Matt Dursum | Author

From Greenhouse to Community Incubator

June 14, 2025

Tucked on the Frankfort Highway, just a stone’s throw from the Betsie River watershed, sits a former homestead that is now one of Benzie County’s most vital community hubs. Grow Benzie, formed in 2008 by the Benzie County Human Services Collaborative Body, is a rural prosperity … Read More >>

A Big Old Dose of Joy

June 14, 2025

Surfers and music fans will once again get to party in the sand at the second annual Beryl Days Festival in Empire, June 20 to June 22. The event is a celebration of Sleeping Bear Surf & Kayak’s founder, Beryl Skrocki, who passed away from cancer in 2022.

Beryl and her hus… Read More >>

Adventuring Beyond the Tourist Trail on Mackinac Island

May 17, 2025

Visitors may know Mackinac Island for its horses, paved bike trails, Grand Hotel, and the Revolutionary War era Fort Mackinac that overlooks the harbor. But beyond the crowded gift shops and popular hotels along Lake Shore Drive is a lesser-known side to the island. We got recommendations f… Read More >>

Inhabitect Is Bringing Nature Home

May 10, 2025

Green infrastructure and ecological landscaping are coming to northern Michigan thanks to the team at Inhabitect. The full-service firm started in 2013 with a mission to design, build, and grow living architecture, natural shorelines, and green stormwater infrastructure. 

&ldqu… Read More >>

Cleaning Up Trail by Trail

April 26, 2025

A historic ice storm ravaged the northern Lower Peninsula from March 28 to March 30. Freezing temperatures, damaging winds, and severe ice accumulation caused widespread damage in several northern Michigan counties. Besides the damaged electrical grid, which left thousands of people without… Read More >>

Preserving the Craft, Preserving History

April 19, 2025

In addition to turquoise waters, old-growth forests, and awe-inspiring views, you’ll find several historic buildings within Sleeping Bear Dunes National Lakeshore. When these buildings—some over 175 years old—need repairs, participants and craft workers from the National P… Read More >>

Michigan’s Marijuana Tax at Work

April 12, 2025

Cannabis has become a big business in northern Michigan, and local governments are putting tax dollars earned from dispensary sales to good use.

Lawmakers passed the Michigan Regulation and Taxation of Marihuana Act (MRTMA) in 2018. Through the act, local cities collect a 10 percent… Read More >>

A Taste of the Iberian Peninsula in Northern Michigan

Feb. 8, 2025

On Old Mission Peninsula, winemaker Barry O’Brien tends to his rows of tempranillo and graciano grape vines. Vine-by-vine, he clips away excess growth and inspects the plants for diseases while his two German Shorthaired Pointers, Bowie and Luna, frolic in the dandelions.

O&rs… Read More >>