Green Oak Township
State officials plan to transform old mine site
GREEN OAK TOWNSHIP, Mich. (AP) - Michigan officials plan to breathe new life into a 550-acre former mining site within the Island Lake Recreation Area to make it more attractive to people and animals.
The state's Department of Natural Resources will seek to add wildlife habitat and recreation areas to the Spring Mill Mine in Green Oak Township park in the coming weeks, The Livingston County Daily Press & Argus reported. The initiative would reshape the land with walking trails, bike paths and observation areas.
Glenn Palmgren, an ecologist at the department, said the new grassland habitat would attract rare and endangered species, including the Henslow's sparrow, grasshopper sparrow and pheasant. The area would also attract deer, rabbits, foxes and coyotes.
"We thought it was a great opportunity to have a much larger area of grassland within Island Lake to provide habitat for those prairie- and grassland-dependent wildlife," Palmgren said. "We're pretty confident that we'd start to see a good number of grassland-dependent species showing up there just because we have seen them occasionally at the park in the past."
Although the mine area is attached to the park, it has yet to be reclaimed for recreational use.
The project would remove 5 million tons of sand, gravel, fences, pipes and building foundations that were left over from mining.
Department officials said the project, which could take up to 10 years to complete, will be funded through a state lease agreement instead of tax money. The winning bidder will be allowed to remove and sell about 5 million tons of sand.
Palmgren said the department's director will likely approve the project after a Natural Resources Commission meeting in September.
Lansing
Briefs Headline:Expansion of Medicaid could cut prison costs
LANSING, Mich. (AP) - Michigan says it expects to save at least $19 million on health care next year by enrolling inmates and parolees in the state's expanded Medicaid program.
The Department of Corrections says one aim is to lower recidivism by offering treatment for mental illness, substance abuse and chronic health conditions.
The Detroit News reports Michigan would save an estimated $16.8 million by shifting health costs to the federal government for in-patient stays at community hospitals for inmates. Under federal rules, Medicaid doesn't cover health care provided inside prison facilities.
The Department of Corrections, which has about 43,300 prisoners, also is working to enroll the state's 18,000 parolees in the expanded Medicaid program. That change is expected to save an additional $2.2 million in the fiscal year that starts Oct. 1.
Lansing
App offers tours of public art around state
LANSING, Mich. (AP) - The Michigan Council for Arts and Cultural Affairs is offering an app featuring tours of public art around Michigan.
The "MI Amazing Art Tour" app is free to download via iTunes. Users can search categories of art, including murals, sculpture and architecture.
The app will lead them through a tour of those pieces.
