Lakes provide many benefits and services, from recreational opportunities to irrigation to aesthetic enjoyment. In order to maintain the ecological quality of their lake, as well as enhance its economic and recreational benefits, lakeshore residents can organize to form lake associations. In theory, lake association sustainability has a direct and positive effect on lake sustainability,
West Coast beachcombers have treasured the rare sightings of Japanese glass floats; spherical buoys strung together to aid fishermen in managing their catch. It was once thought that these translucent orbs took nearly a decade to reach the U.S.–traveling up to 8,000 miles of open sea. But in 2011, 5 million tons of debris was
Sargassum seaweed is growing out of control in many regions – it washes up on beaches in huge amounts. Utilizing a new technique, that rotting organic matter could soon be converted into biofuels and other products. The process doesn’t require the waste seaweed to be removed from the salt water. Instead, it begins with two
During the 20th century, Milwaukee, Wisconsin, became a hub of human activity and commerce. Toxic chemicals, discarded animal hides, meatpacking offal and other waste were dumped into the connected Milwaukee, Menomonee and Kinnickinnic rivers with abandon, not to mention municipal sewage. Now a coalition of government entities and advocates is launching an ambitious project to
In a typical year, the weed harvesters would usually be on Lake Hopatcong by mid-May. Unfortunately, due to state-wide budget issues weed harvesting has been delayed this season. Weed growth on the lake this year has been stimulated by a mild winter. The lake never fully iced over and this allowed for an early growth
An extensive three-year research study of lakes in and around the Grand Portage Indian Reservation in Minnesota has found an abundance of pharmaceuticals, personal care products, hormones, pesticides, and other chemicals in water, lake bottoms and fish. What threat this poses for humans and wildlife will need to be studied further. But the presence of
Every spring, Dr. Carl Isaacson, a professor of environmental studies at Bemidji State University, sends his students out to collect perch from waters across Minnesota. Then, they study an egg yolk protein found in the perch’s’ livers, called vitellogenin, which may provide evidence of endocrine disruption in the state’s aquatic species. Over the past few
Decades ago several bird species in the Great Lakes—including the iconic bald eagle—faced an uncertain future because toxic chemicals were threatening their populations. While several bans and policies have offered some protection, the same chemicals threatening these birds 60 years ago continue to accumulate in their bodies—and new chemical threats are adding to their toxic
New research has found that hurricanes in the United States are dispersing invasive species across the country. Fueled by climate change, hurricanes are becoming more frequent and intense, research shows; as a result, extreme storms are carrying and scattering hundreds of invasive species such as Asian swamp eels and zebra mussels into new regions of
Water hyacinth has been on the Delta for decades, but really exploded in 2011 and 2012 as officials were not able to obtain a permit to spray chemicals in a timely fashion. Efforts to control hyacinth in the Deltas focuses primarily on the use of chemical herbicide applications. Officials aggressively spray chemicals; a prepared document