Wooden canoe enthusiasts gather on the AuSable River

Posted on October 15, 2012 by Howard Meyerson

This 1915 Kingsbury owned by Ken Kelly of Grand Rapids was built in the Charles River area of Massachusetts.

By Howard Meyerson

It was a quintessential fall day: cool and sunny with color in the trees, bold splashes of yellow and orange lining the banks of the AuSable River. What made it all the more colorful was company I was keeping and the canoes they paddled, each made of wood and rich in history.

Floating close by was Dave McDaniel in his early 1950s Peterborough canoe, its varnished wood ribs finished bright.

McDaniel, a rugged looking man, paddled solo sporting a broad-brimmed hat. He appeared relaxed as he negotiated the river’s obstacles.

Peterboroughs are classic, finely crafted wood canoes, once made by the Peterborough Canoe Co. in Peterborough, Ontario, before it went out of business in the 1960s. The company began operations in 1892, but before it closed, it would become an icon with north woods canoe travelers.

McDaniel’s canoe was one of nearly a dozen vintage canoes on the water this day. He had come out for the fall gathering of the Michigan chapter of the Wooden Canoe Heritage Association, a national organization dedicated to the preservation, restoration and use of wood or bark canoes.

“At one time, I had 30 boats,” said McDaniel, of Oscoda, as we floated with the current. “I got tired of trying to store them. So, I am now down to 15 and trying to weed out everything I am not totally in love with. But it is hard to let some go.” Continue reading →

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Sunset Over Superior

Posted on October 13, 2012 by Howard Meyerson

Minnesota photographer and kayak guide, Bryan Hansel says it’s time to start packing up the gear. The paddling season is about over. His sunset over Lake Superior conveys it well. Check out his work at Bryan Hansel Photography on Facebook

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Citizens critical of oil and gas leasing under state lands

Posted on October 11, 2012 by Howard Meyerson

Photo: Wikimedia Commons

 

The State of Michigan is planning to auction off oil and gas leases on October. 24, 2012. Many Michigan residents turned out for a public meeting to share their concerns about the decision. Here’s a look at some of their perspectives and those of the state. 

By Howard Meyerson

LANSING – A plan to auction off subsurface oil and gas mineral rights beneath 196,000 acres of state land brought dozens of concerned Michigan residents to the September Natural Resources Commission meeting. Most expressed opposition to the plan approved there by Michigan Department of Natural Resources director, Keith Creagh.

“Predominately they were there to talk about fracking,” said Julie Manson, supervisor for the DNR’s oil and gas lease management unit. “Some asked the director not to approve the auction, but an overwhelming majority was concerned about fracking.”

Fracking is short-hand for hydro-fracturing, the practice of injecting highly pressurized fluids into cracks in subterranean rock to open cracks so more oil comes out of a formation and into wells. The practice is controversial due to its potential to cause contamination of ground water, air pollution and surface contamination, among other things.

Some critics asked DNR director, Creagh and the NRC to delay auctioning the parcels until more is known about dangers of fracking. Others claimed the going auction price was too low as well as the market price for natural gas. The state is offering parcels at $10 per acre minimum bid with a $2 per acre rental fee for five years. Oil and gas royalties fund the state’s Natural Resources Trust Fund which provides money to buy and/or develop recreation lands and facilities around the state.

“We don’t feel the price justifies the potential risk,” said Nick Occhipinti, the director of policy and community activism for West Michigan Environmental Action Council in Grand Rapids. Occhipinti was one of 64 who signed up to address the NRC on the topic at its public forum and was one of the 38 that spoke on the issue.

“We are in a period of historically low natural gas prices. We are giving this stuff away,” Occhipinti said. “The value of our ecological resources is more valuable than the current supply and demand at auction, given the risks.”

Occhipinti asked the NRC to delay the auction until the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency completes its comprehensive study of hydro-fracking in 2014. Continue reading →

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New plans for Harbor Island National Wildlife Refuge

Posted on October 10, 2012 by Howard Meyerson

By Howard Meyerson

DeTour, MI – Boaters, paddlers, hikers and wildlife enthusiasts may find Harbor Island National Wildlife Refuge more inviting in future years. U.S. Fish & Wildlife Service staffers are finalizing the conservation plan for the 695 acre island in northern Lake Huron. The plan will guide its management over the next 15 years.

“We want to increase accessibility, but also manage it so there is no habitat damage,” said Mark Vaniman, the Harbor Island refuge manager based at the Seney National Wildlife Refuge.  “I want it first to be a wildlife refuge that benefits wildlife and plant species.”

Harbor Island is located one mile north of Drummond Island. It has long been a boating destination and an increasing number of kayakers have visited in recent years. The island’s deep bay offers shelter from elements as well as providing a good anchorage.  Visitors who come by boat often walk its undeveloped shoreline.

The island refuge was purchased from The Nature Conservancy in 1983. It is home for whitetail deer, red fox, ruffed grouse, snowshoe hares, bald eagles and a variety of songbirds.  Hunting is permitted, but camping is not.

