The Ann Arbor News
Ag Ambassadors: Extension service program promotes understanding
By Pamela Appea
The Washtenaw County Michigan State University Extension Service is launching an “Ag Ambassadors” program this fall so that farmers and nonfarmers can better understand each other.
Due to perceived tension and miscommunication between the two groups, the Washtenaw-area Agricultural Advisory Council--a group of farmers and MSU agricultural administrators--decided to start a program to promote better understanding of local agricultural practices.
Also, because of the low use of locally produced Washtenaw agricultural products—most Washtenaw County grains or meat are exported out of the county—“mutually beneficial” business opportunities could be an additional perk of the program, MSU administrators said.
“It’s a wonderful opportunity,” said Nancy Thelan, MSU Extension Director.
The extension office is looking for 10 county residents, including business professionals and local community leaders, to participate in the federally funded program and then pass on the information they learn to others, said Mike Score, the local Extension agricultural agent.
The program, which runs for a year and is funded with a grant of about $3,000, starts Sept. 18 with a Rural Community Appreciation Tour orientation.
The agricultural ambassadors, who will be selected for community involvement and interest in agricultural issues, will tour Way-lene Acres Dairy Farm, Shady Hills Farm and Plymouth Orchard during four meetings in 1999-2000.
“By educating 10 people, they become ambassadors to other nonfarmers, and they will let nonfarmers know what local agricultural concerns are,” said Score.
The “Ag ambassadors” program won’t just be quaint farm tours, Score said. The program will emphasize difficulties in farming and ambassadors will do some hands-on work, including milking cows and baling hay, in addition to talking to farmers. The group will meet at different points in the year to educate the ambassadors about the weather-related difficulties farmers may face.
Currently, there are 200 full-time farmers in Washtenaw County, said Score.
Although Washtenaw County farms have dwindled in numbers in the past 30 years, 160,000 acres of land are still farmed, Thelen and Score said.
Score, who works with farmers on educational program, said many have expressed concerns that nonfarmers don’t care where Washtenaw County corn goes or that farming land in developing areas are not seen as relevant to the entire community.
Score said that he hopes the program will also get business-minded “Ag Ambassadors” aware and excited about agribusiness opportunities.
Although some Washtenaw County residents do make a habit of buying locally produced fruits and vegetables, Score said, there is no medium for selling other Washtenaw county grains and agricultural products, including corn, soybeans, wheat, beef and pork—which local farms ship out of the county.
Buying locally produced grains or other food does not guarantee that the price will be lower. However, Score said, one benefit of supporting Washtenaw county agriculture might be better product quality.
The “Ag Ambassador” outreach program may expand and become an annual program in the next several years, MSU agricultural administrators said.
Anyone interested in the Ag Ambassadors program should contact Mike Score at (734) 971-0079, extension 2619, by Aug. 20.
Originally published Thursday, July 29, 1999
Thursday, July 29, 1999
Visit to Dawn Farm helps special needs campers learn
Visit to Dawn Farm helps special needs campers learn
The Ann Arbor News
By Pamela Appea
As Nondi Lampkin, 4, snapped broccoli heads from Dawn Farm’s garden and placed them in her yellow bucket, she said she planned to cooker her small harvest later on that afternoon—adding some supermarket-bought melted cheese.
Lampkin was one of more than 20 children from Ann Arbor’s Early Learning Center summer camp program who visited Dawn Farm Wednesday.
The 4 ½ week camp works with children ages 3-5 who have special learning needs, grouping them together with other preschool children, so that all children can learn and have fun. One of the camp’s most popular field trips is to the Ypsilanti-area farm, where children pet farm animals, leaf-paint, go on hayrides, and garden for half the day.
Ann Telfer is one of the organizer’s of the integrated summer camp—which is in its third year. Telfer, the parent of a 6-year-old autistic child, David, said she felt there was a need for a local camp that took an integrated learning approach.
“This entire project points to the positive influence of the 1997 Individuals with Disabilities Education Act, and its voice in requiring schools and communities at large to include and accommodate children with differing abilities in all aspects of life,” she said.
Telfer said the Dawn Farm trip is particularly successful for autistic children, who enjoy the direct contact with animals—since some have difficulty playing with other children or talking with adults.
Camps coordinators work on strengthening children’s verbal skill and play ability. The camp also gives non-special needs children the opportunity to learn about others who are different.
“I think it’s remarkable that we are now working in integrated classrooms,” said Linda Johnson, a special education teacher with the Ann Arbor Pre-School and Family Center.
Telfer said that the idea for the camp was realized with the support of Johnson, a 30-year teaching veteran and Carol Fast, an Ann Arbor-area speech pathologist. They and other parents worked with the Early Learning Center, which is a private school, and Ann Arbor Public School administrators to start the summer camp.
Jim Reitz, an Ann Arbor parent, said he was pleased with the camp. He went along with the group for the Dawn Farm field trip.
“My son (Duncan), 4) really likes animals. There’s nothing like a farm for these kids,” he said.
Telfer said it’s important to provide autistic children the opportunity to talk with other children during the preschool years. In her opinion, though, the camp benefits all the enrolled children.
Telfer’s son David, said he enjoyed feeding the goats and the llamas at the farm. “I feel proud the goat ate the leaves,” he said after thanking the animal.
Sam Colvin St. Cyr, 5, didn’t have much time to talk about his favorite farm activity. He said, “I have to feed my hungry goat,” he said, not breaking his stride.
The children also looked at llamas and the farm’s three pigs, and they petted baby turkeys and baby rabbits.
Dawn Farm which operates as a residential drug rehabilitation center, recruited resident volunteers to participate in the children’s farm experience, said Alayne Speltz, operations manager.
“I think it’s fantastic. They put a lot of smiles on our faces,” said Roxanne Denike, a Dawn Farm resident from the Whitmore Lake area.
The trip to Dawn Farm was partially subsidized by the Ann Arbor Branch of the Women’s National Farm and Garden Association, in addition to parent’s camp enrollment fees.
Originally Published July 29, 1999.
The Ann Arbor News
By Pamela Appea
As Nondi Lampkin, 4, snapped broccoli heads from Dawn Farm’s garden and placed them in her yellow bucket, she said she planned to cooker her small harvest later on that afternoon—adding some supermarket-bought melted cheese.
Lampkin was one of more than 20 children from Ann Arbor’s Early Learning Center summer camp program who visited Dawn Farm Wednesday.
The 4 ½ week camp works with children ages 3-5 who have special learning needs, grouping them together with other preschool children, so that all children can learn and have fun. One of the camp’s most popular field trips is to the Ypsilanti-area farm, where children pet farm animals, leaf-paint, go on hayrides, and garden for half the day.
Ann Telfer is one of the organizer’s of the integrated summer camp—which is in its third year. Telfer, the parent of a 6-year-old autistic child, David, said she felt there was a need for a local camp that took an integrated learning approach.
“This entire project points to the positive influence of the 1997 Individuals with Disabilities Education Act, and its voice in requiring schools and communities at large to include and accommodate children with differing abilities in all aspects of life,” she said.
Telfer said the Dawn Farm trip is particularly successful for autistic children, who enjoy the direct contact with animals—since some have difficulty playing with other children or talking with adults.
Camps coordinators work on strengthening children’s verbal skill and play ability. The camp also gives non-special needs children the opportunity to learn about others who are different.
“I think it’s remarkable that we are now working in integrated classrooms,” said Linda Johnson, a special education teacher with the Ann Arbor Pre-School and Family Center.
Telfer said that the idea for the camp was realized with the support of Johnson, a 30-year teaching veteran and Carol Fast, an Ann Arbor-area speech pathologist. They and other parents worked with the Early Learning Center, which is a private school, and Ann Arbor Public School administrators to start the summer camp.
Jim Reitz, an Ann Arbor parent, said he was pleased with the camp. He went along with the group for the Dawn Farm field trip.
“My son (Duncan), 4) really likes animals. There’s nothing like a farm for these kids,” he said.
Telfer said it’s important to provide autistic children the opportunity to talk with other children during the preschool years. In her opinion, though, the camp benefits all the enrolled children.
Telfer’s son David, said he enjoyed feeding the goats and the llamas at the farm. “I feel proud the goat ate the leaves,” he said after thanking the animal.
Sam Colvin St. Cyr, 5, didn’t have much time to talk about his favorite farm activity. He said, “I have to feed my hungry goat,” he said, not breaking his stride.
The children also looked at llamas and the farm’s three pigs, and they petted baby turkeys and baby rabbits.
Dawn Farm which operates as a residential drug rehabilitation center, recruited resident volunteers to participate in the children’s farm experience, said Alayne Speltz, operations manager.
“I think it’s fantastic. They put a lot of smiles on our faces,” said Roxanne Denike, a Dawn Farm resident from the Whitmore Lake area.
The trip to Dawn Farm was partially subsidized by the Ann Arbor Branch of the Women’s National Farm and Garden Association, in addition to parent’s camp enrollment fees.
Originally Published July 29, 1999.
Monday, July 26, 1999
Runners carry torch for peace
Runners carry torch for peace
The Ann Arbor News
By Pamela Appea
Kapila Castoldi is modest about her two-mile daily running habit.
But the Ann Arbor resident can take pride in her efforts to coordinate Peace Run volunteers who have been running longer distances--eight to 10 miles a day, every day--for the past three months.
“Peace run 1999: the run to 2000” started with a team of European runners in Portugal on Jan. 1. U.S.-based Peace Run athletics started passing the torch April 17 at New York City’s U.N. building, where the team will conclude its segment on Aug. 17. Participating runners from 119 other countries will continue the run until Dec. 31.
