Leelanau.com Blog
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MyNorth highlights the Leelanau Outdoor Center's 1st Annual Snowshoe Stampede. It takes place this Saturday (February 2nd) at 10:30 at the Leelanau Outdoor Center on Port Oneida.

There's a 5K Race and 1 Mile Snowflake Race for kids 12 and under, food & entertainment at the Lodge and proceeds go to Tuition Assistance for schools to attend the LOC, a great resource for outdoor education for area schools.

Early registration is $15 and includes lunch, Day of race registration is available at $20. Snowshoe rental is available as well: $12 for adults, $8 for kids.

Chicago Tonight had an in-depth feature (with video) on the lowest Great Lakes water levels in recorded history that features Leland and Leelanau County that begins:

2012 was the warmest year on record according to NOAA, the nation's climate monitoring service. The Midwest was also in the grip of a severe drought. Those two factors have led to the lowest water levels in history for Lake Michigan and Lake Huron, which is considered one body of water hydrologically. The impact of the low lake levels on those who live on the Great Lakes is heavy.

Leland Harbor is the heart of a northern Michigan town. The small town is quiet in the winter, but the population jumps ten-fold in the summer when tourists flock to the harbor, beaches and quaint shops. That tourist economy is now in jeopardy because of the dramatic drop in Lake Michigan's water level.

Harbor master Russel Dzuba said the lake is down more than two feet from its average, and that drop is threatening to close the harbor.

“The economic impact this harbor has on the community is strong. And when things are slow, the guy at the grocery store, the guy at the restaurant comes down and asks me what's going on. They want to know,” said Dzuba. “So, it’s an economic punch that we hate to think what happens if we cant keep that channel open.”

Click through for the video!

Photo Credit: "... is the Lake Michigan water level low?" by Ken Scott was perfect for this feature!

The first-ever YetiFest takes place on Saturday, February 16, 2013 in Suttons Bay. The festival and fundraiser benefits Suttons Bay Schools, Suttons Bay Chamber of Commerce, and TART. Here's the schedule:

• Yeti-Look Alike Contest ~ 9:00 am Registration starts at the school and continues until 1:00pm, Awards at 2:00 pm
• 4-4 Hockey Tournament ~ 10:00 am – 5:00 pm @ Corner of Lincoln and Broadway
• YetiFest™ Bicycle Hill Climb ~ 11:00 am to 1:00 pm at Bahle Park, Awards at Water Wheel Park 2:00 pm
• Abominable Snowman Contest ~ 11:00 am – 1:30 pm @ Water Wheel Park, judging at 2:00 pm
• Chili Tasting ~ 11:30 am – 2:00 pm @ Water Wheel Park
• Yeti Story Time ~ 12:00 am @ the Suttons Bay Bingham District Library
• Kid’s Parade ~ 1:30 pm – 2:00 pm Starting @ the Library, ending in Water Wheel Park
• Micro-Brew Tent ~ 11:30 am – 5:00 pm @ Water Wheel Park

Wondering about Leelanau's Yeti connection? Their Sightings page explains that:

Some evidence suggests that the Yeti so favored the cherry, or more precisely the Prunus cerasoides commonly known as The Wild Himalayan cherry. This species is a deciduous cherry tree found in East Asia and is a member of the family Rosaceae and the genus Prunus. Its range extends in the Himalayas from Himachal Pradesh in north-central India, to Southwest China and Burma. It grows in the temperate forests from 1,200–2,400 meters (3,900–7,900 ft.) in elevation.

This range interestingly coincides with the 45th parallel in the eastern hemisphere and it here that the hypothesis begins that the Yeti, in search of a vanishing favored food source began increasing their range to find a larger and more sustainable supply.

Read on for more and also see some photographic evidence of Yeti in Suttons Bay on Flickr.

Karl Bahle shared a great set of photos from the 50s and 60s on Facebook of snow in Suttons Bay. Click here to see them all on Facebook.

Remember when there was snow all winter? Plus side - the Bay Theatre is open all year now!

The photo above by John Levanen demonstrates just how low Lake Michigan is right now. An article in this morning's TC Ticker begins:

As of December 18, Lake Michigan water levels virtually matched a record low set back in 1964.

Andy Knott, executive director of The Watershed Center in Greilickville, says the level was computed at 576.14 feet above sea level, just .02 higher than the 48-year-old mark, bringing with it all sorts of ecological and economic problems.

The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers measures Great Lakes water levels daily. Mackinaw City is the closest reporting station to Traverse City.

“The water level of Lake Superior is 1 inch lower than its level of one year ago, while Lake Michigan-Huron is 17 inches lower than its level from last year,” the Corps says in a December 14 report. “Lakes St. Clair, Erie and Ontario are 21, 24 and 14 inches, respectively, than their levels of a year ago.”

And the Corps says levels will fall over the next month in all Great Lakes.

Read on at the Ticker.

The Suttons Bay Chamber of Commerce shared this photo by Tom Kelly of the Inland Seas Education Association.

