three of these native species (not including the brown recluse) are medically important. These are the northern black widow, yellow sac spider and, to a lesser degree, the northern cobweb spider. Yellow sac spiders are very common in and around homes. All Michigan spiders are predators that use venom to subdue their prey. Most will try to bite if threatened. None will aggressively chase you down the hall to bite you, although some consider the yellow sac spider to be a recreational biter—that is, they will bite you just for the hang of it.
Michigan spiders range in size from under 1/8 inch in the Linyphiidae (sheetweb and dwarf spiders) to almost an inch long in the Lycosidae (wolf spiders). Though tiny, researchers have estimated there are 25 metric million tons of spiders on the earth right now.
Spiders do possess a super power too. The silk spiders spin to build their webs and dangle from your ceiling is one of the strongest materials known. Not all spiders construct webs of silk to capture their prey. Some simply run their prey down and overwhelm it. Others are ambush hunters that lie in wait for their prey to walk by then pounce on it.
More than 90 percent of the spider’s diet is made up of insects and they chow through as much as 800 million tons of prey every year. In doing so, spiders play an essential role in keeping natural ecosystems in balance. However, for many, the very word “spider” conjures terrifying or repulsive images, and I’m now going to share with you some of those images (at the end of this article).
Back to Michigan spiders. The 700 photos or specimens of spiders sent to me last year that were not recluse spiders include most, if not all, of the common spiders found around Michigan homes. The nursery web spider and the dark fishing spiders are most likely to be confused with a brown recluse.
This table is a list of spiders Michiganders think might be a brown recluse, ordered by rank in terms of the number of photographs sent to me last year. It is not surprising that most of these are nomadic hunting spiders that do not spin webs to capture their prey.
Riders enjoying their time horseback riding at the 2017 State 4-H Trail Ride & Family Camp Weekend. All photos by Taylor Fabus, MSU Extension.
ByTaylor Fabus, Michigan State University Extension
If you’re spending time with your horse on the trail, it’s important to do so responsibly. Read on to discover many ways in which you can be sure you ride responsibly.
Travel responsibly
Stay on designated roads, trails and other areas open to horses.
Ride single file to reduce trail damage. Spread out in open country where there are no trails. Spreading out, rather than following each other’s footsteps, disperses impact and avoids creating a new trail.
Be prepared to let other trail enthusiasts know what needs to be done to keep you, the horse and other passersby safe when you meet on the trail.
Be alert and aware of the presence of other trail enthusiasts. If possible, pull to the side of the trail when you hear oncoming off-highway vehicles or bicycles.
Leave gates as you find them. If crossing private property, be sure to ask permission from the landowner.
Do not disturb historical, archeological or paleontological sites.
Avoid “spooking” livestock and wildlife you encounter and keep your distance.
Water animals in areas where stream banks and water access can withstand hard use and are downstream from campsites.
Photo by Taylor Fabus, MSU Extension
Educate yourself
Obtain a map of your destination and determine which areas are open to your type of pack animals.
Make a realistic plan and stick to it. Always tell someone of your travel plans.
Contact the land manager for area restrictions, closures and permit requirements.
Check the weather forecast for your destination. Plan clothing, equipment and supplies accordingly.
By Tracie Abram, Michigan State University Extension
Summertime is depicted as a laid-back joyful season, when in fact for many, it is the opposite. Summertime for families of small children means added expenses of childcare or having to pay for additional meals that normally were less expensive due to school meal plans. Summertime generally means an interruption in routine. Children may be up later and therefore not getting enough sleep and possibly skipping meals or not eating as well due to busier schedules. Having a basic understanding of what triggers children to misbehave will help keep homes happy and safe.
One basic understanding is that children (and adults too) will misbehave when they are hungry, angry, lonely/bored or tired (HALT). People will not have as much tolerance and be more irritable when they are hungry, angry or not feeling well. If you or your children are experiencing any of these emotions or feelings halt what you are doing and tend to that need before moving on.
Another reason why children misbehave is that they may not fully understand the request. For an example, if you ask the child to calm down they may not understand that you mean and how to actually calm themselves. This is also an example of a lack of experience. Children do not have the experiences that adults have. It takes time for a child to fully develop problem solving and communication skills.
The practice of mindfulness can teach children and adults how to calm their minds and bodies to find a feeling of balance or confidence. Mindfulness is a practice of paying attention to your senses in the current moment without judgement. It is about being present and acknowledging the moment to moment experiences. Mindfulness helps develop focus and self regulation. When practiced regularly, the events that require acute attention will be less stressful because your body and mind have been conditioned to work together in paying attention.
Another reason children may misbehave is because their behaviors are accidently rewarded by adults. An example is when children wait to do something an adult asks of them until the adults tone of voice increases or that crying and whining gets a parents attention. Children also copy what they see others doing.
Sometimes children do things they know are wrong such as testing the rules, and showing independence. Nobody likes to be told what to do all the time and not have any choices. Children are learning how to do many things at a fast rate and they need to be able to show off what they have learned or can do.
When you or your children are showing one or more of these seven triggers, be mindful and acknowledge what you notice in a tone that will teach, guide and train your children.
Hunger, anger, lonely/bored, tired or sickness
Don’t understand the rules
Lack of experience
Misbehavior was accidentally rewarded
Testing the rules
Copying others
Showing independence
If you are struggling with understanding your children’s behavior, Michigan State University Extension has programming that can help. Nurturing Families, RELAX: Alternatives to Anger, and Stress Less with Mindfulness are programming series that have been successful in helping many parent-child and family relationships. Peruse their website for programming near you.