The runners--who take turns carrying a lit peace torch symbolizing world-wide peace--trekked Sunday through Ann Arbor and Ypsilanti.
“It’s a simple idea, but we get enthusiastic responses from many people,” said Castoldi, a visiting Oakland University assistant physics professor.
Peace Run volunteers, a 12-person team with U.S. and international members, visit various schools, community centers and city halls, where they talk to local children and community groups.
“It’s exciting for the kids and it puts a seed in their mind about .. Peace,” said Castoldi, who coordinators the Michigan and Tennessee runs.
Tom Taylor, a Peace Run captain and a carpenter in New York City, said he took the time off work to focus on ways of being a peace-oriented person.
“I don’t think about peace every day when I’m working. (But now) I think of peace every day, 100 times a day when I am running … an I meet good people (who also care about peace),” he said.
During the runners’ stop in Gallup Park at 10:40 a.m. Sunday, the volunteers were joined by U.S. Rep. Lynn Rivers D-Ann Arbor, who walked a half-mile.
The group also was joined by Ann Arbor YMCA runners along with some local citizens.
In Ypsilanti, where the runners stopped at 12:40 p.m., a few Eastern Michigan University students ran three miles with the team toward Depot Town.
“I really liked the idea of getting people involved in peace,” said G. Summer Scarbough, an EMU senior and the student body vice president.
“People don’t get involved unless it is reactionary like the protest against the … (1998) Khan (rally) in Ann Arbor. (the Peace Run) is proactive, and something positive,” she said.
Castoldi who couldn’t run with the group due to a recent injury, said that since the event fell on the weekend, it was low-key. She predicted that the Peace Run shop in Detroit today might have a higher attendance.
Mary Roberts, YMCA senior program executive, said even if the Ann Arbor event was on a smaller scale, the principles of peace are still important.
“(Peace Run) is something that we believe in,” she said.
Originally published Monday, July 26, 1999
The Ann Arbor News
By Pamela Appea
Kapila Castoldi is modest about her two-mile daily running habit.
But the Ann Arbor resident can take pride in her efforts to coordinate Peace Run volunteers who have been running longer distances--eight to 10 miles a day, every day--for the past three months.
“Peace run 1999: the run to 2000” started with a team of European runners in Portugal on Jan. 1. U.S.-based Peace Run athletics started passing the torch April 17 at New York City’s U.N. building, where the team will conclude its segment on Aug. 17. Participating runners from 119 other countries will continue the run until Dec. 31.
The runners--who take turns carrying a lit peace torch symbolizing world-wide peace--trekked Sunday through Ann Arbor and Ypsilanti.
“It’s a simple idea, but we get enthusiastic responses from many people,” said Castoldi, a visiting Oakland University assistant physics professor.
Peace Run volunteers, a 12-person team with U.S. and international members, visit various schools, community centers and city halls, where they talk to local children and community groups.
“It’s exciting for the kids and it puts a seed in their mind about .. Peace,” said Castoldi, who coordinators the Michigan and Tennessee runs.
Tom Taylor, a Peace Run captain and a carpenter in New York City, said he took the time off work to focus on ways of being a peace-oriented person.
“I don’t think about peace every day when I’m working. (But now) I think of peace every day, 100 times a day when I am running … an I meet good people (who also care about peace),” he said.
During the runners’ stop in Gallup Park at 10:40 a.m. Sunday, the volunteers were joined by U.S. Rep. Lynn Rivers D-Ann Arbor, who walked a half-mile.
The group also was joined by Ann Arbor YMCA runners along with some local citizens.
In Ypsilanti, where the runners stopped at 12:40 p.m., a few Eastern Michigan University students ran three miles with the team toward Depot Town.
“I really liked the idea of getting people involved in peace,” said G. Summer Scarbough, an EMU senior and the student body vice president.
“People don’t get involved unless it is reactionary like the protest against the … (1998) Khan (rally) in Ann Arbor. (the Peace Run) is proactive, and something positive,” she said.
Castoldi who couldn’t run with the group due to a recent injury, said that since the event fell on the weekend, it was low-key. She predicted that the Peace Run shop in Detroit today might have a higher attendance.
Mary Roberts, YMCA senior program executive, said even if the Ann Arbor event was on a smaller scale, the principles of peace are still important.
“(Peace Run) is something that we believe in,” she said.
Originally published Monday, July 26, 1999
Sunday, July 25, 1999
Getting parking takes a ‘find’ art
Getting parking takes a ‘find’ art
The Ann Arbor News
By Colleen Newvine, Rob Hoffman and Pamela Appea
Kathy Krick went into this year’s art fairs knowing parking was going to be a challenge.
Wednesday morning, her hunch proved right.
Krick, director of the State Street Art Fair, had to shuffle artists around and provide alternative parking this year because typically many of her fair’s artists park in the 786-space Maynard Street structure, closed this year for repairs.
Krick had encouraged many of the fair’s artists to park in the Liberty Square structure instead, and issues many of them four-day parking passes they paid for in advance.
Come Wednesday morning, Liberty Square was full by 8 a.m. She heard that some artists showed only their artist identification, not a parking pass, and were admitted, leading to overcrowding.
“There’s always some first-day parking glitches,” commiserated Dave Kronenberg, director of the Summer Art Fair.
Krick said things seemed much smoother Thursday after she’d talked to people at the structure and checked in with some of the artists.
“Well, at least I haven’t heard any complaints,” she said.
Fair? What fair?
Ask artists in the Ann Arbor Fairs what pieces have caught their eyes and the likely response is a bewildered chuckle or a shoulder shrug. With four long days of selling, often alone or with one assistant, there’s not much time for strolling the streets.
Loel Martin, a photographer from Skokie, Ill., has been in the Summer Art Fair (booth D373) about a decade now, and though he thinks the quality of the show overall is on the rise, he can’t cite any particular booth that called to him.
“I’ve only seen what’s between here and the car,” he said, gesturing from his booth on Liberty Street down toward Main Street. “Now you could ask me about my art …”
-March Russell, an assistant at the Harvard Reflections Booth on Main Street (D424), said he’s snuck a few minutes here and there to look at other booths. He’s enjoyed the variety of photography, and the different types of glass work, though he didn’t have one particular favorite of either.
“It’s fun to see the great variety of work that’s produced,” he said.
One he did like, not far from the Harvard Reflections booth, is the assortment of rattam tables by Sally Bright (booth D349.)
Not so early risers
Spencer Porter did something Thursday that he had never done before in his 27 years as an exhibitor at the Summer Art Fair on Main Street.
He cooked himself breakfast.
“I had time,” said Porter, an Ann Arbor resident who displays life-sized casts (D470.) “It was great.”
It’s all due to the art fair’s new opening time of 10 a.m., instead of the traditional 9 a.m. Artists lobbied for the later hour to cut down on the amount of time they spend outside every day.
Are people paying attention to the new hours? Not really. At seems to be an art fair tradition, people were out on the streets before 8 a.m. munching on bagel, sipping coffee and sneaking peeks at the open booths. Plus the AATA is still running shuttle buses starting at 8 a.m.
“We figure it’s going to take a few years for people to get to the new hours,” said Liz Nowland-Margolis, an AATA spokeswoman.
Artists Robert Martin of King George, Va., (D440) arrived on Main Street at 7:30 a.m. Thursday--the same time he had traditionally showed up to sell his sculptures made out of recycled musical instruments.
“If you’re doing an art show and you wait until 10 a.m., it’s not professional,” he said.
He gives good face
Mark Hammond of Grand Rapids sells a number of musical instruments like wooden drums and other noisemakers such as rain sticks and wind chimes on Liberty Street (D324.)
But even as children bang on a small wooden drum, Hammond offers something completely unrelated--a sign beckons people to take advantage of free facial massage.
By Thursday, he’s only done a handful of them.
“It usually takes a while for people to realize it’s not a gimmick,” he said.
The massage takes about a minute, with Hammond rubbing and pressing on various points of the face while the recipient sits in his chair behind the booth.
Hammond used to live in Thailand, and while there, he studies with monks and learned about how blood flows and the skin works.
Sign up, sign on
With 500,000 pairs of eyeballs expected this week, it’s prime time to share a message.
The not-for-profit row on East Liberty Street has its typical diverse range of booths, including the Southeast Michigan Naturists and Ronald McDonald House.
One anti-abortion advocate took advantage of the audience by carrying a large placard with a graphic picture of an aborted fetus and text describing the picture as the remains of a child.
“Oh no, we’re in the weird section,” Holly Speers, an Ontario potter, said to her two fellow potters. As they briskly walked by the booths, the group explained they drove in Thursday from Canada to see the art, not to listen to any impromptu lectures.
Hare Krishna monks Giri-Govardhana Das and Iksraku-Das, both of Detroit, have come to the art fairs for years to talk to people about the “pure love of God.” Their both occasionally offers free vegetarian food, a time when they admit they are the busiest.
The Michigan Greyhound connection is a group that works to find non-lethal alternatives for the estimated 30,000 greyhound dogs--a year--that are bred but then not necessarily used for racing.
As volunteer Stacey Ignagni sad by one of two greyhounds--who were well protected from the heat under the booth’s tent--she said the art fairs are a great way to publicize the dogs’ plight.
Much less weighty was the message touted by an employee of Arbor Brewing Co. “Beer. It’s like art, but wetter.”
Smile, You’re on CTV.
For the ninth year in a row, the Community Television Network has its camera trained on the art fairs.
At their tent on South Fifth Avenue and Liberty Street, producers with the Ann Arbor public-access channel try to entice passers-by[s] into saying hello on camera. One in four usually are amenable, says Ralph Sameron, CTV’s facility manager.
“After a while, you can spot who you should approach.”
