ROSCOMMON – Now it will be easier to check off your life birder list in Northern Michigan.
The AuSable Birding Trail is the eighth official birding trail listed by the Michigan Audubon Society. The borders are M55 to the south, 127 to the west, I75 to the east and Hartwick Pines to the north. The trail map identifies 22 birding hotspots in Roscommon and Crawford counties around those boundaries.
The creation of the trail was facilitated by the Roscommon County Economic Development Marketing Committee. It began when RCEDC chairman, Ed Bergeron, attended a Michigan Audubon and Sea Grant Michigan Birding Trails Workshop February 2017 at the Boardman River Nature Center in Traverse City.
Bergeron returned from that meeting very excited about the economic impact a birding trail could have in Roscommon County.
A grass roots committee of local birders from Roscommon County and Crawford County met along with the RCEDC marketing committee, with input from the Michigan Department of Natural Resources, to identify key sites for watching, identifying and photographing birds in the two county area.
This collaborative effort between Crawford and Roscommon counties led to a joint application by the Grayling Visitors Bureau and Houghton Lake Area Tourism Bureau for a grant. The monies granted, with 25 percent matching dollars split between the bureaus, went toward the production of the maps, signs for the sites and a webpage.
The birding trail will offer birders, naturalists, and general eco-tourists opportunities to explore diverse habitats in Crawford and Roscommon counties. The heavily forested counties have long been a delight for birders and a haven for endangered and migratory species.
The AuSable Birding Trail takes you through the woods and into the wetlands, from the protected nesting of the Kirtland’ Warbler to the towering aeries of the populous Bald Eagle. Birders, novice to expert, are invited to bring their eyes and ears (and binoculars and cameras) to the trails, woods, and waters of the AuSable Birding Trail for a rewarding birding experience. This is the first totally inland birding trail in Michigan.
Maps are available from the HLATB and GVB. They can be requested by emailing info@visithoughtonlake.com.
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Au Sable Media Group, LLC, is a veteran-owned company that owns and operates the Roscommon County Voice, Crawford County Voice, Michigan Boomers and Voice of the Au Sable.
Our focus is on the positive people and events that make Northern Michigan a great place to live, vacation, work and play.
We have been commercial printers and publishers since 2010, specializing in brochures, rack cards, magazines and other newspapers and publications. A new addition to our stable of marketing products are various promotional items such as shirts, hats, mugs, water bottles and much more.
Through our publications and website at UpNorthVoice.com, we cover the following communities: Roscommon, Houghton Lake, St. Helen, Higgins Lake, Grayling, Frederic, Gaylord, Lewiston, Johannesburg, Atlanta, Hillman, Fairview, Comins, McKinley, Mio, Rose City, West Branch, Hale, Glennie, Sand Lake, Harrisville, Tawas City, East Tawas, Oscoda, Au Sable AuGres, Standish, Omer, Sterling, Gladwin, Beaverton, Kalkaska, South Boardman, Fife Lake, Mancelona, Alden, Traverse City, and Waters.
Our staff regularly covers the following school districts: Roscommon, Houghton Lake, St. Helen, Grayling, Mio and Fairview.
We can also be found on Facebook at Roscommon County Voice, Voice of the Au Sable, Michigan Boomers and Crawford County Voice.
For information on promoting your business in any of our products please contact Tracy Constance at 989-275-1170 (tracy@upnorthvoice.com) or Walt Smith at 989-390-5359 (waltsmith1955@gmail.com).
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