Latest news with #Heckman
Yahoo
3 days ago
- Climate
- Yahoo
A Massive Ice Storm in the Midwest Destroyed Millions of Acres of Public Forest. Here's What Happens Next
Michiganders can handle their share of winter weather. But the ice storm that hit the Lower Peninsula in late March was so severe and destructive that people have called it a 'generational storm.' With an inch or more of ice building on branches for days on end, entire stands of pine, oak, and aspen in Northern Michigan snapped or buckled under the weight — as did power lines, poles, and other infrastructure. The storm caused widespread blackouts and led Gov. Gretchen Whitmer to submit a disaster declaration asking for federal aid. Residents and state officials are still surveying the damage and working through the wreckage across millions of acres of northern woodlands, which are unrecognizable in some places and totally inaccessible in others. So what happens now? Because of the overwhelming scale of the destruction, land managers say there will be noticeable effects to forest health, including higher risks for intense wildfires. These altered habitats will affect wildlife populations as well, although some critters might actually benefit in the long run, according to biologists. The biggest and most immediate impacts, meanwhile, are on outdoor recreation. The state warns that hunters and other users will continue to encounter blocked roads, closed accesses, and treacherous woods. Recovery efforts, including salvage logging operations, are underway and will be for the foreseeable future. State officials say this will be costly, though, and as of May 20, the Trump Administration had not yet responded to Gov. Whitmer's request for help. Roughly 3 million acres of forest in 12 counties were affected by the 2025 Ice Storm, according to initial surveys by the Michigan Department of Natural Resources. That included around 1 million acres of state forest land, or roughly a quarter of the entire state forest system. The closest historical comparison in the area was the damage wrought by the Great Michigan Fire of 1871, which burned about 2.5 million acres of forest. 'It's certainly the worst natural disaster that I've lived through,' says Michigan DNR public information officer Kerry Heckman, who lives in the affected area on an 80-acre wooded parcel that borders state forest land. 'And because it lasted so long, it was almost a week of hearing nothing but trees coming down and branches breaking, almost constantly. It was very unnerving to be outside, but it was also disconcerting inside. You almost felt like there wasn't a safe place to be.' At one point a white pine just missed their house. Heckman and her husband spent the week without power, relying instead on generators while helping their neighbors cut out driveways, and praying that more falling trees wouldn't hit their cabin. 'We wouldn't even go out without a hard hat on,' Heckman continues. 'You had to have a spotter, too, because if you have a chainsaw running, you might not hear a tree coming down right next to you.' Read Next: Beginner's Guide to Timber Stand Improvement: How to Manage Your Woods for Deer and Other Wildlife It has now been two months since the storm. Heckman says the DNR has so far been able to assess around 150,000 acres, or roughly 20 percent of the affected acreage on state forest land. Foresters are still gauging the severity of the damage as they plan salvage and thinning operations, and much of the floor is still covered with downed branches, debris, and half-fallen trees that are hinged or hanging down — what Heckman calls 'ladder fuels,' which can carry flames into the tree-tops and create hotter, faster-spreading wildfires. She says they'll have to monitor and mitigate these risks for the next five to 10 years. The agency's biggest priority at this point, though, is clearing the more than 3,000 miles of state forest roads that were blocked off or damaged during the ice storm. Heckman says the DNR has focused on roads in fire-prone areas 'because we don't want to have to respond to a wildfire and not be able to get to it.' But crews are also prioritizing the main access roads that are used heavily by hunters and other forest users. 