Many states and provinces in the Great Lakes region have museums, monuments, and shipwrecks that tell the story of the explorers, shippers, and industries that are a part of the region’s maritime history. But one state in the region plans to market itself as the place to visit to learn about the region’s maritime past. The Great Lakes Radio Consortium’s Tamar Charney reports:
Transcript
Many states and provinces in the Great Lakes region have museums, monuments, and shipwrecks
that tell the story of the explorers, shippers, and industries that are a part of the region’s maritime
history. But one state in the region plans to market itself as the place to visit to learn about the
region’s maritime past. The Great Lakes Radio Consortium’s Tamar Charney reports:
Michigan has declared itself a ‘Maritime Heritage Destination.’ Bill Anderson is the director of
the Michigan Department of History, Arts and Libraries. He says visitors have long come to the
state for its natural beauty and outdoor activities. But he thought the state could appeal to
regional visitors interested in the culture and history of the lakes. He says the state has many
maritime-themed attractions, including the nation’s only underwater sanctuary devoted to
preserving shipwrecks.
“Lighthouses, maritime museums, historic ships, underwater preserves, performing artists that specialize in maritime culture, cruises, other museums that have significant maritime collections…”
And so on. Anderson says discussions are underway with the National Park Service to bring the
park service on as a partner.
For the Great Lakes Radio Consortium, I’m Tamar Charney.
We hear all the time about invasive species in the Great Lakes region. But many people have no idea what Eurasian Ruffe, Round Goby, or European Frogbit look like and even less of an idea about what to do about the problem. But environmental education groups are trying to change that. The Great Lakes Radio Consortium’s Tamar Charney reports:
Transcript
We hear all the time about invasive species in the Great Lakes region. But many people have no
idea what Eurasian ruffe, Round Goby, or European frogbit look like and even less of an idea
about what to do about the problem. But environmental education groups are trying to change
that. The Great Lakes Radio Consortium’s Tamar Charney reports:
Doug Jensen runs the Aquatic Invasive Species Information Center for the University of
Minnesota Sea Grant Program. He’s created a series of nine cards to help people identify exotic
species that are causing problems in the lakes.
“The front cover of the card is high quality photo of the aquatic plant, fish or invertebrate species
and it folds open and the inside of card has text which describes what the problem is how the
species is spreading and what people can do to take action and prevent the spread.”
Jenson hopes people will keep the ID cards in their tackle boxes, glove compartments, and aboard
their boats. Over 3.2 million of them have been printed including a French language version for
Quebec. They’ll be distributed through bait shops, marinas, environmental education
organizations, and resource management offices throughout the Great Lakes
region.
For the Great Lakes Radio Consortium, I’m Tamar Charney.
A new musical looks at the pressures to develop pristine areas of the Great Lakes north woods. Lure of money and love of land conflict in the North Country Opera Continued.
The remote northern areas are where people go to get away – to vacation, fish, and relax. But for a variety of reasons the region’s north woods are being developed and settled. In the process, the wild, the quiet, and the slow pace of life that attracted people in the first place is disappearing. The Great Lakes Radio Consortium’s Tamar Charney tells us about a playwright who is trying to get people thinking about the changes development brings:
Transcript
The remote northern areas are where people go to get away – to vacation, fish, and relax. But for
a variety of reasons the region’s North Woods are being developed and settled. In the process the
wild, the quiet, and the slow pace of life that attracted people in the first place is disappearing.
The Great Lakes Radio Consortium’s Tamar Charney tells us about a playwright who is trying to
get people thinking about the changes development brings:
Jay Steilstra writes songs and plays that celebrate the natural beauty and slower pace of life in
rural northern Michigan.
(sound of music)
(“You see the white birches and pines, you know you’ve crossed over the line…”)
“I’ve always liked the North land a lot, the beautiful running water and the lakes are beautiful too
blue sparkling, and the white birches and the evergreens.”
Twenty years ago, Jay Steilstra wrote a musical play called the ‘North Country Opera.’ It told the
story of a man from the big city who falls in love with a woman and the way of life in the
fictional Northwoods town of Grand Marais. By the end of the play he’s left city life behind,
moved north, and married Sari, the owner of a small working class bar, and the two live happily
ever after. But a couple years ago, Jay Steilstra realized the up north life he writes about is being
threatened.
