Aug. 14, 2008

Mackinaw City, Mich. - Between 8:30 p.m. and 10:30 p.m. on Aug. 20, explore the northwoods of Historic Mill Creek Discovery Park in an entirely new light ... that of the moon!

Jeff Dykehouse, park naturalist and curator of natural history at Mackinac State Historic Parks, will guide you through the flora, fauna and wildlife of the evening forest during this annual event. During the tour, guests will use their night vision, night senses and night hearing to explore the plants and animals of the forest. The 1.5-mile hike will start at the David A. Armour Visitor's Center and progress down the trail system along Mill Creek past Mill Pond, a working beaver dam, and a reconstructed sugar shack.

"I'll talk about how wildlife behaves differently at night," Dykehouse said, "how animals adapt to the night, and how we adapt to the night. It takes 15 minutes for our pupils to fully dilate, but once they do, we see one hundred times better."

Because of this, flash cameras and flashlights are not used during the hike because the light disrupts night vision. Flashlights can be brought along by adults for use in the parking lot only. Many night animals will be talked about, and perhaps seen, during the tour. These include bats, insects from wolf spiders to moths, and owls, porcupines and beavers.

"As we begin our walk," Dykehouse explained, "it's still pretty light outside, but as we go into the forest and time progresses it gets much darker. The difference between 8:30 p.m. and 10:30 p.m. is the difference between day and night. Your sense of hearing and vision will adapt to that darkness."

In fact, Dykehouse pointed out, people have just as good night vision as some mammals, but just don't realize it. On Aug. 20, the twilight hikers finally will!

Since the tour is limited to the first 25 participants, reservations are required ahead of time. They can be made by contacting April Nieman at (906) 847-3328. Reservations are accepted on a first-called, first-served basis. The tour admission rates are $15 for families, $5 for adults, $3 for youth (ages 5-17), and free for children four and under and Mackinac Associates above friend level.

Historic Mill Creek Discovery Park is the site of northern Michigan's first industrial complex. Its history dates back to 1790 when, due to the demand for sawn lumber on Mackinac Island, an entrepreneur obtained use of 640 acres along Mill Creek to build a sawmill. The property eventually contained the sawmill, a gristmill, many buildings, a large orchard and 40 acres of cultivated land. The sawmill ceased operation in 1839, and over the next century the land reverted to wilderness. Through the efforts of the Mackinac Island State Park Commission, an operating water-powered sawmill was reconstructed, and the site opened as a park on June 15, 1984. Over the years, many additions have been made, including nature trails, a sawpit with demonstrations and the American Millwright's House. This summer, the park introduced the Adventure Tour, which consists of the Eagle's Flight Zip Line, Forest Canopy Bridge and Nature Trail Climbing Wall, as well as a Forest Friends Play Area for children under 10 and the Water Power Station, an interactive 18th-century water wheel replica play and learning station that provides splashy fun for kids and adults alike. Hot and cold lunch foods and beverages have also been added inside the Visitor's Center.

Mackinac State Historic Parks, a pure Michigan family of living history museums and parks in northern Michigan's Straits of Mackinac, is an agency within the Michigan Department of History, Arts and Libraries. Its sites - which are accredited by the American Association of Museums - include Fort Mackinac, Mackinac Island State Park and Historic Downtown on Mackinac Island, and Colonial Michilimackinac, Old Mackinac Point Lighthouse and Historic Mill Creek Discovery Park in Mackinaw City. Mackinac State Historic Parks is governed by the Mackinac Island State Park Commission, established in 1895 to protect, preserve and present the parks' rich historic and natural resources for the education and recreation of future generations. Visitor information is available at (231) 436-4100 or on the Web at www.MackinacParks.com.

Read more press releases from the Department of History, Arts and Libraries (HAL).