08-26-04 @ 9:35 am EDT

No real entry today, just some stuff I found interesting and wanted to share.

Firstly, this! I was a teeny bit off in an earlier entry, I think; I believe I said $60,000. Oops. ^_^;

Contact: Timothy Putman 906-847-3328
Agency: History, Arts and Libraries

Commission Approves Purchase of Mackinac Island's Chimney Rock Purchase Will Provide Public Access to Popular Rock Formation

August 1, 2002

Mackinac Island — At its meeting of July 26, 2002, the Mackinac Island State Park Commission approved the purchase of Chimney Rock. The $600,000 purchase will pave the way for public access to the popular rock formation. Chimney Rock, also known as Sunset Rock, has historically been popular for its stunning views of Lake Huron and the Mackinac Bridge.

Chimney Rock will join the list of popular rock formations accessible to the public in Mackinac Island State Park that includes Arch Rock, Sugarloaf, Devil’s Kitchen and Skull Cave. The 1.42-acre parcel is currently privately owned.

"This is an outstanding purchase," said MISPC Chairman Dennis O. Cawthorne. "The Chimney Rock property has one of the most spectacular bluffs on the west side of Mackinac Island."

The commission also authorized the purchase of a 0.69-acre parcel of property adjoining Tranquil Bluff Trail for $103,000. The purchases will be made with grant funds secured by Mackinac State Historic Parks from the Michigan Natural Resources Trust Fund and Federal Highway AdministrationTEA-21 Transportation Enhancement funds administered through the Michigan Department of Transportation.

Since 1994 the commission has protected about one mile of the 8.2-mile shore of Mackinac Island with conservation easements, development rights protection, outright purchase or gifts of land and protective covenants. Mackinac Island State Park now comprises over 80% of Mackinac Island.

"Land protection is among the most important accomplishments of the Mackinac Island State Park Commission," said MSHP Director Carl R. Nold. "Under MSHP stewardship, Chimney Rock will be protected for the public forever."

Mackinac State Historic Parks is a family of living history museums and parks in Northern Michigan’s Straits of Mackinac region. They include Fort Mackinac and Mackinac Island State Park on Mackinac Island, as well as Colonial Michilimackinac and Historic Mill Creek in Mackinaw City. The sites are accredited by the American Association of Museums. Visitor information is located on the web at www.mackinacparks.com; and by phone at 906-847-3328 or 231-436-4100.

Mackinac Island State Park Commission is an agency of the Department of History, Arts and Libraries, whose mission is to enrich the quality of life for Michigan residents by providing access to information, preserving and promoting Michigan’s heritage and fostering cultural creativity. The department also includes the Library of Michigan, the Michigan Council for Arts and Cultural Affairs, the Michigan Film Office, and the Michigan Historical Center.

http://www.michigan.gov/hal/0,1607,7-160-18835_18896_20588-46349--M_2002_8,00.html

Wootness! Now if I should see it I will probably learn it looks NOTHING like the Chimney Rock in RTMI...artistic license. Artistic license. o_o;;


Mackinac Island est. 1817
An American National Historic Landmark

Natural Features

Mackinac Island State Park is a nature preserve and learning center for Great Lakes nature enthusiasts. Walking, biking and riding trails meander through the boreal forest. Natural landmarks such as the slowly-eroding limestone formations of Arch Rock, Devil’s Kitchen and Sugar Loaf encourage the traveler to adopt a system of measuring time in hundreds of years, rather than in the hours, minutes, and seconds of everyday life in the twenty-first century.

The physical structure of Mackinac Island emerged gradually over 15,000 years ago. As the great glaciers receded, the Island rose above lake-level and the erosive action of the ancient Great Lakes against the Island’s limestone bedrock created today’s cliffs and rock formations. Salt deposits under the limestone were washed away, leaving cavern holes in the rock. Weakened by the removal of the softer minerals within its many layers of limestone sediment, much of the rock shattered and collapsed. As the water levels fell, dissolved minerals became concentrated and bound the limestone fragments together much like cement. The resulting cemented rock is known as breccia. The brecciated limestone is seen throughout the Island and its fragile from is noticeable in rockslides along the bluffs as lime-loving cedar roots penetrate cracks and loosen rocks.

Over thousands of years, rising and falling lake levels have washed away much of the softer materials leaving impressive rock formations. Sugar Loaf, Arch Rock and Devil’s Kitchen are just a few of the Island’s examples of glacial design. Because the limestone is fragile and breaks easily, no climbing is allowed on any limestone formation. The Mackinac Island State Park has erected barriers to protect the 15,000 year-old formations from any further destruction.

All sites listed below can be visited without charge and are within boundaries of the Mackinac Island State Park. The Mackinac Island State Park has posted signs directing visitors through the many riding, bicycling and walking trails to all natural features. All can be reached by bicycle and some are within easy walking distance from the downtown area.

Arch Rock

Rising nearly 150 feet above the water, Anishinaabe-Ojibwe tradition describes Arch Rock as the place where the Great Creator blew the breath of life into the newly created earth. Arch Rock is also the gateway through which the Great Creator passed on his way to Sugar Loaf, his Island home. This limestone formation can be seen from M-185, high above the Island’s exterior lakeshore on the Island’s east side. To get a closer look, a wooden stairway and nature path leads from the lakeshore road up the bluff to the uppermost part of the formation. Arch Rock is also accessible from many trails in the Island’s interior. For those who prefer to see this natural wonder in a more leisurely fashion, the limestone monument is one of many featured stops on the Mackinac Island Carriage Tour.

Devil’s Kitchen

This excellent example of limestone cavern created by the effects of erosion and cedar-root displacement of rocks can be seen from ferryboats approaching the Island west of Grand Hotel. An easy bicycle ride along M-185, Devil’s Kitchen is a popular picnic spot and resting point where travelers enjoy the view of the Mackinac Bridge and the many freighters passing through the Straits.

