Extra- Special Free Karner Butterfly Tour Sunday!

graphic from Bigelow Creek Nature Preserve

a news release of Bigelow Creek Nature Preserve

Witness the Magic of the First Flight of Karner Blue Butterflies, a federally endangered species who calls our Oak Savannahs home.

From 10 am - 1 pm on Sunday, May 31, 2026, Bigelow Creek Nature Preserve in Newaygo, Michigan, which is normally closed to the public, will be hosting free tours to see the endangered Karner Blue Butterfly and its habitat.

Join us at Bigelow Creek Nature Sanctuary, MNA's newest property in Newaygo County, for a guided Karner Blue Butterfly flight tour. Walk the land with local naturalists, learn how this endangered butterfly depends on native habitats, and see firsthand what careful stewardship looks like on the ground.

Your registration supports the Newaygo County Environmental Coalition’s work to protect and restore native ecosystems across our county. This small-group tour offers time for questions, quiet observation, and connecting with the land we share.

You must sign up in advance.

Register for a ticket


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Clearing the Pine for Paddlers

clearing the Pine River (still extracted from video by Hoxeyville Outfitters and Pine River Paddlesports)

compiled from several sources

The Pine River has some of the fastest navigable water in Michigan and two Northern Michigan outfitters, Pine River Paddlesports Center and Hoxeyville Outfitters, spend time each spring clearing downed trees from the waterway.

But this year, they added a new strategy. In addition to cutting from shore or from a canoe, they are repelling from a rope suspended above the river down to chainsaw large trees. The spring flooding in Michigan has left a larger than usual amount of debris, and the outfitters expect the work will continue all summer.

The goal is to make the river as safe as possible for paddlers. They state that personal safety as they do the clearing is a priority, and the work is potentially dangerous. However, they don't want users to be surprised by a sudden obstacle when they round a bend in the river.

Owners, Jacob Miltner and Rylie Gates, say they have decades of combined experience doing work like this. Each year they clear about 45 miles of the Pine River. Except for the repelling, the two businesses do this work every spring. Few people have known what they do to keep the river clear.

They carefully plan how to approach each obstruction. This is not something the average person should try.

See the full video at 9 and 10 News


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North Country Trail Association Introduces New Executive Director

Kate Hagner (photo from the NCTA)

a news release of the North Country Trail Association

Editor's note- With nearly 1200 miles of North Country Trail located in Michigan, about half in the Lower Peninsula, NCT news is definitely Get Off The Couch news.

The NCTA welcomes Kate Hagner, the North Country Trail Association’s new Executive Director. Mid-June, she will begin leading the Association from her home in Vermont.

Kate comes from nearly 20 years of service with the Student Conservation Association. Most recently, she was the Senior Director for Enterprise Operations, providing organizational leadership and aligning systems, processes, and teams to support strategic growth, program effectiveness, and mission impact. She led in other management and director roles for 12 years prior. Kate holds a B.A. in English from Smith College and an M.A. in English and Writing from the University of Texas.

“I’ve lived in Minnesota, upstate New York, and now Vermont – places all connected to the geography of this trail,” said Kate. “Meaningful outdoor experiences do not need to happen only in iconic destinations. I love that the North Country Trail is close to where so many people already live and work. Because of the NCTA, [the trail] is a thread connecting people, place, and time. As Executive Director, I will work to strengthen that thread – to protect it, expand it, and invite more people to see themselves as part of it.”

“I am confident that under Kate’s leadership, the NCTA will continue to thrive, strengthen partnerships, and build momentum toward the forever trail,” said Jan Ulferts Stewart, NCTA Board President.

Cheryl Kreindler will remain Interim Executive Director until Kate is fully onboarded.

You may post a welcome message to Kate at Kudoboard


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See the Depths of Lake Superior, Live

Lake Superior Dive poster

from Great Lakes Now

We suggest to stay ON the couch for this event! However, you'll be able to watch an exploration of the depths of Lake Superior on June 6, 2026.

