April 2023

The Alger County Commission passed two controversial resolutions regarding Second Amendment rights on Monday, April 10, after they were tabled during the March meetings. Resolution 2023-7 “Instruct our Representatives to Oppose All Firearms Control Legislation” passed 4-1 with Esley Mattson (D-District 3) opposing.

Pictured Rocks National Lakeshore (PRNL) and surrounding communities welcomed 925,685 visitors to the park in 2022. This was a decrease from 2021, but showed an upward trend from pre-pandemic numbers of 7.23 percent.

The USDA Forest Service plans to conduct prescribed burns on the Hiawatha and Ottawa National Forests, covering a total of 8,938 acres. The prescribed burns will be carried out on 5 projects, covering 5,373 acres in the East Zone of Hiawatha, 22 projects, covering 3,328 acres in the West Zone of Hiawatha, and 18 projects, covering 237 acres in Ottawa. The burns will be conducted between late April and early fall, subject to weather conditions.

The Do Not Cut or Wound Oak Trees period runs from April 15th through July 15th. This is to prevent the spread of oak wilt (OW) disease. This is the most critical timeline when the Nitudulid beetle (aka picnic beetle, a native beetle) is most active, which is the primary way OW disease is spread in Michigan. The picnic beetle is drawn to the scent of an open wound on oaks for purposes of feeding on the sap. If the beetle has already come into contact with the OW fungus, the spores are introduced and a new infection site develops.

Michigan DNR conservation officers were called to help a woman, four children, and a dog who were stuck in deep snow on a seasonal county road in Northern Luce County late on Saturday, April 8. Stephanie Rene Knapp, 37, and the children were reportedly travelling north to view the northern lights when their minivan ran out of gas along Luce County Road 407.