Dave and some like-minded individuals created SolarYpsi in 2005 with the hope of making their hometown a solar power destination through tying solar power generation to the electrical grid.

Their web site showcases real-time reporting of electrical production via solar panels, tracking panels are located on top of the Ypsilanti Food Coop, the Riverstreet Bakery, Ypsilanti City Hall and an Ann Arbor Transportation Authority bus stop.

Here's Google's Search Story Creator in case you want to try your hand. Head over to absolutemichigan.com/solar for more Michigan solar information.

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Michigan Cherries by jdurchen

Did you know that Michigan is the largest producer of Montmorency tart cherries, growing 70-75% of the crop? February is National Cherry Month, and the Cherry Marketing Institute (link below) has bushels of info about the history and present state of the cherry industry including growing research showing that antioxidants in tart cherries may relieve the pain of arthritis and gout & help fight cancer and heart disease.

Cherry Facts

• Tart cherries are loaded with antioxidants that are believed to relieve the pain of arthritis and gout and help fight cancer and heart disease. They're also especially high in the antioxidant melatonin, which may help prevent or reduce brain deterioration associated with aging. And to top it off, they're high in vitamin A and beta-carotene.
• Cherries were brought to America by early settlers in the 1600s. Cherry trees, in fact, were part of the gardens of French settlers when they established Detroit.
• Peter Dougherty, a Presbyterian missionary on Old Mission Peninsula north of Traverse City, started modern-day cherry production in Michigan in 1852. Now, Michigan grows about 75 percent of the nation's tart cherries and Traverse City calls itself the cherry capital of the world.
• It takes about 250 cherries to make a cherry pie; enough cherries grow on the average cherry tree to make 28 pies, industry officials say.
• Tart cherries ripen two or three weeks after sweet cherries. Look for them in mid to late July.
• Cherries are a truly ancient delicacy - explorers have found cherry pits from the Stone Age in European caves.
• Tart cherries have fewer calories and more beta-carotene than sweet cherries.
• Michigan grows 75 percent of the nation's tart cherries.

For more tasty cherry info, be sure to check these out!

Cherry Marketing Institute is the best place to go for information about this delicious and healthy fruit!

Absolute Michigan's Cherry Links has all kinds of info about the cherry!

Michigan Cherries from Taste the Local Difference is PACKED with all kinds of information and delicious cherry recipes.

Michigan Cherries from the Department of Agriculture

MSU's Michigan Cherry Information features more cherry information than you can shake a whole tree at!

For all things edible, drinkable and wearable, check out Cherry Republic in Glen Arbor. They are one of the featured supporters of The Daily Michigan and are giving away 5# of cherries today!

The National Cherry Festival in Traverse City is a celebration of cherries and the cherry industry held every year at the beginning of July.

Video & Photos

Definitely check out the Cherry slideshow from the Absolute Michigan photo group on Flickr. On the video front, we hope you will enjoy 'Cherry Cherry' (circa 1967) by Neil Diamond and also this video of the harvest at an organic cherry farm in Northern Michigan!

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Goby by swatzo

Last year the National Park Service produced a series of short documentaries exploring invasive species in the Great Lakes. The series was funded by the Great Lakes Restoration Initiative showing how invaders are changing the ecosystems in national parks and what’s being done to stop them.

All four of them are available through the Great Lakes Echo. Part 1: Aquatic Invasives is below and it explores how zebra mussel, quagga mussel, round goby and other invasive species are creating havoc in Lake Michigan, causing the food web to tilt out of balance. People can help, clean drain and dry all boating and fishing gear to stop aquatic hitch hikers. here's Part 2: Invasive Plants in our Parks, Part 3: Spotted Knapweed, and Part 4: Emerald Ash Borer!

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The Lake in Winter
by Jerry Dennis

(January, Cathead Point, near the tip of Michigan’s Leelanau Peninsula)

It changes every day, every hour. It is a thousand lakes, changing faces with every shift in wind and light - flurried by offshore wind, whitecapped in squalls, colored flannel gray or pearl-white or stormy black beneath the winter clouds, a dozen blues when the sky is blue.

There’s a contemporary Japanese poet who writes a diary on a slab of stone instead of paper, with water instead of ink. He writes a word, and a moment later it evaporates. This, he suggests, is the true record of a life.

We go to the shore in search of elemental things. Probably it is just coincidence that the elemental things we find there - sand, sun, wind, and waves - correspond exactly to the four elements of the ancient Greeks and Hindus: earth, fire, air, and water. More to the point is that we need elemental things to help us restore our primitive senses to working condition. We need periodically to look, listen, scent, taste, and feel our way through the world, if only for the relief of not having to think our way through. Everyone understands that eliminating superfluities can help us discover what is important in our lives.

That’s not an easy task. Time coats us in natural increase, accruing layers as if we were snowballs rolling down a hill. Jobs, families, friends, houses, cars, dogs, our health – just maintaining it all is full-time work. Add the bulging files of information, the gunnysacks of mistakes and the duffels of misjudgments and the barrow-loads of memories, habits, regrets, opinions, prejudices, principles, laws, and codes collected in a lifetime and you can see the problem. We carry as much as we can, and the rest we stack around us until all our routes to the outside are blocked. Even when we find our way out we’re wearing too many layers of tuxedoes and zoot suits and cardigans, Icelandic woolens, parkas, longjohns, thermal socks, etc. We’re strong but we grow weary of lugging that Collyer-brothers’ accumulation everywhere we go. We bend beneath the load, our backs about to break, groaning as we push our heaped-up grocery carts through the streets.

It’s too much. Now and then we need to strip down to the naked flame at our core. Most of what we carry is baggage anyway - just adornment and vanity, ballast and deadweight. It’s the crap the pioneers threw out along the Oregon Trail.

After lunch I walked to the crest of the dune and looked out at the lake. Even from that small elevation, maybe fifty feet, the water’s clarity was startling. From a boat, on a day like this, with the sun overhead, you can lean over the side and see boulders on the bottom thirty feet down. The pale shallows stepped into blue depths. The offshore sandbars were there, a hundred yards apart, each deeper than the one before, with bands of increasingly darker blue between them. Beyond the last bar a steep drop-off into very deep water turned the lake midnight blue.

Lake Michigan. My lake, I often think, because I grew up near it and because many in my family settled along its shores. So much water, in a body so large they say that the Netherlands could fit inside, with enough room left over for several New England states. It is the second largest of the Great Lakes in volume, and third, after Superior and Huron, in surface area. It is the only one of the five to be contained entirely within the United States.

Most of the 1,640 miles of shore is sandy. Some of that shore, especially around the southern end, through Indiana and Illinois, is lined with industry. Around the top of the lake in Wisconsin and Michigan are scattered limestone bluffs and rocky strands. But most of the rest is blond sand beaches that are among the loveliest in North America. Wind, waves, and ice have shoved that sand into the most extensive network of freshwater dunes on the planet. They reach their apogee about thirty miles south of Cathead Point at Sleeping Bear Dunes, the crowning feature of Sleeping Bear Dunes National Lakeshore, but they extend nearly unbroken for 300 miles along the eastern and southern shores of the lake, from northern Michigan nearly to Chicago. A few scattered dunes are found also along the Wisconsin shore and at the top of the lake, in the Upper Peninsula of Michigan, but they lack the dimensions of those that face the prevailing winds.

A friend who lives part of every year in the West once told me that Lake Michigan plays the same role in the Midwest that the mountains do in Montana. That’s true for all five lakes. Like the Rockies, you can see them from miles away, forming a backdrop that is also a felt presence, always there, looming in our lives. They are depositories of geological and historical power that shape the land and the culture to themselves. We orient to them and are drawn to them and take for granted that their presence and the weather they create will affect our travels and alter our daily plans.

The lakes have always been the most prominent shaper of the character or “spirit” of the Great Lakes region. The stronger the spirit of a place, the farther it resonates beyond its borders. Alaska, Texas, Vermont, and Maine all have it in abundance. So do large geographical regions such as Appalachia, the Canadian Maritimes, and the Cajun country of Louisiana. A mythological portrait of a place needs to be only approximately accurate to give outsiders an idea of what it is like, or enough of an idea, at least, to inspire them to take some interest in it. That might explain in part why people who have never visited the Everglades or the Arctic Wildlife Refuge are willing to write letters to congressmen and donate money to protect them.

