David Frownfelder at the Adrian Daily Telegram has two stories about fishing in Lenawee County.  Excerpts and links:

One type of fishing that has all but disappeared from Lenawee County in recent years is stream and river fishing, Knutson said. A fisherman for almost all of his 70 years, Knutson said pollution and dry-ups have eliminated trout streams in the county. Someone wanting the experience of standing bank side and fishing can still head north as northern Michigan is still rife with rivers and streams filled with fish.

“This year was one of my worst years ever for selling licenses,” he said.

Full Story:

http://www.lenconnect.com/homepage/x282407688/Fishing-a-popular-pasttime-in-county-state

Smith is in his dental practice in the Riverside Professional Building in Adrian about 35 hours every week Monday through Thursday. After seeing his last patient on Thursday, Smith heads north to his family’s cottage at Grayling. He also operates a guide service and has a store on the Au Sable River in northern Michigan.

“The best teacher is still trial and error,” he said. Smith has taught at the school run by the state council of Trout Unlimited for 16 years. “I started out with the beginners and moved to the advanced class when the instructor retired,” he said.

Original Link:

http://www.lenconnect.com/homepage/x1806342348/Gone-fishing

The current edition of Michigan History Magazine has a cover story that focuses on the cement sculptures of Mexican artisans that populate McCourtie and Louis Emery Parks in Hillsdale County and the St. Joseph’s Shrine and Artesian Wells in Lenawee County.  Michigan History does not publish most of its articles online, so be sure to stop in to a local library or bookstore to pick up a copy.  Here is a small blurb from the Magazine’s web site:

Creating Art with Cement
By Gladys Saborio—Mexican artists Dionisio Rodriguez, Raphael Corona and Gabriel Cardosa came to Michigan in 1929 and created perhaps dozens of pieces of public art in Hillsdale, the Irish Hills and elsewhere. The medium, known as Trabajo Rustico, involves crafting cement to look like trees, woodcarvings and rope.

http://www.michiganhistorymagazine.com/magpage.html

I just drove from Monroe to Tipton along M-50.  This was more interesting than normal because the race at MIS in Brooklyn is now over and thousands of automobiles are moving east on M-50, US-12 and other area roadways.  Many area residents take part in the odd hobby of traffic-watching.  They set up lawn chair, paint signs and wave to the visitors on their way out of town.

The Adrian Daily Telegram reports that a group of Irish Hills boosters are working with the National Park Service to create a series of roadside exhibits from which area visitors can learn about the region.  Excerpts and link:

The Irish Hills Stewardship Community has scheduled a meeting from 9 a.m. to noon on Saturday at Hidden Lake Gardens, 6214 W. M-50. The purpose of the meeting is to select the specific themes for the exhibits, propose their locations, identify funding sources and appoint individuals or teams to shepherd each exhibit to completion, Bob Kellum, chief steward of the community, said in a news release.

The stewardship community had an organizational meeting March 29 to brainstorm ideas for wayside exhibits that tell the stories of the Irish Hills. Representatives from MotorCities National Heritage Area, an affiliate of the National Park Service whose mission is to preserve, interpret and promote the automotive heritage of Michigan through roadside exhibits, were on hand to answer questions.  They also displayed sign samples and helped guide the committee with the preliminary process of selecting signs for the Irish Hills area.

Participants at Saturday’s meeting expect to create a priority list of exhibits that, Kellum said, the community “feels we can complete, find a location for and finance.” A secondary list of exhibits will be assembled to consider exhibits that could be completed as time and money permit.

Full story:

http://www.lenconnect.com/homepage/x1822517655/Exhibit-ideas-to-be-explored

The Walker Tavern Historic State Park in Lenawee County’s Cambridge Township is hosting Pioneer Days on August 30th.  Here’s the State of Michigan press release:

Guests of all ages are invited to become part of the westward expansion at the 4th annual “Frontier Fest” at Walker Tavern Historic Site on Saturday, Aug. 30, from 10 a.m. until 4pm. Featuring pioneer music, food, crafts and games - just the way it was done some 150 years ago - Frontier Fest offers bargain admission of $3 for adults, $1 for children ages 5 to 12, and free for children under 5.

