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Beaver Island Birding Trail planning advances

Also Beaver Island Birding Trail planning 2014

Draft — sources verified, prose evolving

Locator map: Beaver Island highlighted within the Beaver Island archipelago
Took place at Beaver IslandLocator plate © OpenStreetMap contributors (ODbL 1.0); depths NOAA; names USGS GNIS. How the plates are drawn.
TypeEvent
Dates2013-09 – 2014-05-25
WithinBeaver Island
ErasModern era
On this page
Locator map: Beaver Island highlighted within the Beaver Island archipelago
Took place at Beaver IslandLocator plate © OpenStreetMap contributors (ODbL 1.0); depths NOAA; names USGS GNIS. How the plates are drawn.
Event
Dates
2013-09 – 2014-05-25
Kind
Announcement
Where
Beaver Island
Eras
Modern era
Concepts
conservationrecreationtourismcommunication
Within
Beaver Island

Summary

The Beaver Island Association’s September 2013 forum release and the January through June-July 2014 Beaver Beacon issues report that Birding Trail planning identified 33 public sites and secured major Charlevoix County Community Foundation support. The project included printed maps and checklists, eBird information, interpretive signage, a website, and a May 23–25 dedication with field trips and regional and national speakers. The March report describes a network spanning more than 12,000 acres and four Little Traverse Conservancy preserves, with Michigan Audubon among the partners; the June-July follow-up reports a well-attended launch and field observations. A May 31 Association post-event account reported 102 bird species in 24 hours, but that figure is an organizer report of submitted observations rather than an independent survey.

Evidence limits

The issues document planning milestones and the reported launch, but not the project’s later operating results or a complete species inventory.

Open questions

  • This record reports 33 public sites; the trail’s site count later grew to 34 (2017) and 35 (2024) in the wider record. When and by what addition did the count change past 33?
  • The March 2014 report describes the trail spanning “more than 12,000 acres” across four Little Traverse Conservancy preserves — which four preserves, by name?

If you can answer any of these, or correct anything above, the archive wants to hear it — see Corrections.

