Once again, boaters and riparians on most west Oakland County lakes will not be seeing the presence of the Oakland County Sheriff’s Department (OCSD) Marine Division this summer The exceptions to that budget casualty are the 13 lake communities that decided to contract with the Marine Division for 2012 patrols. Due to budget constraints and the economic decline, the Marine Division no longer had the funds to keep patrol boats stationed for the summer at [...]

As the weather warms, lake enthusiasts will begin thinking about taking up a new water sport or making an annual pilgrimage to the store to buy the hottest new water toy. There are toys and sports out there for everyone, whether you’re a thrill seeker or a recreationalist. Fortunately, Oakland County affords an impressive backdrop of lakes — perfect for wake boarding, paddleboarding, kayaking, or bouncing the day away on inflatables — and each activity [...]

Many people who have had the pleasure of wading in an inland lake have at one time or another just been splashing around when all of a sudden a sharp pain travels through their foot. The culprit? A pesky zebra mussel, an aquatic species invader. Of course, zebra mussels are not the only aquatic invasive species in Michigan — and they won’t be the last. That’s why the state Department of Environmental Quality (DEQ) has [...]

Two species of freshwater mussels that have been known to have a presence in Oakland County have been added to the federal Endangered Species List, according to the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service (USFWS). The two species — the rayed bean (Villosa fabalis) and the snuffbox (Epioblasma triquetra) — are native to parts of the Midwest and East, and have been found in rivers in Michigan, Ohio, Indiana, and Tennessee. The snuffbox is a small [...]

After decades of legal interpretations and litigation, the battle over road ends may have finally come to an end with the passage of Senate Bill (SB) 778, which recently received approval in both chambers of the state Legislature and, as of press time, had been presented to Gov. Rick Snyder. “After being debated for so long, it’s a good feeling to see something through to fruition,” said state Sen. Mike Kowall (R-White Lake), who sponsored [...]

Today, there are how-to books for just about any and every topic: How to cook, how to sew, how to draw, and how to speak cat. There are even books called “How to Start Your Own Country,” “How to Survive a Zombie Apocalypse,” and “How to be a Canadian,” to name only a few. Regardless of the topic, it seems like you can find a book to help you navigate just about any new terrain. [...]

An Oakland County lake has jumped into the forefront of a movement to erect boat disinfection stations at launch ramps as a means to help mitigate the proliferation of viral hemorrhagic septicemia (VHS) and other potentially fatal fish pathogens. At the same time, use of the disinfection stations may help curb or even prevent the spread of invasive aquatic species such as Eurasian watermilfoil and zebra mussels. The Wolverine Lake Village Council has accepted the [...]

The battle over mute swan population control in Michigan is heating again, with some municipal governments and state officials gearing up for another season of activities designed to whittle back the birds’ numbers. Yet not all local governments have jumped on the bandwagon, as evidenced by a recent Oakland County community’s action to reject suggested swan control efforts; and there’s still plenty of staunch mute swan advocates lamenting the state’s approach toward reducing the mute [...]

In December 2010, former Department of Natural Resources (DNR) Director Rebecca Humphries authorized the DNR to acquire a 2.41-acre property that, with the adjacent Aggressive Marine property — which was purchased by the DNR in 2008 — would be used to develop a new Union Lake boating access site at Union Lake and Wise roads in Commerce Township. However, the property still has yet to be purchased by the DNR due to legal entanglements. That’s [...]

The advance of exotic Asian carp toward the Great Lakes continues to draw attention and prompt concerns, as an invasion of the Great Lakes basin could create an ecological and economic disaster for the region. As such, the Great Lakes Commission and the Great Lakes and St. Lawrence Cities Initiative released strategies at the end of January on how to prevent an Asian carp invasion of the Great Lakes by modernizing the Chicago Area Waterway [...]