B.I. News on the 'Net, May 7-13, 2012

Happy Mother's Day!

Some of us have mothers in heaven. Others have mothers right here. Others have mothers far away. The first group will tell you to make the most of the time you have because sooner or later you will belong to their group. Tell your mother you love her while you have the chance!

Sharing a Feeder

Between the many hummingbirdsthat we see by our feeders, the most beautiful bird sharing the feeder now is a Baltimore Oriole. The hummers weren't to happy to share, but they really didn't have any choice.

Baltimoe Oriole and Hummingbird Sharing a Feeder

Other visitors including a male and female duck

Another Use for PAM

This morning something absolutely hilarious happened in the front yard. A squirrel attempted to climb up the pole to get to the newest bird feeder in the yard. He climbed up a short distance and then hurled himself up to try to reach the new feeder. Well, he almost made it, and probably would have except for the idea of how to stop him from getting there came into a brain. So, out went the thinker, and she sprayed Pam on the pole. Yes, an aerosoled cooking oil was sprayed on the pole. The squirrel was foiled by the cooking spray. The squirrel jumped, but instead of reaching his goal of a new bird feeder full of seeds and berries, he ended up sliding right down the pole to the ground. He tried several times, and he was foiled several times. After setting up the video camera twice and two hours and forty minutes later, another attempt was was made by the same squirrel. Hope you enjoy watching the video of another use for the cooking spray PAM.

The Sliding Squirrel

Peter A. Phillips Dies

Peter A. Phillips, 70, of Charlevoix, passed away Thursday, May 10, 2012 at Charlevoix Area Hospital. A Rite of Christian Burial will be 11:00 am, Wednesday, May 16, at Saint Mary's Catholic Church in Charlevoix. Visitation will be from 6-8:30, Tuesday, at the Winchester Funeral Home in Charlevoix where the Rosary will be recited at 8:30pm. Interment will take place at a later date at Saint Mary's Cemetery in Charlevoix.


Pete was born August 16, 1941, in Kalamazoo to Ivan and Helen (Gallagher) Phillips. He graduated from Charlevoix High School in 1959, and served in the U.S. Navy from 1961 to 1965. He was aboard the U.S.S. Randolph in 1962 when Astronaut John Glenn was retrieved after the Mercury-Atlas 6 three-orbit space mission.

Pete earned a bachelor's degree in accounting from Western Michigan University. He worked as an auditor for the Internal Revenue Service before returning to Charlevoix in 1976. In Charlevoix, he owned and operated Phillips Northside Service Station.


Pete was a member of Saint Mary's Church, the Knights of Columbus Pierre de Charlevoix Council, the Charlevoix Rod and Gun Club, the Beaver Island Wildlife Club and the Men's Coffee Clutch at the Townhouse.


Pete is survived by his children, Owen (Laura Willis) Phillips of Charlevoix, Amber (Thomas Slovick) Phillips of Los Angeles, Calif., and Ethan (Tim Johnston) Phillips of Brooklyn, NY; sister, Ann Hanson of Grand Rapids; brother, Richard Phillips of Chicago, Ill; niece Elizabeth (Joseph) Fulsher; nephews Mark Hanson and Kevin (Robin) Hanson; grandnephews Jacob and Brody Fulsher and Kenneth and Nicholas Hanson. Pete also leaves behind numerous friends and will be dearly missed.


Memorial contributions may be made to the the Charlevoix Library, the Charlevoix Rod and Gun Club, or the Beaver Island Wildlife Club.


If you want to share a memory of Pete, or condolences, please do so at www.winchesterfuneralhome.com

Iron Ore Creek Restoration Project

On Thursday March 11, 2012, at approximately 10 a.m., a group of volunteers met at Iron Ore Creek to build a wooden barrier to prevent damage and erosion from four-wheelers driving on the sand dune, which violates a Peaine Township Ordinance. The Peaine Township Board supports the Charlevoix County's ORV Ordinance, which will allow ORV operation on all township roads except Kings Highway from the four corners to the St. James Township line. There is no legal riding of an ORV off the road unless it is on private property and this written permission must be available if stopped.

The barrier will also serve to guide visitors down two designated paths to the water, which will also aid in erosion control. The steps were shoveled off so people can use them. Rocks were removed, that had been placed in the creek, to disrupt the natural flow of the water, from the creek into Lake Michigan. There is a new sign posted asking people to please leave the rip-rap in place. (the rocks) People have removed rocks from the culvert or "the tube," as it is referred to, and this can also cause erosion problems as well. Several volunteers planted beach grass over the entire area in the hopes of preserving this beautiful place for future generations.

CMU Students Assist in Clean-up Of Beach at Wagner Campground

This wonderful group of CMU students are pitching in with a small number of island people and are making this island a better place to live and vacation. This small group of CMU students cleaned up the beach area out at the Bill Wagner Campground. The beach area had several campfire piles of half burnt logs and other trash. These items were removed and the beach area was raked to provide a much nicer beach area for the visitors and campers who arrive at this campground.

This last picture indicate that there have also been vehicles driving down the beach here.

AMVETs Post #46 Sets More Bricks at Memorial

Beginning at 9 am on Saturday, May 12, 2012, the AMVETs began the work on setting 60 more bricks at the Beaver Island Veteran's Memorial. There were some very emotional points in this process. A father setting a brick for his fallen hero son and a friend setting a brick for a fallen hero friend. This job was not easy to watch as the tears filled the eyes and the workers continued to work. This Veteran's Memorial will be used for the Memorial Day Service, so the bricks need to be in place before Memorial Day.

