I heard about Turkey Creek, Mississippi on the Daily Show the other night. It reminded me of the old folk song “Goin’ up Cripple Creek to see my girl”. Turkey Creek is far from having a song written about it. According to a USA Today article “When freed slaves founded the community of Turkey Creek in 1866, there was nothing here but swamps, oak trees and a muddy creek.”: The area later became a "dumping ground" for the kinds of hazardous or undesirable development no one wants to live next to: a sewage treatment facility, a chemical plant (which caught fire, leaked waste and closed), the city airport, and so on.
By 2005, many of the area's wetlands had been paved over, leaving Turkey Creek especially vulnerable to flooding when Hurricanes Katrina and Rita hit the Gulf Coast. Turkey Creek is now a suburb of sprawling Gulfport and a large apartment project paved over an old cemetery that had wood markers on some graves. Derrick Evans, a community activist, says repeated appeals to local officials to halt harmful projects went unanswered. He says "things finally started going our way" when he realized that Turkey Creek was a haven for tropical birds, and he reached out to conservation groups such as the Audubon Society that he says had the legal resources to help. "It's as if people cared more about birds than African Americans," Evans says. "It shouldn't have to be so hard."
Those birders have so much clout and in this case the outcome was a win – win. Not so in Michigan if you’re a hunter or snowmobiler. A lawyer from Novi has sued the US Forest Service to close 66,000 acres of Huron-Manistee National Forest land to hunting or snowmobiling. The reason, discharging of firearms and snowmobiling noise reduces the enjoyment of hikers and birders. A frivolous case? That’s up to you and the judges. If you don’t agree with banning of hunting and snowmobiling contact Lee Evison at Manistee National Forests, 1755 S. Mitchell Street, Cadillac, MI, 49601 or send an email mail to:comments-eastern-huron-manistee@fs.fed.us, Comments sent via e-mail should contain the subject line: “Forest Plan SEIS”. Public meetings will be held to answer questions and the only one in this area is February 1, 2011 – Hilton Garden Inn, 26000 American Drive, Southfield, MI, from 4-8pm.
This Michigan suit is just another anti hunting, anti public land use ploy by groups that have a lot of money and pick their spots to promote their agenda. The Humane Society of the United States (HSUS), PETA and many others like the Audubon Society are non-profits that use their clout to sue federal and state land use and wildlife agencies regularly because they know these agencies don’t have the money to fight back. I read a few years back, that the HSUS and PETA, essentially the same organization, receive more donations than all of the churches in America. I guess it’s those heart wrenching commercials with the sad eyed dogs begging for money to help take care of them. Too bad neither organization is involved in helping with abandoned or unwanted pets.
They’re experts now at keeping animals on the endangered species list. Even the mention of a lawsuit stops state agencies for attempting to delist those animals. The one that’s front and center now is the wolf. At least 6 states want to delist the wolf but when they get the ok from the federal government the lawsuit ensues and the states drop out. Email Lee free to put in your 2 cents on the Michigan suit.
Monday, January 31, 2011
Sunday, January 23, 2011
Those Who Remain Will Be Championship.
The national holiday of Championship Sunday entails watching the 2 games to determine who'll be in the Super Bowl, another national holiday. About 3 decades ago when our ambition was larger that our waistlines I and 2 buddies set out to do some perch fishing. We planned to go out to Stoney Point just south of Fermi power plant. Power plant as in electricity, cooling towers, radioactive rods and warm water discharge. We got there early so we could fish 4 or 5 hours and get back to Ho's house to clean fish and watch the games.
We got out on the ice by 7am and headed due east to find the deepest water with safe ice. This was the typical strategy we used then, deep water meaning bigger fish and most fish caught. The strategy only worked once but that was how we rolled back then. So about 100 yards from shore we encountered a crack in the ice, thorough inspection gave 12 inches of ice thickness on both sides. At the time the recommendations for travel on ice were much different than today, I'm sure due to liability issues. A car or truck was usually driven on just 8 inches, so we had plenty of safe ice.
The Navy Vet says "no guts no glory" in his best Admiral Farragut impression. So unlike the 400 odd people fishing on the landward side of the crack we ventured out to find the big ones. Big for our quarry the perch is 8 or 9 inches. Catch 25 and you get a pound of boneless fillets, an average catch is about 10 to 15 with a limit being 50. After catching and cleaning the going rate of 10 to $12 a pound is really a good buy. We were lucky that an empty fishing hut was available to us where the ice thickness/water depth formula had just become to our liking. The hut held all 3 of us and had holes drilled before with only 3 to 4 inches of ice on them. Ho used his brand new Xmas present to drill thru the ice with gas powered ease. We set up quickly and were soon fishing. Shortly another jumper came by and asked how we were doing and in the tradition of fisherman all over the world we told him our luck was pretty good, not having any fish just the great borrowed hut. The sun was out and the hut warming with it which called for refreshments to keep our body temps down, life was good.
