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August 18, 2005
Putting nature firstVariety of area groups form allianceByRecord-Eagle staff writer  Record-Eagle/Douglas Tesner A hummingbird nest at the Saving Birds Thru Habitat's Habitat Discovery Center in Omena. Some 15 area wildlife and conservation groups - and a handful of state and national ones - have formed the Northern Michigan Conservation and Wildlife Alliance, said organization co-chairwoman Kay Charter. Their mission: to raise community awareness about each and to promote collaboration among them. "We need to learn how to work together instead of coming apart," said Charter, executive director of Saving Birds Thru Habitat and the driving force behind the new Alliance, whose acronym is NMCWA. "If we don't take care of the environment in the long run, then we're all in trouble." Charter founded the group in March, in part out of frustration over the Michigan Audubon Club's decision to withdraw its membership from the Michigan United Conservation Clubs in dissent over the dove hunting issue. She said that decision is typical of many wildlife and conservation groups, which often put their efforts into fighting each other over single issues instead of joining resources to achieve common goals. Her resolve to form an alliance of organizations that would work jointly to promote wildlife and conservation in the region only deepened after she attended an Audubon event in Tucson, Ariz., where "practically nothing was going on." By comparison, a local event in which a rehabilitated eagle was released drew 400 people. The incidents illustrated two things, she said: that northern Michigan needed a public event to raise interest in conservation in the area, and that people are interested in nature more than some might believe. NMCWA will put its idealism to the test when it hosts its first joint event, "Nature North," from 10 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. Saturday at the Grand Traverse Civic Center's Howe Arena. A free celebration of conservation and wildlife in the region, the family-aimed event will feature dozens of hands-on activities, demonstrations and seminars for all ages. Among the participating organizations are Wings of Wonder, the Inland Seas Educational Association, the Botanical Garden Society of Northwest Michigan and the Grass River Natural Area, as well as such "heavy hitters" as MUCC, the National Wildlife Federation and Trout Unlimited. Visitors can see live birds of prey, take kayak lessons in the Civic Center pool, watch fly tying demonstrations, plant a children's butterfly garden or learn how to make a bird kite, toilet paper binoculars or a terrarium in a pop bottle, among other things. Demonstrations and displays of wetlands, ground water flow systems and weather patterns - with guests including TV 9&10 chief meteorologist Dave Barrons - also are on tap. "It's a way to teach the public about the natural resources of (the) area and give families something to do besides going shopping," Charter said. "As much fun as going to the beach is, maybe they can go to Inland Seas or the Children's Museum (booths) and learn something." In what may be the biggest draw of the day, National Wildlife Federation representative Brian Preston will present a program on wolves in Michigan, complete with a "wolf trunk" containing wolf and coyote hides and other natural history artifacts for kids to handle. Once plentiful in most of North America, the gray or timber wolf was hunted ruthlessly and now is a threatened species on the U.S. Endangered Species list. Today there are only about 321 of the animals in the state, although they are making a successful comeback in many former habitats. Also bound to attract attention will be Duke Elsner's collection of some 200 Michigan butterflies, including the rarely seen Early Hairstreak, which lives high in the beech tree canopy. Elsner has been collecting butterflies for nearly 40 years and says the most impressive aspect of his display is the array of shapes and colors it shows. "Most people will see 30 or 40 species that they have never seen even if they've looked, because it takes a lot of effort to find them," said Elsner, a Michigan State University agricultural extension agent for Grand Traverse County. Leland area birder and hummingbird enthusiast Bobbie Poor will share her fascination with the diminutive bird in a noon seminar called The Lives of Hummingbirds. A docent with the Leelanau Conservancy and Saving Birds Thru Habitat, Poor said most people are surprised by the bird's rapid heartbeat and wingbeat (60-80 times per second in normal flight) and by the fact that its wings and shoulders are constructed differently than other birds' in order to allow it to hover and even fly upside down. Most inspiring to her is the bird's long migration without food. "These little guys, they have a wing span of 4 or 4 1/2 inches," Poor said. "They will make an ocean journey of about 500 to 600 miles non-stop across the Gulf of Mexico. That's pretty tough for them because their metabolic rate is so high that they need a lot of fuel." Nature North will feature hourly drawings for door prizes, including binoculars, conservation books, wildlife prints, logo clothing and tickets for swimming at the Civic Center pool. Charter said NMCWA hopes it will draw at least 100 people so it can grow into an annual event. "Any time you can get the public out to any kind of conservation event it raises interest in conservation in your area," she said. "We're so wrapped up in this, it looks like it's going to be a hoot."
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