A family learns about some of the work the Kentwood Department of Publics handles at a past open house. (Supplied)
Community members are invited to learn more about how local public works departments serve residents at the Kentwood Department of Public Works’ Community Open House on Wednesday, May 18.
The event will be hosted in partnership with the Kent County Road Commission in recognition of National Public Works Week, which is May 15-21. The open house will take place on Wednesday, May 18 4-7 p.m. at the Kentwood Department of Public Works facility at 5068 Breton Ave. SE.
Community members of all ages will have the opportunity to go behind the scenes of the DPW facility and learn more about the department. They will be able to meet the public works team, learn more about services provided and explore vehicles and other equipment used by the department.
“From snow plowing and streets to police cruisers and parks maintenance, public works supports many areas of everyday life,” Public Works Director Chad Griffin said. “This event gives us an opportunity to demonstrate that work and connect with residents to share more about our role in the community and the equipment we use.”
The event will feature giveaways, hands-on activities, live maintenance, repair demonstrations and more. Complimentary food and refreshments will be provided. Free silver maple, river birch and blue spruce tree seedlings will also be available for attendees to take home.
Additionally, semifinalists and finalists of the Work Zone Safety Poster competition will be honored at 5:30 p.m. Sponsored by Kent County Road Commission and public works agencies throughout Kent County, the poster contest invited third-grade students from across the county to design a caution sign focused on safety tips for driving through a work zone. A gallery of entries will be displayed during the event.
The Kent County Road Commission will also have team members and equipment on site to share more about the work they do.
“Our crew members are excited to discuss different aspects of their work with the community and highlight how we can work together to maintain safer roads for everyone,” said Steven Warren, managing director of the Kent County Road Commission. ” We are dedicated to improving public infrastructure, and this event is a wonderful opportunity to showcase how we serve our communities.”
The Kentwood Department of Public Works has five divisions that work together to maintain the City’s infrastructure, which includes more than 150 miles of pipes underground and more than 155 miles of streets above ground, as well as City parks and grounds, buildings and fleet of vehicles. The five divisions are building maintenance, fleet services, grounds maintenance, streets maintenance and utilities (water and wastewater) services. To learn more about Kentwood DPW, visit kentwood.us/DPW.
Prior to the open house, Kentwood Mayor Stephen Kepley will provide a proclamation for National Public Works Week during the May 17 City Commission meeting.
Cold, rainy temperatures are part of the La Niña cycle. (pxhere.com)
Michiganders know that spring is usually late to arrive, yet we’re nearly two months past the Vernal Equinox and it has felt as though spring is still a few more weeks away. Luckily, temperatures are predicted to be much more favorable later this week, but this unusual cold spell has left many Michiganders curious as to why the frigid conditions that are typically characteristic of Michigan’s winter months have continued through March and April.
There’s a few factors that can explain why this has occurred. The first of which is the fact that we are in the midst of a La Niña year. La Niña is the cold water phase of a temperature cycle in the Tropical Pacific called the El Niño-Southern Oscillation (ENSO).
According to the National Ocean Service, “During normal conditions in the Pacific ocean, trade winds blow west along the equator, taking warm water from South America towards Asia. To replace that warm water, cold water rises from the depths — a process called upwelling.”
During the infrequent La Niña years of this climate cycle, those trade winds are stronger, upwelling increases, and the prevalence of this cold water in the Pacific Ocean pushes the jet stream further north, which leads to colder temperatures and increased precipitation.
This time around, it seems as though La Niña is doing her a job a little too well.
“We have had a lot of precipitation, with an active storm track the past several weeks,” said Erin Ostuno at the Grand Rapids National Weather Service. “This has resulted in March and April being cloudy and much wetter than usual. The combination of March and April had over eight inches of rain/melted snow water. This ranks 11th wettest on record. April had 5.19 inches of precipitation, the 12th wettest April on record at Grand Rapids.”
La Niña has been working too well this season, bring an unusual amount of cold weather well into May. (climate.gov)
Talk about a great deal of precipitation. To make matters more intense, the jet stream that divides the northern and southern half of North America appears to have been pushed south this winter by high pressure zones that have formulated in the early spring near Greenland during a prolonged negative phase of the North Atlantic Oscillation (NAO).
In a recent article from the Washington Post, “When the NAO is negative, the weather over the eastern U.S. tends to be colder than normal. Such a pattern was seldom seen during the core winter months, which resulted in generally above-normal temperatures.”
While we were fortunate enough to experience slightly warmer temperatures this past winter, it seems that inevitably, we would have to pay the price at some point, which we’ve been doing since late March. The tax for having such a mild winter and all that high pressure up north is the spilling of the jet stream further south, which is why we’ve seen frigid temperatures typical of January or February continue through March and April while the Pacific Southwest has experienced oddly higher temperatures.
Luckily for us, it’s not forecasted to continue this way for much longer. According to a 10-day forecast for Michigan Center from Weather.com, by the week of May 9th, we’ll see high temperatures begin to erupt into the 70s with lows persisting in the upper 50s, so it appears as though this wintry weather we’ve been experiencing will finally be behind us.
Paddle Antrim warns paddlers to take precautions to protect themselves from heightened dangers of sudden, unexpected cold-water immersion while on early season paddling outings.
It has been a slow start to spring in Northern Michigan and the water remains colder than usual this time of year. While paddlers and boaters are itching to get out on the water, Paddle Antrim warns paddlers to take precautions to protect themselves from heightened dangers of sudden, unexpected cold-water immersion while on early season paddling outings.
While spring is in the air and outside temperatures are warming, lake temperatures are much cooler. When water temperatures are below 70 degrees, paddlers should wear a wetsuit or a full immersion dry suit with insulating layers. Sudden immersion in cold water can cause gasping and inhalation of water and hypothermia, resulting in unconsciousness or swimming failure as muscles become numb. Wearing a life jacket may keep your head above water and support your body should your swimming ability fail, or you become unconscious.
“We encourage people to get out and enjoy the water, but we also want to make sure people are safe at all times,” says Paddle Antrim Executive Director, Deana Jerdee. “Changing winds, stronger than usual currents, equipment failure – these are just a few unexpected elements that can cause paddlers to end up in dangerous situations. No one is ever expecting to fall in while paddling but it happens, and paddlers need to dress for being in the water, not for the air temperature.”
Cold water claims the lives of experienced and inexperienced paddlers each year. Please take the extra precautions to ensure your safety. Here are the five steps paddlers need to take before heading out on the water for any period:
Always wear a properly fitted life jacket. Simply stated, life jackets save lives;
Dress for the water temperature;
Avoid boating alone and always let someone know where you are going and when you expect to return. Have a cell phone or VHF radio accessible, in a watertight bag, should you need to call for help;
Carry essential safety gear, signaling devices and whistles; and
The City of Kentwood will offer its annual Community Cleanup Day on Saturday, May 7, to help residents “spring clean” their homes and yards.
Residents unload trash into the dumpsters during a past community clean-up day in the Kentwood and Wyoming area. (WKTV)
Residents can drop off yard waste, trash and general debris for disposal and electronics for recycling 8 a.m.-2 p.m. at the Kentwood Department of Public Works, 5068 Breton Ave. SE.
After the cleanup event, the City’s brush and leaf drop-off sites, also located at Kentwood’s DPW facility, will remain open through May 27. Hours of operation for the drop-off sites are noon-8 p.m. Monday through Saturday and noon-6 p.m. Sunday.
“As many residents begin spring-cleaning efforts, our Community Cleanup Day offers resources to properly dispose of or recycle items,” said Department of Public Works Director Chad Griffin. “We encourage residents who are decluttering their homes this season to take advantage of these free collection services.”
The cleanup day and drop-off services are available to Kentwood residents only. Anyone wishing to participate is asked to enter the drive off Breton Avenue, where staff will check ID for residency and direct traffic flow.
Red Creek Waste Services will be on-site for Kentwood’s Community Cleanup Day to accept general debris and trash, including mattresses, for disposal. Tires cannot be accepted.
Comprenew will be at the event to recycle electronic waste, such as mobile phones, computers and fax machines. Individuals with questions about other electronics that can be accepted are asked to call toll-free 1-833-266-7736.
The City of Kentwood will accept yard waste at the brush drop-off site, including brush, sticks, tree limbs and logs as well as leaves and grass clippings. Leaves should be loose when dropped off, not left in bags.
Items for donation and household hazardous materials will not be accepted during this year’s cleanup event. Residents looking to safely dispose of household hazardous materials may utilize the Kent County Department of Public Works’ SafeChem program, which remains available to residents at the Kentwood’s DPW facility 1:30-5:30 p.m. Tuesdays.
Jim Park shares is passion for the environment at a 2019 Arbor Day celebration with Kelloggsville students. The event was hosted by the Wyoming Tree Commission/The Tree Amigos. (Supplied)
“He was a person who cared,” is how many would describe longtime Wyoming resident Jim Ward.
Ward died in October at the age of 71, but left a legacy that impacted both the community he lived in, Wyoming, and the school his children attended, Kelloggsville Public Schools. This Thursday, April 28, Ward will be honored for his contributions to the City of Wyoming in a special Arbor Day celebration at Kelloggsville High School, 4787 S. Division Ave. The program, which will include the planting of an oak tree, is set for 10 a.m.
“Some people would see something that wasn’t right and would say ‘Isn’t this horrible,’ and that would be it,” said Ward’s wife, Jane. “Jim would see it and say ‘There has to be something we could do,’ and then it would be let’s see who we can get to help.”
It was in 2014 at a National Night Out neighborhood event that Ward would meet Estelle Slootmaker, who along with Ward and Greg Bryan founded the Wyoming Tree Commission or The Tree Amigos.
“I was concerned about the health of our oak trees because of the spongy moth infestation so I got permission to set up a table with information on caring for our oak trees,” Slootmaker said of the National Night Out event. “Jim and Jane approached me and chatted with me as did Greg Bryan.
“I was so tickled pink to find other tree huggers in my neighborhood.”
That chance meeting would lead to Slootmaker getting a phone call from Bryan asking her to meet with him and Ward and thus The Tree Amigos was born. A couple of years later, the Wyoming City Council would officially establish the group as the Wyoming Tree Commission.
The goal of the group over the years has been to improve the tree canopy in the City of Wyoming along with getting a Tree City USA designation and through Ward’s dedication the Commission has accomplished many of those goals, according to Slootmaker.
Jim Ward
“Jim was our mighty oak,” Slootmaker said. “He was there to plant the idea of a tree commission when our little group of neighbors first met – and he was integral to every project we completed. We miss him so very much.”
Jane Ward said her husband always had cared about the environment and was instrumental in getting an Earth Day committee going at their church.
A Godwin Heights graduate, Ward also was active on the neighborhood watch and involved in the teacher union at Forest Hills, where he served as the first media specialist at Forest Hills Northern High School. Along with his environmental passion, Ward had a passion for education and children, serving as the Quiz Bowl team coach and advising the National Honor Society.
That passion was not only reserved to Forest Hills, where Ward taught, but also to Kelloggsville, where his daughters had attended.
“He cared about the kids and the community,” Jane Ward said. “He saw a need and tried to do something and get things done.”
Scheduled to be in attendance for Thursday’s program will be Wyoming Mayor Jack Poll, Kelloggsville High School Principal Jim Alston, Kelloggsville High School student groups, and The Tree Amigos/City of Wyoming Tree Commission. The program is free and open to the public.
LANSING – Fifteen businesses across the state, including Ford Motor Co. and two West Michigan microbreweries, have written to Gov. Gretchen Whitmer in support of her administration’s carbon neutrality goals.
Broad Leaf Brewery’s owner Kris Spaulding signed a letter in support of Gov. Gretchen Whitmer administration’s carbon neutrality goals. (WKTV)
The goal to be a carbon-neutral economy was laid out in a 2020 executive order that also created the Council on Climate Solutions.
The Whitmer administration’s newly released MI Healthy Climate Plan would generate 60% of the state’s electricity from renewable resources, phase out all remaining coal-fired plants by 2030 and build infrastructure to support 2 million electric vehicles on the roads by 2030.
“The companies that signed this letter know that climate action and statewide strategies are not only an economic opportunity for the state, but also a business imperative for them,” said Deana Dennis, the senior manager of state policy at Ceres.
Ceres is a Boston-based nonprofit that advocates for sustainability by working with investors and the companies that initiated this letter.
In Michigan, the organization works with companies to advocate policies to achieve a carbon neutral economy, which would reach zero net emissions through carbon offsetting practices and projects.
“We’re hearing regularly from our companies that they need supportive policies at both the federal and state levels that will help achieve their climate pollution targets,” she said.
It’s also important that these businesses’ goals be achieved as equitably and cost-effectively as possible, said Dennis.
Dearborn-based Ford is taking action to reduce emissions from its operations, according to its website. Previously, the company installed LED lights throughout its plants, updated its painting operations and reduced its emissions by 15.1%.
Asher FreedmanClimate solutions logo.
Ford plans to achieve carbon neutrality by 2050 and use 100% local renewable energy in all of its manufacturing by 2035, according to its website.
