“The news paper for people who love the north”

Late May 2013 Vol. 60, No. 11 $2.50 Digital Delivery

Michigan’s Conservation Sentinel Since 1953

Trust Fund Not For Dredging Page 1

Michigan Moves to Wolf Hunting Pages 1 & 8

Lake Michigan Water Levels Page 1

Ride-Along with CO Greg Patten Page 3

Mitchell’s Satyr Butterfly Habitat Page 6

mynorthwoodscall.com The First Conservationists? See pages 2 & 4

www.mynorthwoodscall.com Wolf-hunting battle Attorney general nixes use of trust fund to dredge New law thwarts voter referendum Dredging Great Lakes harbors is not a proper use Rick Snyder signed a bill that uses $21 million from Legislation to enable Michi - nents of wolf hunting to get the for the Michigan Natural Resources Trust Fund, ac - the general fund and the Michigan Waterways Fund gan’s Natural Resources Commis - question on the 2014 ballot. cording to state Attorney General Bill Schuette. to begin an emergency dredging program. Some sion (NRC) to authorize the Keep Michigan Wolves Pro - In an opinion requested by Michigan Department lawmakers also called for more money and sug - hunting of gray wolves—regard - tected has gathered more than of Natural Resources Director Keith Creagh, gested that it could be taken from the trust fund. less of whether voters say no to 250,000 petition signatures to that Schuette said the fund was created to finance spe - “The trust fund cannot be used as an ATM,” the idea in a planned 2014 refer - effect, but the NRC now has the cific environmental projects and purposes, but har - Schuette said. It was created for the acquisition of endum—has been signed into law power to allow wolf hunting re - bor dredging is not one of them. land and land rights for recreational purposes, and by Gov. Rick Snyder . gardless of the referendum’s out - “As worthy and necessary a purpose as dredging for the land’s importance or scenic qualities, he said, The bill giving the NRC final come, which they did May 9. may be—particularly in light of present lake lev - as well as to develop public recreation facilities and say in what types of animals can The Humane Society of the els—such use of trust fund money would constitute administer the fund. be hunted and companion legisla - United States had joined in-state a misappropriation contrary to the expressed intent Dredging existing harbors is maintenance of al - tion supporting the right of Michi - opponents of wolf hunting in call - of the legislature that created the trust fund and as ready developed facilities, the attorney general said, gan residents to hunt, fish and take ing on Snyder to veto the legisla - approved by voters,” Schuette said. and cannot be considered development of new recre - game undercut efforts by oppo - tion. (See related story, Page 8) . The only way around that limitation, he said, ational facilities. would be for the Michigan Legislature to amend the Schuette’s opinion is legally binding and has been Constitution on the use of trust fund money to per - publicly backed by Gov. Snyder. It supports what mit such maintenance activities. many experts, statewide conservation leaders and North Woods Notes The opinion came less than a month after Gov. citizens had been saying all along. Late May 2013 Vol. 60, No. 11 $2.50 Digital Delivery MORE OIL & GAS LEASES SOLD: Despite the presence of a few dozen protesters, the Department of Natural Resources (DNR) on May 9 auctioned another $1.4 million in oil and gas lease rights to nearly 37,000 acres of state-owned land. Oil exploration firms continue to pur - chase the leases, but opponents are concerned about the safety of hy - draulic fracturing—a commonly used extraction method—and want the Michigan’s Conservation Sentinel Since 1953 practice banned. The North Woods Call will have more about this in the early June edition. BALLAST WATER: Legislation is being considered in the Michi - gan Senate that would weaken the state’s current ballast water standards, and leave the Great Lakes more susceptible to invasive species and pol - lution. The bill would roll back a provision in the existing law that re - quires freighters entering the Great Lakes to upgrade with the latest technology to prevent invasive species from being discharged through ballast water. Shipping companies say the regulation is financially bur - densome, while environmentalists insist that it protects the Great Lakes. The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency recently introduced regula - tions requiring all new ocean-going ships that enter the Great Lakes to carry onboard technology for eradicating invasive species, such as ul - traviolet filters or chemicals. Ships already navigating the lakes would be required to upgrade with that equipment by 2020. There is no need o end Michigan’s own technology mandate before the new federal rules are enforced, environmentalists say. PIGEON RIVER ACCESS: Two large parcels of land that were pre - viously protected with conservation easements through the Little Tra - verse Conservancy were recently opened for public access—one as state land and one as a new nature preserve. The 480-acre Cudlip property in Cheboygan County is now part of the Pigeon River State Forest and includes more than a mile of frontage along the river. The 110-acre Reed’s Pigeon River Preserve, with more than 4,400 feet of frontage, is now permanently protected by the Conservancy. TIPPY DAM SURVEY: The Michigan Department of Natural Re - sources is conducting an online survey to inform its general manage - Water Wonderland? ment plan for Tippy Dam Recreation Area in Manistee County. The This photograph—taken a few weeks ago offshore from the Mission Point Lighthouse on Old Mission survey at www.surveymonkey.com/s/TDRA_GMPSurvey will be avail - Peninsula north of Traverse City—dramatically illustrates the low water levels in Lake Michigan. These able until July 4, 2013. For more information, contact Debbie Jensen at boulders are typically submerged under normal conditions, an employee of the lighthouse said. Water lev - (517) 335-4832. els in Lakes Michigan and Huron have been well below average for more than a decade, according to ob - HONEY BEES: A new federal report blames a combination of prob - servers. While extended periods of low water are not unprecedented, they said, various economic interests lems for the dramatic disappearance of U.S. honey bees since 2006. The and the general public have been concerned about adverse effects of such low levels. Recent spring rains report by the U.S. Department of Agriculture and Environmental Pro - have reportedly raised the Lake Michigan levels by a couple inches, but the water was still down 13 inches tection Agency cites a variety of factors for the problem, including a from last year, which many will recall as being quite dry. parasitic mite, multiple viruses, bacteria, poor nutrition, genetics, habi - tat loss and pesticides. This “colony collapse,” officials said, has caused Rep. Miller: Time to re-evaluate Great Lakes diversions as much as one-third of the nation’s bees to disappear each winter. Candace Miller, U.S. representative from Michi - be allowed.” BIRDING FESTIVAL: The third annual Leelanau Peninsula Bird - gan’s 10th District, says low water levels demand a Experts have said that the diversion lowers lake ing Festival will be held May 29-June 2. The event, aimed at raising re-evaluation of water diversions from Lake Michi - levels by only two inches, but Miller is skeptical of awareness about birds and bird conservation in Leelanau County and gan. those figures. elsewhere in northern Michigan, will this year feature a look at the Kirt - The Republican from Macomb County’s Harrison Gov. Snyder, who recently approved a $21 million land’s warbler—including trips to see the endangered species east of Township said that a long-term pact allowing Illinois plan for emergency dredging in 58 harbors that are Kalkaska. For details and to register, visit www.mibirdfest.com. to divert water at a rate of 3,200 cubic feet per second nearly inaccessible to boating due to the low water PULITZER PRIZE: The online news service Inside Climate News from Lake Michigan through Chicago’s shipping levels, was reportedly reviewing Miller’s request. has won a coveted Pulitzer Prize for National Reporting for its coverage canal to waterways connecting with the Mississippi Meanwhile, U.S. Senators Carl Levin and Debbie of the 2010 Kalamazoo River Oil spill in southern Lower Michigan, as River should be revisited. She has sent letters to Stabenow are pushing for federal funds for harbor well as follow-up articles about inadequate government oversight and Michigan Gov. Rick Snyder asking him to take an - maintenance and have sought disaster funds for Great the dangers of shipping tar sands oil from western Canada to refineries other look at the diversion agreement and to the U.S. Lakes dredging. in the Great Lakes region. As reported in the last North Woods Call , Army Corps of Engineers demanding an up-to-date The International Joint Commission—a group Enbridge Energy—the company responsible for the Kalamazoo River accounting of how much water is being taken. through which the United States and Canada cooper - spill—now wants to ship more oil from Canadian tar sands into the “It’s a negative impact,” Miller told the Detroit ate on Great Lakes issues—has suggested that the two Great Lakes region for refining. News . “Why do our Great Lakes shippers have to be nations look at building some kind of structure in the HEADIN’ WEST: Last year, the Ånn Arbor-based Michigan League disadvantaged so we can float barges in the Missis - St. Clair River to gradually raise water levels in Lakes of Conservation Voters opened an office in Grand Rapids and in Janu - sippi River?” Huron and Michigan up to ten inches over a ten-year ary of this year hired former State Sen. Patty Birkholtz as its West Michi - Miller, an avid sailor who has crewed in more than period. gan director. The organization’s growing role in the region—from two dozen Port Huron to Mackinac races, said the The commission is also looking at reversing the ef - farmland preservation to dunes protection to keeping Grand Rapids res - Chicago canal—which opened in 1900—should be fects of a “dredging hole” in the St. Clair River near idents informed about Grand River rapids restoration plans—was high - closed. Port Huron and Sarnia, Ontario. The hole was caused lighted in a late April profile in the Grand Rapids Business Journal . “I don’t mean to have a water war here, or one by dredging, sand harvesting and shoreline improve - The League is a leading voice for protecting Michigan’s land, air and state against the other,” she reportedly told the News . ments from the 1930s through the 1960s, which deep - water. We are not asking them to give us water. They want ened a stretch of the river so much that it caused a (Continued on Page 2) our water. I don’t think in this day and age it should 16-inch drop in lake levels. Page 2 Late May 2013 The NorTh Woods CaLL

