AT-TUWANI, Palestine — Today we planted olive trees, and tomorrow we’ll begin running across Palestine. Through both acts, we hope to enlighten our countrymen in the United States, and the world, about the humanity and the struggles faced by the West Bank’s embattled olive farmers.

We arrived in At-Tuwani in the South Hebron Hills this afternoon — about half a mile from an Israeli settlement and an hour’s drive from Jerusalem. The contrast between the old bazaars and tourist hotels of the Holy City, where we awoke this morning, and At-Tuwani is incredible. Here the hilly landscape resembles a rocky moonscape, and here some residents still live in caves. Others live in homes that the Israeli army has threatened to demolish.

Our entourage this afternoon included a truck carrying 500 olive donated saplings. The townsfolk immediately led us to an open field where we — Americans and Palestinians alike — dug two-foot holes and planted the olive trees. They’ll reach maturity in 15 years, and will feed and provide an export crop for generations of Palestinians, as long as a person, or an army, doesn’t uproot them.

Afterwards, we walked up the hill to the village and gathered in the schoolhouse courtyard — a simple concrete slab — for a celebration of speeches, music, dancing by local youth, theater skits about life under the occupation, and an impromptu performance by the Run Across Palestine’s “musician-in-residence” Josh Davis, of Steppin’ In It fame.

“We started here because it’s here that you’ve shown the perseverance to stay on your land,” said Chris Treter, a brainchild behind both the Run Across Palestine and last year’s Run Across Ethiopia. “Thank you for receiving us and thank you for being here,” he told the crowd of approximately 300 locals, including men and women in traditional garb, teenagers in hip modern clothing, and playful children.

We were treated to a simple but delicious meal of rice, lentils, soup and pita bread — the sort of meal that tastes nearly as good as a $50 per plate splurge, because the meal was created out of gratitude.

It’s those kinds of interactions that we hope will define our run the next five days. Stay tuned for more.

JERUSALEM, OLD CITY — This morning, before we departed Bethlehem and the West Bank to return to Jerusalem, Run Across Palestine coordinators Timothy Young (from Honor, Michigan) and Vivien Sansour took half an hour to plant an olive tree in Sansour’s back yard — a vista that looks out over Bethlehem and stretches into Israel proper.

The act seemed simple enough. Dig a two-foot hole in the ground and insert a sapling whose roots are encased in earth. Spread rich manure around the plant and fill in the hole. But its ramifications will be felt for hundreds of years. The tree planted in Vivien’s back yard will reach maturity in 15 years and thrive long after the humans who planted it are gone.

Watch the video here:

That’s why the Run Across Palestine delegation is here in the Holy Land, of course — to raise awareness about the importance of olive trees for the Palestinian people, and to help them plant their children’s olive trees.

The act complete, we put away the tools, washed our hands, and climbed into a waiting taxi for the trip to Jerusalem — along a new highway that connects Israel with its West Bank settlements.

By mid afternoon the last of the participants in the upcoming Run Across Palestine were all gathered at the Hashimi Hotel in the Old City — some tired, some weary from the plane trip across the Atlantic — but all mesmerized by the golden Dome of the Rock and Western Wall visible in the distance.

On Saturday morning, the journey begins.

BETHLEHEM — Walls are often built to make us fear what lurks on the other side — be they neighborhood thieves, or people we perceive to be our enemies.

In Jerusalem, the wall the Israeli government has erected between Jewish Israel and the Palestinian West Bank has dissuaded (and scared) Israelis from visiting their Arab neighbors, made life difficult for Palestinians who work in “Israel proper”, and created a general illusion of a tense conflict between these two proud peoples who currently share the same state. This wall, like other walls built for political reasons, is an unsightly and seemingly archaic approach to urban architecture and problem solving. The Berlin wall comes to mind, as does the wall on the U.S.-Mexican border.

