Archive for the ‘Recreation’ Category

This past weekend we were delighted to host our first summer recreation event of the season. Despite the drastic change in weather from Saturday to Sunday, we endured and were able to capture beautiful photos along the Huron River. Our hosts for this weekends workshop, Michael Seabrook and Marc Akemann, provided instructional lectures and insight for obtaining professional nature photographs.

After their lectures we were able to put our newly learned skills to test and apply them in the field at Barton Nature Area and Delhi Metropark. Participants ventured around the parks looking to capture unique images, and were given the opportunity of having Michael and Marc help them capture the image the way they wanted. Afterwards Michael and Marc offered their experience in photo editing for those who wished to polish up some of their images. To top off this weekend’s events we were lucky to have world-renowned photographer and local Ann Arbor resident, Howard Bond, on Sunday to provide a lecture on positive and negative space; as well as provide a slide show of his favorite photos.

This workshop is the first of two that we are hosting this year. The next Watershed Photo Workshop is the weekend of October 19th & 20th. Register now to learn the basic techniques for taking great nature photos—obtaining correct exposures, controlling the depth-of-field, making sharper photos, customizing your camera to do what you want it to, and more. All skill levels are welcome.

Visit our Facebook page for more photos from this weekends workshop.

More information and registration for other summer recreation events HERE.

Join us this summer for our Fly Fishing Lessons, June 1st & 2nd, with the help of Mike Mouradian of Ann Arbor Trout Unlimited (AATU). Mike will be teaching casting, knot tying, fly identification, and entomology; along with experienced instructors from AATU.  This year we will be hosting the lessons at Lillie Park North in Ann Arbor, MI.

Rods, flies, fly fishing instruction book, and snacks will be provided.  Bring a pair of polarized sunglasses, sunscreen, and wear appropriate clothing for the weather. We practice fly casting on the lawn, so waders will not be necessary. We are offering women, family, and general classes to better suit your learning needs. Remember, each class is limited to 15 participants and registration is required for participation. Join us and acquire the knowledge, skills, and abilities that foster a summer of fun on the river!

Visit our Summer Events page for more information and how to register.

Summer weather provides many chances to get outside and explore the world we live in. If populated beaches aren’t your idea of summer fun but you still want to enjoy Michigan’s fresh waters; join us for our summer paddling trips and HRWC will take you on the path less traveled.

This year we are offering five unique paddle trips at various locations along the beautiful Huron River. Each of the paddling trips is either led by Huron River guides Barry Lonik or Ron Sell and the HRWC staff will also be participating in the paddle adventures.

The recreational value of each trip is worthwhile, and the first-hand educational opportunities are second-to-none! Each trip includes discussion regarding the river’s water ecology, history, and unique features. The first paddling trip is May, 18th and will take us from Proud Lake State Recreation Area to Downtown Milford’s Central Park. Ann Arbor Ornithologist, Dea Armstrong will be joining us on this paddle to provide her insight of the regional birds we encounter. Registration is limited to ten watercrafts for each trip, and we provide the shuttle.

Visit the Summer Events page for more information on each trip, and how to register to ensure a boat-load of summer fun!

There is no Wi-Fi on the river but we promise you a better connection.

As we bid winter a fond farewell, we warmly embrace the upcoming summer months! We are offering a variety of events this summer to get you outside and in-touch with nature. Beginning in May we are proud to have our first event, the Watershed Photo Workshop, which is offered in October as well. Each workshop, in May & October, will consist of two half-day classes. Come prepared to get hands-on experience in the field, and learn basic techniques for taking great nature photos.

We also have two Birding events planned to give a better understanding of the journey that migratory birds take when traveling through our area.

If you are hungry for watershed knowledge, join us for guided nature walks throughout the Huron River. We have three different walks planned to familiarize you with current efforts to protect watershed quality and provide information on the ecology as well.

If you crave a more hands-on summer recreation experience, we have five paddle trips planned to meet your needs. Our paddle trip in July is a special evening paddle in celebration of the Full Moon. Each trip includes discussion regarding the river’s water ecology, history, and unique features.

If paddling isn’t your thing but you still want to enjoy the Huron River, we are proud to welcome back the annual Baseline Lake Swim. If you are up for the challenge, we are offering an optional two-mile swim along with the traditional one-mile swim.

And Attention fishermen of all levels, you won’t be missing out on the fun this summer. We are offering Fly Fishing Lessons that will help to get you started for a summer on the river. You will have the chance to put those Fly Fishing skills to the test at our annual Single Fly Tournament, pick your best fly and fish it till you lose it! As you can see, there are a lot of options to get outside and involved with your community. I hope to see you on the watershed this summer, happy trails!

