John Bedford was at the School for a visit during a vacation to the Copper Country. John is the Pest Response Program Manager with the Michigan Department of Agriculture.
William Roehm, who attended Michigan Tech in Forestry in the early 1970s, visited the campus to show his son around. William now lives in Vista, California and is employed by the Oceanside Unified School District.
Calvin DeBoer visited the school while on vacation. Calvin has been employed with the City of Holland for over 36 years. He is the Forestry Supervisor in the Park Department
Stuart Kramer is an Americorps member teaching at an alternative school and running a Community Supported Agriculture (CSA) farm in Eugene, Oregon.
| Nearly 300 K-12 students from seven schools in Houghton, Baraga and Keweenaw counties ascended Brockway Mountain this spring, to view the annual raptor migration.
Research Engineer Dana Richter, forestry student Auriel Van De Laar, and members of the Copper Country Audubon Club helped students identify the raptors using binoculars, a spotting scope, and field guides–as well as learn about raptor characteristics and migration routes. Each spring, thousands of hawks, eagles and other raptors fly north along the Keweenaw Peninsula looking for a way to cross Lake Superior. As the birds reach the tip of the peninsula, some ride updrafts of warm air over Lake Superior, while others circle back and head for Duluth where they can follow the shoreline north. In April and May, people from all over the region visit this well-known scenic overlook for an, amazing view of raptors soaring by at eye level. Despite the popularity of the spring raptor migration among local and regional “birders,” few K-12 students have ever heard of the raptor migration. The Keweenaw Raptor Survey is a project of Copper Country Audubon and Laughing Whitefish Audubon of Marquette. Arthur Green (awg@gmx.us), a professional hawk-counter, is stationed on the mountain from March to June to count the raptors passing overhead. Sixteen species of raptors totaling almost 10,000 birds were counted in 2010. The 140 birds viewed on April 29 included: turkey vulture, osprey, bald eagle , northern harrier, sharp-shinned hawk, cooper’s hawk, northern goshawk, red-shouldered hawk, broad-winged hawk, red-tailed hawk, rough-legged hawk , golden American kestrel, merlin and peregrine falcon The staff of the Western UP Center for Science, Math and Environmental Education organized the event. For more information, visit: www.keweenawraptorsurvey.org . |
Terry Reedy is retired from the U.S. Department of Interior. He toured the Keweenaw and the School while visiting with his old friend Eric Frimodig. Terry said, “Things sure change especially for guys like me that have a poor memory!” Terry resides in Alturas, California.
Assistant Professor Audrey Mayer was recently awarded a Ralph E. Powe Junior Faculty Enhancement Award from Oak Ridge Associated Universities. Audrey will be working with Dr. Virginia Dale at Oak Ridge National Laboratory, and Professor Mark Rouleau of the Social Sciences department, on a computer simulation modeling project titled “Regional-scale impacts of bioenergy and carbon sequestration policies for nonindustrial private forests in Michigan and Tennessee.”
Professor Martin Jurgensen has received $50,000 from the US Department of Agriculture for a one-year project, “Below Ground Processes Associated with Fire Management and Naturally Occurring Charcoal of Application of Biochar.”
The Michigan Technological University Chapter of Xi Sigma Pi, National Forestry Honors Fraternity, is pleased to welcome fourteen new members to their society on April 18, 2011.
Congratulations to:
-Amber Oja
-Bethany Blease
-Ben Kamps
-Gerald Jondreau
-David Kossak
-Paul Gerhart
-Kenneth Carruthers
-Micheal Premer
-Michelle Kroll
-Amy Berns
-Jennifer Boettger
-Conor Bell
-Kenneth Kettler
-Meghan Stan
The society’s advisor is Dr. Jim Pickens of the School of Forest Resources and Environmental Science. Congratulations to all the new members.
Assistant Professor Oliver Gailing has received $10,870 from Hanes Trust for a one-year project, “Hybridization and Local Adaptation in Quercus Rubra L. and Q. Ellipsoidalis E.J. Hill in Michigan.”