But when Traverse City videographer Aaron Dennis and I crossed through Israel’s “Separation Barrier” yesterday and entered the West Bank town of Bethlehem (known, of course, for its Biblical fame), we experienced not fear but joy at the boisterous sounds of taxi cabs honking, food vendors hawking shawarmas, and hard-working Palestinians returning home to their families. For me as a world traveler, it’s always felt euphoric to depart from the solemn and ritualistic “West” and enter a culture where even strangers exhibit hospitality, handshakes and laughs toward each other.

Dennis and I are in the “Holy Land” to document the Run Across Palestine, a philanthropic venture organized by a team of northern Michiganders who will run 129 miles over five days across the West Bank. The project will raise awareness about the struggles facing olive farmers in Palestine and attempt to reestablish sustainable olive growing practices in a place where the economy, culture and identity are rooted in the ancient tree. Forty-five percent of the agricultural land in the West Bank is used for growing olives, employing 100,000 Palestinians. The money raised by the run will go to fund the replanting of olive trees uprooted in recent years, and to fund scholarships for the children of the farmers.

“The olive tree plays a very important role as a symbol of our perseverance,” said Run Across Palestine coordinator Vivien Sansour. “Planting an olive tree is a huge message of hope. When you plant an olive tree, you’re planting a vision for the future.”

In advance of the run, we’ve visited particular villages in the West Bank, including Bethlehem, Beit Jala, Beit Omar and A’twani and talked with activists, professors, clergymen, students and olive farmers to learn about how Palestinian olive farmers are struggling to overcome the occupation and the challenges it poses to their livelihood.

We’ll ultimately produce a seven-part documentary web series entitled “The People and the Olive”, which will tell stories of hope and perseverance in the West Bank. Check back here in the days to come for videos and blog updates from the Run Across Palestine.

In the meantime, here’s a video of students in A’tawani, a village near Hebron, dancing to traditional music and performing a skit about how they experience the occupation of their land, and their interaction with Israel’s settlement communities.

By Michael Buhler and Jacob Wheeler
Sun editors

The Glen Arbor Township Board held a special meeting today to respond to the Michigan Department of Environmental Quality (DEQ) regarding an application for a marina expansion on Big Glen Lake. On the Narrows Marina owner Conor McCahill seeks to add an additional 39 boat slips on a new dock, bringing the total to 46, as well as increase the moorings to 16. On the Narrows Marina is located on the M-22 state highway, just north of the Carl Oleson Memorial Bridge, which divides Big and Little Glen Lake.

Over 100 residents and interested neighbors listened in the gymnasium as the Board met to discuss the issue. Since this was a meeting and not a hearing, public comment was limited to the end of the session. Township Zoning Administrator Bob Hawley reviewed the requirements of the Resort zone, and noted that the marina and its structures are a non-conforming use of the property, grandfathered into the original 1975 zoning plan. He questioned whether an expansion would then make this a “more non-conforming use,” and necessitate the entire project to come into zoning compliance, which it then could not do.

After deliberation and audience input, the Board voted 4-0 to write a letter to the DEQ noting its concerns over parking, pedestrians, road safety, navigation at the bridge, water safety, and the potential for pollution. The Board also asked the DEQ to conduct a public hearing on the matter.

Andy DuPont, President of the Glen Lake Association (GLA), reported that he was assured by Robin Schmidt of the DEQ that the department plans to hold a public hearing, and that online links where citizens can comment on the application, and a PDF of the application itself, are available on the GLA website, www.GlenLakeAssociation.org. You can also comment on the DEQ’s website here and view the PDF here NarrowsMarinaExpansionApplication. The GLA and Township Board encourage everyone to make their views known to the DEQ, and the GLA website will share any updates on the application — as well the Glen Arbor Sun via GlenArbor.com.

On the DEQ application last month, McCahill wrote, “Due to high demand, we would like to expand our boat slip and mooring offerings. If permitted we would simply install additional freestanding seasonal docks and move and expand our mooring field. This would take place in Spring 2012. … There is very high demand for slips and moorings on Glen Lake that we currently cannot accommodate. … Following our pre-application meeting we adjusted our layout and design to exclude a boat ramp and any dredging activity. This will require more dock sections to be used, but eliminate dredging in the shallow areas.”

