Agriculture And Natural Resources Week - Not Just for Farmers

Agriculture and Natural Resources Week (ANR Week) continues to be one of the largest events of its kind in the nation. ANR Week 2008 provides a wide-variety of topics in areas such as agriculture, horticulture, and natural resources, i.e. Quiet Water Symposium, Michigan Wildflower Conference, Growing of Michigan's Organic Future, MSRBA Rabbit Show, Michigan Audubon Society and the 80th state convention of the Michigan FFA.

Foundations for the week were laid by the Farmers' Institute more than a century ago. In 1898, Michigan Agricultural College hosted the first state-wide Farmers' Institute "Round-Up." Agriculture Hall was completed in 1909 and a fourth floor auditorium provided the meeting place. Five years later the round-up combined with farm association meetings to become the first "Farmers' Week."

The topics of interest over 90 years has changed with the times. In the 1960's is was the space age, in the 70's is was science and cybernetics, and the 80's bought forth issues related to world hunger. In 1982, Farmers' Week became Farmers' Week and Natural Resources Days followed by another name change in 1985 to Agriculture and Natural Resources Week. The event now hosts more than 150 programs and annual association meetings.

For 35 of the first 50 years, a moving force behind Farmers' Week was Ralph W. Tenny, director of agricultural short courses. From 1924-1959 he guided the event which drew nation-wide attention. Another Farmers' Week pioneer was R.J. Baldwin, director of MSU's Cooperative Extension Service from 1914 to1948. Dean Ernest L. Anthony also played a stellar role in the first 50 years of history. The animal science building is named in his honor. The trio of MSU "elder Statemen" are but a few of the many leaders who have contributed to the half-century success of Farmers' Week. Thomas Thorburn served as general chairperson from 1978-1988 In 1989, Wilma Miller became the program coordinator for ANR Week and served through 1995. In 1996, Sandi Bauer became the program coordinator until 2007. Megghan Honke is the current program coordinator.

from Michigan State University, College of Agriculture and Natural Resources
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Strong Arms - High Speed

Chris Klebl, a member of the U.S. National Disabled Nordic Ski Team, cruises down the back stretch of the sit-ski course photo by Dan Schneider/ Daily Mining Gazette

The U.S. National Disabled Nordic Ski Team will ski in the first race of the 2008 U.S. National Cross Country Skiing Championships. The races begin Tuesday in Houghton, Michigan.

A sit-ski has a custom molded seat attached with an aluminum frame to a regular pair of skis. The skis attach to the frame with various conventional bindings. International competition requires the seat to be 30 centimeters above the skis, but after that athletes are free to improvise.

"This is about it for us in the U.S., and there's what, six of us," said Sean Halsted, referring to himself and his teammates on the U.S. National Disabled Nordic Ski Team. Sean was injured while in the military in 1998, and at first thought he'd never be able to participate in athletics again. But he was introduced to sit-skiing in 2001 at a winter sports clinic offered by the Disabled American Veterans.

First he tried downhill skiing, but decided that he preferred Nordic style. At first, he admitted, he thought it looked impossible. Nordic Sit-skiers propel themselves exclusively with their arms, double-poling all the time.

California Polytechnic State University is studying the dynamics of sit-ski equipment, but little other scientific work has been done on the topic. Since there are so few sit-skiers, Halsted said, the sport does not have the benefit of commercial research and development.

Members of the U.S. national team will compete Tuesday with laps on the 2.8-kilometer course at the Michigan Tech Nordic Ski Trails. The race begins at 9 a.m. The men on the team — Chris Klebl, Bob Balk, Greg Mallory, Andy Soule and Halsted will race 11.2 kilometers. Monica Bascio, the one female member of the team, will race 8.4 kilometers.

from Mining Gazette, "Strong arms and high speed", Dec 31, 2007
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Bend, 1,2 Lift 3,4 - Reduce Stroke Risk

People who have good physical function after the age of 40 may lower their risk of stroke by as much as 50 percent compared to people who are not able to climb stairs, kneel, bend, or lift as well, according to research published in the December 11, 2007, issue of Neurology®, the medical journal of the American Academy of Neurology.

