Findings from a new study by researches at the Pringle Lab at the University of Wisconsin-Madison find that invasive golden oyster mushrooms are reducing fungal diversity. The study, published in the journal Current Biology, found that the invasive mushroom is out-competing other fungi in fallen logs and dead trees.

Native to Asia and Russia, golden oysters have been found throughout Wisconsin and Michigan, including in Michigan’s upper peninsula.

Foraging and growing exotic mushrooms are popular ways to bring nutrition and flavor into your kitchen. Commercial growing operations are another way that mushrooms can spread from contained to wild environments.

Aishwarya Veerabahu is a PhD student in Botany at the Pringle Lab at the University of Wisconsin-Madison and leads a community data-gathering project. She is encouraging citizen scientists to send samples of golden oyster mushrooms to the Pringle Lab in Wisconsin. Veerabahu joined The Metro to explain how the spread of the golden oyster mushroom is threatening biodiversity in Michigan.

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The Michigan Department of Natural Resources and the Belle Isle Conservancy are working to plan for new amenities on the island.  In order to prioritize what Detroiters would like to see next, they’ve launched a new survey that outlines 11 potential projects.

Some key ideas include expanding the beach, creating a new café in the White House, rebuilding docks and piers for boaters and residents who like to fish, and restoring the Remick Band Shell.  

DNR Urban Field Specialist Amanda Treadwell says there’s a lot of work that needs to be done, but the resources don’t exist to do it all at once. “They’re all going to take a lot of stakeholders and community support to fully implement.  So [we’re] looking to have that community support and input on how we go about implementing these projects around the park.” 

Treadwell says she loves all of the proposed ideas for the island, but one tops her list. “If I had to pick one, I love seeing people out in the park, enjoying the new trails and the new bike paths.  I think it’s a wonderful way to enjoy the park.” 

The Belle Isle survey is open until September 8^th. 

The Republican-led Michigan House Oversight Committee approved a slew of legislative subpoenas Tuesday directed at state departments, including the Attorney General’s office.

The oversight committee has aggressively used its subpoena power in this session to squeeze agencies in an executive branch controlled by Democrats.

The committee authorized two subpoenas demanding records related to the end of a criminal investigation by the Attorney General’s office into a Democratic Party fundraiser. 

Attorney Traci Kornak is a former Michigan Democratic Party treasurer was investigated for insurance fraud in 2022. The department set up internal firewalls due to Kornak’s relationship with Nessel, but GOP committee members say there appears to be evidence that Nessel was kept informed of progress on the inquiry and may have influenced the decision to drop it.

Rep. Jay DeBoyer (R-Clay Twp.), chair of the oversight committee, said the subpoenas were necessary to help come up with improvements to Michigan’s campaign finance laws, but also hinted impeachment could be on the table.

“The House has the power to ability to impeach civil officers of the State of Michigan where corrupt conduct in office occurs,” he said. “In order to faithfully exercise its responsibilities in this regard, the House is entitled to investigate the Department of Attorney General’s decision to decline issuing criminal charges in this matter.”

Another subpoena asks for records and communications with the Department of State related to a campaign committee to include LGBTQ protections in Michigan’s civil rights law.

Tuesday’s round of subpoenas also includes records from the Michigan Department of Natural Resources on its regulation of game ranches and its program for euthanizing Canadian geese as a wildlife control measure.

The committee demanded an in-person appearance by Michigan Health and Human Services Director Elizabeth Hertel, who is a member of Gov. Gretchen Whitmer’s cabinet.

“House Republicans have raised serious questions for months about troubling reports involving MDHHS — including children sleeping on floors, young people being placed in unvetted out-of-state facilities, instances of welfare and Medicaid fraud, and taxpayer-funded services being extended to individuals without legal status,” said Rep. John Roth (R-Interlochen) in a written statement. “Our goal has always been to work collaboratively behind the scenes to investigate these concerns, but unfortunately, we have not been able to secure the cooperation we had hoped for from the department.”

GOP members of the committee accused Hertel and the MDHHS of stonewalling their inquiries and said she has declined multiple invitations to appear. A health department spokesperson said there was a scheduling conflict, but she was not dodging the committee.

“A subpoena was not necessary to compel the director to appear before the committee,” said MDHHS spokesperson Lynn Sutfin, sharing a letter where Hertel requested an alternate date and a list of topics to be covered in her appearance. 

The deer herd in Michigan is estimated to be two million strong. In southeast Michigan, that number has been growing.

There were more than 58,000 deer-vehicle crashes reported in Michigan in 2023, according to Michigan State Police. That’s an average of 158 per day.

There is a growing coalition of cities and townships in metro Detroit that have taken action to curb deer populations in their communities. Farmington Hills is one of the cities leading this effort, with the city council recently approving organized deer culls. The resolution, which allows sharpshooters to shoot and kill deer in suburban areas where overpopulation is a problem, also includes safety provisions and directs harvested venison to be donated to food banks.

Bryan Farmer, deputy director of the city of Farmington Hills Special Services Department, joined The Metro to talk more about the resolution. Then, Cervid and Wildlife Interactions Unit Supervisor at the Michigan Department of Natural Resources, Chad Stewart, joined the conversation to help us understand what’s behind the deer uptick in metro Detroit’s suburbs.

Use the media player above to hear the full conversation.

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