MARQUETTE — Wetmore Landing was an ideal spot for searching for lichens on a sunny Saturday morning. Mary Martin, a biology instructor at Northern Michigan University, on Saturday led hikers on a Northern Center for Lifelong Learning course, “Lichenfest! Learn about Lichens in our Own ...

MARQUETTE — Marquette Alternative High School students gathered around a newly installed indoor bee hive at the school on Wednesday, looking for the hard-to-find queen. It was an unusual way to spend part of their afternoon — trying to find a unique insect for a project that could lead to ...

“Nothing else can make my heart flutter like you,” – Jack Ingram The night was cool and damp when I stepped outside the door, my bare feet following the rose rock steps down to the landing. I stand here often to get a better ear on the world. Even if I only step outside for a couple ...

Copper Harbor: A small number of legal size splake were caught. Fishing was slow as the water is still very cold. Keweenaw Bay: Smelt are running sporadically so the action has been hit-or-miss. Trolling was really good or really bad as the large number of smelt in the shallows has made ...

MARQUETTE — Sometimes it’s good to be spoon-fed. Jacob Patterson, a junior at Northern Michigan University studying business management, is owner of the U.P. Lure Company LLC, which specializes in trolling, casting and wobbling casting spoons. A spoon is an oblong lure, usually made of ...

Upper Peninsula • Keweenaw Bay: The ice is gone, and fishing was good. Those trolling stick baits in five to 40 feet did good for coho, brown trout and splake. The whitefish action was slow. In Huron Bay, the fishing pressure was low. Only a few splake were caught and released. A few lake ...

“Let’s go down to the waterline.” — Mark Knopfler My boots in the mud, I walked toward the little wooden boardwalk that arched over the marsh. Overgrown with dried yellow and greenish grasses, much of this first part of the walk was now also covered with a couple inches of water, the ...

Upper Peninsula • Overall: Many lakes in Luce and Alger County still had ice. Access roads will likely have snow pack. Rain in the forecast will certainly help open things up, but not quite there yet. Water levels will be high in the central and eastern sections of the Upper Peninsula. • ...

ISHPEMING — Changes have come and will come for Upper Peninsula fisheries. Some of those changes were discussed at Wednesday’s “Conversations and Coffee” event put on by the Michigan Department of Natural Resources at Ishpeming Township Hall. George Madison, fisheries manager for ...

“If everything's gonna turn out right, you're gonna fry fish tonight.” — Johnny Cash I remember the pounding of my heart and the almost breathless existence those last few hours of waiting for the first day of trout season held when I was a kid. Preparations would have started days ...

MARQUETTE — Cycling is not just one pedaling movement after another. It requires a mental and physical commitment that can push even the fittest of people beyond their comfort zones. Barring a major injury, what’s wrong with that? This type of physical activity — and just introducing ...

“Meet me on the mountain when the winter lays her head to rest,” — Gary Richrath As the gray morning wore on, I was heading west across the peninsula with a cold wind putting a snap in the springtime air. Watching the sides of the road, I was surprised to see many of the small creeks ...

UPPER PENINSULA • Marquette: More boats were starting to head out now that the ice is gone. Most were trolling between the breakwall in the Lower Harbor to the Chocolay River. Coho, brown trout and a few splake were starting to show up and were caught off the breakwall. Water temperatures ...

MARQUETTE — Climate change and other factors might have an effect on the types of reptiles and amphibians found in the Upper Peninsula, if they haven’t already. Ryne Rutherford, a Northern Michigan University graduate and independent biologist who runs Biophilia LLC, talked about the ...

“Such pretty colors I am told, there for all to see, but falling leaves of red and gold have autumn blue to me.” — Bobby Goldsboro I recall it was a spring day, a Sunday morning, an occasion when the skies were mottled bright and blue and gray, but where the brisk north winds — still ...

Upper Peninsula • Keweenaw Bay: Ice conditions are still holding in most places. Shoreline ice north of the tire shop is getting weak and starting to break up. Ice at the head of the bay near the 3rd bridge is in poor shape and has areas with open water. Watch out for old holes that were ...

MARQUETTE — There’s a way to get in some exercise and, at the same time, contribute to the Upper Peninsula Land Conservancy. The Over the River and Through the Woods 5K Trail Race is scheduled to begin at 2 p.m. May 18 at the Vielmetti-Peters Conservation Reserve, a 123-acre piece of land ...

“If not for you, the winter would hold no spring, couldn’t hear a robin sing, I just wouldn’t have a clue.” — Bob Dylan Today, I caught a glimpse of my shadow on the ground cast by the early afternoon’s sunlight as I walked along. It wasn’t what I expected to see. The ...

Upper Peninsula Marquette Fishing had started to pick up. Coho along with the occasional Chinook and brown trout were caught in the Upper Harbor near the “Bubbler.” A few lake herring were also caught. The city plowed a small path to the beach, so anglers are now able to launch boats in ...

“My time’s out of place,” — Billy Cowsill, Jeffrey Hatcher With a choking discontent hanging over my head, I hit the road looking for some peace of mind, something to jumpstart my heart — something to believe in, like springtime. Driving, the narrow-trunked white birch trees are ...