Woods & Waters

07/02/2025

FYI
Storefront is closed today. Phone and emails will still be answered as we’re able. Some tours still available.

07/01/2025

Morning coffee read.

Few fish are as synonymous with Michigan as whitefish. Pushed to the edge by invasive species, their struggle is the tip of a cataclysmic species collapse that could change our way of life.

06/30/2025

Weather forecast: 100% chance of paddling. What’s your excuse for staying on land?

06/27/2025

We’ve been aware of this and if you go by Club Point on a boat, you’ll see the mitigation efforts. Since the St. Ignace News doesn’t have a gift article sharing option, this article is too important to not copy and paste. Article below.

There was a heating oil spill in the Les Cheneaux Islands last month after an incident at the Les Cheneaux Club on Marquette Island. The spill occurred on an underground line with more than 700 gallons leaking, with almost all of it remaining in the soil. A small amount did get into the neighboring waters, but the club was able to stop its spread using containment booms and socks.

Research continues into the cause of the spill, which has been contained. It was first detected Thursday, May 8, via a gaseous odor. No other signs of a leak were seen initially, but a small amount of oil was found later in Snows Channel. The club immediately called the authorities for help and entered a cleanup mode. Fuel oil is dyed red to detect leaks.

Bart Weiss, the club’s infrastructure committee chair, said the line that leaked ran from a barn to a furnace in the manager’s cottage. It was likely more than 50 years old. Manager David Cain lives on the island year round to maintain the clubhouse and cottages. The club had four tanks and filled them up about two weeks before the leak. The barn was torn down during the cleanup effort.

Quick actions by Cain and contractor Dan Autore, who was working with an excavator on the island that day, limited the size of the spill. Cain had previously stocked the club with booms and socks for an oil spill, just in case of an issue with any of the fuel trucks that make deliveries via barge, and was able to quickly deploy them. The booms contained the oil before the socks absorbed it for safe disposal. Autore dug several pits to stop the leak and the oil’s spread.

The Mackinac County Sheriff’s Office and the Michigan Department of Natural Resources were the first outside agencies on scene after the leak, followed by Michigan Department of Environment, Great Lakes, and Energy and the U.S. Coast Guard. The cleanup has been conducted following EGLE protocols. Fencing has gone up around the polluted area, with additional fencing within that area around the pits Autore dug. Weiss said access to the site is restricted.

The Sault Ste. Marie Tribe of Chippewa Indians was contacted after the spill because some old maps labeled the club property as a burial ground. A special tribal ceremony was held to allow the land to be safely dug up during the containment effort.

The spill’s impact has been limited to a small part of the club property. Weiss said the leak into the water is expected to have only minimal impacts because of its quick containment. Ed Radecki of Mackinac Environmental Technology is now working on a water treatment system to remove oil and impurities before returning clean water to the lake

There are no estimates for how long the cleanup could take. Weiss said the spread of underground plume has stopped and they are working to clean up as much as possible. The contaminated soil is being dug up and shipped off the island in plastic lined containers for safe disposal at the Dafter landfill. New, clean soil will be brought in to replace it. The containment socks have also been recovered for disposal. The club will monitor the spill area for the next several years to make sure there are no further issues.

Mackinac County and Clark Township jointly declared an emergency Saturday, May 24, due to the spill, helping the two governments align their responses to help the cleanup. It highlighted the environmentally sensitive and publicly significant nature of the islands in requesting assistance to stop any further spread. The declaration lasted seven days.

Clark Township Supervisor Mark Clymer has visited the club property three times since the spill. The declaration helped with permit applications and other actions so that political red tape wouldn’t slow cleanup efforts.

Cain is thankful Clymer was able to support his efforts and others were able to respond quickly. Weiss said his performance under pressure earned him an invite to be on an upcoming Coast Guard fuel spill response committee.

The club has not opened yet for the summer season due to an ongoing power outage on their peninsula caused by March’s ice storm. Weiss said that only the clubhouse, workshop, and manager’s house have power. The electrical system is being upgraded to replace the above ground lines with buried ones. The club recently installed a propane heating system as a backup to its oil one.

06/26/2025

Ribbiting news! Frog Fest is “hoppening” on July 12! Don't froget to check out our retail store featuring talented creators like , , and , plus outdoor gear from , , . We're open daily until early October, come support small businesses... or we'll have to send the frogs after you!!

06/25/2025

There’s been a lot of speculation and still not many details known, but here’s a few. Gifted article so you can read about t.

The medical examiner reports murder-suicide involving a father and son is suspected cause of death at Isle Royale National Park in Michigan.

06/19/2025

Ever wondered how our recent Perfect Picnic Day turned out? It was absolutely stunning! 😍. Two couples, now residing in CO and PA, reunited in MI after first meeting in grad school at MSU. We indulged in delicious homemade cherry hand pies, fresh chicken Mediterranean wraps, and more! Consider planning your own adventure!

06/18/2025

Any brilliant ideas for following through on #15??? Each comment could expand the idea.

I’ll start:

On the backside of Club Point there is a small, shallow, and wild bay full of water lilies and smart w**d that it calls home. When the early morning waters are still, fisherman report seeing a stream of bubbles heading out and around St. Ledger’s Island toward Snow’s Channel.

Ditch your TV, shut down social media, and go outside to try these summer activities from yesteryear.