David Hohendorf highlights the editorial offerings in the June issue and reminds readers about submitting photos for the cover of the magazine
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Testing the county beach waters
The Oakland County Health Department tests the waters of about 100 beaches each year to make sure that the swimming areas are not contaminated
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Patrolling Oakland lakes for safety
The Oakland County Sheriff Department Marine Unit, with 63 full and part-time deputies and 40 boats, patrols the waterways of Oakland
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View from above
An aerial view of Wolverine Lake in the Village of Wolverine Lake
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Pollinator population threatened
The pollinators that serve a critical role in the environment are under assault from the over-use of pesticides in agriculture and by homeowners.
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Threatend Planet
Short notes on what ’ s happening on the warming planet here and around the world
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Metro Intelligencer
News and gossip from the dining world in the metro Detroit area
42 Lake levels
Cover credit: Denny Berels photographed skier David Horne on Watkins Lake in Waterford
With the ar rival of war ner weather, we decided in the June issue of LAKE magazine to offer a few longfor m stories on lakerelated topics most relevant for the star t of the season
First, Michael Scott takes a look at the patrol of Oakland County lakes by the marine unit of Oakland County Sheriff Mike Bouchard’s office Under the command of Lt Brian Bur well, the marine unit operates on a budget of about $726,000, a far cr y from the above $1 million budget of a decade ago
The marine unit, responsible for about 450 lakes in the county, has a workforce of 43 par t-time emergency marine deputies and nearly 20 full-time deputies who are trained in search and rescue diving In ter ms of vessels, the marine unit has about 40 boats, and can rely on the depar tment’s drone capabilities and a helicopter when needed
Along with details of the program, we are also providing a two -page char t which lists those lakes selected for testing this year
In this issue Stacy Gittleman takes a look at the worsening situation in the world of pollinators because of the use of pesticides and herbicides Pollinators play an impor tant role in the production of the food we eat, for star ters
The loss of pollinators is probably best described as an insect apocalypse As just two examples – the monarch butter fly population has shr unk close to 72 percent and several native bumblebee species have declined by nearly 90 precent A classic “ canar y in the coal mine” war ning situation, if we still need one
Bouchard’s depar tment also contributes personnel when needed to the Southeast Michigan Dive Group which was for med in 2022 It’s a mutual aid response dive group involving 31 counties in Michigan and nor ther n Ohio – repor tedly the largest in our state and quite possibly in the countr y, involving 383 divers and over 250 suppor t personnel
Our second longfor m piece this issue, by Mark Stowers, involves beach testing Shor tly af ter this issue ar rives by mail into the homes, Oakland County Health Depar tment will launch its 2025 season testing of swimming beaches
Oakland County first began testing waters at public beaches in the early 1970s and in the 1990s began using as an indicator E coli testing
During the 2024 season the depar tment collected and analyzed over 4,000 water samples over a 10-week period that this program r uns each year Using staff members and a summer inter n program, the health depar tment is responsible or some 250 known public swim areas, only a por tion of which get tested each season
Of course, we of ten hear about the impact of chemical use in the field of agriculture, something that has been documented in endless studies showing the threat to the pollinator population But there is an equally serious impact on the pollinator population from the residents in each local community, as many strive for that per fect lawn each year
As we all know, what we collectively do locally can go a long ways to lessening the impact on the environment
OUR FRONT COVER: This month our front cover was from a photo shot by Denny Berels of skier David Hor ne on Watkins Lake in Water ford Now that the war mer season has officially star ted, a quick reminder that we are still accepting photo contributions for the cover of LAKE magazine In retur n we will send a check for $100 if we select a photo for one of our covers So please keep sending us your work We just ask that the photos you send be high resolution Ver tical photos work best for the magazine’s cover When you send in your photos (lakephotos@downtownpublications com), please include your home mail address so we can send a check if your photo is selected
David Hohendor f Publisher DavidHohendor f@DowntownPublications com
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LAKE PATROLS
RESPONDING TO EMERGENCIES ON COUNTY WATERWAYS
BY MICHAEL SCOTT
The Oakland County Sheriff ’s Office Marine Unit will once again be patrolling Oakland County ’s lakes this summer, but a tight budget means stretched resources to cover its more than 450 navigable lakes. Yet despite the fiscal challenges, the sheriff ’s depar tment has additional resources available to help save lives and respond in emergency situations on county water ways
The marine unit includes 43 par t-time emergency response marine deputies and nearly 20 full-time deputies trained in search and rescue diving. Despite having a budget that is about half of what it was a decade ago, Oakland County deputies still utilize some of the most high-tech equipment available to help patrol its lakes and conduct emergency actions
The sheriff ’s office marine unit has been funded largely by the Marine Safety Grant over the years but following budget cuts during the
Great Recession, the same level of funding never retur ned, said Oakland County Sheriff Michael Bouchard. That forced the depar tment to find alter native operational strategies. The unit’s 2025 budget adopted by Oakland County was just over $726,000. That budget was previously well over $1 million over a decade or more ago
Oakland County seeks and qualifies for various grants to help suppor t its budget, but funding provided by the state legislature is limited Bouchard has been advocating for an increase in appropriations reser ved for Oakland County from boat registration fees collected at the state level. Given Oakland County residents have access to more inland lakes, more registered boats and thus typically experience more watercraf t accidents than any other county in the state, Bouchard believes that the patrol unit should receive significantly more of the state funds generated by registration fees
Members of the Oakland County Sheriff Department dive team Photo: Oakland County Sheriff Department
“ We have more navigable lakes than any in the state,”: Bouchard said, referencing the county ’ s 452 lakes that can be traveled by boat, and its more than 1,200 bodies of water “I’ve asked the legislature to give us half of those boating fees It would make a big difference We’ll keep asking ”
Asking for more money is impor tant because the costs of r unning the unit continue to rise Inflation impacts law enforcement budgets just as it does elsewhere That includes increases in the costs of equipment, wages, energy sources like marine boat oil and gas, and more The unit’s equipment, including its fleet of boats, is maintained inter nally by a group of largely retired volunteer mechanics and law enforcement personnel Even with the benefit of labor cost savings from this group of maintenance volunteers, the par ts needed to successfully complete the repairs can be extensive
In one example last year, a rescue boat was severely damaged during a difficult emergency deployment in nor ther n Oakland County when its motor hit a block of concrete in the water, causing more than $2,000 in damages, according to Oakland County Sheriff's Office Lt Brian Bur well, who oversees its marine unit The Marine Safety Grant no longer covers the cost of these types of repairs, so the sheriff ’ s depar tment must foot the bill