Here is a video of the veterans setting the bricks.

View from behind the memorial

Three of the special bricks placed next to one another....

Loons Versus Swan Game

After the Spring Serenade, a quick trip on the loop from Barney's Lake Road to Sloptown Road and back to town, an interesting sight was observed. Although you can't be sure what the thought pattern of the two loon was, nor could you know what was going on in the mute swan's brain, to just sit and observe this game was hilarious. First the loons began a slight move toward the southern end of the lake, then the mute swan began swimming at a fast rate of speed to catch up and chase the loons away. When the mute swan got fairly close, the two loons would dive. The mute swan would glide to a stop and turn its head back and forth looking for the loons. One loon would pop up south of the swan, and one would pop up north of the swan. The swan would then appear, through the darkening images, to be confused and head at one or the other loon. This loon would dive and come up by the other loon. The swan would then head quickly toward the two loons and, just as he got there, both loons would dive again.

Where did they go?

There they are!

As you can tell, it was approaching the darkness of night. Staying right there and watching the game was a wonderful way to spend a moment with nature!

Spring Serenade Group Recital

Video HERE

Suzuki String Group

All together in one group

John Brady Robert receives the Outstanding Student Award

TDS warns businesses: Shut out hackers with a few basic security measures

For more information contact:
Cindy Tomlinson, Associate Manager of PR
TDS Telecommunications Corp.
608-664-4471 / cindy.tomlinson@tdstelecom.com

MADISON, Wis. (May 11, 2012)— TDS Telecommunications Corp. (TDS ® ) warns business owners of a serious issue facing those who own and operate their own phone systems. Voice mail and toll fraud is on the rise as hackers use corporate phone systems to find an open road to major telecom networks.

A private branch exchange telephone system, or PBX, is a phone system owned and operated by a private company. It is then connected with telephone lines purchased from a local telecom provider. TDS has been marketing PBX systems to its business customers for more than twenty years and is reminding businesses that security measures must be taken to prevent fraud.

Voice mail and long distance toll fraud are the most prevalent threats to businesses using a PBX. Hackers gain access to the phone system in order to place long distance calls directly from the business customer's lines, those charges are then billed—and could be costly.

Although no system is 100 percent protected, TDS suggests all businesses with a PBX take the following steps to help prevent PBX hacking:

• Confirm no default or unchanged factory passwords exist in the PBX and/or voicemail system.
• Check that no unauthorized or additional passwords exist in the system.
• Use international call blocking in the PBX and at the local/long distance switch (unless your company actually needs/places international calls).
• Delete or lock all unused mailboxes.
• Require all employees to change their voice mailbox passwords to 6- or 8-digit non-trivial passwords. This includes administrative, general delivery, and system manager mailboxes.
• Educate employees on the importance of strong passwords and maintenance.

Businesses are encouraged to contact their local telecom provider to discuss other preventive actions, too.

“By following these suggestions, along with other modifications recommended by your PBX supplier, you can make a significant difference in the security of your PBX systems,” said Tom Canfield, vice president of commercial marketing and product development at TDS. “In an era plagued with fraudulent and opportunistic people, basic prevention measures can really pay off.”

Unauthorized access to a system is usually gained through voice mail menus protected with simple passwords (1111, 2222, 1234, etc.) or unchanged factory default passwords. Once in the system, hackers use system commands to gain dial tone and place calls that appear just like any other call originating from the business.

Many savvy hackers also know the default passwords used by switch vendors. PBX hacking can occur when the PBX vendor, or the customer, fails to change these default passwords during initial installation. Good password management policy and practice is a strong protection step.

“While we work directly with our customers who purchase a PBX from us to take the necessary precautions, we also have business customers with existing PBX equipment from other vendors that could pose a security threat,” says Canfield.

Only customers can differentiate legitimate calls from fraudulent ones. Carriers, like TDS, do not have access or permission to stop calls from happening. Each carrier must pay a portion of the call that is handled by them, so when a call is placed to an international location the domestic carrier must pay the foreign carrier, regardless of any claim of fraud. Those charges are then passed back to the customer by the local carrier. Unfortunately, a large telephone bill could be the first warning a business receives.

“Business customers are responsible for protecting their own PBX equipment from fraudulent use,” adds Canfield. “Thankfully, some basic security measures can help prevent hacking of their equipment. While we normally help set up these security settings with TDS PBX customers, many companies who already own equipment from other vendors need to pay attention to new threats to protect their lines.”

For more tips and information to prevent PBX fraud, visit http://www.tdsbusiness.com/ BusinessResourceCenter.aspx .

CMU Students Work at Heritage Park

While some students were busy raking leaves and putting into the back of a pickup truck, others were working to get the rails secured on the railroad ties. The purpose of this work is to get the site ready for the arrival of a steam engine rail engine that may arrive on the island as soon as July. The students were working quite hard at accomplishing this task.

Pre-drilling the holes and then hammering in the spikes was a great deal of work for these students,.

Railroad spike after railroad spike were hammered into the holes to hold the rails in place.

At the other piece of rail, other students were leveling the railroad ties, and beyond them raking was continuing.

Bill Cashman was present teaching and supervising...

The work continued until Dick Burris arrived with a real rail hammering tool, and Bill Cashman celebrated the job's almost completion.