Dennis said the companies that sent the letter have ambitious climate goals and know they need to ramp up their own efforts and advocacy work.
“That’s why they want to see Michigan take the lead on statewide strategies, such as through the governor’s MI Healthy Climate Plan,” she said.
The plan’s goals include developing new clean energy jobs by putting the state on a path towards becoming carbon neutral by 2050. It also proposes to reduce emissions from heating homes by repairing and improving buildings, triple the state’s recycling rate to 45% and cut food waste in half by 2030.
The businesses’ letter to Whitmer said, “We are committed to locally sourcing our purchases, including agricultural inputs, both in support of our local economy and in an effort to reduce transportation.”
Brewery Vivant in Grand Rapids signed the letter “to show that businesses are in support of the government taking action to address climate change,” said Kris Spaulding, who owns it and Broad Leaf Brewery in Kentwood.
They are the first microbreweries in the world to be certified in Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design, or LEED, through their efforts to minimize waste and energy use.
The two microbreweries are also committed to reduce greenhouse gas emissions by 50% and energy intensity over the next decade, according to the letter.
Dennis said Crystal Mountain in Benzie County’s Weldon Township, which signed the letter, is working to become greener.
The resort has opened walkable and bikeable grounds, provided free electric vehicle charging for guests and invested in other energy-efficient infrastructure such as LED lights and energy-efficient water pumps.
“Respecting the environment is one of our core values, and we strive to ensure our resort is committed to more sustainable solutions,” the company said in the letter.
The signers are from diverse business sectors, and Dennis said one goal of Ceres is to show unified support from businesses.
“The state needs to consider sector-wide strategies,” she said. “That includes the power sector, how we generate electricity. That also includes transportation, which is nationally the sector with the highest amount of emissions.”
Spaulding said, “There is often a feeling that businesses are opposed to any additional regulation, but without us, we as a greater society won’t be able to tackle this pressing issue.”
The other companies signing the letter are Ben & Jerry’s, DSM, EILEEN FISHER, General Mills, General Motors Co., IKEA, JLL, Johnson Controls, Siemens, Uplight and Worthen Industries.
Finally it feels like Spring, and just in time for Earth Day.
This weekend’s Top 5 includes theater, rock ‘n’ roll, a book sale and a special Earth Day Party with Quillbur?
Want to learn more? Check out my Top 5, which you can find exclusively on WKTV Journal.
Gonzo’s Top 5
Jesse Ray & The Carolina Catfish (Courtesy Photo/Paul Jensen)
Jesse Ray & The Carolina Catfish
Grand Rapids rock, blues and rockabilly duo Jesse Ray & The Carolina Catfish, celebrates the release of a new album with a show Saturday at Pyramid Scheme in Grand Rapids. The new, self-titled album “is quite different from other releases as it has more instruments and attitude,” Jesse Ray said in an interview on John Sinkevics’ localspins.com. “Where (2016’s) ‘Angry’ was just angry for the sake of a young man’s anger, the new record is more complicated and emotional with the occasional outburst.” The bill also includes Patty PerShayla & The Mayhaps and The Local Commuters. Tickets are $15 and available online. Doors open at 7 p.m. More info on the Facebook event page.
Van Andel Arena
Downtown Grand Rapids is going to be busy this weekend with a couple big shows at Van Andel Arena. Comedian Katt Williams ( “The House Next Door; Meet the Blacks 2,” “Meet the Blacks”) performs at 8 p.m. Saturday (April 23) and rock band Shinedown performs at 7 p.m. Sunday (April 24). More details at vanandelarena.com.
Both KDL Kenwood and Wyoming libraries are hosting book sales this Saturday.
Friends of the Library Used Book Sale
TheKent District Library Kentwood Branch and Wyoming Branch both feature book sales from 9:30 a.m.-4 p.m. Saturday (April 23) where book enthusiasts will find bargains galore. The Kentwood Branch is located at 4950 Breton SE. The Wyoming Branch is located at 3350 Michael Ave. SW. More details at kdl.org.
The Hunchback of Notre Dame
Master Arts Theatre in Grand Rapids is presenting “The Hunchback of Notre Dame” with shows April 21-23, April 28-30 and May 5-7. Based on the Victor Hugo novel and songs from the Disney animated feature, The Hunchback of Notre Dame showcases the film’s Academy Award-nominated score, as well as new songs by Menken and Schwartz. According to Master Arts, “Peter Parnell’s new book embraces story theatre and features verbatim passages from Hugo’s gothic novel.” Learn more at www.masterarts.org.
Blandford Nature Center hosts a birthday party for Quillber, a North American Porcupine. (Supplied)
Blandford Nature Center – Earth Day
As part of Earth Day Week, Blandford Nature Center in Grand Rapids is having a Birthday Party for two of its wildlife ambassadors – Archimedes, who is a long-eared owl, and Quillber, a North American Porcupine. In a program from 1-2 p.m. Saturday, you’ll hear their stories and learn about what makes each of them special. Organizers said you can “snap a close-up of silly Archimedes before heading out on the trails to take Quillber for a birthday stroll through the woods.” Admission is free this month to Blandford, but admission to the party is $7 for members, $10 for non-members and free to those ages 2 and younger. You can register at https://www.blandfordnaturecenter.org/events/earth-day-birthdays/?occurrence=2022-04-23.
Blandford Nature Center is located at 1715 Hillburn Ave NW. Learn more about Blandford nature trails an http://blandfordnaturecenter.org/
That’s it for now.
As always, I welcome your input and recommendations for events to include in my Top 5 list. If you have something for me to consider, just send me an email at michigangonzo@gmail.com.
Have a great, safe Easter weekend.
John D. Gonzalez is a digital journalist with 30-plus years of experience as a food, travel, craft beer and arts & entertainment reporter based in Grand Rapids, Michigan. He also co-hosts the radio show and Podcast “Behind the Mitten,” which airs at 6 p.m. Sundays on WOOD-AM and FM. Follow him on his journey to discover what’s next. You can find him on Twitter as @MichiganGonzo, on Instagram @MichiganGonzo and Facebook at @GRGonzo. He also relaunched his YouTube Channel. Email him story ideas and tips at michigangonzo@gmail.com.
City of Kentwood city leaders celebrate the city’s renewed designation as a Tree City USA, by planting a tree of course, in 2021. (Supplied)
By WKTV Staff
The City of Kentwood will honor Arbor Day — and its renewed designation as a Tree City USA — by giving away 250 tree seedlings during an Arbor Day Celebration and tree planting on April 29.
Residents of all ages are invited to join Kentwood’s Arbor Day Celebration at Veterans Memorial Park, 355 48th St. SE., according to an announcement from the city. The event will begin at noon with an Arbor Day proclamation, followed by a tree planting and a half-mile guided tree identification walk in the park. Complimentary refreshments will be available at the concession stand.
Arbor Day is an annual day of observance typically held in the spring to celebrate trees and encourage tree planting. This year marks the 150th anniversary of the holiday.
“A healthy tree population and canopy help improve quality of life and promote happier, healthier communities,” Kentwood Mayor Stephen Kepley said in supplied material. “The Arbor Day Celebration enables Kentwood to engage our community members in environmental stewardship to help make the city a more vibrant and beautiful place to live.”
Arbor Day, locally and nationally
The Arbor Day Celebration engages and educates the community in planting and caring for the city’s trees and is part of Kentwood’s participation in the Tree City USA program.
The City of Kentwood will honor Arbor Day — and its renewed designation as a Tree City USA — by giving away 250 tree seedlings during an Arbor Day Celebration and tree planting on April 29. (Supplied)
Kentwood was recently recognized with the 2021 Tree City USA honor for promoting and caring for trees within the community, the second time the City has received the designation. The first was in 2020.
To become a Tree City USA, cities must have an annual Arbor Day observance, a community tree ordinance, a tree board or department and spend at least $2 per capita on urban forestry activities. The program provides the necessary framework for communities to manage and expand their public trees, celebrate the importance of an urban tree canopy and demonstrate their commitment to environmental change.
Residents invited to get trees, get involved
Leading up to the Arbor Day celebration, residents can pick up free red maple or white pine tree seedlings at the Kentwood Activities Center, 355 48th St. SE. The seedlings will be available during business hours Tuesday, April 26 through Friday, April 29 or until supplies are gone.
The City of Kentwood will honor Arbor Day — and its renewed designation as a Tree City USA — by giving away 250 tree seedlings during an Arbor Day Celebration and tree planting on April 29. (Supplied)
Residents are invited to post a picture of their planted seedling on social media using the hashtag #GreeningKentwood.
The Kentwood Activities Center is open 8:30 a.m. to 5:30 p.m., Monday through Thursday, and 8 a.m. to 4 p.m. Friday. During Arbor Day week, residents can check on tree seedling availability by calling the Parks and Recreation Department at 616-656-5270.
Residents who are looking for more ways to get involved beyond Arbor Day are invited to join the Kentwood Park Stewards, an environmentally focused program that helps preserve and maintain neighborhood parks, trails and public spaces.
LANSING – Some trails break out of the woods at a lake. Some climb a dune to a sweeping view.
And many – more than you probably thought – lead to a shipwreck with a story on a beach.
This summer could be excellent for shoreline shipwreck viewing as the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers predicts that the water level of lakes Michigan and Huron could be almost 2 feet below the record highs set in 2020.
Michigan’s fascinating maritime history is not limited to old lighthouses or restored life-saving stations.
Jim DuFresne, MichiganTrailMaps.com.Remains of the Francisco Morazan off South Manitou Island at Sleeping Bear Dunes National Lakeshore.
The state is blessed with accessible shipwrecks that don’t require an air tank or a wetsuit to view – only a pair of hiking boots, a paddle or a snorkel and mask.
The heart of shipwreck territory is Sleeping Bear Dunes National Lakeshore, but there are others, including a wreck in Thompson’s Harbor State Park in Presque Isle County and more off the shore of the Upper Peninsula’s Pictured Rocks National Lakeshore.
Michigan’s shoreline wrecks are constantly evolving, depending on wave action, shifting sand and Great Lake water levels.
High and dry for easy viewing this summer will be one of Michigan’s newest exposed wrecks, the Jennie and Annie.
The 137-foot schooner, built in 1863, was rounding Sleeping Bear Point in November 1872 when gale-force winds pushed it into the shallows and reefs of Lake Michigan’s notorious Manitou Passage. The ship, its 10-member crew and a cargo of corn were driven aground 9 miles south near Empire. Only three crew members survived.
Gone forever? Hardly. For the past two summers, a substantial piece of the hull has been visible on a Sleeping Bear Dunes National Lakeshore beach.
Here is a landlubber’s guide to other great Michigan shipwrecks:
City of Boston: Built in Cleveland in 1863, this 136-foot-long wooden steamer also featured a mast – and a history of bad luck.
In 1868, it collided with another steamer and sank in the Straits of Mackinac. When the steamship was raised 125 feet two years later, it was the deepest salvage ever attempted in the Great Lakes up to that time.
After being rebuilt in Cleveland, the ship returned to service as a stream barge, only to finally meet its end on Nov. 4, 1873, during a storm with blinding snow.
It was hauling flour and corn when it ran aground on a sand bar just off Green Point Dunes Nature Preserve in Benzie County. The raging surf quickly broke the hull, and the crew abandoned ship. The ship’s remains are west of the preserve’s beach access stairway, 150 to 200 feet from shore, depending on water levels. It’s angled in 7 to 8 feet of water, with its stern buried in the sand bar and its bow occasionally less than 4 feet below the lake’s surface. It’s easy snorkeling, and visitors can see the outline of the bow in clear water from the preserve’s second observation deck.
James McBride: Sleeping Bear Dunes National Lakeshore is a graveyard for shipwrecks, including this 121-foot brig built in 1848 and lost in October 1857. A November storm in 2014 washed up a 43-foot-long section of the James McBride, making it the largest shipwreck ever to appear on the park’s shoreline.
Francisco Morazan: On Nov. 27, 1960, this Liberian freighter left Chicago bound for Holland with 940 tons of cargo, a crew of 13, its captain and his pregnant wife.
Jim DuFresne, MichiganTrailMaps.com.Remains of a wreck at Lake Superior’s AuSable Reef as seen from a Pictured Rocks National Lakeshore trail.
The next day, the ship ran into 40-mile-per-hour winds, snow and fog that made for a virtual whiteout.
The captain thought he was rounding Beaver Island, more than 100 miles away, when he ran aground on the south side of South Manitou Island.
A Coast Guard cutter and helicopter rescued the 15 people, but left the wreck behind to be forever battered by Lake Michigan.
Today it’s the most popular destination for campers on the island. The wreck is also popular with kayakers who bring their boats over on the ferry.
American Union: This 186-foot, three-masted schooner was one of the largest sailing ships to work the Great Lakes when launched in 1862. Its size ultimately led to its demise when it encountered a fatal storm in 1894 that grounded it at Thompson’s Harbor State Park, northwest of Alpena. The crew was saved, and today the wreckage rests a quarter-mile from shore in 10 feet of crystal-clear Lake Huron water.