Craftspeople will be on hand to demonstrate the pioneer way. Spinners will turn wool into thread, potters will create jars from clay, and woodworkers will fashion practical implements and works of art. Artisans will demonstrate “lost arts” including Ukrainian egg painting, paper-cutting and the tanning of hides. Frontier Fest offers an opportunity to purchase - directly from the craftsperson - hand-crafted, one-of-a-kind articles such as stained glass, weaving and jewelry. Silhouette artist Joyce Redmen will also be doing portraits on site.

Musicians will play music popular in pioneer times including bluegrass, folk, country, blues, gospel and traditional songs. At 1 p.m. there will be a free workshop on old-time music led by Eddie Josephs. Eddie plays banj-guitar, washboard, and harmonica among other traditional instruments. Bring your own fiddles, guitars, dulcimers and other early instruments and join Eddie or get your own jam session going on the lawn throughout the day.

“The children’s activities area will have old-time games and hands-on activities, including ‘make and take crafts’ like candle dipping, corn-husk dolls, gourd painting and tin punching for an additional charge,” said Cheryl Natzmer Valentine, Walker Tavern site historian. “Once the games begin, guests can enjoy hoop races, tug-of-war and watermelon seed-spitting contests.”

At 11 a.m. there will be a frontier-style auction to raise money for the Hewitt House renovation. Auctioneer George Gordon will sell items donated to the auction, from trinkets to treasures, and all proceeds will benefit the new Visitors Center.

Natzmer Valentine said that the Biscuit Babes of Adrian will also be on hand, selling home-style cooking from family recipes that include biscuits and gravy and fried chicken gizzards. “People of all ages are invited to take part in the full day of festivities, eat some delicious food and learn about pioneer life in early Michigan.”

Walker Tavern historic site is located next to the Michigan International Speedway in the Irish Hills. Situated at the Cambridge Junction crossroads of M-50 and the U.S. 12 Heritage Trail, Walker Tavern is just 35 miles west of Ann Arbor. Hours are 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. Tuesday - Sunday through Aug. 31. The Farmer’s Market on Sunday’s 10am until 2pm will continue until the end of September. Fall tours are by appointment only. Learn more at www.michigan.gov/walkertavern.

Walker Tavern is one of 11 museums and historic sites that make up the Michigan Historical Museum System, a division of the Michigan Historical Center. The Michigan Historical Center is an agency of the Michigan Department of History, Arts and Libraries (HAL), whose mission is to enrich quality of life and strengthen the economy by providing access to information, preserving and promoting Michigan’s heritage and fostering cultural creativity. The department also includes the Library of Michigan, the Mackinac Island State Park Commission and the Michigan Council for Arts and Cultural Affairs. For more information, visit www.michigan.gov/hal.

http://www.michigan.gov/som/0,1607,7-192–198159–RSS,00.html

Michigan State University’s student newspaper, the State News, has a recommended article reviewing the current status of our state’s endangered Mitchell’s satyr butterfly.  Excerpts and link:

“Last year in Michigan, we knew of 17 sites that had this butterfly and two in Indiana, and we’ve lost one in Michigan and one in Indiana,” Hamm said.

Mitchell’s satyr live in prairie fens, a rare type of wetland habitat found in southern Michigan and northern Indiana, Hamm said.

“As these habitats become more rare and isolated … inbreeding depression becomes more likely,” said Doug Landis, Hamm’s adviser and a professor of entomology.

“The largest population is between two and three thousand, and the smallest is in the tens and those sites may be going extinct.”

Hamm said he traveled to the sites in Michigan where populations are known to exist and took samples from the wings of individuals to study their DNA.

“I net the butterfly, I hold it in my left hand; with my right I take a pair of forceps and take the piece I need and then I mark the butterfly so I don’t catch it again,” Hamm said. “It’s a very small butterfly: If it folds its wings in half, it’s about the size of my thumbnail.”