“It adds up quickly, especially when you have your regular maintenance needs and then unexpected repairs too,” Bur well said “ We have a deep bench of mechanics and talented people who help to provide 99 9 percent of our maintenance, which is critical But the (par ts) still cost money ”
The Marine Unit’s full fleet includes a 27-foot dive boat, 15-foot specialized rescue boats, 19 patrol boats and four rapid response jump boats that are towed by marine deputies Additional watercraf t can also be summoned based on availability
The unit’s assets don’t include just watercraf t Deputies use gear and tools that incorporate some of the latest technology in water safety equipment in the market, including 360-degree sonar that gives a good view of a lake bottom where even divers can be tracked
Deputies also have access to night vision equipment and AquaEye devices, which are handheld scanners that can interpret data that helps to manage deployments more effectively in rescue situation AquaEye transmits a sonar pulse to a depth or distance of 50 meters and evaluates the retur ning echo using state- of-the-ar t AI-assisted sonar technology
Several drones and a county- owned helicopter are
critical resources when attempting find or rescue people
These resources are also available to the Southeast Michigan Dive Group which includes 383 divers and over 250 suppor t personnel The dive group is comprised of highly trained professionals from 31 different counties and agencies throughout Michigan and nor ther n Ohio It was for med in May of 2022 and is the largest mutual aid response dive group in Michigan and one of the largest in the countr y The dive group has access to several remote under water operated vehicles as needed
Like with the marine unit, members of the Southeast Michigan Dive Group are available 24 hours a day, 365 days a year for professional response and/or suppor t for water rescues and recover y incidents throughout its coverage area, including Oakland County Members respond to water-related incidents with extensive training and highly specialized equipment to help save lives and provide under water recover y of drowning victims or accident victims in the water They aid detective bureaus in the region with the recover y of proper ty to be processed as evidence in a criminal investigation
“Our (dive group) members are the best of the best,” Bur well said
All members received numerous hours of training with their agencies as well as additional specialized training within the group Some members have developed specialized skills in technical rescue, under water salvage operations and under water explosive threat recognition The Southeast Michigan Dive Group was activated 274 times in 2024, Bur well said
All the equipment these rescue professionals have can help find missing persons That process star ts with identif ying their last seen location, which gives deputies a reasonable approximation of where a search should begin The county ’ s helicopter in par ticular can suppor t a “probability search” which is created using statistical data that can help improve the accuracy of where a person in trouble may be found, Combined with drone visibility, these strategies help the unit more effectively organize a search
Yet even these resources aren’t full-proof
“Drones (can be deployed) quickly and can help detect ther mal energy but they are limited by batteries,” Bur well said “Helicopters are critical but are limited by weather ”
Upon ar riving at a scene, Southeast Michigan Dive Group members can deploy several resources to help access people in hard-to -reach locations under water These tools include metal detectors, salvage
from lake or boating violations are sent to the state’s general fund with some of that money coming back to the county at the state’s discretion “ We are not paying for our own jobs, that’s not how it works,” Bur well said “It’s a good system because our (revenue) isn’t tied to the number of tickets we issue You don’t want a situation where there’s policing for profit happening ”
Some of the more common types of violations cited by deputies include the lack of a drain plug or fire extinguisher in the boat, using incor rect life jackets, and a range of alcohol-related violations, Bur well said
Using incor rect life jackets in par ticular is a common theme, especially for children
For example, “swimmer wings” that are widely available online and at retail stores nationally that are used for children are not a legally-approved substitution for a cer tified life jacket, Bur well said Free life jackets are available at some boat launches around the state and in Oakland County that are managed by the Michigan Depar tment of Natural Resources (DNR) Members of the marine unit of ten visit county-based DNR launch sites because that’s where they can engage in meaningful dialogue to help educate boaters
That is par ticularly impor tant because law enforcement officials are no longer allowed to conduct a safety inspection on a boat if there has not been a violation committed That means deputies have a limited ability to prevent potential safety issues from occur ring with boaters already in the water unless a violation is clear
Regardless, the purpose of issuing violations is to change behavior when war ranted “ We’re kind of like the father of the lake community we ’ re patrolling,” Bur well said “ We’ll make that decision onsite ”
War nings or violations can help prevent drownings It was a par ticularly difficult year for such tragedies in Oakland County in 2024, with 14 deaths attributed to drownings county-wide, including 11 in lakes
These tragic incidents are difficult to prevent, Bur well said, because of the sheer numbers of people on county lakes Bur well believes there are more people venturing onto county lakes than ever before, especially af ter the COVID pandemic when many new boaters invested in lake life Most of the county ’ s mid-to -large lakes, such as Lake Orion, Orchard Lake and White Lake, are public access launching points, which is good for recreational lovers, but can make it harder to patrol
“Some of those people just don’t know the lakes they are (boating or swimming) in well,” Bur well said “ There are many dangerous spots in each lake ”
That’s why residents are encouraged to swim in clearly designated areas
Plus, boat technology continues to evolve with engines being more power ful than ever Personal watercraf t can be driven at more than 70 miles per hour Jet skis are also driven at faster speeds A July 2024 Popular Science ar ticle indicated that the See Doo RXP-X 325 is powered by the “fastestaccelerating PWC engine to date ” It’s spokesperson called it “superbike on the water ”
The number of boats that are prevalent on county lakes is one reason why boating safety and blood alcohol regulations will be more strictly enforced during holiday weekends Operation Dr y Water is a national awareness and enforcement campaign designed to reduce alcohol and dr ug-related accidents and fatalities on the water during the Four th of July weekend Oakland County Sheriff ’ s Depar tment designated July 4-6 as days of higher patrols in 2024 and plan to par take in a similar program this summer,
One way to address educational gaps with boaters is to provide ongoing boating safety training for anyone navigating its lakes Bouchard encourages that lake enthusiasts take the county ’ s in-person boating safety course, which is available for anyone free of charge The course covers such topics general boating and water safety, navigational r ules, causes and prevention of crashes, operation and fueling techniques, environmental concer ns and repor ting responsibility It also give students the latest in boat equipment requirements, regulations for children and more
“It’ll cover (topics) life safety and rotation devices,” Bouchard said “If you ’ re going to be on our lakes operating any (watercraf t) you really should take a course ever y few years It could help save a life ”
