Highland Conservancy

Greenbelts: An Unusual Solution for Protecting our Lakes by Katheryn Krupa

This is the lake where I live, Dunham Lake, which is amazingly pristine and beautiful! One reason it is still so natural and unblemished is due to the greenbelt that encircles a large portion of the lake, protecting it from development and encroachment. Though lakes in New Hampshire and Maine are routinely protected like this, it is highly unusual to find this in our state, let alone in Oakland County.  Several factors have gone into the preservation of our lake... one being the forethought of conservation minded land owners and consortiums, along with the diligent efforts of the lakes property owners and board.

If you are interested in a little history, the following is taken from the Dunham Lake website... "In the 1920's, the Wallace family bought up all available land around the lake in an effort to keep the area in its natural state. One day Wallace heard a talk by the noted Canadian bird enthusiast, Jack Miner, who had a bird sanctuary in Ontario along the migratory flyway. The sanctuary is still there today.) Wallace was so impressed by Miner that he decided to use his Dunham Lake property the same way.

Trees were planted caretakers hired and wild rice sown in the shallows of the lake to attract Canada Geese. The area became a State Wildlife Refuge and Federal Game Preserve. Wallace continued to increase his land holdings on both the Hartland and Highland sides of the lake and the refuge prospered.

Upon Wallace's death in 1949, the property was put up for sale. A consortium of five businessmen, headed by former governor of Michigan. Murray D. Van Wagoner (1940-42) purchased it in its entirety. However, the seller imposed certain restrictions on the deed. The area could be developed, yes. But the firing of guns, and hunting of any kind was prohibited. And the purchaser was required to submit a plan to preserve the beauty and purity of the lake.

It was Van Wagoner who came up with the idea of the greenbelt. The other members of Dunham Lake Development" Corporation were doubtful, but Van Wagoner prevailed The greenbelt was incorporated into the development plan. it was to become an area for recreation and beauty, but also a valuable guard against pollution. In 1984 the Dunham Lake Property Owner's Association dedicated its park to Murray Van Wagoner in recognition of his foresight.

Dr. Fusilier (a water quality investigator) reports...“The most important factor for maintaining the high water quality of Dunham Lake in the future is the attitude of the residents. If they maintain their current level of concern and vigilance, no change in the lake water quality should be visible in their life-times."

I would argue that it is equally important to protect all our lakes in Michigan. Unfortunately, it is too late to establish greenbelts around most of them, but there are other lessons to be learned from Dunham Lake.  First, when possible, purchase conservation easements to provide as much natural parkland as possible.  Second, be vigilant in fighting invasive plants, shrubs, trees and aquatic invaders by educating your neighbors and friends about cleaning their boats thoroughly between launching, and what to plant and what invasives to remove on land surrounding the lake.  Third, educate yourself on the types of earth friendly fertilizer to use around your lake. Finally, consider natural shorelines with buffers to prevent excessive runoff and erosion.  Let's do what we can to protect all the beautiful lakes of Michigan.

OAK WILT - DON'T PRUNE OAKS AFTER MARCH By Mark Muhich

The next forestry nightmare is lurking in Michigan’s woods right now. Oak wilt, a fungal disease transmitted by sap beetles, is lethal to all species of oaks. A 200 year-old oak tree can die in a matter of months from oak wilt. Oak wilt has been identified in about one-third of Michigan's counties. It is found in all Minnesota and Wisconsin counties where oak wilt has already killed tens of thousands of oaks. Once the fungus infects an oak tree, it can transfer to other adjacent oaks through root connections.

Oak wilt can be easily prevented by avoiding the cutting or pruning of oaks from April through July. Emergency pruning must be immediately sealed. Officials in Highland Township and in our cities, counties and our state Legislature should protect our magnificent oak trees and forests with proven oak wilt ordinances. Without a timely oak wilt ordinance, our oak forests can go the way of the chestnut, elm, and ash, all extinct.

This is a forest nightmare we can prevent, if we wake up.