The remains of the hull offer viewing opportunities for snorkelers and kayakers.
AuSable Reef Wrecks: From Pictured Rocks National Lakeshore’s Hurricane River Campground, visitors can head east on the Lakeshore Trail and pass several wrecks, then end up at the AuSable Light Station built to protect the ships.
The first wreck, the Mary Jarecki, lies just outside the campground. The wooden bulk freighter was carrying iron ore and grounded on the AuSable Reef in July 1883. When other boats couldn’t tow it off, the ship was left to be battered by Lake Superior.
Its remains are just offshore and are challenging to see if there is a chop on the lake surface.
But a hike further down the trail leads to timbers and ironwork from two wrecks half-buried in the sand.
The first is the Sitka, a wooden freighter that grounded and broke in half in 1904.
The second is the Gale Staples, built in 1881. The wooden freighter was loaded with coal when it beached itself on the sandy reef in 1918.
America: On June 6, 1928, this tourist ship was loaded with crates of fresh fruit and 48 passengers when it left a resort on Isle Royale National Park’s Washington Island and, within a half-mile, struck a reef.
It sank within sight of horrified hotel employees and guests back at the dock. No deaths occurred, but bushels of fresh fruit washed ashore for weeks after the mishap.
Even more unusual, the ship sank in a vertical position, with one end lying less than 3 feet below the surface of Lake Superior.
Curious visitors can rent a canoe in Windigo and paddle out of Washington Harbor into the North Gap, where a buoy marks the ship’s location. Lake Superior is so clear it’s amazing how much is visible from a canoe seat.
Jim DuFresne is the editorial director at MichiganTrailMaps.com and an MSU Journalism School alum.
In honor of Dr. Seuss’ birthday, March has been designated as Reading Month. To celebrate and encourage reading, we are asking local officials, residents and WKTV staff and volunteers to tell us about a book that they enjoy. Happy Reading!
Today’s reading selection comes from Girl Scout Troop 8282. The troop, which is based in City of Wyoming, has seven active girls ranging in ages of 5 to 7. The girls in this troop have done cookie booths and are hoping to go on a troop trip. To learn more about Girl Scouts, visit www.gsmists.org.
Book: The Hummingbird King: A Guatemalan Legend Author: Argentina Palacios Genre: Fiction/folklore
The book tells the Guatemalan legend of a young Mayan chief who is protected from his enemies by a hummingbird and the chief eventually becomes a symbol for peace. According to troop member Valentina, “I liked how the nice king got rewarded for his good deeds at the end,” while troop member Adelina said “I like how others get to learn about my culture even if it is supposed to be the Quetzal bird.”
A Kentwood citizens committee — Yes For Kentwood — has formed and recently launched a campaign for public support of the City of Kentwood’s dedicated parks, recreation and trails millage, set to be voted on as part of the Aug. 2 ballot.
Yes For Kentwood, according to an announcement from the group, is “a committee of involved residents, families, and business owners working together to make the city a better place to live.”
The proposed millage would provide “sustainable funding to improve, operate and maintain Kentwood’s parks, trails and recreational programming today and for future generations,” according to the group.
The millage would also fund construction of a new multigenerational recreation center and community City Campus. If approved, property homeowners would pay 1 mill annually. For example, a residential home with a taxable value of $100,000, the cost of 1 mill would be $100 per year, according to supplied material.
“Investing in better public spaces builds a higher quality of life for Kentwood residents,” Dustin Moseley, Yes For Kentwood co-chair, said in supplied material.
The millage will, according to the city, allow for every city park and trail to receive improvements within the first 5 years, with the remaining improvements to be completed within 10 years and construction of the city campus and community recreation center beginning in the second year.
“This millage will guarantee a fulfilling future for our residents and their families,” Robert Coughlin, Kentwood City Commissioner, and Parks and commissioner on the city’s Parks & Recreation Commission — which recommends and oversees programs for parks, playgrounds and recreational areas within Kentwood.
During the coming months, the Yes for Kentwood committee will communicate the benefits of voting “Yes” For Kentwood Parks, Trails and Recreation in August, according to the announcement.
“Good parks, trails and recreational programing provide kid’s places to play, promote good health, increase property values, strengthen community, and make the city and its neighborhoods more attractive places to live and work,” Ed Kape, Yes For Kentwood co-chair, said in supplied material.
For more information about the campaign, and to learn about ways to get involved, visit YesForKentwood.com.
Kent County Land for planned Sustainable Business Park, aerial shot that includes the property adjacent to the landfill, with the landfill in the background. (Kent County)
Kent County has announced that a Project Development Agreement has been approved for an “anchor tenant” at the county’s planned Sustainable Business Park in Kent County’s Byron Township, southeast of Byron Center, with the Department of Public Works set to “work with” Continuus Materials and Anaergia on “developing landfill alternative” businesses.
According to a Monday, March 7, statement, late last week the Kent County Board of Public Works approved a Project Development Agreement (PDA) with Kent County Bioenergy Facility, a joint venture between Continuus Materials and Anaergia, and the agreement is now fully executed.
The two companies partnered on a response to a Request for Proposals from Kent County for an “anchor tenant” at the Sustainable Business Park which is planned for 250 acres adjacent to the South Kent Landfill in Byron Township.
Dar Baas, director of the Kent County Department of Public Works, (center in yellow vest) discusses the proposed Kent County Sustainable Business Park in Byron Center with Liesl Eichler Clark, director of the Michigan Department of Environment, Great Lakes and Energy, (Center in orange vest) on a tour in October 2021. (Kent County)
According to the announcement, the PDA is the next step in developing a “multi-faceted mixed waste processing facility capable of handling 430,000 tons of municipal solid waste and recyclables each year to produce renewable natural gas, fertilizer, and recyclable commodities.”
Anaergia has a “proven track record” on four continents of turning organic waste into renewable natural gas and fertilizer using high efficiency anaerobic digestion, according to the announcement. Continuus Materials will produce a roof coverboard material, called Everboard, on site from low value plastics and paper. The plan calls for other recycling and waste processing companies to locate around the anchor tenant at the future Sustainable Business Park.
“We are excited to take the next step in a public-private partnership to help us achieve our goal of diverting 90 percent of trash from the South Kent Landfill by 2030,” Emily Brieve, chair of the Kent County Board of Public Works, said in supplied material/ “Approving the PDA is the culmination of several years of evaluation and due- diligence to find the right company that was a good fit for our community with proven technology. Now the real work begins to nail down costs, schedules and site plans.”
The PDA will guide the DPW and Kent County Bioenergy Facility over the next 18 to 36 months until the project can be fully contracted and financed. If all goes as planned, the facility could be up and running in about three years. The PDA process will also include “continued stakeholder involvement” in the project and to develop supporting policy.
The plan currently calls for Kent County to make a $70 million investment through a bond that would be repaid by tipping fees and shared revenue from materials produced at the park.
What can and cannot be recycled in Kent County, and how do it. And what happens to everything else? WKTV Journal, working with Kent County Department of Public Works Resource Recovery Specialist Lauren Westerman, are working to look at specific consumer products and other items and give you the answers.
In this post, we look at that soft plastic tooth paste tube and cap. Does the tube need to be cleaned — can it actually be cleaned? Or is it medical waste? And the cap; hard plastic but is it too small? Here is the lowdown from an expert:
The toothpaste tube and cap are both trash. Even though both the tube and the cap are plastic, neither are able to be recycled at the Kent County Recycling Center. Here’s why:
The toothpaste tube is considered a soft, non-rigid plastic. The Kent County Recycling Center only accepts rigid plastics because soft plastics will not process correctly through the sorting machinery at the facility. The toothpaste cap is considered a rigid plastic but is still not recyclable because of its size. Items that are smaller than about 2 inches by 2 inches will also not process correctly at the Kent County Recycling Center.
Do you have a question about a specific consumer product or other item? Contact WKTV at ken@wktv.org. Please send a photo of the product and the recycling label if available.
An Emerald Swallowtail is just one of the many butterflies visitors will see at this year’s “Butterflies are Blooming.” (Supplied)
Bold butterflies are flying in for Spring! The Frederik Meijer Gardens and Sculpture Park’s annual Fred and Dorothy Fichter Butterflies Are Blooming exhibition is back.
Beginning March 1 through April 30 thousands of butterflies will be taking over the Lena Meijer Tropical Conservatory. The 15,000 square-foot conservatory is set at 85 degrees with 70 percent humidity. New this year is the kokedama arch that is filled with colorful penta, lantana, bromeliads, and orchids. During the exhibition, several flowers will be blooming including orange plume, blue porter weed, jatropha, queen’s wreath, and bleeding heart vines.
This year’s exhibition highlights the power of flowers and the positive and powerful impact flowers have on butterflies, people, and the world.
“Our goal is to bring an awareness of the important relationships butterflies and humans have with flowers, and to show the positive and powerful impact flowers have on butterflies, people, and the world,” said Steve LaWarre, Vice President of Horticulture.
More than 60 species of butterflies reside in the warm, lush environment of the Lena Meijer Tropical Conservatory. These creatures come from butterfly-rich regions around the world including parts of Asia, Africa, and Central & South America. Every week an average of 1,000 pupae arrive at the gardens and guests can view the new arrivals at the observation station. At this station, the conservatory staff collects and releases adult butterflies throughout the day.
The Caterpillar Room, in the Grace Jarecki Seasonal Display Greenhouse, features monarch caterpillars. The greenhouse is filled with milkweed host plants for the hungry caterpillars to feed on.
At the Lena Meijer Children’s Garden, young guests can participate in outdoor activities. The children’s garden has unique educational activities for all ages to enjoy. In the Log Cabin guests can perform their own butterfly-themed puppet shows or read about moths and butterflies. The garden features a special Treehouse Village hunt, a Butterfly Maze, and the Monarch’s Migration game. Check the Children’s Garden Information Center for activities and times, which vary daily.
Through the exhibition, the gardens will be putting on several special events and recurring activities including:
The Lena Conservatory will be filled with an array of different butterflies from March 1 to April 31. (Supplied)
Outdoor Children’s Activities
March 1 – Friday, April 30, daylight hours only
Lena Meijer Children’s Garden
Included with admission
Tuesday Night Lights
Included with admission
Bring your flashlight on Tuesday nights until 9 p.m. to search for butterflies and see the nightlife in the Lena Meijer Tropical Conservatory.
SMART Gardening to Support Monarchs (Lecture)
March 13, 2 – 3:30 p.m.
Included with admission
Dr. Erwin “Duke” Elsner Extension Educator, Michigan State University, will explore simple ways landowners and gardeners can support monarch butterfly populations in their own backyards. During his presentation he will highlight simple ways to create a significant “green space” in urban and residential areas.
Flower House Detroit (Lecture)
March 27, 2 p.m.
Included with admission
Lisa Waud, Botanical Artist, Flower House Detroit
In October 2015, 37 floral designers and more than 100 volunteers from across North America came together to fill an abandoned Detroit house with American-grown fresh flowers and living plants. In this lecture, botanical installation artist, Lisa Waud will be presenting virtually to the audience at Meijer Gardens. She will be sharing her project from idea to exploration along with her thoughts on beauty, blight, and nostalgia, and the themes of risk-taking, logistics, and collaboration through the lens of the large-scale installation.
Flower Power Exploration Stations
April 24, 2 – 3:30 p.m.
Included with admission
Learn about flowers and butterflies during a self guided drop-in program. Guests can use microscopes and IPads as they explore the connection between flowers and butterflies.
Night With The Butterflies – Family Parties
March 14, March 20, April 18, 6 – 8 p.m.
This party will include entertainment, an art activity, and a light snack.
The gardens request that all visitors wear a face mask in indoor public settings regardless of their vaccination status. During the exhibition, tripods are not allowed in the conservatory and monopods may only be used with courtesy around other guests. No butterfly or plant materials can be removed from the conservatory and guests are not permitted to touch the butterflies.
The exhibit runs through April 30. Members can attend the exhibit for free, while students and children receive a discount. For more details about the butterfly exhibition, visit www.meijergardens.org
What can and cannot be recycled in Kent County, and how do it. And what happens to everything else? WKTV Journal, working with Kent County Department of Public Works Resource Recovery Specialist Lauren Westerman, are working to look at specific consumer products and other items to give you the answers.
In this post, we look at those sometimes expensive, but sometimes worth the cost, bottles of liquor. When the bottle is a dead solider, it’s glass, so that is easy. Or is it? But what about that tube it comes in, part cardboard and part metal? Here is the lowdown from an expert:
The empty and rinsed glass bottle can be placed into your commingled, single-stream curbside recycling cart. The old glass bottle will head to the Recycling Center and then off to a glass recycling facility where it may become a new glass container, fiberglass, highway beads, glass abrasives, or other specialty glass items like recycled glass countertops.
