The Cleveland-based magazine Lake Erie Living sponsored a photo contest and several local residents were among the winners.  I highly recommend a visit to the magazine’s web site to view the pics:

Second Place, Nature & Wildlife: James M. Phelps, of Riverview, Michigan, for the image entitled, “Tracks – Lake Erie Metro Park.” James M. Phelps has won a $50 Best Buy gift certificate.

Third Place, People: Cynthia Olsen of Monroe, Michigan, for the image entitled, “Oops!!!” Cynthia Olsen has won a subscription or renewal to Lake Erie Living magazine.

http://www.lakeerieliving.com/Story.aspx?SID=514

For more than a hundred years, birders have counted the number and variety of birds in thousands of locations at Christmas time.  The holidays are a good time to count because most birds have completed their migrations.  The count provides a good baseline of data that scientists can use to determine trends in bird populations.

Jerry Jourdan of Wyandotte has a page dedicated to this year’s Monroe count.  It will take place on December 14th.  Click below for more details:

http://jerryjourdan3.blogspot.com/2008/12/poem-christmas-bird-count.html

BTW, check out Jerry’s awesome main blog site.  Here’s a report on his recent visit to Pointe Mouillee State Game Area in NE Monroe County:

http://jerryjourdan.blogspot.com/2008/12/uh-oh-07-dec-2008.html

View Larger Map 

Charles Slat has an excellent vision for the old Ford plant property in his Saturday Monroe Evening News column.  I HIGHLY RECOMMEND a read.  Excerpt and link:

First, Ford, or Automotive Components Holdings or whoever has title to the site, should donate it to the State of Michigan.

The trail system one day might be extended onto the property and provide more opportunities to view marsh areas that teem with wildlife.

Full column:

http://www.monroenews.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20081207/SLATCOLUMN/112079986/-1/COLUMNISTS

The Monroe Evening News has a recommended Danielle Portteus article covering the $2 million+ state grant awarded for acquisition of IHM lands for use as a county park/preserve.  Excerpt and link:

The Natural Resources Trust grant would not cover the entire cost of the purchase, which still must be negotiated. The Friends group is required to come up with a match.

If it happens, the preserve ultimately would be turned into a county park featuring trails, demonstrations gardens and a nature center. The acquisition of the land will help protect a variety of ecosystems from destruction including an oak savannah, oak-hickory forest, farmland, a lowland forest, and a forested island in the River Raisin.

Full story:

http://www.monroenews.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20081207/NEWS01/112079996

The Ann Arbor News has a story describing Wednesday’s “2008 State of the Huron” conference hosted by the Huron River Watershed Council.  Excerpts and link:

The Huron River is healthier than might be expected, for water that winds some 100 miles on its way to the Great Lakes.

The bad news?

It could be better, and the majority of streams that feed the Huron are not nearly as healthy as the river’s watershed council would like them to be.

That was the take-away from the 2008 State of the Huron conference Wednesday, a day-long event that gives members and supporters of the Huron River Watershed Council a chance to learn about the southeast Michigan artery that feeds recreation, drinking water needs and the ecology of its 910-square-mile watershed.

Many speakers focused on treating the river as part of a larger system, rather than trying to fix it alone.

“To preserve the Huron River,” said Kris Olsson, a watershed ecologist with the council, “we need to save the entire watershed, not just the river.”

Full story:

http://www.mlive.com/annarbornews/news/index.ssf/2008/09/measuring_the_health_of_the_hu.html

Yesterday’s edition of the Monroe Evening News included comments from a variety of Monroe County leaders noting the “bright spots” in the local economy.  Most were related to new or redeveloped stores and businesses.  But several leaders also noted park and pedestrian improvement projects.  Excerpt and link to Charles Slat’s article:

Mayor Worrell reported that good progress has been made on developing the River Raisin Battlefield as a national historic park that might be a tourist draw. “Foreign countries may be able to take away our industry, but they can’t take away our history,” he said.

