http://blog.mlive.com/flintjournal/outdoors/enFri, 11 Apr 2008 12:55:56 -0500Movable Type Enterprise 1.52 http://www.sixapart.com/movabletype/no1656411http://www.feedburner.comhttp://feeds.feedburner.com/~r/flint_outdoors/~3/268614012/davison_township_man_to_teach.htmlCommunity: Davison, Davison TownshipEnvironment38411091825962063532109181Jerry Ernst | The Davison FlagstaffFri, 11 Apr 2008 12:55:56 -0500tag:blog.mlive.com,2008:/flintjournal/outdoors//1577.874505 ]]>Jerry Ernst | The Flint JournalJohn Malcomnson displays the energy-saving apparatus he commonly works with, such as the set of solar energy collecting tubes (left) used to heat household water, and (right) a panel of photovoltaic cells for generating electricity. DAVISON TOWNSHIP, Michigan -- John Malcomnson has made conservation his life's work.Flint Journal extras • More articles about the environment He has minimized waste in his life and turned energy conservation into a livelihood. Now he's trying to recruit others to his cause with a community education course. "It IS Easy Being GREEN," offered April 17 at Davison High School, will be a 90-minute introduction to technologies and strategies for reducing energy use and generating more energy from environmentally friendly sources....http://blog.mlive.com/flintjournal/outdoors/2008/04/davison_township_man_to_teach.htmlhttp://feeds.feedburner.com/~r/flint_outdoors/~3/268118719/mott_to_host_one_of_many_local.htmlCommunity: FlintEnvironmentMliveElizabeth Shaw | The Flint JournalThu, 10 Apr 2008 16:18:22 -0500tag:blog.mlive.com,2008:/flintjournal/outdoors//1577.871974 ]]>The annual MCC Earth Day Celebration will take place from 9 a.m.-3 p.m. April 19 at Mott Community College, 1401 E. Court St., Flint....http://blog.mlive.com/flintjournal/outdoors/2008/04/mott_to_host_one_of_many_local.htmlhttp://feeds.feedburner.com/~r/flint_outdoors/~3/268118720/junior_steelheaders_hoping_to.htmlFishingElizabeth Shaw | The Flint JournalThu, 10 Apr 2008 16:16:17 -0500tag:blog.mlive.com,2008:/flintjournal/outdoors//1577.871965 ]]>Elizabeth Shaw | The Flint JournalEach year in June, the Flint Steelheaders join Chapman's Sport Center, Fishing Tackle Grab Bag and Freeway Sports Center to help the Genesee County Parks host a free kids' fishing derby at Mott Lake. Now the group is hoping to help young anglers year-round, through the Junior Steelheaders club for kids ages 6-16. GENESEE COUNTY -- Every summer, the Flint River Valley Steelheaders help tune up the tackle and launch the boats for the Genesee County Parks' Kids Free Fishing Derby at Mott Lake in the Genesee Recreation Area. Now the group is hoping to help young anglers year-round, through the Junior Steelheaders club for kids ages 6-16....http://blog.mlive.com/flintjournal/outdoors/2008/04/junior_steelheaders_hoping_to.htmlhttp://feeds.feedburner.com/~r/flint_outdoors/~3/268118721/stealth_patience_necessary_for.htmlHuntingMliveDavid V. Graham | The Flint JournalThu, 10 Apr 2008 16:10:33 -0500tag:blog.mlive.com,2008:/flintjournal/outdoors//1577.871942 ]]>National Wild Turkey FederationTurkey hunting may be far more challenging than deer hunting because gobblers tend to be even more cautious than many bucks. Turkey hunting is one of the bigger challenges in hunting, but that's part of what makes it so much fun. Michigan's spring turkey season opens April 21, and thousands of hunters will be taking to the woods and fields, some for the first time....http://blog.mlive.com/flintjournal/outdoors/2008/04/stealth_patience_necessary_for.htmlhttp://feeds.feedburner.com/~r/flint_outdoors/~3/268118722/donations_to_help_kids_enjoy_c.htmlCampingMliveElizabeth Shaw | The Flint JournalThu, 10 Apr 2008 16:03:15 -0500tag:blog.mlive.com,2008:/flintjournal/outdoors//1577.871930 ]]>OAKLAND COUNTY -- More local kids will get a chance to discover outdoor fun this summer at Echo Grove