In an open letter to the Glen Lake community posted at On the Narrows Marina’s website today, the McCahill family wrote: “Our objective in seeking expansion is to provide more opportunities for others to have access to the lake. We have a long waiting list from local residents seeking lake access for their boats. Most of our mooring customers are members of the local community and favor having boat slips as opposed to moorings. While we anticipated there would be opposing opinions, some quite legitimate and others self centered, the first step in the process is to comply with state law which we know will inevitably lead to a public hearing where we look forward to answering questions, addressing concerns and hopefully finding solutions that allow further access to a wonderful natural resource for Glen Lake residents, families and visitors.”

On the Narrows Marina’s expansion plans on Big Glen Lake have spread like wildfire through the local media. TV 7&4 news jumped on the story on Tuesday, quoting resident Kathy Schmid, who owns a home on the lake, as saying she’s worried that “peaceful summers on Glen Lake will turn into a crowded party atmosphere with the expansion.” Schmid also worries that the area wouldn’t be able to accommodate extra parking or restrooms that would be needed for the influx of visitors.

On Wednesday, the Traverse City Record-Eagle described On the Narrows as a “sleepy little marina” and quoted Kathy’s brother Greg Schmid as saying, “I think this is the first robber baron taking advantage of us being called the most beautiful place in America. I think by next year we’ll lose that designation.” The Schmids worry that the addition of nearly 40 boat slips will turn the Glen Lakes into “another party spot like Torch Lake.”

“They are valid concerns,” Conor McCahill told the Sun. “From our point of view, we don’t see why we can’t work with the community to address them and get something done. We take the lake very seriously, and we’re not looking to cause any harm. We’re just looking to expand and meet demand on the lake.”

McCahill conceded that parking is an issue in the congested area north of the Narrows Bridge. He suggested that the parking lot in front of “McCahill’s Crossing” — the former Narrows Dairy Bar, which will re-open this summer — is a possible solution.

“Parking is an issue. But it’s an issue throughout Glen Arbor too. There are different options in our plan. We own the property across the bridge. We could perhaps do a shuttle service.”

McCahill sought to address concerns that the expansion will overcrowd the lake with traffic.

“Our goal, as far as the expansion is concerned, is to allow more people to use the lake. It’s a misconception that the lake will all of a sudden become overcrowded with boat traffic. Our clientele are mostly people from the community who are already on the lake. They just want to put their boat somewhere where they don’t have to use the ramp every single day.”

The McCahills contracted the Traverse City-based surveying and engineering firm Gourdie-Fraser to investigate riparian rights and bottomlands where the docks and moorings would go. Conor McCahill believes that On the Narrows owns the riparian rights south of the marina.

“People are under the impression that that is not our land, but we went through the process, and it is,” he said. “All we’re looking for is an opportunity to work with the community to get this accomplished. If the plan goes through and we have a separate pier, that’s just another place where people can park their boats. Another avenue, so the lake is not as congested.”

Tom and Carol McCahill, and their three adult children, Conor, Megan and Neil, originally from Littleton, Colo., purchased the marina from Jack and Marcie Ferris in 2008 and re-opened it in 2009. Read our feature on the McCahills here. They recently acquired the former Dairy Bar on the south side of the Glen Lake narrows and plan to open that soon. Last summer, employees of On the Narrows won the adoration of the community when they saved a tiny fawn from drowning in Big Glen Lake.

Calling all book lovers and friends of the Cottage Book Shop in Glen Arbor: Wednesday, Feb. 1 is the deadline to sign up to choose the title of the free book you will deliver to 20 non-readers or light readers throughout northern Michigan on April 23 — the second annual World Book Night.