“There is a real Grand Marais, and I’ve been there many times, and it’s a little lovely town, and I’d
hate to see that turned over to condos and completely defiled, if I can use such a strong word.”
So, he’s written a sequel ‘In North Country Opera Continued.’ His characters grapple with the
pros and cons of development, after two big city land developers show up at Sari’s bar.
“You’re not going to believe what just happened. The offer I just got for this place. And you
know that eighty acres old Ereos got for sale, who knows for how long. McKinley, she’s talking
to the real estate agent right now, and she’s good. You should see her work. And chip says,
maybe shops or some galleries and you know the snowmobilers are short of motels in winter and
well, a lodge, upscale, good taste, and all elegant even, maybe even a boutique, and my god, the
money they’re talking its unreal.”
Tracy Lee Komarmy plays the bar owner named Sari in North Country Opera Continued. She
says the musical play has an anti-development message, but she says it also explores why
development has an appeal and allure.
“I think everybody might kind of feel the thrill…’What if they put in a lodge, a fancy
lodge…What if they did that?…’You know, going up north, I could see that.”
And Jay Stielstra’s musical shows how people in rural communities often yearn for the jobs and
money development brings, and for the stores, products, and lifestyle they see in books,
magazines, and on TV.
(sound of play)
“Nowadays are different. People change. You have to admit that.”
“Well, what do you want? Forty acres of malls and boutiques?”
“Well, it would be nice to have some things nice around here, like on TV.”
Steilstra: “If you’re living in a small town in extreme northern Michigan, it is difficult. A very
good friend of mine, after he retired from teaching school, lived in Seney. He loved the north and
loved the air. He loved the cold rivers. But it was 85 miles to the bookstore. So yeah, wouldn’t it
be nice to have a Borders? So, you’re right, people do miss things and they do have temptations
and willingness to make those kind of compromises, so it’s understandable.”
(sound of play…singing)
“When the dollar comes to town she wears a fancy gown. She flirts and she teases gets anything
she pleases…”
But in the end the character Sari says no and turns down the developers offer to turn her bar into a
fancy lodge complete with chic boutiques. She realizes that the beauty of the land and the
rewards of a simple life surrounded by friends are more important to her than money and fancy
things. It’s a message that’s hit home for Tracy Lee Kormarmy who plays Sari.
“Working on this piece, I’ve continually come back to my roots and come back to nature and am
reminded over and over of what really matters. And Jay just captures it beautifully. I hope
everybody leaves reminded of what really matters.”
(music…”It’s a wonder the stars how they twinkle at night…” fade under)
Jay Stielstra’s ‘North Country Opera Continued’ premiers in Ann Arbor, Michigan. He hopes it
might be performed elsewhere in the region.
For the Great Lakes Radio Consortium, I’m Tamar Charney.
(singing…fade under)
(“It’s a wonder the sun shines so warm and bright. It’s a wonder I will never understand…”)
This old industrial building once housed a company that manufactured refrigerator coils. Now, planners are hoping to revitalize it by making a place where artists can live and work. (Photo courtesy of the Enterprise Group of Jackson)
For many cities in the Rust Belt region, the glory days of manufacturing have long passed. These communities are now left trying to figure out how to revitalize their downtowns. One city is hoping a development for artists will create new life and draw people back downtown. The Great Lakes Radio Consortium’s Tamar Charney reports:
Transcript
For many cities in the Rust Belt region, the glory days of manufacturing have long passed. These
communities are now left trying to figure out how to revitalize their downtowns. One city is hoping
a development for artists will create new life and draw people back
downtown. The Great Lakes Radio Consortium’s Tamar Charney reports.
The city of Jackson is in South Central Michigan, about an hour west of
Detroit. Four blocks from its downtown, next to the old armory and the
remains of an old prison wall, there’s a smokestack and a rundown complex of
industrial buildings.
(key & sound of door opening)
“The last company that was doing full blown manufacturing in this complex of buildings was Acme
Industries that focused on refrigeration coils. We’re gonna walk straight down here.”