Join a livestreamed expedition to the deepest point in the Great Lakes! Explore a hidden underwater world from your own screen and have your questions answered LIVE.

More than 1,300 feet beneath the surface of Lake Superior lies the deepest point of the Great Lakes. It’s so deep that no light reaches it, and it has not been visited in 40 years.

Great Lakes Now is teaming up with freshwater explorers Yvonne Drebert and Zach Melnick to send a remotely operated vehicle (ROV) to the bottom of Lake Superior. High resolution cameras will broadcast the descent in real-time and document the environment in unprecedented detail.

What We’re Hoping to See:
• The kiyi, a rare deepwater fish that is believed to live only in Lake Superior
• Alien looking deepwater sculpin
• Forests of colorful hydra
• The deepwater-adapted siscowet lake trout

The date and time of this livestream are subject to change due to weather conditions. Sign up for the Great Lakes Now newsletter to get reminders and updates delivered directly to your inbox: Great Lakes Now


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Students Restoring Scottville Nature Center

pond at Ed Malkowski Nature Center (photo by jhy)

from an article in the Ludington Daily News

The Ed Malkowski Nature Center in Scottville, Michigan, is a very small area with a pond and short path that was created a number of years ago by students from the Mason County Central Schools. Malkowski is a former principal.

Teacher Jacob Boone has been taking 8th-graders to the area to clean up the trails and begin to remove some of the invasive species. Some native plantings are being added.

A mini grant from the Mason County Youth Advisory Council has made the project possible. The trail is currently cleared. Some additional repairs will be done to the bridge over the small creek.

Boone says, "I'm trying to teach kids to respect the gift of nature... Helping to improve it is a great way to do that." The teacher stated that they even found trash cans thrown in the pond when they began work.

There is not a set end goal. Boone would like to keep improving the area by using it as an outdoor classroom and teaching resource. The trail is open to the public and the access is just south of the Johnson Road entrance to the school complex.

See Ed Malkowski Nature Path


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Brower Lake Nature Preserve Celebrates 50 Years

wild lupine in bloom (photo from Land Conservancy of West Michigan)

from Land Conservancy of West Michigan

At Brower Lake Nature Preserve in Kent County, Michigan, purple lupine is in bloom where less than ten years ago stood a monoculture of one non-native tree species: Scotch pine.

At this preserve, the Land Conservancy of West Michigan has been working to restore native oak barrens and oak-hickory forest habitat through selective forest thinning and prescribed fire. Year after year, as we watch habitat become more established, we see more biodiversity in the understory of this woodland. Each new blade and blossom is a heartening confirmation that we are heading in the right direction.

The path we are on is a long one, and we will need to keep showing up to keep our promise of protecting these places in perpetuity. As we celebrate our 50th Anniversary this year, we are taking a moment to appreciate how far we've come. Do yourself a favor: Take a walk at Brower Lake Nature Preserve and take it all in.

See Brower Lake Nature Preserve


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Man Arrested in Connection to Duncan Bay Nature Preserve Fire

Duncan Bay Nature Preserve fire (photo by Erik Galloway)

from Up North Live

The Duncan Bay Nature Preserve near Cheboygan, Michigan, burned Friday evening. The fire is 100% contained. The exact cause of the fire has not been released, but a 29-year-old man was taken into custody on Saturday.

Multiple fire departments battled the blaze, and aircraft were also used to drop water.

The Little Traverse Conservancy which manages the preserve says, "Thankfully no one was hurt and we understand a suspect has been detained. The trails and beach are accessible and we will be working to repair damages.”

UPDATE, May 27, 2026 Sean Huddleston, 29 was charged with arson, malicious destruction of property, and two counts of malicious destruction of a building. He is accused of intentionlly setting the fire which burned 40 acres in the preserve. He is being held on $1 million bond.

