Ice boaters have converged this weekend on Maumee Bay in Point Place.  This is a rare chance to watch ice boaters in action.  And, apparently, in between races, the boaters are giving rides to attendees.  The action will start today – Sunday – by noon.  Read more at the Toledo Ice Boat Yacht Club Facebook page:

http://www.facebook.com/pages/Toledo-Ice-Yacht-Club/209817526720

Boyne Mountain, a popular ski resort in NW Lower Michigan, has opened a new zipline for those who enjoy screeching through the air at high speeds.  Read more at this Grand Rapids Press link:

http://www.mlive.com/travel/index.ssf/2010/01/soar_over_the_slopes_with_new.html

Ann Arbor native Ken Burns debuts his new miniseries about the national parks tonight on PBS.  The series starts tonight at 8PM and will run for the next six nights.

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Ft. Meigs in Perrysburg, OH is one of the largest fort reconstructions in the entire country.  The fort is a great place to visit.  And the original fort played a key role in establishing both the frontier between the U.S. and Canada and the dominance of European settlement over Native American tribal lands.  Recent budget cuts by the State of Ohio have placed the future of the fort in some doubt.

WNWO Ch. 24 Link:

http://www.toledoonthemove.com/news/news_story.aspx?id=346480

Monroe will host a Labor Day walk from Sterling State Park to St. Mary’s Park on Saturday at 10AM.  Downtown Monroe hosts a festival.  And Lt. Gov. John Cherry will speak at 5PM.  Link:

http://liberalmedianot.blogspot.com/2009/09/celebrate-labor-day-weekend-at-states.html

Labor Day Weekend is always a bittersweet time.  Kathy and I are both teachers and the weekend means the end of a summer that usually includes many fun trips.  And in the week before Labor Day, we often look forward to one last hurrah.  And at least twice in the past decade, our Labor Day Weekend trip has been Cleveland, OH.

Cleveland is great because the hotels are affordable.  From Monroe, Cleveland is only two hours east on the Ohio Turnpike.  There are a variety of natural, historic and just plain fun attractions in Cleveland and along the way.  And the city hosts a fantastic air show each Labor Day Weekend.

The Buffalo News has a good overview of Cleveland attractions in today’s editions.  Link:

http://www.buffalonews.com/185/story/779315.html

Kristi Thiel, the park ranger at the Detroit River International Wildlife Refuge, sent me the following list of coming events:

Detroit River International Wildlife Refuge

Fall Refuge Events       Fall is a very busy and exciting time at the refuge. We have events, programs and volunteer days planned. Soon many birds will migrate to their wintering homes and in this area we will be witness to the spectacle of migrating hawks. We hope to see you all at the refuge!   A special thanks to our Youth Conservation Corps this summer who turned our 1 mile out and back trail into a 1.25 mile loop! The YCC crew is (from L to R in photo) Chris Wagner, Mitch Perdue, John Bailey, Brandy Hill & Bianca Ramos.  Here they crew is visiting Ottawa NWR during a field trip to learn about bird banding. Thank you  to their crew leader Russ Toles.

September Events    Sept. 12-13 Pte Mouillee Waterfowl Festival   The DRIWR will be in the kids area seeing who can name the ducks we have hidden around the festival. Find ‘em, name ‘em and come “call’” on us to get a prize.     Sept. 19-20 HawkFest  Lake Erie Metropark   Hey kids-test your Hawk ID IQ and see how many you can identify. These cut-outs will be located throughout the festival area. Name them all and collect your reward.       October Events     National Wildlife Refuge Week Oct. 11-17  Oct. 11 The Big Sit Visit Humbug Marsh from 6am-5pm and see if you can add to our list as we count the different bird species we spot.   Oct. 17 9 am Bird Walk w/ Greg Norwood   Open House @ Humbug  9-3pm   Noon Hawk ID Meet USFWS staff at Lake Erie Metropark boat launch. Learn how to recognize different hawks. Sept. Volunteer Opportunities   Festival Help:   Volunteers are needed to help staff run the booths for the festivals, assist kids with our IQ games, and help distribute brochures. Shifts are two hours in length from 9 AM-3 PM for all days. All volunteers receive a US Fish & Wildlife t-shirt. September 26   National Public Lands Day    9:30 to Noon   Let’s get rid of those invasive plant species! Take part in a buckthorn removal day and receive a coupon for free admission to a public land area owned by the federal government. Lunch will be provided so please drop me a line if you plan on attending.   Save the Date   Nov. 14-Open House 9-2pm   Nov. 14-Family Program Whoo are You? 10:30-11:30   Nov. 28- Owl Prowl 7pm       Learn about owls and dissect an owl pellet.  RSVP by Nov.4 required.

Humbug Marsh is located at 5645 West Jefferson in Trenton, Mi.  For program info. and registration contact: Kristi Thiel at 734-692-7649. Visit our website: Detroit River IWR for more information and more events.   LINKS:   National Public Lands Day International Wildlife Refuge Alliance The Big Sit

The Riverside Kayak Connection from Wyandotte will be hosting a kayak demo at Sterling State Park on Sunday.  While RKC is, obviously, in the business of selling kayaks, this is a good and free way to try out the sport of kayaking and test a whole bunch of boats.  And RKC is a very active supporter of outdoor recreation in the Detroit River/western Lake Erie region.

Link:

http://www.riversidekayak.com/About/Demo%20Days/index.htm

Steve Stephens at the Columbus Dispatch has a nice overview of coming events at Put-in-Bay as the summer draws to a close.  Hehe.  Probably the most interesting event is “Key West Days.”  Basically, an active and vocal minority at Put-in-Bay winters in Key West.  And vice versa.  So, performers and water-lovers who inhabit both locales show up.  And, surprisingly, Key West hosts a “Put-in-Bay Day” in the wintertime.  Link:

http://www.columbusdispatch.com/live/content/travel/stories/2009/08/02/8A_STEP02_ART_08-02-09_F1_7MEK0KE.html?sid=101

Todd Scott at mbike.org has a post up on his blog about a fascinating bike tour scheduled for this Wednesday.  The focus of the tour is urban agriculture within the City of Detroit.  Link:

http://www.m-bike.org/blog/2009/08/02/urban-agriculture-bike-tours