(footsteps on stairs fade under)
Kay Howard is a ceramic artist. She and her husband Phil Shiban are getting a tour of the
buildings. Since the early 1900’s when this complex was built, it’s been home to many businesses,
but since the 1970’s, its been basically abandoned.
“At the top of the stairs step to the right. Don’t step on the white board. It covers a hole in the
floor.”
(steps & sounds of glass & floor tiles crunching
Green and yellow paint peels and curls off the walls. The floor is littered with broken glass from
the building’s windows. And there are piles of bird droppings, broken lightbulbs, and rotting boards.
But Kay Howard and her husband are thinking about living here.
“It has so much that can be held onto. I hate seeing buildings knocked down or left in disrepair
when they could be reused and revitalized, and this just screams to have something done with it.”
These buildings are slated to become the Armory Arts Project. The plan is
to turn this 147-thousand square foot complex into an arts facility. It
would become the home to cultural organizations, arts-friendly commercial
businesses, studio space, and residential units that designed to meet the
specific living and working needs of artists, musicians, dancers, jewelers
and the like. Neeta Delaney is the project’s director.
“The driving force behind this is community revitalization. The impetus for this whole development
was really the existence of several tax-free renaissance zones.”
A renaissance zone is what Michigan calls its tax-free areas that were
created to spur development. Delaney says the project costs would
have been around 14-million dollars. They’re whittling down the out of
pocket costs by packaging together tax credits they get for cleaning
up a old industrial site, for renovating historic buildings, and for
creating low income housing. However when they approached developers with
the idea, they were told there was no way to make a go of it. But a
non-profit group from Minneapolis called ArtsSpace Projects Incorporated had a
different opinion. Chris Velasco is the director of Artspace.
“It’s not going to nor is Artspace designing it to generate
Money, but it will cover its costs.”
Artspace has successfully turned dozens of dilapidated buildings in a
number of different cities into affordable places where artists can live
and work. He says while Jackson doesn’t have a reputation as a bastion for
the arts, their market research showed there was more than enough demand
for such a facility in the city.
“If we were to create a multi-purpose arts facility use space in there we would have arts and
organizations 3-deep for every space that we create.”
He says that’s because artists have a hard time finding affordable spaces
where they can raise their kids that can also accommodate the tools of
their trade such as kilns, 10 foot tall canvases, and metal working
equipment. And he says the Armory Arts Project could fill that need.
“Isn’t this gorgeous? Oh my. Oh, this is just awesome.”
Project director Neeta Delaney leads the group to the top floor of one of
the old buildings where sunlight is streaming in through the broken
windows.
“Isn’t it great? Oh my. It is so beautiful, absolutely beautiful. And you think about residential units
up here. Live-work space, you know. This has got to be ideal.”
“This is the space that sold us on the building.”
That’s Steve Czarnecki, the CEO for the Enterprise Group of Jackson. It’s the umbrella
organization for economic development in the area that oversees the counties renaissance zones.
“Because when we first came up here, what else could you imagine this to be except a
place for artists.”
And he says once they figure out how to lure artists to Jackson it will be
easier to lure desirable high-tech business and their employees to the community.
“I think we have to increase our Bohemian Index a little bit here to attract those kind of people.”
See, artists have a track record for moving into old warehouse and industrial areas where
rents are low, fixing it up, and making a community hip and attractive.
The rub is they often then get priced out of the market. But rent at the
Armory Arts Project, like other ArtsSpace projects, will remain low.
And for artists like Kay Howard and Phil Chiban, affordable housing is one
attraction of the project. They support themselves on his pension
payments and her pottery sales. But there’s another reason they’re
interested. The couple is drawn to the idea of living with other working
artists.
“You get kind of solitary as an artist and you really need that contact and comradery and so forth,
so the idea of living in a community-type setting with other artists is very exciting.”
And she’s also excited about the prospect of being part of a project that recycles an abandoned
building and one that could bring excitement to a
downtown in need of new life.
“This has character you can’t design or duplicate. And look at the metal doors. Isn’t this amazing?”
For the Great Lakes Radio Consortium, I’m Tamar Charney.
Dancer Anna Beard performing in Dragontree Waterfall Tea at the Matthaei Botanical Gardens in Ann Arbor, Michigan. Photo by Beth Wielinski.
