THE GAME: Ages 13 and up, Three or more players. MichiGame is a family-friendly way to hang out and enjoy a game night from your home. Test your knowledge of Michigan’s wildlife, history, trees and more! Work individually, or with a team, to compete and claim the title of “The Ultimate Michigander.” Materials needed • A computer or smartphone with access to a videoconferencing app. Your camera and audio will need to be enabled. • A printed map of Michigan, a hand-drawn Michigan map OR your actual hand will do! • A marker and loose paper to write answers. • NO internet searches or outside sources allowed! Setup How to win 1. All players will utilize a videoconferencing app The MichiGame Master will present such as Skype, Zoom or Google Hangouts. questions to the players. The questions can 2. Make sure your video and audio are enabled be given as multiple-choice or open-ended so that all players can see and hear each (depending on the skill level of the group). other. 3. Choose a game leader. They will be asking If you answer questions correctly, you will questions and keeping score. They will be earn points. The MichiGame Master will known as the ‘MichiGame Master.” keep track of the score. The team/player 4. Decide if your group will be playing with the highest score wins. individually or in teams. Declare your team name! Game format Feel free to tweak to fit the pace, length of game and competitive nature of your participants. Each game consists of four “quarters” - Select which four categories you will play out of five possible categories (each category includes five questions). After the question is read, each team has 30-60 seconds to come up with its answer (the game master gets to determine time allowed for each question). Each team writes its answer on a sheet of paper before the time is up. Each correct answer is worth 1 point, and there are no penalties for wrong answers. Halftime round: tree identification - At the halfway point (between the second and third rounds), this “just-for- fun” round features photos of four different native Michigan trees (see page 6). Ask the group to identify them. There are no penalties for wrong answers in this round. Final: Lighthouse lightning round - After the fourth quarter, there is one final round to determine the ultimate winner. The final round is a lighthouse identification round (see page 7). During this round, players can wager up to their total amount of points when they submit their answer. The wager should be written on the piece of paper with your answer. If your answer is correct, you will be awarded the amount of points you wagered. If your answer is wrong, the amount of points you wagered will be deducted. page 1 Choose four categories: Category 1: THE WILDS OF MICHIGAN Q: Michigan is home to this winged raptor that features ear-like tufts and also happens to be one of the few species that eats striped skunks. Whoooooo am I? A: The great horned owl. View a photo of a great horned owl. Q: True or False. A deer can bed down on a cold winter night without melting snow. A: True. Deer grow hollow hairs that act as insulation to keep them warm in the winter months. Q: You are a wildlife illustrator. Draw a picture of the animal found in nearly every county in Michigan that has been named the most vocal mammal in North America. Label your illustration with the animal you have drawn. A: Hopefully something that resembles a coyote. Q: There is only one kind of opossum in the United States; the ____ opossum. Hint: It’s first name is that of a U.S. state. A: Virginia. It’s the only marsupial north of Mexico. Do you know about marsupials? They are mammals born incompletely developed and typically carried and suckled in a pouch on the mother's belly. Q: Which native Michigan turtle species prefers to live in dry, sandy deciduous forests? a. Eastern box turtle b. Blanding’s turtle c. Snapping turtle d. Wood turtle A: Eastern box turtle. All other turtles prefer to live in or near bodies of water. Did you know that three of Michigan’s native turtles are listed as species of special concern and one species is listed as threatened? Learn more about the Eastern box turtle. Q: Put the following in order of maximum average weight (smallest to largest): Moose Black bear White-tailed deer Elk Sturgeon A: Sturgeon (200 pounds), white-tailed deer (up to 300 pounds), black bear (up to 500 pounds), elk (up to 1,000 pounds) and moose (up to 1,300 pounds). Category 