Ann Arbor’s Huron River Drive construction project begins this Monday.  This temporarily closes one of the most popular on-road recreational routes in the region.  Ann Arbor News excerpt and link:

Monday, at some yet unspecified time, the last motorist or bicyclist will traverse the scenic but pothole-riddled Huron River Drive between North Main Street and Bird Road in Ann Arbor.

Barricades and detour signs will be pulled across the road at either end, and construction workers will begin the task of ripping up the 1.3-mile stretch of asphalt roadway that winds among the trees and hills next to the Huron River in the city’s northwest corner.

A 2005 count showed 2,313 vehicles a day using the section of road that will be improved. That number doesn’t include the hundreds of bicyclists who pedal the roadway daily.

The plan, to rebuild the road within its existing boundaries, followed a series of public meetings to solicit opinion about what form the improvement should take. One possibility, that the segment of road be closed altogether to motor vehicle traffic and made into a pedestrian and bicycle path was rejected after many residents who live close to the road objected.

Proposals to widen the road, possibly adding bicycle and pedestrian paths, also were rejected, largely because of possible damage to the steep slopes, trees, wetlands, animals and some endangered plants on either side of the road, Rolla said.

The new road will not have marked bicycle lanes.

Four nature areas, the Barton Nature Area, the Keubler-Langford Nature Area, Camp Hilltop and the Bird Hills Nature Area extend along either side of the road as it winds along the Huron River northwest from Ann Arbor.

http://tinyurl.com/4yvzwe

The Grand Rapids Press has the following tidbit about the city’s Blandford Nature Center:

The Blandford site contains a diverse mixture of trails through rolling hardwood forest, streams, ponds, wetlands and old farm fields. The center, off Leonard Street NW at 1715 Hillburn Ave., is owned by the city, but was operated by the Public Museum of Grand Rapids.

The city, the museum and the school district all say they can’t afford to operate it.

Concerns about fiscal difficulties surfaced when some employee hours were cut in January, six months after Mixed Greens took over management of the city-owned 143-acre preserve from the school district.

Bleke said the organization has trimmed costs, but added Blandford Mixed Greens has raised enough money to operate for the next year.

http://tinyurl.com/4g72dq

The Traverse City Record Eagle reports that four state forest campgrounds remain closed despite state plans to open all closed forest campgrounds:

Four other Michigan state forest campgrounds remain closed because of inoperable wells, including two in this area: Pigeon Bridge in Otsego County and Garey Lake Trail Camp in Benzie County. Two state forest campgrounds in the Upper Peninsula also are affected, North Gemini and South Gemini in Schoolcraft County.

“We don’t want to impact the campers. We know there are users who have favorite campgrounds and we may be affecting that by closing them,” said Brenda Curtis, forest recreation planner for the Michigan Department of Natural Resources.

The campground well in Otsego County will be repaired and the site re-opened within days, but the Benzie County site may take a bit longer, Curtis said.

The state forest campgrounds in Benzie and Otsego counties need well repairs, while the sites in the U.P. require new wells to be drilled, all paid for through grants and state campground operational funds.

http://www.record-eagle.com/local/local_story_151100822.html

The Grand Haven Tribune reports that Grand Haven State Park now has “green” toilets and showers:

“This is a new day for the system,” said Ron Olsen, chief of the Michigan Department of Natural Resources Parks and Recreation Division. “Being ‘green’ goes beyond the flora and the fauna. This is one of the first examples of a prototype we’d like to build on.”

To make the showers and toilets more “green,” several economic improvements were made. Water heaters are now on-demand, showers are time controlled and lighting is provided by the sun. Solar power provides electricity when needed, and toilets and urinals are “ultra low-flow.”

The new showers are making happy campers as well. Because lighting is triggered by motion, the facility will not shine lights into tents and campers in the middle of the night.

http://www.grandhaventribune.com/paid/301089532818250.bsp

MSU’s student paper, the State News, has a more extensive article on the same subject:

http://tinyurl.com/4s28xq

WLUC TV in the UP reports that the Seney National Wildlife Refuge has cut staff and other programs to meet budget:

“What the refuge system has had to do,” said Seney Refuge Manager Tracy Casselman, ”since the costs have gone up and funding has stayed the same or gone down is we’ve had to reduce positions in this region.  Region 3 has decided to reduce positions based on attrition.  So when someone retires, they don’t refill the position.  That’s how they save the money.”