The arts have long been used to draw people’s attention to things… a woman’s mysterious smile, social injustice, or details in the world around us. As the Great Lakes Radio Consortium’s Tamar Charney reports…one choreographer is using dance to encourage people to become more aware of nature:
Transcript
The arts have long been used to draw people’s attention to things – a woman’s mysterious smile,
social injustice, or details in the world around us. As the Great Lakes Radio
Consortium’s Tamar Charney reports…one choreographer is using dance to
encourage people to become more aware of nature:
(water trickle)
It’s really cold and gray outside. But the tropical conservatory at the Matthaei Botanical Gardens in
Ann Arbor is green and lush. The air is thick with humidity, warmth, and sweet-scented pollen.
The horticulturalists are sweeping up dead leaves, replacing plants, and removing wilted
blossoms. But occasionally the workers lift their heads from what they’re doing to take in an unusual
sight.
There’s a group of dancers, ranging in age from 7 to 70, rehearsing a performance among the
garden’s plants, waterfalls and walkways.
(sound of rehearsal)
They lean against vine-covered walls, prance down paths, and splash water from a fish pond.
Occasionally a dancer’s arm brushes against a branch setting the leaves of a bamboo, papyrus, or
orchid plant in motion. Shirley Axon is an environmental activist and one of the dancers. She
says it’s quite an experience dancing in a lush conservatory instead of a barren stage.
“It’s thrilling…the humidity, the green, the shapes of the plants…
the light, and then to think that we can climb the trees and the walls.”
The dance piece is called Dragontree Waterfall Tea and its creator is Jessica Fogel, a professor
of Dance at the University of Michigan. After choreographing a dance piece for a celebration at
an arboretum over the summer, she realized she just couldn’t imagine going back inside.
“At first I was going to do a snow dance, and then that seemed very unrealistic.”
Eventually she decided an indoor conservatory would be more practical and more comfortable for
both the dancers and the audience. She created this piece by absorbing the shapes, colors, smells,
and stories behind the plants in the garden. Movements the dancers make often mirror the
curves of a plant’s leaves. The dancers also use gesture, props, and pantomime to call attention to
how we use a plant.
“That the papyrus plants can become scrolls upon which messages are written, and that tea comes from these
camellia bushes and can be drunk, and that coffee does come from these beans and chocolate from the trees. So we do play with
those ideas as well, the function of the plants.”
Fogel says we often forget that we depend on plants and
nature for food, medicine, and even paper.
And she hopes this performance will remind people of
our reliance on the natural world. But some parts of the
dance just play with nature.
At one point in the performance, dancer Anna Beard climbs over a wall and down into a waterfall
in the conservatory.
“I step into it and bit by bit I work myself into the water until finally I’m completely immersed in the waterfall.”
She says it’s supposed to be a bit surreal and a bit surprising. She dances soaking wet with the
waterfall splattering down on her body.
“It’s more about existing with the setting and interacting with it instead of just placing some
movement in front of it as a backdrop.”
And unlike a performance in a theater, changes in the garden can affect what the dancers do or
don’t do. During rehearsals, a branch a dancer was supposed to lean against died and was cut off,
another plant grew to be in the way of a dancer’s arm, and some ground cover the dancers were
told they could walk on turned into a path of slippery mud.
Dancer Raphael Griffin says as she performs in the conservatory, she has to be very cautious of
the impact her movements make. The rock ledges are uneven and the plants fragile. And she
says that sense of the dancers treading lightly on the environment is something she hopes the
audience picks up on.
“Just a better awareness of nature and how the human body can interact with nature and yet not
ruin it either.”
Most of us will never get a chance to frolic in a conservatory like Raphael Griffin and the other
dancers in Dragontree Waterfall Tea , but as one dancer pointed out there’s nothing stopping us
from going out into our own backyards to enjoy and appreciate the line, movement, and form in
the natural world around us.
For the Great Lakes Radio Consortium, I’m Tamar Charney.
People who do historic restoration have been taking advantage of cloning technology. Historic trees are being cloned to help preserve and restore historic landscapes. The Great Lakes Radio Consortium’s Tamar Charney reports:
Transcript
People who do historic restoration have been taking advantage of
cloning technology. Historic trees are being cloned to help preserve and
restore historic landscapes. The Great Lakes Radio Consortium’s Tamar
Charney reports:
Michigan’s Fort Mackinac is a military fortress from the American
Revolution. In the mid 1800’s, soldiers stationed there planted a row of eight
sugar maples lining the fort’s parade ground. But these trees are now old
and dying.
