Remember the Islands

The article below continues our journey back in time as we look for green living inspiration in the past. One of the most common questions I get as Manager of Historical programs at CNC is "What were the rivers like over 100 years ago?" This article, quoted from page one of the December 27, 1907 edition of The Midland Republican newspapaper helps to untangle that mystery. What will people say about our rivers today when they write about them 100 years from now?

“William Vance, who came to “The Forks” [in 1849] when there was no “Midland” here, says the old Tittabawassee was a much more beautiful river when he first became acquainted with it than it is now. Its banks were green down to the river’s edge, and above, it, as well as the Chippewa, extended away into an unbroken forest. For how many centuries their waters had moved peacefully down to the lakes undisturbed by the works of the pale face, no one can say.

Millions of logs float in the Tittabawasee
River, near today's Immerman Park in
Saginaw County. Photo Courtesy of the
 Midland County Historical Society.

There were deep places that have since become filled up and shallow. There were seven or eight feet of water where the famous steamer “Belle Seymour” [steamboat] used to land, a little way below where the north abutment of Benson street bridge now rears its rocky mass of concrete. Further down, about opposite where the lower part of the Dow Chemical plant is now located, there was an island 12 to 15 rods [66-82 yards] in length, covered in part with willows and in part with grass. This was never cultivated, but the millions of logs cut from the trunks of the majestic pines of Midland county and floated down the streams, often covering them from bank to bank for miles, assisted perhaps by changing currents have obliterated this island, now remembered but by few, and destined, no doubt, to be entirely forgotten.

A pair of Mallards rest on island
 in the Chippewa River

Another island slept in the bed of the Chippewa, just back of the Wm. Patterson farm, now the property of John McGregor, Jr. Mr. Patterson, father of Wm. Patterson, now a resident here, used to keep his hens on this island “in the good summer time.” It was an island 8 or 10 rods [44 -53 yards] in length, and gave the feathered bipeds a splendid place in which to roam about and gather worms and other rich morsels, at the same time being kept separate and apart from the garden. But this, too, is forever gone. The pine logs, too, have gone to add to the fortune of some enterprising lumber operator, while the rivers flow on between banks much changed in appearance from what they were in primitive days when the Indian and the reindeer and the bear took turns in dancing on the grassy slopes or plunging through the snows of winter.”

August Photo Sampler

Room with a view

Tiny feet leave no footprints

Yin & Yang

A young grove marches into the field

A Carrot for Queen Anne

Climate Change Symposium Materials Available

Here's a note from Michigan State University about their excellent climate change conference held this April. You can access resources from the meeting at the links below and be sure to watch their website for your opportunity to attend next year!

"Videos and PowerPoints are now available from the April 2010 conference, “Climate Change Vulnerabilities and Opportunities: Michigan and Beyond,” at Michigan State University. The material is available on the Symposium Website, linked to the agenda.


The conference addressed the impacts of climate change within and beyond Michigan, and how Michigan can respond, possibly borrowing from others’ experiences. The conference also considered issues related to the bioeconomy, especially the use of biomass as a renewable resource.

If you attended the conference, we hope that the posted presentation materials will allow you to check out sessions you weren’t able to go to, or acquaint others with the material. If you weren’t able to attend the conference, we hope the materials will prove useful.

Note: Interviews, videos, and PowerPoints are also available from MSU’s year-long climate speaker series, which brought to campus world-renowned speakers on different aspects of climate change."

The Solar Seventies

The 1970s were interesting times indeed. Disco, crazy fashion trends and pet rocks were all the rage! The modern environmental movement was also born in 1970 with celebration of the first Earth Day. Environmental concerns intensified in 1973 with the onset of an international oil embargo and an energy crisis felt around the world.

In response to the energy crisis, solar energy became much more popular and affordable in the 1970s. A major milestone occurred when research by Dr. Elliot Berman brought the price of solar energy down from $100 per watt to $20 per watt . While still costly for most residential applications, solar cells began powering items such as navigation lights and railroad crossings.

Chippewa Nature Center got into the business of solar 

education in the fall of 1977 with a two-day solar greenhouse workshop. As part of the event, a 200 square-foot solar greenhouse was constructed and plants were grown throughout the winter. Subsequently, an "Alternative Energy Group" was born and education efforts continued over the next five years.

In 1981, CNC constructed a duplex to add additional space for our growing staff. The new building included two solar greenhouses and active solar panel collectors on the roof for the domestic hot water system. Due to maintenance problems over the years, the solar panels and greenhouses were eventually removed. Likewise, cheap fuel in the 1980s led to a fading of the solar energy craze that looked so promising in the 70s.

Fast forward to recent years. Concerns over climate change and our dependence on foreign oil (not to mention the largest oil spill in U.S. history) have put solar and wind power in the forefront once again. In 2009, CNC opened a new Nature Preschool building (see photo below) which includes solar panels on the roof for hot water and electrical energy.

As alternatives to fossil fuels continue to grow, you can bet CNC will be there, providing education and information on these Earth-friendly energy options. There is talk of a solar panel making workshop in our future as well as other program opportunities. If  YOU have an idea of something you'd like to see, be sure to let us know! 

Looking Back

People choose to live a greener lifestyle in a myriad of ways. Perhaps you start recycling more, buy organic vegetables at the Farmer's Market, ride your bike instead of drive or carry reusable bags to the supermarket. Taking things further, some people become "flexitarians" (skipping meat once a week) or even vegetarians, purchase clothing made from organic fibers, buy everything locally-made and grow their own vegetable garden.

Even after you consider all these options, there is still so much to learn and try. Living close to the Earth and all her creatures is a lifelong occupation! After all, we're all part of the interdependent web of life and we need to do our best to get along together.

One major source of inspiration for how to live in the future can be looking back at the past. How did our human ancestors, no matter when or where they lived, meet their daily needs? You don't have to look too far back before you find that almost everything people used for survival was local and all of it was  organic - there weren't any other options! 

Over the next month, we'll turn back the clock and let the past inspire us. How did people once survive and thrive on the land that is now Chippewa Nature Center? After all, people have lived here for about 10,000 years - there's bound to be something we can learn!