The Great Lakes have not had that advantage. Their mythology is not clearly defined. It was once very clear, a living mythology, inhabited by people, wolf, moose, and bear, but the stories that passed around campfires for thousands of years were drowned out by European invaders wielding their own stories of Jesuit martyrs, French voyageurs, Paul Bunyans of the logging camps, mariners of the inland seas, and up-by-the-bootstraps giants of industry. Most of those stories have now, in turn, lost their power and have not been replaced. Enduring mythologies tend to accrue to dominate features of a landscape. Louisiana has swamps; New England, hardscrabble hills; Montana, big sky. But the Great Lakes are too varied. No representative image fits. The water and dunes and rocks and cities on the shore are lost in a haze of homogeneity. Surely that is why those who have never stood beside the big lakes find it so difficult to imagine them.

Excerpted from The Windward Shore: A Winter on the Great Lakes, by Jerry Dennis. Used with permission of the author and The University of Michigan Press. Visit Jerry’s website at www.jerrydennis.net. Here's a cool trailer for the book that Jerry's son videographer Aaron Dennis made that you will enjoy as well!

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Clouds are Cooler than Smoke by Jon DeBoe

I guess it's Coal Week on Absolute Michigan. After taking a look back at the history of coal mining in the Saginaw Valley on Tuesday, we're back on the subject with news from the Great Lakes Echo.

Michigan coal-fired plants to close; wind and air to step up by Nick McWherter of the Capital News Service says that Consumers Energy will close seven coal-fired power plants in Michigan and has cancelled construction of another to focus on clean energy. In their news release on the topic, Consumer's President & CEO John Russell said that their investments - part of a $6.6 billion plan to add value to customers and improve the environment - were projected to create more than 2,000 construction jobs in Michigan and provide significant emissions reductions. Environmentalists concur:

“There are simply smarter ways to produce energy then relying on coal,” said Bruce Nilles, national director for the Sierra Club’s Beyond Coal Campaign. The inherent costs associated with mining and burning coal make clean energy more attractive, he said. Economically and environmentally, coal does not make sense.

Michigan is now in position to make strides in clean energy throughout the state, he said.

“There is a significant shift going on in the electric sector,” Nilles said. “Michigan has a chance to really be at the forefront. It has one of the oldest coal fleets in the country; many of these plants are literally teetering. It presents a tremendous opportunity to put people back to work and eliminate all the pollution that today is having such profound impacts across the state of Michigan.”

The motivation for the decision is Michigan’s Clean, Renewable and Efficient Energy act. Established in 2008, the act requires utilities to supply 10% of their energy via renewables by 2015. Consumers is the second largest utility in the state and is at 5% renewable generation right now. Last month they also started construction of their first wind-farm, the Lake Winds Energy Park, part of a $1 billion investment in Mason County. Follow that link for details and a video from the Muskegon Chronicle.

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Ernst & Young fill that kettle by kmaz

In a recent conversation about how we see need in Michigan, Rob Collier President of the Council of Michigan Foundations told us about several reasons to give charitably this year.  He said, "This is an important year to give and give big because the needs are so great.  Just as importantly, the Michigan state charitable tax credits are expiring at the end of December.  These credits are available to any Michigan resident.  On your donation you get a 50% tax credit, so if an individual gives $300 then they get a $150 tax credit back.  This encourages Michiganders to support the causes they care about in their communities while while getting something back on their State of Michigan tax returns."

You can donate in each of these three buckets:

• Endowment funds held by Community Foundations
• Support for Food Banks or Homeless Shelters
• Libraries, Public TV & Radio, Colleges and Universities

While  the holiday season is a great time to share our love, good thoughts, and Michigan-made gifts with friends & family, choosing to make donations to charities in lieu of buying gifts could be a really great way to allocate some extra funds to non-profits that desperately need it. This time of year, much of people's hard earned money is spent on frivolous bric-a-brac that they would never buy otherwise, so why not  instead make it a charitable gift?  The American Red Cross notes that nearly four in five people would rather have a charitable donation made in their honor than receive a gift they wouldn't use, so shifting ourselves (and our communities)  towards more meaningful giving can really bring the joy & holiday spirit back!

To maximize the benefits;  give to a tax-deductible charity for Christmas AND make it local.  We've compiled a list of Michigan based charities to choose from. Local money circling around our communities only strengthens our economy, as well as providing the necessary funds needed by these organizations to grow and continue to serve our communities.  A local charity gift for Christmas!   It is perfect, really. Read on for some great Michigan charities, be sure to check out our Michigan nonprofit section and add ones we've missed in the comments!

One highly rated charity to check out is The Greening of Detroit.  Their urban gardening and agriculture programs play a key role in Detroit’s blossoming green movement. Every year, the garden resource program contributes farming resources and educational opportunities to over 15,000 urban gardeners, supporting over a thousand gardens in Detroit, Hamtramck and Highland Park.  They have been around since 1989 with a mission to guide and inspire the reforestation of Detroit.

Yet another consideration this year: Gilda's Club Grand Rapids.  Gilda’s Club Grand Rapids is a free cancer support community for children, adults, families and friends. The Grand Rapids Clubhouse averages more than 600 visits per week, and over 20,000 visits per year. The club is named for the late 'Saturday Night Live' comedian, Gilda Radner.

Bay Area Recycling for Charity provides recycling services to residential customers and area businesses in the Traverse City region, and also partners with non-profit organizations in their recycling programs to provide maximum benefit for local charities. Their partnerships with these local non-profits creates a means for fund-raising for them and inspires recycling at the grassroots level. Businesses and residential customers may designate a charity of their choice to be the recipient of the revenues resulting from their recycling partnership with BARC.

Be a savvy donor and do your research too. Check out Charity Navigator's Top 10 Best Practices of Savvy Donors list.  We did our best to research this list, but you may find charities locally that we just didn't know about.
American Autoimmune Related Diseases Association - Dedicated to bringing a national focus to autoimmunity 22100 Gratiot Avenue East Detroit, MI 48021

Barbara Ann Karmanos Cancer Institute - Dedicated to the prevention, early detection and eventual eradication of cancer 4100 John R Detroit, MI 48201

Bay Area Recycling for Charities - Provides recycling services to residential customers and area businesses and also partners with non-profit organizations in their recycling programs to provide maximum benefit for local charities. 8025 S. Good Harbor Trail Cedar, Michigan 49621

Capital Area Humane Society - More than an animal shelter 7095 West Grand River Avenue Lansing, MI 48906

Coalition on Temporary Shelter - Helping homeless people help themselves 26 Peterboro Street Detroit, MI 48201

Community Foundation for Muskegon County - For good. For ever. 425 West Western Avenue Suite 200 Muskegon, MI 49440

Community Foundation for Southeast Michigan - Enhancing the quality of life in southeast Michigan 333 West Fort Street Suite 2010 Detroit, MI 48226

Cranbrook Educational Community - One of the world's leading centers of education, science and art 39221 Woodward Avenue P.O. Box 801 Bloomfield Hills, MI 48303

Detroit Science Center - Promoting science education and knowledge 5020 John R Street Detroit, MI 48202

Detroit Zoological Society - Celebrating & saving wildlife 8450 W. 10 Mile Rd, Royal Oak, MI 48067

Father Fred Foundation - Providing food, clothing, household goods and cash assistance to families in need. 826 Hastings Traverse City, MI 49686

Feeding America West Michigan Food Bank - Ending hunger in West Michigan 864 West River Center Drive Comstock Park, MI 49321

Focus: HOPE - Celebrating diversity since 1968 1355 Oakman Boulevard Detroit, Michigan 48238

Food Bank of Eastern Michigan - The food source for people in need 2312 Lapeer Road Flint, MI 48503

Food Gatherers - Alleviating hunger and eliminating its root causes in our community P.O. Box 131037 Ann Arbor, MI 48113

Forgotten Harvest - Driving hunger from our community since 1990 21800 Greenfield Road Oak Park, MI 48237

Gilda's Club Grand Rapids - Cancer support for the whole family, the whole time 1806 Bridge Street, NW Grand Rapids, MI 49504

Gleaners Community Food Bank of Southeastern Michigan - Nourishing communities by feeding hungry people 2131 Beaufait Street Detroit, MI 48207

Grand Rapids Community Foundation - Grand Rapids Community Foundation believes that if there is anything worth doing, anything that needs to be done, any breathtaking opportunity to be realized—It Can Happen Here 185 Oakes Street, SW Grand Rapids, MI 49503

Habitat for Humanity Kent County - Strengthening families and communities 539 New Street, SW Grand Rapids, MI 49503

Humane Society of Huron Valley - Serving animals in all of Washtenaw County 3100 Cherry Hill Road Ann Arbor, MI 48105

Humane Society of Kent County - Dedicated to the protection and care of all animals 3077 Wilson Drive, NW Grand Rapids, MI 49534

