Registration is now open for the Michigan Iron Industry Museum’s popular Iron Ore Heritage Trail bike tours. Offered July 13, 20, and 27, the tours take cyclists on an approximately five-hour, 16-mile journey to explore historic sites and discover stories of the Marquette Iron Range.

Tours begin and end in Negaunee at the Michigan Iron Industry Museum, site of the Carp River Forge, where iron mined on the Marquette Range was first forged in the 1840s. Led by museum historian Troy Henderson, the tour pedals to the Jackson Mine, and then continues into Ishpeming, making several stops along the way, including Old Towne Negaunee and the site of the Pioneer Furnace.

Details and registration information are available on the Michigan Iron Industry Museum webpage at michigan.gov/ironindustrymuseum.

One of the key advantages mast orchards have over food plots is that once established, they require far less effort.  Maximizing the growth potential of your trees does require occasional regular maintenance, particularly in the early stages of growth. That maintenance includes reducing competition.

Grass and weeds are the biggest competitors of young trees, stealing water and soil nutrients away from your new plantings. That’s why you should establish and maintain a 2 – 3 foot circle clear of weeds around the base of each tree. You can begin simply by physically removing grass and weeds down to the bare soil. Next, add mulch or mats within the weedless circle. This moderates soil temperature extremes, improves soil moisture retention and retards subsequent weed growth.

Herbicides are even more effective but require extra care as they can be absorbed by the trees you’re trying to protect directly through the bark. If you use herbicides like Round-Up, Chestnut Hill Outdoors recommends you apply them only when there is no wind, that you use a colored dye mixed in the herbicide so you can see it being applied and that you us a shield or hood on the sprayer wand to better control where it is being applied.

Another option is to use grow tubes. In addition to preventing herbicide contact, the tubes trap and hold even more moisture, raising relative humidity and ambient temperature inside the tube They also protect trees from animals like small mammals that may chew the bark, or deer that may rub the bark with their antlers. Tubes also protect trees from insect pests and wind desiccation.

If site conditions allow, you can also reduce weed competition outside the 2-3 foot circle by herbicide spraying, mowing and if properly done, controlled burning. Read more

It’s June. Newborn fawns are putting tremendous nutritional stress on nursing mothers. Meanwhile, antler growth rates have kicked into overdrive and rapidly growing wild turkey poults, not to mention the dozens of other bird species, are scouring the landscape searching for food.

One of the best ways to attract and hold more wildlife on your land, including deer, turkeys and a host of other wildlife species, is by providing the proper amount and type of natural food to meet their year-round nutritional needs. Food plots are one way, but you can widen the window of attractiveness significantly by establishing mast orchards.

Planting a perennial summer fruit plot of mulberries from Chestnut Hill Outdoors is a great way to fill potential nutritional gaps that are occurring right now. Mulberries are the very first soft mast shrub to fruit in spring, providing ripe fruit as early as April and May in the deep south and early June further north. Read more

The canine creature shot in Montana a month ago that captured the curiosity of the nation is actually a gray wolf.

DNA from the animal, which was shot legally by a rancher near Denton on May 16, was tested at the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service forensic laboratory in Ashland, Ore. The lab compared the animal’s DNA with thousands of other DNA samples from wolves, coyotes and dogs. The conclusion was clear – this animal is a gray wolf from the northern Rocky Mountains.

Confusion about the animal might be due to the condition of the animal and the photos, which seemed to show short legs and big ears. Inspection of the animal at the Montana Fish, Wildlife and Parks wildlife health lab in Bozeman revealed a relatively normal looking, dark brown wolf.

Physical variations aren’t unusual for animals, said Mary Curtis, geneticist for the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service.

“Within species there can be variability that’s not surprising at all,” Curtis said. Read more

Interested in property in northern Michigan’s beautiful Presque Isle County? Don’t miss the DNR’s upcoming land sale, starting July 10, where parcels ranging in size from an acre to 32 acres will be available by sealed-bid auction. There are 41 land parcels available, all in Rogers Township.

Scott Goeman, manager of DNR Real Estate Services, said these properties are being offered to the public because they’re better suited for private ownership.

“The properties being offered in the July auction are isolated from other DNR-managed land, are difficult to manage, or provide limited outdoor recreation benefits to the public,” Goeman said. “Plus, all of these parcels are forested or have lake frontage – or both – making them attractive to a lot of potential buyers who are interested in a little land ‘up north.’”

Property listings will be available for bid once the auction starts. At that time, instructions for submitting a bid and printable bid forms will be provided at

type=click&enid=ZWFzPTEmbWFpbGluZ2lkPTIwMTgwNjE4LjkxMzIxMTgxJm1lc3NhZ2VpZD1NREItUFJELUJVTC0yMDE4MDYxOC45MTMyMTE4MSZkYXRhYmFzZWlkPTEwMDEmc2VyaWFsPTE3MjgzMzA4JmVtYWlsaWQ9ZWRpdG9yQHRoZW91dGRvb3J3aXJlLmNvbSZ1c2VyaWQ9ZWRpdG9yQHRoZW91dGRvb3J3aXJlLmNvbSZmbD0mZXh0cmE9TXVsdGl2YXJpYXRlSWQ9JiYm&&&103&&&http://www.michigan.gov/landforsale” target=”_blank” rel=”noopener” data-saferedirecturl=”https://www.google.com/url?hl=en&q=http://links.govdelivery.com:80/track?type%3Dclick%26enid%3DZWFzPTEmbWFpbGluZ2lkPTIwMTgwNjE4LjkxMzIxMTgxJm1lc3NhZ2VpZD1NREItUFJELUJVTC0yMDE4MDYxOC45MTMyMTE4MSZkYXRhYmFzZWlkPTEwMDEmc2VyaWFsPTE3MjgzMzA4JmVtYWlsaWQ9ZWRpdG9yQHRoZW91dGRvb3J3aXJlLmNvbSZ1c2VyaWQ9ZWRpdG9yQHRoZW91dGRvb3J3aXJlLmNvbSZmbD0mZXh0cmE9TXVsdGl2YXJpYXRlSWQ9JiYm%26%26%26103%26%26%26http://www.michigan.gov/landforsale&source=gmail&ust=1529439590209000&usg=AFQjCNEVvV-4QbOxVPpES9ffGSZXmYSBRg”>michigan.gov/landforsale. Information on the auction, including minimum bid prices, property descriptions and conditions of sale, is available on the website, too. Properties unsold from previous auctions also can be explored at this webpage.

Sealed bids must be postmarked by midnight July 20, and will be opened Aug. 1. Proceeds from the sale of these lands helps the DNR provide future outdoor recreation opportunities throughout the state.

Printed property information may be requested from the DNR Real Estate Services Section, P.O. Box 30448, Lansing, MI 48909-7948. For more information about the auction or other state-managed public land, contact Michael Michalek at 517-284-5950.