Casselman says staffing at Seney is down 20 percent–meaning cuts have to be made.  A water control structure has been up for repairs since 2003, but non-essential maintenance at the facility is backlogged.  Another area being cut is public education.  Casselman says in the last three years, all environmental classroom programs offered by the refuge have been cut.

Despite these limitations, officials say maintaining wildlife habitat is still their top priority.

“National Wildlife Refuges,” Casselman said, “are managed for wildlife first, and that’s always our priority.  That’s the last thing we’d ever cut back; at least here in Seney, we haven’t been cut bare bones enough to where it’s had much of an impact on wildlife.”

A national non-profit organization is currently lobbying Congress for an increase in wildlife funding.

http://wluctv6.com/news//news_story.aspx?id=140021

The Traverse City Record Eagle has a review of new attractions at the Sleeping Bear Dunes National Lakeshore:

New this summer at Sleeping Bear are ranger-led bike tours where you can take the family around Port Oneida or the Platte River Campground.

“The Port Oneida trip will include cultural landscape features, while the Platte River tour will emphasize the natural history of the area,” explained Bill Herd, park interpreter.

There are also miles of photographic hiking trials throughout the park, and although you may have hiked them before, this year take them with a guide, suggested Herd.

“One of the things that people often overlook is attending ranger-led hikes. For people who live here it’s a way to see something differently that they may have seen before,” he said.

These summer-themed hikes will be held on Saturday afternoons, leaving from the Phillip A. Hart Visitor Center on M-72 in Empire. Although the schedule is still being firmed up, you can look forward to hikes that include butterflies, dune wildflowers and history.

Spending time at the beach is a favorite summer pastime, but until the water is warm enough to swim in there are plenty of other activities close to or even on the water. This season, take the family on a relaxing float down the Crystal River in a canoe or kayak. Matt Wiesen, owner of Crystal River Outfitters in Glen Arbor, noted that a typical family trip is two to three hours.

While you wait for the water to warm be sure to visit Grass River Natural Area in Antrim County. There are more than 1,000 acres to explore that include lakes, a river, streams and creeks and a host of animal and plant life that call it home. There are several trails to walk on your own and the kids will especially enjoy the boardwalk trails.

Just minutes from Traverse City you will find one of the Conservancy’s latest acquisitions, The Louis DeYoung farm. The TART trail runs through this 145-acre property and there is a quarter-mile trail that winds down to Cedar Lake where you will find a fishing and observation pier.

Just three miles from Traverse City you will find the Grand Traverse Educational Reserve along the Boardman River. There is plenty to see within this 420-acre tract from bog, marsh and swamp to upland and pine forests as you hike the seven miles of trails. There is also a recently built education center.

http://www.record-eagle.com/local/local_story_147094627.html

Waterloo State Recreation Area is hosting a special Go-Get Outdoors Day on June 7th.  Details and link:

Archery will be taught by the Michigan Traditional Bow Hunters, or you can join a rendezvous encampment to learn pre-1840 survival skills, such as how to throw a tomahawk. The Jackson Area Bass Busters will be sponsoring a fishing clinic down by the fishing pier, geared toward children and people who have never fished before. June 7 and 8 is Michigan’s Free Fishing Weekend, so no fishing license is required; however, all other fishing regulations apply.

Xriders will be at the beach area to introduce visitors to kayaking or, if you own a boat, the U S. Coast Guard will be on hand to do courtesy safety inspections. Aberdeen Bikes will be on hand with the latest bike models and talk about bike safety, maintenance, and different types of bicycles.