Mr. Wilburn said he was proud to help dedicate recently the Pearl Albert-Green pocket nature park in his township, which he said was the first of its kind in Michigan. The park, with a fountain, gazebo and walkway uses a wind turbine to supply its power.

Full story:

http://www.monroenews.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20081206/NEWS01/112069930/-1/NEWS_RSS

The Michigan Natural Resources Trust Fund announced that it will recommend a $2,192,500 grant for purchase of the proposed Academy Preserve/Central Park behind the IHM complex on Elm Street.

This is a recommendation and it still must go through a final approval process.  However, these recommendations are rarely overturned.

http://www.michigandnr.com/publications/pdfs/edopps/TFRecommendations.pdf

If you want to know what is really happening out there, it is best to talk to the hunters, fishermen and birders.  They are sometimes in the most unusual places noticing minute environmental changes.  In that light, here’s a great Monroe County shoreline bird report from Jerry Jourdan of the blog Jerry’s Birding/Digiscoping Blog:

http://jerryjourdan.blogspot.com/2008/12/lift-off-23-nov-2008.html

DTE sent a press release today outlining environmental certifications and awards that it earned recently from the Wildlife Habitat Council.  Here is the unedited press release:

PRNewswire
DETROIT
(:DTE)
Dec 01, 2008

DETROIT, Dec. 1 /PRNewswire/ — DTE Energy’s wildlife habitat programs earned significant recognition last week at the Wildlife Habitat Council’s (WHC) 20th Annual Symposium, 20/20 Vision: Celebrating the Past, Looking to the Future. Habitat programs at six DTE Energy facilities received WHC certification for the first time, five other programs were recertified.

In addition, the Monroe Power Plant received special recognition as recipient of the inaugural Prairies for Tomorrow award and the MichCon Mt. Pleasant Service Center received a nomination for Rookie of the Year honors.

“While we appreciate the recognition that accompanies the certifications and awards, the true payoff for our efforts is seeing the land returned to its natural condition and seeing the wildlife re-inhabit the area,” said Skiles Boyd, DTE Energy vice president, environmental management and resources. “It also is gratifying to see that the hard work and commitment by our employees — who contribute hundreds of volunteer hours every year — is appreciated and recognized as being successful.”

The new Prairies for Tomorrow Award is presented jointly by the Wildlife Habitat Council and Pheasants Forever. It recognizes corporate wildlife habitat projects, specifically prairie restoration projects.

Prairies are home to myriad wildlife species, including pheasants, quail and a variety of endangered birds and other animals. Prairies also remove and store carbon from the atmosphere, conserve soil resources, and filter water run-off. Prairies are the fastest disappearing ecosystem on the planet.

In 2007, in partnership with, U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, Pheasants Forever, and Monroe Public Schools, a team of Monroe Power Plant employees spearheaded the restoration 57 acres of farmland to prairie and 5 acres to wetland to create habitat for local and migratory wildlife populations. This wildlife habitat area is located south of the power plant on property which is used, in part, for ash disposal. The site allows direct access for students taking classes nearby at the Monroe Public Schools’ Charles & June Knabusch Mathematics & Science Center. Student activities on the site include class projects, monitoring plant and animal populations and habitat management.

Also at the symposium, habitat programs at six new DTE Energy sites received certification by WHC. The addition of those six sites brings the total number of WHC-certified programs at DTE Energy facilities to 18, moving the company into the 4th position in total number of sites with WHC-certified programs. The newly certified sites are:

  -- MichCon Allen Road Service Center, Melvindale.
  -- MichCon Belle River Mills Compressor Station, East China Township.
  -- MichCon Grayling Service Center, Grayling.
  -- MichCon Michigan Avenue Service Center, Ypsilanti.
  -- MichCon Mt. Pleasant Service Center, Mt. Pleasant.
  -- DTE Energy Washington 10 Compressor Station, Washington Township.

  Sites earning recertification are:
  -- DTE Energy headquarters complex, Detroit.
  -- Detroit Edison Fermi 2 Power Plant, Newport.
  -- Detroit Edison Greenwood Energy Center, Greenwood Township.
  -- Detroit Edison Harbor Beach Power Plant, Harbor Beach.
  -- W.C. Taggart Compressor Station, Six Lakes.

