Waste not want not

Bumblebees were one of the more frequent visitors to the Three Sisters Garden (Photo: Michael Hodgins/ Pexels)

A recent study out of York University reveals new findings on the relationship between wild pollinators and plants. Looking at the Three Sisters Garden in the Great Lakes region, researchers studied the different wild pollinator populations visiting the garden. The study aims to provide information necessary to promote conservation of crucial pollinators and support Indigenous food sovereignty.

The Three Sisters Garden is cared for by local Indigenous groups and uses ancestral methods that include growing multiple crops simultaneously, in this case squash, corn and common bean. While previous research in the area has focused mainly on monocultured agricultural systems, the new study examines culturally significant plants and the connections between cultural diversity and biological diversity.

Plant and pollinator populations are deeply dependent on each other and deficits of either can threaten global food security. The researchers identified 59 per cent of the wider bee population within the Three Sisters Garden. The common eastern bumblebee and the hoary squash bee were two of the main visitors. The hoary squash bee is a key pollinator for both the garden and the squash making it a crucial pollinator to protect.

Potential for a new method of energy production making waves off the coast of Lake Michigan

Photo: Matt Hardy (Pexels)

As society’s energy consumption continues to increase, new and innovative technologies are being developed to keep up with demand while making the most of Earth’s dwindling resources. One such technology is wave energy, a new method that, while still in its infancy, could become a viable option for providing energy to remote coastal communities and beyond.

Beaver Island is one such community off the northwest coast of Lake Michigan’s lower peninsula, will be home to a pilot project to build and test the viability of emerging wave energy converter technology. Research this summer will identify viable locations to build the wave energy converter, with plans to deploy the technology as early as the summer of 2026. The work is funded by a $10,000 (USD) catalyst grant from the University of Michigan as well as a joint rural research partnership between the Institute for Social Research and the College of Engineering.

Four metre crack found in hull of Michipicoten

Video: TBNewsWatch.com

The Michipicoten, a 210-metre bulk carrier built in 1952, was en route from Two Harbors, Minnesota, to Thunder Bay, Ontario, when it developed a substantial crack at the hull. The incident happened in the morning of June 8 while the freighter transported a load of taconite across Lake Superior.

Amidst the serene yet unforgiving waters near Isle Royale, the Michipicoten, began to falter as it took on water. The crew promptly called for a dive team to plunge into the water below. They soon uncovered the four-metre-long gash, varying between one and two centimetres wide.

Initial concerns suggested the ship might have collided with a submerged object, however, subsequent investigations indicate the damage is more likely due to metal fatigue or a structural failure.

Half of the 22-member crew was evacuated as a precaution. Despite the newly damaged ballast tank and the compromised central voice space, the Michipicoten pressed on. The ship, though wounded, managed to reach the sanctuary of Thunder Bay, where temporary repairs are now underway. Authorities from both the U.S. and Canada have launched a full investigation to unravel the exact cause of the damage and to safeguard the vessel’s future journeys.