Recent studies have shown that infants’ brains are reacting to external stresses, even while they sleep. Things like domestic conflicts, violence and other traumatic events can influence a person’s behavior later in life – even if they don’t have any conscious memory of the original stress.

Rob South

LANSING, Mich. – Recent studies have shown that infants’ brains are reacting to external stresses, even while babies sleep.

Things such as domestic conflicts, violence and other traumatic events can influence people’s behavior later in life – even if they don’t have any conscious memory of the original stress.

University of Michigan researcher and infant mental health specialist Julie Ribaudo says so-called “toxic stresses” can result in many different problems, including attention and learning problems, depression and anxiety, and even mood and anger regulation.

“It’s sort of like the best kept secret of why I think America is so violent,” she says. “It’s because we really don’t take good care of our children at a policy, national level.”

Ribaudo says the problem is especially serious with families in poverty that experience economic and other social stresses every day.

The Michigan chapter of the National Association of Social Workers is calling on state legislators to pass Medicaid expansion and increase access to childhood mental health programs.

Ribaudo says the first step in solving the problem is acknowledging that the problem exists.

“So, if we can first admit as a society that infants and toddlers are adversely effected by their experiences,” she says, “and sort of not protect ourselves from the pain of that, then we can begin to look at public policy, funding and training that can alter the course.”

TOPS Chapter 1229 Sand Lake honored some of their members for their accomplishments in losing the most weight in their divisions in 2012.

Division 1 Doug Allen; Division 2 Sandra Fisk; Division 3 Karen Heiss; Division 4 Barbara Lloyd-Trietch; and alternate is Tina Hansen. Martha Bobb was honored for reaching her goal to become a KOPS. The chapter honored Amber Allen for losing the most weight in 2012.

The chapter welcomes Tina Hansen to her new role as the secretary and Barbara Lloyd-Trietch as the co-leader and the contact for information if you are interested in visiting the chapter (616-696-8049). They have room for new members, men and women alike.

The Lady Red Hawks Track team traveled to Houseman Field in Grand Rapids, on Friday, May 19, to compete in the 14-team MHSAA Regional track meet.  The team scored 31 points and placed seventh in the meet. Senior Katie Weiler was the loan Red Hawk to qualify for the MHSAA State Finals. Katie qualified for the fourth year in a row. Katie will compete at the State meet in the 1600 meter run and the 3200 meter run. She was regional champion in the 3200 meter run with a season best time of 11:06.22. Katie also ran a season best in the 1600 meter run with a time of 5:08.8 to place second.

Junior Kayla Bohy placed 6^th in the discus with a throw of 92’ 6”.  Her throw was 10 feet improvement on her best throw of the year. Sophomore Marissa Oakes placed sixth in the long jump with a jump of 15’ 6 ½”. Senior Jeanette Sukstas had her best throws of the year in the shot put and discus of 30’ 1” and 87”. Both earned Jeanette seventh places. The 3200-meter relay team of Caitlin McClurken, Ellie Ovokaitys, Allie Veltkamp and Christina Dean placed seventh with a time of 10:47.89.

The team next competes in the Pioneer Classic on Friday May 24 at Ferris State University and then in the Daily News All-Star meet in Greenville on Tuesday May 28.

JV Conference

The Lady Red Hawks Track team competed in the non-scoring OK Bronze JV Conference meet at Greenville on Tuesday May 14. With only four girls competing the team took 4 first places. Ellie Ovokaitys was a double winner. Ellie took 22 seconds off her best time in the 1600 meter run winning in a time of 5:51.9. Ellie also won the 800-meter run. Alison Hall won the long jump with her best jump of the year of 13’ 8 ¼”. Alison also was second in the 400-meter dash and sixth in the 2oo meter dash. Ali Colley won the shot put and placed third in the discus with a season best throw of 64’ 4”. Vana Havens also set season best times in the 100 meter and 200 meter dash.

The Cedar Springs Area Select Soccer Association U9 team competed in the Cherry Capital Cup for the first time last weekend and made it to the championship game.