About 20 hours of tape will be distilled into 14 hours of programming. CTV began broadcasting the results Wednesday night. Most people just say a few words, like “Hi mom” and other greetings, Sameron said. But there are always a few people who like to juggle, perform dramatic readings and even show off their pet snakes.
Sidewalk sales
With the art comes the sales.
Many local businesses set up tables bearing discounted merchandise, and other businesses plan on increase sales during the fairs.
Sales at most downtown ice cream establishments were busy Thursday. With lines well out the door at Stucchi’s most of the day, Megan Cagney, the manager of the sore on South State Street and Washtenaw Avenue estimated that the State Street location sold at least 150 gallons of ice cream.
At Kilwin’s on East Liberty Street, the “swamped” owner Karen Piehutkoski estimated that her store did well on opening art fair day--despite the rain.
“What we sold yesterday was what we might (usually) sell in an average week,” she said, noting that the day’s sales topped 200 gallons.
Copping a spot
The Ann Arbor Fire Department has long been a fixture of the Ann Arbor Arts Fairs. This year, the Ann Arbor Police joined the roster.
Vicki Motsinger, crime analyst with the department, said she’s been surprised by the number of visitors she’s seen at the booth on Main and Liberty streets.
People have asked a variety of art fair questions, like where the find the bathrooms, but they’ve also taken an interest in a display of illegal drugs.
Better bags
When Shary Brown sat down last winter to view slides of the 1998 Street Art Fair, she was pleased with what she saw.
Except those little yellow things that kept appearing in her pictures.
“I didn’t know what they were,” she said. “Then when I saw one up close, I realized. ‘Oh, it’s a parking meter. That’s pretty ugly. What can I do? I can decorate it,’ so I did.”
This summer, instead of being covered with city-issued bright yellow bags, the area’s 43 meters feature bags decorated with this year’s Street Art Fair logo--a picture of a wooden shack reminiscent of the fair’s former booths.
Originally published July 25, 1999
The Ann Arbor News
By Colleen Newvine, Rob Hoffman and Pamela Appea
Kathy Krick went into this year’s art fairs knowing parking was going to be a challenge.
Wednesday morning, her hunch proved right.
Krick, director of the State Street Art Fair, had to shuffle artists around and provide alternative parking this year because typically many of her fair’s artists park in the 786-space Maynard Street structure, closed this year for repairs.
Krick had encouraged many of the fair’s artists to park in the Liberty Square structure instead, and issues many of them four-day parking passes they paid for in advance.
Come Wednesday morning, Liberty Square was full by 8 a.m. She heard that some artists showed only their artist identification, not a parking pass, and were admitted, leading to overcrowding.
“There’s always some first-day parking glitches,” commiserated Dave Kronenberg, director of the Summer Art Fair.
Krick said things seemed much smoother Thursday after she’d talked to people at the structure and checked in with some of the artists.
“Well, at least I haven’t heard any complaints,” she said.
Fair? What fair?
Ask artists in the Ann Arbor Fairs what pieces have caught their eyes and the likely response is a bewildered chuckle or a shoulder shrug. With four long days of selling, often alone or with one assistant, there’s not much time for strolling the streets.
Loel Martin, a photographer from Skokie, Ill., has been in the Summer Art Fair (booth D373) about a decade now, and though he thinks the quality of the show overall is on the rise, he can’t cite any particular booth that called to him.
“I’ve only seen what’s between here and the car,” he said, gesturing from his booth on Liberty Street down toward Main Street. “Now you could ask me about my art …”
-March Russell, an assistant at the Harvard Reflections Booth on Main Street (D424), said he’s snuck a few minutes here and there to look at other booths. He’s enjoyed the variety of photography, and the different types of glass work, though he didn’t have one particular favorite of either.
“It’s fun to see the great variety of work that’s produced,” he said.
One he did like, not far from the Harvard Reflections booth, is the assortment of rattam tables by Sally Bright (booth D349.)
Not so early risers
Spencer Porter did something Thursday that he had never done before in his 27 years as an exhibitor at the Summer Art Fair on Main Street.
He cooked himself breakfast.
“I had time,” said Porter, an Ann Arbor resident who displays life-sized casts (D470.) “It was great.”
It’s all due to the art fair’s new opening time of 10 a.m., instead of the traditional 9 a.m. Artists lobbied for the later hour to cut down on the amount of time they spend outside every day.
Are people paying attention to the new hours? Not really. At seems to be an art fair tradition, people were out on the streets before 8 a.m. munching on bagel, sipping coffee and sneaking peeks at the open booths. Plus the AATA is still running shuttle buses starting at 8 a.m.
“We figure it’s going to take a few years for people to get to the new hours,” said Liz Nowland-Margolis, an AATA spokeswoman.
Artists Robert Martin of King George, Va., (D440) arrived on Main Street at 7:30 a.m. Thursday--the same time he had traditionally showed up to sell his sculptures made out of recycled musical instruments.
“If you’re doing an art show and you wait until 10 a.m., it’s not professional,” he said.
He gives good face
Mark Hammond of Grand Rapids sells a number of musical instruments like wooden drums and other noisemakers such as rain sticks and wind chimes on Liberty Street (D324.)
But even as children bang on a small wooden drum, Hammond offers something completely unrelated--a sign beckons people to take advantage of free facial massage.
By Thursday, he’s only done a handful of them.
“It usually takes a while for people to realize it’s not a gimmick,” he said.
The massage takes about a minute, with Hammond rubbing and pressing on various points of the face while the recipient sits in his chair behind the booth.
Hammond used to live in Thailand, and while there, he studies with monks and learned about how blood flows and the skin works.
Sign up, sign on
With 500,000 pairs of eyeballs expected this week, it’s prime time to share a message.
The not-for-profit row on East Liberty Street has its typical diverse range of booths, including the Southeast Michigan Naturists and Ronald McDonald House.
One anti-abortion advocate took advantage of the audience by carrying a large placard with a graphic picture of an aborted fetus and text describing the picture as the remains of a child.
“Oh no, we’re in the weird section,” Holly Speers, an Ontario potter, said to her two fellow potters. As they briskly walked by the booths, the group explained they drove in Thursday from Canada to see the art, not to listen to any impromptu lectures.
Hare Krishna monks Giri-Govardhana Das and Iksraku-Das, both of Detroit, have come to the art fairs for years to talk to people about the “pure love of God.” Their both occasionally offers free vegetarian food, a time when they admit they are the busiest.
The Michigan Greyhound connection is a group that works to find non-lethal alternatives for the estimated 30,000 greyhound dogs--a year--that are bred but then not necessarily used for racing.
As volunteer Stacey Ignagni sad by one of two greyhounds--who were well protected from the heat under the booth’s tent--she said the art fairs are a great way to publicize the dogs’ plight.
Much less weighty was the message touted by an employee of Arbor Brewing Co. “Beer. It’s like art, but wetter.”
Smile, You’re on CTV.
For the ninth year in a row, the Community Television Network has its camera trained on the art fairs.
At their tent on South Fifth Avenue and Liberty Street, producers with the Ann Arbor public-access channel try to entice passers-by[s] into saying hello on camera. One in four usually are amenable, says Ralph Sameron, CTV’s facility manager.
“After a while, you can spot who you should approach.”
About 20 hours of tape will be distilled into 14 hours of programming. CTV began broadcasting the results Wednesday night. Most people just say a few words, like “Hi mom” and other greetings, Sameron said. But there are always a few people who like to juggle, perform dramatic readings and even show off their pet snakes.
Sidewalk sales
With the art comes the sales.
Many local businesses set up tables bearing discounted merchandise, and other businesses plan on increase sales during the fairs.
Sales at most downtown ice cream establishments were busy Thursday. With lines well out the door at Stucchi’s most of the day, Megan Cagney, the manager of the sore on South State Street and Washtenaw Avenue estimated that the State Street location sold at least 150 gallons of ice cream.
At Kilwin’s on East Liberty Street, the “swamped” owner Karen Piehutkoski estimated that her store did well on opening art fair day--despite the rain.
“What we sold yesterday was what we might (usually) sell in an average week,” she said, noting that the day’s sales topped 200 gallons.
Copping a spot
The Ann Arbor Fire Department has long been a fixture of the Ann Arbor Arts Fairs. This year, the Ann Arbor Police joined the roster.
Vicki Motsinger, crime analyst with the department, said she’s been surprised by the number of visitors she’s seen at the booth on Main and Liberty streets.
People have asked a variety of art fair questions, like where the find the bathrooms, but they’ve also taken an interest in a display of illegal drugs.
Better bags
When Shary Brown sat down last winter to view slides of the 1998 Street Art Fair, she was pleased with what she saw.
Except those little yellow things that kept appearing in her pictures.
“I didn’t know what they were,” she said. “Then when I saw one up close, I realized. ‘Oh, it’s a parking meter. That’s pretty ugly. What can I do? I can decorate it,’ so I did.”
This summer, instead of being covered with city-issued bright yellow bags, the area’s 43 meters feature bags decorated with this year’s Street Art Fair logo--a picture of a wooden shack reminiscent of the fair’s former booths.
Originally published July 25, 1999
Thursday, July 22, 1999
Jack Nielsen, former head of floral businesses, dies
Jack Nielsen, former head of floral businesses, dies
The Ann Arbor News
By Pamela Appea
Jack Nielsen, co-founder and former president of Ann Arbor-based Nielsen’s Flowers & Greenhouses, died Sunday at home after a yearlong illnesses. He was 86.
Memorial services will be at 1 p.m. Wednesday at Muehlig Funeral Chapel, 403 S. Fourth Ave., Ann Arbor.
Remembered for his quiet and unassuming manner and his business acumen, Nielsen developed the retail side of the family business until his retirement in 1982.