The rails completed on the ties.

Rails with Music

The Tree House That Isn't

Beaver Island News on the 'Net has reported twice on the progress of the tree house that is being built off the Kings Highway and below the hill where the two buoys mark the driveway. The view from twenty foot high deck was absolutely gorgeous even when the picture was taken in the winter time. However, the tree house that was twenty feet off the ground is no longer a tree house as you will shortly see,

Here is a view of the tree house at about 1 p.m. on May 10, 2012 taken from Whiskey Point

This picture was taken from the driveway of the tree house shortly after the one above.

Later in the afternoon, this picture was taken from Whiskey Point using a zoom lens

It is pretty obvious that the tree house is no longer as tall as the trees that surrounded it,. The building is now much closer to the ground. All this took place in one afternoon, May 10, 2012.

The same location as the second picture above except that later in the afternoon the house is only six feet from the ground,.

Here is a view of the house taken fromthe beach area in front of it.

The view is nice, but not nearly as nice as it was when the deck was twenty feet in the air.

Tree House That Isn't Video Clip

Kayak Ken's Paradise

If you take a drive out to the St. James Campground, you will find Ken Bruland's tear drop trailer with its solar panel for power generation. Ken has a shower enclosure on the right and an awning with chair for shade.

Mother's Day Weekend at Stoney

Sunday May 13th MOTHER'S DAY Dinner at Stoney
Featuring Chicago Style PRIME RIB
Sauteed, Grilled, or Fried SHRIMP
Or Enjoy both as a Combo Plate!
ALSO
Saturday May 12th
STEAK SPECIALS... NEW YORK STRIPS, RIBEYE'S, & SIZZLER'S
PLUS
Grilled or Fried FRESH WHITEFISH Daily
AND
Friday May 11th
YELLOW LAKE PERCH
Jim & Pam's PIZZA 5-8:30 every Sunday, starting May 20th
HAPPY MOM'S DAY Weekend from Stoney

Peaine Township Board Meeting

Link to Video HERE

The Peaine Township Board took care of several appointments to the Zoning Board of Appeals and the Planning Commision, as well as approved the Codification of the Zoning Ordinance. Jack Gallagher reported that Verizon wants to replace the cell phone tower on Kings Highway, install another tower, and provide 4G service to the Island. CCE 911 Dispatch wishes to place equipment on the East Side Tower. The Board approved posting for bids on the township hall furnace as well. There was a somewhat lengthy discussion about when items needed to be submitted for inclusion in the written agenda. The Board agree that submission should be submitted one week in advance of the meeting to allow for processing and inclusion as well as posting of the meeting agenda online and in several places around town.

Mute Swan Presentation

Please join members of NRESC on May 21, 2012, at 7 p.m. for a mute swan presentation by DNR Wildlife Habitat Biologist, Brian Mastenbrook at the Peaine Township Hall.
Did you know that the mute swan population in Michigan originated from one pair introduced in Charlevoix County in 1919? Mute swans were introduced from Europe in the last 1800s and escaped from captivity and have established huge populations in a number of states. Mute swans are a problem for three primary reasons: they pose a threat to humans, endanger native wildlife and destroy wetland habitat. As the mute swan population continues to grow in Michigan, the damage and conflicts they create have long-term effects. Come explore the swan's life cycle and implications for our archipelago.

(Sent by Pam Grassmick)

Annual School Election

On May 8, 2012, the annual school election had two items on the ballot, local operating millage and special education millage.

Item #1 on the ballot: The Beaver Island Community School district requested a two-year renewal of 15.7908 mills on non-homestead property: this millage request level had not changed in at least 19 years. Revenue from this source generates approximately 72% of the district's general fund money. The general fund is used for day to day operation of the school; books, supplies, utilities, arts, sports, salaries etc. The election results were 110 yes and 46 no. This millage passed.

Item #2 on the ballot: The special education volte was for Charlevoix-Emmet Intermediate School District to support special education programs and services. This millage supports such professionals as speech therapists, social workers, psychologists, occupational therapists, and other specialized professionals who work with special education students in districts throughout Charlevoix and Emmet Counties. The request was for a renewal of 1.16 mills for 4 years. Voters in the two counties had approved this same millage amount since 1981. The election results were 107 yes and 47 no. This millage passed on the island.

Frank Solle's Barney's Lake Swan Picture

Monday evening around 8pm

In Our Yard

Hummingbirds have arrived.

This will hopefully be a weekly feature for Beaver Island News on the 'Net. This week Phyllis has taken several pictures and the video above of the creatures that we have had visit us In Our Yard. Many of you already know that the northern part of the island has a large number of turkeys who were fed at the intersection of Kings Highway and Carlisle Road. There are lots of other visitors as well. We hope you enjoy this feature in the weeks to come of the spring and summer of 2012.

Some common visitors included a blue jay, a grackle,

and a white crowned sparrow.

Also the chipmunks that fill their cheeks with seeds or corn.

As well as an occasional duck or two or three.

At Gull Harbor and Barney's Lake

There has been an immature eagle that has been hanging out at Gull Harbor recently. He has been spotted for the last two days. The first time was near the shoreline close to where the waste parts of whitefish that the commercial fishermen dump for the gulls.

Eagle near the shoreline at Gull Harbor...

A common redwing blackbird is seen calling for a mate...

The same eagle?? Not sure, but if it is, it was sighted in the eagle tree at Gull Harbor...