Launched in 2011 in Great Britain, World Book Night successfully donated thousands of paperback books to community members who have limited access to the joys and discoveries of the written word. It aims to promote the value of reading, and focus awareness of the importance of printed books, bookstores, and libraries to everyone all year.

The Cottage Book Shop believes strongly that reading a good book can inspire, provoke, entertain and move you — in short, that reading books changes lives. Therefore, the Cottage Book Shop will be northern Michigan’s local pickup point for your 20 free copies of one title you choose at the World Book Night’s website: www.us.worldbooknight.org.

The chosen 30 titles come in a variety of genres, including mysteries, sociology, thrillers, literature and young adult fiction; they feature authors such as Chris Cleave, Sherman Alexie, Jodi Picoult, Michael Connolly, Maya Angelou, Stephen King, Jeanette Walls and more.

In the spirit of giving, the books are donated by publishers, meaning you do not have to buy anything. Just sign up with the Cottage Book Shop by Feb. 1 and pick up your 20 copies in mid-April at the Cottage Book Shop’s launch party. You then distribute these on April 23 to areas of northern Michigan’s community where under-served readers may be. For example, the Women’s Resource Center, the Goodwill Inn, stores, churches, food pantries, the county jail, senior centers, a school or sports event, or other agencies and locations in our area.

U.S. sponsors for 2012 include the American Library Association, American Booksellers Association, Barnes and Noble, and major publishers and distributors such as Scholastic, Random House and others. For more information, and to register as a Northern Michigan book distributor on this special day, April 23, visit www.us.worldbooknight.org. Be sure to register by Feb. 1. And thank you for sharing your love of books with others.

From staff reports

The Glen Arbor Art Association offers several residencies each year for practicing artists who would like the opportunity for creative exploration in an idyllic setting in northern Michigan’s Leelanau Peninsula. The purpose of the residency program is to provide visiting artists with a respite from daily responsibilities to enable them to concentrate on their work. Participants use studio space provided at Thoreson Farm, a farmstead in the historic Port Oneida district of the Sleeping Bear Dunes National Lakeshore. A small apartment is provided in the Art Association building in Glen Arbor at no charge for the residency period.

Residencies are considered in writing, visual arts, photography, sculpture, fiber arts, ceramics, music, philosophy and creative research. The selection committee will consider requests in light of suitability for our present facilities, as well as the submitted resume and images.

Residencies are normally two weeks in duration. Applications may be submitted until March 1 for the 2012 season for residencies during May-June and from mid-August to mid-October. Late fall, winter and early spring residencies are also available for writers and performing artists who do not require studio space. At the time of application, please indicate desired residency time frame.

Applications will be reviewed promptly after the submission deadline with notification by late March. For more details and how to apply, see our website www.glenarborart.org.

In northern Michigan, and across the United States, farming the land is our heritage. Most of us may no longer till the soil or milk the cows with our own hands, but we’re proud to have grandfathers and great grandfathers who did so, and we strive to carry on their work ethic.

Farming communities around the world boast a similar love of their land and deep connection with the food that their land harvests — just as we do in Leelanau County. The same goes for farmers who speak different languages and practice different religions and customs than we do — such as farmers in the Palestinian West Bank. They cherish and need their olive trees just as we love our cherry orchards.

That’s the message that Traverse City filmmaker Aaron Dennis and I will try to convey as we travel to Israel and Palestine next month to document the “Run Across Palestine”, a northern Michigan-organized effort to raise money and awareness around the challenges facing Palestinian fair-trade olive farmers. This is a place where the history, economy, culture and identity are rooted in the ancient olive tree. Forty-five percent of the agricultural land in the West Bank is used for growing olives, employing 100,000 Palestinians. And yet their trade is in danger as water and access to land disappear.

“The olive tree plays a very important role as a symbol of our perseverance,” said Vivien Sansour of Canaan Fair Trade and a Run Across Palestine coordinator. “Planting an olive tree is a huge message of hope. When you plant an olive tree, you’re planting a vision for the future.”

