Entries by editor

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Grand Traverse Band, New Community Vision, re-acquire Mashkiigaki on former Timber Shores property

The Grand Traverse Band of Ottawa and Chippewa Indians and the New Community Vision (NCV) nonprofit have reacquired land historically known as “Mashkiigaki” (formerly called Timber Shores)—which totals more than 200 acres along West Grand Traverse Bay between Suttons Bay and Northport. The Band gets more than 188 acres, including 1,800 feet of pristine shoreline; NCV gets 24 acres along M-22. The transfer deed was recorded on Dec. 26. New Community Vision has worked for two years to acquire and preserve the former Timber Shores property, which developers unsuccessfully tried to turn into an RV park until they were stopped by a ballot referendum in 2022. NCV is collaborating with Peninsula Housing to develop attainable housing on its portion of the land. Mashkiigaki is one of the largest undeveloped coastal properties in the Grand Traverse region.

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Lively NeighborFood Market offers Christmas trees to families in need

The Lively NeighborFood Market, located on M-72 east of Empire, is offering Christmas trees to five families who are in need of a little boost of holiday spirit. The trees come in various sizes between 6 and 11 feet tall. If you need to fill your house with a beautiful bit of northern Michigan’s finest, stop by the market at 3805 W Empire Hwy, or contact Jim Lively at 231-994-9339 or email jim@livelyneighborfood.com. Hurry, Santa Claus is coming to town!

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So God made a farmer

Award-winning radio broadcasting icon Paul Harvey delivered the impactful words of this speech, “So God made a Farmer,” to the Future Farmers of America convention in Kansas City, Missouri in 1978. This extraordinary speech made the listener pause while underscoring the collective importance of nurturing and embracing our farming communities across America. While it served as a gentle reminder during the Carter-Era to appreciate our “caretaking” farmers, in 2024 this can no longer be just a temperate reminder; the need to protect and prevent the extinction of the American Farmer is paramount—including here in Leelanau County.

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Glory the poplar tree

Glen Arbor resident and acclaimed artist Linda Dewey is the steward of a poplar tree that stands sentinel on her beach along Sleeping Bear Bay. It is her touchstone. Steadfast, resilient, evocative. Dewey most aptly anointed this magnificent poplar “Glory.” On what seemed like an otherwise ordinary afternoon this past November, Glory remained resolute in the face of a veritable tempest. Once the storm abated and the skies above the bay began to clear, a rainbow appeared. It was as if nature itself had exhaled. The rainbow gravitated toward Glory, slowly but persistently. Inevitably, the two fused into one. The convergence of Glory and the rainbow was a rarity of sorts—maybe nature’s own form of poetry. It was a gentle moment when the enduring and the ephemeral met.

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Preserve Historic Sleeping Bear appoints new board chair

Preserve Historic Sleeping Bear welcomes the appointment of Tom Whitaker as their next Chair of the Board of Directors. Whitaker first became involved in Preserve as a volunteer on North Manitou Island projects in 2012, and later wrote their Historic Structures Report for the island’s Boardman Cottage. In 2023, Tom joined Preserve’s Board where he has been an active member of the Preservation Projects Committee.

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Op-ed: Shelters needed at all bus stops

The Bay Area Transportation Authority (BATA) is a public service. It is funded by our tax dollars. It is an essential service, and recognized as such, and that is the reason we have it. It provides transportation to those of us who otherwise would not have it. It allows us to survive. It gets us to the grocery store, the library, and the doctor’s office. Let’s take a minute, stop and think, and ask ourselves this question: would we want our elderly mother, our pregnant friend, our frail and possibly demented grandfather, or our twelve-year-old child, waiting at a bus stop in a storm, and with no shelter? Shelters are basic, like seatbelts.

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Leelanau Laminator Jerry Morawski has many nicknames

Little Glen Lake’s Jerry Morawski is everywhere. The retired teacher, coach, principal, and athletic director seldom misses a local event, be it a ballgame, a tennis match, a Grocer’s Daughter Chocolate 20th anniversary party, or a gathering at either Cherry Republic or St. Philip Neri Church. He is always upbeat, positive, affable, approachable, smiling, and ready with a story. When he sees something in a local newspaper about an athlete, a family, or a local character, he carefully laminates it and then presents it to the subject of the story so that they can keep it forever. That’s how he got the nickname “The Leelanau Laminator.” His smile is infectious, and his stories are heartfelt and uplifting.

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Bear crazy: DNR study seeks answers to human-bear conflict

With so many reports of bear sightings in northern Michigan—the Michigan Department of Natural Resources estimates there are 2,000 black bears living here, with more than 10,000 in the Upper Peninsula—author Tim Mulherin selected the black bear as a subject of interest as part of his research for a book on Michigan’s wildlife. The Empire “sugar bear” made headlines when it broke into Grocer’s Daughter Chocolate this past April; in our May edition of we examined how humans struggle to coexist with black bears as our encroachment upon their habitat continues. Last spring, the DNR connected Mulherin with researchers from Utah State University, who are conducting a study called the Baldwin Bear Project. The project “aims to understand the ecology and human dimensions of black bears in Michigan,” with an emphasis on examining the growing population here.

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Homestead hires Becsey, awaits snow

The Homestead announced that Jim Becsey has been hired as the new manager of building and grounds at the Glen Arbor resort. As such, he will be responsible for the upkeep of resort-owned buildings and maintenance of the grounds, including the resort’s ski facilities. Ski hills are hoping for a La Niña weather pattern, which would bring a more typical snowy winter. While hoping to open just after Christmas, The Homestead will also offer a creative array of family-friendly activities, which could include live entertainment like magicians and jugglers, art shows and collaborations with the Leelanau Peninsula Wine Trail.

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Sleeping Bear educational programs offer wintry experience

You can read about how animals and plants survive winter or how to identify trees, but it’s more fun and more engaging to see up close and personal. That’s the premise of the winter experience programs offered by Sleeping Bear Dunes National Lakeshore rangers. “We show what plants and animals do, evolutionary strategies … like rabbits changing coat colors, cedar boughs have scaly leaves (for) less water loss,” says David Fenlon, the Education Lead at Sleeping Bear Dunes National Lakeshore.

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