Michigan

Michigan awards $3.6M to projects fighting invasive species

Published

4 months ago

March 2, 2024

Michigan awards $3.6M to projects fighting invasive species

Nearly three dozen projects aimed at fighting invasive species in Michigan will share $3.6 million in grant funding through the Michigan Invasive Species Grant Program.

The program is meant to help with the prevention, detection, eradication, and control of invasive species in the state. The state received 50 applications for grant funding this cycle and 31 programs were selected.

“Over the last 10 years, the Michigan Invasive Species Grant Program has helped to build and sustain a statewide network of cooperative invasive species management areas, which fight invasive species in their local communities,” said DNR Director Scott Bowen. “Grant-funded projects have increased public awareness and reporting of invasive species and supported a robust early detection and response program. This helps limit the introduction and spread of plants, animals and diseases that threaten the quality of Michigan’s land and water.”

The funding will support early detection and response efforts for invasive species on the state’s watch list:

Continuing survey and treatment of hemlock woolly adelgid along the northern edge of the infestation in Benzie, Manistee and Mason counties along the Lake Michigan shoreline.
Conducting surveys for hemlock woolly adelgid along the Lake Michigan shoreline in the Upper Peninsula.
Evaluating current chemical treatment methods for hemlock woolly adelgid and assessing a potential nonchemical approach to managing the invasive insect.
Conducting survey and treatment of invasive mile-a-minute weed infestations in Calhoun County.
Broadening the survey for hydrilla, an invasive aquatic plant recently detected for the first time in Michigan in private ponds within the St. Joseph River watershed.

Funding will also support efforts to prevent the spread of invasive species:

Performing invasive species assessment and planning for parks with natural areas in the city of Flint.
Continuing to share the Reduce Invasive Pet and PLant Escapes (RIPPLE) message and materials with retailers and hobbyists while expanding surrender options for unwanted aquatic plants and pets.
Supporting continued public reporting of invasive species detections and a growing library of identification resources and training opportunities through the Midwest Invasive Species Information Network, housed at Michigan State University.

This year’s grants support 22 regional cooperative invasive species management areas (CISMA), the network of partnership organizations working to manage and control invasive species across the state.

Each CISMA is eligible for $70,000 each year to provide education and technical assistance to landowners and up to $40,000 for outreach, survey, and treatment of high-priority invasive species.

Program created in 2014

The state Legislature designated $5 million in annual funding to address invasive species in 2014, with $3.6 million for grants.

This is the 10th year of program funding. So far, more than $36 million has been awarded to support 269 projects.

More than 644,000 acres of land and water have been surveyed for invasive species.
More than 53,000 acres have been treated for invasive terrestrial and aquatic plants.
Through direct contact, including face-to-face interactions at boat washes, workshops, trainings and other events, 395,000 people have been reached with information about invasive species.
An additional 45 million contacts were achieved through grantees’ passive outreach efforts, including mail, newspapers, social media and handouts.

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Michigan

Major drug dealer found guilty of multiple drug, weapons offenses in Michigan

Published

3 hours ago

July 2, 2024

Press Room

Major drug dealer found guilty of multiple drug, weapons offenses in Michigan

Ricardo Delgado, II, the leader of a large-scale drug conspiracy operating in the Saginaw-Bay area, was convicted by a federal jury of multiple drug and weapons offenses, including drug conspiracy and possession with intent to distribute kilogram quantities of cocaine and fentanyl, possession of multiple machineguns and for being a felon in possession of a firearm.

Delgado, 51, was convicted of conspiracy to possess with intent to distribute and distribute at least five kilograms of cocaine, possession with intent to distribute at least five kilograms of cocaine, possession with intent to distribute at least 400 grams of fentanyl, possession of a machinegun in furtherance of a drug trafficking crime, possession of a firearm in furtherance of a drug trafficking crime, possession of a firearm in furtherance of a drug trafficking crime, possession of a machinegun, felon in possession of a firearm, possession of an unregistered silencer, and use of communication facility to commit a drug offense.

Court documents revealed Delgado was involved in a wide-ranging drug conspiracy that involved the importation of numerous kilograms of cocaine and fentanyl from Mexico for distribution in the Saginaw-Bay area.

