Currents VOLUME 29 ISSUE 1: 2022
As I begin my journey with HeadWaters, I wanted to familiarize myself more deeply with the history of the organization, so I dove into reading through copies of HeadWaters’ past newsletters. As I knew I would, I found an abundance of kindred spirits among their pages, sharing words and stories that echoed the familiarity of a favorite book.
MEET JULIE RUBSAM
During this time, Julie worked in the Botany & Plant Pathology Greenhouse where she grew and cared for plants used for classes. Her work in the greenhouse led to a change in educational focus. She transferred into the Dept. of Horticulture & Landscape Architecture and the Dept. of Forestry & Natural Resources where her studies merged to fulfill her desire to study the design of habitats. After graduating from Purdue, Julie worked for the Indiana Arborist Association. She worked for IAA for almost 10 years where Julie helped plan and implement educational programming for urban foresters. In 2008, Julie and her husband, Jason, co-founded Lafayette PC, a computer consulting company in downtown Lafayette, IN. While Jason focused on IT services, Julie stepped into the role of CEO where she was responsible for business development, sales, efficient operations, marketing strategies, and all other obligations that come with owning a small business. In a few short years, Lafayette PC won several community awards including Small Business of the Month, Small Business of the Year, and Journal & Courier’s Reader’s Choice Award. During this time, Julie personally received the Top 10 Under 40 Award and was named Central Indiana’s BNI (Business Networking International) Member of theAfterYear.selling Lafayette PC in 2014, Julie used her business and development skills as a Resource Associate at United Way of Greater Lafayette. In 2016, she was hired as NICHES Land Trust’s first Development Director. Soon after, she transitioned into the role of Deputy Director where her business acumen, development skills, and conservation knowledge allowed NICHES to grow substantially in their capacity to meet their conservation needs.
Staff Julie Rubsam Executive Director Libby Benjamin Director of Conservation Dianne Farner Community Engagement & Development Rhiannon Erhardt Stewardship Technician Board Directorsof James Supina Chairperson Martha Eberly Vice Chairperson/Secretary Robb Smith Treasurer William Anderson John Dallas Keith ThomasFrankVirginiaMartellPierceRuswickSchupbachJeffreyTwyman HeadWatersConservancyLand 110 South Elm Ave Gaylord, MI 49735 Gúe Cover photo by JoyAnne Mittig 2 | HeadWaters Land Conservancy
Julie grew up in southern Indiana on the north side of Evansville. Her love of the outdoors began at an early age and was fostered by many family excursions hiking and camping at state parks. She began her college studies in the Botany & Plant Pathology Dept. at Purdue University in the mid-90s focusing on plant genetics.
Staff
Letter from the EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR
The excitement in Joe Kutkuhn’s words found in the very first issue of our newsletter published 2-years after our inception was palpable. A year later, we would sign our very first conservation easement for 72-acres on Horseshoe Lake in Oscoda County and our legacy for the land was cemented. Since 1993, HeadWaters Land Conservancy has averaged almost 450-acres of protected land per year! That is quite a legacy, and I am honored to step into the role of Executive Director and follow in the footsteps of the passionate leaders who preceded me. Like many stories about conservation, I also found sadness and disappointment written across the pages. I am sure all of us have a “I remember when” story to tell of a special place lost to the engine of development that never seems to slow. When explaining to family and friends the role HeadWaters fulfills for conservation in Michigan, asking them to share one of their “remember when” tales helps give perspective to the important work we do. When thinking of the past, let’s focus on the remember when stories of every successful acre saved permanently from development and use it to help fuel our determination for the future. There is still so much work to be done.
Twenty-eight years of stories filled with hope and optimism for the future of the special places found within the 11-counties of northeastern Michigan we help protect.