Phil Porter is a curator who’s worked at Fort Mackinac for over
30 years. He says he was sad and concerned that they would soon lose this
living link to the fort’s past. So he decided to have the trees cloned.
“We think that by cloning them, by going to that very high level of
reproducing what is there now we can do the most accurate job of
reproducing the environment, the right looking trees, and putting them
back in the same place.”
While the clones won’t look any different from a sugar maple seedling
bought at a nursery, keeping the genes of a historic tree alive through
cloning seems to appeal to people. There are tree cloning projects
underway in Massachusetts, Maryland, and even Australia to help replicate
historic trees people have a connection to.
For the Great Lakes Radio Consortium, I’m Tamar Charney.
Frank Youngman playing on the Sound Garden. Photo by Tamar Charney.
These days a lot of modern music depends heavily on technology. Guitars are electric and beats electronic. But since ancient times human beings have found a way to make music with the things they found in nature. The Great Lakes Radio Consortium’s Tamar Charney has the story of one man who is helping his neighbors rediscover the roots of music:
Transcript
These days a lot of modern music depends heavily on technology. Guitars are electric and beats
electronic. But since ancient times human beings have found a way to make music with the
things they found in nature. The Great Lakes Radio Consortium’s Tamar Charney has the story of
one man who is helping his neighbors rediscover the roots of music:
In the woods behind Frank Youngman’s log home in Cadillac, Michigan there’s a small fire in a
fire circle. The smoke is wafting around logs that hang from the trees that surround the fire. It
curls around old car springs and break drums that also hang from the nearby trees. And big
hollowed out logs are propped up just inches off the ground.
On this cold, snowy Saturday there are five teenage boys and two adults banging on the logs and
car parts with sticks. And making music on what Frank Youngman calls his Sound Garden.
(music)
“I was out cutting firewood with our kids one day. And we were throwing it in the back of the
truck and it kept hitting each other. The logs were hitting each other. I just started noticing they
had all these different pitches and so I said, ‘kids throw ’em back out here.’ So we start laying it
out on the ground and we sorta constructed this crude xylophone. And pretty soon we were just
playing. I’d start a grove and they’d start playing and the four of us were on our knees around
these logs on the ground playing and we had a blast. After that, I kept thinking, wouldn’t it be fun
to have some instrument out in our woods here that when were walking by on the trail or skiing,
you could just stop and play a little bit.”
And eventually he built it. Youngman is a music teacher and band director, so he had an ear for
picking out the right logs with which to build his dream. Small logs are arranged to create
primitive xylophones and marimbas. Big logs act as bass drums. And the pieces of scrap metal
are miscellaneous percussion instruments. And any chance he gets, he’ll drag people out here to
play.
“Someone will start something just a click, cluck, cluck. Real simple little thing and then
someone layer in on top of it and it’s been fun cause they start to get the idea that we can slow
down and let it happen over a longer period of time and let it develop.”
He says after a while the people playing will start communicating and sharing musical ideas with
looks, nods, and beats.
(music)
As the rhythm gets going Ryan Newson and Mike Filkins emerge from their sullen teenage shells
and begin dancing and grooving to the beat. Like many people in town they first thought Frank
Youngman’s Sound Garden was really, really weird, but slowly they came around.
“You can’t explain the fun of playing it. You just have to go out there. The diversity of sounds
you get when hit stuff that you’re not even used to. When you play a drum set all day you just get
eight or nine different sounds you can play with, but with this it’s just a new set of sounds you can
screw around with and do what you want.”
The experience of playing the Sound Garden can vary from time to time. Frank Youngman says
night time playing has a different vibe from daytime playing. He thinks the Soundgarden’s best in
winter because the snow muffles the sounds and the woods are quiet, but then again other seasons
also have their appeal for instance warmer weather brings a chorus of frogs.
