Oden Island: A Piece of Pure Michigan

  Below is an overview of what I find to be relevant climate information for Northern Michigan, particularly my area of study.  The following data and visuals are pulled from the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) National Weather service . The data is pulled from the larger Gaylord, MI area and I have focused in on Petoskey, MI which is 9 miles Southwest from Crooked Lake.  The graph below shows the daily temperature for Petoskey, MI, and includes the observed temperature in royal blue, the recorded high in red and the record low in light blue. Of note is there are several dates in April - June so far this year that have crept up to the record high temperatures.  This second graph from NOAA data provides an overview of accumulated precipitation. Of note is the accumulation so far in 2023 has consistently measured above the normal recorded amount and, in a few moments in April and May, met the recorded highs from 2019. Precipitation so far in June...

  Google MyMaps was quite user friendly and, after watching the tutorial video, I was able to create the basic map featured above. There are three layers to this map, including Lakeside Communities and Lake Features (both natural and man-made). A third layer includes Oden Island Nature Preserve and my house as two key reference points.  Edits were easy to make as well, and I can already see opportunity to further update the markers. For example, I'll be on Crooked Lake over the fourth of July holiday and will capture additional photos to add to the markers, providing an in-real time glimpse of my area of study.  I look forward to exploring other mapping tools, as well. Unfortunately, I was not able to download DIVA-GIS or the other examples mentioned given my only computer is owned by my company and I need to receive admin rights to download the software.  The ArcGIS tools seem interesting, given there are a variety of specific applications, including a version for I...

 

Oden Island is a small 50 acre island sitting in Crooked Lake in Conway, Michigan. The island itself is a nature preserve, filled with old growth trees and wetlands.  Source: Little Traverse Bay Conservancy  This area is important to me as my family (my extended family, including second and third cousins) has lived in this area for generations. While I grew up in Southern Indiana, we spent our summers and most winter breaks on Crooked Lake. As a child, I spent summers playing in the woods, trying to avoid leeches while I looked for Petoskey Stones on the beach, and taking the boat out to the middle of the lake for a swim or anchoring on the sand bar. I remember when both Asian Carp and Zebra Mussels came to the lake, and my parents telling us how to be on the watch for both given fears of Asian Carp jumping out while someone was skiing, etc. behind a boat, or the deep cuts Zebra Mussels can make on toes and feet. To this day, one of my most favorite things to do (and what tru...

 What is Biodiversity? Generally speaking, biodiversity represents the varied collection of both known and unknown (i.e., not yet discovered) species of plants, animals, and other organisms like fungi and bacteria. These species working and existing together results in unique ecosystems. Source: The Santa Cruz Mountains Bioregional Council And, Why Does it Matter?  Biodiversity is  itself life, but it also supports human life. As humans, we rely on natural resources to survive, and biodiversity is crucial to ensure those natural resources - for example, clean water - can continue to be available.  At the local level, biodiversity ensures local ecosystems function properly and are able to provide services to the surrounding community, from pollinating flowers or crops, keeping the number of invasive species in check, or helping to ensure migratory species (who also provide ecosystems services) have a safe habitat and abundant food source.  Regionally, biodiversit...