'The last time I looked, we had over 1,000 miles [of road] that were impassable. That's like us needing to clear the roads from Mackinac City to Atlanta, Georgia.' These efforts will continue at least through 2025, Heckman says, but progress is slow. Even the heavy equipment crews using skid steers and bulldozers are only able to clear about two miles of forest road a day. Most of the state parks, campgrounds, and boat ramps that were closed as a result of the storm have since reopened. The MDNR's website has an updated digital map that shows this information. But Heckman says that cabin owners and other people who frequent these woods to hunt, fish, forage, and hike will likely encounter closed roads, hard-to-reach areas, and other hazards. 'Just walking through the forest is difficult in places. There's a lot of tree tops down, limbs down, and a lot of trees that are leaning,' says Heckman. 'And aside from just traversing the forest floor, there's also overhead hazards. There's still a lot of widowmakers out there — trees or limbs that are hanging or caught up and can come down without warning.' Those hazards could remain on the landscape through the fall deer season and into the winter months and beyond. And although public access will improve as more forest roads get cleared, hunters traveling off those main roads should remain wary. 'Whether you're out turkey hunting or picking morel mushrooms, just be careful,' Heckman says. 'Make sure you keep an eye on what you're standing under, and what you're trying to walk over.' Fortunately for turkey hunters and mushroom hunters, there are still plenty of both species in the affected zones. In some ways, wild game and forage might actually benefit from the aftermath of the ice storm. (More on this in a minute.) Heckman says she expects a bumper morel crop in the coming years as woody debris decomposes on the forest floor. This woody material will also help create new and beneficial habitat for fish in local rivers. Whenever historic storms like this strike, it often reminds locals of the last bad storm — and the damage it did. In one recent Michigan hunting forum, locals are retelling stories about winter storms in the 70s, and how they saw 'hundreds of dead birds including many pheasants' that died on their roosts, some with 'ice forming on their beaks.' That doesn't seem to be the case this year, according to Heckman, who has not heard any evidence from the field of wildlife dying in the storm. There were probably some animals caught under falling trees or that died of exposure, she says, but the idea of pheasants, deer, and other critters freezing in their beds and nests is more of a wives' tale than a scientific reality. There is some peer-reviewed research into the impacts that weather can have on Michigan's game populations. According to one such study, harsh winters are one of the main limiting factors for the state's deer herds. Read Next: Why Is Deer Hunting in the Northwoods on the Decline? And Will It Ever Rebound? However, MDNR biologist Shelby Adams told reporters in April that she thinks deer and elk populations in the area will actually benefit from the disturbance, which opens up the tree canopy and creates a flush of new growth. Along with whitetails, Northern Michigan is home to the largest free-range elk herd east of the Mississippi, and Adams said she expects to see even more of those elk in the areas damaged by the ice storm. 'We know there's tops hitting the ground so the elk are taking advantage of that opportunity for this brief amount of time,' Adams told MLive. 'As the forest regenerates in the next 10 to 15 years they really do thrive in that young forest landscape.' Game birds like turkeys, ruffed grouse, and woodcock could benefit for similar reasons, Heckman says. 'We're going to see a lot of those new plants and stump sprouts, especially from aspens. And that early successional habitat, ruffed grouse and woodcock love that. It's obviously beneficial for deer as well,' she explains. 'That's actually a lot of what we're trying to do when we do forest management, is mimicking that natural disturbance.' Fortunately for wild turkeys, the ice storm hit well before their breeding and nesting season. So Heckman doubts the birds were impacted much by the event. Unfortunately for her, she was too busy coordinating damage control this spring to do any turkey hunting herself. Judging from what she's seen on her own land, though, she has high hopes for next year. 'This is just anecdotal, but I actually saw more turkeys this spring than I have in a while,' she says. 'We're still seeing lots of wildlife in the area … we've seen deer on our game cameras, and I've actually had a bear and a bobcat on there as well since the storm.'
