Outdoors

Win shows success in a small town

The pieces were already in place last year for this magical run. Through injury and difficulty we were off to regionals in the storied Negaunee Lakeview Arena against a familiar foe, the North Central Jets. NC controlled the game throughout sending our boys home knowing what could have been. The feeling of familiarity losing in that fashion, to that team, led me to believe that the bar just may be too high for our little town. Counties close to major population areas would always be able to pull more talent together, and we would always just be the loveable underdog.
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Take steps after your forest management plan

Editor’s Note: This continues an ongoing series published through the Alger Conservation District. The first story is available in the Dec. 9, 2022 edition Happy New Year! If you’re following along from last month, we discussed the importance of Forest Management Plans (FMP’s). FMP’s are an inventory and analysis of what your forest looks like and what species are present. FMP’s can also help identify trees that may be infected by insect or disease and opportunities to improve wildlife habitat and also recommendations to work towards a healthier forest. An FMP is a guidance tool for landowners to follow to assist them in meeting their goals for their properties.
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Snowmobile accident in Shingleton

On January 13 at approximately 9:30 a.m., a 911 call was received at the Alger County Sheriff’s Office reporting a snowmobile accident on Trail #8 near Shingleton. The investigation concluded that Wendy Batterbee, a 44-year-old female from downstate Birch Run, was traveling east on Trail #8 and failed to negotiate a curve in the trail.
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Bundle up for bird counts across the state

While the weather outside may, as the song goes, be frightful, winter is one of the most exciting times to go birding across Michigan and the Great Lakes region. Many new visitors from the north arrive in the colder months, including snow buntings, horned larks and dark-eyed juncos. Snowy owls, great gray owls, northern hawk owls and boreal owls also make their way into the Upper Peninsula and northern Lower Peninsula. Winter is the perfect season for waterfowl birding, too, as hundreds of thousands of ducks, geese and swans descend on the Great Lakes.
Read MoreBundle up for bird counts across the state

Birding shore to shore

A recent cooperative venture has resulted in an exciting new opportunity for birdwatchers in the eastern Upper Peninsula. With the help of several partners, the Michigan Department of Natural Resources has developed the Shore-to-Shore Birding Trail, which is a driving/walking/birding experience that covers more than 400 miles and 40 birding points of interest throughout parts of Chippewa, Schoolcraft, Luce and Mackinac counties.
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