Half a dozen runners — most from northern Michigan — will run a marathon each day for five consecutive days, Feb. 4-8, from Hebron in the southern part of the West Bank to Jenin, with visits to holy sites in Bethlehem and Jerusalem. Along the route they’ll stay in villages and interact with local farmers, creating a cultural exchange. Josh Davis, lead vocalist of the popular Michigan band Steppin’ In It, will join them, and record an album together with local Palestinian musicians.

The Run Across Palestine follows on the heels of last year’s Run Across Ethiopia, which featured 10 U.S. athletes running 250 miles to raise over $200,000 to build three schools in coffee-growing communities in the Yirgachefe region, where coffee was first harvested. Both runs are projects of On the Ground, the brainchild of Higher Grounds Trading owner Chris Treter, and both support fair-trade farmers.

“Olive farming is their economic livelihood,” said Timothy Young,” a board member of On the Ground and president of Food for Thought in Honor, Mich. “As a result of the political situation in this region, many have lost access to their livelihood. They came to us and told us ‘Our children will not survive if they don’t have trees to harvest’.”

“We want to make sure there will be farmers to nurture those trees 30 years from now, so we’re providing scholarships to children of these farmers to make sure they can go to school.”

The Run Across Palestine will team up with Canaan Fair Trade, the first fair-trade and organic certified olive growing cooperative in the world today.

“Fair trade puts a face on the food, and fair trade gives us access to those faces,” said Young. “We can see the people who grow our products and we can ensure that there are mechanisms in place that those people will be treated fairly.”

Dennis and I will embed ourselves with the runners, and produce a daily video series that features Palestinian olive farmers. I’ll also post daily blog updates on GlenArbor.com (just as I did during the Run Across Ethiopia), MyNorth.com and other outlets, and write a feature story for the California-based Jewish spiritual magazine, Tikkun.

The Run Across Palestine comes at a unique time, as Palestinian leaders vie for statehood recognition at the United Nations, and as democratic uprisings across the Arab Middle East give Israelis and Palestinians an opportunity to reexamine their complex relationship. In lieu of daily mainstream media coverage that exposes violence and fault lines, we intend to focus on Palestinians’ and Israelis’ common love for the agricultural land, and the food it has provided them for centuries, and how it offers the potential to unite them.

“This is not just a running expedition, and it’s not just a fundraiser,” said Treter. “At the heart of this is an opportunity for all of us to learn more about the rich culture and peaceful people that exist in Palestine, and that’s something we don’t see enough in our news.”

This GlenArbor.com story is sponsored by Misers Hoard in Empire, which recently expanded its business to include new items.

Great art, wine and food are the main events of a special evening on Friday, Feb. 3 from 6-8 p.m., which kicks off the Leelanau Peninsula Vintners Association’s Taste the Passion weekend. For a fourth year, this fun winter event features wine from Leelanau wineries, original art by local artists and a fabulous small plates menu designed by The Homestead’s Chef Piombo. The festivities will be held at Mountain Flowers Lodge at The Homestead resort north of Glen Arbor.

The price is $20 per person advance reservation by Feb. 2 and includes one glass of wine and food stations with delectable small plates and coffee. Additional wine available for $4/glass or three glasses for $10. Call The Homestead at (231) 334-5100 to make a reservation with a will-call ticket at the door for pre-paid reservations. $25 per person admission at the door.

The invitational art exhibit and sale offers recent original works by nine Leelanau artists. The artists will be on hand to discuss their work. This is a great opportunity to meet local artists and celebrate a perfect pairing of wine and art. A portion of the art sales will benefit the Glen Arbor Art Association’s (GAAA) summer programs.

Five dollars of each ticket goes to support the GAAA class scholarships and a free after-school art program for Glen Lake students. Scholarship assistance and the after-school art program provide arts opportunities for those who could not otherwise afford art classes.

For more information visit www.glenarborart.org, www.thehomesteadresort.com or www.lpwines.com. Or call the GAAA office at (231) 334-6112.