Classes are taught in-person at the Sheriff's Patrol Ser vices Building at 1200 N Telegraph, Building 57 West at the Oakland County complex in Pontiac
Combined with other education courses offered by Oakland County in such topics as hunting, off-road vehicle and snowmobile safety courses, and a women ’ s self-defense class, the county averages about 100 in-person students each month, Bur well said
The DNR offers a free online boating safety class available through Oakland County ’ s website but Bur well encourages residents to take the in-person class in Pontiac if possible
“Safety is something we promote Education is so impor tant,” Bur well said “A lot of people on the lake are ver y uninfor med, so we ’ re tr ying to change behavior Taking that educational course in person is
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always better because of the direct interaction you have ”
Bur well added Oakland is one of the few counties that provide this level of in-person education to its residents Enforcement only goes so far to changing behaviors, and many lake enthusiasts don’t keep up with law changes that impact requirements
“ We don’t have many people that are intentionally breaking the law,” Bur well said “It’s hard to keep up with (new laws) They lead busy lives and ever y lake is different ”
The marine unit makes regular patrols on Oakland County lakes but star ting four years ago it began offering extra patrol hours to interested lake associations and neighborhoods for a fee Nearly 20 have contracts in place for such ser vices The lake association or neighborhood will deter mine the number of additional patrol hours it would like each year, Bur well said The Oakland County Board of Commissioners sets the fees based on actual staff and deployment costs
Most contracts are for three years The groups can request specific days to use these extra patrol hours, such as holidays, weekends and evenings, and Oakland County will tr y to suppor t these requests as much as possible Extra patrols are of ten requested for the week of July 4
“ The (associations) will actually contract with the townships or their municipalities who will pay us, ” Bur well said “ These are additional patrols that (marine safety grants) don’t provide ”
Lake Orion, Orchard Lake and Keego Harbor are among the nearly 20 communities that contract with the county for this ser vice
Par ticipating lakes under a private contract as of 2024 included: Cass Lake, Cedar Island Lake, Deer Lake, Lake Orion, Lake Sher wood, Lakeville Lake, Maceday Lake, Nor th Commerce Lake, Orchard Lake, Pine Lake, South Commerce Lake, Sylvan Lake, Upper Long Lake, Voorheis Lake, Walled Lake, Walnut Lake, Williams Lake and White Lake
The sheriff ’ s marine unit also patrols lakes with DNR launch sites
Sheriff deputies also patrol active lakes from foot along the shore because that’s where they can of ten spot issues before they tur n into tragedies Marine unit officials can relay issues they see to patrol units on the water through cell phones or two -way radios, helping responding officers to identif y people str uggling in the water, obvious violations, overcrowding and more They pay close attention to designated swim areas and whether there are people swimming outside those areas
“Most people don’t realize that you get huge dropoffs and temperature changes as you get outside of those swimming areas, ” Bur well said “ Things get dangerous quickly, but our men and women do a tremendous job coming together to keep us safe They ’ re in the sun all day too ”
Another issue that the unit covers is the growing personal watercraf t rental market While it is difficult to cover all the boats and jet skis rented by private residents, patrol unit members inspected about 650 boats from businesses renting boats and watercraf t adjacent to lakes around the county in 2024, Bur well said Deputies shut down several of these liveries and mandated the removal of numerous boats from ser vice that weren’t safe Many of those unsafe watercraf t took on too much water upon inspection, or didn’t have the proper number and/or types of life jackets
“It’s a big issue,” Bur well said “Several boat rental places don’t care if people have licenses or not ”
Another big issue is the workload experienced by the marine unit individually or collectively But Bur well said all deputies and professionals involved in these teams know exactly what they signed up for He always tells law enforcement officials who are applying to become team members that it is not a job for people wanting to work a regular 40-hour-perweek shif t A search and rescue emergency can happen at any time, of ten at night and/or on weekends Response time is critical
The talent and collective knowledge of responding officers, divers and SSRT members is what really makes the marine unit as effective as it is “One of the most impor tant assets we have is our people We work hard to develop a level of cooperation with the public,” Bur well said “Residents are equally involved with us We want to make it clear we ’ re here (to ser ve and suppor t) residents and not as an occupying ar my ”
Even so, these deputies and first responders understand their responsibilities and duties and must be available when needed It’s not an easy job
“ There’s a lot of stress on these deputies but they are highly motivated men and women, ” Bur well said “Ever ything comes down to time It’s a 24/7/365 job But if you like the work, Oakland County is a great place to do it I feel like I’m living the dream ever y day ”
(Residents are asked to Immediately repor t serious incidents or dangerous activity on the lake by calling the Oakland County Sheriff dispatcher at 248 858 4950 or by calling 9-1-1 )
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Summer in Michigan means getting to the lake for fun in the sun – fishing, swimming, relaxing and soaking up the shor t summer season rays of sunshine on your favorite beach. Across the Mitten State, Oakland County holds the title for most beaches of the 83 counties with around 400 navigable lakes But lurking in and around Michigan beaches and water ways each summer is the danger of E coli bacteria which can cause stomach cramps, nausea and fever, as well as skin and respirator y issues
Each of the state’s 83 county health depar tments is tasked with sampling and testing Michigan waters to keep beach users safe. In Oakland County, Mark Hansell is the chief of environmental health special programs
The Indiana native has been with the county since 1995 when he star ted as a sanitarian inspecting Oakland County restaurants Now in charge of special programs, he directs the Oakland County water program monitoring non-community water supplies and also beach monitoring to keep residents infor med and safe. With a team of senior staff and super visors, along with an inter n program, Hansell and his staff tackle all of the county ’s beach monitoring Last year more than 4,000 water samples were taken and analyzed
“Most years, we're able to take on six student inter ns And these are at least collegeage students that are enrolled in environmental health science or closely related programs and are interested in public health and what we do here at the health division They per for m the field work and the actual sampling for our beach monitoring program,” Hansell explained
The county monitors beaches for ten weeks beginning in early June
“ We have known beaches with around 250 known swim areas in Oakland County that we believe are active. And it's a mix of what we would call public beaches. And then we have about 49 public beaches that we consider tr uly public,” Hansell said “ Those would include things like city, village or township parks You can have county parks and state parks And then camps, day camps, and things like that that might have beaches offered to campers that we tr y to sample ever y year Those 49 or 50 are sampled ever y year because those are tr uly public beaches and we want to make sure that those get our attention. They're pretty popular sites and then we get another 50 or 51 we tr y to round out around 100 That’s about our capacity per year that we can sample ”
BEACH TESTING WHATS
LURKING IN AND AROUND MICHIGAN BEACHES AND WATERWAYS?