Registration is required for most of the events, so don’t delay! For more information on each event and how to register for them, visit HERE.

Pickerel Lake In the Pinckney Recreation Area

Let’s hear what you think about the future of state public lands……

Governor Snyder has tasked the Department of Natural Resources with developing a public land management strategy which will assist regions in meeting their prosperity goals.  The plan is a requirement under a law signed by Gov. Rick Snyder last year that capped how much land the DNR can own.  The DNR has drafted a strategy and wants to hear from you.

I attended a regional meeting last week that provided an interactive discussion on our region’s priority community, economic, and environmental strategies that are impacted and enhanced by public land resources (state parks, recreation areas, access, and game areas).  We discussed the main strategies in the draft plan–the pros and cons, what is missing, the challenges to meet them, and how to have better collaboration.

To summarize:  “The draft land use strategy calls for improved access on DNR-managed public lands and, for the first time, sets a standard for public access to the Great Lakes and rivers. The draft plan also includes a new strategy for the possible disposal of approximately 250,000 acres of DNR-managed public lands and promotes increased opportunities in southern Michigan. The plan also discusses objectives to grow Michigan’s natural resources-based economy through the use of DNR-managed public lands.”

The highpoints for me are:

1. Improved management and greater collaboration are needed and I welcome the emphasis!

2. Increasing public land opportunities and/or access and recreation in Southern MI, where the greatest population lives, makes sense and supports HRWC RiverUp! efforts.

3. The word BIODIVERSITY is missing and given the current threats (see earlier blog Forests and Waters At-Risk in Michigan) I worry about an overly strong emphasis on timber and mining where the economic benefits are more easily quantified than biodiversity and habitat protection.

The Huron River Watershed is lucky to have a wealth of state public lands from Highland to Proud Lake State Rec. Areas and from Island Lake to Pinckney State Rec. Areas.  If you use these lands and care about the future of them please review the DNR strategy and comment!

Your View of the Huron River

HRWC is hosting two Photography Workshops in 2013, May 11-12 & October 19-20. Local professional photographers Michael Seabrook and Marc Akemann will lead the classes.  Each workshop, in May & October, will consist of 2 half-day classes. We encourage you to register for both workshops to get the full benefit of what Marc and Mike will be teaching. Come prepared to get hands-on experience in the field, and learn basic techniques for taking great nature photos—obtaining correct exposures, controlling the depth-of-field, making sharper photos, customizing your camera to do what you want it to, and more. All skill levels are welcome.

Special guest speaker: world-renowned photographer and local Ann Arbor resident, Howard Bond will be speaking at both workshops. Maximum registration for both classes is 20 participants.

What to Bring: A camera that allows you to manually set the shutter speed and aperture. All participants will receive a Huron Camera coupon good for 10% off camera bags, memory cards and filters.  One time use only but you can purchase multiple items.

Visit  HERE to find out more, and see examples of Marc and Mike’s work and to register for the classes.

Photography Workshop Schedule: May 11-12 & October 19-20

Saturday class:

2-3:45PM – New Center* – Introductions, class time, Q&A, Howard Bond.
4-6PM – Shooting time in the field (along the Huron somewhere…TBD).

Sunday class:

8-9:45AM – Shooting time at Delhi Metropark (tentatively)
10AM-12PM – New Center* – Work on an image or two/project images, Howard Bond.

*New Center is at 1100 N Main St, Ann Arbor, MI 48104

The Huron:  Rivers of Michigan Series

By Kit Lane

Reviewed by Grace Shackman

Kit Lane has saved Huron River enthusiasts a great deal of time by collecting all the facts she can about our river.  The Saugatuck-based author has written more than twenty books on Michigan history including one on John Allen, Ann Arbor’s co-founder, and four on other rivers in the state.

The book starts with an explanation of how the Huron was formed, followed by pre-settlement travelers’ accounts and information on early river communities.  Lane explains why dams were built and discusses the issue of removal.  Her chapter on environmental concerns goes into detail on the founding and work of the Huron River Watershed Council.

Lane includes specific information helpful to river users such as boating conditions, variety of rapids, parks, and trails.  The second half of the book is devoted to a trip down the Huron listing all the public places where people can stop.