Laphroaig Scotch bottle cardboard and metal tube. (Laphroaig)
The tube that the bottle came in cannot be recycled unless you disassemble it first. Separate the metal base and metal top from the cardboard tube. Once these three are successfully separated, they may go into the curbside recycling cart. Once at the Recycling Center, the cardboard tube will be sorted with other cardboard and head off to a paper mill to become another box, tube, or similar product. The metal base and top will go to a metal processing facility and be made into metal containers, cans, or other metal products.
The cork and wrapper cannot be recycled through curbside recycling in Kent County. Both can be placed in the garbage.
Do you have a question about a specific consumer product or other item? Contact WKTV at ken@wktv.org. Please send a photo of the product and the recycling label if available.
What can and cannot be recycled in Kent County, and how do it. And what happens to everything else? WKTV Journal, working with Kent County Department of Public Works Resource Recovery Specialist Lauren Westerman, are working to look at specific consumer products and other items and give you the answers.
In this post, we look at those at-home COVID-19 rest kits — part plastic, part cardboard packaging and paper instructions, part that nasty stick you stuck up your nose and other medical materials. Maybe you want to just toss everything in the nearest trash can, but should you? Here is the lowdown from an expert:
(If you received the kit in the mail, remember to look for a recycling label on the mailer.)
Does your mailer envelope have a recycling label? (Kent County)
Remove the test supplies from the paperboard box. Flatten the box and place it into your curbside recycling cart. The paper instructions can also go into your curbside recycling cart. The box and paper will head to the Recycling Center where it is sorted out from non-paper items, baled, and transported to a local paper mill to be processed into a new paper product that can be used again.
After performing your COVID-19 at home test, throw away the swab, the wrapper from around the swab, the test card, the test card’s soft plastic pouch, and the empty plastic dropper bottle.
The only piece remaining is the hard plastic piece that (possibly) held all the various test pieces. If this hard piece of plastic has a recycling symbol on it, then it may be placed into your curbside recycling cart. The plastic will be sorted with similar rigid plastics at the Recycling Center, shipped to a facility where the plastic is flaked or pelletized, and eventually remolded into a new plastic item.
Do you have a question about a specific consumer product or other item? Contact WKTV at ken@wktv.org. Please send a photo of the product and the recycling label if available.
What can and cannot be recycled in Kent County, and how do it. And what happens to everything else? WKTV Journal, working with Kent County Department of Public Works Resource Recovery Specialist Lauren Westerman, are working to look at specific consumer products and other items and give you the answers.
In this post, we look at those annoying strings of holiday lights that no longer work. Packaging often does not have any recycling information. But what does that mean? Here is the lowdown from an expert:
Many part of the packaging for holiday lights are recyclable, but not all. (WKTV)
Holiday string lights are considered electronic waste. They cannot be recycled through single-stream or curbside recycling collection programs. Kent County Department of Public Works (DPW) has collection bins for holiday string lights at both North Kent Recycling & Waste Center and South Kent Recycling & Waste Center or they can be brought to our electronics recycling collection programs. After Kent County DPW collects the string lights, they are taken to an electronics recycling company where the various component parts (types of metal, wires, plastics, glass, etc.) are separated and recycled accordingly.
When you purchase new holiday string lights, there are a few different parts of the packaging to be aware of when it comes to proper disposal. If the lights come in a box, empty the cardboard box, flatten it, and place it into your single-stream curbside recycling cart. If you have any soft and flexible plastic packaging, tape, or twist-ties, place them into the garbage.
Do you have a question about a specific consumer product or other item? Contact WKTV at ken@wktv.org. Please send a photo of the product and the recycling label if available.
The City of Kentwood’s Glow in the Park event. (City of Kentwood)
Kentwood Parks and Recreation Department program coordinator Katelyn Bush and one of her Adaptive Recreation participants at 2021 The Vibe event. (WKTV/K.D. Norris)
Everybody bonds over food — at the Kentwood Farmers Market. (WKTV/K.D. Norris)
The finish line at the City of Kentwood’s Valentine’s Day Dash 5K in 2020. (City of Kentwood)
Dress up is encouraged at 2019’s Trunk or Treat in Kentwood. (Supplied)
The City of Kentwood announced Jan. 25 that it will ask residents in August to consider a permanent dedicated 1 mil millage that, if approved, would support the city’s parks, trails and recreational facilities and programming.
The millage would fund improvements to all trails and parks, as well as expand and enhance programming through increased capacity in space and staffing, according to the announcement. It also would fund the construction of a new multigenerational community recreation center and park amenities on the city campus, “transforming the area around City Hall into a community gathering space.
“Since celebrating Kentwood’s 50th anniversary in 2017, we’ve dedicated significant time and effort planning for the next 50 years of community growth through collaboration with our residents and other partners,” Mayor Stephen Kepley said in supplied material. “Available parks and recreation funding has not kept pace with increased residential demand, delaying repairs for the community today and significantly limiting future improvements.
“If approved, this millage would provide a permanent sustainable funding source to improve, operate and maintain parks, trails, and other amenities and services for generations to come.”
The proposed millage of 1 mill was recommended by parks advisory committees that included residents and other stakeholders, as well as extensive community engagement and an in-depth review of the city’s current parks, trails and programming, its projected growth and community needs.
The advisory committees also recommended the city contribute additional funds up to $22 million from other public and private sources to make the needed improvements.
The committees’ comprehensive plan was presented Dec. 7 to the City Commission, which unanimously approved the millage ballot proposal for the Aug. 2 voting day.
Kentwood has 15 parks that cover more than 400 acres and more than 13 miles of non-motorized trails that are used year-round by residents and visitors.
Numerous community events and more than 700 recreational programs are offered annually for people of all ages and abilities through the Parks and Recreation Department in the Kentwood Activities Center at 355 48th St. SE, on the City Campus, and at other locations.
Specific parks and recreation projects
According to the announcement, the proposed millage would support Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) upgrades and a variety of other improvements and developments, including (listed by location and projects planned):
Bowen Station Park — Restroom, playground equipment, signage, landscaping and other amenities.
Burgis Park — Trail and sidewalk improvements and a new drinking fountain.
City Campus — Splash pad, playground, plaza, shelters, stage, event lawn, parking, restrooms and other amenities.
Community recreation center — Approximately 50,000 square feet of year-round indoor and multigenerational programming and recreation space on the City Campus.
Covenant Park Phase 1 — Trails, sports fields, event lawn, lighting and infrastructure to support future phases.
East Paris Nature Park — Trail improvements, signage and other amenities.
Home Acres Park —Skate park improvements, shade shelters, lighting, signage, landscaping and other amenities.
Jaycee Park — New restroom/program building, additional parking, disc golf improvements and other amenities.
Kellogg Woods Park — Restrooms, softball/baseball field improvements, new sports fields, lighting and landscaping.
Northeast Park — Restrooms, playground, splash pad, landscaping and other amenities.
Old Farm Park — Parking improvements, playground, shelter and other amenities.
Paris Park — Trail improvements and signage.
Pinewood Park — Splash pad improvements, pickleball courts, a new restroom, shade shelters, landscaping and other amenities.
Rondo Street Station Park — Playground, bicycle rack and repair center, signage, landscaping and other amenities.
Stanaback Park —Playground, parking improvements, signage, pickleball courts, landscaping and other amenities.
Stauffer Station Park — Kiosk, bicycle rack and repair center, signage, lighting, landscaping and other amenities.
Summerwood Park — Playground and landscaping.
Trails — Repairs, replacement and new connections.
Veterans Memorial Park — Shelter, additional parking and other amenities.
“Our extensive community engagement and planning process has shown our community needs have grown beyond available funding,” Val Romeo, Kentwood Parks and Recreation director, said in supplied material. “This has been reaffirmed by increased use of our parks, trails and recreational offerings throughout the past two years.
“The Parks and Recreation Department has exhausted current general funds, including a parks millage that expired in 2013. We have been able to make improvements only through grant opportunities, which are becoming more and more difficult to acquire. New funding is critical to support our growing community needs.”
Details of timeline, millage
If approved, the millage would be levied starting July 1, 2023, with all parks set to receive improvements to address the most immediate needs within the first five years, with all remaining improvements completed within 10 years, according to the announcement.
Trail improvements and construction planning would be prioritized in the first year, followed by ongoing trail repairs and expansion to enhance the trails for all users.
Construction of the City Campus park amenities and community recreation center would begin in the second year.
As detailed in the city’s announcement, a mill is 1/1000 of a dollar, or .001 cents. If a tax rate or millage rate is 1 mill, a resident is taxed .001 cents for every dollar, or $1 per $1,000 of the taxable value of the property. For example, for a residential home with a taxable value of $100,000, the cost of 1 mill would be $100 per year.
The Kent County Health Department, responding to the month of January being National Radon Action Month, have a supply free radon test kits available to residents … while supplies last. (Supplied)
The Kent County Health Department recently announced that during the month of January — National Radon Action Month — county residents can gain free radon test kits while supplies last. The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) is leading month-long the public information effort.
“You cannot see, smell, or taste radon but the radioactive gas can kill,” the county announcement stated. “Next to smoking, radon is the second leading cause of lung cancer in the United States.”
Radon-caused lung cancer kills more than 20,000 Americans every year, according to the U.S. Surgeon General.
“Testing for radon is an easy and important step in protecting the health of your family,” Rusty Flewilling, Supervising Sanitarian with the Kent County Health Department (KCHD). said in supplied material. “The kit is easy to use. Simply hang a filter inside your house for a few days, then send it in a self-addressed, pre-stamped envelope for testing.”
The KCHD recommends that all homes be tested for radon every few years. Testing kits are available Monday to Friday from 8 a.m. until 5 p.m. at the KCHD’s main clinic location at 700 Fuller Avenue NE, Grand Rapids.
Test results will be sent to residents and the Michigan Department of Environment, Great Lakes and Energy. People can use the information when deciding on how best to pursue remediation, and the State gains a better understanding of the prevalence of radon in Michigan.
For help understanding the test results, residents should contact the KCHD Environmental Health Division at 616-632-6900.
Radon occurs naturally in the ground and seeps into buildings through cracks or openings in the foundation of floors and walls. It occurs in both new and old homes. The EPA and the U.S. Geological Survey have developed a map of risk zones for the United States which can be viewed by clicking here. Kent County is typically categorized as having a moderate to high levels of radon.
The KCHD podcast “A Matter of Public Health” recorded two episodes dedicated to educating people about the issue. In the first episode, residents will learn what radon is, how prevalent it is in Michigan, and how often testing should be done in homes.
In the second episode, the discussion focuses on how to get rid of the radon, how to select a contractor, and how to avoid getting ripped off by unscrupulous contractors. Guests include KCHD subject matter experts, Michigan’s top radon expert, the President of the National Radon Safety Board, and the Better Business Bureau of West Michigan.
The opening of the Kent County Department of Public Works’ Grand Rapids administrative offices, including a SafeChem Swap Shop, on Wealthy Street Jan. 6. Addressing the crowd were, from left at podium, were Cynthia Janes, vice-chair of the Board of Public Works; Emily Brieve, Kent County commissioner; and Dar Baas, DPW director. (Supplied)
Operating by the often-used “3-Rs” recycling slogan of “reduce, reuse, recycle”, Kent County Department of Public Works opened its new Grand Rapids administrative offices on Wealthy Street Jan. 6 — a facility that also includes a soon-to-open recycling center, an education center, an electronics drop-off station and not only a SafeChem drop-of station but also a “SafeChem Swap Shop”.
Maybe it should be 4-Rs, with “reimagine” added to the slogan.
Continuing its efforts exemplified by its slogan “Reimagine Trash”, with the county’s Department of Public Works (DPW) website actually being reimaginetrash.org, Kent County officials and DPW leaders held a facility ribbon cutting Jan. 6 to officially open the facility, with its returning and new offerings.
“The new administration center brings our team together and makes it easier for the community to connect with our department and services,” Dar Baas, DPW director, said in supplied material. “The facilities are designed to foster collaboration.”
And that collaboration is exemplified by the new dual SafeChem operations.
The Kent County Department of Public Works SafeChem Swap Shop includes dropped off cleaning chemicals still good for use — and free pickup by the community. (Supplied)
“The SafeChem Drop-off station and Swap Shop are a real asset for our community,” Baas said. “Not only do they keep hazardous materials out of area landfills and the environment, they also provide people free products to avoid them being discarded in the first place.”
The “drop and shop” operation is offered all five of the county-managed chemical drop-off locations, including ones in the Kentwood and Wyoming area.
The Wealthy Street Recycling and Administration Center located at 1045 Wealthy St. SW, adjacent to the Recycling and Education Facility, the SafeChem Drop-off station, SafeChem Swap Shop and electronics recycling services. The DPW offices were previously co-located with the Kent County Road Commission on Scribner Avenue and the property was sold in 2021.
All of Kent County’s SafeChem stations — there are several, with varying days and hours, including one each in the cities of Kentwood and Wyoming — allow residents to drop off household waste like cleaners, garden or garage products. The Wealthy Street location also includes a Swap Shop where products that are in good condition can be offered at no cost.
(The reopening the residential recycling drop-off station on Wealthy Street, which has been closed during construction, will be announced soon on reimaginetrash.org, according to a DPQ statement.)