2: FISH OF MICHIGAN Q: What has had the greatest negative impact on Great Lake waters in the past 100 years? a. Birds b. Invasive species c. Air pollution d. Pollinators A: Invasive species. From ballast water to zebra mussels, invasive species have changed Great Lakes aquatic populations and predator-prey relationships, thus completely changing this ecosystem. For more interesting info, visit Michigan.gov/Invasives. page 2 Q: Which native fish species is significant to the indigenous people of Michigan? a. Lake trout b. Whitefish c. Walleye d. All of the above A: All of the above. Q: What native fish species disappeared from Michigan waters in the early 1900s after decades of overfishing and habitat loss from excessive timber harvest? a. Arctic grayling b. Grouper c. Atlantic salmon d. Rainbow darter A: Arctic grayling. Researchers from multiple agencies and universities are working with more than 50 partners to bring this iconic fish species back to Michigan. Learn about efforts taken to bring back grayling. Q: Michigan state fish hatcheries rear and stock fish to increase fishing opportunities. What species has the DNR been raising for the most years in total in fish hatcheries? a. Whitefish b. Chinook salmon c. Walleye d. Brook trout A: Brook trout. Whitefish was the first species reared by the DNR, but brook trout have been raised the longest and are still reared today. The DNR stocks more than 21 million fish each year into Michigan waters. Learn how to identify a brook trout. Q: Which of the following fish species are not native to Michigan? a. Coho salmon b. Rainbow trout c. Brown trout d. All of the above A: All of the above. Coho and Chinook salmon were introduced into Michigan in the late 1960s, rainbow trout were introduced in 1876 and steelhead returning to our rivers from the Great Lakes came some years later. Brown trout were introduced in 1883. Learn about all the different fish in our Great Lakes. Q: How many inland lakes are there in Michigan? a. 7,000-plus b. 9,000-plus c. 11,000-plus d. 13,000-plus A: Michigan has more than 11,000 lakes, 3,288 miles of Great Lakes coastline (including islands) and tens of thousands of rivers and streams. page 3 Category 3: THE FORESTS OF MICHIGAN Q: Which of the following species of trees live the longest? a. Aspen b. White birch c. Jack pine d. White cedar A: White cedar. Michigan’s white cedar trees can live hundreds of years – some on South Manitou Island are estimated to be 500 years old! Q: Trees need water, nutrients, air and sunlight to survive. They get their water from the soil, where their roots suck up the water. How much water, in pounds, can a large tree "drink" in a day? A: As much as one ton of water every day! (That's 2,000 pounds!) Q: How many gallons of sugar maple sap must be boiled down to make one gallon of maple syrup? a. 5-10 gallons b. 11-20 gallons c. 21-30 gallons d. 31-40 gallons A: Between 31-40 gallons! All trees produce sap; however, the sugar maple produces the sweetest -tasting sap and is used in syrup production. The sap is boiled for many hours to remove the excess water and to turn the liquid into syrup. Q: Bill and Betty were sweethearts in high school. They used to climb a sugar maple and sit on the lowest branch, that was at eye level, and talk for hours. Betty has since married someone else and is going back for her 25th high school reunion. She is planning to find the tree where she spent so many hours. If the tree grew one foot per year, how far up does Betty have to look in the tree to find the branch? A: It would still be at eye level. The height of a tree increases upward from new buds. The circumference increases, but the lowest limb of the tree would stay at the same height. Q: “Ball hooting” is a term used for: a. Pulling trees up by their root ball b. Rolling logs down a hill c. Foresters watching for forest fires d. Blasting stumps A: Rolling logs down a hill. This is an old logging term. Should you ever find yourself in a position to ball hoot, remember that a warning cry should always be given when the log starts to move (in accordance with the American Logging and Sawmill Safety Code of 1923). Category 4: PARKS OF MICHIGAN Q: What is the name of the state park in which Kitch-iti-Kipi is found? A: Palms Book State Park. Flowing year-round at a consistent 45 degrees, this natural spring gushes more than 10,000 gallons of water per minute through fissures in underlying limestone.