Contact: Cpl. John Morey, 989-619-3784

Last call for June 7 ORV safety instructor academy; application deadline May 31

Calling all those who love to ride the trails and know how to do it safely – you could be the right fit for the Department of Natural Resources off-road vehicle safety education program. The DNR is recruiting instructors for this volunteer opportunity that lets ORV enthusiasts share their love and knowledge of the sport with new riders, while emphasizing safe, responsible ORV operation for a great experience.

All volunteer ORV instructors must attend a three-day training academy:

• • Dates: Friday, June 7 through Sunday, June 9 (attendees must attend all three days)
  • Location: Upper Peninsula State Fairgrounds, 2401 12th Ave. North, Escanaba
  • Cost: Academy, lodging and meals will be provided if candidates use the DNR-provided accommodations.

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DNR-administered program helps improve fish habitat, public safety and recreation opportunities

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Speed and reckless driving are the primary contributing factors for off-road vehicle accidents, with 24 percent of all ORV accidents reported in 2017 resulting from people driving too fast, and 16 percent of riders not wearing a helmet.

Michigan DNR conservation officers are seeing more ORVs hitting the trail earlier in the season. They’re also seeing more accidents, which easily could be avoided by keeping safety in mind.

Most ORV accidents can be avoided by riding at a safe speed, riding sober, riding on the right side of the trail, easing up around corners, being familiar with the terrain and riding within the ORV’s limits. Read more

Yesterday, in a series of tweets, President Trump threatened to increase tariffs on $200 billion worth of imports from China by Friday.

If the administration moves ahead with this action, it would mean that the 10 percent tariff that was imposed on certain outdoor products sourced from China, such as backpacks, sports bags, leather ski gloves, camp stoves, camp chairs, bikes and bicycle parts, would rise to 25 percent.

President Trump also called for a 25 percent tariff on a new list of imports from China that would total $325 billion and almost certainly cover outdoor apparel and footwear. Read more

On Sunday, U.S. Senator Chuck Grassley (R-IA) – chairman of the powerful Senate Finance Committee, which has jurisdiction over trade-related matters – penned an opinion piece in The Wall Street Journal, stating that Section 232 aluminum and steel tariffs targeting Canada and Mexico – and both countries’ subsequent retaliatory measures – must be removed before Congress will ratify the U.S.-Mexico-Canada Agreement (USMCA). NMMA applauded Senator Grassley’s call to end aluminum, steel, and retaliatory tariffs – actions that have increased raw material costs for marine manufacturers and stifled the industry’s exports.

According to Senator Grassley’s op-ed, “A significant roadblock [to approving USMCA] is the administration’s tariffs on steel and aluminum and retaliatory Canadian and Mexican tariffs on U.S. products…If these tariffs aren’t lifted, USMCA is dead. There is no appetite in Congress to debate USMCA with these tariffs in place.” Read more

DNR conservation officers play vital role in capture of child abduction suspects in Chippewa County

Michigan Department of Natural Resources conservation officers located a 5-year-old boy who was abducted Wednesday night, helping to arrest the suspected kidnappers as they tried to flee with the youth across the ice of Whitefish Bay to Canada.

The incident began about 7:15 p.m. Wednesday, when the Chippewa County Sheriff’s Office received a report of a domestic dispute at a residence that involved a stabbing.

Investigators went to the home and began to piece together the details of what had happened.

George Stephen Cunningham, 53 – who is the boy’s biological father and a registered sex offender on a tether – and 68-year-old Jon Scott Stygler had gone to the house armed with knives, chemical spray and blunt objects.

The residence is located on Whitefish Road in Paradise, in the northeast corner of the Upper Peninsula. The boy was reported to be at the home with his aunt, a man and three other children.

Police said Cunningham and Stygler bound and gagged a woman outside the home, and then placed her in a parked vehicle. The two men then went inside, spraying the occupants with chemical spray, taping their mouths shut with duct tape and binding them using zip ties. Read more

Blizzard conditions that ripped through parts of the Upper Peninsula Sunday have created numerous hazards for snowmobilers across parts of five counties.

The storm crippled travel for motorists, with nearly 20 inches of snow dumped over some parts of Marquette County and higher amounts registered farther north in the Keweenaw Peninsula.

Winds that surpassed 60 mph were clocked along the Lake Superior shoreline. Highway travel along M-28 between Marquette and Munising was shut down, while heavy loads of snow collapsed some rooftops.

“The Sunday blizzard has adversely impacted snowmobile trails throughout the north central and western U.P.,” said Rob Katona, Michigan Department of Natural Resources central U.P. trails specialist. “Heavy snowfall, combined with strong gusty winds, have created snow drifts 8 feet deep and higher, with numerous trees downed throughout the trail system.”

Areas hardest hit include the snowmobile trails located in Marquette, Baraga, Ontonagon, Houghton and Keweenaw counties. Read more

COLUMBUS, Georgia– With the Wallenstein Bush Pilot FX85 Skidding Winch in Realtree EDGE Camo, the logging doesn’t have to stop where the trail ends. The skidding winch goes where your tractor can’t, reaching lumber that used to be off the map.

Built on the strong reputation of Wallenstein skidding winches, the FX85 boasts a 8,500-pound pulling capacity and a 165-foot reach.

Pull multiple logs at one time using keyhole sliders. The self-release snatch block pulley system will help you turn corners with ease. You can also operate the winch using a remote control. Additional features include a removable clutch assembly, operator’s shield, rope-controlled brake/clutch system, trailer hitch and two choker chains. Read more

By Glen Wunderlich
Restoration was completed on this Allis Chalmers model IB (“I” is for Industrial) in year 2017, just in time for the “Gathering of the Orange” event at the Mid Michigan Old Gas Tractor Association show.
This 1956 tractor appears to be the latest one assembled and sold based on all documented information available to date.

This winter in Mid-Michigan, the tractor has done a fine job keeping things open. And, as far as I’m concerned, it’s been fun work!