Read us online at UpNorthVoice.com!
Up North
Voice Vol. 12, Issue 5
Strengthening the communities of Northeast Michigan
Free
May 2021
Rosco race on tap
ROSCOMMON – The 39th Annual Roscommon Canoe Classic is scheduled for May 8-9 at Wallace Park in the Village of Roscommon. The race is held on the South Branch of the AuSable River and is the longest running Michigan Canoe Racing Association (MCRA) race. ♦ See ROSCO RACE on page 4
IN THIS ISSUE: Out and About A-2 Spring sports pics A-8 Yoga A-15 Trestle Park A-15 Eagle Voice B-1 Laughing Buck B-11
Voice opens Mio office
OSCODA COUNTY – Up North Voice is expanding. The Voice announced the company will start maintaining office hours on Wednesdays from 8 a.m. to 3 p.m. at the Oscoda County Chamber of Commerce office, located at 201 Morenci in Mio. The ♦ See MIO OFFICE on page 4
Shelby Augustyniak-Irwin is a junior at Hale High School. Her pet goat, Dusty climbed up on her back to take a break.
How does Huron Pines plan its river projects? The Nature of Things By Chris Engle NORTHEAST MICHIGAN The river restorations that Huron Pines carries out on watersheds across Northern Michigan are the culmination of years of information gathering and planning. Before we restore a road/stream crossing site, we gather data to understand the negative impacts an old culvert is having on a river and to predict how a new crossing structure will benefit the health of a river and its trout. In the same way, the choices we make about our land stewardship efforts are also based on extensive data collection by staff, partner organizations and citizen scientists. The more information we have, the easier it is to prioritize where we should focus our efforts and accurately estimate the time and resources necessary to make the biggest impact on the region. In 2020, to better meet the
demands of our region, we reorganized our 12-county invasive species network into two Coastal and Heartland Invasive Species Networks. The networks are supported in part by the Michigan Invasive Species Grant Program and each have their own coordinators and field technicians, to provide greater capacity and better services tailored to the unique needs of each landscape. Working collaboratively, partners in the Huron Coastal Invasive Species Network and the Huron Heartland Invasive Species Network engage communities and lead them in a strategic and coordinated approach to invasive species management, including awareness, prevention, control and restoration. By land and by sea, we’ll rack up the miles to gather data that’s critical for our decision-making process. This summer, our Heartland invasives team will again fire up their four-wheelers to complete a twoyear effort of surveying 700 miles of motorized trails and 65 forest campgrounds for invasive plants. Data gathered during this inventory will help drive future work to restore these recreation areas so that native plants and wildlife can flourish. This project, funded by the U.S.
Forest Service’s Cooperative Weed Management Area program, covers Crawford, Montmorency, Ogemaw, Oscoda, Otsego and Roscommon counties. This trail and campground survey is an opportunity to also look at sites where trails intersect streams to help determine whether future projects could restore those waterways with improved crossing structures. “I’ve been surprised at the variation in terrain and habitats I encounter in one trail loop,” said Stewardship Program Coordinator Shelby Bauer about the first half of the trail survey last year. “It has really been a unique and different way to experience Northern Michigan.” From June to September, our invasive-plant inventory and treatment will take us to parts of ♦ See RIVER PROJECTS on page 7
To submit photos or stories for the May issue of Up North Voice, please email mconstance@upnorthvoice.com by May 20 at 5 p.m.