Mark Muhich, conservation chairman

Central Michigan Group Sierra Club, Jackson

 

LET THAT TURTLE GO by Katheryn Krupa

One of the most disturbing things I hear on a regular basis at my school goes something like this..."Guess what Mrs. Krupa?"  What?  "I found a turtle and my parents said I could keep it."  Oh really, so what are you feeding it?  "Oh, I don't know. I gave it some ants and bugs but it wouldn't eat them.  What do turtles eat?"  Honey, you really should let it go, it's a wild creature.  They don't do well in captivity.  A week later, So did you let that turtle go?  "No, I still have it.  I'm feeding it dead worms."  But is it eating them?  "No, but my Dad said I can keep it."  PLEASE let it go, it's fall and it needs to find a good place to go to sleep for the winter.  Another week later... So I hope the turtle is free now?  "Nope, it died (said very matter of factly).  It wouldn't eat."

This drives me crazy!  I talk to all my classes about the importance of leaving wildlife alone.  Turtles, snakes, frogs, walking sticks, a praying mantis...no matter what it is just let it go where you found it.  I know, I know, even I as a child had painted turtles we kept for a few days but my mother was smart enough to insist we let them go free.  The one pet she gave in on was a baby alligator I got to keep for a month but of course it refused to eat and died and I felt eternally guilty!  Wild animals just do not make good pets.  Period.

Worse yet to an animal lover like me is hearing about all the abandoned kittens mewing under houses or the dozens of cats roaming a neighborhood.  Get your animals neutered now!  Okay, I will keep working away bit by bit on my students at my school but I hope you will do your own part and teach your children to just let those critters go.  As for the cats?  Rescue them and take them to a shelter.  Now I'll get off my soapbox for today.

A TIME TO PLANT by Katheryn Krupa

 
Alas, after eight years of treating our three stately ash trees up north, I am sad to say I am losing the battle against emerald ash borer.  I had faithfully drenched each tree every spring with a product called Bayer Advanced Tree and Shrub that contains imidacloprid.  My neighbors' trees had all died but I was delighted mine were protected - until this year.  I noticed one of the ash trees showed significant die back and created a massive amount of seeds - exactly what happened to the other trees on our street before they died.  Nasty ash borer!  Alas, I could not afford the expensive injections suggested by my local tree company who charged over $700 to treat my trees previously.  Instead of these beautiful canopy trees, we are planting red and white pines.  As I drove home last weekend, I noticed the highway was lined with dead and dying trees.  These were not just ash trees but also included maple, pine and what appeared to be populars.  Our native trees are under attack because folks move firewood infested with insects like the emerald ash borer for which they have no defense.  (The newest invader is the Asian Longhorned beetle currently found in New York, Ohio and Massachusetts, and Chicago).  Our twin lakes in Iosco county were first hit when a thoughtless person ignored the DNR warnings and did just that and the ash borer quickly spread from yard to yard and into nearby forests. So as you go up north this fall, please do not bring firewood!

Frog and Toad Survey Jumps off in Highland by Katheryn Krupa

 

This spring, volunteers from the Highland Conservancy will again be conducting a frog and toad survey at different sites throughout Highland, including Highland Oaks. Michigan is home to several rare and endangered frogs and we will be listening carefully to see if we can locate some of these in our area. Amphibians such as frogs are indicator species.  That is, they can indicate the health or decline of our natural environment.  This survey is part of Michigan's annual frog and toad survey established in 1988 by the Department of Natural Resources (DNR).  Thousands of volunteers will be crouching in mucky swamps and meandering through woodlands to identify calls from Michigan's 13 different native species of frogs and toads. 

Lori Sargent, the survey coordinator, reports that frogs and toads are ecologically important because they control insects and feed other wildlife. "And because amphibians are sensitive to environmental quality, they provide an early-warning system for declining ecosystem health", she said.

“They’re a first response to problems in the water,” Sargent said. “And this is a group of species that have been around since the dinosaurs. They’re pretty resilient, so if we’re seeing a decline now, it could be serious.”

Unfortunately, frogs are declining.  TV actor and spokesperson Jeff Corwin has reported on the mass decline of worldwide amphibian populations recently.  In tropical areas, frogs are being killed off by a fungus, with entire species being wiped out as this menace has relentlessly spread from pool to pool.  From the rocky streams of coastal Australia to the jungles of South America, and even to the American West, the world's frogs are vanishing at alarming rates. Frogs and their relatives have thrived on earth for more than 360 million years, but now they're under serious threat. Experts believe that as many as one-third to one-half of the planet's 6,000 amphibian species are in danger of disappearing — victims of one of the most significant mass extinctions since the dinosaurs.  