BY MARK H. STOWERS
Those extra beaches fall into the “semi-public” categor y such as subdivisions where beach associations or homeowners’ associations are responsible
“ That leaves us with about 200 that are semipublic in our inventor y If we do the public beaches ever y year, then we have to rotate in the semipublics And about once ever y four years is how that rotation is going to work for the semi-public beaches,” Hansell said
Hansell and his crew do get calls to test beaches that get water quality complaints Sometimes those beaches will have a sampling of their own that is tur ned into the health depar tment The beach monitoring staff will per for m a site visit and take additional sampling to verif y
Beach monitoring begins June 2 this season, aligning with the availability of inter ns for the season The season r uns for a minimum of 10 weeks, with another week added on to sample beaches that may still be having issues with water quality
“If we stop sampling in early August, any beach that is still having elevated water quality issues will continue to be sampled until we get those resolved,” Hansell said
The actual water quality test consists of wading into waist-deep water in a designated swim area and then collecting the samples
“ They are scooping a minimum of two to three feet under the water to collect that sample, kind of about the middle of the water column there And they are collecting a sample at three points in that swimming area So, each swim area is sampled three times What we call lef t, right and center are our sampling areas, ” Hansell explained
Those samples are packed in a cooler maintained with ice packs The staff and inter ns have a number of assigned beaches daily and those samples are brought back to an Oakland County lab for analysis with two different tests – one a “rapid” test with results in a few hours and one longer test that takes up to 24 hours
A quick over view from Hansell explained the process simply
“ The laborator y cranks out a result and we do a little bit of mathematical calculation to get a single number that we compare against Michigan's water quality standards to deter mine if it's safe to swim or not,” Hansell said “Specifically, we are looking for E coli, which is a ver y nor mal bacteria that ever y war m-blooded animal has in their digestive system That includes humans and all the little fur r y animals out there in the wild including water fowl and birds ”
E coli is an indicator that there could be some type of fecal contamination in the water There are
hundreds of strains of E coli but most of them are not going to be har mful
“ There are some dangerous strains of E coli that can cause some pretty serious illness When you are seeing elevated E coli in a body of water, it's an indicator of fecal contamination and we don't want exposure to possible fecal contamination But it could also be an indicator that there are other, more hazardous contaminants within the water that we want to prevent exposure to That could be other bacteria, it could be vir uses, it could be parasites It's kind of just a general indicator of water quality,” Hansell explained
Once back in the lab, different tests are r un The standard method (Coliler t-18 test) that literally is the counting the number of E coli colonies This test has been r un for decades and includes an incubation period of 18-24 hours There is also the rapid method – qCPR (Quantitative Polymerase Chain Reaction), a molecular method used for detecting and quantif ying microorganisms in water samples that was put in use in 2015 It's a faster and more reliable alter native to traditional culture methods, allowing for same-day or even real-time water quality monitoring The rapid method qPCR can identif y specific microorganisms, including bacteria, vir uses and protozoa and is used in various applications like wastewater treatment, recreational water quality monitoring and drinking water safety
The newer technology, qPCR, allows the health division to provide same-day results But it is cur rently being used only as a pilot project
The health division will issue an advisor y if it believes the results indicate the following day's results will be greater than 300 E coli colonies per 100 milliliters Then the health division will continue to work with EGLE and the EPA to ensure qPCR is a tr ue reflection of water quality The advisor y will recommend avoiding swimming at the beach and be posted on the county website (https://tinyurl com/r xd4badc), as well as on EGLE's BeachGuard website (https://tinyurl com/4vkmw9fu)
“ What we ’ re doing with the qPCR test is looking at the DNA of E coli and making copies of the DNA And that method can take four to six hours It gives us same day results, which is way better than telling somebody it was unsafe to swim yesterday It’s a ver y promising technology and we're going on our third year actually using that technology to provide same-day results for beaches Unfor tunately, we're limited to the number that we can do that way but we do at least 12 ever y year of our most populous public beaches
The Oakland County Health Depar tment is the lead in monitoring beaches and receives assistance
it then doesn't become par t of the swash zone ”
Szlag is studying the hypothesis and working it into beach management practices at Lake St Clair, Metro Park and the beaches at Stony Creek
In addition to teaching at Oakland University, Szlag has manned a field station at Lake St Clair involving E coli research for Macomb and St Clair Counties
“ We r un the culture-based method that ever ybody r uns, Coliler t-18 test, on five Macomb beaches, Stony Creek, Lake St Clair Metro Park and then one up in New Baltimore and one down in St Clair Shores And then we also r un a rapid qPCR test for E coli for the health depar tments, St Clair County and Macomb County Then we help the health depar tments and consulting companies in the states,” Szlag explained “ We do what's called microbial source tracking When you get a high E coli number, you don't know if it's from gulls, geese, dogs, cows or deer But most impor tantly, is it from people?”
He and his students also work with a high-tech procedure – DVPCR – a droplet digital PCR technology that is faster and more sensitive and less prone to inhibition His lab assists Oakland County on occasion
“Oakland County has their own lab but if they get a sample and they want to know if it's human, gull or goose, then they send that to us But Oakland County Health Depar tment tests up to 76 beaches weekly And they r un those in-house and then ever ything gets uploaded into Beach Guard ”
Macomb County star ts testing in late April and continues through the end of September According to Szlag, Macomb County star ts early in order to have the geometric mean identified and finalized before Memorial Day
“ You can have a chronic beach problem or you can have an acute beach problem, or you can have both Memorial Beach (St Clair County) is one of those ones where it has both an acute problem, it of tentimes is over 300, and then its 30-day geomean is 130 of tentimes,” Szlag said “If there are sources of human sewage, a lot of times we're looking for failing septic systems, illicit connections, and so we work with consulting companies on tracking down any failing septic systems or illicit connections where somebody has intentionally or unintentionally connected their sanitar y sewer to a stor m sewer Stor m sewers go directly to the lakes and streams and depending on the size of the municipality, they may give some primar y treatment Larger municipalities will treat their stor mwater But by and large, stor mwater is diver ted into ditches and receiving waters ”
Szlag’s swash research includes finding the source of har mful bacteria when weather patter ns differ
“ We want to know ‘what is the source of those E coli? Are they actually propagating? Are they just hanging out there?’ In other words, are they from a fresh source or an old source? There have been years where there's no rain, usually you see high E coli levels when you get a half inch of rain or more We'd have these blue sunny skies but the lake is really choppy, and we'd get high E coli levels, no rain and we got to wondering ‘is the swash zone contributing those high E coli levels into the bathing beach area?’”
Nicole Wagner, assistant professor at Oakland University, teaches lake ecology (limnology) and intro biology and has focused on algae and E coli in her research
“Humans are not the only ones that have E coli in our digestive tract If there's a ton of geese, there could be E coli When algal scums are obser ved, I know that E coli is potentially tested for,” she said
Eric Diesing, freshwater program coordinator for Oakland County Parks, noted his office “does some monitoring in-house for investigation purposes for water quality but it's not so much directly tied to the larger beach monitoring program throughout the county ”
His depar tment works on a special case basis as the park system doesn’t have as many beaches
“ We don't operate a lot of beaches, so our freshwater program here isn't focused on that We do have a beach on Stewar t Lake up at Groveland Oaks but we're star ting to move away from the beach kind of aspect, if you will , and that's simply just because we can offer some other unique oppor tunities to residents We still want them to be able to access the water providing other recreational oppor tunities like boating access, fishing access and other oppor tunity We'll par tner with the health depar tment and collect samples and drop them off If we're doing investigative work, it's a different scenario and it’s something that we're interested in as far as water quality E coli will be a piece of that but there's also many other parameters that go into that ”
He noted most of the park’s work is annual monitoring as well as reacting to calls and repor ts
“ We are also implementing our own monitoring program that gives us a lot of data on how the water changes seasonally and as water temperatures are rising and falling,” Deising said
BEACH TESTING SITES/2025 LAKE CVT
Avon Lakes Beach #1
Avon Lakes Beach #2
Axford Acres - Ramada Rd
Bald Mountain Recreation Area
Banker ’s Sub
Bay Court Park
Bloomfield Parks & Rec/West Hills Middle School
Bogie Lake Property Owners - Beryl Dr.
Brown’s Landing Mobile Home Park
Camp Agawam
Camp Dearborn - Lake #1
Camp Dearborn - Lake #5
Camp Maas - Rodecker
Camp Maas - Sobell beach
Camp Ohiyesa - North
Camp Wathana
Cass Lake Committee Assoc
Cedar Crest Sub
Childs Lake Estates
Christ The King Church Camp
Clearwater Campground
Country Club (5000 W Shore Dr )
*Crossroads for Youth
Cunningham Park
Deer Lake Estates
*Dodge Park #4
Duck Lake Sub
*E.V. Mercer City Beach
Eagle Lake Rd
Elizabeth Shores
Emerald Lake Homeowners Assoc - Little Creek Rd
Emerald Lake Homeowners Assoc. - Lyster Rd.