Interlochen Center for the Arts - Dedicated to the promotion of world friendship through the universal language of the arts 4000 Highway M-137 Interlochen, MI 49643

International Child Care - Making a difference in Haiti and the Dominican Republic 240 W. Michigan Avenue Kalamazoo, MI 49007

ISLAND (Institute for Sustainable Living and Natural Design) - ISLAND is a non-profit arts and ecology center dedicated to connecting people with nature, art and community. 5870 Cottage Drive Bellaire, MI 49615

John Ball Zoological Society - Celebrating the wonders of our natural world 1300 West Fulton P.O. Box 2506 Grand Rapids, MI 49501

Kalamazoo Institute of Arts - Cultivating the creation and appreciation of the visual arts 314 South Park Street Kalamazoo, MI 49007

Leader Dogs for the Blind - Enhancing the lives of blind and visually impaired individuals 1039 South Rochester Road Rochester, MI 48307

Life for Relief and Development - Concerned Arab and Muslim American professionals in response to the humanitarian crises that developed in Iraq as a result of the 1991 Gulf War. 17300 West Ten Mile Road Southfield, MI 48075

Mercy-USA for Aid and Development - Helping children around the world 44450 Pinetree Drive Suite 201 Plymouth, MI 48170

Michigan Environmental Council - A collective voice for our environment 119 Pere Marquette Drive Suite 2A Lansing, MI 48912

Michigan Land Use Institute - Working with citizens, officials, and other organizations to build a prosperous new economy in Michigan, one that expands opportunity by improving our health and environment 148 E. Front St., Suite 301 Traverse City, MI

National Kidney Foundation of Michigan - Preventing kidney disease and improving the quality of life for those living with it 1169 Oak Valley Drive Ann Arbor, MI 4810

On the Ground - On The Ground's purpose is to support sustainable community development in farming regions across the world. 806 Red Drive, Suite 150 Traverse City, Michigan 49684

Senior Neighbors - Enhancing senior lives 820 Monroe Avenue, NW Suite 460 Grand Rapids, MI 49503

The Greening of Detroit - Guiding and inspiring the reforestation of Detroit's neighborhoods, boulevards, and parks 1418 Michigan Avenue Detroit, MI 48216

University Musical Society - Connecting audiences and performing artists in uncommon and engaging experiences 881 North University Avenue Ann Arbor, MI 48109

Veterans of Foreign Wars National Home for Children - Caring for the children and families of our nation's veterans 3573 South Waverly Road Eaton Rapids, MI 48827

YMCA of Greater Grand Rapids - Building strong kids, strong families, strong communities in Grand Rapids 475 Lake Michigan Drive, NW Grand Rapids, MI 49504

YouthVille Detroit - Enhancing the lives of youth 7375 Woodward Avenue Suite 2800 Detroit, MI 48202

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Detroit Public Television (DPTV), in partnership with the International Joint Commission, the Great Lakes Commission, U.S. EPA, and Healing Our Waters-Great Lakes Coalition provided unprecedented access to the largest gathering of scientists, political voices, educators, environmentalists, and interested groups ever assembled to discuss the status and the future of the Great Lakes at greatlakesnow.org.

Sleeping Bear by ideowl

Great Lakes Week takes place October 11-14, 2011 and celebrates one of the world's true natural wonders, the five interconnected Great Lakes. Huron, Ontario, Michigan, Erie and Superior provide jobs, recreation and drinking water to more than 30 million people in the Great Lakes basin. Great Lakes Week is a new partnership to improve the places around the basin where people live, work, learn and play. This week's activities, meetings and conferences bring representatives of the U.S. and Canadian governments together with a broad coalition of public and private groups to highlight efforts to implement solutions for the lakes' most pressing problems. The event is headquartered in a single city for the first time ever and that city is Detroit.

Today's coverage kicks off at noon with an overview of Great Lakes Week, highlights of yesterday's Great Lakes Commission Meeting. Also on tap is the International Joint Commission of US and Canadian government agencies, a report on U.S. and Canadian efforts to restore the chemical, physical and biological diversity of the Great Lakes Basin, updates on critical issues from algae to aquatic invasive species and the Great Lakes Town Hall featuring top officials from both the U.S. and Canada answering on-site and virtual audience questions (Twitter hastag #AskGLW). Much more to follow tomorrow and Friday - check the schedule of events out for an idea.

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The Union of Concerned Scientists has an interesting look at how climate change will affect Michigan. While our impact is a lot lower than most places, we're still looking at some profound changes. Here's the summary ... much more at the link.

Michigan's climate features cold, snowy winters that favor a variety of winter sports, and warm summers that appeal to thousands of vacationers each year and provide a boost for Michigan's local economies. Precipitation and climate in Michigan has also made Michigan a leader in livestock production as well as crops such as red tart cherries, blueberries, cranberries, and black beans. Each of these unique features is threatened by projected changes in climate.

The latest, most reliable projections of future climate change combine 100 years of historical data for Michigan with the most up-to-date general circulation models of the Earth's climate system. In general Michigan's climate will grow considerably warmer and probably drier during this century, especially in the summer. As a result of these changes, by 2030 summers in Michigan may feel more like current-day Ohio. By 2095, summers will resemble that of northern Arkansas with winters that feel like Ohio.

	A 5-10oF rise in winter and a 7-13oF rise in summer temperatures by the end of the century is projected.
	Although average annual precipitation may not change much, an overall drier climate is expected because rainfall cannot compensate for the increase in evaporation resulting from greater temperatures. Thus Michigan may see drier soils and more droughts. Seasonally, winter precipitation is expected to increase by 5-25% while summer precipition is expected to remain the same.
	Extreme heat will be more common, and the frequency of heavy rainstorms will increase and could be 50-100% higher than today.
	The growing season could be 8-10 weeks longer.
	Declines in ice cover on the Great Lakes and inland lakes have been recorded over the past 100-150 years and are expected to continue.

Here's a brief video from the Climate Reality Project...

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For fifty years Canada and the U.S. have been battling an eel-like creature across the Great Lakes. Sea lampreys are parasites that drill holes in fish to feed on blood and body fluids. They often kill the fish. The sea lamprey was one of the first invasive species to arrive in the lakes, and it’s the only invasive to be successfully controlled by humans.

But in recent years, the lamprey has been getting the upper hand in the struggle. As Peter Payette reports there might be more setbacks in the near future:

The mouth of a lamprey. It uses suction, teeth, and a razor sharp tongue to attach itself to its prey... and then it starts drinking blood. Photo courtesy of USFWS

If you’re on a lamprey control team you get to see all the prettiest streams and rivers in the Great Lakes. That’s because lampreys like clean water.

“Part of our problems recently have been some of the streams that were too dirty to harbor lampreys have been cleaned up and now we have lampreys in parts of the Saginaw River. We never had lampreys in that up until 15 or 20 years ago.”

Ellie Koon supervises one of the U.S. Fish and Wildlife treatment teams. They spend the warm months killing young lampreys by the thousands.

They treat rivers using a chemical called lampricide. It’s a poison that rarely hurts other fish. In fact, during a treatment the fish get a feast they normally wouldn’t. Young lampreys look a bit like worms at this stage and stay in the mud. But when they’re poisoned they swim out where fish can grab them.

Ellie Koon and one of her team members, Hank Cupp, say fish and other animals in the river pig out.

“You can almost hear the fish burping the day after we treat. You can see them swimming around with lampreys hanging out of their mouths that they can’t swallow.”

These teams can usually kill about 95 percent of the young lampreys in a river. Without this, the Great Lakes would not have a multi-billion dollar fishery today. But in recent years, the fish-killing lamprey has been rebounding in some of the lakes and hurting the fishery...

Much more at Michigan Radio. There was an interesting episode of Dirty Jobs last fall where Mike Rowe spent time with the US Fish & Wildlife Service on lamprey control. You can see all the videos at that link and watch one of them below!

Photos via US Government and Wikipedia's Sea Lamprey entry.

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KALAMAZOO RIVER OIL SPILL by mic stolz

It's been a little over a year since close to a million gallons of oil tar sands oil fouled the Kalamazoo River in Michigan's largest ever oil spill (Wikipedia entry for the spill). The Environment Report from Michigan Radio has an excellent three-part feature titled Life on the Kalamazoo River: One Year After the Spill that explores what life along the river is like for those who have stayed, how the oil is impacting wildlife and the legal action that is underway against Enbridge Energy, the company responsible for the spill. Rebecca Williams of the the Environment Report explains:

It was the largest inland oil spill in Midwest history... but we still don’t know exactly what it will mean for life around the river.

