1. What percentage of Michigan's wetlands have been lost since pre-settlement times (as of the last assessment in 1980)?

A. 73%

B. 96%

C. 55%

D. Wetlands? What are wetlands?

2. How much faster is land in Michigan being developed compared to the rate of population growth?

A. Twice as fast

B. Five times faster

C. Eight times faster

D. Can't we annex part of Indiana?

3. How many acres of productive farmland does Michigan lose each year to low-density development and fragmentation?

A. 1,500 acres

B. 38,900 acres

C. 240,000 acres

D. None, all the farms are now golf courses

4. How much money has the federal government pledged to provide to Michigan for planning and engineering a rapid transit system between Ann Arbor and Detroit if current state planning processes are completed on time?

A. $1 million

B. $25 million

C. $100 million

D. $19.95 plus tax

5. Approximately how many governmental entities are responsible for land use planning and zoning in Michigan?

A. None, only the state has that power

B. None, only counties have that power

C. 1,800

D. 18,000

Answers:

1. A, 73%

2. C, Eight times faster

3. B, 38,900 acres

4. C, $100 million

5. C, 1,800

Getting it straight

Michigan Environmental Report reader John Smith points out an error in an answer in last issue's Great Lakes Trivia test. To the question, "What percent of Michigan land drains into the Great Lakes," the answer is not 100%, as reported. As John correctly points out, a very tiny piece of the western Upper Peninsula — about one-half of a square mile — actually drains into the Mississippi River basin. That, in fact, is how the U.P. town Watersmeet (where the waters of the Great Lakes and Mississippi meet) gets its name. Thanks John!

— Hugh McDiarmid Jr., MEC Communications Director