The possible future of the UP wood industry

December 24, 2019

Many Yoopers are employed by the wood product industry. Companies such as Verso and LP help sustain our economy and provide us with products we use in our everyday life. One way to help an industry thrive is through new innovations and the wood product industry may have just that on the horizon. Cross-laminated timber, or CLT for short, is a wood product that has only recently started to be adopted in the United States. CLT is popular in Europe and Canada as a building material. CLT is a wood panel made from gluing layers of solid wood together for a lightweight and sturdy panel. ...

Deer proved scarce during hunting season

December 17, 2019

This year was the 60th deer season that I have hunted. It was by far the worst ever! I do not know where to put the blame, just would like to see some input from others. I hunt in northern Menominee County. It was in the “no baiting” area. The first four days, I saw five deer, one spike horn. The last 10 days, I did not see a single deer and never heard a shot. The first four days, I heard 26 shots from my blind — you can hear shots from miles away while hunting. Something was very wrong with this. For a month before the season, I would go check my cameras and deer movement ...

Please consider other trail users

December 12, 2019

I ride the area roads and trails by bike. After an advanced scientific and mathematical analysis of the amount of litter that has been discarded on the sides of area roads, I found that the litter consists mostly of beverage containers and that Busch Light is the most prolifically discarded container. The most littered areas are: 1. Lake Antoine Loop; 2. Hydraulic Falls Road Loop; 3. Quinnesec-Lake Antoine Road; 4. Pine Mountain Road. Litterers, please be considerate of the people who live or travel in our locale, and refrain from tossing empties out the window. Also, ...

Why do you put up with this stuff?

December 11, 2019

I repeatedly see ads on the television for supplements to Medicare. They are for the 20% Medicare does NOT cover. Have you given a thought to how much that might come to? Have you questioned why you need a supplement at all? You pay all your working life for Medicare and then it is only partial coverage. Why do you put up with that? I also saw a network nightly news program that showed people being taken out of various care centers and put on the street, without medicine or care, because their “benefits” ran out. How far are you from this, dear reader, if you find you have something ...

Suggestions for the giving season

December 10, 2019

This time of year many of us give to a charity. If you are wondering which charity you should give your money to, I urge you go to chartitynavigator.org. They have an impressive list of national and international charities with a breakdown of how they will spend your money. Great pie charts break down the amount that goes to the people directly and how much goes into overhead and administrative costs. I’m sure you will be able to find a charity that matches your values. If you want to give more locally, I suggest you go to one of the many schools in our area and pay down a child’s ...

Justifications for wolf control unfounded

December 6, 2019

EDITOR: The decision to delist wolves should be based on the best available scientific evidence and research, not unfounded claims or politics. In his recent guest opinion, state Rep. Greg Markkanen argued for the federal delisting of wolves because, “Pet owners and livestock farmers from nearly every U.P. county have horror stories of dogs and cattle falling prey to wolves.” This is a gross misrepresentation of the facts. The U.P. has approximately 900 working farms with about 50,000 head of cattle and more than 18,000 chickens. In 2019, six farms experienced a conflict. This ...