09:00 - 10:00 a.m.

Day six of our quest for knowledge takes us first to the Seney Wildlife Refuge. Established in 1935 as a breeding ground and secure area for migrating birds and wildlife, the refuge will allow us to see first hand the ecological diversity of a wetlands environment.

We will begin the touring the area by first stopping in at the visitor's center. They have a wonderful introductory slideshow for the park, which will lay the foundation for our driving tour through the refuge. The center periodically offers nature programs, which we may be able to take advantage of during our time at the park.

The refuge will also provide us with a wonderful example of the good that we humans can make out of a bad situation. The Seney area originally was home to some of Michigan's great pine forests. The logging industry destroyed much of the area during early logging operations before newer forestry practices were utilized. Because of the burning practices that were in use then, the forests didn't have a chance to return to their previous glory. After land speculation failed to develop, the area returned to state ownership. It was then converted into the refuge it is known for today.

Our driving tour will take us in and among some of the wetland and adjoining forests and meadows. There are descriptive overlooks which will aid us in understanding each area along the route.

As stated earlier, the refuge is home to a large variety of wildlife. The park's wetlands are maintained through a complex series of artificially raising and lowering wetland water areas to imitate a natural wetland cycle as much as possible. Controlled burning and some tree harvesting are also used to maintain the desired habitat for over 1000 types of birds, fish, land animals, and plants.

Much like Isle Royale National Park, the wildlife refuge is home to many studies of concerning human affects on ecosystems. Everything from air quality monitoring to the banding of threatened species, like the osprey below, are accomplished within the refuge. We will look at how these studies are accomplished and get to see these practices in action.

12:30 - 01:30 p.m.

Lunch at a local restaurant.

01:30 - 03:00 p.m.

Depart Seney Wildlife Refuge for Tahquamenon Falls.

03:00 - 05:00 p.m.

Tahquamenon Falls State Park - There are numerous waterfalls found in the Upper Peninsula. This phenomenon is especially prevelant in this region because the softer Cambrian sandstones underly the relatively harder Ordovician dolomite rocks. The erosion of the sandstone leads to many opportunities for water to travel over sudden drop-offs or cliffs.

The Upper and Lower Tahquamenon (also known as "root beer") Falls are two of the U.P.s more impressive examples of this process. We will hike to the two fall's locations and discuss the geologic processes that created them. The scenic overlooks will give the stuents an up-close look at some of the largest falls in the region.

Upper Tahquamenon Falls

Lower Tahquamenon Falls

05:00 - 06:00 p.m.

Dinner at a local restaurant.

06:00 - 07:00

Travel to Sault Saint Marie to preposition for the next day's activites.

07:00 - 08:00 p.m.

Review of day's activities. Preview of next day's activities to include a weather discussion with interpretation of satellite, radar, surface and upper air analysis to reinforce some of the material from our Meteorolgy courses.

Day 7