Now moving on to Barney's Lake, we see some loons way out on the north side of the lake. The loons were too far away for any lens available. The pictures came out blurry, but it was still nice to see the return of the loons on Barney's Lake. The loon nesting site has been taken over by the mute swans.

Hopeful for a glipse of an egg or a young swan, but nothing seen...

Finally settled back down on the nest....

A second trip down to Barney's Lake in the afternoon was to see if the loons were still visible. None were seen on the return trip, so they either left or are way up in the northern part of the lake.

Both mute swans were off the nest at this point, but nothing is visible in the nest from this distance...

Meanwhile, after talking to two people who stopped to talk, these two birds began hovering and flying almost in a rhythmic dance from large circles to much smaller ovals.

Possibly more eagles?

On the south side of Sloptown Road, several robins were seen moving in and out of the tall grass.

Robert L. Meaney Passes Away

Mr. Robert L. Meaney, age 92, of Grand Rapids, went to his heavenly home on Saturday, May 5, 2012. He was preceded in death by his wife, Hazel; and by his son, Dennis. He is survived by his children, Mimi and Bill Fischer, Dan and Deb Meaney, Mary and Tom Carpenter, Bob and Ardith Meaney, Doug and Terry Meaney, and John and Lori Meaney; 18 grandchildren, 28 great grandchildren; 1 great great grandchild; sister, Betty Hansen; brothers-in-law and sisters-in-law, Jane and Fred Rau, Sandy and Bob Enders, and Jerry Meaney.

A Mass of Christian Burial will be held Thursday, 11:00 am at Assumption of the Blessed Virgin Mary Parish with Rev. Peter G. Vu celebrating. The family will receive friends and relatives at the Zaagman Memorial Chapel on Wednesday, 2-4 and 7-9 pm with a Rosary at 7:30 pm. In lieu of flowers, memorial contributions may be made to the ALS Association – West Michigan Chapter.

Francis Paul Stout Dies

Francis Paul Stout, 77, of Ionia passed away May 5, 2012 at his home. He was born February 26, 1935, in Ionia Township, the son of Frank and Fleda (Winchell) Stout. He attended Badder School and graduated from Ionia High School in 1953 and graduated from Michigan State University School of Agriculture in 1957.

Francis married Betty Stone in Ionia on June 21, 1956. They made their home there and raised their family together. He was a lifetime resident of Ionia.

To supplement his farm income, he worked as a substitute Rural Mail Carrier on Route 4 in Ionia County. He became an employee of the Coca Cola Bottling Company and in 1970 became a partner with James Oliver and Larry Hood renaming the Company Hood-Stout, Inc. On June 1, 1976, the partners opened the newly constructed public golf course named Rolling Hills in Ionia where he managed and maintained the golf course. Francis later took over as sole owner of the golf course. He retired from the golf course in 1996 but continued to farm.

Francis is survived by his loving wife of nearly 56 years, Betty of Ionia; daughters, Denise (Tim) McDonough of Beaver Island, Cathy (Steve) O'Mara of Ionia, Karen (Mark) Quinn of Naperville, Ill., and Linda Stout of Hubbardston; grandchildren, Lindsay (Andy) Gorlewski, Bradley McDonough, Drew McDonough and fiancée Thayer Kamp all of Chicago, Alex and Riley O'Mara of Kalamazoo, Lauren Quinn of Charlottesville, Va., Matt Quinn of Naperville, Ill., Megan (Bryan) LeRoux of Hastings; great grandchildren, Savannah and Makayla LeRoux of Hastings and Trevor Gorlewski of Chicago; brother, Clyde (Gladys) Stout of Ionia; sister, Ann (Ken) Felice of Ionia; and numerous nieces and nephews.

A memorial service will be held at 11 a.m. Tuesday, May 8, 2011, at Lake Funeral Home in Ionia with Pastor Larry Brown and Mr. Dan Balice officiating. Visitation will be Monday 2 to 4 and 6 to 8 p.m. at the funeral home.

Anyone wishing may make memorial contributions in Francis's name to American Cancer Society or Ionia FFA Scholarship Fund. Online condolences may be made at www.lakefuneralhomes.com

Paramedic Course Ends

.....................Danielle Dedloff..............................Kevin White.......paramedic candidates

The Beaver Island Paramedic program has come to an end, but the two island paramedic students' work has not. While the classroom portion of this intensive educational program is finished, the two students, Danielle Dedloff and Kevin White still have an internship to complete before they have the opportunity to take the national paramedic exam. This internship will require five to six weeks to complete. Each is required to work in four separate and distinct emergency medical services on the mainland spread over this period of time. The internship will be more intense than the classroom portion. Kevin and Danielle will be required to recall information and put that medical knowledge to work on real patients in real emergencies instead of staged scenarios.

Besides the regular paramedic curriculum, these two students have also successfully completed certification programs in several other specialties along with other EMS members.. These specialties are American Heart Association programs in Basic Life Support, Advanced Cardiac Life Support, and Pediatric Advanced Life Support; the University of Miami's Advanced Stroke Life Support; and the American Academy of Pediatric's program of Pediatric Education for PreHospital Providers.

These two students will have to continue to study and learn throughout this internship program because after the internship is over, they will be taking two examinations, the National Registry of Emergency Medical Technicians paramedic written examination and the NREMT'S practical skills examination. Congratulations to Kevin and Danielle as they embark on yet another journey toward paramedic licensure!