In the course of the book Lane answers several questions I’ve always wondered about.  One is whether LaSalle really did use the Huron River when he took a trip across the state in 1680. Lane thinks he did and using a translation of his journal identifies where he stopped.  Another is why the river wasn’t used by early settlers to move their supplies.  The answer is it was too shallow after Rawsonville and the rock bottom didn’t allow deepening. One criticism, in two places she says that Ann Arbor was founded in 1823, when it was 1824, a fact she does get right in her book about John Allen.

Grace Shackman writes history articles for several local publications as well as teaching Washtenaw history and architecture at Washtenaw Community College.

The Huron: Rivers of Michigan Series, is 168 pages, with black and white maps, old postcard views, newly shot photographs, and a full index with bibliography. It retails for $18.50 and is available for purchase locally at the West Side Book Shop, 113 West Liberty, Ann Arbor.

HRWC would like to thank author Kit Lane for sharing her book with us and Grace Shackman for writing this review.

Title: Huron River Water Trail Partners Meeting
Location: NEW Center, South Conference Room, 1100 N Main Street, Ann Arbor, MI
Description: Quarterly meeting of the Huron River Water Trail Partners. This meeting will focus on accessibility concerns and solutions for adaptive launches with guest speakers from the Downriver Limb Loss Support Group and KBE Precision Products, regional distributor of the E-Z Dock Launch system; and on the re-design of the website for the Water Trail with The Greenway Collaborative, Inc. Trail Towns Representatives and Partners will share their progress on the Water Trail development.
Start Time: 09:00
Date: 2013-03-05
End Time: 11:30

Friday, February 22, 6pm
Michigan Theater in Ann Arbor

Support HRWC by watching films!

The  2013 Fly Fishing Film Tour is coming to Ann Arbor to share stunning films from places as diverse as the jungles of Thailand, northern California, Alaska, the Potomac River and even the “trophy waters” of Michigan’s own Au Sable River. These films are guaranteed to deepen your love of fly fishing or inspire you to learn the sport.

Take a look at the F3T Trailers, then get your tickets. If you’ve ever spent time fishing or paddling the Huron River or even helping HRWC look for stoneflies or other macroinvertebrates at one of our Roundups, you won’t want to miss this!

Discount tickets are available for HRWC members — $13 each (regularly $15).

Buy two tickets and F3T will donate half the proceeds back to HRWC.

Discount tickets available at:

Schultz Outfitters
4 East Cross Street
Ypsilanti, MI
734-544-1761

HRWC Offices
1100 North Main Street, Suite 210-A
Ann Arbor, MI
734-769-5123 x 602 (Pam Labadie)

The HRWC Auction Team has been hard at work, compiling our largest collection of fabulous items for your bidding pleasure! This year we have over 40 items listed online at BiddingForGood and all proceeds benefit HRWC’s efforts to restore and protect the watershed.

Auction team member Meg Fairchild holds "Just For Fun" by Mary Bacjz (Scrap Happy) and a whimsical fisherman sculpture while Rebecca Foster holds a copy of Lake Superior Secrets by Bruce Montagne.

Bids on the River is online now until November 26 and is the perfect shopping opportunity for the holidays or any occasion.

Here are our team members’ picks:

Rebecca: I wish my kids were little again, because I would be all over the “Fun With Bugs” workshop being offered by our very own Paul Steen. Actually, this would be great for not-so-little kids and anglers too. Learn all about the bugs in our watershed and why they are critical to the local ecosytem. Got someone with entomological tendencies? Coolest. Gift. Ever.

Margaret: It’s a toss up between Unadilla Boatworks’ “Build A Boat” workshop and Schultz’s Outfitters Fly Fishing Lessons (4 on offer!). I think both are great experiences directly connected to recreation on our river. Ron Sell and Mike Schultz support HRWC efforts in raising awareness of responsible use of our water resources while enjoying the recreational opportunities offered in the watershed.

Meg: How do I choose? I want to bid on them all! But, if you’re going to force me to pick one…I think I’ll have to go with Jolly Pumpkin & Melissa Ferrick Package.  I can almost never pass up the food and beer at Jolly. And while I can’t say I’m a hardcore Melissa Ferrick fan, per se (I just listened to her music for the first time today), I am a lover of good music and I know that good times are always had at The Ark. Good food, good beer AND good times. How can anyone pass that up?

New items added since the auction opened include a rain barrel from Downtown Home & Garden, a rap workshop from Rap For Food, a “Bucket of Balm” from North Wind Naturals and a Bake Class from Zingerman’s!

The auction closes on November 26, so start your bidding soon and check check back often. You don’t want to miss this opportunity to purchase a beautiful gift for yourself or a special someone and support HRWC with just a couple of clicks!