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20-914: The Blue Lake Fine Arts Camp was founded as a non-profit organization in 1966 by the Stansell family, who remain the multi-generational proprietors of the institution. The camp is located on approximately 1200 acres in the Manistee National Forest in Michigan. It can host 4500 5th through 12th grade students across several 12-day sessions each summer. It operates FM radio stations locally and in Grand Rapids that are National Public Radio affiliates. For Central campers, several options for fine arts are offered, including theater, band, choir, art, dance, and many others. Campers may also choose from many options for minors, such as conducting or team sports. In addition to

40-713: A USGS survey marker, in which it misspells the hill as "Brier Hill". Caberfae Peaks Ski & Golf Resort is located in the Manistee National Forest, in the Caberfae Hills region that receives large amounts of lake-effect snow . The official opening was in January 1938, making it one of the oldest ski resorts in the US. Several rivers flow through its boundaries, most notably the Manistee , Pere-Marquette , Pine , Muskegon , and

60-726: Is a national forest located in the Lower Peninsula of Michigan . It has a total area of 540,187 acres (2,190 km ). It was established in 1938, and combined with the Huron National Forest in 1945 for administrative purposes, creating the Huron-Manistee National Forests . However, they are two separate forest units, as they are not connected. The area is popular for hiking, fishing, camping , boating , snowmobiling , cross-country skiing and hunting . The North Country Trail passes through it, and connects with

80-511: Is a unique feature of the Manistee National Forest. This relatively small area of 3,450 acres (14 km ), situated on the east shore of Lake Michigan is one of the few wilderness areas in the U.S. with an extensive lake shore dunes ecosystem. Most of the dunes are 3500 to 4000 years old and some stand about 140 feet (43 m) higher than the lake. The Nordhouse Dunes are interspersed with woody vegetation such as juniper, jack pine and hemlock. There are many small water holes and marshes dotting

100-607: Is available to all ages as well. Adult musicians may either stay on Blue Lake property in campers or tents in the Niblock campground, or find accommodation at local hotels. Blue Lake hosts international exchange students in the arts as well as organizing several ensembles of American students to travel to Europe and perform each year. These ensembles include, but are not limited to, concert band , jazz band , orchestra , and choir . These exchanges serve to expose students to other cultures and have been cited as “outstanding representatives of

120-518: Is held annually within its bounds. Dispersed camping is free on National Forest lands, as long as you follow the guidelines found on the USFS website . However, some rustic campgrounds do require a reservation or camping fee. A wood permit is required to cut firewood. Wood permits are valid for the Manistee National Forest only, and exclude the Huron National Forest. The Nordhouse Dunes Wilderness

140-514: Is in the Manistee National Forest, called the Kellog Plantation. In descending order of land area the Manistee National Forest lies in parts of Lake , Newaygo , Wexford , Manistee , Mason , Oceana , Muskegon , Mecosta , and Montcalm counties. There are local ranger district offices located in Baldwin and Manistee . The Lumberjack 100 , a 100-mile ultra-endurance mountain bike race

160-411: Is mostly forest underlain by sedimentary rocks, covered by a mantle of glacial drift as much as 1,000 feet thick. Glacial moraines , outwash plains, deltas, lacustrine deposits, and old shorelines are common. Soils originating from these landscapes are predominately sand. Aquifers within glacial deposits are common and feed thousands of miles of cold water streams at a relatively constant rate throughout

180-663: The Little Manistee . These were important for transporting logs to the mills during the lumber boom, and now serve as popular destinations for canoeing, fishing, hunting, and hiking. Among the many areas to hike is a 23-mile loop trail, which is formed with the Manistee River Trail and the North Country Scenic Trail. This loop can be accessed from the Red Bridge and Seaton Creek accesses (Manistee River Trail) and

