Fish Dinner, photo by Mario.Q.
Mario took this great shot of a blue heron fishing on the Red Cedar River.
Check it out bigger in his Great Outdoors slideshow.
Much more about blue herons on Michigan in Pictures.
Stand for the land … and the Yellow Dog River
Yellow Dog, photo by Luminous Light Huntress
Stand for the Land is asking folks to show up at the State Capitol this Thursday (June 3) at 11:30 AM for a peaceful rally as they deliver a petition to the Natural Resources Commission regarding Michigan’s first permitted sulfide mine. The event features speakers and Michigan musicians and you can get all the details on Facebook.
The mine is located on the Yellow Dog Plains north of Marquette, where this lovely little river flows. Acid mine drainage from sulfide mines has killed many of the rivers in the west, and there has yet to be a sulfide mine that hasn’t created acid mine drainage.
Have a look at what acid mining has done to Sudbury, and then see if the “jobs” argument holds water when you put the 100 or so mine jobs in one hand and Michigan’s countless tourism industry jobs in the other.
The Yellow Dog Watershed has this to say about the river & watershed:
The Yellow Dog River Watershed lies in eastern Baraga and western Marquette Counties in the Upper Peninsula of Michigan. The area is known as the Huron Peninsula and is one of the last wild areas in the state. The river begins in the McCormick Wilderness Area as an outflow of Bulldog Lake. It then runs 52 miles and drops 1096 feet at an average rate of 1:150ft through granite gorges, open plains, and hemlock forests to end in Lake Independence. From there, another outflow, the Iron River, runs from Independence to Lake Superior. The Iron River was historically part of the Yellow Dog River but had its name changed once industry came to the area.
The watershed encompasses 98 square miles and drains over six smaller subwatersheds. The Lost, Bob, Bushey, Big Pup, and Little Pup creeks all flow into the Yellow Dog River. Waterfalls abound along the Yellow Dog and its tributaries. The terrain is very hilly (some flatlanders might even say mountainous) with high ridges and low valleys giving a spectacular view. The highest point in the watershed is over 1600 ft. Not only can you see the river and forests from the hilltops but also Lake Superior. Wetlands abound and the forest type varies from old growth pine groves to aspen regeneration to stands of hardwood/conifer mix.
Be sure to check this out bigger.
Laughing Whitefish Falls (and hey brother help a brother from Michigan out!)
Laughing White Fish Falls, photo by John.Dykstra.
I’m goin away, ’cause I gotta busted heart.
I’m leavin’ today, if my TravelAll will start.
And I reckon where I’m headed, I might need me different clothes
way up in Michigan, where the Laughing River flows.
~Greg Brown, Laughing River
Waterfall supersite Go Waterfalling says that Laughing Whitefish Falls looks bigger in person and:
…is in the Laughing Whitefish Scenic Site. This is one of the most impressive of Michigan’s waterfalls. I believe it is the highest waterfall in Michigan that is readily visitable.
The falls can be found off of M-94, about 30 miles from Munising or Marquette, and just outside of Chatham.
…The waterfall is named for the river. The river is so named because the mouth of the river resembled a laughing fish when viewed by the Ojibwe from Lake Superior.
The photo was taken by John Dykstra and John is a high school senior who is near the top of the voting for the Sigma Corporation of America Scholarship. They will award a cash gift & Sigma products for one senior to advance his or her education and goals toward obtaining a career in the photography industry.
John asks you to look at his work as he wants honest support. He writes that he is an:
…aspiring artist with an intense passion for landscape photography, the main point of interest being the innate beauty of the Michigan wilderness. The prize is for $5000 + $1000 in Sigma products, all of which I would be using to get an immense jump start in my fine art photography and nature conservancy career. I would be able to get the equipment I need right now and begin shooting across the state’s forests within weeks of graduating.
You can learn about the contest here and see and vote for John’s entry right here. See this photo bigger in John’s slideshow.
Douglass Houghton Falls
Douglass Houghton Falls, photo by We Are CS.
These falls are located on private property. Kyle writes that after nearly 10 years in Houghton, he was finally able to visit Douglass Houghton Falls with permission from the land-owner.
The page on Douglass Houghton Falls from Waterfalls of the Keweenaw Area says:
Extremely impressive waterfall, with the water dropping from grassy plains over a hundred feet into a deep, wooded gorge. Falls are almost a true plunge with the a spike of rock splitting the water into two falls halfway down. Smaller drops directly upstream and downstream.
Be sure to check it out bigger and see more in his Douglass Houghton Falls set (slideshow).
Many more Michigan waterfalls on Michigan in Pictures!
Grand Rapids Founding Day Parade, May 1, 2010
NOTE: This event has been CANCELLED!
Grand Rapids, 1915, photo by Kenneth Spencer
Grand Rapids cruise director Rob Bliss has launched the latest in a series of events, the Grand Rapids Founding Day Parade (view poster). The first annual of this event happens May 1, 2010 and he writes:
May 1st will be the 160th Anniversary of the Founding of Grand Rapids, and to mark that day I am putting on a large scale parade and celebration. Floats, marching bands, and retro cars will all be involved in making this day great.
