Door County Pulse Podcast
Mark Villers, Door County Environmental Council board member, speaks with Debra Fitzgerald from the Peninsula Pulse about agriculture and water quality. Listen here.
On the Road in Door County-
Between the Beauty and the Trouble
By Jane Elder
Bill Davis and I had back-to-back public talks in lovely Door County Wisconsin last week—his, on water law and policy and implications for Wisconsin waters hosted by the Door County Environmental Council, and mine, on the book (Wilderness, Water & Rust) hosted by The Ridges Sanctuary.
At both events, local concerns about environmental impacts on the bay of Green Bay and Lake Michigan were part of lively Q&A sessions. It was abundantly clear that people who are paying attention can see the changes in water quality, and the trends aren’t good. Read more.
A 156-Year-Old Farm in Georgia Finds Success in Farming the Old-School Way
“Waste not; want not”—the proverbial saying describes a mentality responsible for the explosive growth and popularity of White Oak Pastures in Bluffton, Georgia. Established in 1866 (just one year after the Civil War ended), White Oak remains with its founding family, the Harrises, and the current generations agree that the farm’s longevity is due to focusing not just on profits, but on the land, animals, and employees. Read more.
The Quagga Connection
by Paul Leline
The Quagga Mussel (Dreissena bugensis) is a small, clam shaped, invasive mollusk from Eastern Europe that has significantly altered the ecology of Lake Michigan and the bay of Green Bay. Since their introduction into the Great Lakes in the late 1980s, quagga mussels have caused major changes to this aquatic ecosystem. One of the greatest eco-changes is the interaction with Cladophora (Cladophora fascicuaris), a harmless type of bottom dwelling, filamentous green algae native to the Great Lakes. This relationship has had profound ecological, economic, and health related implications. Our understanding of this interrelationship is crucial for devising effective management strategies. Read more.
Are Current Well Water Standards Safe?
Submitted by Steve Eatough
Dave Belluck, a former Wisconsin state toxicologist who was involved in creating the state’s nitrate standards for drinking water in the 1980s, alleges the science that was used to create those standards, and followed for decades, are deeply flawed and should be stricter. But officials at the Wisconsin Department of Health Services (DHS) and the Department of Natural Resources (DNR) say they follow the lead of the federal Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) when setting drinking water standards. Furthermore, lowering the level at which water is considered safe would have major financial costs without the state’s ability to enforce those standards. Read more.
A Bold Return To Giving A Damn
By Mark Villers
A conventional, industrial farmer transforms his land and community by ditching concrete feedlots for grass pastures. Read more.