FROM WIRE REPORTS
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Scientist: Heavier storms, more algae
TRAVERSE CITY — An increasingly warm climate is worsening the problem of harmful Great Lakes algae blooms by boosting the intensity of spring rains that wash phosphorus into the waters, a scientist said Wednesday during a conference for advocates and policymakers.
The trend is likely to continue over the coming century, heightening the urgency to control runoff of dissolved phosphorus that promotes excessive algae growth, said Don Scavia, director of the University of Michigan's Graham Sustainability Institute.
"Weather really matters now," Scavia said during a conference in Cleveland for scientists, advocates and government officials from the eight states and two Canadian provinces in the Great Lakes region.
State may lease and operate Belle Isle park
DETROIT — Belle Isle, a 985-acre, city-run park in the middle of the Detroit River, would be managed by the state for at least the next 30 years under the terms of a lease agreement announced Wednesday by Detroit Mayor Dave Bing and Michigan Gov. Rick Snyder.
The agreement, which Bing said would save the cash-strapped city $275 million over the life of the lease, requires the approval of the Detroit City Council.
Proposals for a Michigan takeover of the island park have met fierce opposition from some local officials who resist state control. In this agreement, Detroit maintains ownership of the park and the state would manage it.
Snyder said the agreement would boost Detroit and serve as a model for how city and state cooperation can benefit both entities.
"This is not Detroit versus Michigan. This is Detroit, Michigan," he said during a news conference at Bing's downtown office.
Ahead of the announcement, City Council President Charles Pugh said he wanted to review details of the lease in writing.
"It's not an easy decision," Pugh said. "This is a proposal."
The park has not been well maintained. Belle Isle's canals need dredging, bike paths need work and restrooms need repairs.