$5,000 Float Competition: $5,000 will be given away to the best float, decided by a public vote. Anyone can enter a float and be in the parade and possibly win this prize, and there is no entry fee. All floats must have some connection to the greater Grand Rapids area (includes lowell, caledonia, etc.) but are very open ended. A local band playing local music on a float stage would apply! Dance party on the blue pedestrian bridge as a float would work. Whatever idea you have will most likely work.
…This parade is decided by a public vote, with paper voting taking place at the end of the parade, near the Grand Rapids Library and Veterans Memorial. Mayor Heartwell will be speaking to the crowd following the event.
This exciting new community event works to celebrate and to continue to push our city forward. Very few citizens know when their hometown was founded; come downtown and help celebrate our community.
This photo from the Library of Congress is available as a stunning panorama which I hope you get a chance to see. You may also want to explore the photographic history of Grand Rapids through the photographs from the Grand Rapids Historical Commission’s online archive!
River Reflections
River Reflections, photo by Mike Darga.
Mike writes:
My days are filled with the hustle and bustle of a busy school building with 1200+ students. When I have the opportunity to relax, I enjoy going outside, spending time in nature taking pictures. It’s peaceful, I’m alone with my thoughts and my camera. You never know what you might find, what might be around the next corner. When I saw this shot, I took my time, set up my composition, and smiled.
Hope your life has a little recharge built into it.
Check this out bigger in Mike’s Michigan Parks slideshow.
Detroit River Lighthouse, Bar Shoal – Lake Erie
Detroit River Lighthouse, photo by James Marvin Phelps (mandj98).
The Detroit River Light, also known as Bar Point Shoal Light, was first established as a lightship in 1875. In his writeup of the Detroit River Light at boatnerd.com. Dave Wobster says:
Completed in 1885 by the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers at a cost of $78,000, the Detroit River Light replaced a Canadian lightship that had served since 1875. The light was first exhibited August 20, 1885. Located near the end Bar Shoal which projects from the Canadian shore, in Lake Erie just south of the entrance into the Detroit River. This is the point where up bound vessels make the turn into the Detroit River.
The 49-feet high cast iron plate tower is 22-feet in diameter at the base and 18-feet at the top. It was built on a pre-fabricated 45′ x 18′, crib that was transported to the site from Amherstburg, Ontario, sunk in 22-feet of water, filled with concrete and surrounded by a granite pier.
The light station pier has the appearance of a vessel, with the pointed end directed toward the mouth of the river to break ice flows coming down river.
Click through to read about how the light handled an impact from the 635′ freighter Buffalo and see an aerial shot that shows the unique shape at Wikipedia’s Detroit River Light entry.
Check it out bigger or in James’s Detroit River set (slideshow) where you can also see a side view of the lighthouse. This is also for sale as a print from James.
View many more Michigan lighthouses from Michigan in Pictures.
February Fun in Michigan
“Winter, a lingering season, is a time to gather golden moments, embark upon a sentimental journey, and enjoy every idle hour.”
~ John Boswell
Our Michigan February Event Calendar shows that from outdoor celebrations like Houghton’s Winter Carnival, the North American Snow Festival in Cadillac, the International 500 Snowmobile Race in the Soo, Detroit’s Winter Blast and the UP 200, Midnight Run Sled-Dog Championships in Marquette to indoor celebrations like the Taste the Passion wine tour in Leelanau, the Michigan International Auto Show in Grand Rapids, the Detroit Boat Show and the Winter Wine Wonderland in Traverse City, February is the month where Michiganders throw a snowball in winter’s face and head out to enjoy Michigan!
Check this photo of one of those golden February moments along the Grand River out bigger and in Jon’s My World Set (slideshow).
Winter Wonderland at the Tahquamenon Falls
Winter Wonderland, photo by Kiran Bhat..
Kiran says that he absolutely loves the Tahquamenon Falls. I confess that I do too.
He’s just begun posting his UP Trip slideshow where you can see it bigger.
Need more? How about the Tahquamenon Falls in winter slideshow from Flickr or more of the Tahquamenon Falls from Michigan in Pictures?
Winter lies through that door
If we had no winter, the spring would not be so pleasant: if we did not sometimes taste of adversity, prosperity would not be so welcome.
~Anne Bradstreet
The Winter solstice happens today at 12:47 PM (if I’ve done my math right). It’s the shortest day of the year and the official start of the season of winter.
Windows to the Universe, a cool astronomy site from the University of Michigan, has a diagram of how the sun moves through the sky today. Hint: short & south handles it in two words.
See this bigger in Tina’s michigan – misc set (slideshow).
I hope you stay warm this winter and that Michigan’s season of adversity gives way to prosperity before too long.
Michigan in Pictures 