The Hindu
4 days ago
- General
- The Hindu
Rewriting the script of early childhood education
'Some kids win the lottery at birth; far too many don't — and most people struggle to catch up,' said the Nobel Laureate Prof. James Heckman. This holds true for India as well where its employment problem is partly a consequence of this 'lottery of birth'. A child born in India has a one-in-five chance of being born into poverty, affecting their health, nutrition, learning and earning potential. Yet, there is a way to beat these odds. From the decision by Uttar Pradesh to hire 11,000 dedicated Early Childhood Care and Education educators for Balavatikas to Odisha launching Shishu Vatikas and Jaduipedi Kits, States in India are showing the way. The Heckman curve was a powerful economic model that provided a simple yet profound insight — of the relationship between age and the rate of return on investments in human capital. Heckman found that every dollar invested in early childhood education yields a return that ranges from $7 to $12, with lasting impacts: children who receive quality early education are four times more likely to have higher earnings and three times more likely to own a home as adults. By age five, many gaps in outcomes — such as earning potential and quality of life — are already evident. Children often struggle throughout life if motivation and learning habits are not nurtured early. Learning outcomes Yet, India's ECE system faces three major challenges. First, children are not receiving sufficient instructional time. Nearly 5.5 crore children between ages three to six are enrolled in 14 lakh operational Anganwadis and 56,000 government pre-primary schools. However, Anganwadi workers spend only 38 minutes per day on preschool instruction, which is far short of the scheduled two hours, and only 9% of pre-primary schools have a dedicated ECE teacher. We are planting trees without the right care to help them grow. The effects are reflected in learning outcomes. The India Early Childhood Education Impact Study found that only 15% of pre-primary children could match basic objects, a skill essential for letter recognition in Class one. Similarly, only 30% could identify larger and smaller numbers, which are foundational for arithmetic. As a result, children often start formal schooling without the skills they need, with many bypassing essential ECE years entirely: 2% of three-year-olds, 5.1% of four-year-olds, and nearly one-fourth of five-year-olds are enrolled directly in Class one. The issue of resources, engaging parents Second, the thoughtful optimisation of resources for early childhood education remains a challenge. The Government of India spends only ₹1,263 a child annually on ECE compared to ₹37,000 a student on school education — largely on producing teaching-learning materials that are often underused. There simply are not enough teachers to implement these resources, and there is a lack of oversight — one supervisor is responsible for monitoring 282 Anganwadis. To improve oversight, we need targeted funding to hire more supervisors and dedicated ECE teachers. These measures, though modest, promise high returns. Uttar Pradesh has now moved ahead on the hiring of nearly 11,000 ECE educators for Balavatikas in all districts. The State also organised a six-day residential training programme for 50 master trainers from 13 districts to train them on ECE pedagogy. Odisha has taken the decision to open Shishu Vatikas in all government schools to make children in the age group five to six school ready. While increased funding would lead to immediate improvements, sustaining these gains depends on engaging parents, and here lies the third challenge. Most parents care deeply about their children's education but may lack guidance on supporting early learning. Empowering parents with simple, effective ECE practices can make a significant difference. For instance, providing worksheets or encouraging their participation in ECE centre activities can deepen their involvement. In Madhya Pradesh, the monthly Bal Choupal programme engages with parents directly by showing them the importance of play-based learning. With smartphone access nearly universal, parental engagement can be further strengthened through WhatsApp or EdTech apps, allowing parents to support their children's development. In perspective Reversing these odds may seem like an uphill battle, but with targeted funding and increased parental involvement, we can provide our children with the foundation they deserve. By 2047, over a billion Indians will enter the global workforce, presenting an unprecedented opportunity to reshape India's role in the world economy. Strategic investments in ECE and engaging parents in their children's learning journey could help 200 million Indians escape the lottery of birth and give today's young learners the chance to become tomorrow's leaders. This is a critical pathway to realising India's vision of becoming a true Vishwa Guru, empowering generations to come. Shaveta Sharma-Kukreja is the Chief Executive Officer and Managing Director at Central Square Foundation. Luis Miranda is the Chairperson and Co-founder of the Indian School of Public Policy and the Chairman of the Centre for Civil Society
Yahoo
10-05-2025
- Climate
- Yahoo
As DNR clears trees from ice storm, even more threats loom to Up North forests
