Whitefish Run in the Great Lakes
December 1, 2011
Sophia's Lost and Found by Barbara Spring
They speed upstream to spawn after dark
slick as ice and pearly white:
whitefish from Lake Michigan’s depths
torpedo home.
With sure instincts
with DNA of generations
with chartreuse eggs; with white milt
their sleek white shapes streak
through dark river waters
now starting to freeze.
It’s been this way in the Great Lakes
since Edenic times
when Ice Age glaciers melted away.
And now in this coldest December
anyone alive can remember
fishermen risk a walk the piers
wear cleats on their boots
tie themselves to something solid.
They jig rigged lines on the river bottom
and sometimes land a sleek, slick, delicious fish
while west winds howl.
Excerpted from Sophia’s Lost and Found: Poems of Above and Below.
This book is available from Amazon.com, Barnes & Noble and many other fine bookstores.
Beware Water Nixies
October 16, 2011
Beware Water Nixies
Freshwater beckons with its beauty
jade green waves
crowned with white caps
curl and break.
In the dark under the curl
nixies, currents, seiches,
spirit many away.
–Barbara Spring
From the book, Sophia’s Lost and Found: Poems of Above and Below
Food Webs in Lake Michigan
October 12, 2011
Here is a picture from Seagrant showing the food webs. Last year alewives were scarce and so fishing for salmon was so so. This year the alewives recovered and large salmon are being caught.
Lake Michigan salmon and trout
September 16, 2011
The river smells of fish and sometimes the small silvery alewives will jump out of the water when they are being pursued by Chinook salmon, coho salmon, brown trout or steelhead. It’s that time.
People have been catching salmon over twenty pounds this year and good size trout. They are being caught in the estuaries and tributaries to Lake Michigan.
Read more about fishing in the Great Lakes in The Dynamic Great Lakes available at Amazon.com and Barnes & Noble.
My Books are now $9.95 + s&h
August 22, 2011
Columbus Ships Sail to Muskegon
August 19, 2011
As published in the Grand Haven Tribune
Muskegon
The Pinta and Nina, replicas of the Columbus ships, are scheduled to arrive at the Great Lakes Marina in Muskegon on Wednesday, Aug. 24.
The Nina was built completely by hand and without the use of power tools. Archaeology magazine called the ship “the most historically correct Columbus replica ever built.”
The Pinta was recently built in Brazil to accompany the Nina on its travels. It is a larger version of the archetypal caravel, which historians consider “the space shuttle of the 15th century.”
Both ships tour together as a new and enhanced “sailing museum” for the purpose of educating the public and school children on the caravel, a Portuguese ship used by Columbus and many early explorers to discover the New World.
Their homeport is the British Virgin Islands and they are operated by The Columbus Foundation.
While in port, the general public is invited to visit the ships for a self-guided tour. Admission charges are $8 for adults, $7 for seniors and $6 for students ages 5-16. Children age 4 and under are free.
The ships will be open Aug. 25-28 from 9 a.m. to 6 p.m. The ships are scheduled to depart from the marina, 1920 Lakeshore Drive, on Aug. 29.
The Nina visited Grand Haven in August 2004.
I visited the Nina when it came to Grand Haven. This is worth seeing.
I Will Be at Barnes & Noble
July 22, 2011
I will be at Barnes & Noble in Norton Shores, MI Saturday, July 23 at 11 a.m. to sign books and to chat about the Great Lakes.
In addition to my non-fiction book, The Dynamic Great Lakes I will have two more books on hand: The Wilderness Within and Sophia’s Lost and Found. I hope you will stop by.
Morning Has Broken
July 8, 2011
The early morning light is beautiful over Lake Michigan. The moods of water and light change continually. The Great Lakes are dynamic, interesting and valuable. Read about their fishes, ecology and interesting features in my book, The Dynamic Great Lakes. The book has been critically acclaimed and is available from Barnes & Noble, Amazon.com and many other bookstores. I will be signing books at the Muskegon Barnes & Noble store on July 23 at 11 a.m.
Lake Michigan Rip Currents
May 27, 2011
Every year people drown while swimming in Lake Michigan. The picture shows a rip current that is impossible to fight. If caught in such a current, swim parallel to the shore not toward the shore. Then after the rip current releases its hold on you, it is possible to swim toward shore.
Lake Michigan has a sandy bottom and sand bars. Under certain wind and wave conditions, rip currents can and do occur. It’s a good thing to know how to escape if caught in a powerful current.
Photo by NOAA
Singing Sands of West Michigan
May 9, 2011
The Singing Sands
The singing sands of West Michigan are so called because of their high levels of quartz. When a toe or shoe is dragged across wet sands a high pitched sound may be heard. These sands really do sing. Read more about the geology of the Great Lakes in my book The Dynamic Great Lakes available at Barnes & Noble and many other online book stores.