Congratulations to their instructors Sarah McCafferty and Joe Moore who have dedicated many hours each week since September 2011 to teach this program on the island!

Beaver Island Fire Department Paged to Grass Fire

The Beaver Island Volunteer Fire Department was paged to a grass fire down Carlisle Road past Stoney Acres. The pole barn belonging to Robert Gillespie was the location of the grass fire. The workshop building was saved from the fire by the hard work of the BIFD. Some building materials were scorched and burnt, but no one got hurt. Lisa Gillespie thanked everyone who helped out on facebook.com. BIEMS responds to all fire calls as well to stand by in case anyone get injured or suffers from smoke inhalation. This certainly is a wonderful and caring community to live in where everyone helps out in an emergency situation. Kudos to the BIFD volunteers for their excellent efforts during this situation! Good job!

Charlevoix County Cell Phone Scam

Sheriff W.D. (Don) Schneider would like to alert citizens of a recent telephone scam contacting many Charlevoix County citizens on their cell phones. The telephone number leaving the text message is 231-327-6468 and the message reads: THE CREDIT UNION CENTER ALERT: YOUR CARD HAS BEEN DEACTIVATED. PLEASE CONTACT US AT 231-327-6468 . This text message is fraudulent and was not sent by Bay Winds Credit Union. DO NOT call the number or provide them with any information. If you called the number and provided any information, please notify your local law enforcement or the Bay Winds Credit Union, their main number 231-547-4483 or toll free 800-638-1182 , so they can close your card to block fraudulent activity and issue you a new card.

Bay Winds FCU would like you to know:

1. Bay Winds does not send out text messages.

2. Bay Winds FCU staff does not know and will NEVER ask you for your PIN number.

3. We will never ask for your expiration date or CVV number on the back of the card.

4. Bay Winds already have your card number so they will not ask you for your full card number.

Please remember to NEVER give out any information over the telephone.

Violin Happenings

Spring Serenade

Solo Recital - Saturday, May 5

3:00 pm performance

Community Center

Group Recital - Friday, May 11

7:00 pm performance

Community Center

Repertoire:

Pre Twinkles:
Bunny Song
Kangaroo song
Cat Kitty

Concert repertoire:
Allegretto
Allegro
May Song
Song of the Wind
Twinkles:
Mrs. Tw Stop Stop
Twinkle Pop
Theme

Irish Fiddle Violin Workshop

July 5th and 6th

In front of the little green house on Kings Highway…

This workshop is being sponsored by the Glen McDonough Memorial Fund. Trae McMaken will be instructing students for two sessions per day – morning and afternoon.

Details to follow.

Glen McDonough Mem. Concert

July 7th 7pm

In front of the little green house on Kings Highway…

Music on the Porch

Monday, July 16th

Music on the Porch begins at 7:30 p.m. on the Print Shop Porch

(Rain location is the Holy Cross Hall)

Private Lessons

Ms. Sheri will be offering private lessons this summer during summer school weeks. Details in the near future…

In-Fisherman TV Show to Air

To view a five minute trailer, click the link below: (Very Nice if you like fishing)

http://www.in-fisherman.com/2012/05/01/flyrodcarp/

AMVETS Meeting Changed

The May's AVMETS Meeting will be held the third Tuesday of this month, May 15th rather than the second at St. James Township Hall at 7:30 PM. Agenda Items jnclude: Memorial Day Breakfast, Memorial Day Ceremony, Memorial Park Sprinkler System, and summer activities.

Chamber & Pure Michigan Radio

The Beaver Island Chamber of Chamber has reached an agreement with the Charlevoix Convention and Visitors Bureau to be part of the Pure Michigan campaign with 60 second radio spots. The commercial has been recorded by Tim Allen and will begin airing soon. More details at the story link below.

The final script of the message is:

Charlevoix Convention and Visitors Bureau Pure Michigan Script (Final)

Talent: Tim Allen

"They say beauty is in the eye in of the beholder. That it comes from the inside out. Well some say it lives in a small town in northern Michigan where petunias blossom by the thousands , the water magnificently blue, and manicured streets lead to stunning views. Welcome to the beautiful city of Charlevoix where nature's stones have been crafted into one-of-a-kind homes , and a magnificent castle stands tall beyond its era. Where beauty lives in each hello, Every sun-soaked day on the beach, and in the simple delights. Take the ferry over to scenic Beaver Island. Hear the town's excitement, laughter and music blend into a beautiful summer symphony. And where happy people greet us in every shop, restaurant and hotel. Sharing smiles we're sure to pass on. Come enjoy the brighter side of life and feel the glow of Charlevoix's charm because embracing the beauty around us is Pure Michigan. Your trip begins at michigan.org"

http://www.petoskeynews.com/news/pnr-charlevoix-pure-michigan-radio-ad-to-air-soon-downstate-20120427,0,2115028.story

Changes to the Little Sand Bay Trail

The familiar way to Little Sand Bay is blocked using large rocks. Now you have to drive up by the old farmhouse to park. The Little Traverse Conservancy intend to place a gate so vehicles will not be able to drive beyond this point. Currently, a portion at the beginning of the trail is marked by pink plastic ribbon. The LTC plans to mow or have the grass mowed, at some point.

You end up where the original parking area and trailhead was.

