Charles F. and Susan G. Glass - Page 7

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          The side of the bluff contains many trees (e.g., white pine,                
          cedar, spruce, oak, maple, balsam fir) and dense vegetation                 
          (e.g., juniper bushes and other shrubs).                                    
               Petitioners’ home on the property is sited on relatively               
          flat land on the top of the bluff approximately 45 to 50 feet               
          from the edge at the top of the bluff.  On a clear day, a                   
          beautiful panoramic view of Lake Michigan may be seen from the              
          home and from a further distance of at least 50 more feet towards           
          M-119.  Petitioners have chairs at the top of the bluff to enjoy            
          that view and to socialize.                                                 
               Species of plants that grow on the Lake Michigan shoreline             
          in northern Emmet County include Lake Huron tansy and pitcher’s             
          thistle.  These plants are considered to be threatened and                  
          require undisturbed habitats to survive.  Birds on that shoreline           
          include bald eagles, piping plovers, and kingfishers.  Other                
          wildlife in the area includes deer, bears, and raccoons.                    
               In the early 1990s, bald eagles were returning to the Lake             
          Michigan shoreline on and near the property, and the presence of            
          bald eagles along that shoreline is more common today than in               
          earlier years, when it was unusual to see an eagle on that                  
          shoreline.  An exceptionally old and high tree on the top of the            
          bluff of the property covered by conservation easement 1 (the               
          highest tree on the bluff for some miles) is an occasional                  
          roosting site for at least one bald eagle.  The property also has           






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Last modified: May 25, 2011