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Michigan Windstorm of October 2010

Posted on October 27, 2010October 27, 2010 by Michigan in Pictures

NSPier10262010, photo by Twinz8.

Over the last 24 hours winds have roared through Michigan. While closed schools, downed trees and lost power are a problem for some, to some photographers & weather lovers (and of course surfers), the wild wind is a boon.

mLive has a report with some video from Grand Haven, a surfing hot spot (surfgrandhaven.com). More about Michigan surfing from Absolute Michigan.

Be sure to check this out bigger and check out more shots from the Grand Haven North Pier in Paul’s slideshow.

More Michigan weather from Michigan in Pictures!

Light During the Storm

Posted on September 17, 2010December 14, 2011 by Michigan in Pictures

Light During the Storm, photo by Schlef.

Seth writes:

This is Point Betsie lighthouse near Frankfort, Michigan. As we came in from fishing for the night, a storm was kicking up. I headed up to the lighthouse to find a few other people watching the storm roll in; however, once it started to rain and lightning nearby I was left to myself. The clouds are being completely lit by a lightning strike.

For anyone who is a regular around the area, this was during the ridiculous wind storm during the beginning of September. Winds were between 20 and 25 mph and gusts up to 35 mph for over two days straight.

The winds were absolutely ridiculous. Check it out bigger in his Northern Michigan slideshow or view it on black.

More night photos from Michigan in Pictures!

Yesterday: Sand. Today: Zebra Mussels & Quagga Mussels

Posted on September 15, 2010September 15, 2010 by Michigan in Pictures

Zebra Mussels, photo by cedarkayak.

“In terms of the whole food web, I don’t think there’s any question that zebra and quagga mussels have had the largest impact on the biological communities of the Great Lakes”
~Tom Nalepa, Great Lakes Environmental Research Laboratory

Today’s villain in our Michigan Invasive Species series are Zebra Mussels & Quagga Mussels. That feature on Absolute Michigan goes in depth about who they are and what they do so I won’t go on and on here except to say that as someone who walks the beaches of Lake Michigan often, there’s few things that make me sadder or madder than these little bastards. They’ve trashed the food chain, spawned all manner of nasty plants & algae and they slice up your feet.

Todd writes:

This stretch of beach on South Manitou Island was once filled with sugary white sand. Today, the beach is covered in razor sharp zebra mussel shells. I knelt to take then photo, and when I stood, my knee was bleeding in 3 places.

Check this out background big and in his Lake Michigan slideshow.

End Of the Day … for fishing on the Great Lakes?

Posted on September 14, 2010August 23, 2011 by Michigan in Pictures

End Of the Day, photo by Rob the Photog.

This week is Invasive Species Week on Absolute Michigan and Michigan in Pictures and today on Absolute Michigan we took a long look at the 800 pound gorilla of invasive species in Michigan, the Asian carp. These frightening fish have made their way up the Mississippi River and can weigh up to 100 pounds, grow to four feet in length, eat voraciously and make rabbits look like pikers when it comes to reproduction. Via TIME Magazine:

“They just eat so much,” says David Ullrich, executive director of the Great Lakes and St. Lawrence Cities Initiative. “They’re like the locusts of the river.”

That’s what makes them so dangerous to the lakes. Asian carp aren’t direct predators, but they eat plankton, which knocks out the bottom layers of the food chain. If they were to successfully establish themselves in the Great Lakes and start breeding, they could utterly disrupt the existing ecosystem, potentially starving out the trout and other native fish that make the Great Lakes a tourism hot spot.

Estimates put the Great Lakes sport and commercial fishery at $2.5 to $7 billion. While the loss of this would be a terrible shame, the thought that one day you wouldn’t see photos like this of a parent and child enjoying Michigan’s amazing fishery seems worse to me.

Rob feels this is one of the best photos he’s ever taken. Check it out bigger and in his slideshow.

And if you can, make sure you write your representatives to tell them how important it is to stop the Asian carp in Chicago!

Invasive Species in Michigan

Posted on September 13, 2010September 13, 2010 by Michigan in Pictures

Shell Cluster, photo by johndecember.

All week we’re going to be featuring invasive species – who they are, what they’re doing to our lakes & land and how folks are working to stop them. See the articles as we post them on Absolute Michigan Michigan in Pictures and !

I actually already blogged this photo to Pandora’s Locks: How Invasive Species got into the Great Lakes on Absolute Michigan. The book is a must-read for anyone who wants to learn how the way the shipping industry operates guarantees that invasive species will spread.

You will note that John has TWO invaders here, the zebra mussel and the Asian ladybird beetle. Check this out bigger in John’s slideshow!

Thrill seekers at the Ludington North Breakwater Light

Posted on September 10, 2010September 10, 2010 by Michigan in Pictures

Thrill seekers, photo by R.J.E..

Today’s post is filed under do not try this at home. My daughter was a passenger in a scary car accident last night. Nobody was hurt but it’s important to remember that you always get a second chance until the time you don’t.

Check it out bigger and in RJE’s slideshow.

Winter Blues at the Ludington North Breakwater Light has more about the history of this Michigan lighthouse!

Calm After the Storm: Empire Bluffs & North Bar Lake

Posted on September 8, 2010September 8, 2010 by Michigan in Pictures

Calm After the Storm, photo by unifiedphoto.

Yesterday the winds were absolutely howling in Northern Michigan under one of the strongest windstorms I’ve ever seen in September. The lake in the front is North Bar Lake and that’s Empire Bluffs in the background – both are part of the Sleeping Bear Dunes National Lakeshore.

On his blog Ken writes that this photo is the result of a beta version of Nik HDR Efex Pro software – impressive indeed! Be sure to check it out bigger and in Ken’s Landscapes slideshow.

2010 Labor Day Mackinac Bridge Walk

Posted on September 2, 2010September 2, 2016 by farlane

Mackinac Bridge Walk, photo by mackinacbridgerun

Every year, thousands of people come to the Mackinac Bridge on the morning of Labor Day for the annual Mackinac Bridge Walk. They’ll do it again at the 53rd annual walk on Monday, September 6, 2010 from 7-11 AM.

Get all the history of the Mackinac Bridge Walk from Michigan in Pictures and click that button for tons more info on the Mackinac Bridge.