By: Brandon Schroeder, Michigan Sea Grant
The Guide - December 2014/January 2015
Walking the woods, wading wetlands and scouring Lake Huron beaches - what more could a kid (or an adult) ask for in a fun-filled exploration of this remote location? Add Great Lakes scientists and an endangered dragonfly and the trip to this Alpena County state park just got a lot more interesting for some conservation-minded Alcona County youngsters.
During Summer break, the Alcona 4-H Environmental Science Club ventured here as citizen scientists to assist Friends of Negwegon State Park. Working alongside scientists from the Michigan Natural Features Inventory, the youth were on the hunt for potential habitat of the endangered Hine's emerald dragonfly. Armed with GPS units, maps of the park, muck boots and identification guides, they searched for invasive species that threaten the dragonfly's critical wetland habitat...