Moving Beyond the courthouse debate: Smart Growth debate sparking interest

By Jim Lively (Michigan Land Use Institute — Leelanau Smart Growth Coalition) Sun Op-Ed Contributor The Leelanau Smart Growth Coalition is disappointed but not discouraged by last Tuesday’s election. Yes, we lost on an issue we worked very hard to win: Keeping the county seat in Leland. But we, along with many other citizens, sparked […]

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A Boatwatcher’s Guide to the Manitou Passage

By Thomas Benn Sun contributor Far out in the lake, the “long boats” approaching from the south look like floating logs with small knots protruding above one or both ends. Some are on a course slanting in toward shore and the Manitou Passage. Coming closer, bulk carriers over a thousand feet in length can be […]

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It’s not a myth! Cougar seen in Glen Arbor

By Jane Greiner Sun staff writer GLEN ARBOR (June 24) — A family stopping for pastries at Barb’s Bakery in Glen Arbor this morning spotted a cougar walking behind the bakery. It was moving toward the rear of the Post Office, according to Joyce Long at the Philip Heart Visitor Center. Gregory and Joanne Newman […]

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National Park faces major decisions as spotlight focuses on D.H. Day farm

By Jacob R. Wheeler Sun editor At least once a day a curious tourist nudges up to the fence surrounding the D.H. Day farm to snap a photo or draw a sketch of the majestic 116-foot-long dairy barn that dominates the landscape along historic route M-109. This is one of the images that people associate […]

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Labor Day’s meaning lost amidst beach supplies

By Jacob R. Wheeler Sun editor and occasional columnist What is marked in your calendar for Labor Day Monday: a day on the beach; a barbecue on the deck; a cocktail party in the garden? How about 12 hours toiling on the assembly line in a hot factory? Or maybe you’d like to march in […]

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Zebra mussels are here to stay

By Christina Campbell Sun staff writer It was only a matter of time. For years, Glen Lake has been the last holdout against the Leelanau County zebra mussel epidemic. But this summer, swimmers are seeing native Glen Lake clams coated with the mussels. These massing molluscs have now infected every main recreational lake in the […]

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Personal Watercraft: lake lice or a harmless thrill?

By Christina Campbell Sun staff writer What do you think of when you hear “Personal Watercraft?” A Jet Ski®? A Sea-Doo®? A Wave Runner®? A shallow-draft, aquatic craft propelled by a water jet drive and capable of achieving planing speeds? Or do you just cover your ears and wait for the whine to dissipate?

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Coyotes roam Alligator Hill; Incidents With Dogs Reported

By Jane Greiner Sun staff writer Mary Sutherland frequently walks her dog along the foot of Alligator Hill just off Forest Haven Road where she lives. On a recent walk in the woods beside Forest Haven where the pavement ends, her son Bob’s dog, Mabel, bounded up the hill on its own even as her […]

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Living with the gypsy moth

By Wayne and Mary Ellen Koser Following are excerpts of an article that first appeared in the Summer 1974 edition of The Explorer, a scientific magazine published by The Cleveland Museum of Natural History. Thirty years later it is still relevant as gypsy moths continue to plunder our forests.

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Is the Empire Schoolhouse a goldmine or a Pandora’s box?

By Thomas Benn Sun contributor The clock is running out on the old Empire schoolhouse. Built in 1901, this architectural marvel has been gathering dust and slowly disintegrating for the last 35 years in what may be the village’s most important crossroads commercial location. Sitting on five lots at the gateway intersection of Highways M-22, […]

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