Nature Sound Recordists Campout
Wednesday June 1- Sunday June 5, 2011, Seney National Wildlife Refuge, Germ=
fask MI
Contact: Paul Dickinson= or David Michael=A0david.michael@=
gmail.com
Each year since 2003, a group of ten to twenty people has gathered for the =
purposes of sharing and recording natural sounds. The group has included so=
und artists, composers, birders, biologists, naturalists, media educators, =
filmmakers, news reporters and trackers. All have shared an interest in lea=
rning what nature has to give to their ears and the best methods for detect=
ing and capturing these experiences. The primary learning tools have been s=
hared excursions, in-field demonstrations, collective camping and conversat=
ion. We have enjoyed the presence of recordists with many years of experien=
ce and great intimacy with the natural surroundings as well novices eager t=
o soak-up everything about the techniques and the environment as they can. =
Everyone has been welcomed and all have left fulfilled.
For Spring 2011, a group will be gathering at the Seney National Wildlife R=
efuge. Established in 1935, the Seney NWR is located in the east-central po=
rtion of Michigan's Upper Peninsula, half way between Lake Superior and Lak=
e Michigan. =A0The Refuge encompasses 95,238 acres; the Seney Wilderness Ar=
ea, which contains the Strangmoor Bog National Natural Landmark, comprising=
25,150 acres, or 26 percent of the Refuge. =A0Located in northern Schoolcr=
aft County, the Refuge is removed from major population centers. A seven an=
d a half-hour drive from Chicago and an eight-hour drive from Minneapolis, =
the site will be at the peak of the Spring =A0neotropical bird migration.
The wild land that today is Seney NWR was once heavily logged, burned, ditc=
hed, drained, and cultivated. =A0Despite repeated attempts, the soils and h=
arsh conditions of this country would not provide a hospitable environment =
for sustained settlement and agriculture. What was viewed as a loss by earl=
y 20th century entrepreneurs became a huge gain for the wildlife, natural r=
esources, and the people of Michigan's Upper Peninsula.
Contact Paul Dickinson==A0or David Michael=A0david.michael@=
gmail.com=A0and they will include you in the planning process.
More information about SNWR is available at:=A0http://tinyurl.com/3zm82hm
Accommodations will be rustic camping just outside the SNWR at Mead Creek S=
tate Forest Campground:=A0http://tinyurl.com/4tysmt3=A0. Camping cost is $1=
5 per night (pay at campground, honor system).
For the comfort-prone, cabins are available at Northlands Outfitters:=A0htt=
p://tinyurl.com/4fxrzjy=A0. They also rent canoes, which may be a good alte=
rnative for accessing some of the deeper parts of the Refuge.
Hope you can make it!
Paul Dickinson
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