Douglas Lake and More

So this was not so much a vacation trip, but it was a fun exploration of northern Michigan nonetheless, so I’ve decided to include it.

Douglas Lake, for those of you unfamiliar with Michigan’s geography, is located near the very tip top of the Lower Peninsula. I traveled there with part of my biology class for a 3-day long field trip. We stayed at the UMBS in Pellston, and explored both the northernmost portions of the LP, as well as some of the southernmost areas of the Upper Peninsula.

The goal? Exploring as many types of unique environments as we could find.

The result: Lots of spiders. We found over 20 species of spiders, including but not limited to burrowing sand spiders, black widows, and at least 7 different kinds of wolf spiders.

In all seriousness though, this was one of the best “school-sponsored” trips I’ve ever been on. I’ve lived in Michigan my entire life, and have done a decent amount of traveling/camping throughout both peninsulas, and even I was surprised at the vast amount of ecological diversity we found.

First of all, if anyone gets the chance to stay at the UMBS, it’s great. It’s for researchers and students, so it might be hard for “outsiders” to get a pass, but if anyone is interested in biological sciences, come here. The facilities include several 2-4 person cabins and a main lodge with dorm-type rooms for sleeping, and all of them are well heated and quite comfortable. We were there in the off-season, and the food was quite good too. Plus, it was situated on a very gorgeous lake which was host to quite a few loons.







The area immediately surrounding UMBS is quite amazing too. Our first main stop was the clear river system right nearby. These shallows streams connect into Douglas Lake, and run through a series of glacier-carved valleys. We hiked around here for a good 2 hours.

We also hiked through a burned down pine forest. Back when Michigan had a lot of logging, this particular area suffered from a huge forest fire that decimated the area. As a result, very few trees grow in this area anymore, and a sort of prairie has taken over. We found the most spiders here, including the black widows.

In the true spirit of camping, we packed our lunches and ate at a very beautiful dune. We looked for Petosky stones and didn’t find any, although I found other fossilized corals. This was also where we found the burrowing sand spiders. If you see a tiny little hole in the sand, it’s an indicator that they might be underneath. You can use a piece of dune grass to check: poke it in, and if it moves, there’s one underneath.

After driving over the Mackinac bridge into the UP, we explored a swamp area and walked along the beach. This particular beach had several shallows pools nearby that fish and other creatures were trapped in, creating microenvironments.

The first night, some of us brave souls decided to go swimming at UMBS. While the air was freezing, the lake temperature was quite warm!

We also visited some of Michigan’s bogs. We strapped on the waders and found wild cranberries, blueberries, and pitcher plants. And yes, more spiders :)

The last night, we went owling. We drove out to government-planted pine forest that had had some area cleared for electrical lines. We all laid down in the grass while the professor played a tape recording of barred owls calling, and a mating pair answered us back. Barred owls have a very distinctive sound: “Who cooks for you, who cooks for you all?”

On our way home, we stopped in Sturgis and waded in the river, looking for insects and fish that we dredged up with our nets. We did some preliminary counts, measuring river healthiness, and then we were back to MSU.

All in all, a very fun trip :)