Classroom Critters will do two programs with live snakes and the Michigan Mushroom Hunters Club will do a presentation on mushroom hunting with color displays. An interpreter from the Eddy Discovery Center will be conducting a program on astronomy Saturday evening, followed by stargazing with the Amateur Astronomers of Jackson.

http://www.michigan.gov/som/0,1607,7-192–192879–RSS,00.html

The Detroit Free Press has a story about a Clinton Township developer who dedicated 30 acres to a nature area:

One of the prominent features of the $1-million-plus George George Memorial Park — named after builder Jim George’s late father — is an interconnected rain garden that leads to 10 acres of wetlands.

And it’s designed to please the masses. New green and brown playscapes and a water-spraying granite fountain are intended for kids’ enjoyment. A winding trail for cyclists, walkers and even leashed dogs meanders up to three newly built wooden bridges with scenic views of flowers and trees of various kinds and colors.

http://tinyurl.com/3hksze

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What does a Detroit Red Wing do during an off-day in the middle of the Stanley Cup Finals?  Well, he heads to the woods and trails, of course.  Helene St. James of the Detroit Free Press has a fun story about a Detroit Red Wing team trip to Pennsylvania’s Laurel Highlands.  Excerpts and link:

They’d returned just that morning from Nemacolin Woodlands Resort and Spa, where they arrived early Thursday afternoon and spent the rest of the day enjoying a wealth of activities on 3,000 wooded acres in the Laurel Highlands, about a 90-minute bus ride from Pittsburgh. With two days between games, the Wings figured it would be a great opportunity to get away from hockey, physically and mentally. They lead their series against the Penguins, 2-1, after a 3-2 loss Wednesday, a defeat put further into the past by what turned out to be a fun off day.

Kronwall, Lilja and prospect Jonathan Ericsson took along Mikael Samuelsson and Johan Franzen to the rope course and were suspended 40 feet in the air for an obstacle course before relishing a 250-foot zip line back to ground level.

“We went rope climbing in trees,” Lilja said. “It was great. Franzen and Sammy were there, too, but only the three of us went up. I guess they’re afraid of heights. We eventually got Sammy up to try the zip line, but there was no talking to Franzen.

Chris Chelios did opt for a water sport of sorts, as he went fly fishing with a group that included Henrik Zetterberg.

Zetterberg caught a trout, rumored to be 15-to-17 inches, the only successful fisherman of the bunch. He had just as much fun watching Chelios try his hand.

“You’ve got to have patience with it,” Zetterberg said. “He had a lot of them on but he couldn’t get them to the shore, so he was mad.”

Chelios had so much trouble casting that at one point, half the rod came off and landed in the water.

“I guess I would say I didn’t bring anything to shore,” Chelios conceded. “I had some on the line. I got frustrated. I’ve never fly-fished before and I didn’t like it and I’ll never do it again. You’ve got to have a little touch, a little more technique. Fishing should be relaxing. I thought I’d try it because I’d never done it, and now I know I don’t ever want to do it again.”

http://tinyurl.com/3ojhx5

BTW, it’s a fairly open secret that many of the Red Wings are avid mountain bikers.  Players like Chris Chelios and Kris Draper are often seen on the trails at Highland and Pontiac Lake State Recreation Areas.  Here’s a related discussion on the Michigan Mountain Biking Association forums:

http://www.mmba.org/viewtopic.php?t=57241&highlight=chelios

Here’s a link to a Pennsylvania Laurel Highlands tourist site:

http://www.laurelhighlands.org/

The City of Toledo recently built a $3.2 million dollar ferry terminal on the Maumee River.  One of the dreams was and is to run regular ferry service between Toledo and Put-in-Bay Island.  This would be a boon to area recreationalists.  Western Lake Erie is certainly more scenic than the Ohio Turnpike.

The Toledo Blade reports that a test run of the Jet Express II ferry ran yesterday morning to the islands.  It was filled with radio station contest winners and about 15 people who purchased the $55 one-way tickets.  $55 tickets, you ask?  Well, getting to Put-in-Bay can be an expensive proposition.  Regular round-trips from Port Clinton and Sandusky run from $24 to $32 on the Jet Express fast ferries.  The Miller Ferries from Catawba Island are the cheapest, shortest and I think, coolest.  The Miller Ferries are only $12 round-trip.