Our 60th Year: Looking Back to May 19, 1954 — Excerpts from The North Woods Call — Road Kill By now, many readers have probably Little bears not for humans, seen this photograph, which was first posted last winter on the Facebook page of Michigan Whitetail Pursuit Mama Bear argues and has been making the rounds on Now is the time of the Little Bear—and any woods wanderer with the Internet. Conservation officer experience will leave him alone! Dave Painter of Iron County in Last October or November, Mother Black Bear disappeared into Michigan’s western Upper Peninsula her winter home. Some time about January, she gave birth to one is shown with an unfortunate wolf child if she was three years old; probably twins if she was older. Oc - that was hit by a car near Watersmeet casionally, she has triplets, more infrequently quadruplets. in Gogebic County. The 100-pound Once a female bear was seen with five cubs, all the same size and animal looked even larger than it was presumably brothers and sisters. because of its thick winter coat, ac - Generally, the bear—which resembles man more than any other cording to state officials. There has mammal found in North America—minds his or her own business. It been significant debate in recent will be recalled that last autumn many cottage owners protested the months over a proposed wolf hunt in destructiveness of bruin. Michigan and Gov. Rick Snyder in Much of the trouble arose because cottagers fed the easily-tamed early May signed new legislation that bears during the summer, then locked up cottages and went away, enables the Michigan Natural Re - cutting off what had become the bear’s regular food source. sources Commission to authorize Bears are now emerging into the spring sunshine and, according hunting of gray wolves—even if vot - to officials of the Ontario Department of Lands and Forests, they are ers were to repeal the previous wolf bringing their young with them. hunting law through a referendum. At birth, the cubs of the black bear are tiny—about nine inches As for this particular wolf, the hide long and weighing six to eight ounces—about 1/500th of the weight was to have been preserved, mounted of their mother. One could easily be carried in the pocket, but that is and displayed for educational pur - practically suicidal. The little fellows are blind, hairless, toothless poses by the Lac Vieux Desert Band and usually screaming for food, which they know how to find as soon of Lake Superior Chippewa Indians. as they are born. Mother supplies it in abundance, as she dozes on, still in the win - ter state of suspended animation. But in April and May, the cubs are Michigan Forest ready for their first airing. They now weigh about four pounds and Plans Discussed walk, but climb much easier. This is the cute stage when the unwary woods visitor believes that a bear cub could be a wonderful pet. North Woods Notes The Michigan Department of Not infrequently, rangers ... have found small trees felled simply Natural Resources (DNR) held a to drop the fat little cubs into the waiting arms of someone who series of six meetings across the would like to have a cub “to take home.” Actually, it is against the state to gather input on its Re - law to keep any wild animal in captivity without a permit from the (Continued from Page 1) gional State Forest Management government and such permits usually are issued only to those who FISH HABITAT: In-stream diversity is a priority for the Pigeon Plans. have scientific reasons for wanting such a captive. River watershed and the Gaylord-based Huron Pines organization has Unfortunately, the meetings No infant mammals have as much fun as do bear cubs. It is best placed the first trees of the 2013 field season in the river to improve didn’t seem to be adequately ad - to let them have it in their own habitat. Mrs. Bear, a good-natured habitat for fish. The Sturgeon River will also be a focus of planned in - vertised in at least some of the lo - customer as a rule, is quite willing to leave humans alone if they leave stream habitat work this year. In addition to this activity, Huron Pines cations, resulting in decidedly low her and her cubs alone. But she resents any attempt to separate her is working with community leaders, conservation partners and local res - turnouts. In Battle Creek, for ex - from her children, just as human mothers do. idents of the Rifle River Watershed to better manage storm water runoff ample, promised focus groups An angry mother bear is no plaything. Her total length is between in the important Saginaw Bay tributary. were not held because there re - 4-1/2 and 6-1/2 feet, height at the shoulders about 25 to 40 inches, ANGLER SURVEY: Michigan Department of Natural Resources portedly weren’t enough people and weight usually 200 to 300 pounds. Occasionally, there are 500- (DNR) personnel will be collecting data at lakes, rivers and Great Lakes on hand. pounders. ports about the fishing experiences of anglers this year. DNR “creel Be that as it may, some people The full-grown bear is tremendously powerful, with broad shoul - clerks” will ask anglers how long they fished, what species they were who read the plans and attended ders and forearms, which can smash the side of a log cabin. There targeting and how many fish were harvested and/or released. In some the meetings have noted that the are few cases of any human being having been attacked by a bear in cases, clerks may ask to measure or weigh fish, or take scale samples. plans are focused much too heav - recent Ontario history. It’s all part of the DNR’s statewide Angler Survey Program, a long-term ily on economic development— In the words of experienced rangers, “If you pick up a bear cub in monitoring effort designed to track recreational fisheries across the specifically oil, gas, timber and the woods, you’re asking for it!” Great Lakes. forest product interests—and not ELK & BEAR LICENSES: Applications for Michigan elk and bear enough on such things as biodi - hunting licenses are available through June 1. Two hundred elk licenses versity, and protections against Poached eagle information sought and 7,906 bear licenses will be issued for the 2013 seasons. Only Michi - “fracking,” and other activities re - Up to $2,500 is being offered the bird fall from the sky after the gan residents are eligible to apply for an elk license, while bear licenses lated to oil, gas and mineral ex - for tips or information leading to gunshots, retrieved it and turned it are available for both residents and nonresidents. traction. the arrest and conviction of the over to the Michigan Department WATER FOOTPRINT: The average American might think he or The fast-track plans cover the person or persons who poached a of Natural Resources at Sleepy she needs only 8 glasses of water each day, but our real “water foot - eastern Upper Peninsula, western bald eagle April 27 in Clinton Hollow State Park. print” is much more than that, according to the Nature Conservancy. Upper Peninsula and northern County. Anyone with information about We actually use the equivalent of 32,911 glasses of water each day, they Lower Peninsula and were com - Two Michigan conservation of - this incident is asked to call the said, or 751,777 gallons of water per year. Of course, 96 percent of this piled using a diverse group of ficers responded to a complaint Report All Poaching (RAP) line at watter is “hidden”—consumed to grow and make things we eat, wear stakeholders representing govern - about gunfire and a dead bald (800) 292-7800, or go online at and use to generate energy. The eight crops with the largest water foot - ment organizations, outdoor eagle found near Alward Road, michigan.gov/conservationoffi - prints, according to the Conservancy, are grass (for grazing livestock), recreation, the forest industry, adjacent to Highland Hills Golf cers. cotton, soybeans, wheat, fodder (for feeding livestock), coffee, barley conservation agencies and citi - Club in DeWitt. The caller saw Tips may be anonymous. and corn. zens, DNR officials said. Notably GUN CRIME DOWN: Despite the ongoing war on private gun missing, according to observers, Cover Photo: ownership in the United States, a new study says that gun-related homi - was representation from stake - cide and crime are “strikingly” down from 20 years ago. The Pew Re - holders such as Michigan Native The First Conservationists? search Center found that firearm homicides today are 49 percent lower American tribes, private forest There are many reminders of Michigan’s Native Ameri - than in 1993 and firearm-related violence—assaults, robberies and sex landowners and farmers. can heritage at various locations around the state, such as crimes—was 75 percent lower. Yet applications for concealed carry per - A six-month public comment this statue of Hiawatha—billed as “The World’s Tallest In - mits and citizen purchases of firearms are way up in recent years. period drew 573 responses about dian”—at Ironwood in the western Upper Peninsula. the plans, DNR officials said. Erected by the local Chamber of Commerce in 1964, the 52- Help compile The North Woods Call history Once finalized, the plans are foot-tall monument may or may not reflect the image that If you have stories to share about The North Woods Call , or expected to provide long-term di - the area’s first inhabitants have