Golden oyster mushrooms invading Michigan forests
|
|
|||||
 |
|||||
News Release |
|||||
|
|||||
Native to Asian and Russian hardwood forests, these imported mushrooms are now growing in the wild in areas of the Midwest, including Michigan’s southern Lower Peninsula.
My Life, My Quit program launches mobile app
Press Release FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE: Aug. 4, 2025 CONTACT: Lynn Sutfin, 517-241-2112, SutfinL1@michigan.gov My Life, My Quit program launches mobile app LANSING, Mich – Youth in Michigan now have a new way to access free help to quit using tobacco and nicotine products, including e-cigarettes/vapes. The My Life, My Quit™ program has launched a mobile app, making it easy for teens to get confidential support from their smartphones. “This new app will meet teens where they are with tools that support quitting tobacco products,” said Dr. Natasha Bagdasarian, chief medical executive. “We are grateful My Life. My Quit. worked with young adults to update their programming and are excited to promote this new option to youth in Michigan.” As part of an effort to help young Michiganders quit tobacco, MDHHS contracts with the My Life, My Quit program. This free, evidence-based, service is designed specifically for youth who want to quit using tobacco and e-cigarette products. It offers live text and phone coaching, interactive content and personalized quit plans. The new app was developed in response to feedback from teen users and has been created to improve accessibility and expand engagement. The app includes features like:
The app is available for download from Google Play and Apple App stores. Youth and young adults can continue to enroll in the program by visiting MyLifeMyQuit.org or by texting “Start My Quit” to 36072. According to the 2023 Michigan Youth Tobacco Survey, 13.2% of respondents reported current use of any tobacco product. The most common type of tobacco product used were e-cigarettes with 11.1% of youth reporting that they had used an e-cigarette in the last 30 days. MDHHS reminds Michigan residents there are numerous benefits to quitting tobacco including financial savings, better health and more time spent with loved ones. As it can take several attempts to quit for good, tobacco users are encouraged not to give up after a failed attempt. For additional information and resources, visit Michigan.gov/tobacco. |
Four weeks to 2025 Mackinac Bridge Walk
| FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE August 4, 2025
|
MEDIA CONTACT James Lake 906-250-0993 LakeJ1@Michigan.gov |
Four weeks to 2025 Mackinac Bridge Walk
ST. IGNACE, Mich. – For the safety and convenience of all those participating in the 2025 Mackinac Bridge Walk, the Mackinac Bridge Authority (MBA) will again start the event from both ends of the bridge, at Bridge View Park in St. Ignace and the Jamet Street ramp in Mackinaw City.
Starting the walk in both cities, as it has been since 2018, eliminates the need for busing and offers additional options for participants.
Additionally, due to its success in 2024, the walk will begin on the north end of the bridge from Bridge View Park on the west side of I-75 rather than at the MBA administration building. As most participants who start in St. Ignace already park at Bridge View Park, starting the walk from that side reduces the number of people crossing the interstate before the event begins. Participants who park on the east side of I-75 will be guided across the road before and after walking the bridge.
“These changes to the Annual Bridge Walk format we’ve made over the past several years have made it safer and easier for everyone to participate in this beloved event,” said MBA Bridge Director Kim Nowack.
A video posted on the MBA website at www.MackinacBridge.org/Walk explains the bridge walk schedule and choices people have whether they start from the north or south ends of the bridge.
Walkers essentially have three main options:
- Starting from either end of the bridge and walking toward the center, turning around at the midpoint and returning to the city they started from, where their transportation is located. The turnaround points will move toward the ends of the bridge beginning at 10 a.m. but walkers can walk at least a portion of the bridge if they start by 11:30 a.m. Walkers must be on the side of the bridge they wish to return to before 10 a.m.
- Walking the entire length of the bridge starting from either end. Those who choose this option must reach the midpoint before 10 a.m. or they will be turned back. Anyone who walks the entire bridge must arrange their own transportation back to the side they started once the bridge reopens to public traffic at noon.
- Crossing the bridge, starting from either end, and then turning around and walking back to the side they started from. In this option, walkers will need to cross the midpoint on their return trip by 10 a.m. or they will be turned back and need to find their own transportation back across the bridge after it reopens at noon.
As with the last several events, because walkers can start from either end of the bridge when they arrive, there will be no buses transporting participants across the bridge. Participants must plan accordingly to ensure they end their walk on the same side of the bridge as their transportation. The MBA does not provide any shuttle service after the walk and cannot guarantee outside shuttle services will be offered.
The bridge will again be closed to public traffic during the 2025 walk, from 6:30 a.m. to noon on Labor Day, Sept. 1, based on recommendations from the Michigan State Police and U.S. Department of Homeland Security. Emergency vehicles will still be permitted to cross the bridge, but no public vehicles will be allowed until the walk concludes and participants are off the bridge.
The bridge walk has been an annual event since 1958, with the exception of 2020. The 2024 walk will be the 67th event. Between 20,000 and 35,000 people have participated in recent years; 30,000 participated in the 2024 event.
DNR News Digest – Week of July 28, 2025
|
||||||||||||||||
|
||||||||||||||||
News Digest – Week of July 28, 2025
Enjoy vintage baseball Aug. 23 at Cambridge Junction Historic State Park in Brooklyn. |
||||||||||||||||
|
Instead of reaching for a second s’more, take a break from your evening campfire this week and join our explorer guides for family-friendly, nighttime education programs at several state parks – from bats and owls to meteor showers and glowing rocks!
If you are curious about owls and aren’t afraid to get your hands a little dirty, join the explorer guide at Houghton County’s 
Residents and out-of-state visitors legally can ride Michigan’s 4,000 miles of off-road vehicle trails and routes and the state’s six scramble areas on two back-to-back days (Aug. 16-17) without an ORV license or trail permit. The entrance fee at Holly Oaks ORV Park in Oakland County also will be waived this year. Our 
If you want to get started with, or get better at, hunting, fishing and foraging, the Outdoor Skills Academy’s August opportunities are for you! Get expert, supportive, hands-on instruction and build your confidence with classes such as:
Several state parks in southern Michigan will host stewardship workdays, where volunteers are needed to pull invasive plants, survey beaches, clean up the dunes and help high-quality ecosystems thrive.
Prescribed burns, timber harvests, tree planting and other activities are carefully mapped out to keep Michigan’s nearly 4 million acres of state forest thriving.
See more pictures by 
EGLE advises on cleanup from northern Michigan ice storm
|
|
|
|