Still, once gas prices are figured into the equation, $55 is not unfair.  The boat was, essentially, a charter.  One would assume that a regular service with economies of scale might result in a slightly cheaper price.  And the bonus is a trip through picturesque western Lake Erie.  I hope this succeeds.

Here are excerpts and the story link:

“Hopefully, this will be the first step to many trips running out of Toledo,” said Lance Woodworth, the director of operations for Put-in-Bay Boat Line Co., the Jet Express ferry operator.

But how many more such trips there will be, and whether ferry service with any sort of regular schedule ever will land in Toledo, remained an open question.

Tom Brady, the boat line’s advertising director, expressed disappointment that only 15 passengers bought $55 tickets for yesterday’s excursion. The other 42, who won their trips in a contest sponsored by Pepsi and local radio stations WIOT-FM and WVKS-FM, accounted for less than half of the actual contest winners.

Pepsi and the radio stations chartered the Jet Express II for the excursion, and Mr. Brady said he expects to run the same charter next year.

Mr. Woodworth said the Jet Express generally needs more than 100 passengers to break even.

One potential obstacle to scheduled ferry service from the terminal is the CSX Transportation railroad bridge downstream, near the port authority’s general cargo dock.

While the Jet Express II fit underneath the Craig bridge without needing a drawbridge opening, the CSX bridge is too low for it.

Yesterday’s inbound trip to pick up passengers was delayed by about 30 minutes until the railroad bridge opened, and the outbound trip toward Put-in-Bay with passengers aboard waited at the bridge for about 10 minutes even though no trains passed during that time.

http://tinyurl.com/47ol84

Note:  I was not on this particular island run.  The pics above are from a trip that Kathy and I made last summer.

Freep columnist Susan Agar has a nice, if platitudinous, column about the joys of life within Michigan in the face of our current turmoil:

A colleague who moved to Motown from our nation’s capital almost 3 years ago told me of our big city: “Beating up and beating down Detroit is almost ritual. Yet there’s a boatload of pride. So what if it morphs sometimes into defensiveness? At least this place fights back. It keeps swinging.”

[No doubt.]

I asked a few people to describe for me why they celebrate Michigan. Phil Power is 69, a native Michigander and former newspaper publisher who founded the Center for Michigan (www.thecenterformichigan.net) as a “think-and-do tank” about our future.

Here’s what he said:

“I celebrate Michigan’s past, whether the mighty loggers and brave miners or the entrepreneurs who created great companies: Ford, Dow, Upjohn, Kellogg, Hudson and so many more.

“I celebrate Michigan’s present. Our unmatched natural resources — fresh water, woods, streams. Our world-class universities. The skills and guts of our people who hold their heads up in times of trouble.

“I will celebrate Michigan’s future as a thriving, prosperous state that offers so much to keep our kids home and welcome newcomers who want an unmatched quality of life at an affordable cost.

[Phil Power for Governor, anyone?]

http://tinyurl.com/3ludq7

Three writers at the Detroit Free Press assembled a list of six Michigan history destinations with appeal for children.  Excerpt and link:

2. Underground Railroad

What did it feel like to escape from slavery in the South and travel north to freedom? A good way to imagine the terrifying journey is to take the “Flight to Freedom” tour at First Congregational Church of Detroit. Visitors pass through “the door of no return,” symbolically exiting a slave house on Goree Island off Senegal in Africa, and land on a sugar cane plantation in Louisiana. The church’s basement has been transformed into a convincingly realistic landscape that winds through a darkened woods and past a swamp, an old campfire, falling water, a safe house, a wagon with a false bottom for hiding those on the run and more.

For more: 313-831-4080 or www.the-ugrr.org.