For the study, researchers examined 13,615 men and women in the United Kingdom from 1993 to 1997 who were between the ages of 40 and 79 and had not suffered a stroke, heart attack or cancer. Participants were then asked to complete a self-reported test on their physical function 18 months later that looked at how well they were able to climb stairs, carry groceries, kneel, bend and lift. Researchers monitored how many strokes were suffered in this group through 2005.

The study found that people who scored in the top quartile on the physical function test had a 50-percent lower risk of stroke than those with the lowest test scores. This finding remained unchanged after adjusting for age, sex, body mass index, high blood pressure, cholesterol, smoking, diabetes, physical activity, social class, alcohol consumption and respiratory function.

The study also found for every increase of 10 points on the test, men had a reduced risk of stroke by 19 percent and women had a 29 percent lower stroke risk.

"People who reported better physical health had significantly lower risk of stroke," said study author Phyo Kyaw Myint, MRCP, with the University of Cambridge in the United Kingdom. "This is independent of the known risk factors for stroke in the general population."

Myint says people with poor physical function may represent a high risk population for stroke. "This physical function test may identify apparently healthy men and women at an increased risk of stroke who may benefit the most from preventative treatments."

Myint says it's also possible that poor physical function may reflect underlying health issues, such as chronic inflammation, which may lead to vascular disease. He says increasing physical activity and eating more fruits and vegetables, which has been associated with better physical function, may also help to reduce stroke risk.

a news release of the American Academy of Neurology , "Good physical function after age 40 tied to reduced risk of stroke", Dec 10, 2007
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108th Audubon Bird Count, Local Date - Jan 5, 2008

The tradition continues of counting birds across the Americas

Michigan Birds publication

Last season's Christmas Bird Count (CBC) is in the record books and the upcoming 108th Christmas Bird Count has begun, the field season for which began on Friday, December 14th, 2007 and runs through Saturday, January 5th, 2008. Please remember that the dates of the CBC period every season run from 14 December to 5 January; the count period was expanded and permanently set to these dates after the 100th Count.

Meanwhile, the 107th Christmas Bird Count summary issue of American Birds went to press in October, with articles including the release of the 2007 WatchList and a feature by Scott Weidensaul on how Christmas Bird Count results may help us track birds as they respond to global climate change. Other features highlight unique experiences and sightings during CBCs in Iowa and Ohio, as well as how CBC data help our understanding of the status of introduced doves in Florida. Additionally, as is the tradition the complete overall and Regional Summaries from all areas are included, with many photos submitted by compilers and participants.

Mason, Manistee, Lake and Oceana Counties are conducting their counts on January 5.

• In Manistee County contact Brian Allen, 231-723-7956, tanager@manistee.com
• In Mason County contact Carole Olson, 231-843-2905, caroleolson@charter.net
• In Lake County contact Bonnie and Janie Stout, 231-487-0198, stout@freeway.net
• In Oceana County contact Colleen Walsh, cwalsh@txbi.net

from Michigan Audubon Society
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28-Year-Old Michigan Man Dies Snowboarding Mt. Hood

Eric McConeghy

Eric McConeghy of Howell, Michigan, lost control during a snowboard jump and fell head first into a tree well in deep powder snow. He was buried to his waist. Friends tried to pull him out, but McConeghy suffocated as they struggled to free him.

The accident occurred at Mount Hood Meadows Ski Resort. An emergency rescue crew pulled McConeghy out after 15 minutes. He had stopped breathing, and the team applied CPR for nearly two hours but were not successful in reviving the man.

McConeghy is a 1997 graduate of Brighton High School. Services will be held in Brighton starting Wednesday.