200-505: The 11-mile Manistee River Trail to form a 23-mile loop. The highest point in the lower peninsula, Briar Hill (1,706 ft), is located here. The Manistee National Forest is not one continuous mass, but is a "mosaic" broken by private property and towns. The headquarters for the forest is in Cadillac, Michigan . Unique among National Forests in its creation, the Manistee National Forest was created from tax-forfeited lands and purchases after

220-492: The Central camp, there is the more relaxed Bernstein camp for younger students in grades 5th through 8th. Bernstein campers may choose between orchestra and band for their concentration. Blue Lake also offers adult camp programs. Like the youth programs, adult campers take part in daily instruction on their instrument as well as ensemble rehearsals. Access to the camp's recreational, elective instructional, and regular concert programs

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240-460: The Marilla and Upper River Road Trailheads (North Country Scenic Trail). Many backpackers plan 2–3 days to hike the complete loop, setting up backcountry campsites overnight. Briar Hill (Michigan) Briar Hill , at 1,706 ft, is the second-highest point in the Lower Peninsula of Michigan , behind nearby Grove Hill at 1,709 feet. It is entirely within the Manistee National Forest . The area

260-482: The Michigan School Band and Orchestra Association. At the urging of Fritz Stansell, Falcone shifted his focus to aiding the program at Blue Lake and became a regular staff member/artist in residence. Falcone would be joined later by other notables of the music education and concert band world, such as composers John Barnes Chance and Václav Nelhýbel . Following Falcone's death in 1985, Blue Lake became home to

280-687: The United States”. The camp has also initiated such experiments in multi-cultural cooperation as the Blue Lake in Bavaria concert band which was formed out of a mixture of American and European junior and senior high school students to rehearse and perform together over the course of a month. Prior to the founding of Blue Lake, Leonard Falcone , baritone virtuoso and Director of Bands at Michigan State University , had conducted many Youth Music at Michigan State summer camps in conjunction with, and support of,

300-415: The landscape and dune grass covers many of the dunes. The beach is wide and sandy. Briar Hill is the second highest point in the Lower Peninsula of Michigan , at 1,706 ft. It is of glacial origin and consists of mostly second growth hardwoods. There are no marked trails to the summit, which provides limited views of the surrounding area. The footings of the old steel firetower still remain, as well as

320-459: The leadership of President Theodore Roosevelt . In 1938, President Franklin D. Roosevelt established the Manistee National Forest. One of his primary goals was to replant the cutover areas, which was done by his recently created Civilian Conservation Corps , which employed young men during the Great Depression and was responsible for replanting most of Michigan's barren lands. The terrain

340-472: The logging era had ended. The large areas of cutover timber were not very suitable for farming, and much of the burned over forest land had still not yet regenerated to trees by the 1930s. Around the 1920s when reforestation and conservation was taking off in Michigan, there was a movement across the United States for the conservation of the remaining forests and wildlife, including on the federal level under

360-609: The new Leonard Falcone International Tuba and Euphonium Festival and competition created by his students in his memory and held at Blue Lake every year. This has become a significant annual event in the international tuba and euphonium community and is the leading American venue for these instruments. Leonard Falcone International Tuba and Euphonium Festival Solid Brass: The Leonard Falcone Story by Rita Griffin Comstock Manistee National Forest The Manistee National Forest

380-591: The year. The forest consists of a mix of hardwoods and pines, with red pine (pinus resinosa) as the most dominant species. A common feature of all Michigan National Forests are the large straight rows of planted red pines, which were planted by the Civilian Conservation Corps in the 1930s. Today many are over 75 ft tall and constitute a significant source of revenue from timber sales. The largest contiguous red pine plantation in North America

400-442: Was carved out during the last ice age , and retreating glaciers left large deposits of sand, which created Briar Hill and the nearby Caberfae Hills. The region is subject to heavy lake-effect snow from Lake Michigan . No official weather records are maintained on the hill. Fauna in the area includes black bears, coyotes, fisher, marten, mink, white-tailed deer, gray and red foxes, porcupines, river otters and beavers. Access to

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