3. Ghostly getaway

If you get to Michigan’s Upper Peninsula this summer, check out the 19th-Century ghost town of Fayette. It’s eerie and unforgettable, an old iron-smelting village tucked away in a forest on a lonely peninsula southwest of Manistique. The people who once lived there are gone, but many of their homes and other buildings remain. In the 1870s and ’80s, this now ghost town pulsed with the sounds of immigrant families, foreign languages, trains, boats, horses and steam-powered machinery. One of Fayette’s buildings has been turned into a kids’ interactive exhibit with old toys, games, desks, book and clothing.

For more: www.michigan.gov/museum

More here…

http://tinyurl.com/4a5rh5

The Cleveland Plain Dealer has some cool video of the Ohio DNR banding a juvenile bald eagle at Ohio’s Tinkers Creek State Park.  Watch above or click below:

http://blog.cleveland.com/metro/2008/05/_the_ohio_department_of.html

Heather Newman is both a writer/blogger at the Detroit Free Press and a participant on the Friends of I-275 Bikeway Yahoo Group.  Today, she posted a funny blog post about an ongoing discussion of red-winged blackbird attacks along the I-275 Bikeway.  Having been attacked several times on my kayak, I have to sympathize.  Read it here:

http://www.freep.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20080530/BLOG12/80530067/1176

The Toledo Blade has pictures of a peregrine falcon banding project carried out by the Ohio Department of Natural Resources at the Bay Shore Power Plant in Oregon, OH.  Click below to take a look:

http://tinyurl.com/3qxlhy

WLUC TV in the UP has a story about the thriving population of trumpeter swans at the Seney National Wildlife Refuge in the Central UP:

The trumpeter swan is the largest water fowl in North America, and their abundance at the wildlife refuge makes them attractive to tourists and scientists.  The birds were nearly extinct in the 48 contiguous states a century ago. 

A successful reintroduction program at Seney has seen their numbers grow to 250 adult birds on the refuge.  This year, two swan studies are going on; one looks at nesting ecology and population growth while the second examines the birds’ impact on habitat.

“Since we have so many swans, it’s impacting the aquatic vegetation of the pools.  A typical swan will eat 10-12 pounds of vegetation per bird per day, so that’s a lot of vegetation that’s being eaten on the refuge,”  said David Olson, Refuge Wildlife Biologist.  

Biologists say the swans typically don’t travel very far and even spend the winter months in Michigan.

http://wluctv6.com/news//news_story.aspx?id=140128

The Jackson Citizen Patriot has a report on Project Safe Passage.  This is a program developed by the National Audubon Society to promote the reduction of light emitted from tall buildings.  The goal is to reduce the number of bird strikes and deaths at tall building sites in urban areas.  Jackson is an early adoptee of this program:

The threat is especially great during migration seasons (mid-March through mid-May and mid-August through mid-October) and at night when lights interrupt flight patterns.

When Spotts and another Audubon member, Nancy Lapinski, heard about the problem at a Detroit Audubon workshop, they immediately approached representatives of buildings more than six stories high in Jackson.

“Everything looks great,” Spotts, a former Jackson Audubon Society president, said of several checkups. “We’re the first small city to do this. This is neat because we’re following Detroit, Chicago and Toronto.”

She also mentioned that by talking with downtown building managers, they have found a pair of peregrine falcons nesting on top of the Jackson County Tower Building. Also known as “duke hawks,” these fast-flyers keep pigeon populations under control downtown.

Although the species is no longer listed as “endangered,” Spotts said these are the first such falcons identified in Jackson County.

http://tinyurl.com/52dczz

The Muskegon Chronicle has a story about peregrine falcon banding in and around Muskegon:

The region continues to be a top-flight nursery for nesting peregrine falcons, a rare bird of prey that officials say is making a comeback — thanks to preservation efforts.

Six peregrine chicks are reported to be in good health in manmade nests 200 feet above the West Michigan landscape.

The nests are attached to the smokestacks of the Grand Haven Board of Light and Power and the Consumers Energy B.C. Cobb Plant on Muskegon Lake.

This is the eighth consecutive year a brood has hatched at the BLP, officials said. In that time the nest — a wooden box — has served 25 hatchlings.

“Twenty-five chicks in eight years from this site is truly remarkable,” Kalejs said.