of themselves. Many have photos and background information about the newspaper’s rection for resource managers that called these early residents the “first conservationists” be - role in Michigan conservation history, please contact us at: will guide DNR decisions about cause of their lifestyles and reverence for the natural world timber management and other ac - (see related column on Page 4). [email protected] tivities on state forest land. For updates, t-shirts & caps, Also follow us on visit our website at: Facebook, Twitter www.mynorthwoodscall.com & Blogger The NorTh Woods CaLL Late May 2013 Page 3 On (and off) the road with Michigan CO Pat ten By Doug Freeman child—shooting coots on The Michigan Department of Muskegon Lake out of season, Natural Resources’ Law Enforce - while riding in a power boat being ment District Seven comprises 11 driven by his father, an employee counties in west and southwest of a prominent sporting goods Michigan. It stretches from store. Muskegon County in the north Or the gentleman in possession down to the Indiana border, and as of three recently-shot bucks, all far east as Ionia County. tagged with other people’s antler - The district supervisor, Lt. Tim less deer permits. The man’s ex - Robson, was quick to respond to planation when questioned by my phone request for a “ride- Officer Patten? along” with one of his crew. “I guess I’m not very smart.” Greg Patten, a 27-year veteran While most outdoors people conservation officer out of Norton have a pretty good idea what con - Shores, was waiting patiently as I servation officers do, Officer Pat - parked my truck just off the ten mentioned what he felt were Muskegon Causeway, south of the some of their lesser-known duties. B.C. Cobb power plant. Besides checking on hunters After brief but cordial intro - and fishers, boaters and off-road - ductions, we climbed aboard Of - ers, they also observe and some - ficer Patten’s patrol vehicle, a times investigate the activities of dark green four-wheel-drive trappers, fur dealers, taxidermists, Chevrolet Silverado with the tra - animal rehabilitators and bait sell - ditional gold shield on each door. ers. The truck was packed with law Conservation Officer Greg Patten patrols primarily in the Muskegon County region. (Doug Freeman photo) They teach hunter safety enforcement and emergency gear, Application wait-time to join dozer/furrowers mounted on Michigan—approximately 120. classes, speak at schools on re - and featured amazingly clear the force: five years. flatbeds—ready for action during Definitely at a low point over the quest, and set up booths at local radio communication with the His first posting was in the the drier months. Now I know past four decades. Talk about a outdoor sports events to meet with Lansing Report All Poaching area he knew best, his home turf what makes those overgrown “thin green line.” the public and answer questions. (RAP) line, as well as with other of Muskegon. He continues to trenches people sometimes come While continuing to patrol the These sessions can be lively, Of - police agencies. An on-board lap- work the northern portion of Dis - across in the woods. game area’s Eastern Unit, fisher - ficer Patten said. top computer also provided timely trict Seven, and finds his career Then we were off to the game men were spotted on Crockery Then there are the mountains information. rewarding. area’s eastern unit, a mostly Creek. Another family group— of reports and documentation re - Officer Patten’s first mission “I’d be lying if I told you I did - forested area which adjoins the this time a father and his sons, quired by law for each and every on that cold and overcast after - n’t enjoy my job,” he said with a county’s vast wastewater system with all licenses, gear, and catch aspect of their jobs—more than noon was to check out some of the grin. of farmland and settling la - in order—accompanied by two most people realize, he assured designated trout streams in the We drove on, bumping along goons—a fantastic place to watch large but very playful dogs. They me. Court dates are frequent and Muskegon State Game Area; badly rutted two-tracks consisting waterfowl. were licensed, too. Good to see. can’t be missed if the state is to 15,000-plus acres of wooded hills mostly of ice and mud. A large I asked Officer Patten to de - Late in the afternoon, Officer successfully prosecute any case and flats, winding dirt roads, and hollow beside the road was ripped scribe some of the more dicey oc - Patten drove up the Musketawa against a violator. Long and plenty of waterways known for down to bare sand by illegal ORV currences he’d encountered Trail, one of many former rail- sometimes difficult investigations quality fishing. use. Some of the soil was clearly during his career. He mentioned road right-of-ways now converted often play an important and satis - No violators were found on the eroding into a nearby stream. A a case where several intoxicated to paved bicycle/pedestrian paths. fying role in the process. several streams visited, but we did common problem in the game men were driving around in a Two quad-runners were parked Finally, being fully certified leave the vehicle to follow a set of area, according to Patten, causing pickup, carrying a small arsenal of just off the trail. Tracks in the law officers, conservation officers ORV tracks and some footprints long-term environmental degra - loaded firearms and acting bel - snow showed where they had move quickly to assist other po - leading down to Henna Creek. dation. One of the DNR’s major ligerently. A touch-and-go situa - been traveling. lice agencies with crimes not nor - Possible illegal spearing of steel - concerns. tion, aggravated by the Citations were written for vi - mally in their purview. head, Officer Greg told me, judg - Parked by an isolated section remoteness of the stop and rough olations too numerous to mention That’s a lot of business to do. ing by prints in the snow and mud. of the Muskegon River, a half- terrain. After some discussion, fully, but included an under-aged Pale sunlight had broken out And, by the way, the quad-runner mile hike through brush and tempers cooled and the appropri - rider, no proof of title, and an as the eight-hour shift ended. had been parked in a concealed brambles brought us to a family ate citations were written. adult driving a motorized wheeled Low clouds were no longer ob - spot. group fishing for suckers. All li - In another fairly recent case, vehicle on a suspended license. scuring the top of the Cobb Plant Most conservation officers, as censes were found to be in order. he was again the only law en - None of the riders were in posses - smokestack. Officer Greg Patten one might expect, are keen ob - This was followed by a general forcement person on the scene sion of a helmet. dropped me off at my truck and servers and trackers. discussion of luck and weather. when drunken campers at Grand The adult in charge took re - we shook hands. I know that hav - Married and with grown kids, Officer Patten picked up a dis - Haven State Park began pelting sponsibility, and Officer Patten ing a civilian “ride-along” can be Greg Patten graduated from Cen - carded turtle trap on the way back, park staff with bottles and cans of was reasonable. His advice to burdensome and an actual imped - tral Michigan University in the and checked out an unoccupied beer. Ouch. Officer Patten held a anyone coming into contact with iment to an active officer, but I felt 1970s with a degree in wildlife bi - tent further down river. near-riot in check until the timely a sworn peace officer; “Coopera - none of that from Patten. He ology. From there, he put himself Our next destination was the arrival of other police units—a tion yields the best results—just gave me insights I won’t forget. through the police academy at game area’s headquarters, a com - few tense minutes, he said. give me the straight story.” Should he, or any conservation Lansing Community College, and plex of small offices and large A surprising fact (as the above Outrageous behaviors the of - officer, come up to you on a lake, worked as an officer in the mid- garages. Parked inside were stories indicate) is the relatively ficer has had to deal with? A cou - stream, in the woods, or in town, Michigan town of Stanton until mostly firefighting vehicles— small number of conservation of - ple of examples: give them a friendly nod and tell being selected as a CO. tanker trucks, pickups, and bull - ficers currently in the field in An under-aged hunter—a the straight story. Report: Isle Royale wolves near extinction The gray wolves of Isle Royale National Park are mary food source. at their lowest numbers in more than a half-century The wolf population is the smallest since biologists and could die out within a few years, according to a began observing their interactions with moose in recent report from scientists at Michigan Technolog - 1958—the longest-running study of predators and ical University. prey in a single ecosystem—Vucetich said. Previ - At last count, only nine wolves remained on the ously, the closest they came to extinction was in the wilderness island chain in western Lake Superior and 1980s during a parvovirus outbreak, when their num - just one was known to be female, according to Michi - bers dropped from 50 to 12. gan Tech wildlife biologists Rolf Peterson and John Unless they rebound soon, the National Park Serv - Vucetich, who authored the report. There were 24 ice will have to decide whether to intervene. Various wolves—which is roughly their long-term average options are currently being evaluated. Ideally, how - number—as recently as 2009. ever, the existing wolves will repopulate the island “The wolves are at grave risk of extinction,” on their own—if they are able. Vucetich said. Vucetich and Peterson reportedly prefer to let the The population crash is largely the result of a short - wolves determine their own fate. But if the animals age of females, which has cut the birth rate while the die off, they said, more wolves should be airlifted to breakdown of several packs boosted inbreeding and the island to prevent moose from running