McConeghy is the second person to die this year in an accident on Mount Hood.

from MLive, "Snowboarder who grew up in Mich. dies after fall in Oregon", Dec 29, 2007
from WZZM TV, "Michigan Man Dies on Mount Hood", Dec 29, 2007
from WOOD TV, "Michigan man dies in snowboarding accident", Dec 29, 2007
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Big Scare for Lost Brothers at Sleeping Bear

Remember last Sunday, you Michiganders? That's the day the weather started out in the 40's, who could believe it? But by mid afternoon the winds were gusting to 50 mph, snow was driving sideways with blizzard conditions and the temperatures had dropped to the 20's.

Ryan and Curtis Yost, ages 16 and 21, had gone to Sleeping Bear to snowboard on that ominous day. They found icy conditions at The Homestead Resort, so decided to climb the dune instead. They entered the park before noon.

At 3:30 pm Curtis called his mother on their cell phone. She was driving home from Traverse City and said that she couldn't see the next telephone pole, conditions were so bad. She told the boys to try to determine their location and call her back in 15 minutes.

The boys thought they were walking back to their car, but instead ended up on the shore of Lake Michigan. They were found with the aid of the GPS locator in the boys' cell phone. Although it was working only intermittently, rescue workers were able to tell the boys to go down to the beach.

Volunteers from the Glen Arbor Township Fire and Rescue established a rescue staging area near a maritime museum in Glen Haven. An all-terrain vehicle drove down the shoreline looking for the boys, but encountered high waves, and sand falling from the bluffs. After a mile-and-a-half the searchers continued on foot.

Darkness fell, and the rescue crew stated that they couldn't see 100 feet ahead of them.

Ryan is reported to have laid down, but his brother Curtis roused him and insisted that he stay active.

Shortly after 6 p.m. the boys were located. They were checked over by the ambulance team, and given a stern lecture.

"Fortunately, everything worked out. But I lectured them about the weather conditions and that they put a lot of people in harm's way as a result of their actions," Park ranger Chris Johnson said. "If they hadn't had the cell phone, the results could have been drastically different."

read the full story in the Leelanau Enterprise, "Lost brothers create Lakeshore scare", Dec 29, 2007
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Girl's Death Raises Ski Slope Design Questions

Clare Dougherty, the 13-year-old girl who crashed into a barrier and died while skiing at Schuss Mountain may have had trouble stopping in time at the end of a ski run. Some say that this is due to a lack of regulation of Michigan ski hills.

Some skiers say that there is nothing to prevent someone from running into barriers, and that the stopping distances are too short.

Mark Doman, manager of ski and amusement safety for the Michigan Ski Area Safety Board, determined that no laws were broken. The Ski Area Safety Act governs lifts, rope tows and vehicles on hills and some signs.

Trail design, however, is not covered by the regulations. The resort has launched its own investigation into the incident. Jack Eslick, COO for Shanty Creek Resorts said that there have never been any safety issues voiced concerning the slope.

Clare's family has stated that they do not plan to sue the resort, but have hopes that problems will be corrected.

from MLive, "Girl's death sheds light on lack of Michigan ski trail design regulations", Dec 29, 2007
See Canton Township Girl Dies in Ski Accident at Schuss Mountain
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Leave No Trace 2008 Master Educator Courses

Leave No Trace is an national and international program designed to assist outdoor enthusiasts with their decisions about how to reduce their impacts when they hike, camp, picnic, snowshoe, run, bike, hunt, paddle, ride horses, fish, ski or climb. The program strives to educate all those who enjoy the outdoors about the nature of their recreational impacts as well as techniques to prevent and minimize such impacts. Leave No Trace is best understood as an educational and ethical program, not as a set of rules and regulations.

Leave No Trace Training
Regardless of the outdoor activity, Leave No Trace skills are important to learn. Leave No Trace courses function like a pyramid. Master Educator courses are at the top of the pyramid and train people to become comprehensive Leave No Trace educators, or Master Educators. Master Educators, in turn, teach the second level, the Trainer Course, to people who become Leave No Trace Trainers. Trainers (or Master Educators) are then able to conduct our third level of training called Awareness Workshops, which are designed for the general public and promote Leave No Trace.