The annual Cherry Capital Cup took place this weekend in Traverse City CASSA teams from Cedar Springs ages 8-18 competed in the tournament. The Cherry Capital Cup is one of the biggest soccer tournaments of the year. Teams from all over Michigan travel every year to compete in the tournament. This year CASSA U9 competed in the tournament for the first time. The team responded to the pressure by being the only CASSA team to qualify for the championship by putting on their best performance of the year thus far. The team reeled off 3 consecutive victories by scores of 3-1, 4-0 and 3-0 by playing fast aggressive offense and had great passing, setting up goals from Alexis Carlson, Makenna Outwin, Mia Joppich, Lillian Briggs and Darrah Miller. The team also played shutdown defense led by Andrea Rios and Loren Riddle, and had great goalkeeping from Alexis Carlson and Elizabeth Fetting. Although the team came up short in the championship, losing to 5-0 to the Copathia Kickers, the team fought hard until the end and learned a lot from the defeat.

The Cedar Springs Middle School boys track team continued their strong tradition with an eighth consecutive undefeated season at 5 wins and 0 losses. In the past 19 years, the boys have posted 16 undefeated seasons.

The team ended their season by splitting into separate grade level teams to compete in two conference championship invitationals. The 7^th grade team placed first at their conference meet, earning championship honors with 155 points. The teams’ nearest competitor was Belding, who finished second with 116 points. The 8^th grade team finished in second place, 21 points behind Sparta.

The following is a list of 1^st place Conference Champions and their events:

7^th GRADE

John Todd………………………55 Hurdles, 200 Hurdles, High Jump

George Gonzales……………800 Run, Shot Put

Alex Merlington………………70 Dash, Pole Vault

Dallas Mora…………………3200 Run

8^th GRADE

Jacob Hooker…………………200 Hurdles

Troy Patin, Christian Twitchell, Jameson Pavelka, Austin Basso……..3200 Relay

Dustin Shaw, Jake Mead, Austin Ellis, Collin Alvesteffer…………………400 Relay

The guys enjoyed a great season due to their hard work, dedication and commitment to individually do what was necessary to make the team a success. Coach Martens and Coach Banagis would like to congratulate all team members on a fantastic season. A special “thank you” to all parents, staff members, high school coaches and athletes for always cheering our team on and for running great home meets.

Jack Payne with a large crappie caught on an action tail.

by Jack Payne

Tap, tap and down went the rod tip. Another crappie fallen to the Mr. Twister tail. We use the Mr. Twister tail, the Charlie Brewer Crappie Grub or the Beatle spins two ways. First is straight out of the package, spinner and all. The second way we remove the jig head and action tail from the spinner.

Before the spawn (which is now) and during the spawn (which might be next week or the following week), the jig head and action tails works best for us. Just after the spawn, when the crappie are cruising the weed lines, the addition of the spinner is huge.

Right now most of the crappies will be near their prime spawning grounds. On most lakes this means new cabbage weed beds or reed beds. The best way to find a cabbage patch is with your eyes.

Broadleaf cabbage have large leafs. A mature stand of weeds will often reach the surface during the summer. Right now a good patch might be two or three foot tall at best. A marl bottom area is often found with cabbage weeds.

A reed bed or a rice field is usually found in sandier soils and in shallower water. Most often this will be in a depth between 1-4 feet. The reeds will stick out of the water and are easily spotted.

Fishing the reeds means being stealth or making long casts and slowly working your lure back. Fishing this shallow water structure is best with a Carlisle Float and then the jig and action tail. Set the depth at two feet and work it in slowly.

Another option in the reeds is a long rod and fishing the jig vertically around each stand of reeds. We use rods between 12 and 14 feet so we can slide in quietly. Work slowly and patiently.

Cabbage weeds can be fished in the same manner but I love casting the jig out and retrieving it in slowly. Cast out and count down maybe to four. Then slowly reel in. If this fails then cast out, let it sink to the bottom and then start reeling in slowly.

Any crappie present will hit a slowly moving jig and action tail. Best colors, well I hate to say it, we use two colors 95% of the time. Yellow or chartreuse just pound the crappie. Some day’s one color is better than the other, but one of these two will work. Two anglers should each work a different color.

The best weight is a one sixteenth ounce followed by a one eighth ounce and then a one thirty second ounce head. The one sixteenth is hands down the best overall jig size. The Mr. Twister Tail is a high action tail. The Charlie Brewer is less aggressive, much like a minnow gliding through the water. Both are our favorites and we switch back and forth throughout the day.

Memorial Day weekend is normally pushing the envelope around our area for spawning fish. The crappie will pull out the weed edge gouging on new minnows. This is when the spinner really shines.

Cast the spinner out and count down to half of the depth. In ten feet of water count down to five, then start reeling in slowly. Sometimes you will feel a tap tap; other times just heaviness on your line. No need for a power hook set, just a snap of the wrist and the battle is on.