Family Park
*Ferndale
Finnish Day Camp
Fletcher & Rickard
Greens Park Village Beach
*Grove Street Beach
*Groveland Oaks County Park - Paradise Beach
Haas
Heitch St
Holly Recreation Area - Heron Beach
Holly Recreation Area - Wildwood Beach
Holly Village Beach
*Independence Oaks County Park
Independence Twp Village Beach
Indian Lake Improvement Assoc.
Kensington - Maple Beach
Kensington - Martindale Beach
Lake Angela Co-op
Avon Lake Avon Lake
Lake Angelus - Golfview Estates
Lakeland Assoc #1
Lakeland Assoc #2
Lakeland Estates
Lakeshore Park
Lakewood Farms - Sharon St
Lakewood Village
Lanarh St.
Ledgewood
Lotus Park
Marble Beach
Mary K Sub
Maryville Retreat Center
Mountain View
North Park Beach
Oak Heights Improvement Assoc - 3015 Lakeview
Pine Lake Manor
Pleasant Lake Manor
Pleasant Lake Woods
*Pontiac Recreation Area
Pontiac Yacht Club
Proud Lake Recreation Area Campground
Ravinewood East
Ravinewood West
Rustic Lane Sub
Ruth
Scotch Lake Residents
Scripter Village Park Township Beach
*Seven Lakes State Park
Seven Lakes State Park - Campground
Shady Beach
Skull Island Camp (Barnacle Bay)
Skull Island Camp (Shark Reef)
South
Spring Lake Heights
Stony Lake Park
*Teeple Lake Recreation Area - Highland State Park
*Thelma Spencer Park
Upland Hills Farm
Upper Long Lake Property Owners
Upper Long Lake Property Owners - A
Van Stone #1
Virginia
Waterford Hill
Whitfield-Maceday Assoc - North
Whitney St.
*Willow Beach St (Keego Harbor)
Wolverine Lake Manor
Woodcrest Farms Sub - Claridion St
*These beaches will also be analyzed with qPCR
BAT TLING THE BUGS
NEG ATIVE IMPACT FROM OVER-USE OF CHEMICAL PESTICIDES, HERBICIDES
B Y STACY GIT TLEMAN
ith the heralding of summer comes the pressure to have the greenest, most weed and pest-free lawn in the neighborhood. As early as March, our suburban subdivisions are abuzz with lawn and garden contractors They blow away the remnants of fall leaves and twigs and apply herbicide and pesticide chemical treatments to lawns Though it has become highly coveted to have a lush green lawn that is free from pests like mosquitos and gr ubs, suburbanites are aggravating a situation that is already in crisis – the rapid decline of beneficial insects - by unnecessarily over-treating lawns with chemical pesticides and herbicides.
Scientists war n that the Ear th is undergoing a sixth mass extinction That includes organisms from the largest mammals that swim the oceans and roam the African continent to the tiniest-winged creatures responsible for pollinating flowers crops and other vegetation If you are noticing fewer butter flies, caterpillars, or bumblebees in your backyard or while out on a walk, it is not in your imagination There is a staggering decline in nearly 4,000 species of wild native bees These losses for m par t of a larger acrossthe-board trend that has been considered an insect apocalypse Since the mid-2010s, monarch butter fly populations shr unk up to 72 percent and several native bumblebee species declined nearly 96 percent
As grim as the situation seems, researchers and ecologists insist that there are tangible and immediate things residents from apar tment dwellers to lakefront homeowners can do to lend a hand to pollinating creatures
They include Nick Haddad, a professor of ecology at Michigan State University where he ser ves as a faculty member at the WK Kellogg Biological Station and Depar tment of Integrative Biology
He was one of the nearly two dozen authors of a recently released study published in the March 2025 issue of Science which revealed that multiple species of butter flies are in decline across the nation, according to data collected by 35 citizen science groups
“Rapid Butter fly Declines Across the United States During the 21st Centur y ” included records of 12 6 million individual butter flies from over 76,000 sur veys across 35 monitoring programs The study characterized overall and species-specific butter fly abundance trends across the contiguous United States According to the study, between 2000 and 2020, total butter fly abundance fell by 22 percent across the 554 recorded species Species-level declines were widespread, with 13 times as many species declining as the few which were increasing The prevalence of declines throughout all regions in the United States highlights an urgent need to protect butter flies from fur ther losses
Haddad has studied butter flies for 30 years, including some of the rarest species in the world Two species, Mitchell’s Satyr and the Poweshiek Skippering, have more specimens in captivity in Haddad’s lab and the John Ba Zoo in Grand Rapids than there are in the wild The populations of these species went from hundreds in Michigan up through Manitoba, Canada to only three specimens over the last 30 years
“ The rarest butter flies number in the hundreds to the thousands globally, and they ’ ve already been in threat of decline and even fur ther decline until one
day they may reach extinction,” Haddad said
This prompted him to expand his research into the broader effects of insect decline with more common butter flies Haddad’s lab began to work with butter fly population data sets collected by academic and citizen scientists in Ohio This month Haddad launched a program at the biological station modeled af ter the Ohio method called the Michigan Butter fly Sur vey Right now, he is seeking citizen scientists to volunteer and train to par ticipate
In Ohio, obser vers tallied butter fly counts along the same stretch of a path or a road ever y week for up to 20 years That’s where it was discovered that populations were dropping by an average of two percent per year for the last two decades In an interest to fold this Ohio count into a broader count across the nation, he and other researchers looked at 35 data sets of population samples across the nation collected by thousands of volunteers And the findings were staggering
“ What is most shocking is to see how general this downward trend is in butter fly numbers,” said Haddad “ The data taken from thousands of people in tens of thousands of sur veys points to the fact that there is a rapid population decline in even the most common butter flies Even the cabbage white, which is an invasive species from Europe that har ms cer tain (cr uciferous and leaf y crops) is in decline And we don’t see any end in sight ”
Though Haddad said while a few species are increasing in abundance -13 times more of other species are declining On average, the overall butter fly population has declined by 40 percent in 20 years
A separate MSU study published in 2024 explained that the main culprit of butter fly, bee, and insect decline are pesticides that are broadly applied in agriculture
“In that study, we looked to the three top causes of population decline: habitat loss, climate change and the use of insecticides,” Haddad said “ We had data sets from multiple regions in the Midwest and we compared them apples to apples And in each case, the cause that rose to the top as the main cause of population decline was the use of pesticides Cor responding to our latest butter fly study, in the last 20 years, there has been a shif t to this new class of insecticides – neonicotinoids - that are broadly spread on crops ”
Haddad pointed to three main reasons for butter fly decline They include habitat loss, climate change, and the over use of pesticides
What is the impor tance of healthy butter fly populations? Most people regard domesticated bees as the workhorses of the agriculture industr y The common adage is that pollinators provide one out of
ever y three bites of food But Haddad remarked that butter flies have equal impor tance For example, research from Texas showed that the presence and abundance of butter flies around cotton crops are essential for production and yield A healthy butter fly population added up to $100 million in pollination production per year for Texas cotton
But the use of neonics is showing up in our neighborhoods too as a method of pest control Haddad said because there are no regulations as to how we chemically treat our lawns, there are no measurements or data sets on how chemically treated lawns and gardens impact pollinators
