Learn Winter Bird Feeding Techniques Virtual class 9 a.m. to noon Saturday, Jan. 21 Birds can bring color to a wintry backyard and a smile to your face. The best part? Feeding birds is easy to do with a little knowledge. In this virtual DNR Outdoor Skills Academy class, learn which birds are likely to visit your backyard and which foods and feeders they prefer. We'll also cover free birding resources and apps, how to clean your feeder and ways you can get involved in community science projects like the Great Backyard Bird Count.   This class is taught by interpretive naturalists Shana Ramsey from the Wolf Lake Fish Hatchery Visitor Center, Holly Vaughn from the State Park Explorer Guide Program and Elizabeth Tillman from the Gillette Sand Dune Visitor Center in P.J. Hoffmaster State Park. Cost is $25. Each participant will receive a Peterson Field Guide to Feeder Birds and will be entered into a drawing for a grand prize. The registration deadline is Jan. 19. To register, go to Michigan.gov/DNRLicenses and click on the "Purchase a license" button. Sign in (using either a username and password or your ID and birthdate), and find the class under the Outdoor Skills Academy tab. See more class details ►

          The 2023 Ice Breaker annual speaker series offers an array of interesting speakers and topics this winter/spring. Join them on Wednesdays from Noon to 1:00 p.m. for these free virtual sessions. To register, call TOMWC office at 231-347-1181, or click on ICE Breaker Speaker Link below for information and to register.

Proposed Camp Grayling Expansion Still Under Review
         

     The proposal to expand the Camp Grayling Joint Maneuver Training Centre is still under consideration by the MI Department of Natural Resources (DNR). The MI National Guard has proposed leasing nearly 162,000 acres of adjacent state forest land to conduct training exercises that use sophisticated communication systems.  This proposal would more than double Camp Grayling’s  current footprint, adding 250 square miles to the existing 230 square miles Camp Grayling now encompasses.  DNR has authority over the state lands which are leased to Camp Grayling.
     The expansion plan is divisive among northern MI residents. Supporters point to the economic benefits of having thousands of training soldiers visit local businesses and support the guard’s vision for using the new territory for training for emerging cyber and space warfare threats. Kalkaska County Commissioners voted unanimously to oppose the expansion.  Some local and state-wide environmental and conservation groups, including the Michigan United Conservation Clubs and the Anglers of the AuSable are also not in favor of the proposal.  AuSable River Property Owners Association has expressed concern about the expansion’s danger to the AuSable and Manistee river ecosystems.
     The Michigan Department of Environment, Great Lakes, and Energy (EGLE) has significant concerns about the Army National Guard’s response to PFAS contamination at the Camp Grayling facility, as expressed by EGLE’s Gaylord District office in a December compliance communication to the Guard. While the compliance letter references the district office’s opposition to the proposed Camp Grayling expansion, Michigan EGLE has no regulatory authority over the proposed expansion and will not make a formal agency recommendation on that matter. EGLE will continue to pursue PFAS cleanup that protects the environment and public health at the Grayling site.
          In addition to the land expansion, MI National Guard has also requested modifications to the air space usage currently approved for Camp Graying.  In general this would involve more air traffic of various types and also certain aircraft permitted to fly at lower altitudes.
 
          While the pubic comment period has closed on the proposed modification to airspace usage, MI DNR has extended the public comment period, indicating that it would accept public comment “throughout the review process.” People can comment using the DNR’s online interactive map of the proposed expansion area.
 

Several links for more information are listed below:
DNR Public Comment /extension map site: Updated Camp Grayling expansion proposal Q&A available (michigan.gov)
BRIDGE MI discussion: Camp Grayling Expansion Map: Map reveals Michigan National Guard’s proposed Camp Grayling expansion | Bridge Michigan
Petition to “Say No” drive to Camp Grayling Expansion: Petition · Say NO to Camp Grayling Expansion · Change.org
YouTube video about both expansions is worth watching if this subject is of interest to you:
https://youtube/ycZRAWL893E
 

          This traveling exhibition, sponsored by the American Library Association and the US Holocaust Memorial Museum, is now open at the Petoskey District Library until February 14, 2023.  You can walk through the exhibition any time the library is open.
What did Americans know? What more could have been done?  The exhibit focuses on the history of four Americans who lived during the 1930s and 1940s to reflect how they responded to the Nazi threat and the persecution of the Jews during this time period. 

This is a small “walk-through” exhibition supplemented with side-bar reading and digital resources that expand on the poster materials and provide more educational videos and specific information about American involvement pre-WWII in Europe and after December 7, 1941, when the US entered the war.

A number of additional events, including movies, lectures and book discussions are being offered by the Petoskey Library to expand on the themes covered by the exhibition.   Be sure to pick up the handouts at the beginning of the Exhibition that include the schedules for these special events.

                    The Cheboygan Area Public Library (CAPL) has a couple of exciting lectures in the coming weeks. CAPL is hosting guest speaker Bernie Hellstrom, a 50-year veteran diver/explorer, on January 19^th at 6 p.m., for a presentation of his discovery of the St. Andrews and Peshtigo shipwrecks.  If that doesn’t fit your schedule, maybe a paranormal exploration of “Lake Monsters of the Great Lakes” with Michigan-based author and cryptozoologist Shetan Noir on February 21^st at 6 p.m. is of interest.

Check out the programs and happenings at CAPL by clicking below:
CAPL

(Note - photo is iceberg in Antarctic - not quite the Great Lakes)