Doesn't northern Michigan (the peninsula) still have wilderness?

Walt is very right... Michigan has been logged. There are small
stands of virgin old growth that exist sporadically throughout
Michigan (unfortunatly many are more tourist traps than wilderness
experience)

I'm an avid paddler of both the Pine and the Manistee. I paddle the
Pine river numerous times every year, including an annual New Years
Day paddle. That said, the Pine and Manistee are located mainly
within the Huron Manistee National Forest. For the most part, the
shores of the rivers are undeveloped, and while they are not unscarred
by the actions of humans, they are beautiful and support natural
habitat for a variety of native plant and animal species.

I am one of those people who recreate on these rivers to gane some
measure of sanity from the live I live on a daily basis. And these
rivers have a worth to me. Currently as stated by others the Stronach
Dam is being removed from the lower Pine. The dam has been being
removed for about 5 years now, as the dam is no longer generating
enenrgy, and it precludes the natural migration of steelhead and
salmon into th upper stretches of the Pine to breed. With the removal
of this dam, the Pine will once again flow free along it's course...
The Pine does flow into the Manistee which is dammed at Tippy Dam
below where the Pine enters.

But, the upper reaches of these rivers flow though some very
attractive land which deserves to be preserved for future generations.
Sure it's not virgin unraped wilderness, but it's wilderness
nonetheless, and many Michiganders choose to enjoy this wilderness as
it is. Many of the people here in Michigan also support the
designation of the Pine and Manistee Rivers as wilderness waterways.
We here in Michigan are experiencing the same issues with development
pressures that everyone else is. We have essentially the same
population in Michign today that we had 30 years ago, however, we have
developed 5 million more acres of farmland and forest. Unfortunatly
that trend will continue so long as we are closed to setting aside
land for recreation and preservation of a semi-wilderness.

So if you ever get up to Michigan... bring a nice river canoe and I'll
take you on a tour of the Pine and the Manistee...and you will see how
beautiful they are... especially in the throws of a snowy Michigan
winter.

PK