This GlenArbor.com story is sponsored by the Martin Company, which knows how the real estate market has changed in recent years.

From staff reports

Steve Yancho, Chief of Natural Resources at Sleeping Bear Dunes National Lakeshore, retired on December 31 of last year after 36 years with the National Park Service (NPS) — nearly 34 of them at the Sleeping Bear. Yancho, a Michigan native and graduate of the Michigan Technological University School of Forestry, started with the National Park Service in 1974 as a seasonal ranger. After a series of appointments at Isle Royale National Park and Fire Island National Seashore, he began working at Sleeping Bear Dunes in 1978 and had been there ever since.

During his tenure at the Lakeshore, Steve held several positions and a variety of responsibilities, including law enforcement as a ranger first on South Manitou Island, then the Platte River District, and a stint as Chief Ranger; Fire Management Officer, Lands Officer, and Hazardous Materials Specialist, until ultimately becoming the Lakeshore’s first Chief of Natural Resources in 2003. As South Manitou Island Ranger, Steve was awarded the Department of Interior Valor Award in 1980 for his rescue of a drowning teen in the waters of the Manitou Passage.

After his appointment as Chief of Natural Resources, he made it a professional program, widely respected among peers. Steve’s initiative and diligence led to numerous accomplishments: The Lakeshore anchors the entire Great Lakes population of the endangered Piping Plover. His disturbed lands program has completely restored hundreds of acres of coastal dune and forest habitat, and controlled thousands of acres of invasive plants. He has led pioneering work on the investigation of bird die-offs due to botulism outbreaks related to invasive species in the Great Lakes.

In one way or another, Steve has influenced every natural resource success that this park has had in the past three decades, and in 2009, he was presented the Midwest Regional Director’s Award for Natural Resource Management. As U.S. Geological Service colleague Walt Loope said, using a football analogy, “He’s done everything but lime the field.”

Steve’s hard work, honesty, and courtesy earned the respect of people in local communities, even when relations were strained with the National Park Service. Steve noted that he retires with mixed feelings; “On one hand, I look forward to the adventures I hope to discover on the road ahead, but on the other, a big part of my life and passion will be left behind.”

He expressed thanks to colleagues in and out of the NPS, saying, “Knowing and working with each of you has been a big part of the special experience I have lived since I began with the NPS in 1974. It is not only the resources that make this a special place to work, but the people I have had the pleasure of working with. The passion and dedication you all bring to your work has made my many years with the NPS memorable and enjoyable.”

Steve and his wife, Dee, plan to enjoy retirement and travel, and to continue to spend time with their three grown sons, all of whom have worked for the National Park Service and/or Eastern National Cooperating Association bookstore at the Lakeshore.

For more information about the National Lakeshore, visit its website at www.nps.gov/slbe.

About the National Park Service: More than 20,000 National Park Service employees care for America’s 397 national parks and work with communities across the nation to help preserve local history and create close-to-home recreational opportunities. Learn more at www.nps.gov.

Local writer Kim Schneider penned this great piece for the Grand Rapids Press titled “Get a taste of Italy during cooking classes at The Homestead Resort” about Italian cooking classes that the local resort will offer during Saturdays in March.

Read this excerpt below, or check out the entire piece here.

After a tasty and entertaining cooking class at The Homestead Resort in Glen Arbor recently, I now know you should never cook with wine you wouldn’t want to drink (ie: there’s no such thing as “cooking” wine) and you don’t dare substitute for San Marzano tomatoes a generic Roma that didn’t grow in the terroir at the base of Mount Vesuvius in Naples.

The resort’s first series of Italian cooking classes are as much about food history, tasting and fun as they are about technique as run by Italian-trained chef and history buff Chef John Piombo. The resort’s head chef for most of the past eight years, Piombo was trained at L’alberghiera Maria Mazzini in Genoa, Italy, where he also spent much of his childhood being inspired by whatever was cooking on his mother’s stove.