Michigan taking a second look at Line 5 permit

Posted on by farlane
Three Fires Confederacy Bridge Walk by Sarah Rice for Earthjustice

Three Fires Confederacy Bridge Walk by Sarah Rice for Earthjustice

“We do not own the Great Lakes. We are borrowing them from future generations, and it is our responsibility to return them whole.” -Bay Mills Indian Community President Whitney Gravelle

Earthjustice reports that Governor Gretchen Whitmer and the director of Michigan’s Department of Environment, Great Lakes, and Energy (EGLE) announced yesterday that EGLE will undertake a new review of the permits that Enbridge secured in July to construct its proposed Line 5 oil tunnel project below the Straits of Mackinac:

In a letter to Enbridge President and CEO Gregory Ebel, Gov. Whitmer also called on Enbridge to begin working on a planned, orderly transition to an alternative to both the existing dual pipelines and the tunnel.

Bay Mills Indian Community President Whitney Gravelle said: “This Labor Day, Tribal Nations and water protectors came together in solidarity to walk with the water across the Mackinac Bridge and send a clear message: Line 5 does not belong in the heart of the Great Lakes. Tribal citizens, elders, and children came together as Anishinaabe people and as sovereign Tribal Nations, carrying water, praying, and standing up for the treaty rights our ancestors reserved for us. Our unity was a reminder that the Tribes have been right all along.

The photo is from the Three Fires Confederacy Bridge Walk For Water on the Mackinac Bridge Monday, September 7, 2026. As a person who loves Lakes Michigan & Huron and all the benefits for tourism, recreation, and of course photography they offer, thank you to all the tribes of the Three Fires Confederacy for working hard to protect the lifeblood of the Great Lakes State!

Support Michigan in Pictures with Patreon

It’s Gonna Be a Great Weekend!

Posted on by farlane
It's Gonna Be a Great Day by Pete Vielhaber

It’s Gonna Be a Great Day by Pete Vielhaber

From Marquette to Mackinac to Midland to Monroe, Michigan’s Labor Day forecast is almost universally for sun & 70s, which will be a welcome closing act for one of the hottest, wettest & stormiest summers in recent memory. I hope that you are able to get out to enjoy some of the weekend and that you’re making good money if you aren’t!

Peter shares this beautiful beach shot taken around sunrise on Lake Huron near Caseville last month. Check out more of his great photos of Lake Huron on Flickr.

Support Michigan in Pictures with Patreon

Taller trees but less people on Turnip Rock

Posted on by farlane
Turnip Rock, July 2014 by Tom Clark

Turnip Rock, July 2014 by Tom Clark

I mainly wanted to share a cool shot of Turnip Rock on Lake Huron in the Thumb, but I do kind of wonder how the people in this 1906 photo managed to get on top of the 80′ tall Turnip Rock 🤔

Tom took this back in 2014. See his latest on Flickr or Facebook and view & purchase his work from his website!

Support Michigan in Pictures with Patreon

Drones coming to the Great Lakes

Posted on by farlane
Saildrone Explorer by Navy Chief Petty Officer Roland Franklin

The US Coast Guard says that the USGS Great Lakes District will deploy autonomous drones to support Coast Guard missions on the Great Lakes from May to October this year:

The drones are wind- and solar-powered vessels the Coast Guard will use to monitor the Great Lakes, gather critical weather data for emergency response planning, track illicit activity and keep maritime borders safe.

The autonomous vessels are highly visible, equipped with radar, cameras and collision-avoidance artificial intelligence and monitored continuously by human operators who can take manual control if needed. Sail drones are equipped with sensors focused solely on maritime domain awareness, providing critical information on vessel activities, including vessels in distress or engaged in illegal operations.