One year ago, a pipeline owned by Enbridge Energy broke. More than 840-thousand gallons of tar sands oil polluted Talmadge Creek and the Kalamazoo River.

People who were there say the river ran black. Turtles, and muskrats and Great blue herons were covered in oil. It’s not clear what all this will mean for the river and the wildlife that depends on it.

Kalamazoo River Oil Spill by The Sierra Club

“It’s really a big unknown. We don’t have much experience with oil spills in freshwater rivers in general.” Stephen Hamilton is a professor at Michigan State University. “This new kind of crude, the tar sands crude oil, with its different chemistry, all makes this a learning experience for everybody involved.”

Tar sands oil is very thick, and it has to be diluted in order to move through pipelines. We’ve previously reported that federal officials say the nature of this oil has made the cleanup more difficult. In fact, the cleanup has lasted longer than many people expected. The Environmental Protection Agency says there are still significant amounts of submerged oil along 35 miles of the Kalamazoo River.

There's much more at the Environment Report.

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Be sure to follow Lake Superior Photo on Facebook for her latest aurora borealis photos!

Space Weather says that a category G1 (Minor) geomagnetic storm is expected on August 5th (tonight and tomorrow night) due to the effects of a CME (Coronal Mass Ejection) observed early on August 2nd. In plain English, that means we might see the Northern Lights on the 5th! Don't get too terribly excited though - according to NOAA Space Weather who puts out the email alerts that I subscribe to, G1 is the lowest level of a scale that goes up to 5. Don't get depressed either though, as they say that during G1 activity, the Aurora Borealis is commonly visible at high latitudes (northern Michigan and Maine)!

I posted the above on Facebook, and my friend Shawn (who took the photo above) told me that it is also possible for an x flare this week producing an EARTHWARD directed flare that would hit earth probably some time next week which would produce a northern lights display to remember! There was a brief x flare on July 29 - read about it here and see a video from NASA here. The displays in February 2011 were produced by a powerful x flare...

You can see & purchase lots more of Shawn's photos of northern lights through LakeSuperiorPhoto.com and also check out her cool Northern Lights - square format album!

Michigan in Pictures has LOTS more pictures and information about the Aurora Borealis (Northern Lights) and if you see northern lights, post them to the Northern Lights log on Absolute Michigan! Here's a cool timelapse of Northern Lights from 2010 by Ken Scott!

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This summer Absolute Michigan interviewed Ragbirds front woman Erin Zindel about Electric Forest. She told us, "The heart of Hoxeyville is a community of musicians who are there every year. Many are from Michigan, and it's wonderful to have so many talented people in one place. I love the bands they choose and the size of the festival. It's well managed and a has a great vibe!"

Erin is dead on and you can see some of the best and brightest talent from around our beautiful state including The Ragbirds, Breathe Owl Breathe, The Macpodz, Ella Riot, Airborne or Aquatic, Seth & May, The Crane Wives and many more!

It's more than just music - Hoxeyville is held on 85 acres of northern Michigan farmland and hardwood forest that gets you feeling like you're away from it all. So you don't feel too far out there, they have a swimming pool, showers, plug-ins, dump station and wireless Internet. The festival also features a disc golf course with a glow course, VIP and quiet camping options, a vendor village and a beer tent featuring some of the finest brews from the region. To ensure you can enjoy the intimate vibe, attendance is capped at 5000!

Hoxeyville is also a leader among green festivals and offers incentives for "green acts" and was able to compost more than 70% of the waste produced, use biodegradable cups & plates and even to reduce its carbon footprint by powering its stages and productions using biodiesel generators!

All this can be yours with a pair of free weekend passes that include camping - enter below and read on for a highlight from Hoxeyville 2010!

Susan K won the pair of passes to Hoxeyville. She says that a few of her favorite Michigan festivals are Rothbury, Electric Forest Festival, the Buckley Steam Show and very appropriately the Hoxeyville Music Fest! Some of her favorite bands are The Red Sea Pedestrians and three acts who will be at Hoxeyville: Greensky Bluegrass, Seth & May, and Steppin' In It!

To be entered in every one of the Festival Summer giveaways, just join our email list using the form below!

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This year's raffle prize is a chance to win a personal wine cellar stocked with a wonderful variety of fabulous wine from area wine shops with gift certificates for many more of your favorite vino!

Speaking of winning, Absolute Michigan has a chance for you to win a pair of passes to the Waterfront Wine Festival. To be eligible for a pair of passes and to be entered in every one of the Festival Summer giveaways, just join our email list using the form below!

All summer long Absolute Michigan will be partnering with some of Michigan's most amazing festivals & events to give our readers FREE tickets and a chance to enjoy the food, music and celebration that is part of summertime in the Great Lakes State!

Absolute Michigan will not share your email address with anyone. Period. Your inbox is safe with us. What we will share with you is a periodic but usually no more than weekly update, possibly including a special offer, potentially a prize or giveaway and definitely some great news about what is working and fun to do in the Great State called Michigan that we love!

Here's a video from last year. Also, be sure to check out Scenic Michigan. They're an affiliate of the national non-profit organization Scenic America headquartered in Petoskey that promotes and sponsors programs to encourage natural beauty in the environment, enhance landscapes, protect historical and cultural resources, and improve community appearance.

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Golden Sunset on Lake Superior by unifiedphoto

The Detroit Free Press has launched a summer-long feature on the Great Lakes, water and Michigan. It starts with an interesting read by John Gallagher entitled Water shaped Michigan's past: Now it's a key to state's future that looks at the economic impact of the lakes and their potential as a source of new jobs and technology. It begins:

Michigan grew up on the Great Lakes. It can grow anew from their cool, abundant waters -- if they are used wisely and protected.

The greatest natural resource in all of North America and perhaps on our planet, the sweet water seas brought people to Michigan's peninsulas and moved Michigan ore, timber and manufactured goods to markets around the world.

The lake waters nourish our crops, slake our thirst, cool our machinery and change our weather -- sometimes rather abruptly. They provide fun, fish and spectacular vistas for millions of people.

In a world where 1 in every 6 people lacks daily access to fresh water, the Great Lakes are a treasure of immeasurable value.

And yet they have been exploited, depleted and polluted. They are threatened by invaders, foreign and domestic, some already in the waters or on the way, others on dry lands.

Where (in my opinion) it gets interesting and requires a whole lot of thought is the point when you start to think about the Great Lakes as an exportable commodity. When I read things like "Michigan has more water than Saudi Arabia has oil," I get scared. Thankfully there are some positive signs:

In the past year or two, all sorts of efforts have begun in Michigan to create a blue economy -- purifying water, recycling it, measuring how clean or dirty it is and providing water-based expertise to the world. The market for water technology is estimated at $500 billion a year and growing.

"We're sitting on liquid gold," said Dave Egner, director of the New Economy Initiative, a coalition of nonprofit foundations hoping to steer Michigan toward a new economic future.

Read on at the Freep and have a look at the New Economy Initiative as well. If you have the time, check out the trailer for one of my all-time favorite films, Waterlife by Kevin McMahon. It's a spell-binding look at the state of the lakes shot in beautiful HD. The official trailer is below and you can watch a longer version here.

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The Rouge River is an urban river, and its urban character is nowhere better reflected than in its last few miles, after it passes through the campus of the University of Michigan-Dearborn and the Henry Ford Estate. As it approaches Michigan Avenue all sense of riverness ends: this is where the Rouge gets harnessed into its concrete straitjacket, and it remains shackled down to where it empties into the Detroit River.

The channel was built in the mid-1970s by the Army Corps of Engineers for flood control.

Click through for her photos & tour of the river bank and also for photos of the construction of the channel like the one attached from Wayne State University’s Virtual Motor City project. If you're interested in the preservation efforts on the river, check out Friends of the Rouge River.

Here's a neat video of a kayak tour of the Rouge and also a map.

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by Sara Qamar

More than 100 Michigan communities have been honored under the Tree City USA program that promotes the economic, health and aesthetic benefits of trees on public property.

Main Street Rockford by Eridony

Some benefits of trees, such as energy conservation and savings on heating and cooling costs, are important economic factors, said Department of Natural Resources (DNR) urban forestry program coordinator Kevin Sayers.

“Properly planted trees in areas that might shade a building or shade an air conditioning unit are seen to help a lot in energy savings. They can block cold winter winds and minimize heating costs during winter,” he said.

Trees can also affect the price of homes, he said.

“Real estate studies show that properties which have well-maintained landscapes and mature trees are worth more,” he said.

Alpena received its 12th Tree City USA designation this year, city engineer Rich Sullenger said.