rampant weakened the gene pool, the researchers said. Other and damaging the ecosystem. troubles include disease and starvation from a drop- The Isle Royale wolves are one of the world’s most Gray wolf population dwindling on Isle Royale. —Michigan DNR off in the moose population, which is the wolve’s pri - closely monitored predator populations. Page 4 Late May 2013 The NorTh Woods CaLL Native Americans and the conservation ethic Opinion As a light-skinned man of pre - dominantly European heritage, I can’t claim much Native Ameri - North Woods Journal Conservation Quote can descent. By Mike VanBuren “Every part of this earth is sacred to my people. Every shining There is some, however. My pine needle, every sandy shore, every mist in the dark woods, maternal great-great grandmother every clearing and humming insect is holy in the was reportedly a full-blooded memory and experience of my people.” Cherokee. — Chief Seattle Be that as it may, as a typical boy growing up watching 1950s- era television westerns, I was Deep trouble: Injection wells more influenced by the cowboy all this talk about “fracking” and toxic waste disposal has us and Indian mythology that perme - thinking nervously about deep-well injection. ated our lives. On one family trip We first became aware of the practice more than 25 years ago west in 1963, I remember looking when covering the environmental beat for the Kalamazoo for telltale signs of this exciting Gazette . It seems like a local pharmaceutical company had state history in the desert sands along and federal permits allowing it to inject hazardous waste water Route 66 in Oklahoma, Texas, far below the earth’s surface between so-called “impermeable New Mexico and Arizona. layers” of rock. Roadside attractions on the This never seemed like a very good idea to us. Yet environ - “Mother Road” in those days in - mental engineers with much more knowledge than we have claim cluded staged cowboy shoot-outs that waste water treatment followed by disposal through injection and traditional native dances pre - wells is the most cost-effective and environmentally responsible sented by colorfully dressed Indi - method of waste water treatment. about the only alternatives, ans scraping for a living on they say, are direct discharge of treated waste water into “re - wooden platforms outside rural ceiving water” (lakes and streams?), or using the treated water to truck stops. irrigate crops. In many ways, these things deep-well injection reportedly uses the earth as a filter to fur - were responses to stereotypical ther clean treated waste water and spreads the waste over a wide images in the media and literature. A cross-cultural Native American mural on Saint Kateri Tekakwitha area, the experts say, thus decreasing environmental impacts. Fortunately, I got a more real - Catholic Church at Brimley in Michigan’s Upper Peninsula. Known really? That seems to us to be a devil’s bargain. istic interpretation of the two cul - as “Lily of the Mohawks,” the church’s namesake was the fourth Na - are these wells immune from ever leaking? Can the waste tures in back-to-back classes at tive American to be venerated by the Roman Catholic Church. water ever migrate into fresh drinking water supplies? What if Central Michigan University that said. “The natural peoples repre - 20th Century U.S. Supreme Court there is a major earthquake? Can these wells withstand such focused separately on the “West - sent an ancient tradition that has rulings “all but prohibited the movements of tectonic plates? ward Movement in America” and always sought harmony with the practice of Indian traditional reli - after merely a century or so of modern industrial manufactur - “Indians of North America.” It environment.” gions and opened Indian lands to ing history, what makes the experts so sure that the waste water was a splendid opportunity to get Hybrid peoples, he concludes, coalitions of developers, mining will either be filtered clean over time, or remain in place for all both views of an awful cultural view the planet not as our natural interests and other exploiters.” eternity? clash in a single semester. home, but something that is ours Clearly, he said, the struggle is In our somewhat ill-informed view, if this is the best method of Conventional wisdom says that for “total exploitation.” between a religious view of life disposing hazardous waste water, maybe we shouldn’t be gen - Native Americans were the first I’ve seen the natural view of and the secularization that science erating it in the first place. conservationists in the United the world first-hand when I’ve and industry have brought. States—even before the states visited Native American commu - In a society that now seems in - Sanity in the public square were united—living close to the nities in Washington State, Ore - tent on wiping all vestiges of reli - Is it just us, or has the entire world lost its marbles? land and harboring a deep rever - gon, New Mexico, Arizona, North gion out of American life and It seems like nearly every public debate these days—whether ence for the animal and plant life Carolina and northern Michigan. culture, this does not bode well about gun control, fracking, health care, climate change, immi - left to us by the “Great Spirit.” And I’ve read about it in countless for the future. Have we already gration reform, or any number of other important local, state, na - I’ve never been sure if this con - books. ignored biblical warnings and tional and international issues—is twisted by intentional servation ethic was deliberate, or Many traditional religious cer - those of native conservation ad - “disinformation” and personal attacks that do little more than turn simply evolved because Native emonies performed by indigenous vocates for too long and “in our citizens and institutions against each other when we should be Americans didn’t have the popu - people are done on behalf of the knowledge become fools?” focused on our common interests. lation numbers, or the means, to earth, its people and other forms “It gives me no comfort to have spin, ridicule and propaganda regularly take the place of facts, cause wholesale damage to the of life. predicted religious confrontation thoughtful reflection and reasoned logic—all the while spreading environment. But that’s just a I like to think that pure Chris - two decades ago, only to see it venom, hatred and strife among the populace. 21st Century white guy talking. tianity similarly honors God’s cre - now in its most virulent form” We can thank our so-called “leaders” and the special interest Native writer Vine Deloria Jr. ation and promotes good Deloria said. Nor do I look for - groups with which they bed down for much of this. after all, these has linked this strong environ - stewardship of the earth and its re - ward to paying the penalties that are the people who most benefit—personally, politically and fi - mental ethic with the religion of sources—although Deloria has Mother Earth must now levy nancially—from the interpersonal suspicion and social disarray native peoples—a close connec - harsh criticism of the Christian against us in order for her to sur - that they sow. and we can thank the members of a largely com - tion between what they believed church and its unwitting role over vive. ... It remains for us to learn plicit media who long ago gave up the objectivity and constitu - and how they lived. the years in aiding the exploita - once again that we are part of na - tional duty with which they are entrusted to serve as lap dogs for “We have on this planet two tion. ture, not a transcendent species those who manipulate the system and feed upon its fruits. kinds of people—natural peoples In an introduction to his book, with no responsibilities to the nat - But, most of all, we can thank ourselves for failing to hold these and the hybrid peoples,” Deloria “God Is Red”—Deloria said late ural world.” civic parasites accountable to the higher ideals of honesty, in - tegrity and selfless service to the nation. Too often, we support A battle to control our resources The North Woods Call their misdeeds at the ballot box—blindly re-electing the most one of the first things we heard from readers when restarting egregious offenders of the public trust. The North Woods Call nearly nine months ago concerned a state Michigan’s Conservation Sentinel Since 1953 sometimes we’re just not paying attention, or we simply can’t senator’s alleged “assault” on the Michigan department of Natu - believe that the articulate and attractive speaker we see on tele - ral resources (dNr). Published 22 times per year by: Newshound Productions LLC vision, hear on the radio, or witness on the stump could possibly dNr officials themselves didn’t seem overly perplexed about 5411 east de avenue have anything but our best interests in mind. We believe what the matter, saying that they had a good working relationship with Kalamazoo, Michigan 49004. they say, rather than what they do. the senator—sometimes agreeing with him and sometimes not. Telephone: (269) 342-8724 other times, it’s our own misinformed notions of reality that That said, we decided we should talk to sen. Tom Casperson close our eyes and ears to the ideas of others. We’d rather fol - (r-escanaba) ourselves and see what was up. E-mail: [email protected] low whatever path advances the “home team’s” chosen agenda— our first impressions were relatively positive. The senator did - Website: mynorthwoodscall.com however misguided and unsustainable it might be—than to honor n’t try to dodge our calls like so many politicians do and spoke Online subscription: $35 per year and respond to that which is actually true. very candidly about his current beliefs and policy priorities. he and $60 for two years. Whatever the reason, we need to return sanity to the public even phoned back twice to continue the conversation. Casper - square. Polls consistently show that few americans approve of son wasn’t out to get the dNr, he said—only to make the agency Print subscription: $55 per year and $95 for two years the direction the nation is going, regardless of their personal po - more accountable to the public. Fair