Anyone else feeling nervous about the explosion of drones & datacenters we’ve seen over the last year or is that just me?

photo caption: A Saildrone Explorer unmanned surface vessel operates in the Arabian Gulf during Exercise Phantom Scope, Oct. 7, 2022. During the bilateral exercise between the United States and United Kingdom, USVs operated in conjunction with crewed ships and naval command centers in Bahrain. Credit: Navy Chief Petty Officer Roland Franklin

Support Michigan in Pictures with Patreon

Michigan Dark Sky Watch: Rockport State Recreation Area

Posted on by farlane
Rockport Recreation Area by SG Captures

Rockport Recreation Area by SG Captures

Sometimes I start projects and stick with them like cataloging the waterfalls of the Great Lakes State, profiling all of Michigans turtles, or finding Michigan’s tallest things. Many other times, I start them, see a squirrel, and promptly forget about them. Such is the case with an idea one of Sarah’s photos sparked 4 years ago today to profile all six of Michigan Dark Sky Preserves & our two Dark Sky Parks. Now there’s even an entire Dark Sky Island so let’s get busy!

Visit Alpena shares that Rockport State Recreation Area in northeast Michigan’s Presque Isle County was Michigan’s 100th State park and holds a variety of terrain and unique geologic, historic, and natural elements. They also share:

Rural isolation has its benefits. Being miles away from any major metropolitan area gives northeast Michigan an unique advantage for those who enjoy the mysteries revealed in the night sky. Our lack of concentrated light pollution makes the cosmos appear crisp and clear. Dark lands can be found at Rockport State Park Recreation Area where light emissions are among the lowest in the Great Lakes. Stars, meteors, planets and moons await your discovery.

More about Rockport Recreation Area and Michigan Dark Sky Parks, Preserves & Sanctuaries from the State of Michigan.

Sarah is a Michigan State Parks Photo Ambassador which seems like a very cool thing to be. You should definitely check out her website where you can view & purchase her work as well as her Facebook & sg.captures on Instagram!

Dark Skies at Rockport Recreation Area by SG Captures

Support Michigan in Pictures with Patreon

Believe in Summer

Posted on by farlane
Tiki Resort-Oscoda MI by Charles Bonham

Tiki Resort-Oscoda MI by Charles Bonham

Since tomorrow’s post is already reserved for everyone’s favorite long range winter weather forecaster, I figured it was about time to remind everyone that summer will come. Eventually.

Here are two pics from Charles of the joyfully painted Mai Tiki Resort on Lake Huron in Oscoda demonstrating that you can find a little spot of summer in Michigan even on the coldest day. See his latest on Flickr & stay warm!

Mai Tiki Resort by Charles Bonham

Mai Tiki Resort by Charles Bonham

Support Michigan in Pictures with Patreon

The Ghost of Minnie Quay is calling

Posted on by farlane
Sticks and Stones by Jeff Gaydash

Sticks and Stones by Jeff Gaydash

Back in the day, Linda Godfrey would regularly share stories with me from her classic book Weird Michigan and her other works. Linda has regrettably passed on and her Weird Michigan website is lost, but here’s a seasonally appropriate tale of shipwrecks & lost love from my archives…

In the mid-1800s, the Lake Huron port and lumber town of Forester was a far cry from the sleepy, near ghost town it is today. The remains of huge pilings just off the scanty beach now stand as crumbling reminders of the great pier that once bustled with Great Lakes ships and sailors.

One of those sailors unwittingly started the legend that would be Forester’s main claim to fame after the lumber ran out and the ships stopped coming.On shore leave one day, the unnamed young man took up with a local girl named Minnie Quay, whose folks, James and Mary Ann Quay, owned the town tavern.

The Quays forbid Minnie to see her beloved, but the order proved tragically unnecessary after his ship became one of many that succumbed to Great Lakes gales. Minnie made one more visit to the forbidden pier after learning that news, and on April 26, 1876, at the age of 16, she threw herself into the water in hope of joining him in the afterlife. She lies in a waterfront cemetery now, next to the bodies of her father, mother and brother.