“ Though there are no data sets that can be measured, we know that we are using a ton of chemicals on our lawns,” Haddad said
Haddad explained homeowners can help sustain the birds, bees, and butter flies by shrinking the square footage of their lawns and increasing the size of gardens to host native grasses, plants, and flowers Even small changes can have an impact, Haddad advised
“It can star t with a patch of garden that contains milkweed, black-eyed Susans, and Echinacea (purple coneflower),” he said “ You can pick up simple pollinator mixes at any hardware store ”
Haddad added that residents can also plant milkweed to encourage monarch butter flies to visit, feed and lay eggs, though their numbers were down and sightings were few last year
The professor also suggested that residents and homeowners hold off from cleaning out too much leaf cover or twigs in early spring and leaving the leaves on the ground in the fall These areas provide habitat for insects throughout the coldest months By cleaning them out too thoroughly, one is also blowing away the dor mant eggs or lar vae of beneficial insects
At the Kellogg station, Haddad said his researchers are working on an encouraging technique called “prairie strips,” where swaths of native plants, flowers, and prairie grasses are planted alongside treated soy and cor n crops There have been sightings of caterpillars and butter flies that are “doing better than expected” even though they are planted next to pesticide-laden crops
“ This demonstrates that even if far mers take out small areas of their crops and plant for pollinators, or if suburban residents or even people living in urban settings can clear small areas for plants that attract pollinators, there can be a benefit,” Haddad said Haddad added that other beneficial areas in “plain sight” are highway medians that can be planted with flowering natives instead of grasses that require mowing
For example, he pointed to the work of a colleague from Iowa who studied butter flies flourishing along a
stretch of highway median planted with wildflowers Other areas that can nur ture pollinators are the 20 percent of Michigan’s agricultural lands that lay fallow in any given year when they are not producing crops
Hadad said that crops pretreated from seed with pesticides are not producing higher crop yields, according to studies out of Canada
“Our studies show that with the trend of planting more disease and pest-resistant genetically modified crops, there is less of a need to pretreat crops with insecticides,” Haddad said “It is a detriment to the beneficial insects and the cost of the far mers who are locked into paying for insecticide-treated crops The pesticides are also a detriment to the health of far mers It is a lose-lose for ever ybody This is not to say there are times when insecticide must be applied when there is an infestation of har mful insects But in Europe and par ts of Canada, these broad-spectr um pesticides have already been banned It is too early to know if this will help stabilize or even increase butter fly numbers We are still ver y early into this experiment ”
Daniel Raichel, director of pollinators and pesticides for the Natural Resources Defense Council (NRDC), delved into the dangers of neonicotinoids, or neonics for shor t To offer perspective, Raichel said the thin neonic coating on a single seed of cor n or soy is potent enough to kill 250,000 bees One square foot of a neonic-treated lawn can kill one million bees Before widespread use of neonics, beekeepers repor ted a 10 percent loss of their colonies each year, due to winter cold or parasitic disease Now, keepers can lose up to 50 percent of their colonies and 2025 is set to be the worst year on record for bee colony collapse
Neonics break down slowly in the environment and persist for many years af ter application in soil and water When it rains, the poison seeps into ground, sur face and eventually drinking water supplies
The NRDC considers this class of chemicals to be the most har mful pesticide to pollinators in histor y, even more so than the now -banned DDT These pesticides mimic the addictive proper ties of nicotine and affix to the ner vous system of bees Raichel said studies have shown that bees can become so addicted to neonics, which infiltrate even a plant’s pollen, that they begin to prefer water treated with the substance over uncontaminated water Then, essentially, they overdose
“Neonics attach themselves to those ner ve cells in insects and they never let go, making them only want more of the chemical until they die,” Raichel said “ We have obser ved bees acutely poisoned with neonics and they will shake uncontrollably until they become paralyzed and die ”
Leading up to World Bee Day on May 20th, the NRDC in 2024 released an ar ticle “ The Bees are Not Okay,” recognizing the non-native honeybee’s impor tance as a kind of domesticated livestock that has been decimated by a rapid decline beginning in the mid-2000s even though beekeepers are cultivating twice the number of beehives to stave off the large losses The repor t said that weaker bee colonies will soon signal a weaker food supply
Raichel said the plummet of insect populations is evident just by taking a long drive in the countr yside “ Think about this the next time you go out on a summer road trip and drive through a r ural area, ”
Raichel said “Are you using your windshield wipers to clear off the dead bugs like you used to 20 years ago? I am guessing no Bees, butter flies, and other insects are the ecological canaries in the coal mine They are telling us that our ecosystems are getting hollowed out from the bottom up ”
Raichel cautions that the toxic nature of neonics has a detrimental effect on the entire food chain from water-striding insects and other inver tebrates that are food for fish in Great Lakes Neonics at cer tain levels can kill off songbirds, which are also dropping in numbers in Michigan
Humans are also not immune Raichel pointed to a 2016 study from the Centers for Disease Control (CDC) that revealed that half of Americans had neonics in blood or urine samples The CDC also repor ted that 95 percent of pregnant women tested from 2017 to 2020 had exposure to neonics in their bodies which poses concer ns for neonatal neurological development
Raichel said the only ones benefitting from these treated seeds are the big chemical corporations And many of these companies have the far mers over a bar rel
“It's like going to the car wash and the hot wax treatment comes with the package,” explained Raichel “ You don’t need the hot wax, but you are paying for it anyway, so why not? The far mer must buy the seed from the seed dealers, which are subsidiaries of these big (chemical) companies However, far mers are not reaping the benefits of these treated seeds Ver y rarely do we see higher crop yields ”
The good news is that there is a movement to ban neonics in several states, Canada's regions, and the European Union (EU) The EU banned three main neonics in 2013 and then in 2018, it expanded the ban to the entire class of chemicals
According to the University of Califor nia Agriculture and Natural Resources (UCANR), all products containing neonics have been banned from retail shelves as of Januar y 2025 The chemicals are also banned or restricted from residential use in Colorado, Maine, Mar yland, Minnesota, Nevada, New
Jersey, New York, Rhode Island, Ver mont and Washington Limiting lawn and garden neonicotinoid applications to trained professionals is intended to eliminate significant pollution from these pesticides in urban and suburban areas, protecting pollinators, aquatic organisms, and human health, according to UCANR
Though Michigan has not banned these chemicals, Raichel advised home gardeners to check the labels of pesticides for ingredients such as acetamiprid, clothianidin, imidacloprid, dinotefuran, and thiamethoxam They are commonly found in two -inone or three-in- one insecticide products
“If you see a product that feeds your rose garden and also kills bugs, odds are it contains a neonic chemical,” Raichel said “ When it comes to not using these chemicals, homeowners have to do their homework and read the labels While a lot is happening at the federal level related to neonics, I wouldn't hold your breath (right now) for dramatic federal action in reigning in the use of these pesticides The EPA pesticide office has consistently lagged behind Canada and Europe in regulating har mful pesticides ”
