I’ve seen the Jordan River of biblical fame a number of times, and being a Michigan native, I have to confess to being disappointed.  It’s now a badly diminished and muddy stream that probably resembles very little what it was in the days of the Exodus and later at the time of Christ.  The reason for its dismal appearance in the stretch south of the Sea of Galilee is that both Israel and Jordan are using its water for massive agricultural operations—leading to its being reduced to little more than an irrigation ditch.  Some surmise that in the not too distant future more wars will be fought over water than over oil.

Here’s what the Middle Eastern Jordan looks like near the spot where John the Baptist conducted his baptisms about halfway between Jerusalem and Amman, Jordan:

Although it does look sad at this point, at its source near the foot of Mt. Hermon it has a much fresher appearance:

The past few days I have been “up north” at the Au Sable Institute of Environmental Studies near Mancelona, Michigan.  Whenever I visit there, I have to get my  nature refresher and visit Michigan’s Jordan River.  Here is how that river is described by the Department of Natural Resources:

The Jordan River Valley is an 18,000-acre block of state-owned forest land in northeast Antrim County. Good wildlife watching and beautiful scenery are common along the Jordan River, Michigan’s first waterway to be officially designated as a Wild and Scenic River. Much of the area has been proposed as an old growth forest area. Access to the river valley is provided by local county roads and an18-mile hiking trail, the Jordan Valley Pathway, that winds through this portion of the Mackinaw State Forest. The Pathway contains several loops of varying lengths. One loop begins at Deadman’s Hill, which offers a spectacular vista of the surrounding countryside and river floodplain. A second breathtaking and popular vista is Landslide Overlook. Part of this Pathway is the North Country National Scenic Trail, that when finished, will extend 4,000 miles from New York to North Dakota.  Good probability of seeing wetland-related wildlife throughout this area. Beavers, raccoons, mink, otters, frogs, turtles, herons, and waterfowl all can be seen sharing the solitude of this beautiful river corridor. Most of the land is forested with a good mixture of forest habitats, home to many species of woodland songbirds and raptors. Hike the trails or slowly drive local roads for great wildlife viewing opportunities.

I spent several hours in the valley enjoying the sights, sounds, and flavors—especially the wild red raspberries that are found along the road in several places.  What makes the river so unique in its headwaters region is the white cedar logs that have fallen over the shallow stream over the years.  Because this cedar with its resinous interior is so resistant to rot, it was probably the most common fence-post material in north-central and north-eastern United States for centuries.  Cedars have fallen over the Jordan River and the exterior has rotted, but the interior is like a virtual concrete beam.  The result is that entire communities of wildflowers and plants have grown up on the decomposing exterior of these logs creating a cross-hatching of vegetation that are a wonder to see—a river of a thousand verdant bridges:

The habitat along the river is ideal for beavers, but if the beavers were not cleared out regularly by the Department of Natural Resources, it would soon be impassable for cars—a fact made clear to me a few years ago when RBC president Mart DeHaan and I tried to drive through the valley and were stopped by a tributary stream that had been dammed by beavers above the road.  The stream was originally some hundred yards away from the road—but now ran down the middle of it.  Those four-footed engineers had themselves a new pond and what had been a dry road was a stream for us to ford.  To get an idea of the capacity of these amazing creatures, I took a photo of one of the poplars they were in the process of taking down.  To get a sense of the scale here, consider that my Swiss army knife is just short of three inches:

I will be posting a couple more times on this wonder of God’s creation in the days to come.  In the meanwhile, take a look at this beaver video from the BBC:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kZVbKwDmr-o

See you outdoors!

Dean