MARQUETTE — Warmer weather means people can sit back and enjoy the wildlife that comes to their homes, right? Not necessarily. Higher temperatures mean many animals seek food for their young. During this time, the Michigan Department of Natural Resources asks people to help their ...

“Way up on Bear Creek, watching the sun go down. Well, it makes me feel like I’m on my last go ‘round.” — A.P. Carter As the afternoon light dwindled, a drab gloom that had fallen over the scene the night before continued to hang around, as it had all day. I was determined to get ...

MARQUETTE — Outdoor recreation-related companies are struggling to stay afloat amid the fallout from COVID-19. “There’s going to be a lot of sacrifices throughout this time and the sacrifices are needed,” said Jon Swenson, the director of community services in Marquette, a city that ...

GLADSTONE — Formal and non-formal educators in the Upper Peninsula recently received training on how to integrate interdisciplinary lessons into the indoor and outdoor classroom. The U.S. Forest Service said the educators attended a workshop that focused on teaching environmental science to ...

“And it’s cold on the tollgate with the wagons creeping through.” — Mark Knopfler Whether graveled, wet, muddied or dry, or covered with snow or leaves, there must be thousands of trails crisscrossing the countryside of my mind. I recall each one not because of their consistency ...

MANISTIQUE — Michigan’s first rail trail is 50 years old. Some residents who live near the Haywire Grade, a multi-use trail that crosses the Upper Peninsula north to south from Shingleton to Manistique, are glad the trail is getting the recognition it deserves. “I’d say over the ...

MARQUETTE — Small talk with your coworkers and every scroll through the various social media platforms has been consumed over the last couple weeks, and most likely in the coming, with the COVID-19 pandemic, but nature can still provide a much needed escape. As the pandemic has ...

Upper Peninsula Keweenaw Bay: Catch rates were slow, but those fishing in shallow waters found splake, coho, steelhead, brown trout and the occasional whitefish. Those who ventured out deeper caught lake trout, splake and whitefish. Night anglers targeting burbot and smelt also reported slow ...

MARQUETTE — The Nature Conservancy’s opinion on stopover sites is that they can be one of three things to migratory birds: a fire escape, a convenience store or a full-service hotel. Joe Kaplan wants the Escanaba area to be a full-service hotel. Kaplan, who lives in Escanaba and is ...

“Valentine is done, here but now they’re gone.” — Donald Roeser Amid these days of aquamarine and bloodstone, the clocks here have all wound forward shifting many in the human world into a weary and dreary daze, a sleep-shaken, depression-tinged state of disfunction. For a few more ...

“In the town of broken dreams, the streets are filled with regret; maybe down in Lonesome Town, I can learn to forget.” — Baker Knight When I pushed open the back door to head outside, the cold air hit my face almost immediately. It was still dark. Some of the stars were still visible ...

By CHRISTIE BLECK Journal Staff Writer MARQUETTE — The Fred Waara Chapter of Trout Unlimited, not surprisingly, is interested in trout, so its “Fishing After Hours” program on Wednesday was of particular interest, even though part of the event focused on the Arctic ...

Upper Peninsula Keweenaw Bay: Anglers were catching more fish. Those moving out to deeper water picked up lake trout, whitefish and herring when jigging, while those in shallow water caught coho, splake and brown trout. Some did well with tip-ups and jaw-jackers, but most fish were caught ...

“March came in that winter like the meekest and mildest of lambs, bringing days that were crisp and golden and tingling, each followed by a frosty pink twilight which gradually lost itself in an elfland of moonshine.” — L. M. Montgomery It was a bit surprising to some residents in ...

BIG BAY — Looking at a deceased porcupine or deer on the side of the road probably brings some amount of sadness — or to some people, revulsion. To others, though, their untimely deaths can have some meaning. One of those people is Margaret Mary Gerhard of Fence, Wisconsin, who ...

“There must be a cloud in my head, rain keeps falling from my eyes.” — Dee Clark When I stepped outside the back door, the sound I heard was familiar to me, but not one I would associate with the white blanket of winter stretched out across the yard. It was a pattering, uneven rhythmic ...

Upper Peninsula Copper Harbor: Anglers have caught splake. Many were small, but some were above the 15-inch size limit. Portage Lake: Was producing walleye. Crappie were caught in Pike Bay. Keweenaw Bay: Anglers were seeing a decent number of fish; however, catch rates were slow, as ...

“It is the life of the crystal, the architect of the flake, the fire of the frost, the soul of the sunbeam. This crisp winter air is full of it.” — John Burroughs A quick peek out the window reveals that despite the four days of sun and the 40-degree temperatures, it is still ...

“This shirt is old and faded, all the color's washed away. I've had it now for more damn years than I can count anyway” — Mary Chapin Carpenter The magical quality of memories to be able to attach themselves to inanimate objects, like old pocket watches and hunting jackets, is something ...

By ERIN ROWAN Michigan Department of Natural Resources and Audubon Great Lakes LANSNIG — In the midst of a cold, sometimes dreary winter season, many people don’t think about birds, which are often considered harbingers of spring. But a great variety of birds can be found ...