"The new trail is marked with a map at the trailhead by the Gallagher house, 4x4 posts along the trail where it goes through the open areas, and will be mowed sometime during the next week. We will continue to mow it as needed. The new entrance is marked with our preserve name sign (which we moved up from the old parking area), as well as a “Trailhead Parking” sign with an arrow pointing towards the new parking area. The old access road is now blocked off with a chain."

Why was the access trail changed? The following was the posting on the Beaver Island Forum:

Thank you for your questions about the Little Sand Bay trail. We did consider many aspects of the trail and the needs of trail users before making the changes to the parking area. We conducted an informal survey of preserve visitors, who indicated that they would not object to the change. We truly regret that the added distance will make it difficult for you to visit the preserve.

The condition and maintenance of the long access drive extending far into the interior of the preserve has been problematic over the years. (We have received complaints about low-clearance vehicles bottoming out, and cars getting scratched by the junipers.) In general, we try to locate our preserve parking areas near road frontage, in order to minimize interior road maintenance and vehicular impacts to the preserves. Little Sand Bay has always been an exception to this standard.

In Summer 2009, LTC was approached by the Beaver Island Historic Society (BIHS) about the possibility of acquiring and preserving the Gallagher house (also known as the Early/Doney Home), which is thought to be one of the oldest homes on the Island, dating from Mormon times. BIHS made a preliminary request to acquire and move the house to another site for restoration. Instead of moving the house, in February 2012 LTC's Stewardship Committee approved the decision to keep the house on site and reconfigure the trail head and parking for the preserve. Rather than have two parking areas on the preserve (with associated maintenance costs) we planned that the parking lot near the house would serve double-duty for both preserve and historic site visitors.

The reconfiguration of the trail adds .18 mile (950 feet) to the distance from parking lot to the beach. We designed the trail so it would go through open areas with smooth footing, and made sure to keep the “pedestrian” sized opening at the fence and gate wide enough for a wheelchair to pass (32”).

You may want to check out our new Petritz Preserve, located just north of town with a trail that starts at Lake Street (behind McDonough's Market.) There is a nice trail that goes 1,500 feet to the dunes at the lake shore, instead of the 2,300 foot walk to the beach at Little Sand Bay.

Thanks again for contacting us, and we apologize for any inconvenience.
Sincerely,

Cindy Mom
Stewardship Specialist
Little Traverse Conservancy
3264 Powell Road
Harbor Springs, MI 49740
231-344-1011 phone
231-347-1276 fax
cindy@landtrust.org

Video of COTY HERE

Citizen of the Year Banquet Tonight

Tonight, April 28, 2012, the Beaver Island Chamber of Commerce Citizen of the Year was announced. The recipient was completely surprised by the presentation. Congratulations to Kathy Speck, 2012 Citizen of the Year! Holding the legislators,senators,and governor's proclamation is Rachel Teague, Chamber President, with Kathy Speck holding her plaque.

Congratulations, Kathy!

The Rest of the COTY Story

The Shamrock Bar and Restaurant was full to capacity with dinner guests for the Chamber of Commerce Citizen of the Year Banquet and Award Ceremony. Dinner provided attendees with several options including salad starter, meal, and desert. The choices for the meal were grilled chicken breast with fresh mushroom risotto, grilled Atlantic Salmon with asparagus and roasted potatoes, or Prime Rib with asparagus and baked potato.

The Beaver Island Comedy Club was the featured entertainment with a special Chamber show at the awards banquet with three special skits. Participating the the comedy club presentation were Elaine West, Wendy White, Phil Becker, Pat Nugent, Jeff Powers, and Kimberly Read.

Steve West introduce the participants in the comedy skits.

The WBEV announcer Phil Becker with the Red Hat Ladies Elaine West and Wendy White.

Kimberly Read in the waitressskit with Phil Becker.

The natural resources skit with Pat Nugent, Jeff Powers,and Phil Becker.

After the wonderfully hilarious performance, the stage was set for the rest of the evening's activity which began with Rachel Teague, president of the Chamber of Commerce. Steve West introducedher to the group.

Steve West's introduction

Link to Rachel Teague's speech which includes all nominees HERE

Rachel Teague's speech included the mention of all twenty-one people nominated for the Citizen of the Year for 2012 with a little bit about each one of the nominees. You can read about it at the link just above this. Then the moment that all were waiting for, the announcement of the winner of the Citizen of the Year for 2012. With tears in her eyes, the 2012 recipient Kathy Speck approached the podium.

Kathy Speck, 2012 Citizen of the Year, is on the podium with her friend and coworker Diane McDonough and Rachel Teague, Chamber President.

Congratulations, Kathy Speck, 2012 Citizen of the Year!

Daddy Frank's New Look

Daddy Franks has been sold and the new owners are putting a lot of work toward getting it ready to open. The most obvious change is the color of the building. It used to be blue. Now it's a bright read. The new owners have decided to build an addition and relocated the kitchen in the addition. The existing building will be used to seat customers. The new owners, Kathie and Mark Ehinger, and the family were up working on the addition this week. Their two sons, Anthony and Derek, were helping with the excavation for the new addition. Next week their daughter Stephanie and her husband Shawn Allen will be up to help. Their dog, an English Mastiff, and named Dozzer is also part of the family.

The new Daddy Franks' menu is available to view HERE.

Meet the Ehingers

Gail's Walk Reminder

This was received from Kerry Smith:

This is a reminder of Gail's Walk on Sunday, May 27th at 3:00 pm. We would like to thank everyone for their donations to this fund. Some of the funds from the 1st Gail's Walk helped a family in need with medical expenses. This is an annual event and we hope to continue building this fund. We appreciate the continued support. Registration will be open on the day of the walk, and we will have some extra shirts available the day of the walk.