For more information on the DPW’s SafeChem program, visit here.
Also opening last week, on Jan. 8, at the Wealthy Street location, was its electronics drop-off station, planned to be open for drop-off during the same year-round operational hours as our SafeChem household hazardous waste drop-off and SafeChem Swap Shop. (For more information on the list of electronics accepted for recycling at DPW facilities, as well as other local electronics recycling locations, visit here.)
Kentwood, Wyoming, Byron SafeChem site information
According to the Kent County DPW website, the Kentwood location is 5068 Breton SE, Kentwood, with days and hours November-March, Tuesdays, 2:30-4:30 p.m., and April-October, Tuesdays, 1:30-5:30 p.m.
The Kent County Department of Public Works SafeChem Swap Shop includes dropped off automotive chemicals still good for use — and free pickup by the community. (Supplied)
The Kentwood SafeChem site remained open after the closure of the city’s satellite recycling-drop off.
“A special thank you to City of Kentwood for their partnership,” the DPW website states. “We’re grateful to the City of Kentwood for hosting this SafeChem collection site.”
The Wyoming area location is 2350 Ivanrest Ave. SW, Grandville, with it open Mondays, 1-3 p.m., and Thursdays 7-9 a.m.
“A special thank you to City of Wyoming for their partnership,” the DPW website states. “We’re grateful to the City of Wyoming for not only hosting this SafeChem collection site but for staffing the SafeChem collections.”
The Byron Center location is 10300 South Kent Dr. SW, with its days and hours being November-March, Mondays, 8:30-10:30 a.m., and April-October, Mondays, 8:30-11:30 a.m.
Nika, the Amur tiger at John Ball Zoo, is reported doing much better after testing positive for COVID. (Supplied)
The John Ball Zoo had good news today in that its 16-year-old female Amur tiger, Nika, is doing well after testing positive for COVID-19.
“Nika continues to do well and has been symptom free since approximately five to seven days after her initial presentation,” said Dr. Ryan Colburn, John Ball Zoo’s veterinarian. “No other animals at John Ball Zoo have shown signs of or tested positive.”
In December, John Ball Zoo announced that the Amur tiger had COVID. It is believed that a pre-symptomatic, positive member of the animal care team exposure the tiger to COVID. According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), there have been worldwide reports of animals being infected with COVID by humans. At this time, it is believed that the risk of animals spreading COVID to humans is low.
People can spread COVID to companion animals such as dogs and cats. At zoos and sanctuaries, several types of big cats, otters, non-human primates, and hyenas have been reported being infected. Also white-tail deer in several U.S. States have been reported as being infected as well.
According to John Ball Zoo, Ryan and his teams have now successful administer vaccinations to many animals at the zoo who are considered high risk of COVID infection as well as continue to monitor Nika for viral shedding.
Still on the hunt
Blandford Nature Center continues to search for its missing Bobcat, Artemis.
Artemis, the female bobcat demonstrates her love for climbing at Blandford Nature Center. (Supplied)
Artemis escaped from the Department of Natural Resources’ approved enclosure on Dec. 31. Her brother, Apollo, had escaped earlier in December but was captured in a live trap by a neighbor and returned to Blandford on Dec. 20.
“We know our community’s been eager to hear good news about our missing bobcat, Artemis,” it states on the Blandford Nature Center Facebook page. “We want to thank everyone who has contracted us with sightings and leads on her location or reached out with kind words, we are so appreciative of the help we have received so far.
“We are sad to report there are no new developments at this time, but we remain hopeful that we will be able to find her and bring her home safely.
According to Blandford’s wildlife staff, Artemis has been on Blandford’s property in the past few days and has been spotted by Blandford trail cams. Blandford has received several reported sightings near or on its property which gives staff reason to believe she won’t be traveling far and are hoping to catch her in one of the many live traps that are being placed on Blandford’s property.
Blandford Nature Center got the sister and brother bobcats in the fall. The cubs were orphaned after their mother was killed by a car. Because they did not receive the survival training from their mother, it was determined by registered wildlife rehabiliators that the cubs would not be able to survive in the wild.
Apollo, the male bobcat, at Blandford Nature Center. (Supplied)
Blandford had an existing bobcat enclosure that was built for two but only housed its former bobcat, Bob, who died in 2020. The cubs were placed with Blandford.
Bobcats are solitary. Their prey is usually rabbits. rodents or similar in size small animals. According to Blandford, due to Artemis’s age and size, that of a large house cat, she is unlikely to be a threat to humans or most animals. The main concern is for her safety.
If a resident does spot Artemis, they should not approach her but should call the Grand Rapids Police Department’s non-emergency number, 616-456-3400. The GRPD will notify Blandford. The social media and phones at Blandford are not monitored 24/7 which is why residents should contact the Grand Rapids Police Department.
Apollo is currently being housed at the John Ball Zoo where he is doing fine. According to the Facebook announcement, Blandford’s bobcat enclosure is scheduled to have more reinforcements made next week.
Col. Eileen Collins is the featured speaker at this year’s “Roger That!” two-day program. (Supplied)
The Grand Rapids Public Museum (GRPM) and Grand Valley State University (GVSU) have announced the return of “Roger That!,” a multi-day event celebrating space exploration and the life of Grand Rapids native, Roger B. Chaffee.
In its sixth year, “Roger That!” will take place on Feb. 18 and Feb. 19 with various components to the celebration, all themed around women in space — including remarks from pioneering pilot and astronaut Eileen Collins, the first woman to both pilot a spacecraft and command a space shuttle mission.
“After four in-person events and one virtual iteration of‘Roger That!’ we’re excited to combine the best of both with a hybrid conference in 2022,” said Deana Weibel, event co-organizer and GVSU professor of anthropology.
The two-part event will feature speeches on both days by Eileen Collins, who made history in 1995 as the first woman to pilot a U.S. spacecraft with the Discovery shuttle flight. In 1999, she was the commander for Columbia, making her the first woman to command a space shuttle mission. She ultimately logged 872 hours in space.
GVSU will host a free academy conference on Feb. 18 that is open to educators and the general public. Speeches will be available in person and virtually, over Zoom.
2022 speakers include: Computational Chemist Michelle Franci; Space Historian Catherine Newell; Planetary Scientist Louise Prockter; Space Educator Crzarina Salido; Bioastronautics Researcher and Spacesuit Technician Yvette Gonzalez; Space Media Archivist Megal Prelinger; Electrical Engineer Heidi Jiao and Space Historian and Eileen Collins’ Biographer Jonathan Ward.
The Roger B. Chaffee Planetarium is named after the Grand Rapids native who perished in 1967 on test of the Apollo 1 mission to the moon. (Supplied)
To attend the “Roger That!” Academic Conference, register at gvsu.edu/RogerThat. The events being held at GVSU this year will be free, as will the virtual talks, but guests must register. A reception with light refreshments will be held ahead of Collins’ talk at 6:30 p.m. Feb. 18 at the Loosemore Auditorium on GVSU’s Pew Grand Rapids Campus. The lecture is free through registration at gvsu.edu/RogerThat; it will also be livestreamed.
The Grand Rapids Public Museum will have activities both days centered around local astronaut Roger B. Chaffee, who died in 1967 during a NASA test flight, and space exploration. Hands-on activites include build stations where attendees can design their own rockets and paper airplanes, astronaut challenges, artifact interactions including meteorite samples, and tektite and more.
Collins will speak at 11 a.m. Feb. 19 at the GRPM. Tickets for this lecture will be available free of charge at grpm.org beginning Jan. 14.
A pair of eastern sandhill cranes keep a lookout for predators. These birds normally stay together unless one dies, in which case they’ve been known to start other family groups. Credit: Department of Natural Resources
LANSING — Efforts by politicians to create a hunting season for eastern sandhill cranes in both Michigan and Wisconsin are stirring debates among hunters, farmers and birders.
A Michigan legislative resolution to encourage the Natural Resources Commission to explore the possibilities of issuing tags for cranes was introduced but not adopted. Wisconsin has gone further, with lawmakers introducing a bill in October to require the state Department of Natural Resources to issue permits to eligible hunters for the birds.
If either of these measures passes, it would be the first time the bird has been hunted legally in its breeding grounds since the species was nearly hunted to extinction in the early 1900s.
Advocates of a hunt in both states cited the agricultural damage caused by rising numbers of the birds, as well as increased opportunities for hunters as reasons to add the sandhill crane to their lists of state game birds.
However, hunting them is controversial for both birding groups and ornithological associations. They argue that the cranes’ unique ecology has historically made them vulnerable to overhunting.
“This bird wows and delights people,” said Heather Good, the executive director of Michigan Audubon, the state’s oldest conservation organization.
“It’s widely depicted in art, and it’s the oldest living species at more than 2.5 million years old. True conservationists do not take that history for granted,” Good said.
Sandhill cranes have the lowest juvenile survival rate of any game bird in North America, with only one in 10 nests producing a chick that survives to adulthood, according to the Wisconsin Society for Ornithology. One reason is the time it takes for the birds to reach maturity, with pairs being an average of 4 years old before they can reproduce, it said.
Eastern Sand Hill Cranes have a low juvenile survival rate. (Wikipedia/http://www.birdphotos.com)
Their low birth rate, paired with increased habitat loss and overhunting during the early 1900s, led to its eradication from a number of Great Lakes states, including Illinois, Ohio and Indiana. By the 1930s, there were only 25 breeding pairs in Wisconsin, according to population counts at the time.
Researchers from the University of Wisconsin, like Mark Berres, claim that near-extinction means that the eastern sandhill crane still has problems with genetic diversity, which makes it more susceptible to overhunting.
In an interview with the University of Wisconsin News, Berres said: “We have a pretty good understanding of why the birds are doing so well, but we’re really just starting to figure out the population’s breeding structure. To me it screams ‘don’t touch them.’”
Michigan DNR officials claim that the bird’s destructive behavior towards crops is a sign of resilience and adaptability.
The cranes tend to travel into cornfields from adjacent wetlands and eat the new shoots as they sprout out of the ground in the springtime. Farmers say they can leave large sections of their field bare.
“They’re an adaptable species and they’ve been able to take advantage of available habitats like wetlands and emerging wetlands,” said Barbara Avers, the waterfowl and wetland specialist at the Michigan DNR. “But they are now using agricultural products as an abundant food source, and we are really seeing their numbers take off.”
Despite the rising rates of agricultural destruction, ornithological groups say that’s not an issue because of existing solutions such as repellents that make new plants taste bitter so cranes stay away.
However, the cost of repellent ranges from $6 to $10 per acre, and some farmers are unwilling to take on the added cost and time to treat their crops. The federal government offers a permit to such farmers to kill cranes that are damaging their crops.
Federal regulations make it illegal for those hunters to consume meat from the cranes they kill. Instead, carcasses are left in the field to discourage other groups of cranes from coming to that farm.
Hunting groups in both states call that a waste of natural resources and argue that a hunting season would both reduce population numbers for farmers and provide an economic opportunity for the state DNRs.
At an appearance with Republican lawmakers in Wisconsin, Michigan musician and pro-hunting activist Ted Nugent called sandhill cranes “ribeyes in the sky,” referring to his desire to eat them.
In a presentation to the Natural Resources Commission, Nick Green, the public information officer for Michigan United Conservation Clubs, said hunters both understand population management strategies and provide funding for habitat restoration.
Green said, “Numerous game and no-game species have all flourished thanks to funding generated almost exclusively from hunting license sales and the tax on firearms and ammunition.”
At a commission meeting this fall, officials from Michigan Audubon and the Michigan Humane Society said DNR has focused too much on hunters in the past.
Good said, “Conservation is not a sport, it’s actually a science.”
MollyTamulevich, the Michigan director for the Humane Society of the United States, said, “In conversations with commissioners, it’s clear that some of you believe that the primary role of the Natural Resources Commission is to serve the fewer than 7% of Michiganders who hold a hunting license.
“In fact, the lens through which the commission’s decisions are made frames Michigan’s wildlife entirely as a resource to be managed by being killed by game license holders,” she said.
Tamulevich said she was frustrated with the lack of representation for Michigan’s growing eco-friendly and non-hunting residents, saying that ignores economic benefits produced by birders and native Anishinaabe communities that consider the bird sacred.
“It’s time the decision-making bodies start to pay attention to the voices of Michigan citizens who are heavily invested in their outdoors land and wild areas but chose not to hunt, trap or kill for trophies, cash prizes and bragging rights,” Tamulevich said.
Nika, a 16-year-old tiger at John Ball Zoo, has tested positive for COVID-19. (Supplied)
John Ball Zoo announces that its 16-year-old female Amur tiger has tested positive for SARS CoV-2 (COVID-19) and is recovering.
The Amur tiger named Nika recently became ill. At that time, she was immobilized in order to perform diagnostics that included COVID testing, which came back as positive for SARS CoV- 2 (COVID-19).