enough. litical leanings. In the succeeding months, however, we’ve noticed that many Address changes: Please send $2 to cover costs. Like it or not, our system of government was set up to serve of the senator’s legislative initiatives seem to favor commercial the needs of a virtuous and moral people willing to abide by the and industrial interests (wood products, mining, etc.) at the ex - Editor & Publisher: Mike VanBuren rule of law. only by returning to those original principles can we pense of the dNr’s ability to manage, protect and preserve nat - Publishers Emeritus: make the kind of collective decisions that are needed to nurture ural resources for future generations. Marguerite Gahagan and sustain our nation—and our environment—for the good of While we support sensible economic development and the Glen and Mary Lou sheppard this and future generations. wise use of Michigan’s resources, we’re alarmed by these at - advertising rates upon request. Isn’t it time we turn from the madness, demand better results tempts to neuter conservation efforts. If you, too, are troubled by A Newshound Publication and start respecting each other again? such legislative maneuverings, it’s time to push back. The NorTh Woods CaLL Late May 2013 Page 5 Global warming: What’s the debate all about ? EDITOR’S NOTE: We recently read about a warming caused by sun spots, volcanic eruptions, The Wild Nearby survey by Public Policy Polling that suggests at changes in the earth’s orbit, or changes in the earth’s By Tom Springer least 37 percent of Americans don’t believe in man- orientation toward the sun. Evidence, they say, made global warming. It’s not clear whether the arises from increasing arctic temperatures, glacier other 63 percent queried in the poll are all believ - shrinkage and rising sea levels before the industrial ers—or whether some of them don’t have any opin - revolution began. Are 43 wolves worth it? ion, or just don’t care. Nevertheless, if you add to that another poll by Why the Uncertainty? A victory hunters may regret the Gallup organization that says 48 percent of Some people claim that the data supporting global While I’ve never eaten a wolf burger, at least 43 hunters in Michigan Americans think the seriousness of the problem is warming theory is circumstantial. For example, may soon have the chance to savor this new Up North delicacy. After “exaggerated,” we thought it might be a good time exact temperature records only go back a few hun - years of legal wrangling, a bill signed into law by Gov. Snyder and a to look closer at the current debate—without prej - dred years (as opposed to millennia), making this a subsequent ruling by the Natural Resources Commission (NRC) clear udice, of course. relatively short-term trend to gauge. Similarly, it is the way for a selected wolf hunt in the U.P. Trouble is, it’s a very complex and politically very difficult to measure sea levels, where the level For the Michigan United Conservation Clubs (MUCC) the wolf hunt charged issue that can’t be adequately addressed in of precision needed is within centimeters, which is represents a major legislative victory over its arch nemesis the Humane the space we have available. For now, then, we infinitesimal on a planetary scale. Society of the United States. But long term? I wonder if it was in the best opted for the following relatively balanced summary While this uncertainty throws the exact causes of interests of all Michigan hunters to pick this fight. written by Rebecca Turner for Suite 101, a collabo - global warming into debate, the considerable polit - It’s not that the pro-hunting lobby’s position is incorrect. They are rative online magazine that publishes the work of ical, financial and environmental consequences right to say that the U.P’s wolf population can sustain a limited hunt. more than 20,000 writers across thousands of top - make the truth about global warming even more crit - They are also right to say that once a wild creature becomes a game an - ics. ical. imal its survival is virtually guaranteed. From deer to ducks, from wild A broad range of motives—coming from all an - turkeys to pine marten, game animals that in the 1800s were hunted to What is Global Warming? gles—have been put forward to support the idea that near extinction have thrived due to science-based wildlife management. Global warming is a theory that the average air the global warming theory is false. Here are a few The revenue generated by hunters, through license fees and taxes on temperature around the globe is steadily increasing, of note: ammunition and firearms has done much to make this possible. with catastrophic effects such as rising sea levels * The United Nations wish to promote a single, That said, this hunt will benefit only a handful of Michigan’s 750,000 and severe weather patterns. global government. hunters. And for that small gain, the wolf controversy has enraged a While certain temperature records demonstrate a * Environmentalists wish to halt the industrial wide swath of the state’s citizens. warming trend since the 1950s, these appear to be development of Africa. Some 250,000 Michiganders signed a petition to stop the bill. Many beyond the normal realm of natural climate change. * Climate science researchers wish to gain greater of them see the wolf as a noble symbol of the north, a totem of untamed This has led many people to conclude that the cur - financial support. places. Once extirpated, it has now returned to grace the U.P. with its rent climate change is being caused by some rela - * Left-wing political activists wish to halt glob - otherworldly howls and ghostly presence. It again reigns as the top-dog tively new external factor—namely mankind’s alization. megafauna, just as nature intended it to be. Aldo Leopold, the founding industrial boom [and use of fossil fuels]. * Right-wing political leaders wish to promote father of wildlife management, made that very point in his landmark nuclear power. Thinking Like A Mountain essay from “A Sand County Almanac.” The Greenhouse Effect The democratic way to reconcile these opposing philosophies would The science behind the theory of global warming The Truth About Global Warming have been at the ballot box. Apparently, the pro-hunting lobby didn’t be - is largely based on the greenhouse effect. This On both sides of this multi-faceted global warm - lieve that was a fight they could win. So they convinced lawmakers to process, first observed over 180 years ago, involves ing debate, data is often misrepresented, or misused, take this issue out of the hands of Michigan’s voters. the emission of infrared radiation by the planet’s at - scientific facts and processes are contorted, and con - Their rationale? That the NRC should make these decisions in a sci - mosphere (It is not actually anything like the heating clusions from both supporters and opponents are ence-based fashion that’s free from “emotions” (what, are the commis - of air inside a greenhouse). hotly contested. sioners all Vulcans?) or “politics” (as if the NRC wasn’t a politically The current global warming trend is therefore de - While the politicians and mainstream media gen - appointed body) and “out-of-state special interests” (although it was fined as the heating of the lower atmosphere due to erally provide a case to support man-made global Michiganders who signed all those petitions). an increased concentration of greenhouse gases in warming, it is the job of individuals with no politi - Yet in one respect, the pro-hunting lobby is indeed correct. As a the air. Such gases include water vapor, carbon cal, or financial bias to sort through the facts and fic - layperson, I can’t calculate what the optimal wolf, deer, turkey or large - dioxide, methane, nitrous oxide and ozone. tion. In an age where media propaganda is rife, that mouth bass harvest should be. But as a Michigan taxpayer, I can make may be no easy task. an informed decision that’s based on my own values and the facts as I The Global Warming Debate *** see them. After all, I’m no expert on the Detroit-Windsor bridge to The issue of climate change is a complex one, For those who haven’t yet made up their minds Canada, renewable energy, or right-to-work legislation, but I was given fueled by a host of different types of data (includ - about the veracity of claims on either side of this a vote to help determine such matters during the fall 2012 elections. ing inexact measurements of the ground, sea-sur - issue, more can be learned from a comprehensive Apart from that, the wolf debate has spawned a PR/image crisis of face, ocean air and troposphere temperatures), collection of essays, scientific articles, news stories, its own making. Groups like the MUCC know that hunting, in an ever warming theories and consequences. An exhaustive opinion pieces and economic studies posted online more urban and gadget-obsessed society, has been in steady decline for list is well beyond the scope of this article. at climatedebatedaily.com. The material—aimed at the last few decades. They also know that more and more people view However, in the main, supporters of [the theory deepening understanding of the disputes over cli - hunting as an anachronism that society could do without. Still, for the of man-made] global warming state that the disap - mate change and mankind’s alleged contribution to sake of 43 wolf carcasses, they’ve fed into the media stereotype that pearance of rain forests, the growth of the hydro - it—comes from a variety of reputable sources and is hunters are cruel brutes who’ll shoot anything for sport. All for an ani - carbon industries, the increase in livestock and the arranged in a point-counterpoint fashion with both mal that no one intends to eat (unless there’s a wolf-jerky seasoning mix depletion of the ozone layer are all fundamental “calls to action” and “dissenting voices.” that Cabela’s has yet to put on the market). causes of global warming. Climate Debate Daily—which also features links It reminds me of another self-induced PR/image crisis: the 2006 bal - In contrast, opponents of the theory state that car - to other websites and resources—offers a “studied lot