See Cheboygan Daily Tribune
And see Up North Live


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M-20 Opens Over Lewis Farms Tunnel

M-20 Tunnel (photo from Oceana County Road Commission)

from Oceana County Press

While the actual tunnel will not be open for use for several more weeks, M-20 that passes over the pedestrian tunnel to Lewis Farms in Oceana County, Michigan, has reopened.

In addition to the tunnel, a right turn lane on M 20 for eastbound traffic to access 68th Avenue has been added. The road is widened, and a portion of 68th Avenue has been paved.

Although it appears complete, the tunnel is not yet open for pedestrian and tram use because the contractors are waiting for various electrical materials. A central divider fence separates foot traffic from the trams which will transport people from a parking area to Lewis Farms

See Pedestrian Tunnel Under Construction in Oceana County


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Rogue River Road Non-motorized Bridge Installed

Rogue River Road pedestrian bridge being installed (photo from Plainfield Township)

from M-Live

On Thursday, May 14, the final 175-foot section of the South Rogue River Trail in Kent County, Michigan, was lowered into place by cranes. This 10-foot-wide prefabricated steel bridge will parallel the Rogue River Road bridge.

The $800,000 bridge is the largest portion of the $2.2 million project aimed at connecting trails from Lake Michigan to mid-Michigan. This full segment is about two miles in length from the White Pine Trail to the Rogue River.

The South Rogue River Trail is part of the larger, multi-county project to expand the Grand River Greenway. This section is expected to open in a few weeks

See South Rogue River Trail Construction


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Red Cedar Water Trail Opens

paddlers on the Red Cedar River (photo from Bridge Michigan)

compiled from several sources

The Red Cedar River Water Trail connects Williamston, Michigan, to the Grand River in Lansing. The trail is about 23 miles long and passes through farms, forests, suburban areas, and recreational lands.

The upstream end of the trail is at Williamston in McCormack Park, and the final takeout is at River Street Park/ Sweeney's Landing on the Grand River. Some sections have rapids, and others are calm enough to allow a single put-in where paddlers can easily travel both upstream and downstream.

The designation comes as the result of efforts by the Rotary Club and the City of Williamston.

See a map of the route and public launch sites


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DNR to Host Kirtland's Warbler Tours

Kirtland's warbler (photo from MI DNR)

a news release of Michigan DNR

Want to learn more about one of North America’s rarest songbirds? The Michigan Department of Natural Resources is hosting two free tours of the Kirtland’s warbler and its jack pine habitat this spring in Grayling.

The outings will take place from 7-10 a.m. on Saturday, May 30, and again on Saturday, June 13. The events start and end at the DNR’s Grayling (Michigan) field office, 1955 Hartwick Pines Road.

The tours will start with a short presentation detailing the Kirtland’s warbler history, past and current conservation status, and future management strategies. Once nearly extinct, the gray and yellow Kirtland’s warbler remains a state-threatened species, with about 95% of the bird’s world population nesting in northern Michigan.

Tour participants will then make a short drive to tour the jack pine habitat and observe the Kirtland's warbler. This involves a walk of about half a mile on a trail road. Bring sturdy footwear, binoculars, water and bug spray.

The events will take place rain or shine.

RSVP to DNR wildlife biologist Tim Riley at rileyt6@michigan.gov or (989) 370-7313.


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Nature Activity Books for Kids

graphic from Leave No Trace

from Leave No Trace

America’s 250th anniversary is a chance to look back at what we’ve built together — and commit to protecting it for the next 250 years. Leave No Trace has partnered with the U.S. Forest Service and Bureau of Land Management to launch a national campaign focused on caring for public lands, from local parks to national forests and open spaces across the country.

We’ve created free resources for young people, families, educators, and outdoor enthusiasts to celebrate, learn, and take action. Watch the campaign video, then explore and download youth activity booklets, posters, and social assets to share the message in your community.

There are two different workbooks that can be downloaded, free, at the link below.

See Leave No Trace


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