Sources

  1. A participant thanked Deb Bousquet for photographing the Birding Trail dedication the preceding Friday and referred to Kaylynn Jones as a new Beaver Island News on the Net reporter. This confirms contemporary community documentation of the May 23 dedication, but does not establish photo completeness, publication rights, attendance, or species results.
    forum · www.beaverislandforum.com · 07 · t007447
  2. The Association invited island artists to make bird-themed work for a Community Center exhibition planned for the May 23–24, 2014 trail-opening weekend. It documents an intended cultural component, not a completed exhibition.
    forum · www.beaverislandforum.com · 06 · t006856
  3. Beaver Island Association posts invited registration for the May 23–25 dedication and guided field trips, described available binoculars and bluebird boxes, and listed additional community food service during the weekend. These are organizer notices that enrich the program and community-preparation timeline, not independent measures of attendance, web traffic, or conservation impact.
    forum · www.beaverislandforum.com · 07 · t007335
  4. Beaver Island Association release describes 33 planned public-access sites, a virtual trail, maps, interpretive signs, eBird integration, and a planned May 2014 dedication. Later posts announce the site as active in February 2014. These are organizer announcements, not an independent audit of site count or launch performance.
    forum · www.beaverislandforum.com · 06 · t006824
  5. Beaver Beacon, January 2014, "News from the Townships."
    Reports 33 identified sites, grant and donor support for a website and printed materials, planned January website launch, a May 23–24 dedication, sponsors, signage development, and State outreach. No public copy of this file is known; the archive holds one and can provide it on request.
    data1 · beaver-island-archive · beaver_beacon · 2014-01_Beaver-Beacon
  6. The held January issue scan confirms the planning report.
    data1 · beaver-island-archive · scans · beaver_beacon · issues · 2014-01_Beaver-Beacon
  7. Beaver Beacon, February 2014, "The Birding Trail."
    Reports major Charlevoix County Community Foundation funding, 33 public birding sites, printed maps and checklists, eBird information, interpretive signage, a website, and a May 24–25 dedication with field trips and regional and national speakers. No public copy of this file is known; the archive holds one and can provide it on request.
    data1 · beaver-island-archive · beaver_beacon · 2014-02_Beaver-Beacon
  8. The held February issue scan confirms the Birding Trail development report.
    data1 · beaver-island-archive · scans · beaver_beacon · issues · 2014-02_Beaver-Beacon
  9. Beaver Beacon, March 2014, "Michigan Audubon Partners on Beaver Island Birding Trail."
    Reports Michigan Audubon's partnership, a trail spanning more than 12,000 acres and four Little Traverse Conservancy preserves, and a May 23–25 dedication and activity schedule. No public copy of this file is known; the archive holds one and can provide it on request.
    data1 · beaver-island-archive · beaver_beacon · 2014-03_Beaver-Beacon
  10. The held March issue scan confirms the partner and dedication update.
    data1 · beaver-island-archive · scans · beaver_beacon · issues · 2014-03_Beaver-Beacon
  11. Beaver Beacon, April-May 2014, "Beaver Island Birding Trail Dedication Celebration."
    Lists the May 23-25 dedication program, including an island-artist bird exhibition, school presentation, guided field trips, and conservation and birding speakers. No public copy of this file is known; the archive holds one and can provide it on request.
    data1 · beaver-island-archive · beaver_beacon · 2014-05_Beaver-Beacon
  12. The held April-May issue scan confirms the dedication-program announcement.
    data1 · beaver-island-archive · scans · beaver_beacon · issues · 2014-05_Beaver-Beacon
  13. Beaver Beacon, June-July 2014, "Behind the Scenes at the Beaver Island Birding Trail Dedication."
    Reports that the May 23-25 launch exceeded expectations, with about 100 people at the dedication, full field trips, and reported Golden-winged and Kirtland's Warbler sightings. No public copy of this file is known; the archive holds one and can provide it on request.
    data1 · beaver-island-archive · beaver_beacon · 2014-07_Beaver-Beacon
  14. The held June-July issue scan confirms the dedication follow-up.
    data1 · beaver-island-archive · scans · beaver_beacon · issues · 2014-07_Beaver-Beacon
  15. The Beaver Island Association’s post-event account reported 102 bird species in 24 hours, named host drivers and sponsors, described interpretive-sign placement, and relayed positive participant comments. These are organizer-reported results and submitted observations, consistent with the later Beaver Beacon account but not an independent attendance or species audit.
    forum · www.beaverislandforum.com · 07 · t007461
  16. The Beaver Island Association reported that the 2015 Warblers on the Water weekend documented 116 bird species in eBird and highlighted more than 200 Whimbrels. This is an organizer report of submitted observations, not a complete independent species inventory or attendance count.
    forum · www.beaverislandforum.com · 08 · t008876
  17. The Beaver Island Association announced the 2015 Warblers on the Water weekend for May 22–24, with expert-led presentations and field trips, and later reported that promotions were generating bookings and registrations near capacity. These are organizer notices and do not independently establish attendance or registration totals.
    forum · www.beaverislandforum.com · 08 · t008413
  18. The Association’s post directed readers to the Birding Trail Facebook page, documenting a later social-media outreach channel. It does not establish page reach, trail use, or conservation impact.
    forum · www.beaverislandforum.com · 10 · t010614
  19. A community bird-sightings thread recorded spring observations including eastern meadowlarks near the lighthouse, red-winged blackbirds, bald eagles, a ruby-crowned kinglet, and widespread ice around the islands. These are individual observations, not a systematic survey or species inventory.
    forum · www.beaverislandforum.com · 08 · t008566
  20. The Beaver Island Association reported that four numbered trips were full, the remaining trips had few spaces, and an inquiry had arrived from Ecuador. This is an organizer report of registration demand and international attention, not an independent attendance or economic-impact measure.
    forum · www.beaverislandforum.com · 08 · t008663

Added 6 August 2026. Recent changes

Cite this article

Beaver Island Archive, “Beaver Island Birding Trail planning advances”, https://beaverislandarchive.org/events/beaver-island-birding-trail-planning-2014/, accessed [date], citing Pam Moxham, "kudos deb bousquet," Beaver Island Forum, May 27, 2014. (and 19 further sources listed on the page).

Last revised 2026-08-06. Fill in [date] with the date you read it — this page is static and cannot know that.

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