The Cobb plant has had nesting peregrines since 2003. Last year, a record five chicks were hatched at the Cobb plant.

By 1999, the peregrine was removed from the federal endangered list. But because Michigan does not feature an abundance of natural high-altitude nesting grounds, the breed remains on the state’s endangered list.

Power plants have played a significant role in the recovery of the peregrine population in the Midwest, scientists say. The tall chimneys provide ideal nesting locations spots.

Power plants first became involved with restoration efforts in the late 1980s in Minnesota.

During a hunting dive called a “stoop,” adult peregrines can reach 200 mph and catch their prey while in flight, making them popular attractions for bird watchers.

http://tinyurl.com/4gc4ze

The Ann Arbor News reports on a Saline Township man whose goal in life is to make good homes for purple martins on his property.  You have to check out his birdhouses.  Click below:

Every spring and summer, Karl Domeier runs his own unique kind of bed and breakfast at his Saline Township residence.

In April, travelers begin to arrive and take up residence in one or two of his 48 vacancies.

By May, most of his units are full and his visitors routinely stay until mid-August.
Domeier doesn’t charge his guests, but that’s because he doesn’t welcome tourists, he hosts purple martins - a migratory bird from Brazil.

“Tree swallows, for instance, they go where the food is,” Domeier said. “Purple martins just stick around. The males come to reserve a site, so to speak, to put a deposit on the house.”

More here…

http://tinyurl.com/4kkzdp

The Chicago Tribune has great video and a story about the plight of Illinois’ endangered black-crowned night herons at Lake Calumet on Chicago’s SE Side:

Some of Illinois’ rarest and most imperiled birds return each spring to marshes on Chicago’s Southeast Side, where they weave nests of loose reeds, start the season’s courtship rituals and, scientists believe, resume ingesting a poison most people thought was gone a generation ago.

The trace amounts of DDT byproducts found in the city’s night herons do not threaten their survival, but the discovery shows the tenacity of the toxic compound and its propensity to work its way up the food chain.

It also draws attention to a disturbing trend for DDT and other organic pollutants such as PCBs: Though their levels fell quickly after they were banned in the 1970s, the drop reached a plateau in the 1990s and has declined much more slowly ever since.

By occupying the wetlands near Lake Calumet––once the heart of Chicago’s postwar industrial boom––the black-crowned night heron eats and nests in one of the most polluted corners of the Midwest. Records for waterways where the night herons fish for food show DDT-related contaminants lurking in their mucky bottoms at levels far above average amounts elsewhere around the Great Lakes.

One reason is that humans are unlikely to disturb them in such an isolated and contaminated place, ornithologists say.

http://tinyurl.com/4ulazh

Jim McCarty, the excellent Cleveland Plain Dealer bird blogger, has more info. on the transfer of Lake Erie’s Crane Creek State Park from the Ohio State Parks System to the Ohio DNR Wildlife Division:

The biggest birding news of the week received minimal fanfare outside of a loose-knit club of Ohio’s most passionate birders. And it didn’t involve the discovery of a rare species or a sudden shift in the spring migration.

The news involved the switch in stewardship over Ohio’s most treasured migratory stop and favorite birding destination: Crane Creek State Park in Ottawa County.

As the name implied, Crane Creek and its accompanying Magee Marsh Wildlife Area had been run by the state Division of Parks for decades. It thrived as a refuge for birds in spite of its Parks designation, with its groomed swimming beach, pit toilets and acres of parking lots.

Now all of that is expected to change with the move by the state Division of Wildlife to assume control over the park, the marsh and its famed boardwalk.

Magee Marsh naturalist Mary Warren said the changeover will bring a return of natural habitat to the beach and a portion of the parking lot. Swimmers and picnickers will be directed to beachfront parks to the west and east. The pit toilets will be removed, and replaced by portable units.

Columbus birder Bill Whan, in a post to the Ohio Birds Web site, called for the parking lots to be bulldozed and the land allowed to return to its original wooded beach ridge state, which would double the size of the park.