Master Educator Courses
A Master Educator course is typically five-days in length and designed for people who are actively teaching others outdoor skills or providing recreation information to the public. Currently, there are over 2700 Leave No Trace Master Educators worldwide representing dozens of countries and all 50 U.S. states. This valuable training is recognized throughout the world by the outdoor industry, land management agencies and the outdoor recreation community. Successful graduates of the Master Educator course have the ability to train others in Leave No Trace skills as well as facilitate Leave No Trace Trainer courses and Awareness Workshops.

Classes for 2008 are scheduled in all four corners of the United States: North Carolina to Washington, New Hampshire, Arizona and more. Follow the link below for complete information.

a news release of Leave No Trace
See Leave No Trace Training, for details of sessions (a pdf)
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Kikkan Randall to Ski at Houghton US National Championship

Kikkan Randall photo credit: Jonathan Selkowitz, http://www.selkophoto.com

Kikkan Randall became the first American woman to win a cross-country ski event in a World Cup competition on Dec. 16 in Rybinsk, Russia. Not since 1983, when Bill Koch won, has an American taken a World Cup cross-country event. Randall won the 1.2km freestyle sprint, beating Norway's Astrid Jacobsen.

Growing up in Alaska, Randall became a champion cross-country runner. During the long dark days of Alaskan winters, she took up skiing to stay in condition.

The Europeans have always had an advantage over Americans, explained Luke Bodensteiner the US Ski Team's Nordic director. They come from a skiing culture, while American's tend to view the sport as family-oriented and recreational, rather than competitive.

Randall was 19 when she made her Olympic debut in Salt Lake City. She finished 44th in the first Olympic sprint. Last year in Turin, she came in 9th, the best result by an American woman in cross-country skiing.

No American woman has ever won an Olympic medal in cross-country skiing.

Randall and other members of the US team will ski in Houghton, Michigan, for the national championships. The event is staged from December 31, 2007 - January 8, 2008.

There are three streaming web cams where the finish areas can be seen by on line viewers. Follow the link below for the Championships.

from the Taipei Times, "Randall earns first US win in skiing discipline since 80s", Dec 29, 2007
See 2008 Cross Country Championships
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Michigan Kids Should Be as Lucky as these Hoosiers

John Moore, a volunteer for the camp at Fox Island, points out different types of birds to Kelsey Haley, 11, left, and Kolin Behrens, 9, right, during a hike in the woods. photo by Laura J. Gardner | The Journal Gazette

Without the help of computer aids, PowerPoint slideshows or videos, the group of children at Fox Island Nature Preserve near Fort Wayne, Indiana, on Thursday was getting an education and a breath of fresh air at the same time. The Winter Survival Day Camp was in session, and nature was the classroom.

For two days, campers learn the ins and outs of winter wilderness, complete with hiking trips, survival training, marshmallow "snowball" fights and, of course, fun.

With more children spending most of their time indoors, there is a danger of a generation out of touch with nature, said Natalie Haley, Fox Island environment educator.

"The idea behind this (program) is to get kids to develop naturally outside," she said. "There are so many things they have to be inside for all the time now. This will teach them how to enjoy the outdoors."

Thursday’s education started with learning to build fires, and Haley was surprised to find that some in the group had never held a match before.

Animal track identification came next, leading up to the hour-long nature hike with Ron Zartman, the park and education manager.

"We really want these kids to enjoy themselves," Zartman said. "We hope that they become aware of their surroundings and start to appreciate nature. We want them to develop a love for the outdoors so they will stick with us through the years."

read the full story in the Fort Wayne Journal Gazette, "Camp focuses on nature", by Allie Townsend, Dec 28, 2007- see FAIR USE notice
Fox Island Nature Preserve
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Why Exertion Leads to Exhaustion

Scientists have found an explanation for runners who struggle to increase their pace, cyclists who can't pedal any faster and swimmers who can't speed up their strokes. Researchers from the University of Exeter and Kansas State University have discovered the dramatic changes that occur in our muscles when we push ourselves during exercise.