Legend says that she still wanders the beaches, moaning for her lost sailor, and that some have seen her standing waist deep in the water, beckoning others to join her. The former Quay home and bar still stands, giving Minnie’s ghost even more reason to linger.

Jeff is a fine art photographer & printmaker. Explore his work in the Great Lakes gallery on his website.

Support Michigan in Pictures with Patreon

That Super Beaver Moon is actually a Super Hunter’s Moon

Posted on by farlane
Lake Huron Moonshine by kare hav

Lake Huron Moonshine by kare hav

I got a lot of enjoyment from walking around the house yesterday saying “Super Beaver Moon” so it is with sadness & regret I share that EarthSky’s Deborah Byrd explains that if a full moon of November falls after November 7, it’s the Beaver Moon but if it’s before the 7th, it’s the Hunter’s Moon. Deborah writes:

Nature is particularly cooperative around the time of the autumnal equinox to make the fall full moonrises special. On average, the moon rises about 50 minutes later each day. But when a full moon happens close to the autumnal equinox – either a Harvest or a Hunter’s Moon – the moon (at mid-northern latitudes) rises about 30 minutes later daily for several days before and after the full moon … The result is that there’s a short-than-usual lag time between successive moonrises around the Hunter’s Moon adding to the brightness of evening twilight.

The moon has for sure been looking huge when it’s risen the last couple of nights! To add to the fun, EarthSky shares that the South Taurid & North Taurid meteor showers are both happening right now! While they aren’t a very active shower with just 5-10 meteors per hour, they can produce really intense fireballs like this one from Monday night over Glen Lake in the Sleeping Bear Dunes National Lakeshore.

This moon is neither Hunter nor Beaver: it’s the August 2020 Sturgeon Moon as seen over Lake Huron. See more in kare hav’s Point Lookout / Au Gres gallery on Flickr including the first pic I ever shared from this awesome photographer on Night and Light.

Night by kare hav

Support Michigan in Pictures with Patreon

2025 Chicago to Mackinac Race

Posted on by farlane
Chicago to Mac Sailing Race at Mackinac Island by Stephen R. Cloutier

Chicago to Mac Sailing Race at Mackinac Island by Stephen R. Cloutier

The Chicago Yacht Club Race To Mackinac starts Friday morning (July 18). The Chicago to Mac is the longest annual freshwater sailing race in the world, spanning 333 statute miles from the start at the Chicago Yacht Club, up the western shore of Lake Michigan, passing under the Mackinac Bridge to finish at Mackinac Island. They explain that:

…the race’s unpredictable weather and shifting winds on Lake Michigan make it a supreme test of sailing skill, rivaling many offshore ocean races. What first began in 1898 with just five boats has now evolved into a world-class sporting event. The origins of the Race to Mackinac date back to 1898, when Joseph Myers designed two fin-keel sloops, Siren and Vanenna. These vessels sparked a competition between their owners, George Peate of Siren and W.R. Crawford of Vanenna, and after three races in June of 1898, Vanenna remained undefeated. This prompted the idea of a unique, challenging race – one that would forever change the history of sailing.

Lots more on the Race to Mackinac website. If you click the pic above, you can see more of Stephen’s photos. For sure follow him on Instagram for his latest! Also more about Round Island lighthouse on Michigan in Pictures!

Chicago to Mac at Mackinac Bridge by Stephen R. Cloutier

Chicago to Mac at Mackinac Bridge by Stephen R. Cloutier

Support Michigan in Pictures with Patreon

Tune into the live Mackinac Bridge Cam!

Posted on by farlane
Rainbow at the Riviera Motel of Mackinac City

Might Mac Rainbow by the Riviera Motel of Mackinac City

One of my favorite recent finds is the 24-hour live Mackinac Bridge Camera presented by Mackinac City’s Riviera Motel. Enjoy!!

Support Michigan in Pictures with Patreon