“Seldom do Ohioans have an opportunity to actually increase such an endangered habitat,” Whan wrote. “I hope the Division of Wildlife will opt for wildlife — especially birds — rather than humans as they manage this property.

http://tinyurl.com/4umf5o

Each year, the Michigan Department of Natural Resources surveys the fish populations in 20 to 25 Michigan lakes.  Over time, the information gained provides data that can reveal the health of a lake and its aquatic populations.  This year, several lakes near Flint, MI are under review.

Excerpts and link to the Flint Journal story about the fish surveys are below:

DNR fisheries biologist Joe Leonardi and fisheries technicians Ryan Histed and Vince Balcer began the survey last week on Holloway Reservoir. This week, they’re surveying Mott Lake and will be out on Kearsley Lake next week.

The spring survey is part of the DNR’s Status and Trends Program, which annually samples 20 to 25 lakes across the state so biologists can compare regional differences and trends over time.

The surveys are typically done after water temperatures reach 60 to 65 degrees Fahrenheit, but an unseasonably cool spring has resulted in water temperatures of only about 58 degrees, which could influence catch numbers, said Leonardi.

Holloway’s last general survey was in 1999, when researchers found a huge population of channel catfish, along with good numbers of walleye, black crappie, smallmouth bass and carp. They also found an abundance of gizzard shad, the primary forage for the lake’s predator species, such as walleye, catfish and pike.

Leonardi and his team used different types of gear to cover a range of situations and species. Trap nets are effective for catching most species in waters up to 8 feet deep and fish sizes greater than 3 inches. Fish enter them through a funnel-like opening and are unable to exit. A huge advantage is trap nets, unlike gill nets, can be left in place for extended periods without harming the fish.

Minnow seines are used in shallow water less than 2 feet deep to catch minnow species eaten by the larger predators.

Electroshock is used at night to stun temporarily and collect predator species like bass and walleye, which come into the shallows to feed at night.

More here…

http://tinyurl.com/5r3dlj

Michigan is blessed to have many public gardens in which to explore.  Some, like Hidden Lake Gardens in Tipton, are all about the plants.  Others, like the Meijer Gardens in Grand Rapids, include sculpture, special exhibits and major public concerts.

For the hiker, public gardens often provide bankable four or five mile hike routes through beautiful scenery and pleasant terrain.  These places will never be confused with Isle Royale, but they are great places to take the family and friends who’d like a bathroom now and again.

Marty Hair at the Detroit Free Press has a great review of Michigan’s public gardens at the link below:

3. Frederik Meijer Gardens and Sculpture Park

Outdoors on 132 acres in Grand Rapids are nature trails, a children’s garden, amphitheater and sculptures, including a 24-foot-tall bronze horse. Indoors is a 15,000-square-foot conservatory, art galleries and display gardens.

1000 E. Beltline, Grand Rapids. 9 a.m.-5 p.m. Mon. & Wed.-Sun., 9 a.m.-9 p.m. Tue. $12 for adults 14-64, $9 for 65 and older or high school and college students with ID, $6 for youngsters 5-13, $4 for children 3-4, younger children free.

Coming up: An exhibit of 20 outdoor kinetic, or moving, sculptures is on display through July.

For more: 888-957-1580, www.meijergardens.org/

More here…

http://tinyurl.com/45×5h5

Ellen Creager at the Detroit Free Press has a story identifying the five best beaches in Michigan.  The list was compiled with help from hundreds of reader comments.  Excerpt and link:

5. MUNISING

Chapel Beach at Pictured Rocks National Lakeshore. About 15 miles east of Munising, this beach is a 2 1/2 -mile trek from the road. It’s famous due to the incomparable view of Lake Superior and a heavenly sandstone formation called Chapel Rock. This iconic Michigan beach has water that will make you shiver even in July, but sturdy Michiganders will enjoy it.

Getting there: Take I-75 to the UP, then wend your way via highways 123 north, 28 west, H15 north and H58 east to Chapel Road.

For more: Chapel Hill Beach (free for day use) www.nps.gov/piro , 906-387-2607.

More here…

http://tinyurl.com/4bztlh