As seen among other zoos, John Ball Zoo suspects that Nika’s exposure likely came from a pre-symptomatic, positive member of the animal care team. “Even with increased safety protocols in place for the care of the Zoo’s animals, we know that just as with humans, the spreading of COVID can occur even among those who are vaccinated and practicing safe habits and protocols,” said John Ball Zoo Chief Executive Officer Peter D’Arienzo.
“We continue to take the health and well-being of our team, guests and animals seriously as we have before and during this COVID pandemic,” added D’Arienzo. “As with all of the Zoo’s animals, Nika continues to receive exceptional care from her keeper and veterinary teams and they are cautiously optimistic on her complete recovery.”
The Zoo notes that while increased health and safety protocols are in place that there is no guarantee against transmission. “The animal care and veterinary teams have been diligent with our use of PPE and other safety protocols in all animal spaces in particular our felid, primate, and small carnivore spaces, but we also know that no system is perfect in preventing a highly contagious virus,” said Dr. Ryan Colburn, John Ball Zoo’s veterinarian.
In addition to the John Ball Zoo’s tigers, the chimpanzees, lions, snow leopards, and small carnivores are completely vaccinated or are scheduled to receive their second vaccination against SARS CoV-2 (COVID-19).
“Many of our animals are now completely vaccinated against COVID-19 and that partially included Nika as she was due for her second dose on the day that she became sick,” added Colburn.
Dr. Colburn also noted that Nika is doing well and her health is continuing to improve. There have been no clinical signs from any of the other Zoo cats or their other animals of having COVID. However, out of an abundance of caution, John Ball Zoo will run additional testing of the other two Amur Tigers to determine if they are shedding the virus. According to the Centers for Disease Control, the risk of animals spreading COVID to humans is low.
Recently, John Ball Zoo received AZA-accreditation. This is the 38th consecutive year that JBZ has held the accreditation. The Association of Zoos & Aquariums requires zoos and aquariums to complete a rigorous accreditation process and inspection by top zoo experts every five years to remain accredited. The inspection team visited John Ball Zoo in July and observed all aspects of the Zoo’s operations and focused on areas such as veterinary care; physical facilities; safety; security; finance; staff; governing authority; involvement in education, conservation, and research; and adherence to AZA policies.
Kent County Animal Shelter this week announced has some cold weather tips to protect pets from this winter’s often dangerous freezing temperatures, including producing the updated video (above). The KCAS also announced it is prepared to investigate all reports of animal neglect throughout the winter.
While Michigan law does not prohibit dogs from being left outside in the cold, state law requires that all dogs who spend time outside have access to adequate shelter, fresh water, and dry bedding, according to the KCAS announcement. The statue also stipulates separate shelter requirements for livestock.
(From Kent County Animal Shelter video)
“The best place for our pets is in our home next to us, but we know that is not always possible. We encourage all pet owners to take appropriate steps to protect those animals that may be left outside for long stretches of time,” Angela Hollinshead, Kent County Animal Shelter Division Director, said in supplied material. “Many pets are not equipped to handle the effects of cold temperatures, so we want to remind pet owners of their responsibilities to care for them during the winter.”
A few of the cold weather requirements in state statue include maintaining adequate shelter:
Inside the owners’ home, or an enclosure or shelter with at least three sides and a roof that is appropriate for the size and breed of the dog.
Or in a structure, including a garage, barn or shed, that is sufficiently insulated and ventilated to protect the dog from exposure to extreme temperatures, or if not sufficiently insulated and ventilated, contains a doghouse inside the structure (or structures or natural features such as trees or topography for livestock).
Also animals should be provided dry bedding, such as straw, when the temperature is or predicated to be below freezing. Avoid using blankets or cloth bedding as these materials will likely get wet and freeze.
Finally, provide water that is safe to drink and suitable for the age and species of the animal. Owners are encouraged to check every few hours to ensure the water is not frozen.
Although Michigan law does not directly address free-roaming or community cats, the KCAS encourages residents be mindful of their needs as well. Cats are typically well adapted for living in colder climates, but they greatly benefit from having access to a shelter. Simple cat shelters made from a storage tote lined with foam and stuffed with straw make great places for cats to escape from the cold. (An instructional video for creating your own cat shelter is available on the KCAS website.)
“Michigan winters are certainly beautiful but can be dangerous for some animals if they do not have appropriate resources,” Hollinshead said. “We encourage pet owners to watch our educational video and learn about these dangers, so your pets are safe and happy this winter.
“If you cannot keep your pet indoors and need resources, we urge residents to reach out to the KCAS to so see how we can help.”
The KCAS also stated it investigates all reports of animal neglect throughout the winter. Residents are encouraged to call the KCAS at 616-632-7300 “if they notice an animal being kept outside for an extended period without adequate shelter, water, and bedding.”
First there is an ear. It twitches. Then there is the outline of a face. Will it come out from its hiding place? But the whispers of the school children nearby causes it to vanish.
Finally, the children are gone and it is quiet. It makes its way slowly, out of the hollow log. It looks toward the pathway and sees two strangers watching it. Carefully, slowly, it moves, picking something up off the ground and slinking back into the log.
One of the favorite hiding places of the male bobcat is the logs. The brother and sister bobcats recently came to Blandford Nature Center. (Supplied)
The encounter is brief, but you can’t help but feel the excitement of having seen a Michigan bobcat.
The five-month-old male bobcat, along with his sister, is the newest addition to the Blandford Nature Center, 1715 Hillburn Ave. NW.
“We believe they were born sometime in the spring,” said Sidney Baxter, marketing specialist for Blandford Nature Center. “Sometime shortly after they were born, their mother was hit by a car and died.”
The cubs, not knowing what to do, stayed with the mother. Concerned residents in the Hart area where the accident happened, contacted the animal rescue center Kelly’s Westshore Animal Friends, who took the orphans in.
“Because they were so young and had not received any of the needed life survival skills from their mother, a wildlife rehabilitator decided that the cubs would not be able to return to the wild,” Baxter said, adding that Kelly’s Westshore Animal Friends began looking for a permanent home for the cubs.
Bob the Bobcat
Blandford Nature Center cares for a host of animals, about 40, that are native to Michigan. The animals in the Center’s care would not survive in the wild and through the center help to serve as wildlife ambassadors, giving residents and children the opportunity to view the animals up close and learn more about Michigan’s wildlife.
One of the most recognizable of the Blandford animals was Bob the bobcat, who had lived to the age of 15, dying in 2020.
“The average lifespan of a bobcat in the wild is about seven years, but it is often much shorter, usually four,” Baxter said. “Bob lived to 15, which is pretty rare for a bobcat.”
Actually, according to a report from John Hopkins University, most bobcats don’t live past 10 years and the oldest recorded bobcat in the wild was 16. The oldest living capitative bobcat lived to 32.
It is estimated that between 1,000 to 1,500 bobcats live in the Upper Peninsua, but they are not only up north. Bobcats may live on the outskirts of cities such as Detroit. Because bobcats live mostly solo, only pairing up for mating season and to care for their young, and they are nocturnal, most people have never seen a bobcat.
“This makes it important for people to be able to see them so they have a greater understanding about the creatures,” Baxter said.
With an empty enclosure built for two, Blandford connected with Hart’s wildlife center about the two orphan bobcats. After passing a habitat inspection by the Michigan Department of Natural Resources and the Environmental Protection Agency, the cubs were transported in November making Blandford Nature Center their new home.
The female bobcat demonstrates her love for climbing, something the former residence never did. (Supplied)
Balls of mischief who need a name
“It is interesting that Bob was declawed, so he never climbed the fence [around the habitat],” Baxter said, noting that Bob had been someone’s pet before coming to Blandford. The owner had had the animal declawed leaving Bob defenseless if put back in the wild. “Every once in a while, you’ll come out and these two are climbing the fence.”
For now the brother and sister pair are just getting used to their new home. Baxter said the male prefers the logs in the center of the enclosure while the female prefers to sit under the wooden structure.
“Both love to climb the rafters of the structure and sleep in the roof area,” she said with a laugh.
To help introduce the new ambassadors, Blandford is currently hosting a naming campaign and fundraiser. For a minimum $5 donation, participants can vote on four name choices: Lil and Phil, Leia and Luke, Artemis and Apollo, and Lilo and Stitch. Residents have until 6 p.m Dec. 14 to vote with the winning name being announced on Dec. 15.
No matter what name is chosen, many – including those children on the trailway path trying to capture a peek – are excited to have bobcats back at Blandford Nature Center.
“It’s been a little bit over a year since our bobcat, Bob, passed away and walking by his empty enclosure always made me miss having a bobcat wildlife ambassador,” said Blandford Wildlife Manager Lori Lomoro. “I am excited to have these two using that enclosure now, and I can’t wait to hear about the experiences students and guests will enjoy while visiting and learning about these two beautiful animals.”
As Baxter and I walk away from the enclosure back to the main building, we turn for a look back. Watching us, in full view, and then, he is gone.
Community members can visit the bobcats on the Wildlife Trail during Blandford’s open hours Monday-Saturday from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. For more about Blandford Nature Center or to vote on a name, visit www.blandfordnaturecenter.org.
Any unclaimed bottle deposits are used to clean up and develop polluted areas in the state and educate the public about pollution prevention. (Pxhere.com)
LANSING – Some state lawmakers and environmental advocates want to create a hotline to stop retailers from fraudulently cashing in on Michigan’s bottle deposit law.
Bottle bill fraud takes deposit money away from state pollution prevention and cleanup programs.
The effort isn’t to stop the kind of scam immortalized in a 1996 “Seinfeld” episode where Kramer and Newman trucked empty cans and bottles from New York to Michigan for the higher deposit redemption.
New technology that scans barcodes makes it much harder to redeem cans from out of state, according to Conan Smith, the president and CEO of the Michigan Environmental Council.
Instead, the recently introduced Senate bill would focus on reporting large violations, mostly by retailers who buy beverages out of state and sell to Michigan residents, Smith said.
“This is actually oriented at two major systemic problems we’ve been experiencing with the bottle bill,” Smith said.
First, the state has a problem of retailers buying bottles and cans in Ohio, where there is no bottle deposit. Then they sell the beverages in Michigan, often to gas stations, where the consumer still pays the cost of the beverages plus the deposit.
“You as a consumer are charged the 10 cent bottle deposit, but you’re not able to return that can because it’s not a Michigan can,” Smith said. “You get screwed out of 10 cents, and these fraudulent sellers pocket your dime.”
Smith said these dimes could amount to tens of thousands of dollars per year in deposit costs for consumers.
Most automated return machines won’t accept out-of-state cans. If a consumer is able to return an out-of-state can to a retailer that hand checks them, some cases of fraud are not intentional.
Many people who try to redeem their containers from out of state don’t even know it’s illegal, said Matt Fletcher, a recycling market development specialist for the Department of Environment, Great Lakes and Energy.
“I’ve gotten calls from Boy Scout troops in Illinois saying ‘We’ve loaded up a U-Haul, and we’re going to drive up to Michigan to get the deposit,’” Fletcher said, “and I have to explain to them that it would be fraud, because the deposit has to be paid to get redeemed.”
Fletcher said the Boy Scouts had been collecting cans all summer for a trip.
“They had $10,000 worth of dimes,” he said.
Any fraud takes away from state unclaimed bottle deposit funds.
It is considered fraud to cash in bottles or cans that are not from Michigan and have the “10 cents MI” stamped on the top. (Pxhere.com)
Those are used to clean up and develop polluted areas in the state and educate the public about pollution prevention, Fletcher said.
“It’s not the consumer’s role to figure out if where they bought it in Michigan is complying with the law,” Fletcher said. “Ultimately the main environmental impact of fraudulently redeeming containers would be that it weakens the system and takes away unclaimed deposit funds that are used for benefits in Michigan.”
The addition of a hotline could reduce instances of fraud, Smith said.
“If a can doesn’t say ‘Michigan 10 cents,’ you need to have somewhere you can report that so that the bottle bill can be enforced,” he said.
Smith said another violation comes from retailers throughout the state that still haven’t opened up their bottle return facilities.
“They shut them down during COVID, which was totally reasonable,” Smith said, “But they’ve since failed to reopen those facilities, despite the fact that the rest of their business is back open.
“That means they’re denying you the opportunity to utilize that facility.”
Since October 2020, the return program has been fully re-established.
Businesses are required to have facilities open, and can’t refuse returns or restrict their hours to impact the return of bottles, said the Department of Treasury.
But the total number of violations throughout the state isn’t tracked by Treasury, said Ron Leix, a deputy public information officer for the department.
Smith said the hotline could also be used to report nonoperational facilities.
“We haven’t taken a formal position on the bill yet, but are very supportive in concept,” Smith said. “I want to make sure when we create this hotline that we’re not reporting our neighbor dropping a can in the trash.
“We’re really trying to generate info and intelligence on systemic problems with the implementation of the law,” he said.
LANSING — After an unusually warm and stormy summer, the Great Lakes region has in store a “frosty flip-flop” winter, according to the 2021-22 Farmers’ Almanac forecast.