As Michigan Department of Natural Resources crews attempt to clear the thousands of fallen, broken trees and branches from historic late-March ice storms that left a 12-county disaster area in northern Michigan, they are in a race against time. Tree-killing pests such as native pine bark beetles thrive in areas with stressed, damaged pine trees and fresh pine debris — and after the late March ice storms, northern Lower Michigan has wide-ranging areas with those conditions. It could lead to population explosions of the beetles and cause further losses to forests beyond the damage already done, DNR spokeswoman Kerry Heckman said. "It's about 60 days after trees are wounded when beetles can move in," she said. "That can significantly impact the forest. Other trees that would survive but that did sustain damage, if the beetles get in there, they will kill those trees. "We need to get in there and salvage before this can happen." The DNR is working to advertise and quickly complete salvage timber sales in the storm-struck areas, an effort to not only reduce pest infestations but also wildfire risks, which are currently high to very high across most of Michigan. The DNR's Forest Resources Division is prioritizing red pine salvage sales to forestall pine beetles. Biofuels facilities or other purchasers of the salvaged wood products would receive them at a discounted rate off typical market prices, Heckman said. Salvage sales of other tree species will be available in coming weeks. With the current risky, dry conditions, DNR officials urge the public not to burn tree debris from the ice storms, but instead take branches and debris to one of 17 collection and disposal sites set up in northern Lower Michigan. A list of the collection site locations is available at More: Climate change transforming Michigan's forests More: As oil and gas development potentially increases, dangerous incidents sometimes happen At one branch and brush collection site in Emmet County, on a Little Traverse Conservancy parking lot south of Harbor Springs, a massive industrial wood chipper and conveyor belt system arranged by county officials mulched the debris and it was loaded into semi-truck trailers for shipping to a biofuels energy facility in Gaylord. "The amount of brush people brought was just enormous," said Amy Lipson, a conservation specialist with the conservancy. DNR forestry officials urge the public in ice storm-affected areas to salvage and clean up as much affected pine as possible before June to reduce bark beetle regeneration. Avoid piling logs and branches, as it reduces drying time and invites increased beetle production. Prioritize removal of trees that have tipped or lost branches, followed by those trees that are severely bent, and then those with the fewest intact branches. Conifers, especially red pines, are also susceptible to Heterobasidion root disease, or HRD, spread by fungal spores that enter from cut stumps and travel through root connections to other nearby trees, creating pockets of dead trees. HRD is present in several locations of Emmet County and one location in Montmorency County. If working within a 5-mile radius of a known HRD infection, DNR officials urge treating pine stumps within plantations with approved chemicals to prevent new infections. More: Is that a morel, or will it make me sick? How to ID real morels from false morels Due to the threat of oak wilt disease, another fungal infection introduced through oak tree wounds, oak salvage and cleanup should be postponed wherever possible until after the high-risk period that began in mid-April and ends in mid-July, DNR officials said. Deterioration of storm-damaged oak and other hardwood will occur more slowly than with pine, allowing up to two years to complete salvage. DNR staff are working to remove debris and allow the on-time opening of state parks, forests, campgrounds and trails in the ice storm areas. Most of those locations that remain closed are in the central portion of the affected area. A map with parks' status is available on DNR's ice storm recovery page. Some 3,400 miles of state forest roads were impacted by the storms, Heckman said. DNR has been able to clear 205 miles of roads to date, but some 975 miles remain impassible, she said. "That's equal to the distance from Mackinaw City to Atlanta, Georgia," she said. More: Scientists haven't seen this Michigan plant in years. What to know about monkeyflower "We are prioritizing access into areas prone for wildfires, as we are right now starting wildfire season," she said. "We have also emphasized access for fish-stocking locations and tree-planting, locations where we are planting seedlings. And then access into major travel corridors used by the public." DNR officials also urged caution for paddlers and anglers in northern Michigan rivers and streams, as they may encounter far more woody debris in waterways than in typical years. Contact Keith Matheny: kmatheny@ This article originally appeared on Detroit Free Press: DNR clears trees from ice storm, more threats loom to Up North forests
Yahoo
04-05-2025
- Business
- Yahoo
Dixon council accepts bid for $21M project to update wastewater treatment plant