FBI agents learned from a court-authorized wiretap that Delgado was seeking retaliation for the theft of his drugs from a subordinate and that he ordered that subordinate to exact revenge.

However, the plan was thwarted by authorities. In addition, following Delgado’s arrest, law enforcement officers seized 13 kilograms of cocaine, 2 kilograms of fentanyl, 12 firearms, including two machine guns and two silencers, and over $200,000 in cash from the 51-year-old’s residence.

When he is sentenced, Delgado faces a mandatory minimum sentence of 55 years and a maximum of life in prison.

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Michigan

Crews resume search for swimmer who went missing in Lake Michigan at Evanston's Lighthouse Beach

Published

10 hours ago

July 1, 2024

Press Room

Crews resume search for swimmer who went missing in Lake Michigan at Evanston's Lighthouse Beach

EVANSTON, Ill. (WLS) — Lighthouse Beach is off-limits while crews continue their search Monday for a swimmer who disappeared after jumping in the water.

The Evanston Fire Department was back on Lake Michigan on Monday morning, resuming their search for the man who went missing in the water on Sunday afternoon.

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Assisted by Chicago and other suburban fire departments and the U.S. Coast Guard, crews, for now, are focusing on a half-mile area starting at Lighthouse Beach and heading south. They are using sonar and other technology, but the turbulent water is making things difficult.

“Even our rescuers this morning, during the search effort, was reporting extremely hazardous current and wave conditions that they were facing as they were in their vessels,” said Matt Smith with the Evanston Fire Department.

It was Sunday afternoon when an emergency call came in regarding four swimmers struggling in the water.

Joe Flanagan said he saw everything unfold.

Flanagan was at Lighthouse Beach with his son-in-law and grandson. He said two teenage girls were having difficulty in the water when a woman and a man jumped in to help them.

“It just didn’t look like everything was going well, so I got down to my shorts and jumped in water, grabbed mother and the daughter, and one of the other girls, and pulled them up,” Flanagan said.

Flanagan got the teen girls and the woman to safety, but when he went back in to look for the man, he could not find him. He said a red flag was up at the beach, signifying no swimming. He says it is important for people to heed safety warnings.

“The only reason I’m here right now, talking to you, is because people have to know that this is really dangerous. That water is incredibly dangerous,” Flanagan said.

Just Monday morning, a man died after being pulled from the lake near Montrose Beach.

Dave Benjamin with the Great Lake Surf Rescue Project said around 50 people drown in Lake Michigan each year, and that knowing how to swim does not guarantee survival.

“Essentially, what we need people to do is float to live, float to survive. They need to flip over on their back and float, stay on the surface until they can either self-rescue, or a professional can rescue them,” Benjamin said.

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Michigan

US: Harvest-time insect alert for Michigan blueberry growers

Published

17 hours ago

July 1, 2024

Press Room

US: Harvest-time insect alert for Michigan blueberry growers

Michigan had a mild winter and is experiencing a warm summer, resulting in early activity of a few insect pests as the peak of blueberry harvest approaches. Michigan State University is seeing increases in blueberry maggot and spotted wing drosophila catches at various monitoring sites in southwest Michigan in the past week. Growers with ripening and ripe blueberries should be protecting those fields using effective insecticides.

Figure 1. This picture shows spotted wing drosophila (SWD) monitoring traps with yeast and commercial lure. It also shows the sampling method to detect SWD larvae submerging the fruit in salty water for 15 minutes. Photo by Carlos García-Salazar, MSU Extension.

There are various options registered for these pests, with high efficacy and short preharvest intervals that can be used during harvest season. See the Michigan State University Extension bulletin E154, “Michigan Fruit Management Guide,” for recommendations. This publication is available in hard copy and as a downloadable PDF.

For timing your insecticide applications against spotted wing drosophila, place monitoring traps with a bait made of brewer’s yeast or a commercial lure in fields as shown in Figure 1.

Blueberry maggot can be managed using applications every 10 to 14 days, but protection against spotted wing drosophila requires a tighter spray interval. You can also monitor berry infestation levels by taking weekly fruit samples focused on fields approaching harvest to check that they remain free of insects. Michigan State University has developed a short, 8-minute video explaining this method and providing guidance on the simple equipment needed.

Source: canr.msu.edu