“By that, we mean one month it’s going to start out mild, and it’s going to get icy, it’s going to get snowy,” said Sandi Duncan, the publication’s managing editor. “It’s going be a mixed bag kind of winter.”
The month-to-month contrast follows an unusually stormy summer for the Great Lakes region, which the Almanac predicted to be “muggy and thundery” last April.
The buzzwords for the Great Lakes this winter are “icy and flaky,” the Almanac reports.
January is expected to begin mild with rain and wet snow, followed by 2-5 inches of snow possible in a storm at the end of the month, the publication predicts. February calls for bitter temperatures but little precipitation. March has been projected as snowy and stormy throughout the month.
What makes the Farmer’s Almanac so certain?
That’s hard to know. Its predictions do not include any type of computer satellite tracking or lore-based techniques, such as groundhogs, the publication reports. Its formula includes factors such as “sunspot activity, tidal action of the moon, the position of the planets and a variety of other factors.”
Atmospheric phenomena like El Nino and La Nina were not factors in the forecast, Duncan said. “Some people are saying La Nina might come into play, but we didn’t have a chance to factor that in.”
While the Almanac’s website claims an 80-85% accuracy rate, meteorologists have always suggested taking the Farmers’ Almanac’s predictions with a grain of salt.
In 2017, meteorologist Jan Null compared the accuracy of the almanac’s temperature and precipitation predictions with the actual results. Forecasts were graded as good, not good or mixed, depending on if they were predicted the same as they were observed.
Of the 34 precipitation regions compared, Null rated 21% as “good.” She rated 42% of the 33 temperature regions as good.
The National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration also releases a 90-day prediction forecast from its Climate Prediction Center. Unlike the Farmers’ Almanac, NOAA uses the most up-to-date technology and computer models.
“Covering December, January and February we’re favoring only slightly above normal temperatures and above normal precipitation which includes rain and snow for the Great Lakes,” NOAA meteorologist Brad Pugh said. “La Nina is currently present and we expect La Nina to persist through the winter.”
La Nina is an atmospheric phenomenon that is created by cooler than normal sea surface temperatures across the equatorial line in the central Pacific.
“It typically does lead towards a wetter winter for the Great Lakes region,” Pugh said.
The Farmers’ Almanac has been published since 1818 when it was created by astronomer and weather-watcher David Young, not to be confused with the Old Farmer’s Almanac, which was founded 26 years earlier in 1792 by Robert B. Thomas.
Beyond long-range weather forecasts, the online and print editions now offer gardening tips, natural remedies and recipes.
“Part of the long-lasting appeal of the Farmers’ Almanac is that it’s nostalgic and charming but it is also useful,” Duncan said. “We just stay current with the times and keep reminding people how to live a natural life.”
LANSING — Michigan is encouraging counties to consider giving their trash a new life, offering up to $12,000 in grants to those interested in treating it as a resource.
The Department of Environment, Great Lakes and Energy recently announced the grants for counties interested in converting outdated solid waste management plans into materials management plans that treat waste as a resource.
Solid waste management plans make sure you have a place to throw your trash. But the future materials management plans look at how you manage materials as a whole, said Christina Miller, a solid waste planning specialist for the department’s Materials Management Division.
Darwin Baas, who has been on the WKTV Journal, said there is value left in materials that are currently put in the ground. (WKTV)
“Can you recycle that material? Can you maybe send it through an anaerobic digester or a compost facility? What’s the best way to utilize that material at its highest, best use?” Miller said.
State policy over the last three decades was directed toward ensuring landfills had the disposal capacity for waste, said Darwin Baas, the director of the Kent County Department of Public Works.
Materials management is a community decision that says everything you place in a dumpster or trash cart has value, Baas said.
There’s value left in materials from a variety of viewpoints, including land use and economic development, Baas said. We can do better than discarding those materials and burying them in the ground where we lose all value, he said.
Michigan’s county waste standards have not been updated since the late 1990s. Because these plans haven’t been updated in so long, counties throughout the state have lost staff with the institutional knowledge to understand solid waste planning, Miller said.
In the past, counties had to have solid waste management committees to prepare and implement waste management plans. While some counties still have active committees, there are many that lack those officials, Miller said.
This grant requires counties to consider collaborating, she said. Those that do will receive $12,000 each. Counties that work alone receive $10,000.
The state wants counties to look at challenges and opportunities to grow materials management, Miller said. They can also consider creating programs to feed into existing or new infrastructure.
“Hopefully it will help engage those discussions and make them start thinking about ‘Well, I have yard clippings in my township but nowhere to really send it. Where do we send that material?’ Is that an issue that we have regionally and maybe it makes sense to create a compost facility that (counties) can utilize together,” Miller said.
Even communities without the infrastructure for materials management can provide a jumping off point. (sphere.com)
Even communities without the infrastructure for materials management can provide a jumping off point, Miller said.
The department hopes to prepare for the transition if a pending package of waste management standards is enacted by the Legislature, Miller said.
Some counties have already begun adopting materials management strategies. The Kent County Department of Public Works resolved to divert 90% of its landfill waste by 2030. The county and neighboring Allegan County say they hope to build a sustainable business park on land that was purchased for use as a landfill.
When you build a landfill you have lost the opportunity to use that land for agriculture, manufacturing or other types of developments, Baas said.
The county plans a mixed waste processing facility with a system to turn organic waste into natural gas and fertilizer.
“You are now creating a renewable natural gas, putting that into the grid, generating a fertilizer. Why wouldn’t you?” Baas said.
Another plan is to make roofing boards from plastic film and waste paper that otherwise has virtually no value, Baas said.
“This is going to be a new way of thinking where people go ‘Really, you can manufacture a product from this material?’
“Yeah, you can.”
“Every 1,000 square feet of roof cover board that’s manufactured, 2,000 pounds of material is diverted from the landfill,” he said.
Information on grant applications and requirements can be found at Michigan.gov/EGLEM3.
From carrying diseases to being the source of COVID, bats have gotten a bad rap.
“I think it is just popular opinion because of all the advertising around bats being spooky thieves.” said Jamie Racalla, an animal care supervisor with John Ball Zoo. “When in truth, half of them are pollinators, take care of those pesky bugs like mosquitoes, and don’t really carry all those diseases.”
Jaime Racalla is an animal care specialist at John Ball Zoo. (Supplied)
It is why such exhibits as the Grand Rapids Public Museum’s current “Bats: Masters of the Night” are so important, Racalla said, because it helps to dispel some of the myths around these very difficult to study and often misunderstood creatures.
“We really don’t know that much about bats,” said Racalla, who recently participated in a study on bats in Michigan hosted by the Detroit Zoo. “Think about when they are out, at night, which makes them difficult to study because it has to be dark.”
For a while, researchers would study bats during the day while they slept in bat houses or when they hibernated during the winter. Unfortunately, White-Nose Syndrome developed among North American bats, which is a fungus call Pseudogymnoascus destructans, that invades and ingests the skin of hibernating bats, causing them to wake up more frequently in the winter and use up their limited fat reserves. First found in North America in 2006, it is estimated that by 2012 more than 6.7 million bats in North America have died from the disease.
To help reduce the spread of the fungus, researchers have discontinued visiting bats in their homes, but instead are using sonar to help track the bat population in the United States, This past summer, Racalla drove around parts of Greater Grand Rapids using equipment to hear bat calls which helped determine what type of bats could be in the area.
Through her research, Racalla said she found several bat types such as the little brown bat, eastern red bat, big brown bat, and the silver-haired bat, all of which eat insects such as mosquitoes, beetles, flies, ants, and spiders.
Through the Grand Rapids Public Museum’s exhibit, residents can make their own discoveries about the creatures of the night. While there are blood-sucking bats — vampire bats live in Central and South America — a majority of the bats are gentle and much like the bats found in Michigan, beneficial to the ecosystem.
Bats are important to the environment in that they help to pollinate plants and eat pesky bugs such as mosquitoes. (Supplied)
Visitors can learn more about diet and flight of various bats around the world (The only place without bats are Arctic, Antarctic and a few isolated Oceanic islands). The exhibit includes lifelike models, multi-sensory interactive displays and environmentally lifelike settings. There also is a hands-on display showcasing the evening activities of bats, such as echolocation (sonar ability). In a demonstration of echolocation, visitors can use a joystick to maneuver a bat model in search of food using a laser to simulate sonar. In a visit to a bat nursery, visitors learn how caring bat mothers are by using sound to help the mother bat find her baby.
“I personally can’t wait to see the exhibit,” Racalla said. “I hope people go and it helps them have a greater understanding of just how misunderstood and unique they are.”
Also the importance of preservation of the bat community. Because of the White-Nosed Syndrome, most Michigan bat species are considered threatened or endangered. Because of state and federal productions, it is illegal to kill certain species of bats, according to the USDA Forest Service.
“Bats: Masters of the Night” will be up through January 2022 at the Grand Rapids Public Museum, 272 Pearl St. NW. Hours are 9 a.m. – 5 p.m.Monday – Friday and 10 a.m. – 5 p.m. Saturday and Sunday. “The Bats: Masters of the Night” is included in the museum’s general admission. General admission for Kent County residents is $5/adults, $3/seniors, and free/children 17 & under. For more information
MSU Extension drainage specialist Ehsan Ghane
discusses controlled drainage strategies for farms at the Lenawee County Center for Excellence field day in August. Roughly 500 farmers attended. Credit: Jon Adamy, Michigan Farm Bureau.
By Andrea Vera Capital News Service
LANSING — Farmers are set to take on a growing number of challenges in the face of climate change.
Now waiting to be passed in the House, the bill would make it easier for farmers to participate in carbon markets to reduce greenhouse gas emissions.
In a recent study of attitudes of West Michigan fruit growers, Julia Linder, a graduate of the University of Michigan’s Program in the Environment, explored the factors that influence how fruit growers adapt to climate change. She currently works as a research assistant at Michigan Medicine.
The goal of her project was to determine the influence of climate change beliefs and perception of climate risk and adaptive actions on management practices used by tree fruit growers.
The study involved 18 interviewees ranging from first-generation to fifth-generation growers with from 5 to 2,500 acres of fruit trees. It appeared in the journal “Weather, Climate and Society.”
“What we would’ve call ‘normal’ is no longer normal – so everything is becoming the new normal, if you will,” one grower said.
Laura Campbell of the Michigan Farm Bureau also identifies climate change as the biggest challenge faced by farmers because of its far-reaching effects on nearly every aspect of what they do.
Campbell, who manages the organization’s agricultural ecology department, said the public lacks familiarity with the inner workings of the agricultural sector, and that makes it difficult for them to conceptualize just how daunting climate change can be for farmers.
“People who don’t farm don’t understand why,” she said.
Bill Schultz, a fruit grower in Mattawan, has been farming his whole life.
His 250-acre family farm, Schultz Fruitridge Farms, is celebrating 70 years since his grandparents founded it in 1951.
Like many other growers interviewed for the study, Schultz has noticed increasing variability in seasonal weather patterns and says he must adapt accordingly.
“In the last five years, what I see as a grower is that the jet stream is becoming very anemic, and that causes a lot of other events to happen that don’t typically happen that frequently,” Schultz says.
He adds, “We see more extreme events happening more frequently.”
More droughts and flooding, heavier rainfall, higher temperatures and more unpredictable frosts are occurring across the country.
That proves especially difficult for Michigan’s tree fruit growers to handle.
That’s because perennial tree fruit crops are very susceptible to changes in temperature and weather patterns, unlike field crops such as corn, Linder’s study says.
Fruit trees in Michigan and other cold-weather locations in the Midwest and Northeast have adapted to undergo a winter dormancy period in which a tree stops growing to protect itself from frost damage.
Campbell said the growing unpredictability of both temperature and frost is a threat at the beginning of the season: An early spring warmup triggers the growth of blossoms, making them vulnerable to a frost event later in the season.
When blossoms die due to frost, the crop for the entire season is lost.
“Spring frosts are probably one of our biggest challenges,” Schultz said.
He recalled the devastation that followed the unprecedented warm up of March 2012 when temperatures reached 80 degrees Fahrenheit, then plunged back down to below freezing.
“We lost everything. I lost my job that year. I still had work to do, but we had no income. We laid everybody off, we had to take out a loan to pay our bills. It set us back years,” he said.
While frost events like those happened only once before in his life, Schultz has seen three frost events like those in the past 10 years.
Linder says that orchards require a long-term commitment and investment of a couple of decades because they are perennial.
Another study interviewee said, “In the row crop business it’s easier to see change, but in the fruit industry, we raise the same commodity for 25 years.”
That grower made it clear that adaptive behaviors are important to preserve the viability of that and future seasons’ crops when they rely on the same trees for decades.
Schultz primarily uses irrigation, frost fans and crop insurance to mitigate climate risk.
Such methods are used in reaction to weather events, but can have limited effectiveness, he says.
Alternatively, farmers can adopt proactive management practices to prepare for future climate scenarios, Linder wrote in her study.
“The goal is to increase a tree’s resilience to climate change,” she said.
There’s still much climate change research to do about perennial agriculture, she said.
