Monthly Archives: May 2016

Race for Michigan Nature!

Posted on by

5K Race Banner for social mediaShow your support for protecting Michigan’s rare, threatened and endangered species — and experience Pure Michigan at its finest!

The Michigan Nature Association is hosting the Race for Michigan Nature, a statewide series of Family Fun Runs & 5Ks stretching from Belle Isle in Detroit to Marquette in the U.P. Each race spotlights one of Michigan’s rarest species and helps promote the importance of protecting Michigan’s remaining natural areas.

The first race of the series, the Karner Blue Butterfly Family Fun Run & 5K, is in Grand Rapids on May 22 at Millennium Park. The remaining five races will take place over the summer and into fall. The runs are endorsed by the Governor’s Council on Physical Fitness, Health and Sports and each qualifies for the Pure Michigan Challenge. Join us for the race nearest you, or take the challenge and run all six!

Participants learn about Michigan’s endangered species, receive race t-shirts, medals, and complimentary memberships to the Michigan Nature Association. Each 5K race will be timed and there are prizes for the male and female overall winners. Not a runner? No problem! Walkers are welcome, too! Bring the whole family! Kids can walk/run their own short course and receive a complimentary membership in MNA’s Junior Explorers Kids Club.

The races and locations are listed below. Early registration is open! Contact Cassie for questions at (866)223-2231 or cmiller@michigannature.org. We hope to see you there!

Join MNA at the Annual Meeting in Grand Rapids this Saturday!

Posted on by

Sign up today! 
2016 Annual Meeting
Frederik Meijer Gardens – Grand Rapids

Saturday, May 21 – 12:30 p.m. 
1000 E. Beltline Ave. Grand Rapids, Michigan

Join the Michigan Nature Association for the 2016
Annual Meeting on Saturday, May 21 at 12:30 p.m.
at the Frederik Meijer Gardens and Sculpture Park
in Grand Rapids. Your free ticket to the Annual Meeting
includes admission into the Gardens and Sculpture Park!

The event will feature talks from MNA’s President and
Executive Director, an exciting look inside some of our
latest projects, and light refreshments.

Keynote Speaker

The Annual Meeting will feature a special talk from
Dr. Tonya Matthews, President and CEO of the
Michigan Science Center, a leading voice on the
need to strengthen science education in Michigan,
especially for young girls.

Special Guest Speaker

We are excited to have a second speaker at the Annual
Meeting this year! Dr. Lars Brudvig is an assistant professor at
Michigan State University in the Department of Plant Biology
and one of Michigan’s leading restoration ecologists.

Please RSVP to Reserve Your Spot

Time is running out! Sign up today. 
Contact Cassie at 866-223-2231 or cmiller@michigannature.org.

We hope to see you there!

Invasive Species Workshop, Salamanders, and Wildlife Grants: this week in environmental news

Posted on by

Invasive Species and Site Preparation Workshop (Michigan Society of American Foresters): Attend a free hands-on invasive species workshop in Wellston, Michigan on Saturday, May 21 hosted by the Michigan Society of American Foresters. During this workshop you will learn all about the ecological and economic effects of invasive species, how and why they spread, control options, pesticide laws, and site preparation methods for planting tree seedlings and how this is relevant to invasive species management.  There will be a large hands-on component where you will observe and use different types of equipment, such as personal protective equipment (PPE), the gas-powered forestry clearing saw for killing invasive shrubs and small trees, and herbicide equipment for mixing and applying chemical.

Wildlife grants awarded to tribes in Michigan, Wisconsin and Minnesota (Great Lakes Echo): Native American tribes will protect bats from logging and place sturgeon in school aquariums as part of a recent round of federal grants. The Tribal Wildlife grant program was established by the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service in 2003. This year, $5 million was awarded to 29 tribes, three from Great Lakes states. In Michigan, the Saginaw Chippewa tribe is receiving $199,431 to determine what plants and wildlife live in the area and how to protect important species.

salamander

Eastern red spotted newts like this one are at risk of fungal disease. Photo: Distant Hill Gardens, Flickr

A deadly fungus threatens salamanders (Great Lakes Echo): A deadly fungus is likely to threaten the health of salamanders in the United States. And one type of salamander found in the Great Lakes region – the eastern newt – is especially at risk. Batrachochytrium salamandrivorans – Bsal for short – is a fungus that eats away the skin of certain salamanders. It’s found in parts of Asia and Europe, and researchers say it could strike the United States next. Eastern newts in the region have an increased risk because Chicago is a port where diseased salamanders could be brought in.

inland fisheries

Inland fisheries are important indicators of changes in ecosystems from things such as hydropower projects and deforestation. Photo: Ken Bosma

Inland fisheries’ importance underrated, study says (Great Lakes Echo): Inland fisheries and aquaculture account for more than 40 percent of the world’s reported fish production but their harvest is frequently under-reported and ignored in the Great Lakes region and elsewhere, a new study says. The central role of inland fish in aquatic ecosystems makes them good indicators of ecosystem change. Ecosystem change includes threats from agriculture, hydropower projects and deforestation, as well as overfishing and invasive species. Although the study focused primarily on inland fisheries in the developing world, it also addressed the situation in the Great Lakes and the region’s inland waters. The study cited massive die-offs of alewives in Lake Michigan in the 1960s, an occurrence that brought to public and political attention large ecological changes occurring in the Great Lakes.