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The river we know As expedition enters Lower Grand, the West Michigan landscape comes into view, and threats to health of the water become more complicated BY HOWARD MEYERSON PRESS OUTDOORS EDITOR
F
rom Lyons to Grand Haven, with the exception of the Fourth Street dam in Grand Rapids, the lower Grand River is open for passage. It was once the unobstructed province of Indians and French fur traders and, later, steamships. Today, the watery thoroughfare meanders through a changed landscape. The DISCOVERING OUR GRAND RIVER savannas and forests that once lined its banks have been replaced by modern features — a checkerboard of commerce, agriculture, homes, parks and playgrounds. Over the next six days, the Grand River Expedition members will see much of it up close: its beauty, its bounty and its unsightliness.
THE GRAND TOUR
“I don’t go downriver from where I live because the entire energy of the water changes,” said Bruce Ling, of Comstock Park. He has lived along the river for years. Ling prefers to fish upstream where, he says, the waters are cleaner. His favorites are catf ish, smallmouth bass, walleye, Bruce Ling northern pike. “I know that part of the river like the back of my hand,” said Ling, a professional fiddler and licensed electrician. “There’s a great blue heron rookery we like to check on and a bunch of great swimming holes. “But downstream there is no vibrancy. The river is flat. There are a lot of (factories) in Comstock Park and lots of impervious surfaces where the oil and anything on them washes into the river.” Scientists and others who study the river say the Grand is a mixed bag of good and bad. Beautiful naturally, scenic in many places, but communities along its length struggle with the byproducts of development. Andy Bowman, planning director for the Grand Valley Metro Council and staff coordinator for the Lower Grand Organization of Watersheds program, said the lower river is better than it was. Progress has been made controlling pollution, but sediPRESS PHOTO/REX LARSEN mentation and E. coli remain serious problems. Looking upstream: Many bridges cross the Grand in the urban landscape of downtown Grand Rapids. Visible The E. coli comes from farm runoff here, from top: Ann Street, railroad bridge, Leonard Street, Sixth Street, eastbound and westbound I-196, Bridge Street, the Gillette pedestrian bridge, Pearl Street, Blue Bridge (pedestrian), Fulton Street, U.S. 131.
Portages tough until firefighters come to rescue
Back on the water: Participants in the Grand River Expedition 2010 pass under a railroad trestle in downtown Portland on Tuesday as they set off in the morning, headed 18 miles downstream to Lyons.
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5-year-old died of traumatic brain injury, police say BY JOHN TUNISON AND NATE REENS THE GRAND RAPIDS PRESS
GRAND RAPIDS — Hank Schriever disagreed with authorities when they put his 5-year-old twin granddaughters in foster care in February, but assumed they would be safe. He was distraught to learn police think a foster care mother is responsible for causing the death of one of the girls, Emily Marie Meno. “My feeling is this never should have Emily Marie happened,” the Cedar Springs man said. Meno “That’s why I’m so cotmad about CONNECT ton-pickin’ the whole system.” Emily died Saturday Latest on at Spectrum Health possible arraignment at Butterworth hospital mlive.com/gr from a traumatic brain injury that happened late Thursday or early Friday. Police did not release the foster mother’s name. “She had blood on the brain,” Schriever said of his granddaughter. “The family went to the hospital late at night, and they stayed there overnight and all through the next day.” The death is the second blow to the family in two years. Meno’s halfsister, 10-year-old April Kirtley, was SEE DEATH, A2
‘No’ votes spark controversy for Amash In first term, he was sole lawmaker opposing 59 bills BY JIM HARGER THE GRAND RAPIDS PRESS
near the Grand and didn’t know much about it until we read the stories in The Grand Rapids Press,” Joe Peckins said. “Those stories made me want to get involved.” Afternoon: The first two portages of the day were meat-grinders, both nearly 100 yards, with the water between them basically lakes, making SEE PORTAGES, A6
SEE AMASH, A2
THE GRAND RAPIDS PRESS
Day 6: Portland to Lyons. 17 miles. 8 hours. It was one dam day — actually four of them that we had to get around. Morning: The paddle looked easy as we left Portland, but the river soon turned sluggish and wide, warning us a portage was near. The talk was of Verlon Kruger, the late legendary paddler, for whom a ceremony was held the previous night at his newly unveiled statue in Portland. His ghost has hovered over the trip, with people talking about him in hushed tones. But not everyone is a top paddler. Joe and Marilyn Peckins, of Lyons, joined in, even though he can’t swim and doesn’t like being on the water. “My wife and I lived our entire lives
Foster mom accused in girl’s death
GRAND RAPIDS — State Rep. Justin Amash says he’s being “principled, consistent and conservative” when he votes “no” on bills with which he disagrees or has not read. The Cascade Township Republican, now seeking the 3rd District Congressional seat, has been the only “no” vote on 59 bills in his first term in the 110-member Michigan House, more than any other state lawmaker. His opponents in Justin the GOP primary say Amash, 30, is an ideoAmash logue and libertarian whose aversion to compromise will hurt the 3rd District if voters send him to Washington, D.C. They point to Amash’s “no” votes on bills that toughened penalties for
UP NEXT
BY JEFF COUNTS
PRESS PHOTO/REX LARSEN
©2010, The Grand Rapids Press
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THE FALL CONTINUES
AROUND THE BEND: Quiet village of Saranac proud of its history, A7 NEXT LEG: Lyons to Saranac. Launching around 7:30 a.m. from Hazel Devore Park, arriving at Village Depot Boat Launch.