Some associates recall thinking of Nielsen as the “white tornado: because of his light blond hair and high energy. Family members remember that he was difficult to keep up with in the store and on the way to buy fresh plants and flowers.
Nielsen also served as a charter member of the Pittsfield Township zoning Board of the Appeals in the late 1960s and early ‘70s. Remembering Nielsen as a natural leader in promoting environmental concerns during zoning ordinance planning, former township supervisor Robert Lillie described Nielsen as a “very fine man” when they were both involved with township service.
A native of Aarhus, Denmark, Nielsen came to the Untied States in 1925 at age 12 with his parents and two brothers.
After living in Des Plains, Ill., and Mt. Clemens, the family settled in Ann Arbor in 1934.
The greenhouse, originally known as Nielsen’s Flower Shop, is located at 1021 Maiden Lane. It is in its 65th year of business this year.
During World War II, the family business experienced some difficult times.
“People weren’t buying flowers then, obviously,” said Paul Nielsen, his son.
To compensate, Jack Nielsen converted some of the greenhouses to henhouses. He then raised chickens, donating thousands of eggs to the University of Michigan community for the war effort, said his daughter-in-law Diane Nielsen.
Nielsen, a traditional and reserved man, “always showed that he cared,” said Mary Ann Nielsen-Nisley. She remembers that her father was instrumental in encouraging her, along with siblings, to be involved with the family businesses and nature.
Nielsen devoted most of his time and energy to the greenhouse and flower shop, working seven days a week. He was president of Nielsen Flowers and Greenhouse from 1959 until 1982.
Inducted into the Ann Arbor Bowling Hall of Fame, Nielsen also enjoyed a long involvement with the Harness Horseman’s Association in Michigan.
Nielsen also is survived by a brother, Paul Nielsen of California; sons Frederick Nielsen and Larry Nielsen; nine grandchildren; and 5 great-grandchildren.
He was preceded in death by his wife of 50 years, Theresa, and his brother Brent F. Nielsen, who also worked at the family business.
Originally published Tuesday, June 22, 1999
The Ann Arbor News
By Pamela Appea
Jack Nielsen, co-founder and former president of Ann Arbor-based Nielsen’s Flowers & Greenhouses, died Sunday at home after a yearlong illnesses. He was 86.
Memorial services will be at 1 p.m. Wednesday at Muehlig Funeral Chapel, 403 S. Fourth Ave., Ann Arbor.
Remembered for his quiet and unassuming manner and his business acumen, Nielsen developed the retail side of the family business until his retirement in 1982.
Some associates recall thinking of Nielsen as the “white tornado: because of his light blond hair and high energy. Family members remember that he was difficult to keep up with in the store and on the way to buy fresh plants and flowers.
Nielsen also served as a charter member of the Pittsfield Township zoning Board of the Appeals in the late 1960s and early ‘70s. Remembering Nielsen as a natural leader in promoting environmental concerns during zoning ordinance planning, former township supervisor Robert Lillie described Nielsen as a “very fine man” when they were both involved with township service.
A native of Aarhus, Denmark, Nielsen came to the Untied States in 1925 at age 12 with his parents and two brothers.
After living in Des Plains, Ill., and Mt. Clemens, the family settled in Ann Arbor in 1934.
The greenhouse, originally known as Nielsen’s Flower Shop, is located at 1021 Maiden Lane. It is in its 65th year of business this year.
During World War II, the family business experienced some difficult times.
“People weren’t buying flowers then, obviously,” said Paul Nielsen, his son.
To compensate, Jack Nielsen converted some of the greenhouses to henhouses. He then raised chickens, donating thousands of eggs to the University of Michigan community for the war effort, said his daughter-in-law Diane Nielsen.
Nielsen, a traditional and reserved man, “always showed that he cared,” said Mary Ann Nielsen-Nisley. She remembers that her father was instrumental in encouraging her, along with siblings, to be involved with the family businesses and nature.
Nielsen devoted most of his time and energy to the greenhouse and flower shop, working seven days a week. He was president of Nielsen Flowers and Greenhouse from 1959 until 1982.
Inducted into the Ann Arbor Bowling Hall of Fame, Nielsen also enjoyed a long involvement with the Harness Horseman’s Association in Michigan.
Nielsen also is survived by a brother, Paul Nielsen of California; sons Frederick Nielsen and Larry Nielsen; nine grandchildren; and 5 great-grandchildren.
He was preceded in death by his wife of 50 years, Theresa, and his brother Brent F. Nielsen, who also worked at the family business.
Originally published Tuesday, June 22, 1999
Wednesday, July 21, 1999
Church Group raises goal for clothing drive
Church Group raises goal for clothing drive
Organization hopes to provide clothing for 1,000 low-income children
The Ann Arbor News
By Pamela Appea
Jewelry retailer Arthur Robertson said he has wanted for years to so something for low-income children in the community. Although Robertson said he often talked with his wife, Sandra, about some of his big dreams for a grassroots community service project, he said he wasn’t sure he could make that commitment.
“Like everyone else, I thought I was too busy.” But after Robertson said he had a vision from God, he knew it was time to act. In 1993, as part of the Bethel AME church outreach program, he started the Quality of Life Resource Center, a clothing center for low-income children at 1511 Traver in Ann Arbor.
The organization’s annual back-to-school clothing drive, the group’s largest venture, tries to provide hundreds of Washtenaw County children with basic staples such as a winter coat or a dictionary for the school year.
Not only do new clothes and school supplies fulfill a practical need for low-income families, but they also provide children with self-esteem, said Roberson, the organization’s executive director.
This year, Robertson said the Quality of Life Center’s goal is to clothe 1,000 children, up from the 560 children for whom the organization provided clothes last year. Although this jump may seem like a stretch. Roberston said his operation has expanded since 1994 when it provided clothes for only 10 families.
“(My) dream has been realized,” he said.
Working from a list of names given by Washtenaw County Interdependence Agency along with families involved in the Head Start program and a local domestic violence shelter, Robertson works with the families’ requests.
“We give them a form and build from that,” he said.
Most children need a jacket, pants, socks, underclothes and shoes. For school supplies, they need one notebook, a pen and a pencil, he said.
J.C. Penney gives the Quality Life Center discounts for the clothing drive.
“The families are very appreciative because the funds (for clothing) are not available,” said Scott Elliott, the director of Head Start’s family services division.
According to Elliott, 90 percent of families who participate in the Head Start program fall under the federal definition of living in poverty, and many are homeless.
A new set of clothes, said Robertson, can cost up to $300, a “luxury” that many low-income families cannot afford. Last year, he estimated that he spent $100 for each child who received new clothes.
“Sometimes … problems pile up, if you take away just one (that helps),” said Gerald Monford Jr., a parent whose children were helped through the program.
The center often struggles to get sustained financial support. This year, the Quality of Life Center has raised $35,000 since March. To reach its goal this year, Robertson said he wants to raise $65,000. The center relies on cash donations from businesses, churches and other organizations for funding.
“(Last year) we were so far from our goal (in the late part of summer), it was frightening,” he said. But, the center ended up providing clothes for 560 children--60 more than expected.
Anyone interested in making a donation can call Robertson at (734) 665-1221 or send checks payable to the Bethel Quality of Life Resource Center to P.O. Box 13099, Ann Arbor, MI 48133. Donations are tax deductible.
Originally published Wednesday, July 21, 1999
Organization hopes to provide clothing for 1,000 low-income children
The Ann Arbor News
By Pamela Appea
Jewelry retailer Arthur Robertson said he has wanted for years to so something for low-income children in the community. Although Robertson said he often talked with his wife, Sandra, about some of his big dreams for a grassroots community service project, he said he wasn’t sure he could make that commitment.
“Like everyone else, I thought I was too busy.” But after Robertson said he had a vision from God, he knew it was time to act. In 1993, as part of the Bethel AME church outreach program, he started the Quality of Life Resource Center, a clothing center for low-income children at 1511 Traver in Ann Arbor.
The organization’s annual back-to-school clothing drive, the group’s largest venture, tries to provide hundreds of Washtenaw County children with basic staples such as a winter coat or a dictionary for the school year.
Not only do new clothes and school supplies fulfill a practical need for low-income families, but they also provide children with self-esteem, said Roberson, the organization’s executive director.
This year, Robertson said the Quality of Life Center’s goal is to clothe 1,000 children, up from the 560 children for whom the organization provided clothes last year. Although this jump may seem like a stretch. Roberston said his operation has expanded since 1994 when it provided clothes for only 10 families.
“(My) dream has been realized,” he said.
Working from a list of names given by Washtenaw County Interdependence Agency along with families involved in the Head Start program and a local domestic violence shelter, Robertson works with the families’ requests.
“We give them a form and build from that,” he said.
Most children need a jacket, pants, socks, underclothes and shoes. For school supplies, they need one notebook, a pen and a pencil, he said.
J.C. Penney gives the Quality Life Center discounts for the clothing drive.
“The families are very appreciative because the funds (for clothing) are not available,” said Scott Elliott, the director of Head Start’s family services division.
According to Elliott, 90 percent of families who participate in the Head Start program fall under the federal definition of living in poverty, and many are homeless.
A new set of clothes, said Robertson, can cost up to $300, a “luxury” that many low-income families cannot afford. Last year, he estimated that he spent $100 for each child who received new clothes.
“Sometimes … problems pile up, if you take away just one (that helps),” said Gerald Monford Jr., a parent whose children were helped through the program.
The center often struggles to get sustained financial support. This year, the Quality of Life Center has raised $35,000 since March. To reach its goal this year, Robertson said he wants to raise $65,000. The center relies on cash donations from businesses, churches and other organizations for funding.