More…

http://www.statenews.com/index.php/article/2008/08/grad_student_studies_endangered_butterflies

Note:  Lenawee County contains at least one fen habitat preferred by the Mitchell’s satyr.  The Nature Conservancy’s Ives Road Fen near Tecumseh is this type of fen habitat.

Photo Credit: MI DNR

The Tecumseh Center for the Arts is hosting an adventure movie each Tuesday night in August at 7PM.  Excerpt from the center’s web site:

Every Tuesday Night in August!   •   7:00 PM

$3.00 each or
Family/Group Pass: 4 people/4 shows ONLY $30

Every Tuesday night in August TCA will host the Awesome Adventure Movie Night featuring movies on extreme sports along with special events, and door prizes. Perfect for sport enthusiasts and those who prefer to be spectators. The thrilling movies will be shown on TCA’s big screen, with surround-sound. A Grand Door Prize will be awarded each night to one lucky movie patron. TCA Movies are just $3.00 a night or a pass for 4 people, 4 shows only $30.00, concessions, $1.00 will be available. The perfect outing for friends or family!

August 5: Skateboard Night: sponsored by Ollie’s Skate Shop, movies: Lords of Dogstown, and The Reality of Bob Burnquist. Multiple X-Games medal winner and who performs some of the most devious feats in skateboard history. Grand door prize a gift certificate to Ollie’s Skate Board Shop.

August 12: Ski Night: Sponsored by Mt. Brighton movie – Off the Grid by ski guru, Warren Miller, film features skier Jamie Pierre and his world record-setting 245 foot cliff-drop, see helicopter-accessed back county of Alaska and the heart stoping action while skiers try to escape a monster avalanche. Grand door prize: A day pass to Mt. Brighton will be awarded to a lucky patron.

August 19: Hang Glider Paraglider Night. Sponsored by Skydive Tecumseh
Movies: Masters at Cloudbase by Paul Hammond, and The Never Ending Thermal by Sean White for Outside TV. Grand door prize: A flight in a 4 seat power plane will be awarded.

August 26: Rock Climbing Night sponsored by Kelly Inflatables Climbing Wall,
Movies: King Lines by climbing legend Chris Sharma. From South America, to Europe and beyond, Sharma also takes you on his most outrageous climb by the Mediterranean Sea.
Sponsor, Kelly Inflatables will have a climbing wall available on site at the TCA, for those who want to try climbing. Grand door prize: A free try on the climbing wall to be awarded to one lucky movie patron.

Tickets for the Adventure Movies will be available at the door only. For additional information contact the Tecumseh Center for the Arts, 400 N. Maumee St., Tecumseh, 517-423-6617.

http://www.thetca.org/performances/events/august_adventure.htm

Note the video at the start of this post is the trailer from Warren Miller’s Off the Grid.  That is the August 12th selection for the film fest.

View Larger Map 

I am always surprised by what I find when I explore in detail areas that I think I know well.  One of these places is Tate Park.  I travel between Adrian and Ann Arbor often, so I am quite familiar with the park right across US-12 from Clinton’s McDonald’s.

At first glance, the park looks like the traditional ball-field style park that are a dime-a-dozen in Monroe and Lenawee Counties.  And, indeed, there is a nearly one-mile developed park loop in Tate Park.  If one starts at the main parking area, a visitor can walk a complete circle using half-dirt/half-pavement access roads.

The north and western sides of this loop are not terribly scenic.  However, the southern park boundary follows a small tributary of the River Raisin.  It is quite interesting as it dodges in and out of the trees and ripples over rocks and deadfall.

When the stream enters the main river, a walker on this main loop should head north along the River Raisin for great views along a canoe launch backwater and on the newly-installed pedestrian bridge along US-12.

From here, park visitors can head into Downtown Clinton.  I like to cross US-12 and walk on the north side to Tecumseh Road.  This brings a visitor past a bar, an antique shop, an old, still-operational discount movie theater and the delightful Clinton Inn.

At Tecumseh Road, I cross US-12 and head back west through the downtown to Division Street.  Division is a pleasant residential area with sidewalks.  Eventually, Division turns into Railroad Street.  The road is aptly named because a walker will see the engine and cars for the Southern Michigan Railroad that takes tourists between Clinton and Tecumseh.  The road does not have sidewalks at this point, but the railroad right-of-way is so large on the west side that there is ample space to walk in the grass and avoid traffic.