Sugar Loaf

The dwelling place of the Great Spirit Gitchie Manitou until the coming of the Europeans [wrong--it was supposed to be the dwelling place of Manabozho, a lesser manitou], this limestone bluff may be viewed from the ground up from the road below or by looking down from Point Lookout. A long wooden stairway nearby leads travelers up the bluff to Point Lookout. Sugar Loaf, believed by geologists to have been part of Arch Rock, is a cone-shaped, brecciated limestone formation rising 75 feet above the forest floor and was once surrounded by the ancient Lake Algonquin. This remains a popular photographic site and panoramic viewing area above the forest canopy. Sugar Loaf can be reached by foot trails or by bicycle, and is a popular Nordic skiing destination in the winter.

Skull Cave

Below Fort Holmes on Garrison Road, Skull Cave is believed to have been the hiding place for English Fur Trader Alexander Henry. His close friend, Ojibwe chief Minavavana sent him to hide in the cave on a bed of human bones in order to save him from death during Pontiac’s Rebellion in 1763.

Ecosystem

The landscape of Mackinac Island comprises fields, meadows, marshes, swamps, bogs, coastline, boreal forest, limestone formations and caves. Mackinac Island lies in the Alleghenian Zone. The Hemlock-White Pine hardwood forest has rich undergrowth of birch, elm, and maple. The aquatic insect population is significantly developed and the ecosystem of the Island is dependent on many life forms to keep the balance. On the Island, Mackinac State Historic Parks preserves the environment for all plant and animal life while at the same time provides an atmosphere for humans to reflect, explore and rejuvenate their spirits. Taking the time to explore the landscape while respecting the environment is an integral part of the Mackinac Island experience.

Mammals

The Straits of Mackinac have served as a barrier for all sorts of land mammals, although occasionally, larger mammals like wolf, deer or bear may make the three to seven mile journey over to the Island by crossing the ice bridge in the winter. [!!! I fail to see how it's possible for wolves to do this, seeing as they only live in the wild in Michigan on Isle Royale--up in Lake Superior!! I don't think who wrote that part knew what they were talking about. >:/ ] The most abundant species of mammal living on the Island is the bat, the only mammal capable of flight, and therefore the only mammal for which the straits pose no significant barrier. Having found a comfortable ecological niche on the Island, Mackinac’s bats eat insects and nectar from flowers, pollinate plants, disperse seeds and control insect populations. One bat is capable of eating up to 600 mosquitoes an hour and each bat usually eats for several hours every night. As the sun sets on a mid-summer night, this Mackinac Island favorite can be seen eating mosquitoes and other insects serving as a natural form of pest control. With the limestone caves abundant throughout the island and the large supply of insects and plant life, Mackinac’s ecosystem is ideal for the bat and the bat is ideal for this ecosystem.

Wildflowers

Mackinac Island has long been admired for its natural beauty. Because of the topography, geological history, soils, and climate, there are a great variety of niches supporting over six hundred species of vascular plants.

Spring finds the forest floor covered in a mixture of spring ephemerals including Large Flowered Trillium, Trout Lily, Spring Beauty, Hepatica, Violets and Yellow Lady Slippers. By summer, these give way to the Wood Lilies, Buttercups and Hawkweeds. The wetlands along the shoreline are blessed with a variety of Orchids, Fringed Gentian and jack-in-the-pulpit. Six species of asters and Zigzag, Ohio and Tall Goldenrod cover the fall landscape under the dramatic show of colors given by the Maple, Birch and Elm of Mackinac’s boreal forest. Snow blankets the Island during the winter months when the dark greens of the Cedar, Pine and Spruce are juxtaposed above the red berries of the High Bush Cranberry and the mahogany stems of the Red Osier Dogwood.

The diversity of the plant life, rich contrasts and splashes of color create a stunning backdrop for Mackinac’s wildflowers. Yet, it’s the quiet announcement of seasonal change through the wildflowers that makes one appreciate the natural beauty of Mackinac Island’s living landscape.

Birds

A popular migration spot, Mackinac Island is a resort habitat to many species of birds. Because birds dislike flying over cold waterways, they often "island-hop" across the Great Lakes to their summer homes in the north. Golden and Bald Eagles, Sharp Skinned [um, I think they mean sharp-shinned], Red Tailed and Broad-Winged Hawks are especially abundant in late April and early May while the Yellow Warblers and American Redstart and the iridescent blue color flash of the Indigo Bunting flying past pleasantly startles and excites visitors during the early summer months.

Many birds prefer to roost or rest by Mackinac’s shoreline; these include Herrings [*LOL!!* Since when is a herring a bird?? I think they mean herring gulls], Ring Billed Gulls, Cormorants, Red-Breasted Mergansers, Great Blue Herons, Canadian Geese and Loons. During the winter months the Snowy Owl and Great Gray Owl fly south from the arctic to hunt and enjoy the "warmer" climate found on Mackinac Island.

The musical "ze-ze-zu-ze" call of the Black Throated Green Warbler can be heard as well as the puzzling and unusual call of the Veery. The Island’s most aural year-round resident, the red crested Large Pileated Woodpecker regularly delivers its "Woody Woodpecker" call across the landscape. Other year-round residents include Black Capped Chickadees, Cardinals and Blue Jays.

Mackinac Island Nature and Bird Checklists are available from the Mackinac State Historic Parks Visitor’s Center.

http://www.mackinacisland.org/visitor.php?pages=21

Hm, some puzzling errors in that article...

I also discovered on the map that there is something called Eagle Point Cave over on the far east side of the island! Hmmmmmm.

That's all for now. Tar...