We weren't catching any fish and had just a couple of almost bites, maybe from fish swimming by. That's what made it seem odd that all 3 of our bobbers went way down under the surface of the water indicating a nice bite from a bigger fish. We all pulled up lines to check for a small fish on or lost bait, nothing. All bait was untouched and no fish or fish scales present. As I was getting my line back in the water I could see the jumper that came by earlier jogging into shore, I thought it was strange just like my bobber heading back down under the ice like a gang of fish were fighting for it and yes my buddies were dealing with the same. When I peered outside to where the jumper was about 200 yards away I saw open water. Not water on the ice, water with no ice on it. I exited the hut, leaving my bobber flailing in the hole, as I looked to shore there were about 50 to 75 jumpers standing on the lake edge of the crack not able to jump back the 10 yard distance. I brought in my line and packed up my gear to the dismay of the others. I told them they weren't still fishing anymore, they were trolling because the ice we were on was moving. After many expletives and charges of making up a story, which I hear from them often, they finally came out to take a look and then believed me.
They packed up and we headed to the crack to find out what was going on and the crack was now 25 yards wide and getting bigger. One poor soul was rapidly pacing back and forth on a 100 yard path of ice repeating to himself that the ice must meet back up somewhere and after about 15 minutes of this he bolted north, never to be seen again. About that time a Coast Guard helicopter showed up to get a party that was stranded way out without any safe ice to come back on. As they're picking them off the ice Roc says to Ho, "You know they won't take your fishing equipment off the ice with you when they rescue you". Ho made us promise to go home and get a canoe to come back and get him and the coveted gas powered ice auger. We wouldn't agree, being Championship Sunday and all. He became very agitated and started pacing back and forth, we were still talking him down when the Coast Guard showed up with 3 or 4 boats and started ferrying the rest of us jumpers back to safety.
The rescuers just kept saying to themselves, " Why on Championship Sunday would this have to happen..." We sheepishly told them we were sorry and thanked them profusely for coming to get us. They weren't sure about Ho since he had the ice auger bungie corded to his body. I guess it was just his way of saying he wasn't leaving it behind but they didn't care they took everything and did it making sure everyone was safe. So here's a big thanks again to the Coast Guard, I'm sure today there'd be some monetary responsibilities exchanged for that service. We remained past the crack too long and became Championship Sunday Evacuees.
We got out on the ice by 7am and headed due east to find the deepest water with safe ice. This was the typical strategy we used then, deep water meaning bigger fish and most fish caught. The strategy only worked once but that was how we rolled back then. So about 100 yards from shore we encountered a crack in the ice, thorough inspection gave 12 inches of ice thickness on both sides. At the time the recommendations for travel on ice were much different than today, I'm sure due to liability issues. A car or truck was usually driven on just 8 inches, so we had plenty of safe ice.
The Navy Vet says "no guts no glory" in his best Admiral Farragut impression. So unlike the 400 odd people fishing on the landward side of the crack we ventured out to find the big ones. Big for our quarry the perch is 8 or 9 inches. Catch 25 and you get a pound of boneless fillets, an average catch is about 10 to 15 with a limit being 50. After catching and cleaning the going rate of 10 to $12 a pound is really a good buy. We were lucky that an empty fishing hut was available to us where the ice thickness/water depth formula had just become to our liking. The hut held all 3 of us and had holes drilled before with only 3 to 4 inches of ice on them. Ho used his brand new Xmas present to drill thru the ice with gas powered ease. We set up quickly and were soon fishing. Shortly another jumper came by and asked how we were doing and in the tradition of fisherman all over the world we told him our luck was pretty good, not having any fish just the great borrowed hut. The sun was out and the hut warming with it which called for refreshments to keep our body temps down, life was good.
We weren't catching any fish and had just a couple of almost bites, maybe from fish swimming by. That's what made it seem odd that all 3 of our bobbers went way down under the surface of the water indicating a nice bite from a bigger fish. We all pulled up lines to check for a small fish on or lost bait, nothing. All bait was untouched and no fish or fish scales present. As I was getting my line back in the water I could see the jumper that came by earlier jogging into shore, I thought it was strange just like my bobber heading back down under the ice like a gang of fish were fighting for it and yes my buddies were dealing with the same. When I peered outside to where the jumper was about 200 yards away I saw open water. Not water on the ice, water with no ice on it. I exited the hut, leaving my bobber flailing in the hole, as I looked to shore there were about 50 to 75 jumpers standing on the lake edge of the crack not able to jump back the 10 yard distance. I brought in my line and packed up my gear to the dismay of the others. I told them they weren't still fishing anymore, they were trolling because the ice we were on was moving. After many expletives and charges of making up a story, which I hear from them often, they finally came out to take a look and then believed me.