“(Last year) we were so far from our goal (in the late part of summer), it was frightening,” he said. But, the center ended up providing clothes for 560 children--60 more than expected.
Anyone interested in making a donation can call Robertson at (734) 665-1221 or send checks payable to the Bethel Quality of Life Resource Center to P.O. Box 13099, Ann Arbor, MI 48133. Donations are tax deductible.
Originally published Wednesday, July 21, 1999
Monday, July 19, 1999
Parking structure gets ‘safety’ phones
Parking structure gets ‘safety’ phones
The Ann Arbor News
By Pamela Appea
Melisa Medina has wondered whether she’s safe when walking through Ann Arbor’s parking garages at night.
“(I sometimes feel) like I have to run to my car,” said Medina of Saline.
City police say crime is not prevalent in the city’s parking structures, but the nature of the buildings can create the perception that people need to be wary in them.
In the past few weeks, bright yellow “safety phones” have been added to several of the city’s parking structures. Officials say the phones can be used by people who must immediately contact police or medical help.
The effort stems from work by the Downtown Development Authority, the city and the Ann Arbor Mayoral Taskforce on Increasing Safety for Women.
“It is something that we wanted to do for a long time,” said Deputy Chief Craig Roderick of the Ann Arbor Police Department.
There are eight “safety phones,” each illuminated by a blue light, at the parking areas on South Fourth Avenue and William Street. Ann and Ashley streets, South First and West Washington streets and West Liberty Street.
And there are 29 phones installed by the DDA at elevator doors and each floor of the Fourth Avenue and the Liberty Street parking structures.
The phones have a button that, when pressed, immediately connects the individual with the 911 dispatcher. Modeled on the University of Michigan safety phone program, the dispatcher also can immediately determine the location of the call.
Lt. Greg Bazick, said police have not received emergency calls on the phones yet, though there have been a couple of pranks.
However, the police said the perception of increased safety is a benefit of the phones.
Kent Baumkel of the mayor’s safety task force said the group spent two years developing the safety phone project.
The DDA and the police department began preliminary discussions in early 1998 on how to implement some new ways to make Ann Arbor residents feel they could have immediate police help, officials said.
“Even if you’re not a victim of crime,” said Susan Pollay, executive director of DDA, “it gives the bad folks the message that this is not the place to get into mischief. It gives the good folks a feeling of comfort.”
Funds for city phones were generated from increased parking meter rates that took effect last year, Roderick said. The total for the city’s part of the project was $17,800.
The task force allocated $25,000 for the safety phones in the 1998-1999 fiscal year, and hopes to expand the project next year. And the DDA has allocated $55,000 through December for the phones.
Representatives for both agencies indicated they plan on installing several more phones in the Maynard Street structures this fall.
They also said that phones will be installed in the next two weeks in the parking area next to the main branch of the Ann Arbor District Library.
Photo Caption: The city of Ann Arbor, with the Downtown Development Authority, installed ‘safety phones’ in several parking structures such as this one at the Fourth Avenue and William Street structure.
Photo Credit: Larry E. Wright
Originally published Saturday, July 19, 1999
The Ann Arbor News
By Pamela Appea
Melisa Medina has wondered whether she’s safe when walking through Ann Arbor’s parking garages at night.
“(I sometimes feel) like I have to run to my car,” said Medina of Saline.
City police say crime is not prevalent in the city’s parking structures, but the nature of the buildings can create the perception that people need to be wary in them.
In the past few weeks, bright yellow “safety phones” have been added to several of the city’s parking structures. Officials say the phones can be used by people who must immediately contact police or medical help.
The effort stems from work by the Downtown Development Authority, the city and the Ann Arbor Mayoral Taskforce on Increasing Safety for Women.
“It is something that we wanted to do for a long time,” said Deputy Chief Craig Roderick of the Ann Arbor Police Department.
There are eight “safety phones,” each illuminated by a blue light, at the parking areas on South Fourth Avenue and William Street. Ann and Ashley streets, South First and West Washington streets and West Liberty Street.
And there are 29 phones installed by the DDA at elevator doors and each floor of the Fourth Avenue and the Liberty Street parking structures.
The phones have a button that, when pressed, immediately connects the individual with the 911 dispatcher. Modeled on the University of Michigan safety phone program, the dispatcher also can immediately determine the location of the call.
Lt. Greg Bazick, said police have not received emergency calls on the phones yet, though there have been a couple of pranks.
However, the police said the perception of increased safety is a benefit of the phones.
Kent Baumkel of the mayor’s safety task force said the group spent two years developing the safety phone project.
The DDA and the police department began preliminary discussions in early 1998 on how to implement some new ways to make Ann Arbor residents feel they could have immediate police help, officials said.
“Even if you’re not a victim of crime,” said Susan Pollay, executive director of DDA, “it gives the bad folks the message that this is not the place to get into mischief. It gives the good folks a feeling of comfort.”
Funds for city phones were generated from increased parking meter rates that took effect last year, Roderick said. The total for the city’s part of the project was $17,800.
The task force allocated $25,000 for the safety phones in the 1998-1999 fiscal year, and hopes to expand the project next year. And the DDA has allocated $55,000 through December for the phones.
Representatives for both agencies indicated they plan on installing several more phones in the Maynard Street structures this fall.
They also said that phones will be installed in the next two weeks in the parking area next to the main branch of the Ann Arbor District Library.
Photo Caption: The city of Ann Arbor, with the Downtown Development Authority, installed ‘safety phones’ in several parking structures such as this one at the Fourth Avenue and William Street structure.
Photo Credit: Larry E. Wright
Originally published Saturday, July 19, 1999
Sunday, July 18, 1999
Close to Home
Close to Home
The Ann Arbor News
By Pamela Appea
Even many local artists who regularly tour the annual art fairs in places like New York City or Santa Fe say there’s no place like home.
Especially during Art Fairs week in Ann Arbor.
Many of the potters, photographers, craft workers and painters who make the Ann Arbor area their year-round homes say that despite the fairs; grueling demands, they will still feel a sense of relief when the three fairs comprising the event begin on Wednesday.
It’s four days of the year when they won’t have to book plane travel, stay at motels and live out of their suitcase to show and sell their wares.
“(It’s a relief) just to sleep in your own bed,” said Margo West, a ceramic artist who is participating in the State Street Art Fair for the fourth time.
West, an Ann Arbor native, said she loves participating in the State Street fair—even though each vendor spends typical 12-hour days in the July sun and “it’s hard to get away, even for a moment.”
But, she said, the long days are worth it, since she’s at home.
Artists, even the locals, have to go through a rigorous screening process to be included in one of the art fairs. Many artists applied in February, then waited for the decisions in April.
Michael Waldchen, a furniture maker, said it’s a thrill to be accepted into an Ann Arbor fair. He said he probably shares the feeling with other Ann Arbor artists –“no matter how many years they have been doing it.”
With an estimated half-million people coming to the art fairs, most local artists spent last week completing booth arrangements and waiting for extra orders of business cards.
Most artists said they won’t produce rush artwork in the weeks before the fairs. Brighton-area song-bird painter Catherine McClung said she sent her last painting out in early July to be framed.
Local artists said one advantage of being at home was that they didn’t have to worry about broken pottery, exceeding airline weight limitations or misplacing a bag with important fair information – all of which can cause stress when traveling to fairs far away from home.
The comfort of being around family is also part of the home-turf advantage.
Ann Arbor woodworker Mark Orr and Jan Dutcher, a painter, said they never take their children with them to out-of-state art fairs.
“You can’t be watching your children and watching your booth,” Orr said.
Even weekend out-of-state trips—while their three children stay with Orr’s mother—are difficult, he said.
But when the artists are in Ann Arbor, the children ages 11, 9, and 4 can visit their parents at the fairs.
A long-time State Street art fair artist, McClung said the Ann Arbor fair is now one of the only fairs that she attends. When she was starting out in the late 1970s, McClung recalled 25 shows in a year.
After the birth of her daughter 24 years ago, McClung remembered how she juggled substitute teaching, painting and fairs.
After a year or two, though McClung knew that she wanted to do art full-time which also made it easier to be with her young daughter.
For McClung, the art fairs—both then and now—are fun.
“It’s like going to a big cocktail part, without the cocktails,” she said.
Sidebar
Local Angle
State Street Art Fair:
Total artists: 300
Area artists 7
Ann Arbor Street Art Fair: 190
Area artists: 25
Summer Art Fair: 550
Area artists: 45
Photo Caption One: Mark Orr makes some measurements on a table leg as he and partner Jan Dutcher work the afternoon away in Orr’s Ann Arbor garage recently. The two were preparing to exhibit this week.
Photo Caption Two: Roann Ogawa glazes a giant ceramic bead recently at her Ann Arbor home. Ogawa and other members of the Ann Arbor Potter’s Guild will have display space on South University Avenue.
Photo Credit: Lon Horwedel
Originally published Sunday, July 18, 1999
The Ann Arbor News
By Pamela Appea
Even many local artists who regularly tour the annual art fairs in places like New York City or Santa Fe say there’s no place like home.
Especially during Art Fairs week in Ann Arbor.
Many of the potters, photographers, craft workers and painters who make the Ann Arbor area their year-round homes say that despite the fairs; grueling demands, they will still feel a sense of relief when the three fairs comprising the event begin on Wednesday.
It’s four days of the year when they won’t have to book plane travel, stay at motels and live out of their suitcase to show and sell their wares.
“(It’s a relief) just to sleep in your own bed,” said Margo West, a ceramic artist who is participating in the State Street Art Fair for the fourth time.
West, an Ann Arbor native, said she loves participating in the State Street fair—even though each vendor spends typical 12-hour days in the July sun and “it’s hard to get away, even for a moment.”