At the south end of Railroad Street, a visitor will see the Southern Michigan Railroad right-of-way head to the south away from public roadways.  I know that there have been discussions in the past about extending Tecumseh’s excellent urban trail system along this bed to Clinton.  The still-operational Southern Michigan Railroad has not been able to allow pedestrian access for liability reasons.

Currently, a walker should head west on a pathway between the Village of Clinton sewage treatment plant and the town compost piles.  The route is actually quite pleasant considering the industrial state of the area.

At the River Raisin, a walker needs to move south for a bit along a utility road and cross the river on a neat one-lane utility bridge.  From here, a walker follows the River on its western banks north to a reconnection with the main Tate Park loop and the original parking lot.

The biggest hiking surprise in this area, however, is the large island that sits at the center of the River Raisin between Tate Park and the logging company that operates on the east banks of the River Raisin.  There is nearly a mile of trail on the island.  Trails follow the entire edge of the island and four cut-off spurs make loops of varying lengths possible.

The terrain on the island is pleasantly rustic.  Trails are composed of dirt and mud.  Forest and brush follow the entire hike, but allow for excellent river views.

A wonderful pedestrian bridge provides access from Tate Park and two small pedestrian bridges connect the island to the river’s eastern bank.  One moves directly towards a somewhat ramshackle Cub Scout cabin.

In the future, I intend to explore Clinton’s Riverside Cemetery and a nebulous area to the north of the town’s grocery story for additional hike mileage.

I have been having all kinds of fun researching outdoor recreation opportunities in and around Lenawee County for Lenawee Magazine.  For several weeks in May and June, I paddled and photographed Lake Hudson and the Wolf Chain of Lakes and spent many afternoons scouting the River Raisin.  The result is on P.34 of this link.  Excerpt:

Colorado has Rocky Mountains.  Maine has rugged, boulder-strewn coastline.  Washington State has brooding volcanoes and transient tidepools.  Geographic features define each state.  Life is simply different when a mountain or seashore is on one’s doorstep.  And visitors arrive by the plane full to revel in the world-class views.

What does Michigan have?  Well, we have water.  Lots and lots of water.  Michigan has roughly 40,000 square miles of water.  Our state has almost 3,300 miles of shoreline and 11,000 inland lakes.  36,000 miles of stream call Michigan home.  Inside our two peninsulas, a person is never more than six miles from a natural water source.

This abundance of water makes Michigan a playground for water-based recreationalists.  No, there aren’t world-class rapids in Michigan.  But paddlers of all stripes can always find a lake or stream on which to explore.

Lenawee County is right in the center of this great paddling action.  The county contains more than 50 beautiful lakes and several streams on which to find a great adventure.

http://extras.lenconnect.com/special_edition/?haspdf=1

Dan Cherry at the Adrian Telegram has an excellent article on camping opportunities in Lenawee County.  I recommend a read.  Excerpts and link:

With gas prices remaining near the $4 per gallon price range, packing up the vehicle and taking the family on a vacation up north or out of state could eat into a budget already dented by difficult economic times.

“It sure beats sleeping in a tent for 25 years,” she said.

Click below for the full article…

http://www.lenconnect.com/lifestyle/x1118069796/CAMPING-Keeping-it-local

The Toledo Blade’s series on close-to-home vacation ideas landed in Lenawee County this past Monday.  The focus:  Hidden Lake Gardens.  Excerpts and link:

TIPTON, Mich. — The trees at Hidden Lake Gardens range from foot-high bonsai to tall, stately beeches. There are lakes and hills, plains and forests, all open for visitors to explore.

Since the park opened to the public about 75 years ago, visitors have gazed at the garden’s picturesque namesake, Hidden Lake, which now has a collection of hundreds of the colorful lily-like plants called hosta growing along one shady bank.

More here…

http://www.toledoblade.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20080728/NEWS17/489256002/-1/RSS08