Boardman River

This week: Microplastics, mentorship and the proper way to say "mmmunchy."

Northwestern Michigan College students are starting a years-long project that will sample for microplastics across the Boardman-Ottaway River watershed.

Invasive species often spread by hitching a ride on anglers, especially anglers who don’t clean their gear after fishing. Though this is widely known, research suggests many anglers still don’t clean, even though it protects the very thing they’re after – fish. So, can anything be done to change their minds?

Invasive species often spread by hitching a ride on anglers, especially anglers who don’t clean their gear after fishing. Though this is widely known, research suggests many anglers still don’t clean, even though it protects the very thing they’re after – fish. So, can anything be done to change their minds?

The Grand Traverse County Road Commission Board heard nearly an hour of public comment on Thursday night, mostly about the proposed Hartman-Hammond bridge across the Boardman River.

The proposed east-west crossing over the Boardman River at Hartman and Hammond roads is up for public discussion this week.

The Michigan Court of Appeals overturned a circuit court ruling on Thursday which had stalled the project for over a year.

Didymo, or "rock snot," can carpet the bottoms of rivers and streams, posing a threat to food sources for animal life there. And the public can play a role in preventing its spread.

Over time, people have caused extensive damage to rivers by scouring their banks with logs, channelizing them through towns and cutting them up with dams. In the last 50 years, scientists have discovered removing dams can vastly improve conditions in rivers. But not all dams can come down. Sometimes they are our greatest protection against invasive species.

Over time, people have caused extensive damage to rivers by scouring their banks with logs, channelizing them through towns and cutting them up with dams. In the last 50 years, scientists have discovered removing dams can vastly improve conditions in rivers. But not all dams can come down. Sometimes they are our greatest protection against invasive species.