They packed up and we headed to the crack to find out what was going on and the crack was now 25 yards wide and getting bigger. One poor soul was rapidly pacing back and forth on a 100 yard path of ice repeating to himself that the ice must meet back up somewhere and after about 15 minutes of this he bolted north, never to be seen again. About that time a Coast Guard helicopter showed up to get a party that was stranded way out without any safe ice to come back on. As they're picking them off the ice Roc says to Ho, "You know they won't take your fishing equipment off the ice with you when they rescue you". Ho made us promise to go home and get a canoe to come back and get him and the coveted gas powered ice auger. We wouldn't agree, being Championship Sunday and all. He became very agitated and started pacing back and forth, we were still talking him down when the Coast Guard showed up with 3 or 4 boats and started ferrying the rest of us jumpers back to safety.
The rescuers just kept saying to themselves, " Why on Championship Sunday would this have to happen..." We sheepishly told them we were sorry and thanked them profusely for coming to get us. They weren't sure about Ho since he had the ice auger bungie corded to his body. I guess it was just his way of saying he wasn't leaving it behind but they didn't care they took everything and did it making sure everyone was safe. So here's a big thanks again to the Coast Guard, I'm sure today there'd be some monetary responsibilities exchanged for that service. We remained past the crack too long and became Championship Sunday Evacuees.
Tuesday, January 11, 2011
Hurry to save your bacon at Ray's Prime Meats
I was dining on some elk roast and imbibing a moose drool the other day when my mind began to wander. How lucky was I to be enjoying the elk from the UP courtesy of a Ford VP in a recipe from Hoe that was easy to put together, I knew it would be if he could do it. Then all of a sudden I heard such a clatter that I had to put down my drool to see what was the matter. "You've got all that venison hamburger down there and you pick a roast to fix for dinner", Precious said. That got me to wondering about forgotten venison that's stored in freezers throughout the area.
The scenario is a hunter that bags a deer and brags about it, then gets it processed and goes into the freezer out of sight out of mind. As time goes by some is made for dinner, some is given away and some turns into methane in the landfill. The dinners are the ones that turn into wrestling matches at times. Dishes like spaghetti or hamburger helper, anything to mask or er enhance the flavor but someone complains and the atmosphere turns sour. My cuz JoJo shoots 4-6 deer a year so I get a lot of venny hamburger from him plus I'll help him make breakfast sausage and get some of that too. So I usually have a good supply and at times a purge is needed.
So at my lovely wife's urging I called around to see what could be done. Ray at Ray's Prime Meat says they'll process the hamburger into kielbasa, summer sausage, hunters sausage and on and on. Check out their web page http://www.raysprimefoods.com/. You'll have to get prices on the venny hamburger processing depending on what product you pick. One product we've been hooked on from Ray's is the double smoked hams. They do the spiral sliced ham but the double smoked is superb.
Anyway as I'm asking about the sausage angle Ray says I have till the end of the month to get in on the venny bacon. I've heard of this before but not until just recently when JoJo had a deer processed up in the thumb. He got 10 lbs of it but nary a strip headed my way. I've been thinking about it since then but never gave it too much attention, until now. It's the type of thing that isn't cheep and isn't overly costly but is definitely a different presentation for your deer. Especially when no one you'll be watching the Super Bowl with has got a deer within the last decade. Bragging rights have just gone up...
The scenario is a hunter that bags a deer and brags about it, then gets it processed and goes into the freezer out of sight out of mind. As time goes by some is made for dinner, some is given away and some turns into methane in the landfill. The dinners are the ones that turn into wrestling matches at times. Dishes like spaghetti or hamburger helper, anything to mask or er enhance the flavor but someone complains and the atmosphere turns sour. My cuz JoJo shoots 4-6 deer a year so I get a lot of venny hamburger from him plus I'll help him make breakfast sausage and get some of that too. So I usually have a good supply and at times a purge is needed.
So at my lovely wife's urging I called around to see what could be done. Ray at Ray's Prime Meat says they'll process the hamburger into kielbasa, summer sausage, hunters sausage and on and on. Check out their web page http://www.raysprimefoods.com/. You'll have to get prices on the venny hamburger processing depending on what product you pick. One product we've been hooked on from Ray's is the double smoked hams. They do the spiral sliced ham but the double smoked is superb.
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| From odds |
Anyway as I'm asking about the sausage angle Ray says I have till the end of the month to get in on the venny bacon. I've heard of this before but not until just recently when JoJo had a deer processed up in the thumb. He got 10 lbs of it but nary a strip headed my way. I've been thinking about it since then but never gave it too much attention, until now. It's the type of thing that isn't cheep and isn't overly costly but is definitely a different presentation for your deer. Especially when no one you'll be watching the Super Bowl with has got a deer within the last decade. Bragging rights have just gone up...
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