We all have a sustainable level of exercise intensity, known as the "critical power". This level can increase as we get fitter, but will always involve us working at around 75-80% of our maximal capacity. Published in the American Journal of Physiology: Regulatory, Integrative and Comparative Physiology, this research shows why, when we go beyond this level, we have to slow down or stop altogether. This is the first time that scientists have looked at processes taking place inside the muscles when we exceed the critical power.

The study showed that when we exceed our critical power, the normally-stable pH level in our muscles, is quickly pushed to levels typical of exhaustion. Moreover, the level of phosphocreatine in the muscles, a high-energy compound which serves as an energy reserve, is quickly depleted when exercise intensity exceeds the critical power.

Professor Andy Jones of the University of Exeter, lead author on the paper, said: "The concept of 'critical power' is well known by sportspeople, but until now we have not known why our bodies react so dramatically when we exceed it. We were astonished by the speed and scale of change in the muscles."

The research team used a magnetic resonance scanner to assess changes in metabolites in the leg muscles of six male volunteers who exercised just below and just above the critical power.

The research offers a physical explanation for the experiences of exercisers of all levels of ability. Professor Jones concludes: "The results indicate that the critical power represents the highest exercise intensity that is sustainable aerobically. This means that it is likely to be an important intensity for maximising training gains. Exercising above the critical power cannot be sustained for long because it is associated with changes in the muscle which lead to fatigue."

news release of the University of Exeter , "Why exertion leads to exhaustion", Dec 20, 2007
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Preserving Our Equine Heritage On Public Lands Act

Introduction
Many who enjoy recreational riding on public lands are concerned about the reduction of trails, trail heads and the closure of public lands to horses and pack animals. Access to areas to ride is one of the most important issues facing riders. To prevent further closures, recreational riders are working closely with their federal, state and local land managers and also looking for federal legislative solutions.

Senate Legislation
On November 1, 2007, Senator Mike Crapo (R-ID) introduced the Preserving our Equine Heritage on Public Lands Act (S. 2283). Senator Crapo introduced similar legislation in the last Congress.

This bill recognizes the importance of saddle and pack stock in the settling, exploration and recreation of our country by ensuring that the horse's historic and traditional use is recognized as our public lands are managed by the National Park Service, the Bureau of Land Management, the United States Fish and Wildlife Service, and the Forest Service.

The bill directs the Secretaries of Interior and Agriculture to manage the federal lands under their jurisdiction "in a manner that preserves and facilitates the continued use and access of pack and saddle stock animals" on lands on which "there is a historical tradition" of use. The bill applies to the management of the National Park System, BLM lands, National Wildlife Refuge System land, and National Forest System land.

The bill provides that such lands "shall remain open and accessible to the use of pack and saddle stock animals" where there is a tradition of use, but does not limit the federal agencies' ultimate authority to restrict such use, provided the agencies perform the review required under the National Environmental Policy Act of 1969. The bill would also impose additional specific and designated procedures to be followed by agencies before any land closures to horses. These procedures include advance notice of any proposed reduction in use to allow public comment, convening a public meeting near the area involved, and collaboration with various users during the process.

The bill directs the Secretaries of the Interior and Agriculture to issue a policy within 180 days of enactment that defines the meaning of "historical tradition of the use of pack and saddle stock animals" on federal lands.

Congressional Action
The bill was referred to the Senate Committee on Energy and Natural Resources.

Editorial Comment: There may be two side to this issue in eastern forests where the public land units are smaller. Horse trails, bicycle trails, and foot trails are not necessarily compatible. It could be argued that any area of North America has a tradition of use by pack and saddle horses, and that equestrians therefore should be allowed on any trail. Although this bill provides for the right of the land management agencies to restrict horse use, under this wording it may impose a new burden of review and paperwork.

from the American Horse Council
Read the text of S 2283, Preserving our Equine Heritage on Public Land Act
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