May 4—DIXON — Dixon city officials are moving forward with a $21 million project to update the aging infrastructure at the wastewater treatment plant. "This is going to be a long-term project," Public Works Director Matt Heckman said. "It's the revamping of all of the major systems at the wastewater treatment plant. Although they're still functioning properly at this moment, they have reached a point of mechanical life where we need to update or repair these things before they start to give us fits." At the April 21 Dixon City Council meeting, the council approved a bid of $18.257 million from Vissering Construction Co. of Streator. The project is expected to take about 18 months to complete, but next steps are dependent on the city being formally accepted into the Illinois Environmental Protection Agency Water Pollution Control Loan Program, which is how the city is paying for the upgrades, Heckman said. So far, the city has received preliminary approvals from the program and expects to get that formal approval within the next two months, Heckman said. Based on the preliminary approvals, the entire project is eligible to be financed through the program, and the principal forgiveness increased from $4.8 million to $6.3 million, Heckman said. Principal forgiveness is a portion of the loan that is permanently removed; the borrower is not responsible for paying that amount. "That's a big win for us. It's been a pretty good week for the city of Dixon," Heckman said. The remaining costs will be financed at 1.2% interest over 30 years with an annual payment of about $600,000, "which is exactly where we want to be," Heckman said. This type of financing for costly needed projects "is a fairly effective way of doing the infrastructure," Mayor Glen Hughes said in an interview with Shaw Local Radio. Dixon's wastewater treatment plant "is over 20 years old. A lot of things need to be upgraded," Hughes said. "We've been talking about these improvements for many years," Heckman said, adding that if left as is, "you could have a critical failure at the wastewater treatment plant, which would not be ideal." Heckman said the updates also incorporate some upcoming regulatory changes from the IEPA mandating that by 2030, plants treating at least 1 million gallons a day must lower their phosphorus levels to 0.5 milligrams per liter, as part of the Illinois Nutrient Loss Reduction Strategy. "The Illinois EPA sets the standards for wastewater effluent. We take meeting and exceeding those standards very seriously. We want to keep our waterways clean. ... That's super important to us," Heckman said. Other repairs to the plant also were completed in late 2024. There were a couple screws — one broken, another fractured — that needed to be fixed because they're an important structural part of the system that moves the waste, Hughes said. The council approved a bid of $439,905 for that project at its Nov. 4 meeting. Those screws needed to be replaced for a long time. The issue was first brought to the city's attention under former Comptroller Rita Crundwell and was expected to cost about $35,000, council member Dennis Considine said in a previous interview with Shaw Local. Considine was elected to the council six months before Crundwell was escorted out of Dixon City Hall in handcuffs in April 2012 and convicted in 2013 of embezzling $53.7 million from the city. While Dixon struggled to pay for infrastructure and other projects, she used the money to fund a lavish lifestyle raising champion quarter horses, a $2 million tour bus, multiple homes and other trappings. The completion of that screw project wrapped up the list of backlogged projects. Dixon City Manager Danny Langloss said Friday "we're not catching up with anything from Crundwell" that he's aware of.
Yahoo
20-04-2025
- Entertainment
- Yahoo
‘A great community tradition;' Hundreds attend annual Easter sunrise service
Community members gathered for Carillon Park's 84th annual Easter sunrise service Sunday morning. [DOWNLOAD: Free WHIO-TV News app for alerts as news breaks] The service started at 6:30 a.m. in front of the Deeds Carillon monument. >> PHOTOS: Community gathers for Easter sunrise service TRENDING STORIES: 'Sweet situation gone sour;' Easter Bunny arrested in Fairborn Automated freight trucks deployed on I-70 Man flown to hospital after tree falls onto car in Darke County Music was provided by the Carillon Park's carillonneur, Alan Bowman, and the Harbour & Levy Praise team, according to the park's Facebook page. News Center 7 talked to Divine Ecumenical Ministries' Executive Director, Crystal Walker, and Vice President of Museum Operations for Dayton History, Alex Heckman, about what this service means to the city. 'They may not have a church, but listening to some of the speakers, maybe they seek out their churches to go to afterwards, so it's really just good to have such a diverse group of people come out and be with us,' Walker said. The pair said hundreds of people attended this year's service. They even saw some new faces on the lawn. 'It really is inspirational in my opinion because people will turn out every year. It could be raining, or snowing, it could be freezing cold and people still turnout,' Heckman said. This service has been a longstanding tradition for the park, as it started in 1942. 'It's really great to be a part of history,' Walker said. Heckman said several generations of families have attended the service. 'It's just a great community tradition, and it's really one of these things that when you think about Dayton, Ohio and when you think about Easter and the Easter season in Dayton, Ohio you have to think of the Deeds Carillon and the Easter sunrise service,' Heckman said. [SIGN UP: WHIO-TV Daily Headlines Newsletter]