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WEDNESDAY, JULY 21, 2010
A7
Headed for a hike: Paddlers head toward the Portland Municipal Dam for their first portage of the day Tuesday on their way to Lyons.
OVER THE HUMP
GRAND RIVER EXPEDITION PADDLERS GET PAST HALFWAY POINT IN TREK TO LAKE MICHIGAN
PRESS PHOTOS/REX LARSEN
Around, not over: Rich Baily, left, of Mason, and Pat Lemson of Grant, paddle above the Portland Municiple Dam to a portage around it.
Anyway you can get there: At near right, Bob Crawford, of Lansing, left, and Chuck Amboy, of Okemos, put up the sail on Amboy’s catamaran to assist their paddle. At center, Don Potter portages his 40-pound canoe around Portland Municiple Dam. At far right, Monica Day and Larry Luce paddle out of Portland.
The Grand River Expedition is ready to take paddlers on the river’s lower portion. But first, the group had to work around some human-made obstacles as it traveled from Portland to Lyons, which also changed the look of the river at points. Photos from the series are available for purchase. Call The Press library, 616-222-5475.
AROUND THE BEND: SARANAC
Peace, quiet and a sense of history BY TED ROELOFS THE GRAND RAPIDS PRESS
SARANAC — Just down river from Saranac, Donna Smit believes she owns a piece of paradise. “It’s wonderful. It’s so peaceful and quiet,” Smit says, looking out from her grassy campground at a bend in the Grand River. “We have eagles. Blue herons. Cranes. Deer, turkeys, woodchucks, the raccoons, they’re all here. I love to be able to share this.” So it has been the past 35 years for Smit, who at age 81 still runs Riverbend Primitive Campground. That means quiet time at 10 p.m. No rowdy behavior. “If I can hear ’em down here at the house, then it’s too loud.” But that’s a rarity, just at it is in the village of Saranac, with its estimated 1,300 residents. The village traces its history to 1836, when a Grand Rapids judge purchased a section of land where Lake Creek meets the Grand River. By 1841, there was a sawmill. A few years later, a merchant built a warehouse to ship wheat to Grand Rapids. Stores, churches and schools followed.
PRESS PHOTO/REX LARSEN
All ashore: Donna Smit, owner of Riverbend Primitive Campground in Saranac, relaxes on the Grand River shoreline as several of her longtime campers fish and enjoy the sunset.
But its defining moment came not so much with the rush of flowing water as the blast of a train whistle. Local lore says the preacher at the Methodist Episcopal Church was in his pulpit in July 1857 when the first train to reach Saranac rumbled through, blowing its whistle. It was
the sound of the future. “Everyone ran out of the church and left the preacher standing in the pulpit,” said area resident Marilyn Cahoon, 78, a member of the Boston Saranac Historical Society. She stood in the building that shaped Saranac, the historic Saranac
Depot. Constructed in 1907, it is considered the last remaining structure tied to Saranac’s early growth and prosperity. Members of the society purchased the deteriorating depot in 1990 and raised funds to refurbish it. It was moved in 1994 to its current location along the railroad tracks at the north entrance to the village. It functions as the area’s museum, crammed with old photographs and mementos of life a century or more ago. At its peak, the railroad ran eightpassenger and mail trains each day “It was all-important,” Cahoon said. “The village really didn’t start to grow until the railroad came through.” But the locomotive era would fade in the 1950s, as the automobile supplanted trains. The community lost its movie theater. In 2001, the only supermarket closed. Still, Mayor Grieves has hope. “We take a lot of pride in the community. There’s a lot of families in town that have been here a long time. I can’t see it ever going away.” Contrary to the image of some small towns, Grieves insists there’s something for young people here as well. He notes its skateboard park is
FACT SHEET Saranac Some fast facts about this Ionia County community Area residents once gathered clams for sale to button makers. First train came through in 1857 Fish: Northern pike, bass, carp, suckers, catfish, walleye. Habitat: Supports abundant bird life, including eagles, sandhill crane and blue heron. often alive with boarders trying their latest tricks. “Downtown Saranac still boasts a hardware store, two barber shops, a hair salon, a pair of restaurants and a small discount store. It supports a volunteer fire department and public library. Residents take pride in its annual Bridgefest. And, of course, the river. Poised in a community park at the edge of the Grand, two workers were putting finishing touches on a repair job on a deck overlooking the river. As he put another screw into the deck, Mike Topp, 57, said he had been drawn to the river much of his life. “I started fishing with my grandfather when I was 8 or 10,” he said. “You never know what you are going to catch — catfish, walleyes suckers, carp. There’s northern pike. “It’s nice here.”