Toy Town by lefeber

It's among 119 communities in the program this year. Others include Grand Rapids, Ann Arbor, Allegan, Brighton, Charlevoix, Big Rapids, Ionia and Rockford.

“There's nothing prettier than looking down a tree-lined street in the summer. That's a huge benefit to the community. Anytime I personally I see a tree, it's a lot more pleasing than seeing a barren section of property,” Sullenger said.

Rockford, which was one of two new Michigan honorees this year, has had a longstanding comprehensive tree program which included planting 100 trees a year, city manager Michael Young said. The other is Clio.

Rockford is an older community that has expanded in recent years and has many mature trees, but citizens like greenery in newer developments as well, he said.

Click above for more about the program including how your community can enroll!

“It's really important to blend our newer parts with the old parts, and trees are that common thread,” he said.

One program the city will start this year is purchasing and planting a tree for each baby born in Rockford, he said.

The tree most planted is the maple, which residents appreciate because of the different colors its leaves turn, Young said.

One of the chronic problems DNR deals with about the program is convincing communities to diversify their tree selections from maple.

Sayers said uniformity can cause diseases to spread more easily.

“I don't promote planting any particular one. I encourage diversifying and planting the tree that's right for the location,” he said.

Competition among neighboring communities and citizens' grassroots efforts have helped the program grow in Michigan in the last 10 years, he said.

“There's a growing sense of responsibility to do something in terms of environmental initiatives. Local citizens are working with the city to get this designation,” he said.

Tree City USA operated by the Arbor Day Foundation, a nonprofit group in Nebraska.

The program requires no application fee. The only condition is that communities spend $2 per resident on anything related to trees. That could include planting, annual leaf pickup, purchasing equipment and other care and management, he said.

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Photo by Robert DeJonge

The International Dark-Sky Association will announce today that the Emmet County's Headlands has been awarded the prestigious International Dark Sky Park designation. The Freep reports that the 600-acre park just west of Mackinaw City is only the sixth International Dark Sky Park in the nation, which means that with minimal light pollution, it offers an extraordinary place for stargazing.

"It was a lot of effort, very time-consuming, but I love this stuff, so I was having a ball, and I'm just thrilled to get this," said Mary Stewart Adams, who served on the committee and, last December, led about 75 people through an all-night viewing session of a lunar eclipse at the Headlands.

"We believe this designation will attract a lot of serious astronomers to our area," she said, "but also the casual viewers who just want to see all the stars in the northern sky."

Key to securing the designation was the endorsement of Patrick Stonehouse, a teacher and astronomer in neighboring Cheboygan County who from his rooftop observatory in Wolverine discovered a comet in 1998 that the International Astronomical Union has labeled 1998 H1, or Comet Stonehouse.

"Children from the cities who have only seen pictures of stars in books will be thrilled and inspired as they gaze at thousands of bright twinkling stars, silent and magically suspended in the clear dark skies over the Headlands," he wrote in an e-mail congratulating committee members.

The Dark Sky Park designation will be celebrated with an event at the Headlands on June 21, the first day of summer and longest day of the year. Head over to emmetcounty.org/darkskypark for details and thanks to Vic McCarty at The Ticker for the tip - read his article with some more info right here. You can also see some photos from their winter eclipse viewing and (potentially) purchase the above photo at Robert DeJonge's Michigan Artisan website!

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Sequence 7408-09
by StacyN - MichiganMoments

Hosted by the Flow for Water Coalition, the Great Lakes Water Studies Institute at Northwestern Michigan College and Michigan Citizens for Water Conservation, the conference will focus on learning about the abuses and threats facing the Great Lakes. The conference will also provide solutions to stop these threats and to protect the citizens, communities, local agriculture, and businesses who depend upon the waters of the Great Lakes Basin.

Friday night's kick-off will feature a presentation by Maude Barlow, internationally recognized water advocate and former Senior Advisor to the President of the United Nations General Assembly. Ms. Barlow is the author of 16 books. Her address will offer a unique perspective on how each of us living within the Great Lakes Basin need to come together to protect the waters of the Great Lakes.

A screening of the award winning documentary "Tapped" (trailer below), an unflinching look at the plastic bottled water industry, will follow Ms. Barlow's presentation and the evening will conclude with an afterglow party in the "Dome" at the Park Place Hotel for networking, live music, and refreshments.

The conference continues on Saturday, May 7, at Milliken Auditorium and Scholar Hall on the campus of Northwestern Michigan College. Registration opens at 8:00 a.m. Welcome and introductions begin at 8:30 a.m.

Wenonah Hauter, Executive Director of Food and Water Watch and one of the world's leading experts on water, energy, food and the environment, will speak at 9:00 a.m. Her address will be followed by breakout workshop sessions on a variety of water-related topics. The event will conclude with an expert roundtable discussion: Solutions for Saving the Waters of the Great Lakes Basin.

"We are incredibly excited to hold this conference here and to be able to have presentations from both Maude Barlow and Wenonah Hauter. They will provide a dynamic wake-up call to everyone interested in protecting our Great Lakes," said Traverse City attorney, Jim Olson, who also serves as Executive Director of the Flow for Water Coalition.

"We take our incredible natural beauty and abundance for granted, but there are very real threats facing the Great Lakes Basin." Olson continued, "If we don't protect these majestic waters now, the Great Lakes could be lost for our future generations. Our goal is to build deep citizen awareness and provide solutions to make sure that doesn't happen."

Tickets & more information are available at www.flowforwater.org or by calling  231-432-0103.

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Pretty Setting - Cranbrook by MikeRyu

Spring has sprung! That means it's time to get out and enjoy the many things to do in and around Michigan during the month of April. Did we get them all? Not likely!! Add ones we missed (with links) in the comments! Click on in and see what's going on around the Great Lakes State!

In the Words of Mark Twain
"The first of April is the day we remember what we are the other 364 days of the year."

"It's spring fever. That is what the name of it is. And when you've got it, you want - oh, you don't quite know what it is you do want, but it just fairly makes your heart ache, you want it so!"

"In the spring I have counted one hundred and thirty-six different kinds of weather inside of four and twenty hours."

Fast Facts - Wikipedia
The birthstone of April is the diamond, and the birth flower is typically listed as either the Daisy or the Sweet Pea.

In The Waste Land, T. S. Eliot called April "the cruellest month".

April starts on the same day of the week as July in all years, and January in leap years.

April is Michigan Wine Month!
The website Michigan Wines tells us:
"Governor Jennifer M. Granholm has declared April "Michigan Wine Month" to honor Michigan's wide selection of quality wines and the wine industry's significant contribution to tourism in the state.

April is a great time to plan a trip to Michigan's wine regions. Tasting rooms are less busy than in summer and fall, and tasting room staff are delighted to have time to provide extra attention. Many of Michigan's wineries also begin to release their new wines; this spring will see the release of many of the wines from the 2005 harvest-regarded by all the state's winemakers as the best ever."

April's Fool Day

Enjoy some Absolute Michigan April Fools Day shenanigans!

"April Fools' Day or All Fools' Day, though not a holiday in its own right, is a notable day celebrated in many countries on April 1. The day is marked by the commission of hoaxes and other practical jokes of varying sophistication on friends, enemies and neighbors, or sending them on fools' errands, the aim of which is to embarrass the gullible. In some countries, April Fools' jokes (also called April Fools) are only made before noon on 1 April."

Check out Wikipedia's April Fools Day page for a whole bunch more information.

Snopes.com also has a nice page on the origins of April Fools Day

The Herald-News in Roscommon ran a great April Fools Day story in 1981 that is touted as one of the greats. Read about the The Michigan Shark Experiment at the museumofhoaxes.com.

Tax Day is April 15
In the United States, Tax Day is the common term for the day on which tax returns (statements about income taxes) are due to the federal and state governments from U.S. citizens, resident aliens, and certain nonresident aliens. More specifically, this is the last day on which tax returns can be mailed (as postmarked) to avoid penalties, with some exceptions. In the United States, Tax Day has usually been April 15 since 1955.

Visit the Wikipedia Tax Day page to continue reading everything there is to know about this dreaded day.

Earth Day is April 22 - many events happen on other dates in April, so check the map link for happenings in your area

No matter where you are located in Michigan, you are invited to join the celebration of Earth Day. Check out this interactive map of Michigan from the state's DEQ website and click on a region to view celebrations in that area! You will find the event name, location and a brief description as well as a link to the webpage for more information. Celebrate Earth Day every day!