Though the precipitous drop in pollinators may be discouraging, ecologists say there are tangible and effective actions homeowners can take to task to slow the disappearance of these beneficial insects It can be as big as ripping out par ts of a lawn and replacing it with native plants and pollen-rich flowers and holding off on the insecticides It can be as small as planting pots full of bee, butter fly or hummingbird-attracting flowers on a sunny deck, patio, or apar tment balcony
“Ever yone needs to know just how valuable a backyard or small pocket of space can be for our pollinators,” said Aimee Code, pesticide director of the Xerces Society of Inver tebrate Conser vation “ The beauty of pollinator conser vation is that it can happen at home It need not be far away (at a national park) or in the distant long-ter m future You can create a habitat this spring for bees and pollinators And when you create a habitat, the pollinators will come ”
Code said she witnessed this on her Bend, Ore , proper ty when she cleared a section of her lawn to accommodate native bees to nest Code said that 70 percent of native bees need subter ranean nesting spots
Code said another pesticide commonly used to control insect populations such as mosquitoes are pyrethroids Although mosquito spray companies say this class of pesticides is chemically derived from the chr ysanthemum flower, Code said they are just as deadly for bees and butter flies And while homeowners may want to protect their proper ties from mosquitobor ne diseases such as West Nile Vir us and the rarer
pollinator-friendly back or front yard, they can register and join a network of thousands of other Americans committing to do the same with the Homegrown National Parks program at homegrownnationalpark org Nationwide, over 43,000 families and individuals have registered their yards into the program covering nearly 105,000 acres In Michigan, about 1,800 have registered their backyards covering a little over 3,100 acres Potentially, there are 20 million acres of suburban and developed land that can become ecologically friendly to pollinators
The project was co -founded in 2021 by University of Delaware Entomology Professor Douglas Tallamy on the notion that there are millions of acres of backyards in the United States that have the restorative potential to become natural habitats for pollinators and other beneficial wildlife
When Tallamy and his wife purchased a homestead on a for mer hay far m in southeaster n Pennsylvania 20 years ago, the 10-acre proper ty was overgrown with invasive, exotic plants such as autumn olive and oriental bittersweet Over the years, the couple restored the land with native plants, beneficial oak tree groves, and gardens abundant with pollinating flowers
Tallamy ’ s research concludes that ever y piece of land matters to protect pollinators, manage watersheds, absorb carbon, and suppor t a healthy food web
Lawns, he insisted, do none of these things
"If you're going to own a piece of the ear th, you've got to take care of it," Tallamy said "Lawns are the worst plant for carbon sequestration Traditional grass landscapes do nothing to pull carbon from the atmosphere or suppor t local wildlife In contrast, native plants and diverse ecosystems can dramatically improve environmental health ”
Tallamy advises homeowners to plant vegetation that will attract caterpillars, which are the “meat and potatoes” for food webs and hungr y songbirds
Looking at this from a local perspective, the Michigan Depar tment of Natural Resources recommends 10 or more blooming species with at least three of these species blooming at any phase of the growth period between frosts for a successful pollinator garden While milkweeds such as common milkweed and butter fly milkweed are essential for attracting monarchs, gardens should also include perennials such as wild bergamot, purple coneflower, and black-eyed Susan for attracting various butter flies and moths
Gardens and landscapes should also include native grasses such as little blue stem or Indian grass for habitat
Tallamy said the Homegrown National Park movement represents a cultural shif t to make homeowners understand that their residence is not
outside of the ecosystem but a par t of it
"What happens on your proper ty doesn't stay on your proper ty,” Tallamy said “It either helps or hur ts the local ecosystem By reimagining our relationship with the land, we can collectively rebuild the intricate web of life, one backyard at a time ”
One organization that has taken Tallamy ’ s message to hear t is the Rochester Pollinator Society, founded by ar tist, marketing strategist, and civic leader tur ned ecologist Marilyn Trent
Trent ser ved on the board of the Rochester Downtown Development Authority for 15 years Under her leadership, she facilitated initiatives to install more rain gardens and replace some lawns around the city ’ s municipal buildings and parks with butter fly gardens
In 2022, Rochester was designated by the National Wildlife Federation as a Monarch Champion City for its pledged commitment to provide more habitat for these winged creatures
Trent founded the Rochester Pollinators Society in 2019 to create more habitat for monarch butter flies in town Over the years, the organization has recr uited 250 volunteers, sold over 60,000 milkweed and native plant species, and donated thousands of other natives to schools and other nonprofit organizations The organization also advised the Por tage Chain of Lakes Association about ideal plantings for lakefront homeowners to not only attract beneficial insects but to use plants to filter nutrients and other contaminants that contribute to har mful algal blooms
The society is taking orders for native plants and grasses on its website at rochesterpollinators org and will be having a native plant sale on May 17 at the Rochester Far mer ’ s Market
This summer, Rochester Pollinators will also inaugurate the city ’ s 1,000 square-foot mini forest project located behind the community garden In addition to flowers and native plants, native trees, especially oaks, ser ve as “ ver tical pollinator habitats” capable of suppor ting hundreds and thousands of beneficial insects and birds
Drawing on a method devised in Japan and replicated in cities around the world, the mini forests will become a self-sustaining ecosystem in three years
Ann Arbor already has a mini forest, and a 30,000square-foot mini forest is planned for War ren
Trent said on one ’ s proper ty, shrinking your lawn and growing more native grasses and plants is within ever yone ’ s reach
“Ever yone wants to be an environmentalist or save the elephants or polar bears,” Trent said “ You can donate money and send it away and may not see the results But building habitats for bees, butter flies, caterpillars and birds is something you can do and see the results Right in your backyard ”
T H R E AT E N E D P L A N E T
Threatened Planet is a newsletter of curated information gleaned from over 30 print and online news sources where reliable information is provided on the health of the environment and the efforts to remedy problems facing the planet We constantly monitor a diverse list of sources – the major daily newspapers in the country and in Europe, a variety of scientific journals and government websites, along with newsletters from environmental groups, as well as a wide-ranging list of other reliable print and online news outlets For those concerned about the environment, we do the legwork by aggregating relevant information from a wide swath of sources and attempt to offer links mostly to those sources not restricted by a paywall Those interested can sign up for the newsletter at ThreatenedPlanet com
Research and composition of the Threatened Planet newsletter is the work of Austen Hohendorf
Initial research shows some of Los Angeles’ most popular beaches are toxic from the r unoff of the Palisades wildfires in Januar y (Gar y Baum/The Hollywood Repor ter)