“In the spring, its great when the spring peepers. I’ve gone out by myself and you start hearing all
this sounds of springs birds and the peepers are just deafening at night sometimes and even they’ll
get a rhythm going and you get thousands of those things – rrrepperr rrrepper – they just get this
kind of pulsing rhythm and I’ve gone out and played with the peepers which sounds kind of
Crazy and maybe it is.”
Whether or not its crazy, the Sound Garden resonates with teenagers and adults alike, according
to 17-year old Mike Filkins.
I can imagine there will be people trying to build these now. This is just unbelievable. I was very
surprised how much it took off and how many people like it.”
And, in fact, a second Sound Garden has been built. After word got out about Frank Youngman’s
backyard one, the director of Cadillac’s Convention and Visitors Bureau suggested he create one
for the town’s new riverside Greenway. It’s just been finished in time to ring in the New Year
during Cadillac’s first night celebration.
(music)
“It’s a pretty primitive experience, you know, but I think it does kind of get back to musical roots
in some ways. It starts with rhythm – beating on a log – whether its signaling, talking over great
distances or just listening to each other and just responding.”
(music)
For the Great Lakes Radio Consortium, I’m Tamar Charney.
WEB INFO: For more information about the Sound Garden or Cadillac’s First Night celebration
which include demonstrations and a Sound Garden performance, www.cadillacmichigan.com.
This Thursday (November 21st), trees will be planted in every state capitol in all 50 states. The non-profit group, the National Tree Trust, is organizing the coordinated planting. The Great Lakes Radio Consortium’s Tamar Charney reports:
Transcript
This Thursday (November 21st), trees will be planted in every
state capitol in all 50 states. The non-profit group, the National Tree
Trust, is organizing the coordinated planting. The Great Lakes Radio
Consortium’s Tamar Charney reports:
The National Tree Trust is celebrating the fact that they’ve planted 10
million trees since the organization was founded in 1990. That works out to
be almost two trees per minute. The tree trust helps local communities
plant trees and educates people about the benefits of trees.
Paul Rosenthal is with the National Tree Trust. He says this coast to coast
tree planting event will draw attention to the importance of trees in our
communities.
“It’s the trees that are planted in the urban areas and suburban areas of the
United States… are the ones which really go very far in helping to clean the
air where we live, clean the soil where we live, provide cooling shade where
we live, to help bring down energy costs in the summer and winter time.”
He says according to their calculations, one urban tree provides over
57-thousand dollars worth of benefits over its 50-year life span.
For the Great Lakes Radio Consortium, I’m Tamar Charney.
Trichloroethaneor TCA, is a solvent that contaminates groundwater and erodes the ozone layer. It is present at many polluted sites across the country. TCA comes from many common products such as glue, paint and industrial degreasers. Now scientists say they’ve found a microbe that can help clean it up. The Great Lakes Radio Consortium’s Tamar Charney reports:
Transcript
Trichloroethane or TCA is a solvent that contaminates groundwater
and erodes the ozone layer. It is present at many polluted sites across
the country. TCA comes from many common products such as glue,
industrial
degreasers, and aerosol sprays. Now scientists say they’ve found a
microbe
that can help clean it up. The Great Lakes Radio Consortium’s Tamar
Charney reports:
One way polluted water can be cleaned is to add bacteria that breaks
down the harmful substances. It is a process called bioremediation. In a
recent issue of “Science,” researchers at Michigan State University say
they’ve identified a microbe that could do this with TCA. Benjamin
Griffin is a doctoral student who worked on the project. He says they
found the bacteria in sediment in the Hudson River.
“They actually breathe TCA, so they respire it. They’re using this
chlorinated compound in the same way we use oxygen.”
The bacteria breaks down the TCA into other compounds. Those chemical
compounds can then be further broken down by other pollution-eating or
breathing bacteria. Up until now, scientists though there might not be
a
way to biodegrade TCA. For the Great Lakes Radio Consortium, I’m Tamar
Charney.