The photo shows record high water from 1986. Almost 30 years later we're looking at record low water levels on Lake Michigan that are just 2" above the all-time low from December 1948. Traverse City based AP writer John Flesher writes that As Great Lakes plummet, towns try to save harbors:

The Great Lakes, the world's biggest freshwater system, are shrinking because of drought and rising temperatures, a trend that accelerated with this year's almost snowless winter and scorching summer. Water levels have fallen to near-record lows on Lakes Michigan and Huron, while Erie, Ontario and Superior are below their historical averages.

The decline is causing heavy economic losses, with cargo freighters forced to lighten their loads, marinas too shallow for pleasure boats and weeds sprouting on exposed bottomlands, chasing away swimmers and sunbathers.

Some of the greatest suffering is in small tourist towns that lack the economic diversity of bigger port cities. Yet they are last in line for federal money to deepen channels and repair infrastructure to support the boating traffic that keeps them afloat.

Read on for more including how a federal budget crunch is making matters worse.

The Glen Arbor Sun reports that intrepid underwater explorer Ross Richardson has found the resting place of the Rescue in Big Glen Lake. Richardson is an accomplished diver from nearby Lake Ann who chronicled his discovery of the 1854 Westmoreland shipwreck in his book The Search for the Westmoreland.

Rescue owner Ralph Dorsey intentionally sank the vessel Big Glen Lake in 1914, but nobody knows why he did it. The Sun has posted some of the many theories:

"Ralph was a heavy drinker, and his passengers refused to ride with him any longer,” goes one legend. Ralph’s nephews, Jim and John Dorsey, who took a joyride on the lake during the 2003 community search, confirmed that their uncle liked to tip back the bottle, even in his latter years living in Frankfort after he brought his boating business here to an abrupt halt. “We were known to drink a little hard cider whenever the neighbors came for a visit,” recalled Jim.

"Nightmares of drowning children haunted Ralph, so he sank his boat before tragedy could strike," is another theory, introduced by Taghon, the proprietor of the Empire Area Historical Museum. “Some say he had a premonition that something bad was going to happen.” According to Barb Siepker, who owns the Cottage Book Shop in Glen Arbor, Ralph had six brothers, one of whom disappeared while boating in northern Lake Superior.

"Ralph lost the boat in a card game, but didn’t want anyone else to ride off in his mahogany-lined craft," suggested Dottie Lanham. “I heard they played a lot of cards in those days because of the idle time on their hands,” she added. “But these stories have probably been exaggerated as they were passed down through generations.”

“Business was bad, and the frustration of cruising around the lake, only to find no one on the docks waiting for him in need of a lift to Glen Arbor, finally got to Ralph,” is yet another explanation. Dr. Chuck Olsen, who initiated the 2003 search, recalls a story told to him by the late John Tobin, who claimed to be fishing where the Narrows Bridge is today when Dorsey paddled ashore in a rowboat, minutes after having chopped a hole in Rescue’s hull with an axe, muttering “If they won’t ride with me, they won’t ride with anyone else!”

Read on for more including how the boat was discovered and what shape it's in and also watch the video of the dive below!

The Traverse City Record-Eagle reports that Battle Creek St. Philip proved too much for Leland in its Class D quarterfinal, downing the Comets 3-0 (25-8, 25-11, 25-10). Congratulations on a great run & season Leland!

Last Thursday night the Leland Girls Volleyball took down Brethren 3-2 to capture the Class D Regional title. The Lady Comets (44-10-4) head to Big Rapids tomorrow night at 7 PM to face top-ranked Battle Creek St. Philip, a longtime nemesis. The Record-Eagle reports:

"It's a challenge, but in order to win a state championship you have to beat them," Leland coach Laurie Glass said after winning the regional title on Thursday. "So the quarterfinals is as good a time as any."

The Fighting Tigers have won the last six Class D state titles. In fact, the last team to beat them was Leland for the crown in 2006.

This is the second straight quarterfinal appearance for the Comets. Last year, state runner-up Wyoming Tri-Unity Christian beat them in five games.

Go Comets!!

On Friday Maple City Glen Lake jumped out to a commanding 21-0 first half lead that withstood a Boyne City run to win the Division 6 pre-district game 28-16. The win raised the Laker record to 9-1 and they will travel to play 8-2 Shelby in the Division 6 district final on Friday, November 2nd.

Dale Pleva, Anthony Czapek and Tyler Stachnik powered the Lakers to a 21-0 lead, but Boyne City answered with 16 straight points before quarterback Carter Lee took a keeper to the house. Sophomore kicker Tyler Leveque showed why he was moved to varsity with a perfect 4-4 XPs. More details from the Petoskey News-Review.

Watch video highlights below from TV 7&4 and get all the details on Friday's game at the Glen Lake Laker Football website or on the Glen Lake Football Facebook page.

This weekend only (October 25-28) Leland School Drama is presenting the zany comedy that premiered 10 years ago at Leland and helped launch the legacy of the Leland Drama program.

The play is directed by Jeremy John Evans and performance schedule at the Leland Performing Arts Center:

• October 25 @ 7:00 pm Thursday
• October 26 @ 7:00 pm Friday
• October 27 @ 7:00 pm Saturday
• October 28 @ 5:00 pm Sunday

Reserve your tickets by calling the Leland Box Office at 231-256-9857 ext 3895. Tickets are also on sale at the door and in the Leland Public School office. $12 for adults and $10 for children and students.