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A new repor t from the American Lung Association finds almost half of the U S population is exposed to unhealthy air that poses serious health risks, war ning climate change is threatening decades of progress (Ignacio Calderon/USA Today)
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The Ann Arbor city council approved plans to create the city ’s own sustainable energy utility, a first step to building its own utility that aims to provide clean power outside of the grid (Allison Prang/The New York Times)
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Researchers announced that sea ice blanketing the Arctic fell to the lowest levels on record this winter (Sarah Kaplan/The Washington Post)
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Michigan Gover nor Gretchen Whitmer announced a statewide home energy rebate program at the third annual MI Healthy Climate Conference (Kyle Davidson/MI Advance)
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Af ter halting federal attempts to combat global war ming, President Tr ump is now targeting effor ts by states to reduce greenhouse gases, setting up a legal clash (Lisa Friedman/The New York Times)
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A new study finds salmon given anti-anxiety dr ugs take more risks, as researchers explore the growing problem of phar maceutical pollution and how it changes wildlife behavior (Jonathan Edwards, Dino Grandoni/The Washington Post)
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Scientists confir med 84 percent of coral reefs have been har med during the world’s largest bleaching event caused by rising sea temperatures (Isabella O’Malley/The Associated Press)
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Tr ump signed an executive order opening one of the world’s largest protected ocean reser ves to commercial fishing for the first time in a decade, posing serious threats to the marine ecosystem (Rachel Franzin/The Hill)
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New data shows air pollution fell 50 precent in Paris following regulations limiting cars and increasing public park space (Adele Peters/Fast Company)
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Scientists say they ’ ve built a tool that can calculate how much damage each company ’s planet-war ming pollution has caused and how much money they could be forced to pay if sued (Nicolas Rivero/The Washington Post)
Af ter halting federal attempts to combat global war ming, President Tr ump is now targeting effor ts by states to reduce greenhouse gases, setting up a legal clash (Lisa Friedman/The New York Times)
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The first layers of soil were laid in a major milestone for the world’s largest wildlife crossing being built in Califor nia (Seema Mehta/The Los Angeles Times)
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Aided by surging energy demand from the tech sector, the cur rent administration’s environmental rollbacks could extend the life of coal power plants. (Jake Spring/The Washington Post)
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Oil company Chevron was ordered to pay $744 6 million to help restore coastal Louisiana wetlands destroyed by the company over decades (Cristen Hemingway Jaynes/EcoWatch)
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Finland’s last coal-fired power and heat plant in active production was shut down per manently as the countr y ’ s law to ban coal takes effect in 2029 (Anna Kauranen/Reuters)
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Nearly 2,000 leading researchers signed an open letter accusing Tr ump of conducting a “wholesale assault on U S science,” war ning the public it could set back research by decades and threaten the health of Americans (Benjamin Mueller/The New York Times)
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The Michigan Depar tment of Environment, Great Lakes and Energy (EGLE)’s newly required PFAS forever chemical testing could derail dredging projects (Melissa Nann Burke/The Detroit News)
slices to go along with many other options including several varieties of full pizza pies (including a gluten free cr ust option) calzones, salads, pastas, wings and desser ts (also with gluten-free options) 33901 Woodward Avenue, Bir mingham nypizzapie.com
Carajillo opens in Ferndale
Mexican eater y Carajillo has opened in downtown Fer ndale in the space that was the for mer home to The Emor y Prior to opening Carajillo, chef and owner Ara Sotelo operated Cafe de Olla which was located inside Cafe Muse in downtown Royal Oak “Carajillo” is named for a popular coffee drink in Spain and Spanish-speaking countries, that has various theories about its origins, including that it was a Spanish soldier ’ s invention of coffee and r um for courage (“coraje”) before battle This restaurant concocts their boozy coffee drink with Licor 43, Kahlua 40 and a shot of espresso In addition to traditional Mexican drinks, the bar features Mexican and domestic beers, wines and cocktails On the food side of the menu, guests will find authentic Mexican cuisine, sourced with fresh ingredients from local markets and Mexican stores throughout Detroit Chef Ara Sotelo comes from a family of restaurateurs in Mexico and she went to culinar y school in Mexico City as well Popular entrees include: Pionero del Mar-a combination of shrimp, calamari, mussels and baby scallops wrapped in a cheese tor tilla; Huarache Azteca- grilled cactus topped with mahi mahi and melted cheese laid in a bed of salsa verde ser ved with a side of steamed vegetables and rice; and Pork Pionero -a combination of ham, bacon and pork loin wrapped in a cheese tor tilla with a side of flour tor tillas and Pico de Gallo salsa Carajillo is open for lunch and dinner, Tuesday-Sunday 22700 Woodward Avenue, Fer ndale carajillofer ndale com
Lakefront dining Italian-style
Back in December, Barbat Holdings, a West Bloomfield based real estate investment and management company, announced that it had acquired It’s a Matter of Taste a gour met restaurant and event space nestled on 11 acres, located at 2323 Union Lake Road in Commerce Township Prime Concepts Detroit, Barbat Holdings’ hospitality group, has transitioned the restaurant and its event venue to “Aurora on the Lake, ” an extension of the group ’ s Aurora Italiana restaurant brand in West Bloomfield “ With its original location opened in September 2023, Aurora Italiana, one of metro Detroit’s premier dining destinations, captures the Amalfi Coast’s coastal flavors and dining experiences Aurora on the Lake brings these beloved traditions to Commerce Township,” said Stolion Liti, managing par tner and director of operations at Prime Concepts Detroit Aurora on the Lake offers stunning lake views with exceptional hospitality to deliver a dining experience capturing the Amalfi Coast’s coastal flavors Guests will enjoy steaks, fresh seafood, and refined Italian cuisine, all set against the per fect backdrop for any occasion The to -go shop, Café Aurora, provides gour met cuisine, along with some new unique selections sourced directly from Italy A Happy Hour, with drink and food specials, is held Monday-Friday 4-6 p m , Monday-Friday 2323 Union Lake Road in Commerce Township auroraitaliana.com
A) Oxford Multi includes: Cedar, Clear, Long, Squaw, Michelson & Tan Lakes
B) Waterford Multi includes: Cemetery(Middle), Dollar, Greens, Maceday, Lotus, Lester, Van Norman, Williams, Mohawk, Wormer, Schoolhouse, Silver, Upper Silver & Loon Lakes
C) The Loon Lake control structure also controls Mohawk, Wormer, Schoolhouse Silver & Upper Silver Lakes
D) The Van Norman control structure also controls Green, Maceday, Lotus & Lester Lakes
E) Lake Angelus, Huron River, and Clinton River levels are not under the jurisdiction of this office
F) The Dawson Mill Pond and Sylvan-Otter Lakes are controlled by the Price Dam
G) Crystal Lake is controlled by the Walter Moore Dam
H) Lake Louise and Huff Lake are controlled by the Ruth Johnson Dam
I) Waumegah Lake reading in N.G.V.D (1983)
J) Some Winter Levels are set by Court Order Others reflects customary drawdown
