Beaver Island Michigan

Kathe, thank you for your kind comments. We are always happy to show off the wonderful flora and fauna of Beaver Island. As to your question about the islands, it might be best to answer by pointing out the ownership of the islands of the Beaver Island Archipelago. Islands that are NOT open to the p...

Please do not plan a trip to Gull Island. It is part of the Michigan Islands National Wildlife Refuge and is closed to the general public. Here is the information from the Refuge web page: "All islands of the Michigan Islands NWR are closed to the public due to their value to colonial nesting w...

We own property on Hannigan’s Road between East Side Drive and Kings Highway. Sometime on Friday someone, without our permission and without our requesting it, dumped a load of gravel and sand at the entrance of the small two-track on our property and proceeded to turn the two-track into a 15-foot w...

If the trail to which you are referring is on the west side of the island near Protar's tomb, it is on private property and not open to the public. It was open to the public years back but not now. If you are interested in walking or biking trails on the island, here is a link for hiking trails: htt...

We have an older model black and white Samsung ML-1710 laser printer that is still working perfectly. It should work with any PC or Mac using the Samsung Universal Printer Driver file found on the Samsung web site. We don't need it anymore and would like to give it away to anyone willing to pick it ...

Lloyd Ernest Cochran passed away peacefully on July 17th 2017 in Arizona. He was 83. Lloyd was born in Ypsilanti, Michigan, son of Bruce and Belle Cochran. Lloyd met his wife Delores and they married in 1955 while he was in the army. Upon their return to Ypsilanti Lloyd earned a masters degree in In...

First, as biologists who have been summer residents for many years, it is heartening to see the concern everyone is expressing over the mistreatment of the islandâ??s showy ladyâ??s slippers. Last summer, two of the largest clumps on Kingâ??s Highway were clandestinely removed, and this year several individuals have been reported picking them. Like others in the forum, we support adopting the Homeland Security motto â??If you see something, say something.â?￾ We hope that a little education and a lot of indignation will go a long way to protect our showies.

The showy ladyâ??s slipper, which is an orchid, is neither endangered nor threatened in the state of Michigan, but it is protected by Natural Resources and Environmental Protection Act 451 of 1994. Section 52901 of the Act reads â??A person shall not cut, remove, or transport, without having in possession a bill of sale from the owner or other evidence of title on a form prescribed by and available from the department or the department of agriculture or the federal agency that has jurisdiction, any of the following: ...All native orchids.â?￾ This is the same law that protects trilliums, club mosses (princess pines), and Christmas trees, among others. A person caught digging or cutting showy ladyâ??s slippers, or any other orchid, such as pink and yellow ladyâ??s slippers, can be charged with a misdemeanor, jailed for up to 93 days, and fined up to $500.

Beaver Islandâ??s three ladyâ??s slipper species (showy, pink and yellow) are fickle plants that require certain fungi found in soil to germinate and grow. When a ladyâ??s slipper is dug up, it no longer has access to the fungi it needs to survive, and it will die. The plants grow very slowly too. They germinate from seeds so small they are called â??dust seeds,â?￾ and it takes several years for the plants to flower after germination. They have a tendency to go dormant if spring conditions are not ideal, which is why we may not see them at a given location for a year or two, and then they suddenly appear again. Showy and yellow ladyâ??s slippers require open areas with adequate sunlight and specific soil conditions to grow and flower, and the closing in of the islandâ??s open areas is contributing to the confinement of plants to roadsides with appropriate habitat.

There is one last detail about picking showy ladyâ??s slippers that those inclined to do so might want to know. Some individuals develop a rash, similar to a poison ivy rash, after handling showies. There are small hairs on the plant that contain a chemical to which some individuals react. In other words, showies may get revenge on those who pick them!

On another note, giant hogweed has so far not been found anywhere on the island. All plants that we have examined are the native cow parsnip. Giant hogweed is on the federal Noxious Weed list, which means that it is illegal to sell or transport it across state lines. This helps protect the island because the plant cannot come in via nursery stock or purchased seeds.

Ed and Beth Leuck