There are some railroad tracks across the road from the district library called Heritage Park. These tracks have been placed there to prepare for this steam railroad engine called the DB Harrington.

DB Harrington Project

Tony Gatliff

April 20, 2012--Today at 10:00 I met Tony Gatliff and his brother and Bob Scheys from Phoenix Movers. We measured up the engine and talked to the representative from the Port Huron Museum about what would be involved in the moving of it.

•  The engine weights 24,000 pounds and the coal/wood tender is another estimated 6,000 lbs.

•  The height of the engine, after the removal of the upper portion of the stack (two bolts) is 8'-6”,

•  According to the movers this would require a single-draft lowboy trailer.

•  The parking lot is old asphalt so the movers will have to put down 8' x 10' steel plates to protect it.

•  Phoenix movers believe that they can pick up the engine by the frame with two large forklifts and place it on the lowboy.

•  Tony will assume responsibility for the dismantling of the plastic storage shed and the museum will take care of removing the “stuff” blocking access to the engine.

They (Phoenix) can provide the lowboy but as we discussed today it would be much simpler if we provided the trailer and tractor for the transport as they (Phoenix) would have to ship their equipment to the island, unload it and then return it to the mainland. That and delays for weather could add a significant amount to the project cost.

In summary the removal and loading up of the engine is not that big of a project. Phoenix estimates the transport cost would be in the $100/per hour range. I need to work up a final scope of work for Phoenix and that depends on if we can get a lowboy and trailer for the transport.

Tony and I measured the rail dimensions, they have to be a minimum of 36 inches apart (inside dimensions). The rails they have down here are 2 ¾” wide at the top so that would make the outside-outside rail dimensions for THESE rails 36+2 ¾ + 2 ¾ or 41 ½ inches.

Bob Tidmore (Thanks to Bob Tidmore for this information and the pictures!)

From http://www.rypn.org/forums/viewtopic.php?f=1&t=1369 posts by T.J. Gaffney:

"I have had more than a couple e-mails from those who had little or no idea that another steamer of Pere Marquette heritage existed.

This engine is a 36-inch narrow gauge Porter-Bell & Co. product, a 2-4-0 built for P.M. predecessor Port Huron & Northwestern in 1878. As far as I know, she is one of the few Porter-Bell engines left, and is a rare piece of Michigan's railroad heritage.

After being sold off by the Flint & Pere Marquette (succesor to PH&NW), she went to different lumber company operations around Michigan, until finally being purchased for a display on the history of the lumber industry in Traverse City, Michigan. She remained there until the 1960's, when she was purchased by the Cedar Point & Lake Erie in Ohio, where she was cosmetically restored but never ran. She was later donated to the Henry Ford Museum, who stored her in off-site facility in Navarre, Ohio.

We at the Port Huron Museum acquired her from the Henry Ford Museum in 1992, and have had her in protective storage at our main museum site since then. Future plans envision a display dedicated to the PH&NW with #1 (also known as the D.B. Harrington, after the president of the PH&NW), as the center piece

For others interested in surviving Pere Marquette structures, rolling stock, and the like, please check out the Pere Marquette Historical Society website at:

www.rust.net/~milhaupt/pmhs/

Fellow P.M.H.S. member Fritz Milhaupt runs what in the author's opinion is one of the most detailed and informative rail history sites on the web.

Thanks,

T.J.G."

Phragmites Update 

Once again we welcome spring on Beaver Island with open arms. The beautiful flora of the island is such an important part of its beauty. Unfortunately, the growth of invasive species like Phragmites threaten our beaches and native plants.

Over the past several years we have taken aggressive action against the Phragmites invasion with the help of many concerned citizens and organizations. The progress has been outstanding and we are winning this battle. The studies have shown that the population of Phragmites has gone from 27.1 acres of shoreline in 2007 to approximately 1 acre in 2011.

We plan to continue aggressive treatment as this 1 acre is scattered throughout the island shoreline and can spread very rapidly. The townships' Phragmites program will continue to collaborate closely with state agencies and national organizations. A multi-organizational meeting will take place on Beaver Island mid-May for the purpose of discussing and coordinating invasive species control for the entire archipelago.

The new administrator for the program is Lisa Welke and you may contact her with any questions or concerns you may have.

Phone: 231-448-3164 Email: welke65@gmail.com

The information below is reprinted from a previous editorial on Beaver Island News on the 'Net by Joe Moore:

Peaine Township Millage Rates Set

The millage rates for the two townships are presented here for the joint operations, and you can draw your own conclusions based upon this side by side comparison:

Millage rates in the two townships for jointly funded operations

It takes a lower millage rate to raise the same amount of dollars in Peaine Township because the Peaine Township SEV is higher than the St. James Township SEV. It does not take a statistical analysis to see a statistically significant difference in these jointly funded millage rates. An individual taxpayer in St. James Township is paying more to support these jointly funded operations than an individual taxpayer in Peaine Township.

St. James individual taxpayers are paying between 31.17% and 45.28% higher taxes for the jointly funded operations.

