Winter officially arrives tomorrow. ❄️ The Winter Solstice goes by many names: midwinter, the longest night, the shortest day, the astronomical start to winter. Tomorrow, the sun travels the shortest path through the sky, marking the longest night and shortest day of the year for us here in the Midwest. Like with any season, wildlife have plenty of adaptations and survival strategies to help them face the winter's challenges that await them post-solstice. To brave the cold, muskrats dig into steep river banks to create a cozy streamside den with an underwater entrance while many local birds like blue jays take shelter in tree holes. Other species liked red foxes and bison rely on their thicker winter coats to stay warm out in the Midwest's vast snow-covered fields. Meanwhile, some animals just say "nope" to winter entirely, like migratory birds that journey south and bears that go dormant after spending all of autumn storing enough fat to carry them through the season. Who can blame them? While Midwest winters can be harsh, they're also magical! It’s one of the best times of year to observe nature in its most tranquil state. Despite the solstice giving us the shortest Saturday of the year tomorrow, Midwesterners can look forward to longer and longer days now through the summer solstice next June. Happy #WinterSolstice 💙
The Nature Conservancy in Michigan
Non-profit Organizations
Lansing, Michigan 1,422 followers
Conserving the lands and waters on which all life depends – globally, and in Michigan.
About us
For decades, TNC in Michigan has worked with the people of this Great Lakes state to protect the rivers, lakes and lands that are its natural heritage. We continue to pursue strategies that will help ensure the vitality of Michigan’s people, places and wildlife for generations to come.
- Website
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https://www.nature.org/en-us/about-us/where-we-work/united-states/michigan/
External link for The Nature Conservancy in Michigan
- Industry
- Non-profit Organizations
- Company size
- 51-200 employees
- Headquarters
- Lansing, Michigan
- Specialties
- Great Lakes and Conservation
Updates
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🎉 Congratulations to Grand Traverse Regional Land Conservancy on a major victory for Great Lakes shoreline protection! 🎉 35 acres along Lake Michigan and Betsie Bay in Elberta, Michigan, are now protected from commercial development. Instead, this land will become a new nature preserve, community park, trail extension and local economic development—a big win for people and nature. 💚 TNC is proud to have contributed a small piece of the financial support for this successful project, after several decades of working closely with GTRLC to protect and restore Michigan's remarkable coastal ecosystems. This unique partnership continues to make a lasting impact and we're thrilled to celebrate our local partner! 👏 https://nature.ly/3ZJhDbh
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Exciting fisheries updates from the Upper Peninsula! In November, TNC fisheries scientists Matt Herbert and Jamie Dobosenski ventured into the Hiawatha National Forest to collect water samples from the Carp River. The goal? To test for eDNA to identify native Great Lakes fishes, like Lake Whitefish and Lake Trout, that use rivers to spawn. 🧬 What is eDNA? Environmental DNA is simply genetic material left behind by an organism, like microscopic bits of fish scales in a river. TNC is exploring if eDNA sampling is a more efficient method to determine if Lake Whitefish are present and spawning in Great Lakes tributary rivers. 🤔 How does it work? Using large, sterilized collection jugs, Matt and Jamie carefully collected water samples and ran each sample through a filter using a specialized pump. They also recorded water temperature, dissolved solids, depth and other water quality parameters, to help understand how these factors may influence eDNA results. ➡️ What's next? The project team, including TNC staff from MI, WI, IN and NY, will sample a number of rivers over the next two years. We're also partnering with U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service to process the eDNA samples. 💡 The bigger picture: This work complements our ongoing Lake Whitefish restoration initiative with the Sault Ste. Marie Tribe of Chippewa Indians, Little Traverse Bay Bands of Odawa Indians, Bay Mills Indian Community and Michigan Department of Natural Resources to restore declining Great Lakes whitefish populations. If successful, eDNA testing could become a valuable tool for identifying potential protection or restoration opportunities for Lake Whitefish populations across the Great Lakes. Photos: Drew YoungeDyke/TNC
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How do we transform our approach to food production & environmental sustainability? Join us for an insightful webinar exploring how monitoring outcomes at the landscape level can drive systemic change! 🗓️ December 17, 2024 ⏰ 10 - 11:30am ET Register at: https://lnkd.in/eS8C7krX