As extreme events began threatening Schultz Fruitridge Farms more frequently, the Schultz family diversified from peaches to also grow asparagus, grapes, apples, sweet corn, pumpkins, blueberries and cherries.
They also opened a farm market and a farm-to-table restaurant where they sell their hard cider, donuts and craft beer.
That provided Schultz with a fallback if one of his crops were damaged for the season, but not all growers have the financial capability for such long-term preparations.
“Because it’s so much longer-term, there’s a large sense of uncertainty as to how climate in five, 10, 15, up to 20 years will look like and how growers can address [changing climate] now on their farms that will help them in those extended time periods,” Linder said.
It doesn’t come down to whether growers attribute climate change to anthropogenic – influenced or caused by human activity – causes, Linder added.
Campbell said of farmers, “They’re like any other population group. There’s no monolithic single opinion on how much of climate change is influenced by people.”
Linder wrote in the study, “Adoption of adaptation behaviors may depend less on belief in climate change than on an individual’s belief that they can adapt in a way that will adequately protect them from perceived risk.”
In other words, if growers aren’t confident that certain adaptive behaviors will be effective in protecting their crops, they won’t adopt them, sticking with methods they’ve traditionally used.
Linder said she noticed a lot of pessimism among growers that she interviewed when discussing their ability to adapt while responding to increasing weather variability. “On the flip side, something that was very clear was that there is a large sense of community between growers.”
Schultz said, “It’s very demoralizing. It doesn’t matter how smart, how good you are at your job. You can’t counteract Mother Nature.”
That’s where Linder suggested that university Extension programs participate in successful grower-led meetings and conferences, while shifting the focus toward the effects of climate change and how to address them.
“Addressing a lot of these climate changes is going to require collaboration – not only between growers and Extension workers, but also between growers themselves,” she said.
Dar Baas, director of the Kent County Department of Public Works, (center in yellow vest) discusses the proposed Kent County Sustainable Business Park in Byron Center with Liesl Eichler Clark, director of the Michigan Department of Environment, Great Lakes and Energy, (Center in orange vest) on a tour Oct. 15. (Kent County)
Following the announcement of a $4 million appropriation from the State of Michigan, the director of the Michigan Department of Environment, Great Lakes and Energy last week toured the South Kent Landfill and future site of the proposed Kent County Sustainable Business Park.
Also on the Friday, Oct. 15, tour were representatives from Kent County Department of Public Works, Allegan County and Dorr Township. The Department of Environment, Great Lakes and Energy (EGLE) recently included a $4 million appropriation in the 2022 state budget to support necessary infrastructure improvements at the site.
Dar Baas, director of the Kent County Department of Public Works, (in yellow vest) discusses the proposed Kent County Sustainable Business Park in Byron Center with Liesl Eichler Clark, director of the Michigan Department of Environment, Great Lakes and Energy, (Center in orange vest) on a tour Oct. 15. (Kent County)
Approved in 2018, the Sustainable Business Park Master Plan lays out “a vision for transitioning away from landfilling waste in favor of placing value on components of the waste as feedstock for new products or fuel sources,” according to the county. The Master Plan calls for an anchor tenant that will receive the mixed waste currently going to the landfill and separate it for other future tenants to utilize.
“Kent County’s Sustainable Business Park is an important investment in sustainable materials management and growing a vibrant circular economy. This initiative puts Michiganders to work making new products from the materials residents take to their curb each week,” Liesl Eichler Clark, director of EGLE, said in supplied material. “This site visit is a chance to get a first-hand look at what’s planned with State of Michigan support for the project, and learn about the park’s potential to increase recycling, conserve natural resources, and reduce greenhouse gas emissions.”
The Sustainable Business Park, planned for 250 acres adjacent to the South Kent Landfill in Byron Center, will be built on land that was initially purchased by Kent County to create a new landfill. The state funding will go to infrastructure improvements on the site such as utilities, roads and stormwater to prepare it for initial tenants. The first phase of infrastructure development is estimated to cost $19 million.
“The site visit by EGLE allowed us the opportunity to show how this project is moving us closer to our landfill diversion goals in Kent County,” Dar Baas, director of the Kent County Department of Public Works, said in supplied material. “The state funding will lay the foundation for additional private investment in the entire park.”
Kent County Land for planned Sustainable Business Park, aerial shot that includes the property adjacent to the landfill, with the landfill in the background. (Kent County)
With Halloween right around the corner, kids are thinking trick-or-treat and adults are stocking up on bags of candy. As if that won’t be enough sugar, every grocery store has Halloween-theme decorated cupcakes and cookies. The pumpkin spice must flow. No wonder kids come down with colds and flu in early November. Sugar can impair the body’s natural immune response and leave us more vulnerable to germs and viruses. (Since we are still in the middle of a global COVID-19 pandemic, this is pretty important information.)
It’s a shame that all eyes (and tastebuds) are focused on sweets when another Halloween celebrity offers a host of health benefits. Pumpkins!
One of the first cultivated foods of the Americas, pumpkins were a staple food in Oaxaca (Mexico) as early as 8750 BC—long before corn or beans. By 2700 BC, they had spread to the eastern United States. The Pueblo, Apaches, Hopi, Navajo, Havasupai, Papago, Pima and Yuman all counted on the pumpkin’s flesh and seeds as a staple food. They roasted the seeds and ate them with chili powder or mixed with fruits and nuts. As for the flesh, they roasted, dried or boiled it. Mashed boiled pumpkin was mixed with batter or syrup or used to thicken soup. Dried pumpkin was sliced into rings and hung in storerooms for winter.
Pumpkin flesh is low in fat and rich in nutrients. One cup of cooked pumpkin provides three grams of fiber, magnesium, potassium and vitamins A, C and E—200% of your daily requirement of vitamin A (for healthy eyes). It also provides carotenoids, which can help lower your risk for cancer.
Pumpkin seeds have anti‐microbial benefits, including anti‐fungal and antiviral properties. So, they are a great snack during the cold and flu season. Studies on laboratory animals have shown pumpkin seeds may improve insulin regulation and help kidney function. Because they are an excellent source of the mineral zinc, the World Health Organization recommends eating them. Eating whole, roasted unshelled pumpkin seeds gives you the most zinc.
You can roast the pumpkin seeds you remove from your Jack O’Lantern. And you can buy pumpkins seeds at most grocery stores. They are also called pepitas. Pepitas are a very popular snack in the Latinx culture, perhaps because some of their ancestors were among the first in the world to discover and cultivate pumpkins.
If your Jack O’Lantern goes bad before you have a chance to roast it, look for “pie pumpkins” in your store’s produce department or at the U-M Health West Farm Market—and try a recipe besides pie!
Another way to boo-ooo-oost your immune system is to come in for a chiropractic adjustment. Keeping your spine aligned helps your brain, gut, immune system, and other body organs to work better with each other and keep you healthy naturally.
One of the concerns raised in 1997 was pet owners and handlers not controlling their animals. That same concerned was raised in a survey conducted this year. (pxhere.com)
By Joanne Bailey-Boorsma joanne@wktv.org
A recent survey on whether the City of Wyoming should have at least one city park be dog-free during the summer came in with very close results, 56 percent opposed and 44 percent in favor.
The Wyoming Parks and Recreation Commission is set to review the dog survey results at its meeting set for Wednesday, Oct. 13, at 7 p.m. at the Wyoming Senior Center, 2380 DeHoop Ave. SW.
The results, which can bee seen on the Parks and Recreation page of the City of Wyoming’s website. A total of 628 responses were collected of which 565 were Wyoming residents.
City of Wyoming Community Services Director Rebecca Rynbrandt said during a recent Marquette Park master plan discussing that the results were close especially given the current climate of acceptance of people having pets at events, restaurants, and stores.
At Wednesday’s meeting, the Parks and Recreation Commission will consider two questions: whether the city should keep one park dog free from May 1 to Oct. 1 and which city park that would be. Rynbrandt noted that the second question of which park will only be considered if the commission moves forward with maintaining one park as dog free.
From the survey results, Pinery Park was the first choice of both Wyoming and area residents to have the dog restriction. For the past 24 years, Pinery Park has been the designated dog-free park for the city. At the time the restriction was put in place, there were concerns over certain breeds being perceived as aggressive, allergies to dogs and dander, pet owners who allow dogs to run off leash and were not controlled by their handlers, and frustration with pet owners who did not pick up after their dogs.
From the survey, those same reasons were given as to why the city should maintain at least one dog free park during the summer months. Many picked Pinery Park for that designation because of its has had the restriction and also because of its one-mile trail and the number of student activities that take place at Pinery Park.
The city does have a designated dog park at Marquette Park. The dog park does have a membership requirement. Also in the master plan for Battjes Park, also located on the northland of the city at at 1655 Blandford SW, there are plans to include a dog park/area.
Engagement is a key component for the Parks and Recreation, Rynbrandt said, adding she encourages people to attend the park and recreation meeting to express their thoughts. The parks department also has had several surveys about program offerings and the future design of Marquette Park.
LANSING — A species unique to the Great Lakes region once had a bounty on its head, but now experts are trying to save it.
Known as the only venomous snake in Michigan — and one of two rattlesnakes in the Great Lakes Region — the eastern massasauga rattlesnake has been listed as threatened under the Endangered Species Act since 2016.
Less than half of the massasauga’s historical population exists, according to the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service.
Why save it?
Snakes in general cause a visceral response, said Yu Man Lee, a conservation scientist at the Michigan Natural Features Inventory, a program of Michigan State University Extension.
“There’s this perceived risk (and) misunderstanding about the snake’s behavior and ecology,” Lee said.
“You know, like ‘the snake’s going to chase after me. It’s going to come after me and bite me and stuff.’ And so I think that perceived risk then gets that added layer on top of the fact that people don’t like snakes and don’t understand the value of snakes.”
But the eastern massasauga is unlikely to chase or bite people, Lee said.
There’s a reason some people don’t know Michigan is home to a venomous snake: Eastern massasaugas are docile, often hide and aren’t likely to bite unless grabbed or stepped on, she said.
A total of 848 individual reports of eastern massasaugas biting humans were made in Illinois, Indiana, Michigan and Ohio between 1800 and 2015, according to a recent study published in Wilderness and Environmental Medicine. That’s about four snake bites per year. While fatalities from the bites were reported by the study, none occurred after 1935.
Lee has surveyed civilians about the eastern massasauga for more than 20 years. There is a range of those who like snakes and want to know about rattlesnakes from a safety perspective and others who think no snake is a good snake, she said.
The small, thick-bodied snake lives in wetlands in all Great Lakes states, Iowa and Ontario, but most populations are in Michigan and Ontario. Michigan is the stronghold for the species, said Dan Kennedy, the Michigan Department of Natural Resources endangered species coordinator.
Over the last two decades, the Michigan DNR has sought efforts to conserve the snake, Kennedy said. By managing state-owned land and that of private partners, the department has preserved millions of acres of land under a conservation agreement, Kennedy said.
Shaughn Galloway via U.S. Fish and Wildlife ServiceAn eastern massasauga rattlesnake lying in brush.
“I think as years have progressed we’ve seen the consequences firsthand of when we try to remove species that we’re fearful of, and even in those cases, it comes back to bite us,” Hileman said.
Snakes like the eastern massasauga are an important part of the ecosystem. They regulate small mammal populations, which can transmit disease, Hileman said. For example, eastern massasauga eat small mammals carrying ticks, which can help ward off Lyme disease.
However, past bounties aren’t the main reason for population decline.
“I would say the biggest culprit is habitat loss, either simply by removing habitat and converting it to agriculture or urbanizing it, or sometimes in some areas, simply succession,” Hileman said.
Eastern massasaugas live in wetlands. Natural succession may lead the wetland area to turn into forest if there isn’t any fire to keep the trees down and maintain the wetland, Hileman said.
The snakes regulate their temperature with outside sources of heat. A shaded forest doesn’t suit them.
As habitat loss occurs, the massasauga’s range is divided into smaller pieces, sometimes causing the snakes to die while crossing roads, Hileman said.
Hileman has worked with massasaugas for 11 years. He’s handled over 1,000 of them with proper equipment. The vast majority didn’t strike.
“They don’t deserve the reputation that they have,” said Hileman, adding that it’s understandable to be fearful if you live in a state that doesn’t have other venomous snakes.
Some people tend to have a bias towards species that are charismatic and they tend to care more about the conservation of species that are perceived as cute, said Carrie Tansy, the deputy field supervisor for the Fish and Wildlife Service.
“It’s important to understand that native species, like massasauga, often play an important ecological role within their communities,” Tansy said.
The Fish and Wildlife Service announced Sept. 23 that it has partnered with state, federal and private agencies to carry out a final recovery plan for the eastern massasauga.
The goal is to stop species decline and ensure long-term survival by addressing habitat loss, according to the release. The plan also addresses impacts from flooding, drought, disease and intentional killing of the snakes.
“If eastern massasauga disappear, it’s one of a kind,” Hileman said. “It will never come back. So I think, from my perspective, that alone is a reason to want to work towards conservation.”
