Michigan’s latest 10-year State Forest Management Plan was almost complete when a massive ice storm happened in March 2025, snapping trees and downing limbs across the northern Lower Peninsula.

The resulting devastation sent foresters back to the woods to reevaluate the plan and account for damaged timber, new tree-planting needs and other issues.

After in-person assessments of the damage and computer modeling, amendments are now complete and the Michigan Department of Natural Resources is accepting public comment on plan changes made in response to the ice storm.

“This was a once-in-a-century storm, and it has had a significant impact on the northern Lower Peninsula,” said Dan Heckman, DNR forest planning and modeling specialist. “It also had a significant impact on parts of our plan.”

The State Forest Management Plan outlines how Michigan’s publicly owned state forests will be managed for the next 10 years. It emphasizes the importance of forestry practices to achieve abundant habitat for wildlife, provide quality forest products and cope with a changing climate, all to ensure long-term sustainability of our natural resources in a delicate balancing act.

The plan first went out for public review in late 2024, and in response the DNR received a variety of comments from Tribal governments, organizations and residents. The current version includes revisions based on those comments in addition to those made in response to ice storm impacts.

The current plan review period runs Sept. 14 through Oct. 12. Use this survey to submit feedback on the updated State Forest Management Plan. Comments are welcome on any part of the plan, but further changes will only be made to ice storm-related content.

Comment on updated plan ?

This management plan continues the 120-plus-year story of Michigan’s state forest, established in 1903 by the Michigan Forestry Commission. Since much of the state was deforested in the late 1800s and early 1900s, it was crucial to create a long-term plan to meet forest products needs while maintaining healthy forests and providing habitat for wildlife.

Safari Club International (SCI) is putting patriotism into action at its 2027 Convention with the launch of the Patriot Package, an exclusive experience created to honor the men and women who have served, sacrificed and continue to defend our nation. The package recognizes their service while helping bring more active-duty military members and veterans to the Convention.

More than a Convention experience, the Patriot Package gives SCI supporters a meaningful way to show their appreciation for America’s military while enjoying four days of the world’s premier gathering for hunters, conservationists and outdoor enthusiasts.

For every Patriot Package purchased, two active-duty military members and/or veterans will receive complimentary access to the SCI Convention, giving them the opportunity to experience the event alongside the community that shares a deep appreciation for freedom, service and the outdoors.

SCI has a long history of supporting America’s military and veterans. The Patriot Package gives SCI members a way to recognize that service while providing military members and veterans with an opportunity to attend the SCI Convention and be part of the community.

The exclusive Patriot Package includes the following: Read more

Barry G. Smith, of Germantown, Tennessee, recently visited Arkansas’ Crater of Diamonds State Park, where he discovered a stunning canary yellow diamond in the park’s ancient volcanic soil.

Smith arrived at the park on Sunday, August 16, with his wife and two granddaughters, Sage and Juniper. Planning a fun week of exploring Arkansas and Missouri, the Smiths chose Crater of Diamonds State Park as one of the exciting destinations to take the girls.

Not expecting anything more than a fun time, the family rented a wagon and basic kit from the park and began their diamond search. About 30 minutes later, Smith spotted something glimmering in the East Drain of the park’s 37.5-acre diamond search area. At first, he thought it was mica, a small, glittery mineral common in the search area. However, a closer look revealed something much larger. Read more

By Joe Reynolds, Patriotic American

Good morning American people. Here’s wishing you a happy and long, healthy life in this land of America we call home. Looking at our daily lives and focusing on our happiness, the miseries, the joys, and the hardships we encounter on a daily basis, and the brutality of crime, homelessness, addiction, and the dishonor and hatred that so many Americans have accepted as “progress” for a new American direction, should we elect socialist and communist extremists as leaders of our country’s future?

For a moment, let’s examine what communism has provided for the world within the last hundred years. Hitler and his Nazi henchmen promised world domination; Chairman Mao promised to “take care” of his people by spreading lies through propaganda in printed publications, public speaking, and news media. Don’t be confused and fooled by this illusion. Magicians create illusion through misdirection, because what the eyes see and the ears hear the mind believes.

An estimated up 55 million Chinese people and nearly 2 million Jewish people were exterminated under communist governments.

“Estimates for the number of people killed, murdered or who died prematurely under communist regimes worldwide range from roughly 65 million to over 100 million people over the 20th century according to Wikipedia.  The Cato Institute explains that scholars debate the exact totals because counts depend on whether deaths from man-made famines and forced labor are classified alongside direct executions.

If you think this history lesson is the direction you see as the future for your children and grandchildren, good luck! For all other patriotic Americans that see through this mirage of lies from the likes of Obama, Soros, Schumer, ABC, CBS, NBC, CNN (communist news network), and others, you know what needs to be done now before it’s too late to save America from the communist predators infiltrating our government. A similar event was needed to end corruption, which led to insurrection 250 years ago.

