Stand for the land … and the Yellow Dog River

Posted on by farlane

Yellow Dog
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.

The Ring-necked Pheasant in Michigan

Posted on by Michigan in Pictures

98 of 365 - Strutting

98 of 365 – Strutting , photo by reddeviltj.

The Michigan DNR Landowner’s Guide has this to say about Pheasants in Michigan:

After their introduction from China in 1895, it didn’t take long for ring-necked pheasants to become one of Michigan’s most popular wildlife species. Because pheasants thrive in a mix of cropland, hayland, grassland, wetland, and brush, populations exploded in southern Michigan. Much of the farmland in the 1940’s and 1950’s provided outstanding pheasant habitat. At that time, farms had small fields from 10 to 20 acres in size surrounded by brushy fencerows and diverse crop rotations.

However, by the 1960’s farmland began to change and people weren’t seeing as many pheasants. The number of farms fell from 190,000 in 1940 to less than 60,000 by 1990. The amount of land farmed also decreased from more than 18 million acres in 1940 to less than 11 million acres in 1990. Although predation, genetics, and overuse of pesticides are among many explanations for the decline of pheasants, Michigan’s changing agricultural scene and loss of habitat are the main reasons.

Furthermore, farming practices have changed over time. Many practices are no longer wildlife friendly, and are aimed at making more money. This has been detrimental to pheasants. Such practices include early and numerous cuttings of hayfields, overgrazing by livestock, spraying of pesticides and herbicides, double-cropping, and fall plowing and disking of crop residues.

You can get information from the DNR about pheasant hunting in Michigan and also see the All About Birds entry for the Ring-necked Pheasant and Wikipedia’s Pheasant page.

Be sure to check this out bigger!

Lots more Michigan birds from Michigan in Pictures!

Laughing Whitefish Falls (and hey brother help a brother from Michigan out!)

Posted on by Michigan in Pictures

Laughing White Fish Falls

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

Posted on by Michigan in Pictures

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!

A Curtain of Light and Water: Hungarian Falls on the Keweenaw Peninsula

Posted on by Michigan in Pictures

A Curtain of Light and Water (redux)

A Curtain of Light and Water (redux), photo by We Are CS.

I know it was just waterfalls a couple of days ago … you have to take them where you find them sometimes.

Although I think the picture they used is not Hungarian Falls, Keweenaw Waterfalls: Hungarian Falls says:

The Upper Hungarian Falls, about 10 feet wide, is located in a beautiful hardwood forest, and drops about 25 feet over a wall of red stone. Downstream the Hungarian Creek slides over the Hungarian Dam to create an unnamed 5-foot falls just below on the far side of the river whose rock walls and ledge appear almost handmade. About 100 yards downstream is a second unnamed falls of about 7 feet into a small pool. Another 250 feet downstream a third unnamed falls drops 25 feet in a shaded canyon whose moss covered walls extend from both sides of the falls. 400 feet downstream is the Lower Hungarian Falls, the most spectacular of all the falls, that drops another 15 feet over terraced rock. To view the entire falls, you need to walk along the top of the ridge as it extends out from the falls (use extreme caution if viewing the falls with children) to see the spectacular 50 foot-plus drop through the thick forest. Spectacular in the spring, flowage can vary greatly during summer and fall.

Check this out bigger or in Kyle’s Hungarian Falls set (slideshow).

Ojibway spirit god and the Song of … Manabozho

Posted on by farlane


Manabezho Falls in the Porcupine Mountains, photo by Gittinsj

A previous post on Manabezho Falls in the Porcupine Mountains State Park offered another view of these amazing falls and some information from GoWaterfalling’s page on Manebezho Falls.

While trying to find out more about Manebezho, who also seems to be the trickster god Manabozho, I learned from Indian Names in Michigan that although Henry Wadsworth Longfellow’s Song of Hiawatha uses the name of a real-life Mohawk sachem (paramount chief), the deeds are those of Manabozho. That’s enough grounds for me to bring you the Manabozho and the ultimate fish story.

 

Winter Wonderland at the Tahquamenon Falls

Posted on by Michigan in Pictures

Winter Wonderland

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?

Rock River Falls in the Rock River Canyon Wilderness

Posted on by Michigan in Pictures

Rock River Falls

Rock River Falls, photo by Shadows in Reflection.

The Rock River Falls entry on the fantastic waterfall info site Go Waterfalling says:

This wild waterfall is hidden in the Rock River Wilderness Area north of Chatham. Reaching it will require you to drive down some old logging roads and hike a mile or two along some ill defined trails, but if you are looking for a good waterfall adventure it is worth it.

Trails.com has a map to Rock River Falls and Hunt’s UP Guide notes that the falls are in the Rock River Canyon Wilderness, which has “no signs, no waste containers, no planned improvements” but does boast a 150′ deep canyon and the Eben Ice Caves. You can read a lot more about Rock River Canyon Wilderness right here.

See it bigger in Michael’s Waterfalls slideshow (view the set).

Great Egret (Ardea alba)

Posted on by Michigan in Pictures

Great Egret ( No. 2 ) Sepia

Great Egret ( No. 2 ) Sepia, photo by Paul Degi Photography.

The All About Birds entry for the Great Egret says:

A large white heron, the Great Egret is found across much of the world, from southern Canada southward to Argentina, and in Europe, Africa, Asia, and Australia. It’s the largest egret in the Old World, and thus has garnered the name Great White Egret. In the New World, however, the white form of the Great Blue Heron is larger. In the United States, the Great Egret used to be called the American Egret but that was hardly appropriate, since its range extends beyond the Americas and indeed farther than other herons.

The Great Egret (Ardea alba) entry on the UM Zoology Animal Diversity Web adds that the ideal location for great egrets is near any form of water. Streams, lakes, ponds, marshes and wooded swamps and wetlands are the preferred location for great egrets and other heron species. There is (of course) more on Wikipedia and here’s a sweet video of a great egret nesting site along Lake Huron.

Be sure and check this out bigger or in Paul’s B&W set (slideshow).

Check out many more Michigan Birds on Michigan in Pictures!

A Late October Walk In The Woods

Posted on by Michigan in Pictures

A Walk In The Woods (4)

A Walk In The Woods (4), photo by siskokid.

Last year at about this time Jim took this shot in the woods behind his cottage near Lake Superior and Little Girl’s Point in the Upper Peninsula, a good reminder that even as the leaves are leaving, Michigan’s woods are still a magical place at this time of year.

Be sure to check this out bigger or in his Fall Colors set (slideshow).

Check out more fall wallpaper on Michigan in Pictures