Camp and Retreat Center in northern Oakland County, thanks to the support of Cabela's in Dundee and organizations involved in various aspects of outdoor recreation. The Salvation Army Outdoors program will offer outdoor activities including fishing, target shooting and archery to about 2,000 children who attend Echo Grove's sports and day camps each year....http://blog.mlive.com/flintjournal/outdoors/2008/04/donations_to_help_kids_enjoy_c.htmlhttp://feeds.feedburner.com/~r/flint_outdoors/~3/263088779/theres_still_winter_camping_it.htmlCampingMliveElizabeth Shaw | The Flint JournalWed, 02 Apr 2008 22:57:08 -0500tag:blog.mlive.com,2008:/flintjournal/outdoors//1577.850106 ]]>Elizabeth Shaw | The Flint JournalSled-packing and cross-country skiing are still possible at Pigeon River Country State Forest near Vanderbilt, where nearly two feet of snow still blankets much of the forest floor along the banks of the Pigeon River. Read all about it Pigeon River Country By Dale Clark Franz University of Michigan Press, 352 pp., $24.95 paperback. OTSEGO COUNTY -- So what if it's spring? Snow lovers like me still can find plenty of the white stuff -- just drive north and don't get off I-75 until you hit the Vanderbilt exit a half-hour north of Gaylord. That's where you'll find Pigeon River Country State Forest -- the largest single block of undeveloped state land in the Lower Peninsula. The forest is home to the largest free-roaming elk herd this side of the Mississippi River, as well as some of lower Michigan's most scenic fishing waters and foot trails....http://blog.mlive.com/flintjournal/outdoors/2008/04/theres_still_winter_camping_it.htmlhttp://feeds.feedburner.com/~r/flint_outdoors/~3/263088780/sierra_club_board_meeting_wedn.htmlCommunity: FlintElizabeth Shaw | The Flint JournalWed, 02 Apr 2008 22:15:15 -0500tag:blog.mlive.com,2008:/flintjournal/outdoors//1577.850062 ]]>The Sierra Club Nepessing Group will hold a board meeting at 6 p.m. Wednesday, followed by a program on bicycle touring at 7:30 p.m. in the Genesee Room of the Prahl Center, Mott Community College, 1401 E. Court St., Flint. Both are open to the public....http://blog.mlive.com/flintjournal/outdoors/2008/04/sierra_club_board_meeting_wedn.htmlhttp://feeds.feedburner.com/~r/flint_outdoors/~3/263088781/april_fools_hike_saturday.htmlCommunity: Flushing, Flushing TownshipHikingElizabeth Shaw | The Flint JournalWed, 02 Apr 2008 22:02:09 -0500tag:blog.mlive.com,2008:/flintjournal/outdoors//1577.850032 ]]>Enjoy a guided hike from 1-2:30 p.m. Saturday at Flushing Township Nature Park, 8301 N. McKinley Road....http://blog.mlive.com/flintjournal/outdoors/2008/04/april_fools_hike_saturday.htmlhttp://feeds.feedburner.com/~r/flint_outdoors/~3/263088782/department_of_natural_resource_2.htmlCommunity: Lapeer CountyMliveElizabeth Shaw | The Flint JournalWed, 02 Apr 2008 22:00:24 -0500tag:blog.mlive.com,2008:/flintjournal/outdoors//1577.850024 ]]>Applications are now being accepted for seasonal jobs at Lapeer State Game Area, Holly Recreation Area and Port Huron State Game Area....http://blog.mlive.com/flintjournal/outdoors/2008/04/department_of_natural_resource_2.htmlhttp://feeds.feedburner.com/~r/flint_outdoors/~3/263088783/department_of_natural_resource_1.htmlWildlifeElizabeth Shaw | The Flint JournalWed, 02 Apr 2008 21:59:06 -0500tag:blog.mlive.com,2008:/flintjournal/outdoors//1577.850013 ]]>State Department of Natural Resources wildlife biologists say cold temperatures and thick ice on Saginaw Bay delayed the annual spring migration of waterfowl slightly, making the first week of April the best for viewing opportunities in the public lands and surrounding farm fields of the Saginaw Bay area....http://blog.mlive.com/flintjournal/outdoors/2008/04/department_of_natural_resource_1.htmlhttp://feeds.feedburner.com/~r/flint_outdoors/~3/263088784/free_foodplot_development_semi.htmlHuntingElizabeth