Here in Michigan, the DNR and local conservation groups are working hard to collect and analyze data to better understand and protect these animals locally.  To take part in Highland's frog and toad survey or for more info, call Ron at: 248-887-7125.  To find out more on the global work to protect these amphibians, visit:

http://www.amphibianark.org/

 

Commentary on Jane Goodall's Reason for Hope by Katheryn Krupa

 
Photo Courtesy of www.JaneGoodall.org

I just finished reading an excellent biography by Jane Goodall called Reason for Hope.  In it she shares interesting details about her work studying and living with chimps in Africa, her breakthroughs and personal journey.  The most disturbing aspect of the story for me was the revelation (or reminder) that over 1,000 chimps still are used in medical research in the United States.  Wanting to know more, I visited a variety of websites with pros and cons on animal research labs along with her website to see if I could find out more details on the need for this kind of work.  It was upsetting to see that our country (and Gabon) are the only two countries still using chimps for medical research despite the fact they are poor models for human disease research.  Her data reports that "despite chimpanzees sharing between 96 to 98 percent of the same DNA as humans, that small variation accounts for some major differences in the way diseases tend to behave and affect the two species."  I was surprised to learn that over 1,000 chimps still are kept in small, sterile, isolated cages for most of their lives (50 or more years) bored, frightened and with little chance for socializing or stimulation.  There are much more ethical avenues for research that would give better results for humans.  I encourage you to do your own studies and research and make your own decision.  This quote from the book really hit home for me after Jane Goodall visited a chimp named JoJo in a medical research facility:

“I knelt down in front of JoJo, and he reached as much of his hand as he could between the thick bars that formed a barrier between us. The bars were all around him, on every side, above and below. He had already been in this tiny prison for at least ten years; ten years of utter boredom interspersed with periods of fear and pain. There was nothing in his cage save an old motor tire for him to sit on. And he had no opportunity to contact others of his kind. I looked into his eyes. There was no hatred there, only a sort of gratitude because I had stopped to talk to him,. Helped to break the terrible grinding monotony of the day. Gently he groomed the ridges where my nails pressed against the thin rubber of the gloves I had been given, along with mask and paper cap. I pushed my hand in between the bars and, lips smacking, he groomed the hairs on the back of my wrist, peeling the glove down.

JoJo’s mother had been shot in Africa. Could he remember that life? I wondered. Did he sometimes dream of the great trees with the breeze rustling through the canopy, the birds singing, the comfort of his mother’s arms? I thought of David Greybeard and the other chimpanzees of Gombe. I looked again at JoJo  as he groomed me, and my vision blurred. Not for him the freedom to choose each day how we would spend his time and where and with whom. There was no comfort for him of soft forest floor or leafy nest high in the treetops. And the sounds of nature were gone too, the tumbling of the streams, the roar of the waterfall through the dim greens and browns of the forest world, the winds rustling and sighing in the branches, the scuttlings of little creatures moving through the leaves, the chimpanzee calls rising, so clear, from the distant hills."

For more information, and to support legislation to change these inhumane conditions, visit:  http://www.janegoodall.org/action 

Michigan Conservation Stewards Program by Bindu Bhakta

 

Michigan State University Extension is offering the Michigan Conservation Stewards Program in Oakland County starting in February.  This intensive 10-week program consists of nine Monday evening classes (6-9 pm) and three Saturday field sessions (9-4 pm) from February 26 through April 25, 2011.  Monday evening sessions are held at the Oakland County Executive Office Building Conference Center, 2100 Pontiac Lake Rd, Waterford.  Saturday sessions will be held at the MSU Tollgate Education Center, Indian Springs Metropark, and Independence Oaks County Park, February 26 - April 25, 2011.

Are you looking for a great opportunity to learn about conservation and natural science and assume leadership roles through volunteering your time, knowledge, and skills in conservation management in your community?  Individuals who take part in the Michigan Conservation Stewards Program (CSP) can learn how to effectively take part in informed, scientifically based conservation and resource management and work to sustain healthy ecosystems across Michigan.

