News & Blog
March 27, 2015
in Features
Kayaking on thin ice
Growing up on one of the lower Grand River bayous, the day the ice went out in the spring was always an exciting event, with a riot of circling gulls fighting to scavenge pickings released from the ice. A sudden change in the wind direction...
March 24, 2015
in Features
How are Piping Plovers and petri dishes connected?
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,...
March 13, 2015
in Features
“Who cooks for you?” asks the Barred Owl
[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...
March 12, 2015
in Features
Another reason to add native plants to your West Michigan yard
[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...
March 10, 2015
in Features
Cutting down oak trees to protect a rare oak-pine barren
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...
March 5, 2015
in Features
Paul the Beetle: A story about keeping nature nearby… on the piano.
[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...
March 2, 2015
in Features
The job of protecting the places we love is never done
[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...
February 19, 2015
in Features
Sandy Hansen Birding Trail in Muskegon: Anderson Woods donors create a special opportunity
[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...
February 17, 2015
in Features
A Michigan fish that was – the Arctic Grayling
[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...