CLINTON TOWNSHIP — Centuries before Macomb County residents spent warm Sunday afternoons at the Moravian Hills Golf Course, the First Delaware Nation American Indian tribe settled on the land they called New Gnadenhutten, or “tents of grace,” to hunt deer and fish.

The 130-member tribe built about 28 huts from 1782-86 on the land — then just a vast wilderness — that touches the Clinton River. Tribe members were responsible for constructing Moravian Drive, the first inland road in Michigan.

“The Chippewa (Indians) lived nearby because they showed my ancestors where to fish,” said Darryl Stonefish, a historian and member of the tribe that now lives in Moraviantown, Ontario. “It’s a nice place. Our people prayed here daily.”

More here…

http://www.detnews.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20080702/METRO03/807020347/1014/rss03

I just thought I’d post this fun fact.  Yours truly, the eriehiker, is currently posting from the National Archives.  I always like to pretend that I’m an actual resident of places that I visit, so I’ve been having a lot of fun running around on the subway.  I hiked Arlington National Cemetery this morning - more on that later - and caught lunch in Pentagon City.  Lots of people in uniform.  I hiked the National Mall two days ago.  Fun.  Fun.  Fun.

But I have a natural affinity for places that keep knowledge, so I kind of feel like the Archives is home base.  And they have public use computers in the research center, so here I am.

http://www.thealpenanews.com/page/content.detail/id/501879.html?nav=5002

ARCHBOLD, Ohio - Hundreds of years ago, deep in Ohio’s Great Black Swamp, a 112-foot-tall bur oak tree loomed over the woods.

It saw Chevalier Robert de la Salle, a French fur trader who explored the region in 1679, trekking through the soupy marsh.

It saw Peter Goll, a French immigrant, settling along the banks of the Tiffin River.

And then it saw Ohio’s Department of Natural Resources convert 321 acres of wilderness into Goll Woods State Nature Preserve.

http://www.toledoblade.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20080630/NEWS17/806300335/-1/RSS08

The five-year study — in which two Field Museum evolutionary biologists took part — is expected to transform conventional thinking about how birds evolved, those involved in the project say.

“It pretty much flies in the face, no pun intended, of the traditional thoughts of how birds are related,” said Sushma Reddy, a Field Museum scientist and one of the lead authors of the study.

Scientists spent the last five years examining the DNA of all major living bird groups, Reddy said. Recent technological advances made the mammoth study possible, said Shannon Hackett, another Field Museum scientist involved in the study.

The study results are so broad that the scientific names of dozens of birds will have to be changed, said Greg Borzo, a museum spokesman. Biology textbooks and birders’ field guides will also need to be revised, he said.

Among the more astounding discoveries: Falcons are not, as previously thought, closely related to hawks and eagles; tropicbirds — white, swift-flying ocean birds — aren’t closely related to pelicans and other birds; and the tiny, jewel-bright hummingbird evolved from the drab, nocturnal nightjar.

Reddy said the rearranging of the avian evolutionary tree is as shocking as someone discovering their cousin is actually their brother.

More here…

http://www.suntimes.com/news/metro/1027470,CST-NWS-birds27.article

http://blog.cleveland.com/travel/2008/06/tour_lake_eries_island_region.html

I will be in Washington D.C. for the next week.  I can almost guarantee that I’ll be within internet contact during that time.  But just be aware that the posts might look a little bit different.

Thanks for Reading!

Mike

Excerpts and links:

Port Huron Times Herald:

Edwards filed the lawsuit against DTE in March. He claims releases from DTE’s St. Clair and Belle River power plants have poisoned “the St. Clair River with dangerous amounts of mercury.” The levels violate Canada’s Fisheries Act, a law more stringent than U.S. environmental laws, Edwards claims in his lawsuit.

This is the first case of a foreign company being charged with violating a Canadian environmental law.

Simons said DTE hasn’t been officially notified of the court hearing.

“We haven’t been served legally,” he said. “They have to serve us in Canada, and we don’t have any operations in Canada.”

Asked if DTE won’t be present at the hearing if they aren’t served, Simons said “pretty much.”

“We’ll see what happens, but right now we haven’t been served,” he said Friday.

Edwards said if DTE representatives don’t show up for the court date, he will ask the court to move ahead with setting a trial date.

“They’re pretty much closing their eyes and pretending it will go away, and that’s just not going to happen,” he said.

http://www.thetimesherald.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20080629/NEWS01/806290303/1002/rss

Detroit News:

After decades of relative cooperation between the nations on either side of the river, border battles over environmental issues are becoming increasingly contentious. DTE officials will appear in a Canadian court July 7 to answer charges concerning how its plants’ mercury emissions have affected Canada’s waters and soils downstream.

DTE’s court date next month will be a rare sight — an American company being tried in Canada — but one that may become more common as both nations move away from traditional bilateral negotiation that was once hailed as a model for the rest of the world.

Some legal experts trace these changes to the Bush White House and what they see as the government’s go-it-alone approach to dealing with the environment. And there are varying ideas about whether the trend is a good thing.

“The Bush administration has been less interested in solving trans-boundary issues through diplomacy and bilateral cooperation than previous administrations,” said Noah Hall, an international law expert at Wayne State University. “They haven’t taken the diplomatic bilateral approach, and people have been left with no other option than to go to court.”

Previously, disputes have been resolved through groups like the International Joint Commission or the Center for Environmental Cooperation, which was established as part of the North American Free Trade Agreement.

“Courts are fairly limited in what they are able to do,” said Marcia Valiante, a professor of environmental law at the University of Windsor. “They play a certain role and have certain remedies they can offer. But not all are going to be at the table to offer their point of view.

“When you negotiate and work out a resolution, there is more balance in terms of meeting everyone’s interests.”

http://www.detnews.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20080627/METRO/806270382/1409/METRO

The E. Delhi Rd. Bridge might just be the most picturesque bridge in Southeast Michigan.  As it crosses the Huron River, visitors experience tremendous views of our region’s best stretch of whitewater.  All around, high river bluffs box the location.  The bridge itself is historic, with wood beams instead of a concrete surface.

The Ann Arbor News has a report about the bridge, its rehabilitation and the people who are making it happen.  Excerpts and link:

Residents in the Delhi Mills area agreed to foot the costs of the maintenance of the structure, which is scheduled to start its rehabilitation in July.

Closed in 2005 because it was unsafe, neighbors in the area set up a conservancy and Cook, along with members of the conservancy, put together the paperwork and research to have the area declared a historic district.

The bridge over the Huron River is listed on the National Register of Historic Places for its engineering, “as one of only a few surviving late 19th century, pin-connected Pratt through truss highway bridges of wrought iron construction in Michigan,” according to information provided by Jones.

Midwest Bridge Co. was awarded the contract for the about $1.2 million project and is expected to begin work at the end of July.

http://blog.mlive.com/annarbornews/2008/06/group_effort_saves_east_delhi.html

Mary Quinley of the Booth News Service has a good overview of attractions in and around Niagara Falls:

NIAGARA FALLS, N.Y — Nearly three decades had passed when my husband yearned to return to Niagara Falls. At first, I resisted: I’m not fond of wax figurines and bizarre collections.

However, I admit the falls themselves never fail to impress.

So, I reconsidered. My partner and I would go back to the falls. This time, our mission was to scour both sides of the U.S.-Canada border in search of elegant and atypical gems.

Shame on us for waiting so long.

More here…

http://www.mlive.com/travel/index.ssf/2008/06/niagara_falls_dual_nature_expe.html

The image above is from IDuke at the Wikimedia Commons.  Click below for more information:

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/User:IDuke