HEADWATERS 2022 & Board
REMEMBERING Stephen M Qua Land&StewardshipProtection,Education 40% Fundraising 15% Management&General 45% Non OrganizationsProfit 2.57% Business 1.1% Individual 96.33% Income & Expense* 2021 Year End Update
During his time on our board, Steve served as Chair, Vice Chair, and Director. Those who served with him greatly appreciated his knowledge and expertise in finances and investments. Steve’s guidance was invaluable on the use of stewardship funds in order to maintain our commitment to the acres we already protect and to expand future land conservation efforts. Long after his service on the board ended, Steve continued to serve as a guiding voice to our organization. We benefitted greatly from Steve’s love of northern Michigan and are sincerely thankful for his steadfast commitment to HeadWaters Land Conservancy.
SEPTEMBER 24, 1932 – NOVEMBER 9, 2021
195,360 FEET OF PROTECTEDSHORELINE 12,347 ACRES PROTECTEDOF LAND 90 EASEMENTSCONSERVATION 6 PRESERVESNATURE *Unaudited numbers headwatersconservancy.org | 3
We fondly remember Steve Qua, past HeadWaters Land Conservancy board member and conservation easement donor, for his many years of support and dedication to our organization. Steve and his siblings, Sarah Qua Watkins and George F. Qua, donated the conservation easement to their 75-acre property which has been in their family for 100-plus years on Otsego Lake in Gaylord, MI. We are honored that Steve and his family entrusted us to help protect a place they held so dear.
Under the Wolf
cannot be denied. On January 15th, HeadWaters took a fresh take on snowshoeing the Sturgeon Preserve, instead of a guided day hike, we opted for a candlelit night hike. Attendees were invited to hike the green trail guided by 200 luminaries at their leisure, under a very bright full moon. Staff took turns walking the trail and tending the fire by the entrance. Hikers mingled around the fire in between their woodland strolls, some came prepared with warm beverages too! Two lucky dogs and 40 humans came out to bask in the moonlight. The Sturgeon River Preserve never disappoints; the moon peeking through the cedars and spilling onto the river made for a truly magical evening. If you were unable to attend, fear not, we will be making this an annual event! Moon
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UPCOMINGEVENTS Snowshoes & Snowmen Big Lake Nature Preserve March 12th 1-3PM Workday Dault Nature Preserve April 28th 10AM-1PM MaintenanceTrail Day Sturgeon River Preserve May 6th 9AM-12PM Annual Spring Bird Hike Location TBD May 21st 8AM-11AM Knapweed Pull Hess Nature Preserve June 10th 10AM-12PM HWLC Bio Blitz Sturgeon River Preserve June 18th 9AM-12PM Visit our website to view our online calendar for up to date event information. A Look Ahead Photo Credit Sam Cornelius headwatersconservancy.org | 5
HWLC has had a snowshoe fleet since 2017, which was acquired through a grant from United Healthcare. This changed winter outreach events forever! With an average of three public snowshoe hikes a season, plus some added for schools and other organizations, we have decided to share the recreational wealth with our friends at Huron Pines. We are pleased to be in a position where we can spread the joy of snowshoeing and promote people getting outside in the winter! You can check out our website for more information on our upcoming events as well as those hosted by Huron Pines within our service areas.
SNOWSHOE SEASON IS UPON US AND THIS YEAR WE ARE BRANCHING OUT!
PRESERVE Planned work 6 | HeadWaters Land Conservancy
DAULT PRESERVE In 2021, we began the process of removing wooden edging and nonnative plants from a roadside garden. We managed to complete a lot on this project last year, but there is still yard waste and some remaining wood to pull out. Please join us on April 28th, 2022 so we can complete this project! It’s important to clear these obstacles for the health of our native wetland plant population and so other organisms like frogs, turtles, snakes, and salamanders can thrive.
HESS PRESERVE In 2021, we hand-pulled Spotted Knapweed on the beach at Hess Preserve in Presque Isle County by Lake Huron. If Spotted Knapweed is left to its own devices, it will take over and choke out native plants. Hess is home to a wide diversity of wetland and shoreline plants, so we really want to keep on top of this issue! We will have a volunteer opportunity this summer to assist in pulling this invasive species. Mark your calendars for June 10th, 2022. After the pulling is finished, you are welcome to stay and enjoy the beauty of Lake Huron and the variety of plants Hess has to offer.
