Saving the Great Lakes will require new ways of thinking about, and working on, conservation. We need to think of the largest freshwater ecosystem as whole; we need to overcome geopolitical boundaries; and we need to remember, and apply, the history of the special places we love. These lessons, and more, were brought home to … Continue reading The Haunted Forest Preserve
Tag: coastal and nearshore
Celebrating Lake Erie
How to save a lake, and a Great Lake at that? This is the question that faces those of us who care about the body of water that supports more fish, and sport fishing, than any other Great Lake; the lake whose shorelines provide some of North America’s most critical habitats for migrating waterfowl; the … Continue reading Celebrating Lake Erie
Hiking and Biking Bois Blanc Island
There is something about being on an island: the onboard anticipation of the journey there, the defined boundaries of a shoreline, the sense of shared belonging with other castaways. It's romantic escaping to an island, and as summer waned Anna and I spent a day marooned on Bois Blanc Island, where The Nature Conservancy (TNC) … Continue reading Hiking and Biking Bois Blanc Island
Legacies from Legacies
Where did you gain your interest in nature? What were your first experiences in the out-of-doors? Who first introduced you to the mysteries and joys of some special place? These thoughts crossed my mind as I attended the dedication of a preserve addition on a Great Lakes shore on a blue-sky day in July.Big Trout … Continue reading Legacies from Legacies
Searching for Sunrise in Saginaw Bay
Sunrise brings hope. The lightening of the sky, the under-cloud illuminations, and then finally the red-orange fire of the sun itself embodies opportunity reborn. I recall an unplanned bivouac in the Sierra spent underneath a space blanket, and I never appreciated more the warm sunrise that brought the ability to see, move, and feel.The Quest. … Continue reading Searching for Sunrise in Saginaw Bay
An Evening Walk in Saugatuck Dunes
The landscape unfolds and opens up on the shore of Lake Michigan at the mouth of the Kalamazoo River. In a State of forests and farms, a walk with wide vistas in a pure and undisturbed place is rare, but the Saugatuck Harbor Natural Area offers it. Several miles of trail roll through dunes, reveal … Continue reading An Evening Walk in Saugatuck Dunes
Birdwatching on Lake Erie
The mission of the Nature Conservancy (TNC) is to protect and promote biodiversity, which includes the wide variety of plants and animals that inhabit our planet.* And while TNC scientists implement comprehensive strategies to preserve habitats for many species, for some of us our blood quickens a little bit more for those certain species with … Continue reading Birdwatching on Lake Erie
Walks with Tom 