Rachel Duckett

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Great Lakes Echo | Environmental news of the Great Lakes region •

Spooky lakes and beach trash: How a Wisconsin teacher and artist gained 1.3 million TikTok followers

“Um yes, hello…” says a floating voice in front of an old map of the Great Lakes. In the lower right corner, a small “TikTok” graphic flutters near a woman’s head. Only her eyes and forehead are visible. Geo Rutherford then launches into the story of The Atlanta, a ship that sank in 1891 and was recently discovered in Lake Superior. The printmaker and teacher at the University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee has 1.3 million followers on TikTok, where she goes by @geodesaurus. The self-described Great
Great Lakes Now •

Lighthouse Restoration: A volunteer effort that requires labor, love and millions of dollars

This summer, a Great Lakes watchtower will celebrate its 200th birthday as any centenarian should: with cake and ice cream. The Marblehead Lighthouse sits on Lake Erie’s temperamental shore in Ohio, about 20 miles away from Sandusky. It’s the oldest continually operating lighthouse on the Great Lakes, thanks to the state of Ohio, which, according to the Marblehead Lighthouse Historical Society, took over the maintenance in the 1990s.
City Pulse •

Public Service commissioner talks alternative energy, vulnerable communities

In 2019, Michigan State University alum Tremaine Phillips was appointed to the three-member Public Service Commission, making him one of the country’s youngest public service commissioners at age 33. The commission’s mission is to “serve the public by ensuring safe, reliable and accessible energy and telecommunications services at reasonable rates.” That includes regulation of landlines, cable television and energy infrastructure. While it’s not an environmental agency, the commission oversees
Great Lakes Now •

O Christmas Tree: Is your Christmas tree environmentally friendly?

Earlier this month, Michigan Gov. Gretchen Whitmer declared December 2021 as “Christmas Tree Month” in Michigan. It’s a move that makes sense — the Christmas tree industry provides jobs and bolsters the national and state economy. “Michigan’s integrated network of family farmers, processors, wholesalers and retailers, work together to ensure a quality product that is enjoyed by millions throughout our state and country,” Whitmer said in a statement. Around 30 million Christmas trees are sold
Great Lakes Now •

Bridge Over Warming Water: Grants fund fish habitat conservation projects around the Great Lakes

Rivers, streams and lakes are warming, casting a dark shadow on the future of coldwater fish in the Great Lakes region. To save them, state and federal agencies around the Great Lakes are investing millions in these fish. Currently, the Great Lakes are home to coldwater fish like ciscoes, walleyes, suckers, yellow perch, smallmouth bass, brook trout, brown trout, rainbow trout, chinook salmon and coho salmon. However, according to the National Park Service, climate research predicts a decline
Great Lakes Echo | Environmental news of the Great Lakes region •

Identifying Michigan’s top energy issues

As a presidential candidate, Joe Biden made a series of energy-related promises, including net-zero emissions by 2050 and the launch of “a national effort aimed at creating the jobs we need to build a modern, sustainable infrastructure now and deliver an equitable clean energy future.” Last August, the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change, a group of scientists assembled by the United Nations, reported that we have committed ourselves to an unavoidable 30 years of warming based on our hist
Great Lakes Echo | Environmental news of the Great Lakes region •

Ecologist ponders fairness to wildlife and the thoughts of moose

Over 20 years ago, John Vucetich watched a moose on Isle Royale and thought, “I wonder what that moose is thinking?” He had absolutely no idea. Vucetich, a professor of wildlife ecology at Michigan Tech University, began his work on Isle Royale as a freshman at the same university. Now 50, the Michigan native has studied wolves and moose for over 20 years on the pristine, isolated island in Lake Superior. He now leads the island National Park’s wolf-moose project. “It’s probably fair to say t
WKAR Public Media •

Turner-Dodge House hosting Holiday Open House

The Friends of Turner-Dodge House and the Lansing Parks and Recreation Department are hosting a Holiday Open House at the historic building starting this weekend. All three floors of the house will be decorated for the holidays by businesses, organizations and individuals. "We're decorating the whole house to make it sparkle," said Michael Beebe, Chair of Events and Fundraising for Friends of Turner-Dodge House. After an eight-year stretch hosting the Festival of Trees, the nearly 170-year-ol
WKAR Public Media •

Potter Park Zoo begins vaccinating some animals against COVID-19

Potter Park Zoo is vaccinating some animal residents against COVID-19. That includes big cats susceptible to the virus like the tiger, lions and snow leopard housed at the zoo. The vaccine was developed for animal use by pharmaceutical company Zoetis. The company is donating more than 11,000 doses to over 80 conservatories, sanctuaries and zoos across the U.S., including Potter Park. The zoo has avoided COVID-19 outbreaks among the animals so far by following strict safety measures like socia
Great Lakes Echo | Environmental news of the Great Lakes region •

New book celebrates Illinois couple’s turning back time in their own backyard

Wildflowers peek their heads through the grass. An eastern tailed-blue butterfly flits among the tall, swaying blades as a red-winged blackbird flies overhead. When Fred Delcomyn looks outside, this is what he might see. In 2001, when he and his wife, Nancy, moved to their home outside of Urbana, Illinois, it looked a lot different. “We found this place, and it was about half wooded and half agricultural land,” he said. “You walked out the front door, there was a bit of a garden and then you
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