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Geminid Meteor Shower Alert for the Midwest! Mark your calendars for this Friday and Saturday, December 13 and 14, to witness one of the brightest meteor showers of the year – the Geminids! The Geminid meteor shower, which runs from November 19 to December 24, peaks around mid-December. If the skies are clear this weekend (🤞), dress warmly, grab a blanket, sleeping bag, or lawn chair, and head outside after 9-10 pm. Find a spot well away from city and streetlights, lay down with your feet facing south, and wait. It’ll take about 30 minutes for your eyes to adjust, but soon you'll see bright, fast, yellowish meteors streaking across the sky. Under peak conditions and dark skies, you might see up to 120 meteors per hour. But, this year, the Geminids will be competing with a bright moon, so you may need to be a bit more patient and won’t likely see as many. Enjoy the celestial show! Geminid Meteor Shower over horizon by clintspencer/Getty Images Signature Geminid Meteor Shower over trees by jdwfoto/Getty Images Geminid Meteor Shower over building by Michael Ver Sprill/Getty Images
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Michigan's Director of Policy, Rich Bowman, knows that to achieve Michigan's aggressive goals for a net zero carbon economy, we need to do more. "While we have made great strides toward that by pursuing wind and solar, there is another technology that is needed to get the job done known as carbon capture, utilization, and storage (CCUS)." That's why TNC has joined a unique coalition of environmental, labor, agricultural and essential manufacturing entities called MI SUCCESS that supports new CCUS permitting legislation. This bipartisan bill package, led by Sen. Sean McCann, D-Kalamazoo, authorizes the Michigan Department of Environment, Great Lakes, and Energy (EGLE) to take over the CCUS permitting process from the federal government to ensure the highest scientific standards and alignment with local and state needs. "This effort is urgently needed. Michigan is falling behind other Midwest states, including Illinois, Indiana and Pennsylvania, which have all recently enacted their own modern, state-based CCUS permitting legislation." More from Rich Bowman about the potential of CCUS to make a difference in Michigan: https://nature.ly/3ZFYBmi
Bowman: State should oversee carbon capture projects
detroitnews.com
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Interested in carbon capture and want to dive deeper? Tune in with TNC's Director of Policy, Rich Bowman, as he sits down with the Michigan Chamber of Commerce and Clean Air Task Force to discuss all the details about decarbonization. ⬇️
ICYMI: Wendy Block, SVP of business advocacy, leads the discussion on something called carbon capture – or decarbonization – what it really is, how it works and why it’s a fast-growing part of our environmental and energy future. Catch this Mi Business Matters episode 👉 https://bit.ly/3ZmOgN4. Joined by: ✅Rich Bowman, The Nature Conservancy in Michigan ✅Ben Grove, Clean Air Task Force ✅Mike Alaimo, Michigan Chamber
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Are you team real tree or fake tree? 🎄 Before you head to the department store, here are some eye-opening facts about artificial trees: 🌲 10 million artificial trees are sold each year ✈ 90% travel across the globe to get to you ❌ Most can't be recycled and end up in local landfills. Read on to find out why real trees are better for the planet: https://nature.ly/49pSU05
Real vs. Fake-Which Christmas Tree Is Better for the Environment?
nature.org
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SAVE THE DATE! #ExpandingAgroforestry #Agroforestry The Expanding Agroforestry Project (EAP), a partnership effort funded by the USDA’s Partnership for Climate-Smart Commodities initiative, is launching its second producer application cycle, inviting eligible producers to apply to the Expanding Agroforestry Incentive Payment Program beginning December 16, 2024. The Expanding Agroforestry Project aims to help producers increase economic resiliency, sequester more carbon, improve water quality, and enhance biodiversity through agroforestry. Eligible producers can apply to receive direct incentive payments to expand agroforestry plantings on their agricultural lands. Over five years, $36M will be paid out to producers to transform 30,000 acres spanning 30 states into agroforestry systems. The EAP invites you to a Town Hall Meeting on December 9, 2024. Topics to be covered include an overview of the EAP Incentive Payment Program, latest updates, and answers to frequently asked questions. A recording of the meeting will be available after the scheduled event. 🌳 Date: Monday, Dec 9, 2024 🌳 Time: 4 - 5pm EST 🌳 Registration: https://nature.ly/49lBCBj Participants are encouraged to submit questions in advance at: https://nature.ly/3Vs4rpT
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This #WorldSoilDay we're excited to announce the expansion of our Soil Health Hero awards program state-wide! These awards recognize farmers working hard to protect water quality and soil health while sustaining our communities. Do you know a farmer making a difference in Michigan? Nominations are open in the following categories for established cash crop, vegetable or livestock farms over 200 acres: https://nature.ly/3BfEYJl 🌱 Conservation Newcomer Award: Farms applying conservation practices for the first time (within three years). ⭐ Conservation Legacy Award: Farms applying conservation practices for five or more years. 💡 Conservation Innovation Award: Farms applying new or experimental conservation practices. Photo: 2023 Soil Health Award winners Wayne Bierlein (Conservation Legacy Award) and Caleb and Cody Symons (Conservation Newcomer Award), at the Great Lakes Crop Summit.
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