For over 4,000 years, llamas have been used to carry loads through rough mountain terrain. Out West, it’s not uncommon to see llamas carrying tents, sleeping bags, and food for hikers. In the Great Lakes region, llamas are still an unusual sight on the trail, but an increasing number of people are starting to go trekking with them. They’re agile, surefooted, and tread lightly on the earth. The Great Lakes Radio Consortium’s Tamar Charney reports:
Transcript
For over 4,000 years llamas have been used to carry loads through rough mountain
terrain. Out West it’s not uncommon to see llamas carrying tents, sleeping bags, and food
for hikers. In the Great Lakes region, llamas are still an unusual sight on the trail, but an
increasing number of people are starting to go trekking with them. They’re agile,
surefooted, and tread lightly on the earth. The Great Lakes Radio Consortium’s Tamar
Charney reports:
(leaf noise) (walking)
“This is pretty, the lake out here.”
Cheryl Topliff is leading her llama named Streak through the woods at Seven Lakes State
Park in Michigan. Streak is mostly black except for his feet, his face, and the front of his
neck
“And he’s got curly locks on the top of his head – he’s cute.”
And he’s a bit unusual; he’s a talker.
(llama noises)
“I’m getting a fully narrated tour.”
Cheryl Topliff originally got Streak because of his long wooly hair. She’s a fiber artist
and weaves with llama fur. But recently she and her husband got interested in hiking
with their llamas.
“For me personally, it is just getting outdoors on a nice fall day and getting some exercise and
walking, plus the comradery of the other llama people.”
Streak sets the pace for a group of hikers and their llamas. They wander through
meadows full of flowers. They find their way through deep wooded groves. And
trudge up and down hills.
He does like to walk and he likes to be out in front of the whole group.
But today’s trek isn’t for fun. Streak is working on getting certified as
a pack llama – that’s a llama that has been tested to make sure it’s trained
to carry loads and behave well in the backcountry. That means they go
where they’re led and don’t spit or kick.
Dave Foy is with the Pack Llama Association. It’s his job to make sure Streak and the
rest of the llamas are properly tested.
“Not every llama is a pack llama and people have a tendency to think so because that’s
what they’ve really been bred for but some of them don’t like it so a pack trial will put
through a regime of obstacles and trials.”
Such as jumping logs, crossing bridges, and walking through muddy streams.
“Now try to enter that water as close to the flag as possible. We want to make sure he
gets his feet wet.”
Cheryl Topliff’s husband, Don, goes first with a llama named Standing Ovation.
“It’s very shallow. Step over.”
But Standing Ovation wants nothing to do with the water. He hesitates, (“come on”)
(squish), slowly walks in (splash), and then suddenly lunges and jumps to the bank
(splash).
“That’s enough.”
It cost him. Standing Ovation loses points for bad behavior.
(splash)
Streak goes next. He crosses the water with out a hitch, and continues on down
the trail.
(amb of hiking)
(woof woof)
“Wow, I’ve never seen a llama up close.”
(woof)
“Hey, hey, quiet, nice guys.”
Streak and the rest of the llamas are an unusual site in the woods, so people out trekking
with llamas often have to stop to answer questions about what they’re doing. Margaret
Van Camp organized today’s pack trials. She says llamas seem to have gotten a bad
reputation.
“People who don’t have llamas don’t have a positive impression of llamas. They always
think they spit and they think you can’t ride them. What are they good for? But then they
see you doing this and they realize you can have a lot of fun with them.”
“Wow! Look at the pretty llamas.”
(woof woof)
Margaret Van Camp says the nice thing about llamas is that they find their own food,
don’t need much water since they are related to camels, and they don’t damage trails like
horses, mules, and bicycles.
“So that’s why llamas are so nice – because they’re so enviro-friendly they make it easy
to carry more with no more impact on the environment than you – probably less than you
with your hiking boots.”
That’s because llama’s have padded feet like a dog, not hooves which is why on federal
land, llamas are allowed on trails that are closed to horses. And that’s one reason llama
trekking is growing in popularity.
“All right, if you can come one at a time. This is a kicker hill. Next llama. He’s rearing
to go. He’s revving his engines.”
(llama noises)
“We’re going mountain climbing. You ready for this big boy? (llama noises) Good.”
By the end of the hike, Streak has negotiated all the obstacles and passed all his tests.
(amb: trailer door)
Cheryl Topliff loads him in the trailer and heads for home with damp feet, a muddy
husband, and a couple llamas ready for their next adventure in the woods.
For the Great Lakes Radio Consortium, I’m Tamar Charney.