The Beatle Spin is a great search lure and deadly on active fish. When the fish are less aggressive or when sitting tight to a bed, then the jig head is best. Once the water hits the high fifties and into the low seventies the crappie will be found near cabbage weeds and most often around the reed and rice beds.

Active-duty military members who enlisted as Michigan residents and have maintained residence status can now obtain annual Michigan fishing or hunting licenses free of charge, the Michigan Department of Natural Resources announced this week.

To qualify, persons must be active-duty U.S. military members and, at the time of enlistment, must have been residents of Michigan and must have maintained residence status for the purposes of obtaining a driver’s license or voting. These individuals may receive, free of charge, a resident military all-species fishing license or any hunting license for which a lottery is not required.

Applicants must present proof of military status when applying for the free license. Proof of military status may include military I.D., leave papers, duty papers, military orders or other evidence verifying that the applicant is a member of the military. The licenses are available at DNR Customer Service Centers and at license retail outlets statewide.

Previously, military members paid $1 for a resident all-species fishing license or hunting license not requiring a lottery. The change is part of Public Act 21 of 2013.

Military members receiving a free fishing or hunting license must present the license, along with proof of military status, if requested by a conservation officer.

As always, non-resident, active-duty military personnel officially stationed in Michigan may purchase all hunting and fishing licenses at Michigan resident rates.

Spring flowers are blooming weeks later than normally expected this year. Last year they were weeks earlier than expected.

Here are some comparison dates from Ody Brook Sanctuary:

Wild Flowers 2012 2013

Narrow-leaved Spring Beauty 19 March 25 April

Trout Lily or Adder’s Tongue 7 April 28 April

Large-flowered Trillium 19 April 6 May

Pussy-toes 7 April 5 May

Common Dandelion 1 April 2 May

Yellow Rocket 19 April 8 May

Spring Cress 29 March 28 April

Wild Geranium 23 April 8 May

Wood Anemone 6 April 3 May

Common Blue Violet 31 March 4 May

Trees

Serviceberry 21 March 1 May

Quaking Aspen 13 March 17 April

Red Maple 21 March 27 April

Silver Maple 13 March 15 April

Weather is short-term change in temperature, wind and precipitation. It is different than climate. Weather is greatly influenced by climate and can have catastrophic impacts on our lives, incomes, and ability to live in some areas. It affects human lives and the lives of plants and animals. As climate changes, it affects long-term timing and success of species to reproduce and maintain populations. It is not something observed well within a few decades. Centuries are needed to adequately track changes in climate. We can of course monitor clues and make scientific predictions that have reasonable accuracy.

Weather is short-term changes occurring hourly, daily, weekly, and monthly. With computer modeling, weather forecasters are quite good at predicting fairly accurately expected weather for 7 to 10 days. Beyond that computer data crunching provides somewhat reasonable predictions for the next month or two. The accuracy diminishes with increased predictions projections.

That brings us to climate predictions. Climate is long-term averages of weather patterns that include temperature, precipitation, and winds. Clearly global temperature is increasing rapidly and has already changed livability in some areas. With no high ground some islands are experiencing flooding while other areas are experiencing desertification. People need to be relocated. Plants and animals indigenous to those islands are dying as sea level covers land or less precipitation limits survival.

Annually weather changes are become erratic and stressing life. When flowers bloom too early, they are likely to be killed by frost later in the season. This happened last year and we noticed it with the loss of apple and cherry fruits among other things. Some flower emergence changes are resulting in blooming at times different from insect pollinator occurrence and this reduces their reproductive success.

Last week global atmospheric carbon reached 400 parts per million compared with 280 ppm being the norm 150 years ago and 315 ppm in 1958. It is clear that human caused carbon release into the atmosphere is changing climate. This is having some immediate effects but the greatest impacts will affect our children and grandchildren. Our life style and abundance has consequences for our families and nature niches. We determine how much carbon we add to the atmosphere by how we live our daily lives. Act locally and think globally.

Natural history questions or topic suggestions can be directed to Ranger Steve (Mueller) at the odybrook@chartermi.net Ody Brook, 13010 Northland Dr, Cedar Springs, MI 49319-8433.

by Melinda Myers

They’re cute, they’re furry and they love to eat – your landscape that is.  If you are battling with rabbits, deer, groundhogs or other wildlife, don’t give up.  And if you are lucky enough to be wildlife-free at the moment, be vigilant and prepared to prevent damage before these beautiful creatures move into your landscape to dine.