Michigan State University Extension and its partners are offering this volunteer training and leadership program designed for individuals who are interested in natural resource conservation and ecosystem management, natural history, outdoor recreation, natural areas, the region’s environmental issues and challenges, and strategies to help restore and conserve ecosystems in Oakland County.
  
Topics will include Conservation Heritage, Ecological Foundations, Making Choices to Manage Natural Resources, and Managing Forestlands, Grasslands, Wetlands, and Lake and Stream Ecosystems.  There will also be a volunteer expo highlighting conservation opportunities available in southeastern Michigan.  The series of classes, led by experts in various fields of conservation and natural resources, will include lectures, interactive learning and field experiences.  The registration fee is $275 per participant.

You can obtain a brochure and an application packet online at http://www.oakgov.com/msu/ or call (248) 858-0887 to request an application by mail. The deadline to submit applications is February 4, 2011.  Email [email protected] for more information.

The Importance of Protecting Old Growth Habitat by Katheryn Krupa

 

My sister and I got into a lively discussion while driving alongside the Thunder Bay River last weekend.  I was lamenting the loss of old growth forests and the cathedral like quality of the trees and mossy undergrowth found in these rare climax habitats.  I was also complaining about the logging done this year in the Mackinaw State Forest surrounding Avery Lake near Lewiston (which is a sister lake to Highland's jewel Dunham Lake due to its vast expanse of treed, pristine shoreline).  My sister insisted that if nature had its way, our Michigan forests would be regularly burned down with fire.  True! Yet I countered that because humans have so messed up the natural process that created our woodlands, we can no longer sit back and wait for nature to shape the environment.  The biggest disappointment to me is the DNRE policy of planting vast stands of red pine, creating a forest monoculture devoid of the diversity of plants and trees that our wildlife need to survive.  I contend that we need to return our state forests to a more natural blend of oak, hickory, maple, birch, pine and other native trees that would provide a wide and varied habitat for our birds, insects, reptiles, mammals and amphibians.  It would take centuries to achieve the old growth forest that I pine for (sorry, couldn't help it).  Even so, this is the direction we need to move in.  Our beautiful land should be used for more than just growing plots for the state's timber trade.  For more information, visit this link to an article on the importance of old growth forests: http://www.scientificamerican.com/article.cfm?id=old-growth-forests-help-combat-climate-change or this link www.mackinawforest.org

Green Energy an Excellent Alternative by Katheryn Krupa

 
Recently, the Spinal Column did an in depth analysis of local zoning ordinances with respect to the use of alternative energy throughout our area: They did an excellent job reporting on different companies that are gearing up to use alternative energy sources (such as the Ford plant) and looking at how various municipalities are dealing with regulations in this area. With costs continually rising, it is exciting to know that individuals and local institutions are starting to consider greener solutions. I was delighted to see there already are schools in Huron Valley such as Oxbow Community School that are already using solar panels (and Milford High which is in the process). Surprisingly, solar panels can be used to offset energy costs even in our part of the country. You don't have to live in sunny California. They are also very effective in Michigan. I think that legislators in Michigan should consider offering more incentives for individuals and companies to install solar panels and wind turbines. I hope Highland Township will consider going green and consider taking a leadership role in using alternative energy sources.

For the full article, visit: http://www.spinalcolumnonline.com/1editorialbody.lasso?-response=%2f1editorialbody.lasso&-token.folder=2010-10-13&-token.story=74773.113117&-token.disearea=5&-nothing&-token.disearea=6

GYPSY MOTH DEFOLIATION by Katheryn Krupa

Due to an early and warm spring, it has been a troublesome year for gypsy moth and tent caterpillars up north.  As you head through the state to Traverse City, Glen Arbor, Grayling or Gaylord you may notice huge stands of the trees almost totally devoid of their leaves.  Over the fourth, we visited a friend’s cottage and marveled at the thousands of gypsy moth caterpillars we found crawling the trunks of nearly every tree on their lakefront. The critters first appeared in the United States in the 1860s after an amateur entomologist who settled outside Boston brought them from France.  He was conducting an experiment on trees near his house when some of the larvae escaped, and they have been an ongoing problem ever since.  If you are interested in more information on controlling them at your cottage or home, visit: http://www.gypsymothalert.com/control.html