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RIVERSTURGEONPRESERVE
Luneack Nature Preserve was transferred to HeadWaters by The Nature Conservancy in October 2017. The property is almost 580 acres and has many different ecosystems. Luneack has always been a bit of a wild preserve, but this year we are revealing the trail system! We have signs denoting the trails which will be installed this spring and the new map will be posted on the website and at the preserve. If you want to walk from a Jack Pine Savannah to a lake, from a wetland to an Oak stand, this is the place for you. It is off the beaten path, so call the office to get directions and to let us know that you are headed out there. We will be doing a ribbon cutting ceremony to reveal the new trail system after the signs are installed later this headwatersconservancy.orgyear.
This year, we will be installing a boot brush station at our Sturgeon River Preserve on Whitmarsh road in Gaylord. A boot brush is a big, bristled brush at ground level which visitors use to clean their boots before and after going on a hike. A study from PlayCleanGo shows that boot brushes are effective in stopping hikers from tracking invasive species into the natural areas we are trying to preserve. As an added bonus, when a sign with invasive species information is placed with the brush, it spreads knowledge to the public about invasive species “catching a ride” on your shoes if you do not clean them.
LUNEACK PRESERVE
P erhaps one of the wildest animals in our service area, the American mink is a critter worth writing about. Mink are part of the mustelid family with ferrets, otters and weasels. They are small nocturnal carnivores with short dense fur, the color of chocolate with small patches of white on the chin, throat, or belly. Unlike weasels, mink do not change coat color in winter. Mink have glands in the anal area that can release a powerful, unpleasant smelling musk that rivals the spray of a skunk. A male measures 20 to 30 inches weighing over three pounds, while females are smaller at 16 to 21 inches and 1.5 to two pounds. Breeding occurs in late February or early March. They have one litter a year with an average of four young. Males range widely over routes of 25 miles or more, while females stay close to their dens in holes, hollow logs, rock piles, beaver lodges, muskrat lodges, or abandoned muskrat dens. Males can maintain numerous dens and often cache food in some of them. While they are fast on land, they can swim and climb trees in a flash. They can live in streams, rivers, marshes, lakes, and ponds. Mink are astute predators that can kill with a single bite to the neck. They eat muskrats, crayfish, frogs, fish, rabbits, birds, insects, and Minksnakes.are considered a “furbearer”, which means they are harvested for their furs. Trapping has been a long standing tradition in Michigan. A license is required to harvest fur bearing animals in the state of Michigan, however there is no trapping or hunting of any animals allowed in HWLC nature preserves.
FRONT —›inch1/41‹— ‹—1 3/8 inch —› HIND 8 | HeadWaters Land Conservancy
SPECIES SPOTLIGHT AmericanMink (Neogale vison)
The Big Lake Preserve has a resident mink living in the marsh. During the winter months its tracks can be seen crossing from the roadside down into the preserve. If you find yourself out that way, test your tracking skills using the prints above.
VOLUNTEER SPOTLIGHT Mike and
- MIKE SUMERACKI
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J udy and I are originally from the Detroit area and met in undergrad. We married early, to today’s standards, I was twenty-one and Judy twenty. In our early years, Judy and I were both consumed with our careers attending graduate school and establishing a homestead. I eventually became Chief of Police in a Metro Detroit police agency and Judy became a manager in the pharmaceutical industry. While we both were in our careers we realized we needed an outlet and sought out property in northern Michigan and settled in Presque Isle. Initially bought some property in 1989 and built a weekend/vacation home in 2000. Through our years we always sought the tranquility of nature through outdoor activities. We always chose the quiet sports of hiking, snowshoeing foursnowmobilingversusandwheeling.
In September 2019 we both retired and moved fulltime to northern Michigan. I’ve always had a desire to learn fly-fishing but never had the time nor the money to pursue the sport. I pursued the dream of fly fishing, seeking lessons and school which led me to purchasing the Headwaters property on the North Branch. Once retired, the last thing you want to do is sit around you have to stay physically active. You know they say “motion is the lotion”, “use it or lose it” So Judy started to volunteer at a local food bank and hospital. I chose conservation, whether it is planting trees, river clean-up or fish counts. For the past years I’ve planted over 50 seedlings a year. Last year 25 of those on my property on the north branch. Another 25 planned for this year. By volunteering you meet so many kind, fun loving individuals and you begin to build a network of friends. Just trying to live life to the fullest.