Shaw | The Flint JournalWed, 02 Apr 2008 21:57:50 -0500tag:blog.mlive.com,2008:/flintjournal/outdoors//1577.850009 ]]>Mark Trudeau of the Whitetail Institute will discuss current trends in food-plot development and products at 6 p.m. Friday at Gander Mountain, 5038 Miller Road, Flint Township. The seminar is free and open to the public....http://blog.mlive.com/flintjournal/outdoors/2008/04/free_foodplot_development_semi.htmlhttp://feeds.feedburner.com/~r/flint_outdoors/~3/263088785/gun_dog_fun_trial_slated_for_a.htmlSportsElizabeth Shaw | The Flint JournalWed, 02 Apr 2008 21:56:33 -0500tag:blog.mlive.com,2008:/flintjournal/outdoors//1577.850002 ]]>The Robert J. Lytle Chapter of the Ruffed Grouse Society will host a gun dog fun trial at 8 a.m. April 12 at Farmland Pheasant Hunters, 7104 Gosline Road, Brown City. Details: (810) 346-3672....http://blog.mlive.com/flintjournal/outdoors/2008/04/gun_dog_fun_trial_slated_for_a.htmlhttp://feeds.feedburner.com/~r/flint_outdoors/~3/263088786/shooting_contests_scheduled.htmlCommunity: Lapeer CountySportsElizabeth Shaw | The Flint JournalWed, 02 Apr 2008 21:55:23 -0500tag:blog.mlive.com,2008:/flintjournal/outdoors//1577.849996 ]]>The Wranglers Cowboy Action Shoot long-range match will be held April 12 and a regular match will be held April 13 at Lapeer County Sportsman Club, 1213 N. Lake George Road, Attica Township. Details: (248) 628-7424....http://blog.mlive.com/flintjournal/outdoors/2008/04/shooting_contests_scheduled.htmlhttp://feeds.feedburner.com/~r/flint_outdoors/~3/259411505/portable_snowmobile_loading_ra.htmlCommunity: Flushing, Flushing TownshipSnowmobileElizabeth Shaw | The Flint JournalThu, 27 Mar 2008 19:57:52 -0500tag:blog.mlive.com,2008:/flintjournal/outdoors//1577.834779 ]]>Courtesy photoBlaine Pertler's portable snowmobile loading ramp fits neatly in the bed of a pickup. On the Web www.youtube.com. Search "BlaineDP and portable snowmobile loading ramp." FLUSHING -- Flushing snowmobiler Blaine Pertler didn't need to sing, dance or do a comedy skit to find fame on YouTube. All he had to do was build a better snowmobile ramp. "I wanted a ramp that I could store somewhere in the bed of the truck. So I thought 'Why don't I raise up the sled (with a frame) and slide the ramp under the sled?' I tried it and it works great," Pertler said of his homemade ramp design....http://blog.mlive.com/flintjournal/outdoors/2008/03/portable_snowmobile_loading_ra.htmlhttp://feeds.feedburner.com/~r/flint_outdoors/~3/259411506/boys_story_on_first_buck_takes.htmlCommunity: Flushing, Flushing TownshipHuntingElizabeth Shaw | The Flint JournalSat, 29 Mar 2008 15:08:39 -0500tag:blog.mlive.com,2008:/flintjournal/outdoors//1577.834760 ]]>Courtesy photoAlexander Buckbee and his grandfather Frank Becker were hunting together when Alexander took his first deer. FLUSHING -- It's not every day a boy shoots his first buck. But it's an even rarer day when he earns statewide recognition for writing about it. Flushing Middle School eighth-grader Alexander Buckbee, 14, recently won second place in Michigan Outdoor News magazine's Midwest Region youth writing contest for his essay "My First Buck." The story about a September 2007 hunting trip with his grandfather originally was written as a class assignment. "I am proud that Alex pursued this competition. I don't know many writers who were published on their first attempt," said Bobbie J. Green, Alexander's literature and language teacher. "He likes to write about things he's interested in. He's not as excited when it's just some topic he has to write on," joked his mother, Lalonnie of Flushing Township. "He thought he might get a little extra credit for putting it out there. He didn't expect to get all this publicity from it."...http://blog.mlive.com/flintjournal/outdoors/2008/03/boys_story_on_first_buck_takes.htmlnonadult