News

A recent spotting of the world’s oldest loon has calmed concerns over the health and safety of the bird after he split from his longtime mate and lost his preferred nesting location. According to Damon McCormick of Common Coast Research & Conservation: ABJ, who turns 36 this month, was last seen over a month ago, idling alone on H Pool after breaking the tip of his upper mandible. But on Sunday a visitor to the Refuge, Louis Good of Northern Michigan University, spotted him along the Marshland Wildlife Drive, superficially looking none the worse for wear, and suggesting that in his foraging strategies he has adapted to life with a damaged bill. Surprisingly, he was observed with a second loon, and in a location - the western end of E Pool that this spring was the established territory of another color-marked Seney male, a 16-year-old known as Blue Nevada. It is possible that, against expectation, ABJ has designs on more than just solitary feeding this season; we hope to know more soon.

.

Alger County Indigent Defense attorney Jana Mathieu has issued her resignation from the role, effective June 30. “It has been an honor to serve as public defender and work with the County to build the office over the last few years.

In a unique artist event for Munising, the Starling Shakespeare Company performed the play “As You Like It” on Wednesday, June 14 at Bayshore Park Pavilion. “I think it went really well.

.

Michigan Beef Industry Commission (MBIC) Executive Director George Quackenbush has seen a lot of change in the landscape during his 18 years representing Michigan cattle producers. From farming techniques to technological changes in how the public gets information to rising pressure from anti-beef groups around the state and nation, very little of the landscape looks familiar since the day he went to work for Michigan’s beef producers back in 2005.

It’s finally here, the long awaited spring in the U.P. has arrived, it may be the end of May but who’s counting? This month, I am going to change up the newsletter to something a little more personal rather than focus on a certain topic. For me, spring means getting out on my property and observing the changes from last season. I always look forward to seeing what plants are filling in the forest floor, which trees and shrubs survived our 219 inches of snowfall (for this year anyway), and any signs of wildlife. The robins and blue jays are back, I saw a yellow bellied sapsucker last week, the chipmunks are busy scurrying around and I heard a wood thrush in the woods last night as the sun was setting.