SumerackiJudy
THANKS TO THE OTSEGO COMMUNITY FOUNDATION’S (OCF) COMMUNITY IMPACT GRANT HEADWATERS WAS ABLE TO HIRE AN INTERN FOR THE SUMMER OF 2021, WHO THEN BECAME A PERMANENT MEMBER OF STAFF. THAT WAS ME! Hi, if you haven’t met me yet my name is Rhiannon Erhardt. I am now the Stewardship Technician for HeadWaters Land Conservancy. Thanks to the OCF grant I was able to move away from my hometown (Grand Rapids) and up to Gaylord to start my first conservation related job! I started in May which I think most would agree is a great time to move up North. Previously the places I have lived are very metropolitan. As someone that loves to get deep into the forest and pretend that I’m far away from civilization, that environment isn’t ideal. The first time I stepped into the Sturgeon River Preserve, the sound of cars and traffic disappeared entirely. I could hear the bubbling of the river and the leaves rustling in the wind, at that moment I knew I was home. I am so grateful that the OCF opened these doors for me and that HeadWaters hired me so that I could continue to explore the beauty of Northern Michigan and help conserve this unique place through stewardship work.
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INTERNFROM to MEMBERSTAFF
HeadWaters belongs to many wonderful caring communities, within these communities exist supportive individuals and businesses that believe in our mission.
As a nonprofit, it is a great feeling when your work is noticed and better yet when that work is supported.
This January we were overjoyed to receive a call from the local Gaylord Meijer announcing HWLC as a recipient of a $5,000 gift for community enrichment. In addition to the Meijer gift, we were also able to secure $2,000 in funding to expand our outreach resources through Walmart’s Community Grant Program. We intend to use the funds for waders, kick nets, binoculars, a projector, field guides, foraging baskets and more. Providing more free educational events to nurture love for the land and water around us will serve not just the individual, but the community as a whole. We are excited to bring new experiences to our communities this year.
DEDICATED MEMBERS!
Thank You
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BUSINESSES!GAYLORD Thank You
headwatersconservancy.org
As a growing organization, HWLC has an ever expanding Amazon wish list. This winter we sent that wish list out to our wonderful donors and were shocked with the response! We received almost everything from that wish list; an Owl Meeting Lab system, four trail cams, gloves, hats, batteries, bug spray, drill and much more! We are extremely grateful for this overwhelming support of our organization and want to thank everyone who contributed to this haul of needful things! Last, but of course not least, we were gifted a new electric chainsaw from one of our longstanding volunteers, Jerry Smith! Look out balsam firs we’re coming for ya! Throughout the last two years, nature has served as a place of solace, gathering and rejuvenation. We are proud to be shepherds of open spaces where people can retreat into the woods, rivers and fields to find whatever they need to thrive. We are thankful for the dedication from all of our supporters! To see our Amazon wish list visit smile.amazon.com and search Headwaters Land Conservancy.
land@headwatersconservancy.orgwww.headwatersconservancy.org
Printed on Recycled Paper with Vegetable-Based Inks
As a first-time renter from the HeadWaters Land Conservancy, I was impressed by the process. I emailed Dianne, she sent me a picture of the snowshoes, a rental form, and I was able to pick them up for the entire weekend. They also offered advice on where to snowshoe. I rented snowshoes for my daughter, Isabella Holloway (16 months old) and my dad, Mike LaLonde. This was Isabella's first-time snowshoeing. We went snowshoeing on my parents' property in Vanderbilt. I was impressed how well she did! I think she liked seeing them on her feet. She had a hard time in the deep snow but was able to maneuver better on a trail. If it wasn't for this snowshoe rental program, I wouldn't have been able to share this first-time snowshoeing experience with my dad and Isabella.
Isabella’s
–LIZ HOLLOWAY
LandHeadWatersConservancy 110 South Elm Avenue Gaylord, MI 49735 989-731-0573
FIRST SNOWSHOE HIKE