At this Special Peaine Township Meeting of March 31, 2012, Bill Markey suggested that perhaps St. James Township should decrease their millages instead of having Peaine increase their millages for joint projects. This certainly will not work since the amount of money raised by St. James Township is just matched by Peaine Township, so the inequity of individual taxpayers will just continue. If St. James decreased its funding, Peaine would just match that decrease. If this cycle continued, the organizations trying to provide services to Beaver Island would eventually have no money to fulfill their mission.

It is Joe Moore's position that any jointly funded accounts should be taxed equally based upon equal millage, so that each Beaver Island taxpayer is paying the same amount of millage tax for the jointly funded operations. Joe Moore's request made at the Special Meeting of March 31, 2012, was to have the Peaine Township Board reflect and consider the fairness of these tax rates for jointly funded operations.

Equity in Tax Bills

Why should a St. James Township property owner have to pay more tax dollars for jointly funded operations than any Peaine Township property owner?

How Serious is the Inequity

Changes at the Transfer Station

There have been some changes to the Beaver Island Transfer Station, and you should expect some more changes as time progresses. Don Welke is the new manager. The first change that you will notice for any green bags purchased after April 1, 2012, is the cost. It will increase from $2.50 to $3.00 for the current 20-30 gallon 2 mil green bag. Coming this spring or summer will be a new larger 50 gallon, 2 mil, green bag that will hold two of the smaller bags volume for a price of $4.00.

Once the point of sale computer equipment is up and operating, you will also be able to purchase these bags at the Transfer Station.

There has been an increase in cost for transferring shingles off the island by the waste managment company on the mainland. This cost is to be passed on to the contractors. The new method of paying for Gaylord boxes is also in effect as of April 1, 2012. A link to the new prices can be viewed HERE.

The major change is the cost of Gaylord boxes of shingles. The contractors will have a couple of ways to handle these. No matter what the choices are, if you go to pick up a Gaylord box, you will have to pay for the box itself when it is picked up. This cost will be $25.00 no matter what is to be placed into the Gaylord box. If regular debris, such as construction debris, like drywall, is placed in the box, the cost on delivery of the Gaylord box will be an additional $65.00, bringing the total cost of debris in Gaylords up to $90.00. If the Gaylord box has shingles in it, the cost will be $100.00 on delivery to the transfer station, making the total cost of a Gaylord box of shingles $125.00.

Wait now, and don't get all bent out of shape. First of all, there has been no increase in costs to transfer the waste for consumers including contractors for the last five years.

The costs for the shingle disposal for the transfer station has increased as well. The transfer station staff, in conjunction with the Waste Management Committee, has been working on a plan to possibly get this cost down. This would make the method of disposing of shingles slightly different. Contractors would still need to purchase the Gaylord box(es) to put the shingles in for transport to the transfer station. The contractor would bring the shingles in the box(es) to the transfer station. These box(es) would then be emptied into a special roll-off container, and the contractor would keep the empty Gaylord box(es), and pay the old cost for the box of shingles of $80.00.

As usual, the months of May and October would continue as free months for disposal of yard waste including leaves, grass, and branches. If you are not sure of the costs, a simple phone call to the transfer station can help. Just call them during their open hours at 448-2228.

Consultant Report Available

The Feasibility Evaluation for Establishing a Fixed Wing Medical Evacuation Capability for Beaver Island EMS was presented to both St. James and Peaine Townships at their meetings in August. This feasibility evaluation was completed by a consultant Michael Slattery to eliminate any misunderstandings and to provide the information for BIEMS and the two townships to move forward. This report is many pages long, but Beaver Island News on the 'Net believes that it is important enough to post the entire document including all of the legislation that pertains to this issue. You may view this report by clicking on the link below.

Feasibility Evaluation for Establishing a Fixed Wing Medical Evacuation Capability for Beaver Island EMS

Air Transport for Island Medical Emergencies (ATIME for Us)

by Joe Moore

Read Article HERE

32 Miles of Water

(Copyright 2004, Phillip Michael Moore)

Update: 2/19/11---This video has had 108 viewings in the months of January and February so far. We hope that the views are getting the importance of having an air ambulance on Beaver Island and ready to go for the emergencies that have occurred here. It is obvious that ill and injured people are searching out other methods of transport since the transports for 2010 were down 50% compared to the last four years. While part of the cause is the depressed economy, the other part is the concern of being transported to the mainland and having a huge bill for that transport. BINN will continue to have this video available until something gets resolved with this issue. Comments so far: "You must be very proud of your son for doing this excellent video." "We never realized that this was still an issue." "Wow, a very important issue that seems to have been put on the back burner for too long. It's a burning issue."

Beaver Island has two flight services, and neither of them are currently certified or licensed to transport emergency patients from Beaver Island to the mainland. We thank the crews of the USCG helicopters for coming to do medical evacuations. We thank the flight services that have helped us get patients to the mainland for the last seven years and before. We thank Northflight for providing this service as well.

While a lot of things have changed over the last 7 years including a new school, a new executive director of EMS, new township supervisors,and new rural health center board members, there is one thing that has not changed.

Beaver Island does not have an FAA Certified Air Ambulance that is licensed by the State of Michigan.

When Phillip Michael Moore made this video as a Master's degree project, no one would have guessed that seven years later Beaver Island would still not have achieved this goal.

Please take the time to view the video. Please take some time to think about this, and then start asking some questions about how this can be resolved.

Beaver Island News on the 'Net Presents "32 Miles of Water" in its final form (28.5 minutes). The previously video, viewed here, was a slightly shortened version. The video is in high quality, but is still streaming video.