Wikipedia's Earth Day entry  tells us:
"Earth Day is a name used for two different observances, both held annually during spring in the northern hemisphere, and autumn in the southern hemisphere. These are intended to inspire awareness of and appreciation for the Earth's environment. The United Nations celebrates Earth Day, which was founded by Gaylord Nelson, each year on the March equinox, while a global observance in many countries is held each year on April 22."

Founded by the organizers of the first Earth Day in 1970, Earth Day Network (EDN) promotes environmental citizenship and year round progressive action worldwide.

Things to Do, Places to Go

April 1-10
Detroit Restaurant Week - Detroit
Enjoy hearty three-course meals for $28 (excluding beverage, gratuity and tax) at select fine dining locations in Detroit.

April 1-24
Butterflies in Bloom at Dow Gardens - Midland
Encounter over 2,500 butterflies in Dow Gardens' beautiful blooming conservatory - just $1!

April 8
Detroit Tigers Home Opener - Detroit
There's few better ways to celebrate spring that the 2011 home opener vs. the Royals.

April 9-10
Michigan Wine Celebration - Pioneer Wine Trail
Each winery along the trail will feature an appetizer or dessert prepared by a local chef and paired with their featured wine. The ticket price also includes one tasting glass. A recipe card with the featured recipe will be given out to ticket holders at each winery.

April 10
Traverse City Chocolate Festival - Traverse City
Chocolate tasting along with wine and much more chocolate fun on Sunday from 1-4 PM.

April 11
Michigan Wine Showcase - Bloomfield Hills
The gala will take place in the Grand Ballroom at the Radisson, from 6:00 to 8:30 p.m. Guests will enjoy a comprehensive selection of artisan wines from Michigan winemakers with lavish appetizers of local ingredients.

April 13-16
Zehnders Ragtime Festival - Frankenmuth
Featuring some of the top ragtime performers from around the United States. It includes dinner, lunch and brunch concerts, vaudeville night, silent movies and sing-along.

April 15
Detroit Music Awards - Detroit
DMA awards are similar to the Grammy Awards presented by the National Academy of Recording Arts and Sciences. Award winners are determined by local musicians and music industry professionals in southeast Michigan, and presented in ten music genres; Folk/Acoustic, Blues, Jazz, Gospel, Country, Classical, Rock/Pop, R&B/Hip-Hop, Electronic and World. The DMA is the only local music awards in the nation to be presented by a not-for -profit organization. Voting is accomplished entirely via the internet.

April 15-16
Michigan International Wine Expo - Novi
The Michigan International Wine Expo is a unique fine wine and gourmet food experience, featuring wine tasting and seminars along with sampling from the area's premier restaurants featuring light hors d'oeuvres. Previous DMA events have featured electrifying performances and guest appearances by some of Detroit's most glittering music legends: Was (Not Was), Eminem with D12, The Clark Sisters, Kid Rock, Martha Reeves, Smokey Robinson, Bob Seger, Glen Frey, The Miracles, Grand Funk Railroad, George Clinton and Parliament, and Ted Nugent, among many others. The annual award show also spotlights outstanding emerging local musicians.

April 15-16
Earth Fair - Port Huron
Celebrate living a new environmentally-friendly life at the St. Clair County Earth Fair! We blend companies, artisans, entertainers, demonstrations, displays and hands-on activities together in an environment that's fun for the whole family. We hope you make plans to celebrate St. Clair County's largest Earth Day celebration and discover natural alternatives in food, energy, transportation, clothing, art, home and more!

April 15-16
Bringin' Back the 80's Festival - Frankenmuth
Bring back hair teasing memories by paying tribute to the music, trends and events of the 1980's. Don't sit back in your pegged pants and play Atari, come on down and have a great time at the 4th Annual Bringin' Back the 80's festival! Proceeds are going to the American Cancer Society.

April 15-16
Great Lakes Art Fair - Bellaire
The Great Lakes Art Fair is the Midwest's fastest growing fine art fair! The GLAF offers select artists and their patrons an expansive new marketplace that is delivering fresh energy and enthusiasm to the regional art community. This bi-annual show is presented by the Rock Financial Showplace in collaboration with Constance Mettler, a doyenne of the national art fair network since 1979.

April 16-17
Ann Arbor Antiques Market - Ann Arbor
The Ann Arbor Antiques Market will continue its tradition as a mainstay in the field of antiques and select collectibles. The Market offers the public a vast selection of quality antiques in the comfortable surroundings of seven buildings and numerous tent canopies. Seven large shows are held from April through October.

April 27 - May 1
National Trout Festival - Kalakaska
The mission of the National Trout Festival is to bring community, business and family together to celebrate the Heritage of our Natural Resources, Trout Fishing and Sportsmanship. We pride ourselves in promoting environmental education and the arts through entertainment.

April 29-30
Chef's Challenge for Challenge Mountain - Bellaire
Chef Teams from Northern and Southern Michigan present the state's great Agricultural diversity at it's succulent finest, complimented by fine Michigan wines and micro-brews, a true premier Michigan event.

April 29
Arbor Day - Michigan
Arbor Day is the celebration of trees and their importance in our lives; it is also a time to think about what we can do for trees and the world in which we live.

April 29 - May 1
69th Maple Syrup Festival - Vermontville
Vermontville is the "granddaddy" of them all! They are the home of the original Maple Syrup Festival in Michigan. They have something for everyone—Mid-America rides, talent show, arts and crafts, flea market, two parades, petting zoo, princess pageant, various displays, games, free entertainment and arm wrestling. Their syrup producers are located throughout the village selling syrup, candies, crème and the ever popular maple syrup cotton candy. You are invited to enjoy pancakes with real maple syrup.

April 29 - May 1
Shepherd Maple Syrup Festival - Sheperd
The people of the Central Michigan community of Shepherd invite you to celebrate their annual Shepherd Maple Syrup Festival, and enjoy activities including craft shows, entertainment, children's activities, museums, tractor pulls, classic car and tractor displays, parades, chainsaw carving, and amusement, train, and pony rides.

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Vineyard by ramjetgr

Michigan Radio Morning Edition host Christina Shockley is asking those in the know What's Working in Michigan? There's no better time to take a look at things that are already happening to improve our state's economy and our lives. Here's a snapshot of a few of the voices:

Linda Jones, the Executive Director of the Michigan Grape and Wine Industry Council on Michigan Wine: Success in a Bottle: "It combines our second and third largest industries: agriculture and tourism. Michigan is a long-standing fruit-producing state, especially on the west side of the state, but increasingly throughout Michigan we are planting wine grapes with new varieties that are being developed."

jibba jabba scribba scrabba rail jam 17 by emperley3

Scott MacInnes, the City Manager of Houghton on Turning winter in the U.P. into a tourist destination: "People around here live up here because they enjoy the weather. We do three or four special events in the downtown. We have Michigan Tech's Winter Carnival, which is a huge mid-winter festival for us up here. So we just have a lot of neat activities going on that really make the winter go by fast and make it enjoyable."

Rick Wilson, Heritage Sustainable Energy on Wind energy takes off in Michigan: "One of the things that I like to think, and that I believe, is that it's a homegrown source of power that is critical to our everyday lives. Traditionally, here in Michigan, 80 percent, I think, of our power, especially in Lower Michigan, is coming from large, somewhat archaic (not all of them, but, you know) coal-fired facilities. They may not even be located in Michigan. Some of them are located down in the Ohio River Basin and Indiana and surrounding states. So, to have, not only renewable generation here in our home state, but also just power that's generated right here in our back yard is something that's important for us as a community and as a state."

Read more stories from Michigan Radio and post what you think is working below!

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The ash borer is still active in the Great Lakes Echo's Invasive Species Smackdown which pits some of the most  heinous  invaders against each other for the crown, defeating the Syrex Woodwasp. It will move on to face an all-time heavyweight, the Gypsy Moth, in the quest to be the worst of the worst!

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Approaching Spring by mayerdavid1978

(sorry this update is a little late!) Our Michigan event calendar for the month of March features all kinds of signs that spring is just around the corner with some cautious reminders that objects around the corner may be further off than they appear.

Quotes

"March is a tomboy with tousled hair, a mischievous smile, mud on her shoes
and a laugh in her voice." - Hal Borland

"It was one of those March days when the sun shines hot and the wind blows cold: when it is summer in the light, and winter in the shade." - Charles Dickens

"Springtime is the land awakening. The March winds are the morning yawn." - Lewis Grizzard

"Spring is when you feel like whistling even with a shoe full of slush." - Doug Larson

"Spring is nature's way of saying, Let's party!" - Robin Williams

Fast Facts
March's birthstone is Aquamarine and Bloodstone. They symbolize courage.

Its birth flower is the Narcissus.