proposal that restored the ban on mourning dove hunting. The pro- bon dioxide levels (descended from the above fac - neutrality,” allowing each side of the debate to pres - hunting lobby somehow thought that voters would bow to tors) do not directly correlate with warming trends. ent its most powerful and persuasive case so that “science-based” reasoning when it comes to this gentle bird; the one Instead, they point to erroneous data [that claims readers can form their own judgements based on the that graces our feeders and coos like an angel on summer mornings. The global warming], or a natural process of global best available information. voters decisively disagreed—emotion and aesthetics can never entirely be reasoned away. Now, emboldened by the new law and NRC ruling, MUCC and oth - Seminar on Great Lakes water levels is May 30 ers may try to reinstate the dove hunt. The University of Michigan largest amount of available surface clude Drew Gronewold, hydrolo - Before they reopen this old wound they may want to heed Theodore will host a special seminar about freshwater in the world, compris - gist and physical scientist at the Roosevelt, the most conservation-minded president in U.S. history. In the causes, consequences and eco - ing approximately 21 percent of National Oceanic and Atmos - matters of foreign policy Roosevelt famously urged that we “speak nomic implications of low Great the world’s total freshwater sup - pheric Administration; John Allis softly and carry a big stick.” He did not suggest (pro-hunting lobbyists Lakes water levels on Thursday, ply. In the past several months, and Keith Kompoltowicz of the take note) that we give our enemies a big stick with which to hit us over May 30, 2013. however, Great Lakes water levels U.S. Army Corps of Engineers; the head. The event will be at the univer - have fallen to historical lows, im - and Michael Moore, professor of sity’s Palmer Commons (4th pacting tourism, shipping and environmental economics in the Floor) from 3 to 5 p.m., with a recreational activities. University of Michigan’s School one-hour reception following. The seminar will provide an of Natural Resources and Envi - Share your thoughts and ideas An online “webinar” will also overview of the causes and conse - ronment. The North Woods Call welcomes letters and viewpoint be offered. Registration is re - quences of the low water levels, For more information about the articles. Please write tightly and include you name and quired for both the in-person and featuring a series of three 30- seminar series, contact Larissa contact information. webcast events. minute presentations followed by Sano at [email protected]. (Ideally, Viewpoint articles will be 700 words or less). The Great Lakes hold the a panel discussion. Presenters in - Become a North Woods Call partner A note to letter writers All letters must be signed. Please include your name and mail - Please join our efforts to keep readers fully informed about conser - Tell all your ing address (e-mail address, too, if you don’t mind). vation and outdoor issues by providing us with news tips and/or pho - friends about the We won’t publish addresses or phone numbers, but we must have tographs. them to verify that letters are authentic. No unsigned letters will be Send your tips, ideas and photos to: [email protected]. North Woods Call used. It’s OK for your signature to be electronic. Page 6 Late May 2013 The NorTh Woods CaLL Landowner plans habitat restoration for rare butterfly Kalamazoo County landowner the eastern box turtle, blanding’s been working with the Michigan ecological services at the Kala - Dan Carl recently discovered that turtle and Mitchell’s satyr butter - Department of Natural Resources mazoo Nature Center, said the he has at least three threatened or fly. (DNR) and the Kalamazoo Nature habitat restoration will involve endangered species living on his A dedicated outdoorsman and Center on a habitat improvement cutting out undesireable vegeta - property in Richland Township— active conservationist, Carl has project that will benefit the rare tion—”taking what we want to butterfly, which is reportedly take and leaving the good stuff”— found only in 18 Michigan and In - and a “controlled burn” in the diana wetlands. spring or fall. It is one of the world’s rarest Carl said the project will in - butterflies, according to the DNR, volve about 25 acres of the 130 endangered by habitat loss and acres he owns. modification. The butterly needs Mitchell’s satyr is a dark, a special kind of wetland habitat chocolate brown of medium size found in prairie fens, they said, The Mitchell’s satyr butterfly with a wing span that ranges from many of which have been drained A federally funded recovery 1.5 to 1.75 inches. The under - for agriculture or development. plan has been completed by Indi - sides of the wings contain a row A fen—which occurs only in ana and Michigan DNR agencies of four to five black, yellow- parts of the Midwest scoured by and their partners to guide conser - ringed “eyespots,” with the cen - glaciers—is a grassy wetland with vation efforts for the satyr and its tral three eyespots on the hind peat soils that have a basic pH (the habitat. wing being the largest. Two or - opposite of acidic). They usually Anna Kornoelje, director of ange bands circle the eyespots. have tamarack trees, poison sumak and a profusion of wild - flowers, DNR officials said. The diversity of wildflowers makes fens a magnet for many insects, including butterflies, they said, and they provide valuable habitat for deer, turkeys and other birds, as well as snakes, turtles and fish. Among other things, alteration of these globally rare prairie fens has led to the invasion of exotic plant species which make wet - lands unsuitable for satyrs. In addition, natural processes that may be important for main - taining suitable satyr habitat— such as wildfires, changes in water levels and chemistry, and Property owner Dan Carl (right) discusses butterfly habitat improve - flooding from beaver activity, ment options with Anna Kornoelje, director of ecological services at have been virtually eliminated or A limited number of wetlands such as this one in southwestern lower the Kalamazoo Nature Center, during a recent outing on Carl’s land. altered throughout the species’ Michigan are prime habitats for the Mitchell’s satyr species, adults of range. which fly from the third week of June to the third week of July. A Naturalist’s Musings Putting the brakes on chemical contamination By Richard Schinkel Are you troubled by what seems tested, the MLCV says, and only quire risk management for chemi - to be steady increases in the rates five of those have been restricted. cals that cannot be proven safe. of cancer, asthma and other The proposed bill—introduced Some scientists have suggested human health problems? in April with strong support from that harmful chemicals exist in Planning ahead for the fall hunt If so, now is the time to let your environmentalists and heavy op - nearly everything the average con - In all the fishing and hunting magazines, there are articles dealing U.S. Senators know that you sup - position from the chemical indus - sumer uses—including cleaners, with preparing or scouting for next year’s season. That’s all well and port the Safe Chemicals Act, try—would put limits on trade detergents, shampoo, soap, lotion, good, but let me give you an additional perspective to help in your fall which would update the nation’s secret practices and require the in - furniture, food packaging, elec - hunting endeavors. Toxic Substances Control Act of dustry to reduce use of chemicals tronics, cookware and children’s I have taught hunter safety to hundreds of kids and some adults, and the 1970s. the EPA designates as being of products. Babies are said to be these are some tips I have given. In today’s world, the biggest problem According to the Michigan “greatest concern.” There are no born “pre-polluted” by these we have is hunter access. Now is the time to get out there and get to League of Conservation Voters laws in the United States that re - chemicals and sometimes have know the landowner/owners. Find those woodlots adjacent to farm (MLCV), the law has not been up - quire independent testing before a hundreds of synthetic chemicals fields and talk to the landowner/farmer operator. The main thing is to dated in nearly 40 years, despite new industrial chemical is intro - showing in their blood. let him or her know you are a reliable and considerate person. the fact that more than 80,000 duced on the market. Recent testing by the U.S. Cen - See if there is some way for you to be an asset to his operation. Help chemicals have been produced in It would also screen chemicals ters for Disease Control has shown with putting seed corn/soybeans in planters, etc. If he bales hay, can the United States over that period. for safety and provide risk factors that more than 212 industrial you assist? If he plows/cultivates, can you lend a hand? Does the op - The Environmental Protection that allow the EPA to work chemicals are in the average eration have livestock? Help with manure, feeding, milking, etc. Agency (EPA) has only required through the ones that could cause American’s body, including at If visiting on a hot/cold day, bring an appropriate beverage. If there 200 of those chemicals to be the most harm first, and then re - least six known carcinogens. is a problem with poaching, trash, etc., offer to patrol and clean up. Sponsor a road cleanup mile adjacent to the farm. A sign “Joe Smith and family sponsor this mile” keeps your name front and center for the en - Michigan dunes threatened Terra Linga USA tire year. Last year’s passage of Public Muskegon, where a quarter-mile- Talk to the farmer and see where his greatest crop damage occurs and Act 297—billed by supporters as long “driveway” through the Help build “an act to protect the environment dunes has been proposed. indicate you can focus your hunt in that area. Many farmers will have international block permits and allow you to take deer, or other game, that are a prob - and natural resources of the The original legislation recog - lem to them. Talk to wildlife control companies and see what state”—seems to be helping de - nized freshwater dunes—mostly understanding farms/areas have the greatest problems and target your efforts there. velopers more than Michigan’s found along Lake Michigan in the Make friends with the rural postal carriers, as they see all the areas coastal landscape. western Lower Peninsula and on Host a foreign daily and can pinpoint exact deer and game populations. If the Dozens of permit applications the southern shore of the Upper exchange student landowner is a hunter, see if you can help with the creation of a food or have been filed by developers Peninsula—as globally rare and in bedding plot. Now is the time to put out a mineral lick and salt/antler since the bill amending Michi - need of additional protection from Contact rebekah Knowles blocks. The fall is the least effective time to place these, because deer gan’s Sand Dune Protection and development. [email protected] habits have been already set in place and usage is at a low ebb. Management Act of 1989 was The law set up a permitting (269) 330-6092 One thing that I like to do is to pay the farmer to allow a couple of passed, making building permit process to ensure that develop - rows of corn or soybeans to remain for the winter. Wildlife will feed standards less stringent. ment and activity in the dunes here after harvest and provide hunting success. This also allows a place Developers have their eyes on were carefully reviewed to ensure for wildlife to feed into the late season, as well as keep a healthy popu - a variety of locations—including the natural migration and shifting lation for next season. the Saugatuck Dunes—where a of sand, and protection for rare And, of course, the old adage: If you are successful, share. Not just former church camp is being sold flora and fauna. the steaks and chops, but filets, sausage and smoked meats. Doing your for the construction of 12 homes Public Act 297, however, has groundwork now will put you way ahead of those hunters who will not on land that will reportedly sell for made permitting easier for drive - have any land on which to hunt. It also may benefit you for years to $1 million an acre—and the White ways, homes and related access come. River Township Dunes north of roads within critical dune areas. The NorTh Woods CaLL Late May 2013 Page 7 Excerpts from conservation officer logs (4/1/13 through 4/14/2013) Full moon? Shoot-out, assaults, murder and attempted suicide are logged DISTRICT 1 rival at the residence, CO Kehoe marijuana at his house. CO Payne tion was taken. CO Elton Luce received a and deputies observed what they seized the additional marijuana at CO Daniel Princ e, while on complaint of deer carcasses and were led to believe was the sus - his house and released the sub - patrol, was called to assist local boxes dumped on public land. pect standing in the road in front jects. CO Payne returned to the deputies with a felonious assault CO Luce was able to recover a of the residence. While the CO river where he contacted the two involving a teenager and his par - deer tag that identified the subject. and the deputies were attempting subjects and followed their foot - ents. The teen threatened his A confession for dumping the to secure this person, the actual prints. While following the foot - mother with a machete and re - deer carcasses and boxes was ob - subject exited the residence with prints CO Payne discovered four fused to give it up until police or - tained and enforcement action a rifle and began firing toward the small pine trees that were recently dered him to surrender. The teen was taken. officers. Another deputy follow - pulled out of the ground, the trees gave up without incident. COs Mark Leadman and ing behind the group returned fire were seized as additional evi - CO Pete Purdy assisted local Elton Luce were conducting a toward the suspect as CO Kehoe, dence. CO Payne returned to the township police officers in locat - surveillance patrol on a Gwinn the deputies and the first subject subjects’ house and gained a con - ing a subject who attempted sui - area lake. While conducting the they were attempting to secure fession for attempting to steal the cide along the Huron River. A patrol, two subjects made contact found cover behind CO Kehoe’s suspect residence while CO Lebel pine trees. CO Payne is seeking shaken up angler called 911 after with the covert COs, asking to patrol truck. The subject retreated and Sgt. Bomay blocked the road - warrants through the Isabella discovering the subject. The an - borrow an auger and bait. Both to his residence and surrendered way until an incident command County Prosecutors Offices for all gler gave vague information as to subjects were observed fishing. several minutes later and was post could be set up. As addi - charges. where he was located and CO One of the subjects did not have a taken into custody. No rounds tional police units responded to Purdy advised from the descrip - license. A ticket for fishing with - struck CO Kehoe’s patrol truck the scene, it was determined that DISTRICT 7 tion two possible locations in Is - out a license was issued. but several rounds struck a resi - there were two fatally shot family CO Steve Mooney was check - land Lake Recreation Area. The dence across the street. Fortu - members outside the residence ing a closed stream in the City of subject was located and trans - DISTRICT 2 nately none of the officers or and that the suspect was believed Bangor when he observed a sub - ported to the hospital with severe CO Mike Hammill was con - residents were injured. The sus - to still be alive and possibly on ject fishing on the closed trout burns. It is believed the subject ducting a routine inspection of a pect was lodged and will be foot. COs Angie Greenway and stream. As soon as the subject poured gasoline onto her head and local taxidermy business when he charged with several felonies. Mike Wells responded and as - saw CO Mooney approaching, he lit it on fire with a lighter. She observed a nice 11-point whitetail CO Brian Brosky was first on sisted for several hours. Later in threw his fishing pole in the river. then jumped into the river to ex - rack. From evidence found by the the scene after receiving a com - the evening it was determined that CO Mooney had contacted the tinguish the fire. A suicide note CO it appeared the deer may have plaint of a trespass in progress the suspect had committed suicide subject on prior occasions and had was found in her vehicle. been taken illegally. After a series with a weapon involved. Upon and his body was located within the subject retrieve his pole from CO Kyle Bader responded to of interviews, a full confession arrival, CO Brosky located two the residence. the river. The subject didn’t have the location of a large cloud of was obtained from the shooter. subjects arguing in the driveway a fishing license and was fishing black smoke and found a fire The subject explained that he used and was able to determine that the DISTRICT 5 on a closed stream. Enforcement spanning at least 25 feet across. his last kill tag during rifle season trespasser had shot at a turkey vul - CO Brian Olsen followed action was taken. When CO Bader asked the subject and wanted to hunt the muzzle ture on the neighbor’s property. fresh tire tracks that led off the CO Greg Patten located three who was tending the fire what he loader season and did so without a The landowner was in the field main trail on state land to a sub - subjects with trucks along a was burning, the subject said “I license. He used his aunt’s kill tag trimming brush and was in line ject who was illegally cutting power line, tearing up a wetland got tired of looking at that pile of on the illegally taken 11-point. with the vulture at the time of the standing timber. In addition, the area after recent heavy rains. garbage out my window so I lit it The rack was seized and an arrest shooting. A heated argument be - individual was not in possession Each operator was ticketed for op - up.” Items in the fire included a warrant is being sought along tween the neighbors resulted in of a fuel wood permit, and had eration in a wetland area and tres - couch, a television, a mattress and with $1,000 restitution for the threats being made and an assault. been ticketed for the same offense passing along a utility right of other furniture. Enforcement ac - deer. Enforcement action was taken. in the past. Enforcement action way. tion was taken for the illegal burn. CO Kyle Publiski responded CO Mike Wells received a was taken. CO Andy Bauer and Sgt. to a complaint that dogs were complaint of a hawk caught in a Zach Doss finished a nine month DISTRICT 9 chasing and killing deer. This has foot-hold trap set next to a deer DISTRICT 6 investigation into unlicensed CO Linda Scheidler received been an ongoing complaint over carcass. CO Wells was able to lo - CO Nick Atkin conducted charter boat operators from Indi - a complaint of a walleye angler in the years, but on this day the dogs cate the trap and release the hawk. surveillance on several anglers ana that failed to obtain Michigan a camouflage coat, sitting on a did catch and rip apart a deer. The CO obtained an address of during the inland walleye closure licensing. Eight operators have bucket. CO Scheidler responded Contact was made with the dog the subject and determined that he and witnessed one of them hide been charged with 28 counts of and located the subject. The sub - owner who boldly claimed that it was also unlicensed to trap. CO something in the woods. The CO operating unlicensed charter boats ject was in possession of a black wasn’t his dogs—that his dogs Wells contacted the subject at his continued his surveillance and in Michigan waters in 2012. plastic garbage bag with four never leave the yard. The next day residence while he was in the witnessed the angler continue this walleye in it. The subject said he the CO set up surveillance on the process of skinning a fox taken activity several more times. CO DISTRICT 8 lost a bet with a friend that he area and it didn’t take long for during the closed season. The Atkin