Outdoor commentary and legislative issues.
Goldfinch
Department of Natural Resources (DNR) officials have been notified that Consumers Energy will begin its construction project on the Foote Dam tailwater access on the AuSable River beginning Wednesday, May 1. This access site, in Iosco County, will be closed to public use for most of the 2013 construction season. Read more
MISSOULA, Mont.– The Rocky Mountain Elk Foundation filed a motion to intervene in a lawsuit by several animal rights groups seeking to return gray wolves in the Great Lakes region to the Endangered Species List. If granted, Judge Beryl A. Howell will consider RMEF positions in her U.S. District Court in Washington D.C. Read more
These Tree Swallows get cozy inside an ornamental cannon. Photo by Jacquie TinkerIthaca, N.Y.-Whether you find a robin’s nest on a statue or a hummingbird’s nest on wind chimes, your picture of a bird nest in a funky place can win big in the Cornell Lab of Ornithology’s Funky Nests in Funky Places contest. With nesting season underway, this contest challenges everyone to get outside and watch nature in even the most unexpected places. Read more
Didn’t have time to apply for a spring turkey license? Options are still available. The first is to purchase a Hunt 234 license, a statewide hunting license valid for all open areas, except public lands in Unit ZZ (southern Lower Peninsula). Hunters who did not apply for a license earlier this year can still purchase a Hunt 234 license until May 1. After May 1, Hunt 234 licenses will be available only to those who applied. Read more
Ithaca, N.Y.-Thousands watching a live streaming cam caught their first glimpse of a newly hatched Red-tailed Hawk chick around 6:00 a.m. on Earth Day, April 22. A second chick emerged soon after in the nest located on a light pole high above an athletic field on the Cornell University campus. Read more
Although early winter snow in Michigan’s Upper Peninsula was mild compared to the past few years, precipitation late in the season resulted in above-average snow depths that are continuing well into spring. These conditions are challenging deer in the region, and are expected to lead to lower survival and fawn recruitment rates than seen during the last few years. Read more
By Glen Wunderlich
When we think rodent, most of us may envision mice, rats, squirrels or 10-pound groundhogs. But, what if rodents grew to 50 pounds or more and lived right here in Shiawassee County? Well, lock your doors; they’re here!
Castor Canadensis is even known to kill humans, as evidenced this month when a fisherman in Belarus, Russia bled to death after being attacked and bitten by one, which severed an artery in his leg. If you’ve yet to picture the beast, it also goes by the moniker of North American beaver.
Weeks ago I discovered a poplar limb cleanly stripped of its bark lying alongside the Osborn Drain near home. Closer inspection revealed it had been chewed off by a beaver. I walked the edge of the waterway looking for more clues such as a dam or lodge but none was found, so I blew it off.
Weeks later, when a number of poplars were found chewed off at the water’s edge, my concern grew.
Poplar cut by beaver
We’ve got enough flooding already with all the spring rain and a beaver dam would be less than welcome. Oh, I know how useful the busy buggers are to the ecosystem by maintaining wetlands, but aren’t humans already required to do so by law?
A few years ago, the DNR had to remove them from the same drainage, because some homeowners’ needed a boat to get to their front door. Read more
A Montana college student, not paying attention in bear country, was mauled by a grizzly. Turns out he was too close to a sow with cubs and landed in the hospital, as a result. Details here…
An unsuspecting fisherman in Russia bled to death after getting too close to scrappy beaver. Details here…
When walking around in the woods in the spring or fall, you might come across a wicked big puddle, and if you look closely you’ll see that it is teaming with life! Look for egg masses of frogs (like the ones seen in the photo on the left) and salamanders, tadpoles swimming around or salamander larvae hiding under leaves. If you just bend down and look close, you will be amazed at what you see. Read more