Anyone who has battled wildlife knows the frustration and difficulty involved in controlling them. Your best defense is a fence. A four-foot-high fence anchored tightly to the ground will keep out rabbits. Five-foot high fences around small garden areas will usually keep out deer. They seem to avoid these small confined spaces. The larger the area the more likely deer will enter. Woodchucks are more difficult. They will dig under or climb over the fence. You must place the fence at least 12 inches below the soil surface with 4 to 5 feet above the ground. Make sure gates are also secured from animals.

Some communities allow electric fences that provide a slight shock to help keep deer out of the landscape. Another option is the wireless deer fence. The system uses plastic posts with wire tips charged by AA batteries. The plastic tip is filled with a deer attractant.  When the deer nuzzles the tip it gets a light shock, encouraging it to move on to other feeding grounds.

Scare tactics have been used for many years. Motion sensitive sprinklers, blow up owls, clanging pans and rubber snakes strategically placed around a garden may help scare away unwanted critters. Unfortunately urban animals are used to noise and may not be alarmed. Move and alternate the various scare tactics for more effective control.  The animals won’t be afraid of an owl that hasn’t moved in two weeks.

Homemade and commercial repellents can also be used. Make sure they are safe to use on food crops if treating fruits and vegetables. You’ll have the best results if applied before the animals start feeding. It is easier to prevent damage than break old feeding patterns. Look for natural products like those found in Messina Wildlife’s Animal Stopper line. They are made of herbs and smell good, so they repel animals without repelling you and your guests.

Live trapping can be inhumane and should be a last option. Babies can be separated from their parents, animals can be released in unfamiliar territory, and trapped animals can suffer from heat and a lack of food and water. Plus, once you catch the animal, you need to find a place to release it. The nearby parks, farms and forests already have too many of their own animals and therefore they don’t want yours.

The key to success is variety, persistence, and adaptability. Watch for animal tracks, droppings and other signs that indicate wildlife have moved into your area. Apply repellents and install scare tactics and fencing before the animals begin feeding. Try a combination of tactics, continually monitor for damage and make changes as needed.  And when you feel discouraged, remember that gardeners have been battling animals in the garden long before us.

Gardening expert, TV/radio host, author & columnist Melinda Myers has more than 30 years of horticulture experience and has written over 20 gardening books, including Can’t Miss Small Space Gardening. She hosts the nationally syndicated Melinda’s Garden Moment TV and radio segments and is a columnist and contributing editor for Birds & Blooms magazine. Myers’ web site, www.melindamyers.com, features gardening videos, gardening tips, podcasts, and more.    

(NAPS)—Many homeowners looking to maximize the efficiency of their outdoor water use turn to drip irrigation systems as a solution for keeping weeds, diseases, garden pests, scorching heat and high water bills at bay. Drip irrigation systems are easily set up by even a novice gardener and will deliver an immediate water savings as they place the exact amount of water slowly and evenly at the plant’s roots—where it’s needed most.

Here are some drip basics to help you save water:

1. Start by estimating the water needs of your plants. Knowledgeable and helpful staff at a garden center can assist you in determining just how much water your plants need to be healthy. Different plants will have different requirements depending on their variety and the conditions of your yard, such as sun exposure and soil type.

2. Drip systems can either be incorporated into an existing automatic sprinkler system or through a manual connection to an outdoor hose faucet. A manual hose-end connection can also be easily automated by using a battery-operated timer such as the Rain Bird Electronic Garden Hose Watering Timer.

3. For optimum performance, keep your water pressure under control with a pressure regulator. These simple devices keep your water pressure in the ideal range of within 20 to 50 psi. Drip systems are most efficient when operating at the correct pressure.

4. Include a filter in your system to prevent clogging. Drip uses smaller diameter openings than traditional sprinklers, so tiny bits of dirt and debris may clog your system if you don’t use a filter. The good news is that filters are relatively inexpensive and easy to install.

A well-designed drip irrigation system will lose practically no water to runoff, deep percolation or evaporation. Steady, consistent watering can also lower plant stress, which leads to healthier and happier plants while lowering your water bill.

Rain Bird, a global leader in irrigation technology, offers an online step-by-step guide to drip irrigation in addition to interactive demos and a drip calculation program to help homeowners and contractors design and schedule drip irrigation systems correctly. You can check it out at www.rain bird.com.