contacted the angler and CO Daniel Prince received a could fish for walleye and not get him to witness the out-of-control subject admitted to not checking conducted a search of the wooded private property littering com - caught by the DNR. Enforcement dogs running at-large and chasing his traps for nearly a week. CO area where he located numerous plaint from the RAP line. The action was taken. deer. Contact was made with the Wells advised the subject of sev - illegal walleye. The angler then complainant saw two subjects CO Todd Szyska attended a owner as his dogs were running eral violations, including trapping confessed to hiding the walleye in drive by in a pickup truck and bench trial on a subject that he and about. Without any excuse, the without a license, trapping during the woods. CO Atkin also lo - dump a trash bag full of animal CO Kris Kiel caught shooting subject had no complaint as he re - the closed season, failure to check cated two additional walleyes hid - parts on their neighbor's property. and killing a Canada goose out of ceived a ticket for dogs running foot-hold traps within 24 hours den in the angler’s work bibs and The complainant was able to get season and without licenses in the at-large. and possession of a fox during the coat. Enforcement action was the vehicle’s license plate number City of Mt. Clemens. The subject closed season. Enforcement ac - taken. and called the RAP hotline. CO accepted a plea bargain and pled DISTRICT 3 tion was taken on several of the While patrolling the Chippewa Prince was able to locate the trash guilty to shooting the goose with - CO Steve Speigl received a violations. River, CO Jeremy Payne con - bag and found seven rabbits and out a Federal hunting license and complaint of someone who was in COs Jeff Ginn , Brian Lebel , tacted two subjects near their car one skinned raccoon carcass. CO transportation of the bird without possession of an unsealed bobcat Troy VanGelderen and Sgt. who claimed to be “checking the Prince also located the vehicle proper tagging requirements. The in Antrim County. After a short Mike Bomay were first to re - river for steelhead.” CO Payne owner, who admitted to dumping subject was ordered to pay $300 interview, CO Speigl educated the spond to a 911 call of shots fired, immediately smelled the odor of the animals on the property when reimbursement for the Canada individuals about the laws regard - including at least one person burned marijuana. CO Payne lo - his garage freezer quit working. goose, $30 in conservation fees, ing the possession of wild game. being shot and a possible barri - cated a small amount of marijuana The property owner asked for and had his air rifle condemned. CO Matt Theunick responded caded gunman. COs Ginn and and drug paraphernalia. One of prosecution and enforcement ac - to a complaint regarding an VanGelderen took positions on the subjects also indicated that he unchecked trap. Contact with the foot around the perimeter of the had an additional small amount of trapper resulted in a ticket being issued for failure to check traps in Marketplace of the North a 24 hour period. Classified Ads Last Call: 20 % Off DISTRICT 4 VIDEO— From Nebraska Ranchers to Nashville Rebels: The CO Steve Converse contacted Story of Tompall & the Glaser Brothers . a 90-minute oral his - Caps & T-Shirts a subject with an undersized Rain - tory (dVd) about this pioneering trio that changed the Nashville $12 each, plus $3 shipping bow trout. The subject’s record recording industry. $19.95 each, plus shipping & handling. For showed 10 prior DNR violations more information, see the Newshound Productions page at and a valid arrest warrant. The www.mynorthwoodscall.com. Order online and view sizes/colors at: subject was ticketed for the fish VIDEO & BOOK— Buck Lake Ranch: Nashville of the North . a www.mynorthwoodscall.com violation and lodged in the Mis - 78-minute documentary and 133-page softcover book about Or send a check or money order to: saukee County Jail. historic music park near angola, Indiana. $19.95 each; $35 for The North Woods Call , 5411 East DE Avenue CO Sean Kehoe , along with both, plus shipping & handling. For more information, see the Kalamazoo, Michigan 49004 local deputies, responded to a Newshound Productions page at mynorthwoodscall.com. complaint of shots fired. Upon ar - Published periodically by Newshound Productions LLC, 5411 east de avenue, Kalamazoo, Michigan 49004. First-class postage paid at Kalamazoo, Michigan, and additional mailing offices. online subscriptions $35 per year and $60 per two years. Print subscrip- tions $55 per year and $95 for two years. PosTMasTer: send address changes to T he North Woods Call, 5411 east de avenue, Kalamazoo, Michigan 49004. M DOT Code: 8021-0068

Page 8 Late May 2013 The NorTh Woods CaLL NRC authorizes wolf hunting season Final Shot The Michigan Natural Re - city of Ironwood; portions of sources Commission (NRC) on Baraga, Houghton, Ontonagon May 9 approved a controversial and Gogebic counties; and por - wolf hunting season for parts of tions of Luce and Mackinac coun - the Upper Peninsula. ties. The decision—along with Gov. A group opposed to the hunts— Snyder’s signature a day earlier on Keep Michigan Wolves Pro - a new law enabling the NRC to tected—disagrees that the decision decide which animals are hunted represents sound science and had in the state—makes Michigan the collected more than 250,000 sig - sixth one to authorize hunting natures to get the question on the wolves since federal protections 2014 ballot so voters could decide. were removed over the past two But the governor’s signature on years in the western Great Lakes Senate Bill 288 effectively neuters and the northern Rockies, where that effort. the animals are said to be thriving. “Governor Snyder has betrayed The Department of Natural Re - the trust of Michigan voters by sources recommended the hunt as signing legislation that takes away part of a strategy to cut down on their referendum rights to chal - the number of wolves in areas lenge laws on animal issues,” said where wolves have attacked live - Jill Fritz, director of the group. stock and pets. The new regula - “This is a dark day in the history tions target 43 wolves to be killed of Michigan and for people who in the designated areas. believe in fundamental democratic The proposal was approved by principles and the humane treat - a 6-1 vote, with Annoesjka Stein - ment of animals.” man casting the lone dissenting Snyder, however, said the bill vote. The approval came a day he endorsed was not about wolves. after Gov. Rick Snyder signed “I didn’t sign a wolf bill,” Sny - Senate Bill 288 giving the NRC der told reporters when asked Leading Man power to determine game species about the matter. “I was signing a This monument on Sunday Lake at Wakefield in Michigan’s western Upper Peninsula is named Nee-Gaw- and hunting seasons in the state— bill that dealt with sound scientific Nee-Gaw-Bow, or “Leading Man.” It was carved from a single piece of pine from the Ottawa National For - a duty previously reserved for the management principles for game est by Peter Wolf Toth. It is one in a series of wooden sculptures placed across the United States on what Legislature (see related story on and fish.” is known as the “Trail of the Whispering Giants” in honor of Native Americans. Seventy-four similar Page 1) . Fritz said the bill was fast- sculptures created by the artist can be found in each of the United States and in several Canadian provinces The inaugural hunt will begin in tracked through the legislative and territories. November in three zones of the process and called the governor’s Upper Peninsula—a portion of actions “shameful.” She said the Governor pushes support for forest products industry Gogebic County, including the group will not give up the fight. Gov. Rick Snyder recently held a summit meeting billion annually and directly employs 26,000 Michi - aimed at adding value to the forest products industry. gan residents. The industry, he said, has an opportu - Spring rains damage Michigan trails About 150 representatives from industry, govern - nity to lead in this area, while continuing to Recent spring weather that brought heavy rain, wind, ice and snow ment, the financial sector and academia gathered for sustainably manage the state’s world-class natural re - throughout Michigan’s Lower Peninsula caused significant damage to the late April event. sources. several pathways, snowmobile/ORV trails and forest roads. Although most observers agree that economic de - “Reinventing the industry will pay dividends to Parts of some trails have been closed due to excessive amounts of velopment activities are important, many conserva - all of Michigan in the future,” said J.R. Richardson, standing water and flood conditions, as well as downed trees. tionists say that there may be a greater need for a chair of the Michigan Natural Resources Commission The Michigan Department of Natural Resources has been evaluating summit on biodiversity, or protecting forests from the and the Timber Advisory Council. the damage and repairs have already begun. Trail conditions are ex - impacts of “fracking” and strip mining—issues they “This event is just the start of an opportunity to pected to improve moving into the summer season, but users are urged say seem to have been edged out of forest manage - highlight Michigan’s forest products economy in a to be patient with cleanup efforts and exercise caution. ment plans in favor of business and industry. brand new way,” said Bill O’Neill, chief of DNR’s If you have questions about specific areas, or know some trails that Snyder encouraged summit participants to take a Forest Resources Division. “This is about more than need immediate attention, contact Amanda Matelski at the DNR’s strategic and innovative approach to “reinvention” of just making a profit. Environmental stewardship is Roscommon Operations Service Center at (989) 275-5151, ext. 2044. the timber industry, which reportedly generates $14 just as important as economic development.” —Michigan DNR Sound off on The North Woods Call ! 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