DTE Energy is a Detroit-based diversified energy company involved in the development and management of energy-related businesses and services nationwide. Its largest operating units are Detroit Edison, an electric utility serving 2.2 million customers in Southeastern Michigan, and MichCon, a natural gas utility serving 1.3 million customers in Michigan. The DTE Energy portfolio of businesses also includes non-utility energy businesses focused on power and industrial projects, coal and gas midstream, unconventional gas production and energy trading. In 2006, DTE Energy posted revenues of approximately $9 billion. Information about DTE Energy is available at http://www.dteenergy.com/.

SOURCE: DTE Energy

CONTACT: Lorie Kessler, +1-313-235-8807, or John Austerberry,
+1-313-235-8859, both of DTE Energy

Web site: http://www.dteenergy.com/

Here is the original press release web site:

http://dteenergy.mediaroom.com/index.php?s=43&item=366

So far, this winter has been a bit colder than usual.  Many inland lakes are beginning to freeze and boat launch areas along Lake Erie’s western shore are starting to ice up.  This, of course, is a monumental change for fishermen and other outdoor lovers.

First, the open water fishermen get very depressed.  Their time has just about run out - and just about a month earlier than normal.  Second, the ice fishermen are getting very excited - maybe too excited.  Everyone is asking if there is safe ice.  Geez, people.  It’s still November.  Here’s a mouth-of-the-River-Raisin ice report from 11/23 posted by “rootbeer” on the Michigan Sportsman forums:

Little late, but report from Sun. 11/23. Launched at Hellenberg Sunday morning. Wow- had to break ice for a mile down the river. I’m glad I was not the first one out- there was already a semi broken up trail thru the ice. A little brisk out there. 20 degrees? The spray from the waves froze up on my windshield right away. I played peek a boo over the windshield…Headed to the hot hole. Bass are in all along the shore. Caught a dozen in about 1/2 hr. Water temp was around 63 degrees…A big bonus- on the way up the canal, I saw not one, but 4 or 5 bald eagles. Sitting in trees along the shore, or flying over the canal. Awesome!!

http://www.michigan-sportsman.com/forum/showthread.php?t=263035

For birdwatchers, the freeze-up is also helpful.  Some birds need open water areas to survive.  These birds will congregate over the last remaining open water areas - places like power plant discharge outlets or inland lakes with underwater springs.  As I was returning from Black Friday shopping, I noticed large groups of birds at the remaining open water in Tecumseh’s Red Mill Pond and Lake Adrian.  Birdwatchers, of course, love being able to see many birds in one place.

For hikers, the freezing weather presents opportunities for new hiking routes.  Monroe is filled with marshy areas that are inaccessible except via boat during the warm months.  But mud often freezes solid.  And an inch of ice over frozen mud can make, say, an island temporarily hikeable. 

And sometimes extreme weather on Lake Erie can create its own geography.  Along Point Pelee in Ontario, for example, wave action and changing winds can create ice mounds ten to twenty feet high.  And this same shifting weather can create ice caves in between large blocks of ice.  Please be aware that exploring these areas must be done with extreme care.

This brings me to the inspiration for this post.  My Google Alert for “Lake Erie” pulled up an Alchem Company website that shows ice ridges from 1993.  I highly recommend a click at the link below to see the best Lake Erie ice cave pic that I have ever seen.  Excerpt:

To the right is a photo of the lake in early February showing my friend Sam on top of an ice ridge. The lake freezes only about every other winter and rarely to a distance of more than a mile or two from shore. Occasionally though the lake will freeze most of the way or all the way across. About once every 10 or 15 years a gale from the North will drive large ice flows together along the South shore as in this photo. In such cases the edges of the ice sheets are crushed as they collide to form pressure ridges. These photos show an unusual freeze which occurred around 1993 which produced the highest ridges I have ever seen. Some of the ice mounds in these ridges are over 20 feet (7 meters high).

http://www.alcheminc.com/erieice.HTML