March in the Southern Hemisphere is the seasonal equivalent of September in the Northern Hemisphere.

Daylight-Savings time occurs on March 13, 2010, at 2:00 AM - time to spring ahead!

Think spring! The vernal equinox occurs on March 20, 2011, at 11:21  PM EDT.

Things to Do, Places to Go

March 1 - April 30
Foremost's Butterflies Are Blooming - Grand Rapids
Foremost's Butterflies Are Blooming is Meijer Gardens most popular annual exhibition and the largest temporary tropical butterfly exhibit in the nation. March 1–April 30, visitors can escape the Michigan winter and mingle with more than 6,000 tropical butterflies flying free in the 15,000-square-foot Lena Meijer Tropical Conservatory.

March 3 - 4
Kalkaska Winterfest - Kalkaska
Date changed for 2012! One of the largest races in the Midwest. Longest continuous running race in Michigan -- Since 1965. Largest purse in Michigan -- $6,000. The only race in the state with an Unlimited/Open Class.

March 11 - 12
Uptown Film Festival - Birmingham
The inaugural UFF is a two- night celebration of the Michigan film industry, and in particular, productions created entirely, or in part, within the state. It was established by leaders in the Michigan film industry and will be held annually to recognize the industry and individuals' accomplishments within the state. (visit on Facebook)

March 12
Annual Great Bear Chase Ski Marathon - Calumet
A laid-back, skier-oriented weekend in Calumet on the beautiful Keewanau Peninsula. You can choose between 26-km and 50km distances including a separate category for 26-km classic skiers. The Junior Bear Chase is a youth Nordic ski race for skiiers up to 16-years-old.

March 12
Brew-Ski Festival - Harbor Springs
Suds and snow. Is there a better combination? Our first annual Brew-Ski Festival features 100+ craft brews, entertainment and an evening of parties. We'll be pitching a big ole' tent at the base of the slopes where you and friends can purchase tickets and sample a variety of brews. The frothy samples are served up by brewery representatives while you enjoy music, brats and spring conditions.

March 11 - 13
Flushing Walleye Festival - Flushing
The event features:

• Outdoor Show Exhibits
• Fish Fry
• Trout Pond
• Outdoor Show
• Firefighter's Pancake Breakfast
• Guest Speakers
• Texas Hold'em Tournament/Poker Night
• Youth Group
• Chili Cook-off

March 17 - 20
Lansing Home & Garden Show - East Lansing
The strongest Home & Garden show in the Mid-Michigan area fills the MSU Pavilion on the campus of Michigan State University. Incredible gardens, extensive landscaping projects, a Standard Flower Show and three free seminar stages surround hundreds of exhibits featuring construction, remodeling, kitchens & baths, retail garden centers, pools and spas and home services.

March 17 - 20
Ultimate Sport and RV Show - Grand Rapids
Michigan's finest tradition for the avid fisherman, hunter or outdoor loving family! Over 350 exhibitors will be at the show with the latest outdoor gear, travel information and fishing boats. The features are famous: World Class Taxidermy, Antique Lures, Trout Pond, Woodcarvers, Pellet Range, Fishing Simulator, Rock Wall and Fly Casting Instruction. Nearly 100 fishing and hunting semainrs will be held on 4 stages, including "Lake Ultimate," the 110,000 gallon indoor lake. Michigan sportsmen never miss it!

March 18 - 20
Carnival Weekend at Boyne - Boyne Falls
It's party time once again. Boyne Mountain pulls out all the stops as Mardi Gras moves north for the weekend. How can I get some of those beads you ask, come to Boyne Mountain and find out. Bands, costume competitions, the slush cup and parties all over the resort make this a weekend to remember. You might want to plan on using a sick day for Monday.

March 19 - 20
Kalamazoo Living History Show - Kalamazoo
The largest, nationally recognized, juried show in the Midwest devoted to pre-1890 original or reproduction living history supplies, accouterments and related crafts. More than 10,000 historical re-enactors from pre-Revolutionary through the Civil War, history buffs, collectors, and the general public from 18 states and Canada come together for a festive weekend to buy, sell and trade. The event attracts over 270 of the finest craftsman and dealers of living history supplies and related crafts from throughout the United States.

March 22 - 27
Ann Arbor Film Festival - Ann Arbor
The Ann Arbor Film Festival is internationally recognized as a premiere showcase for creative, inspiring, and influential films of all types: avant-garde and experimental, story-based narratives, documentaries, and animation. As the longest-running film festival of its kind in North America, the AAFF is steeped in a rich tradition of ground-breaking cinema.

March 25 - 27
Kalamazoo Fretboard Festival - Kalamazoo
Come to the Kalamazoo Museum for a celebration of Kazoo's legacy of stringed-instrument design and manufacture. This free event invites visitors to meet instrument designers and learn about their trade, to hear live performances from area musicians, and to attend a variety of workshops for guitar, mandolin, banjo, ukulele and more!

March 25 – April 2
Royal Oak Restaurant Week - Royal Oak
A nine-day event celebrating the delicious diversity of the City's dining establishments. Held from Friday, March 25 through Saturday April 2, this annual event features special fixed price three-course dinner menus for either $15 or $25 from  almost two-dozen restaurants.

Did we get them all? Not likely!! Add ones we missed (with links) in the comments below!

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While this article was originally published in 2009, we found it to be still interesting & relevant. Be sure to check out the cool video below and also to head over to Great Lakes Echo for the rest of the stories in their special report on Lake Huron Sinkholes!

by Sarah Coefield

Researchers are exploring sinkholes in Lake Huron off the coast of Alpena, Mich. Photo: NOAA

The locals in Alpena have long known about sinkholes just offshore from their northeast Michigan community. But it will take researchers several years to unravel the local diving spots' mysteries.

The story of the Lake Huron sinkholes and their exotic ecosystems begins on a ship. While surveying shipwrecks in the Thunder Bay National Marine Sanctuary in 2001, Steve Ruberg and his colleagues were surprised to detect underwater basins 300 feet below the surface. To their trained eyes, the basins looked like sinkholes.

The discovery warranted further investigation.

Steve Ruberg

When the scientists returned they discovered salty groundwater venting into underwater sinkholes.

Sinkholes are not unusual. On land they can form wherever limestone is prevalent. Groundwater and rainwater dissolve the rock, carving underground caves and tunnels. If too much limestone dissolves, the surface collapses, forming a depression that can fill with water. The sinkholes in Lake Huron likely formed thousands of years ago, before the lake covered the limestone bedrock.

Though sinkholes are common, scientists have found that the ecosystems flourishing in them under Lake Huron are far from the ordinary.

Bopi Biddanda was immediately intrigued: "I said, what if it's a really different composition (of water) coming out. They'd be seeing very different types of life. Let's go and look there."

Biddanda, a research scientist at the Grand Valley State University Annis Water Resources Institute in Muskegon, Mich., co-leads the sinkhole research with Ruberg.

Beginning in 2003, divers and remotely operated vehicles collected samples and images from the sinkholes. They revealed conditions never before documented in the Great Lakes. The mats of purple and white bacteria thriving in them are reminiscent of life found in permanently ice-covered Antarctic lakes and deep sea vents, Biddanda said. At that point "we knew we were onto something really cool," he said. "Really unique life and possibly life processes that … could add to the exploration of life on the planet itself."

Before bubbling into the sinkholes in Lake Huron, the groundwater passes through 400-million-year-old bedrock rich with ancient marine salts and sulfur. By the time it reaches the lake, the water has little oxygen left. The combination of low oxygen and the presence of salt and sulfur is reminiscent of prehistoric Earth.

The water "is filling food webs that almost resemble what might have prevailed in the ancient shallow seas, probably a couple of billion years ago," Biddanda said.

This summer researchers are aging the water to see if it is as ancient as the bedrock it passes through.

The dense salt-and-sulfur-laden groundwater hugs the lake floor. Its constant temperature provides a nursery for exotic bacteria, but the low oxygen keeps fish at bay.

The brilliant purple mats in the shallow, sunlit sinkholes are composed of cyanobacteria – ancient, complex bacteria that rely on photosynthesis for energy, like plants, but use sulfur compounds in place of water. In the deep, dark sinkholes farther off shore, mats of bright white bacteria coat the sinkhole bottom. These white bacterial mats rely on chemosynthesis – using sulfur for energy in the absence of light or oxygen.

"You know, we never expected that in our own backyard, in the Great Lakes," Biddanda said. "It was totally, totally cool."

The unique bacteria and geology lend themselves to several research projects, including new disease treatments and a search for clues to ancient life and for similar ecosystems in the Great Lakes.