“If we ever forget that we’re one nation under God, then we will be a nation gone under”  – Ronald Reagan

OLATHE, Kan. – Garmin (NYSE: GRMN) today introduced f?nix® 9 and f?nix 9 Pro, multisport GPS smartwatches built to help athletes and adventurers reach their peak. Now with a titanium watch case, f?nix 9 Pro blends an elevated look, rugged build and lightweight feel. Both models add meaningful upgrades, including Garmin Epic, a new way to group multiple activities into one shareable story in Garmin Connect™, plus enhanced stamina metrics that help athletes better adjust their training. f?nix 9 Pro models include built-in satellite¹ and LTE connectivity¹ which enables voice, text, and SOS communication directly from the wrist. Read more

By Joe Reynolds

“If we ever forget that we’re one nation under God, then we will be a nation gone under” – Ronald Reagan

The “Democratic Socialists of America” is a true oxymoron if ever there was one. Communist predators have corrupted and perverted our Pledge of Allegiance, our National Anthem, our Constitution, our Bill of Rights, and its false promises have spread through our schools and even our places of worship.  Our children and citizens of the United States are being led to believe this outrage is commonplace and acceptable for the future of America.

A war must begin now to stop this insurrection and corruption before this perversion grows beyond any means to eradicate it from our beloved country – even if it causes temporary pain. We must not let the thousands of patriotic Americans, who have fought and lost their lives to prevent communist tyranny and corruption, to take advantage of our liberties and freedoms set forth by patriots who still believe we live in the greatest country on the planet earth.

“If we ever forget that we’re one nation under God, then we will be a nation gone under”  – Ronald Reagan

Photo courtesy of Michigan DNR

Did you know that the Tawas Point Lighthouse you see today in Iosco County isn’t the original? Built in 1853, the first lighthouse quickly became ineffective when a natural process called accretion — the gradual increase in land area through the accumulation of sediment, soil or other material — extended the point so far out that by the 1870s the structure was more than a mile inland!

To keep up with increased shipping traffic in Tawas Bay, the United States Lighthouse Board broke ground on a new lighthouse in the spring of 1876. Construction was completed that November, and the new lighthouse shined its first light from its new location on the peninsula the following spring.

Now, 150 years later, you’re invited to join the Michigan History Center, the DNR and Friends of Tawas Point Lighthouse and State Park for a two-day anniversary kickoff celebration, Aug. 7-8. The fun starts noon-5 p.m. Friday, Aug. 7 — National Lighthouse Day — with yard games, lighthouse crafts, story time with Iosco-Arenac District Library staff and visits with partner organizations. Enjoy snacks and pick up some lighthouse merchandise provided by the friends group. Plus, admission is waived for the day, so you can check out this iconic lighthouse at no cost.

The celebration continues Saturday, Aug. 8, with a free Lee Murdock concert, 7-9 p.m. Bring your picnic blankets, snacks and chairs to listen to the acclaimed Great Lakes musician and enjoy an unforgettable evening of music and storytelling. Drawing inspiration from a boundless collection of Great Lakes history, songs and legends, Murdock brings the Great Lakes’ rich heritage to life through music. Please note: Admission to the lighthouse on Saturday is $5 for adults 18 and up, $2 for youth ages 6-17, and free for those age 5 and under. Read more

Snakestaff Systems today announced the release of the Universal Snakeskin, a do-it-all tourniquet carrier designed to provide a versatile mounting solution across a broad range of professional, recreational, industrial, and everyday applications.

Developed for compatibility with both the Snakestaff ETQ™ and ETQ Wide™, the Universal Snakeskin addresses a longstanding challenge: securely mounting a tourniquet where immediate access makes the most sense. While traditional mounting solutions have largely been limited to tactical equipment or purpose-built platforms, many everyday environments—including vehicles, bicycles, motorcycles, heavy equipment, work gear, and recreational equipment—have lacked a practical, secure means of carrying hemorrhage control equipment. The Universal Snakeskin bridges that gap by providing a single carrier that performs equally well on conventional load-bearing equipment and in the diverse environments where rapid access to a tourniquet can be equally important.

The carrier incorporates multiple integrated attachment methods into a compact platform, allowing it to be mounted to backpacks, bicycles, motorcycles, vehicle interiors, heavy equipment, rifle stocks, plate carriers, battle belts, climbing harnesses, and numerous other applications. Read more

July 15, 2026
Contact: John Pepin, 906-226-1352

 GW:  Should never have been an issue.  Cutting off the Upper Peninsula would have had drastic consequences.

DNR permit requires Enbridge to mitigate impacts to plant and animal habitats

Today, the Michigan Department of Natural Resources issued a permit for the Great Lakes Tunnel project, intended to house a proposed replacement for the existing 73-year-old Line 5 dual pipelines currently located on the lakebed in the Straits of Mackinac.

The DNR issued a permit needed for the tunnel project under Part 365 of the Natural Resources and Environmental Protection Act. The permit requires several measures by Enbridge to reduce impacts on rare plants and animals.

The DNR evaluated the project’s effect on rare plants and animals and determined the tunnel project would adversely impact Houghton’s goldenrod and dwarf lake iris growing in the area, as well as several bat habitats. The plants impacted by this project are federally and state listed as threatened.

The DNR then engaged in two Tribal consultations and considered the Tribes’ research, expertise and concerns about the project.

The U.S. Fish & Wildlife Service considered the project impacts, because the species are federally protected, and concluded that the tunnel project would not jeopardize the continued existence of these species. After carefully weighing all the available data, the DNR agreed and concluded that the impacts at this site are unlikely to prevent the overall recovery of either plant species.

To lessen impacts on state listed plants and animals, the DNR developed a set of permit requirements. Specifically, the applicant must follow these requirements:
Read more