It is one of several federal island wildlife refuges in Michigan where conservation plans are being updated, including the eight-island Huron NWR on Lake Superior and nine-island Michigan Islands NWR spread out on Lake Michigan and Huron. Only Harbor Island and west Huron Island are open to the public. Continue reading →

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Getting Edgy: Collaboration Unlikely

Posted on October 10, 2012 by Howard Meyerson

In light of recent aggressive attacks by mountain goats, one might imagine a climber’s consternation.

Photo found at The American Alpine Institute on Facebook.

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Group searches Lake Michigan for historic French shipwreck

Posted on October 9, 2012 by Howard Meyerson

A group of shipwreck hunters from Dayton Ohio continue to search Lake Michigan for the Griffon, purported to be the oldest shipwreck in the Great Lakes dating back to 1679. The French vessel was thought by some to be in Lake Huron, according to a  Michigan Radio report today. The group leader Steve lives in Virginia. He said his interest in the Griffon goes back to junior high. That was when he first heard of the French explorer Robert de La Salle, and his ship with a mythical animal carved on the stern; half lion and half eagle, the radio report stated.

 

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Shipwrecks & Technology: Public invited to day long event highlighting GL wrecks and remote exploration

Posted on October 8, 2012 by Howard Meyerson

Diving on the Eber Ward in the Straits of Mackinac in 2012.

By Howard Meyerson

MUSKEGON, MI — Now and then we hear of a boat in trouble on the Great Lakes — a collision, a fire, someone who ended up on a rocky breakwall. It’s rare, though, that we hear about sinking ships. Boat and ship building technology is a lot better than it once was.

But the exploration of Great Lakes shipwrecks by sport divers and researchers is no a small chapter in Great Lakes maritime history. And because of advanced technology being used to find and study them, more is known about the old steamers and schooners that disappeared without a trace.

The Great Lakes are littered with historic maritime relics. I was surprised recently to learn Lake Michigan has more than 300 “found” shipwrecks. There are 1,500 total in the Great Lakes, says author, shipwreck diver and researcher Valerie van Heest, of Holland.

“Shipwrecks are like crime scenes. They provide evidence of what happened to the vessel,” said van Heest, author of a new book called “Lost & Found: Legendary Lake Michigan Shipwrecks.” In her book, van Heest tells the story of 20 of them. Continue reading →

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Bowhunters Gear Up for Michigan Archery Season

Posted on September 30, 2012 by Howard Meyerson

By Howard Meyerson

If last year was any indication of what the future holds, bow hunters can expect pretty good hunting when Michigan’s archery deer season opens tomorrow. The season runs until Nov. 14, then reopens Dec. 1 to Jan. 1.

Last year’s bow kill was up 12 percent from 2010, according to state wildlife officials. Archers took 131,615 bucks and does. The number of bow hunters also increased by 5 percent. State records show 321,869 archers participated in the 10-week season.

“The biggest increase took place in the northern Lower Peninsula,” said Brent Rudolph, the Michigan Department of Natural Resources deer specialist. “Hunters took 33 percent more does and 34 percent more bucks, 34 percent overall.

Hunter success in the northern Lower Peninsula is attributed to a growing number of deer in the region. That population is growing slowly but steadily, according to
Rudolph. Three consecutive mild winters helped. Deer survival improved. There now are more hunters out during the season as well.

“For whatever reason, there seems to be a growing emphasis on deer hunting in other seasons than the firearm season,” Rudolph said. “Firearm season participation was down in most places last year.” Continue reading →

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Wolf Hunt Coming for Michigan?

Posted on September 28, 2012 by Howard Meyerson

Now that Michigan gray wolves are off the endangered species list, state legislators are moving a bill to put wolves on the state’s game species list, according to this report by Bill Parker in Michigan Outdoor News. Will it be a good thing for Michigan? Very likely given the abundance of the wolves, their increasing appearances in Upper Peninsula residential communities and the toll on livestock.

 

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Angler support strong for pike, muskie reg changes

Posted on September 27, 2012 by Howard Meyerson

Michigan is proposing to reduce the musky limit from one per day to one per season.
Illustration Source: U.S. Fish & Wildlife Service

By Howard Meyerson

Grand Rapids, Mich. — Michigan muskie and pike anglers are giving the nod to a proposed set of rules that are expected to improve fishing for trophy-size predators by restricting their take on lakes statewide. Some are calling it an important shift for the state.

“It’s a great conservation move for the state,” said Will Schultz, of Grand Rapids, president of the Michigan Muskie Alliance. “It’s something that will increase tourism.”

Schultz is an avid muskie angler and a member of the DNR Warm-water Resources Steering Committee, the group that developed the proposed regulations. He likes the idea of keeping only one muskie per season and called that rule a good compromise. MMA had sought a higher size limit to control the take – a 46-inch size limit on certain waters.

The current 42-inch limit will remain if the new rules are adopted.

“We were looking for different ways to manage the overall muskie take,” Schultz said. “But the entire committee thought one fish per season was the best option.” Continue reading →

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