But, she said, the long days are worth it, since she’s at home.
Artists, even the locals, have to go through a rigorous screening process to be included in one of the art fairs. Many artists applied in February, then waited for the decisions in April.
Michael Waldchen, a furniture maker, said it’s a thrill to be accepted into an Ann Arbor fair. He said he probably shares the feeling with other Ann Arbor artists –“no matter how many years they have been doing it.”
With an estimated half-million people coming to the art fairs, most local artists spent last week completing booth arrangements and waiting for extra orders of business cards.
Most artists said they won’t produce rush artwork in the weeks before the fairs. Brighton-area song-bird painter Catherine McClung said she sent her last painting out in early July to be framed.
Local artists said one advantage of being at home was that they didn’t have to worry about broken pottery, exceeding airline weight limitations or misplacing a bag with important fair information – all of which can cause stress when traveling to fairs far away from home.
The comfort of being around family is also part of the home-turf advantage.
Ann Arbor woodworker Mark Orr and Jan Dutcher, a painter, said they never take their children with them to out-of-state art fairs.
“You can’t be watching your children and watching your booth,” Orr said.
Even weekend out-of-state trips—while their three children stay with Orr’s mother—are difficult, he said.
But when the artists are in Ann Arbor, the children ages 11, 9, and 4 can visit their parents at the fairs.
A long-time State Street art fair artist, McClung said the Ann Arbor fair is now one of the only fairs that she attends. When she was starting out in the late 1970s, McClung recalled 25 shows in a year.
After the birth of her daughter 24 years ago, McClung remembered how she juggled substitute teaching, painting and fairs.
After a year or two, though McClung knew that she wanted to do art full-time which also made it easier to be with her young daughter.
For McClung, the art fairs—both then and now—are fun.
“It’s like going to a big cocktail part, without the cocktails,” she said.
Sidebar
Local Angle
State Street Art Fair:
Total artists: 300
Area artists 7
Ann Arbor Street Art Fair: 190
Area artists: 25
Summer Art Fair: 550
Area artists: 45
Photo Caption One: Mark Orr makes some measurements on a table leg as he and partner Jan Dutcher work the afternoon away in Orr’s Ann Arbor garage recently. The two were preparing to exhibit this week.
Photo Caption Two: Roann Ogawa glazes a giant ceramic bead recently at her Ann Arbor home. Ogawa and other members of the Ann Arbor Potter’s Guild will have display space on South University Avenue.
Photo Credit: Lon Horwedel
Originally published Sunday, July 18, 1999
Saturday, July 17, 1999
Firefighters Focusing on Safety
Firefighters Focusing on Safety
Training sessions teach specialized techniques for efficient rescue
The Ann Arbor News
By Pamela Appea
Most fire fighters worry about the safety of others at the scene of a fire before they think of themselves.
However, the focus is on firefighter safety this week as the Ann Arbor Fire Department hosts 16 veteran firefighters from southeast Michigan as part of a statewide effort to teach specialized safety techniques.
The Rapid Integration Team training program is being conducted at an abandoned building at 436 S. Main Street that will be demolished in the next few weeks. The program focuses on teaching firefighters quick and effective methods of firefighter rescue.
Another firefighter team is working with makeshift structures at the Resource Recovery Center landfill.
Jim Baldwin, the Ann Arbor Fire Department bureau chief will help firefighters approach their work differently.
“For years and years and years, we’ve practiced saving occupants of buildings,” he said. “But we’ve never really done—on a formal basis—enough to save our own people.”
Each graduate of this “train the trainer” program will go to their local departments and teach others what they have learned.
During the course, firefighters review ways to tear down walls, ceilings and floors as quickly as possible. They also practice hoisting methods for injured firefighters using mannequins and other trainees.
According to many of the course participants, rescuing firefighters can be difficult because of the uniform and firefighting equipment which can weigh up to 70 pounds.
The annual firefighter mortality rate is about 100 in the United States, according to National Fire Protection Association statistics.
Last year, the federal government passed a bill mandating that three or fewer firefighters cannot enter a burning structure until they have backups.
Baldwin said Ann Arbor is one of the first cities in Michigan to train individuals using new rescue techniques, allowing the fire department to “better comply with the law.”
“This is probably the greatest thing that I’ve ever worked on,” said Lt. Don Fisher, of the Ann Arbor Fire Department and a 28-year fire department veteran.
Fisher said the training continues Ann Arbor’s “progressive” tradition. He and four other firefighters helped develop the program curriculum at Michigan State University.
Fisher and Baldwin will start training all the 120 Ann Arbor firefighters in the next few months. Baldwin said training should be completed by the end of the year.
Full funding for the training was provided by a $50,000 federal grant.
Photo Caption: Ypsilanti Firefighter Fred Williams lowers Lt. Dave Fisher, of the Ann Arbor Fire Department, from a second-story window as party of a training session in Ann Arbor.
Photo Credit: Alan Warren
Originally published Thursday, June 17, 1999
Training sessions teach specialized techniques for efficient rescue
The Ann Arbor News
By Pamela Appea
Most fire fighters worry about the safety of others at the scene of a fire before they think of themselves.
However, the focus is on firefighter safety this week as the Ann Arbor Fire Department hosts 16 veteran firefighters from southeast Michigan as part of a statewide effort to teach specialized safety techniques.
The Rapid Integration Team training program is being conducted at an abandoned building at 436 S. Main Street that will be demolished in the next few weeks. The program focuses on teaching firefighters quick and effective methods of firefighter rescue.
Another firefighter team is working with makeshift structures at the Resource Recovery Center landfill.
Jim Baldwin, the Ann Arbor Fire Department bureau chief will help firefighters approach their work differently.
“For years and years and years, we’ve practiced saving occupants of buildings,” he said. “But we’ve never really done—on a formal basis—enough to save our own people.”
Each graduate of this “train the trainer” program will go to their local departments and teach others what they have learned.
During the course, firefighters review ways to tear down walls, ceilings and floors as quickly as possible. They also practice hoisting methods for injured firefighters using mannequins and other trainees.
According to many of the course participants, rescuing firefighters can be difficult because of the uniform and firefighting equipment which can weigh up to 70 pounds.
The annual firefighter mortality rate is about 100 in the United States, according to National Fire Protection Association statistics.
Last year, the federal government passed a bill mandating that three or fewer firefighters cannot enter a burning structure until they have backups.
Baldwin said Ann Arbor is one of the first cities in Michigan to train individuals using new rescue techniques, allowing the fire department to “better comply with the law.”
“This is probably the greatest thing that I’ve ever worked on,” said Lt. Don Fisher, of the Ann Arbor Fire Department and a 28-year fire department veteran.
Fisher said the training continues Ann Arbor’s “progressive” tradition. He and four other firefighters helped develop the program curriculum at Michigan State University.
Fisher and Baldwin will start training all the 120 Ann Arbor firefighters in the next few months. Baldwin said training should be completed by the end of the year.
Full funding for the training was provided by a $50,000 federal grant.
Photo Caption: Ypsilanti Firefighter Fred Williams lowers Lt. Dave Fisher, of the Ann Arbor Fire Department, from a second-story window as party of a training session in Ann Arbor.
Photo Credit: Alan Warren
Originally published Thursday, June 17, 1999
Monday, July 12, 1999
Evening of Entertainment to aid safe haven for youth
Evening of Entertainment to aid safe haven for youth
The Ann Arbor News
By Pamela Appea
During a typical workday, Wil Seegars has to wear the hats of a bus driver, psychologist, grant writer, secretary, programmer, coach—and executive director of Pinelake Cooperative Center in Ann Arbor.
With a focus on positive uplift, the youth center—where the walls are adorned with pictures of black leaders and information on African-American history—provides recreational activities during the school year. It also provides “life skills” training year round, as well as community service opportunities.
Seegars’ role as fund-raiser takes priority as the center hosts a jazz musician, dancers and other entertainment at a fund-raiser at Washtenaw Community College.
But his work continues year round at the center.
With a lot of director and staff turnover over the past decade, Pinelake has lost regular members—particularly girls—and some community support, said several Pinelake youths and a parent.
Detroit native, Seegars, 29, has held his current position for three years. He believes he has provided “a safe haven” for the 50 or so youths who regularly drop into what they affectionally call the “clubhouse,” located at the Pinelake Village Cooperative housing development off Maple Road in west Ann Arbor. He also recently hired a full-time female staffer who makes a special effort to work with teen-age girls.
When only one of four high school seniors who attended the Pinelake Center graduated last year, Seegars stepped up tutoring and encouragement efforts. This year, all four of the members who were seniors—Aliaa Meadows, Freddie Brann, Wyland Kirkland and Edrick McBoy—graduated this past spring from either Pioneer or Roberto Clemente high schools.
Many who regularly stop by Pinelake, which has been in existence for 10 years, have been coming sine they can remember.
Jason Cooper, 7, who has been active at the center for two years, said that he thinks Seegars is “pretty cool” and enjoys the frequent field trips the center organizes.
“I live here basically. When I wake up, I come to the clubhouse and see what they’re doing,” said Shamise Jones, 15, a Roberto Clemente 10th-grader who has been coming to Pinelake since 1990.
She added that a regular University of Michigan Pinelake tutor was “really helpful breaking algebra down” when Jones had difficulty with math during her junior high school years.
Many others see Seegars as a father figure who gives constant uplifting talks and coaching. He, along with two other Pinelake members and several volunteers, also works to aid Pinelake teens in finding their first jobs and applying to community colleges.
Seegars, who runs Pinelake with the aid of local and city grants along with individual donations, believes however Pinelake children should not assume everything will be handed to them for free. Parents are asked to contribute $35 for summer activities.
