In the game “Six Degrees of Separation” players are challenged to find the links between two seemingly unrelated people or things with the fewest steps possible. [caption id="attachment_5140" align="alignright" width="225"] A piping plover at the mouth of the Kalamazoo River. (Photo credit: Rick Brigham)[/caption] In west Michigan,...
[caption id="attachment_5109" align="alignright" width="200"] Barred Owl (Source: www.outdoor-michigan.com)[/caption] “Who cooks for you?” This was the sound I heard last week when I was out in my backyard. (It was somewhat ironic since I was grilling at the time!) The question was actually coming from a Barred Owl. Of...
[caption id="attachment_5105" align="alignright" width="450"] The root system of native plants are far deeper than usual turf grass. They provide stabilization of the soil from erosion and runoff, thus improving water quality. (Illustration source: www.vanburencd.org.)[/caption] The reasons to incorporate native plants into your yard are numerous: Supporting...
Like a teenager who’s partied past curfew, nature preserves need tough love, too. [caption id="attachment_5097" align="alignright" width="300"] Pete, Dwight, Vaughn, and Justin pause while working to protect the oak-pine barren at Maas Family Nature Preserve near Rockford.[/caption] That’s why a group of us found ourselves in Rockford...
[caption id="attachment_5047" align="alignright" width="300"] Paul the Beetle[/caption] “Your pet has escaped and it’s somewhere in our house.” This was our younger daughter, calling my office on the day before Christmas. I was avoiding the holiday crowds by hiding at work. She sounded agitated even before we heard...
[caption id="attachment_3560" align="alignright" width="300"] Flower Creek Dunes Nature preserve along the Lake Michigan shoreline in Muskegon County.[/caption] One of Emily Dickinson’s poems begins: “I dreaded that first robin so…” That first robin cannot come soon enough for me. I love the four seasons, including winter, and love...
[caption id="attachment_4608" align="alignright" width="300"] Coming 2015 to Anderson Woods Nature Preserve: The Sandy Hansen Birding Trail.[/caption] We recently announced that we reached our fundraising goal for the new Anderson Woods Nature Preserve in Muskegon County’s Fruitland Township. Community response to this project has been gratifying, helping...
[caption id="attachment_5024" align="alignright" width="300"] Jim Mogen / U.S. Fish & Wildlife Service[/caption] Have you ever heard of the Arctic Grayling? Before the abundance of brown trout and steelhead in Michigan’s rivers, this fish with the large dorsal fin is the one that anglers dreamt about. And it’s...
It was Valentine's Day and Grand Rapids was getting pummeled with blizzard conditions. But that didn't stop a group of rock star volunteers from spending the morning at Lamberton Lake Fen Nature Preserve, working to remove the invasive glossy buckthorn. Just look at these committed volunteers working...
[caption id="attachment_4970" align="alignright" width="300"] Volunteers work to remove invasive glossy buckthorn at Lamberton Lake Fen.[/caption] Studies show that along with outright habitat destruction, the spread of invasive species is a leading cause of global species extinction. Like many others, we at the Land Conservancy spend a lot...