Read more about Lake Huron Sinkholes at Great Lakes Echo and check out Michigan in Pictures for more on karst and the Michigan Karst Conservancy

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ABSOLUTE MICHIGAN: What prompted you to do this?

LOREEN NIEWENHUIS: I've always felt connected to Lake Michigan.   It has always been the place where I relax, walk, and recenter myself.   When I turned 45, I wanted to take on something large, something that would challenge me on many levels.   So, I pulled out my maps of Lake Michigan and plotted a 1000-mile route around it.

ABSOLUTE MICHIGAN: What was your favorite stretch of Michigan beach?

LOREEN NIEWENHUIS: I fell in love with the Sleeping Bear Dunes National Lakeshore and Leelanau Peninsula all over again.   The natural beauty is amazing, the towns are very connected to the lake along this stretch, and there are several excellent independent bookstores along the way.

You can read what Loreen has to say about the Sleeping Bear Dunes Lakeshore on her blog, and here's a brief excerpt from the book.

Bobcat, dead deer, and cougars, OH MY!

North of Portage Lake, it soon gets rather remote and the shoreline becomes rugged with high, wooded dunes flanking me to my right, with the expanse of calm lake to my left. There are miles without any signs of civilization, and I pass curious tracks along a small stream that look like a bobcat made them. Not a mile from the stream, a severed foreleg of a deer rests, bloody, on the shore.

A bobcat couldn't take down a full-sized deer. To forestall the obvious conclusion that something even larger had killed it, I think up a "Clumsy Deer Scenario" where the deer trips, conks its head on a rock, and is eaten by the bobcat.

Oh, clumsy, clumsy deer!

Then I think about all the times that I have stumbled on the trek so far, over icy rocks, through roots grabbing at my feet, over piles of driftwood. I begin to feel little ravenous cat eyes on me, waiting for me to blunder, stumble, and conk my head. At home, I have a 15-pound housecat who has some rather feral moments, so I am sure I can fend off a bobcat – as long as I have my walking stick and my wits about me.

To allay my fears, though, I yell, "Venison is DELICIOUS!"

There are wild cats bigger than bobcats in Michigan: cougars. And I don't mean the Demi Moore type. These big carnivores – over 100 pounds – have been seen all over the state. Cougars are genetically programmed to jump on the back of their prey and clamp their jaws on the neck, working their incisors between the vertebrae to sever the spinal cord so their prey will stop struggling. Then: dinnertime.

My main consolation was that I'd probably not see a cougar come at me. It would be over before I had time to say, "Venison is DELICIOUS!" I hope that my larger pack would protect me, or somehow make me seem less of an option for a cougar dinner.

Or, maybe, the cougar would knock me over, pack and all, but I'd have time to pull out my pepper spray and spray the cat and not myself. And I wished for a big cat that did not think pepper spray would make me taste even more delicious.

Visit Loreen's website A 1,000-Mile Walk on the Beach for more including photos, excerpts, book signings and ordering information.

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On a whim, I went to Wordle and plugged in a sampling of Absolute Michigan and Michigan in Pictures. The results are above (click above for bigger view or see it even bigger).

One thing is clear: we love water! We'll use this page to feature some watery goodness - add your own events, comments, photos, links, videos, etc to the comments or on Facebook!

Let's kick things off with an announcement of the next Water Festival - the Benzie County Water Festival on Saturday, March 19, 2011 in Frankfort! Absolute Michigan is a proud sponsor of the festival, and we will feature interviews and special features on Michigan's water leading up to the festival - stay tuned!

Check this out background bigtastic and in John's Michigan Lighthouses slideshow. Much more at Michigan Nut Photography.

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'Lighthouse Dawn' Point Betsie Lighthouse, Lake Michigan
photo by Michigan Nut

The First Annual Benzie County Water Festival is a community water celebration that takes place on Saturday, March 19th 2011 in Frankfort. This will be a unique event designed to engage folks in the stewardship of the Great Lakes, the global freshwater crisis and the cultivation of a vibrant and sustainable local culture. A family-oriented, community-centered program will feature Michigan musicians, speeches from water luminaries, interactive multimedia projects and presentations, artisan foods and beverages, workshops, visual art, theater and dance, children's activities, an ice fishing contest, as well as connections to campaigns and projects protecting our water locally and/or addressing global water challenges.

The Benzie County Water Festival is co-sponsored by the Benzie Conservation District and  Absolute Michigan. For more information, check out the Benzie Water Festival Facebook and contact Sarah Louisignau by calling 231-871-1075 or by  e-mail.

The first Michigan Water Festival was held on the Straits in Mackinaw City in August of 2006 and attracted 500 people from all over the state. The Water Festival moves around Michigan every year, bringing the message of the vitality of Michigan's water all around the state,. Learn more at water-festival.org and in the video below!

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Huron River by Ann279

Our friends over at the Great Lakes Echo tipped us off to an interesting thing that the University of Michigan is doing. It's called The Water Semester. The semester celebrates water in all forms through courses, public lectures, exhibitions, performances, and explores water from diverse perspectives, including water in art (and music!), water in literature, the role of water in shaping human history, the origins and physics of water on Earth and beyond, and exploration of the global water crisis and water sustainability on local, regional, and global scales.

There will be a keynote "The World is Blue" on January 26th by TED Prize winner, National Geographic Explorer & Oceanographer Sylvia Earle. Earle is the founder of Mission Blue and you can see her amazing and sobering TED presentation below.

Other highlights include a Water Careers Fair on February 16, showings of movies including michigan produced FLOW: For Love of Water (Jan 27), a lecture on Art and the Environment with philosopher David Abram and dance educator Jennifer Monson (Mar 19), workshops on a variety of topics including Photographing Water, a Science Café regarding Water, Oil, and Energy at Conor O'Neill's Traditional Irish Pub (Feb 9) and family events including a Water Discovery Day (Mar 25).

Amazing kudos to the U of M for developing the The Water Semester. Click over for much, much more including how you can take steps to make a difference in one of the most important issues of our time.

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Hybrid by RichardDemingPhotography

West Michigan Strategic Alliance welcomes electric vehicles with charging stations in Crain's Michigan Business says that Grand Rapids, Holland, Muskegon and other West Michigan communities are laying the groundwork to support electric & plug-in hybrid cars:

By next spring, there may be as many as 75 public charging stations located in the parking lots of businesses, colleges, hospitals and other sites scattered throughout West Michigan, all paid for by federal stimulus funds.

Never mind that there are no mass-produced electric or plug-in hybrid vehicles yet on the market. They are coming soon, and West Michigan officials said they want to make the region friendly to them.

"Rather than sit back and wait, we decided to be proactive about it," said Greg Northrup, president of the West Michigan Strategic Alliance. "It's another one of those issues in which we try to see where things are going and be a part of it."

There's more information about the effort along with how buyers of these vehicles can get free home charging stations at Crain's Michigan and from the West Michigan Strategic Alliance. You can also learn about free charging stations for southern Michigan communities at ChargePoint America. Also check out this video from FOX-17 that explains how the backers of the program hope to drive demand for Michigan produced vehicles.

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This Chicago Tribune feature Lake invaders may be killing birds comes to us by way of The Chicagoist. It posits that the interactions of two invasive species are behind this year's record avian die-off numbers:

Zebra mussels and quagga mussels filter naturally occurring botulism and other toxins from the water. Round gobies, another problematic invasive species, eat the mussels, and birds, in turn, eat the gobies.

"The evidence is there to suggest this is happening, but it's circumstantial evidence because we haven't found any proof of it," said Tom Cooley, a biologist at the Michigan Department of Natural Resources. "All we can really do at this point is to continue to monitor what's happening and maybe something in the lakes will turn around."

Michigan's DNR and the Common Coast Research & Conservation are among the organizations, including the USGS and the National Wildlife Health Center, studying the deadly phenomena that this year is expected to kill as many or more birds than died in the oil spill in the Gulf of Mexico last summer.

Scientists don't know how long botulism or similar toxins have been killing birds in the Great Lakes, but the first sizable counting came in 1999, when researchers recorded 311 birds off the shores of Lake Erie. The following year, they found 8,000 around the Great Lakes and the death counts have remained in the thousands every year since.

Thanks to for the tip! Speaking of the Chicagoist, earlier this summer they reported that there are now an estimated 4 quadrillion quagga mussels in Lake Michigan alone, more that the number of fish in all the world's seas! Here's a video of round gobies feeding on invasive zebra mussels in Lake Michigan.

Photo credit: Round Goby from Wikimedia Commons.

Photo credit: Round Goby from Wikimedia Commons.

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Long tailed duck from george desort on Vimeo.

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