“We’re a small operation with big ideas,” he said.
As a former member of the Air Force and a police officer, Seegars believes strongly in the importance of trips not only to places like Kings Island or Disney World, but also to the Wayne County Jail, where he took one Pinelake male as a lesson when the teen was going through a difficult period.
Seegars believes that children living in the surrounding Pinelake Village Cooperative neighborhood, home to about 250 residents, should felt that they have opportunities.
As Pinelake resident Cynthia McCoy, mother of Edrick and two younger sons, said, “The crime (in this area) is not totally gone, but it’s tolerable. The (center has) helped me a lot. My children can come in and get advice and guidance.
Fund-Raiser Details
Pinelake Center will hold a fund-raiser Sunday featuring jazz artist Althea Renee’, African dance, and spoken word. The event will be held 5-9 p.m. at the Morris Lawrence Building on the campus of Washtenaw Community College, 4800 E. Huron River Drive. Tickets are $7 in advance or $10 at the door. For more information, call (734) 994-0431.
Photo Caption: Pinelake Cooperative director Wil Seegars takes up Brandon Fortson (not pictured) on a bet that Seegars couldn’t do 50 push-ups. Parents and youths at the center say Seegars has greet rapport with kids there.
Photo Credit: Michael Sugrue.
Originally published Saturday, July 12, 1999
The Ann Arbor News
By Pamela Appea
During a typical workday, Wil Seegars has to wear the hats of a bus driver, psychologist, grant writer, secretary, programmer, coach—and executive director of Pinelake Cooperative Center in Ann Arbor.
With a focus on positive uplift, the youth center—where the walls are adorned with pictures of black leaders and information on African-American history—provides recreational activities during the school year. It also provides “life skills” training year round, as well as community service opportunities.
Seegars’ role as fund-raiser takes priority as the center hosts a jazz musician, dancers and other entertainment at a fund-raiser at Washtenaw Community College.
But his work continues year round at the center.
With a lot of director and staff turnover over the past decade, Pinelake has lost regular members—particularly girls—and some community support, said several Pinelake youths and a parent.
Detroit native, Seegars, 29, has held his current position for three years. He believes he has provided “a safe haven” for the 50 or so youths who regularly drop into what they affectionally call the “clubhouse,” located at the Pinelake Village Cooperative housing development off Maple Road in west Ann Arbor. He also recently hired a full-time female staffer who makes a special effort to work with teen-age girls.
When only one of four high school seniors who attended the Pinelake Center graduated last year, Seegars stepped up tutoring and encouragement efforts. This year, all four of the members who were seniors—Aliaa Meadows, Freddie Brann, Wyland Kirkland and Edrick McBoy—graduated this past spring from either Pioneer or Roberto Clemente high schools.
Many who regularly stop by Pinelake, which has been in existence for 10 years, have been coming sine they can remember.
Jason Cooper, 7, who has been active at the center for two years, said that he thinks Seegars is “pretty cool” and enjoys the frequent field trips the center organizes.
“I live here basically. When I wake up, I come to the clubhouse and see what they’re doing,” said Shamise Jones, 15, a Roberto Clemente 10th-grader who has been coming to Pinelake since 1990.
She added that a regular University of Michigan Pinelake tutor was “really helpful breaking algebra down” when Jones had difficulty with math during her junior high school years.
Many others see Seegars as a father figure who gives constant uplifting talks and coaching. He, along with two other Pinelake members and several volunteers, also works to aid Pinelake teens in finding their first jobs and applying to community colleges.
Seegars, who runs Pinelake with the aid of local and city grants along with individual donations, believes however Pinelake children should not assume everything will be handed to them for free. Parents are asked to contribute $35 for summer activities.
“We’re a small operation with big ideas,” he said.
As a former member of the Air Force and a police officer, Seegars believes strongly in the importance of trips not only to places like Kings Island or Disney World, but also to the Wayne County Jail, where he took one Pinelake male as a lesson when the teen was going through a difficult period.
Seegars believes that children living in the surrounding Pinelake Village Cooperative neighborhood, home to about 250 residents, should felt that they have opportunities.
As Pinelake resident Cynthia McCoy, mother of Edrick and two younger sons, said, “The crime (in this area) is not totally gone, but it’s tolerable. The (center has) helped me a lot. My children can come in and get advice and guidance.
Fund-Raiser Details
Pinelake Center will hold a fund-raiser Sunday featuring jazz artist Althea Renee’, African dance, and spoken word. The event will be held 5-9 p.m. at the Morris Lawrence Building on the campus of Washtenaw Community College, 4800 E. Huron River Drive. Tickets are $7 in advance or $10 at the door. For more information, call (734) 994-0431.
Photo Caption: Pinelake Cooperative director Wil Seegars takes up Brandon Fortson (not pictured) on a bet that Seegars couldn’t do 50 push-ups. Parents and youths at the center say Seegars has greet rapport with kids there.
Photo Credit: Michael Sugrue.
Originally published Saturday, July 12, 1999
Thursday, July 08, 1999
Children find fun in themes of science
Children find fun in themes of science
The Ann Arbor News
By Pamela Appea
Bengamin Lehman shook the jar of homemade butter and chanted “better butter, better butter” until a teacher gently reminded him to give the next person a turn.
The Ann Arbor boy was having fun at Logan Elementary School—and learning about science at the same time.
Science has never been this fun, said Becky Hatner, the Ann Arbor Hands-On Museum’s summer science camp coordinator. The camps offer classes that take a specific theme in science and make such subjects as polymers, paleontology and physiology both fun and educational, she said.
“It gives kids who are already interested in science a chance to create and explore and to discover new things,” she said. “It can also interest kids who may not like science as much, hooking them in.”
Each class in the seven-week program is one-week long, with a morning or a afternoon shift. Sessions are offered for children in kindergarten through 8th grade. Twice-weekly classes are offered for children ages 1 to 5.
Near the classroom where the butter was being made in the “Gobbledy-Gook” session, the 12 kindergartners and 1st-graders in “Sense-sational” learned about their sweet, salty and sour tongue tastebuds using Toostie Rolls, pretzels and pickles.
Classes at the science summer camp, said Hattner, are truly hands on, she said, adding that children get to take the time in finding the answer to such questions as “how much they would weigh on Jupiter” or what a dinosaur bone feels like.
For the several new teachers who work at the science summer camps, many said they also learn a lot by approaching science through a child’s point of view.
David Consiglio, a recent college graduate who will teach chemistry and physics in a Detroit-area school in fall, said that while making rockets in his “Flighty Fliers” class he has been amazed at the “kids’ ability to solve problems.”
The program, which is in its 12th year, allows teachers to think of creative ideas for class experiments. Consiglio said instead of using the typical paper airplane approach, he came up with the idea of a balloon hovercraft.
Sandra Finkel said her son, Micah Warschausky, enjoyed the program so much from last year, she knew it would be a good idea to enroll him again.
Photo Caption: Charmaine Redman, 9, left, watches her balloon float around the floor during a gravity experiment in Flighty Fliers class. The Ann Arbor Hands on Museum is sponsoring Summer Science Camp, housed in Logan Elementary School.
Info: Classes, which go until Aug. 13, cost $60 for each weekly session. They last two hours per day. Scholarships are available. For information, call (734) 994-6449.
Originally published Thursday, July 8, 1999
The Ann Arbor News
By Pamela Appea
Bengamin Lehman shook the jar of homemade butter and chanted “better butter, better butter” until a teacher gently reminded him to give the next person a turn.
The Ann Arbor boy was having fun at Logan Elementary School—and learning about science at the same time.
Science has never been this fun, said Becky Hatner, the Ann Arbor Hands-On Museum’s summer science camp coordinator. The camps offer classes that take a specific theme in science and make such subjects as polymers, paleontology and physiology both fun and educational, she said.
“It gives kids who are already interested in science a chance to create and explore and to discover new things,” she said. “It can also interest kids who may not like science as much, hooking them in.”
Each class in the seven-week program is one-week long, with a morning or a afternoon shift. Sessions are offered for children in kindergarten through 8th grade. Twice-weekly classes are offered for children ages 1 to 5.
Near the classroom where the butter was being made in the “Gobbledy-Gook” session, the 12 kindergartners and 1st-graders in “Sense-sational” learned about their sweet, salty and sour tongue tastebuds using Toostie Rolls, pretzels and pickles.
Classes at the science summer camp, said Hattner, are truly hands on, she said, adding that children get to take the time in finding the answer to such questions as “how much they would weigh on Jupiter” or what a dinosaur bone feels like.
For the several new teachers who work at the science summer camps, many said they also learn a lot by approaching science through a child’s point of view.
David Consiglio, a recent college graduate who will teach chemistry and physics in a Detroit-area school in fall, said that while making rockets in his “Flighty Fliers” class he has been amazed at the “kids’ ability to solve problems.”
The program, which is in its 12th year, allows teachers to think of creative ideas for class experiments. Consiglio said instead of using the typical paper airplane approach, he came up with the idea of a balloon hovercraft.
Sandra Finkel said her son, Micah Warschausky, enjoyed the program so much from last year, she knew it would be a good idea to enroll him again.
Photo Caption: Charmaine Redman, 9, left, watches her balloon float around the floor during a gravity experiment in Flighty Fliers class. The Ann Arbor Hands on Museum is sponsoring Summer Science Camp, housed in Logan Elementary School.
Info: Classes, which go until Aug. 13, cost $60 for each weekly session. They last two hours per day. Scholarships are available. For information, call (734) 994-6449.
Originally published Thursday, July 8, 1999
Annual event celebrates Huron River
Annual event celebrates Huron River
Wide array of activities planned for Huron River Day on Sunday
The Ann Arbor News
By Pamela Appea
When Huron River Day first took place in 1980, it was organized by a handful of environmentalists and concerned locals. The event, which featured bluegrass music and water-testing displays, attracted several hundred people, said longtime Ann Arborite Eunice Burns, one of the original organizers.
Now Huron River Day regularly brings as many as 5,000 individuals to Gallup Park for canoeing, bike tours, races, entertainment and other family activities, sponsored mostly by select corporations.
Organized by the Ann Arbor Parks and Recreation Department, the 19th annual Huron River Day will take place Sunday from 8 a.m. to 4 p.m.
Despite changes since its inception, the event still brings people together to celebrate the Huron River, said Irene Bushaw, department marketing specialist.
The river, which extends nearly 130 miles from its main outlet, is a major source of drinking water for nearly 60 surrounding communities in the Michigan area. In addition, residents and visitors regularly fish or canoe in the river.
Coordinators say the event will feature both new and old activities, including educational exhibits on recycling, drinking water safety and organic farming. Many organizations, including the National Wildlife Federation, the Ecology Center and the Ann Arbor Department of Landscapers, will educate the public with displays on local environmental issues from noon to 4 p.m.
“We think we have something for every age, every interest: athletes, environmentalists, music and nature lovers and vegetarians,” said Bushaw.
“It is a time for to be with their families,” she said.
Children can enjoy workshop theaters and music will be performed by various groups, including the Ann Arbor Civic Band.
Events that require paid admission and/or registration include the youth fishing derby, the mile run and various bicycling tours.
However the event hasn’t been without its mishaps. Burns aid just a day before the second annual Huron River Day, two canoeists almost drowned. An article in The Ann Arbor News at the time reported that a surge from a dam malfunction caused the canoe to overturn. Efforts from concerned onlookers aided the rescue of both canoeists.
Another year, said Burns, some individuals enthusiastically proposed jousting contests on a bridge over the river, but event organizers rejected the idea, fearing that participants might accidentally fall into the water.
Among the most popular spectator events are the Corporate Challenge and the Community Cup Mayor’s canoe races.
Event admission and parking at Huron High School are free. Call (734) 994-2284.
Originally published Thursday, July 8, 1999
Wide array of activities planned for Huron River Day on Sunday
The Ann Arbor News
By Pamela Appea
When Huron River Day first took place in 1980, it was organized by a handful of environmentalists and concerned locals. The event, which featured bluegrass music and water-testing displays, attracted several hundred people, said longtime Ann Arborite Eunice Burns, one of the original organizers.
Now Huron River Day regularly brings as many as 5,000 individuals to Gallup Park for canoeing, bike tours, races, entertainment and other family activities, sponsored mostly by select corporations.
Organized by the Ann Arbor Parks and Recreation Department, the 19th annual Huron River Day will take place Sunday from 8 a.m. to 4 p.m.
Despite changes since its inception, the event still brings people together to celebrate the Huron River, said Irene Bushaw, department marketing specialist.
The river, which extends nearly 130 miles from its main outlet, is a major source of drinking water for nearly 60 surrounding communities in the Michigan area. In addition, residents and visitors regularly fish or canoe in the river.
Coordinators say the event will feature both new and old activities, including educational exhibits on recycling, drinking water safety and organic farming. Many organizations, including the National Wildlife Federation, the Ecology Center and the Ann Arbor Department of Landscapers, will educate the public with displays on local environmental issues from noon to 4 p.m.
“We think we have something for every age, every interest: athletes, environmentalists, music and nature lovers and vegetarians,” said Bushaw.
“It is a time for to be with their families,” she said.
Children can enjoy workshop theaters and music will be performed by various groups, including the Ann Arbor Civic Band.
Events that require paid admission and/or registration include the youth fishing derby, the mile run and various bicycling tours.
However the event hasn’t been without its mishaps. Burns aid just a day before the second annual Huron River Day, two canoeists almost drowned. An article in The Ann Arbor News at the time reported that a surge from a dam malfunction caused the canoe to overturn. Efforts from concerned onlookers aided the rescue of both canoeists.
Another year, said Burns, some individuals enthusiastically proposed jousting contests on a bridge over the river, but event organizers rejected the idea, fearing that participants might accidentally fall into the water.
Among the most popular spectator events are the Corporate Challenge and the Community Cup Mayor’s canoe races.
Event admission and parking at Huron High School are free. Call (734) 994-2284.
Originally published Thursday, July 8, 1999
Thursday, July 01, 1999
City seeking goose population solutions
City seeking goose population solutions
The Ann Arbor News
By Pamela Appea
When a particularly territorial Canada goose knocked a Gallup Park visitor off her bicycle this past spring, Ann Arbor park officials were reminded of the ever-present and often annoying goose population.
Park workers and state wildlife specialists spent hours Wednesday putting bands on 257 city geese, an early step in an effort that could limit the birds’ reproduction.
David Borneman, coordinator of the natural-area preservations in the city, said the DNR came to Ann Arbor to put plastic bands on the necks and legs of the geese as part of an ongoing study by U.S. and Canadian conservationists.
“It is simple, low-tech, but very effective in figuring out what is happening with the population,” said Earle Flegler, a state Department of Natural Resources wildlife biologist.
Using canoes, the dozen or so people rounded up the birds from Gallup Park and the Huron Hills and Leslie Park golf courses.
DNR wildlife experts are trying to determine how many of the geese are year-round city residents.
If experts classify 90 percent of the geese as “Big Michigan” or native area geese, then Ann Arbor may qualify for a federally funded egg replacement program by spring 2000.
This program, Borneman said, would lead to goose population control. It’s a problem, he said that has been an issue in Ann Arbor for years.
The high goose population –which rough estimates place at 3,000 in the area—causes pollution and upsets the ecological balance in Gallup Park, he said. Each adult goose, he estimated, produces about a pound of manure per day, making cleanup an impossible chore for park maintenance.
And while attacks are rare, he noted that many Ann Arbor residents have complained about the potential hazard of aggressive geese.
If the DNR funds that Ann Arbor does qualify for the egg replacement program, biologists and conservationists would take goose eggs from nests, substituting the original eggs for plastic eggs.
After several week, Borneman explained, the geese would realize that the eggs will not hatch, and then abandon the nest.
“We would certainly give the public a chance for comment (before any decision is made), he said.
Borneman also noted that the National Humane Society supports such egg replacement programs.
The species of Canada geese that consider Ann Arbor to be their home base leave during the winter for warmer climates. However, Flegler said, many Ann Arbor geese won’t venture more than 20-30 miles away from the area, unless the weather becomes excessively cold.
Photo Caption One: A Canada goose protests Wednesday while waiting to be banded at Gallup Park. The plastic bands do not harm the birds, said Ann Arbor Parks and state wildlife officials.
Photo Caption Two: A flock of Canada geese is shooed to a pen Wednesday where the birds were banded, tested and released at Gallup Park. Ann Arbor Parks and DNR officials processed 257 birds in a study to see whether the city is eligible for a program that would reduce the goose population.
Photo Credit: Robert Chase
Originally published Thursday, July 1, 1999
The Ann Arbor News
By Pamela Appea
When a particularly territorial Canada goose knocked a Gallup Park visitor off her bicycle this past spring, Ann Arbor park officials were reminded of the ever-present and often annoying goose population.
Park workers and state wildlife specialists spent hours Wednesday putting bands on 257 city geese, an early step in an effort that could limit the birds’ reproduction.
David Borneman, coordinator of the natural-area preservations in the city, said the DNR came to Ann Arbor to put plastic bands on the necks and legs of the geese as part of an ongoing study by U.S. and Canadian conservationists.
“It is simple, low-tech, but very effective in figuring out what is happening with the population,” said Earle Flegler, a state Department of Natural Resources wildlife biologist.
Using canoes, the dozen or so people rounded up the birds from Gallup Park and the Huron Hills and Leslie Park golf courses.
DNR wildlife experts are trying to determine how many of the geese are year-round city residents.
If experts classify 90 percent of the geese as “Big Michigan” or native area geese, then Ann Arbor may qualify for a federally funded egg replacement program by spring 2000.
This program, Borneman said, would lead to goose population control. It’s a problem, he said that has been an issue in Ann Arbor for years.
The high goose population –which rough estimates place at 3,000 in the area—causes pollution and upsets the ecological balance in Gallup Park, he said. Each adult goose, he estimated, produces about a pound of manure per day, making cleanup an impossible chore for park maintenance.
And while attacks are rare, he noted that many Ann Arbor residents have complained about the potential hazard of aggressive geese.
If the DNR funds that Ann Arbor does qualify for the egg replacement program, biologists and conservationists would take goose eggs from nests, substituting the original eggs for plastic eggs.
After several week, Borneman explained, the geese would realize that the eggs will not hatch, and then abandon the nest.
“We would certainly give the public a chance for comment (before any decision is made), he said.
Borneman also noted that the National Humane Society supports such egg replacement programs.
The species of Canada geese that consider Ann Arbor to be their home base leave during the winter for warmer climates. However, Flegler said, many Ann Arbor geese won’t venture more than 20-30 miles away from the area, unless the weather becomes excessively cold.
Photo Caption One: A Canada goose protests Wednesday while waiting to be banded at Gallup Park. The plastic bands do not harm the birds, said Ann Arbor Parks and state wildlife officials.
Photo Caption Two: A flock of Canada geese is shooed to a pen Wednesday where the birds were banded, tested and released at Gallup Park. Ann Arbor Parks and DNR officials processed 257 birds in a study to see whether the city is eligible for a program that would reduce the goose population.
Photo Credit: Robert Chase
Originally published Thursday, July 1, 1999
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