PTE. MOUILLEE Directions, safety, units and cells, what you might find, and ... HOW TO PRONOUNCE "MOUILLEE"? We once asked one of the "rangerettes" at Pte. Pelee how to pronounce this French word and the answer was.................. "moo-eee-yay" Ron Haaseth U of Mich ---------------------- In response to the post about the Pointe Mouillee pronunciation, it is "Pointe Moo-yay" There is NO "L" pronounced. For the record, it is French for "wet point". Paul Cypher Lake Erie Metropark ================================================================= SAFETY From: "Mary Wise" To: birders@umich.edu (birders) Date sent: Fri, 28 May 1999 09:14:06 -0400 Subject: Re: Pt Mouillee Don't leave anything valuable in your car. There were a lot of breakins last year, especially at the Roberts Rd entrance. I've gone out there alone many times and feel pretty safe, but just use a little common sense and caution. Mary From: Sjcardinal@aol.com Date: Tue, 4 Jul 2000 22:41:18 EDT Subject: Pt. Mouillee To: lesser@mediaone.net This afternoon, July 4, between 2 and 4:30 PM my car was broken into at the Sigler Rd. entrance lot. While making the police report we were informed that breakins have occurred recently in the northern unit too. You have my permission to post this to mich-listers and mich-chat. Sharon Johnson From: "Tom Pavlik" To: , Subject: Re: Pt. Mouillee Date: Fri, 7 Jul 2000 12:52:10 -0400 To add to this, last Sunday I had my license plate stolen from the same location. From: "Tex Wells" To: birders@umich.edu Subject: Dark Ibis, car break-in, Monroe Co. Date: Tue, 24 Aug 2004 When I got back to the parking lot I learned that 4 cars, including mine, had been broken into, apparently at about 4:30 pm. They had smashed one of my side windows and damaged rather badly the metal below the window (meaning a trip to a body repair shop). The other cars were entered by breaking door locks. So far as I can tell, nothing was stolen from my car. The other folks, however, lost such things as sound equipment, CDs (200 from one car), fishing gear, and personal papers (e.g., a birth certificate). The sheriff that came out said that the break ins were the first in the area he knew about this year. Tex Wells From: Wild4birds@aol.com Date: Wed, 25 Aug 2004 05:27:12 EDT To: texwells@comcast.net, mich-listers@envirolink.org Cc: birders@umich.edu Subject: Re: Dark Ibis, car break-in, Monroe Co. This is a feeding ground for thiefs.....ALL law enforcement in the area know about the problems (Friend of mine in law enforcement that works in the area who shall remain nameless) use extreme caution when going to this area. Most of the occurrences are local teenagers who don't give a crap and would just as well bash you over the head than go to jail. ----------------------------------------------------------------- WHERE TO EAT! Date: Tue, 17 Aug 2004 15:35:15 -0400 (EDT) From: Deaver Daves Armstrong Subject: Great restaurant near Point Moo On your next trip to Pte. Mouillee enjoy a great breakfast or brunch at one of my favorite spots. Best bacon ever. The omlettes are amazing!!! The Dixie Cafe, next door to (not across the steet from) the Sunoco Station on S. Huron River Drive at the light. Dea ----------------------------------------------------------------- DIRECTIONS, ETC. Note: Dear Reader, there are several suggested routes listed here by different folks. Al From: pcypher@gatecoms.gatecom.com To: "Bruce M. Bowman" Date: Thu, 28 Mar 1996 19:28:53 +0000 Subject: How to get to PMSGA and get a map Here are the directions to Pointe Mouillee from Ann Arbor. [Items 3 and 4 don't look correct. I've marked words that I think are incorrect by XX..XX. Also see directions from Sarah Bandes. -- B. Bowman] 1. I-94 East to I-275 south. 2. Exit at the Will Carlton Road exit and proceed east. 3. This will take you into the town of Flat Rock. At the intersection of Will Carlton and Telegraph (M-24) turn left (XXsouthXX north). (There is a State Police Post at the southwest corner of this intersection.) 4. Turn right (east) on S. Huron River Drive. This turn is only a few hundred yards from Will Carlton Road. (So from Will Carlton, it is a left and then a quick right...) 5. Follow S. Huron River Drive through Rockwood. You will at one point pass under I-75. Keep going. 6. S. Huron River Drive will come to a "T" intersection with W. Jefferson (left) and U.S. Turnpike (right). To the left, a few hundred yards, is the entrance to Lake Erie Metropark. Turn right (south). 7. About 2 miles down, is a small saloon on the right side of the road called "The Silly Goose". Directly across the street is Campeau Road. Turn left (east) onto Campeau Road. If you are cussing and swearing at the size of some of the holes, you're in the right place. Follow this to the Pointe Mouillee State Game Area Headquarters. 8. Outside the front door of the HQ is a panel with various flyers. Some of these are maps of the Game Area. Now, to get from the HQ to the Game Area itself, do this: 1. Return to West Jefferson (U.S. Turnpike?) (via Campeau Road) 2. Turn left (south). This will take you over the mouth of the Huron River. 3. After passing over the River, turn left onto the first available dirt road. This is Sigler Road. The parking lot is at the end of the road on the right side. You should also see the large yellow gate at the end of the road. 4. Vehicles are NOT allowed but bikes are. Now, the map is, unfortunately, from 1991 but the general idea is there. The map shows (barely) a pump (a circle with an "X") just a short walk in from the Sigler Road lot. The unit on your right as you are approaching the pump is the Nelson Unit and that is were I had the bird on the return leg this afternoon. This morning, the bird was actually standing on the dike that seperates the Nelson Unit from the Bloody Run Unit. Well, I hope this helps. If you have any other questions. let me know... Paul Cypher Lake Erie Metropark pcypher@gatecoms.gatecom.com -------------- Date: Mon, 22 Aug 1994 13:58:37 -0400 From: dbs@superh.hg.med.umich.edu (Dave B. Sing) To: alb@umcc.umich.edu, dbs@superh.hg.med.umich.edu Subject: Re: Directions to Mouillee Al; First off I'm not sure of the construction situation ie: incoming roads from Indiana. Yesterday's visit was the first for me. I can say that if you can get on I-275, find the Flat Rock exit, which is Will Carleton Rd., and head east into Flat Rock. Once there, W.Carleton ends at Telegraph, from which you turn left (north) and find Huron River Drive amd turn right (east). this is a slow meandering road through residential areas, then out into the country again until you reach the town of Rockwood. Here H.riv. drive ends and you go south on jefferson (marked as 'turnpike' on the Delorme Gazeteer). You'll go through South Rockwood and get out into the country again. Look for the Pt. Mouilee Party Store at a poorly marked crossroad and turn left, around the party store. This is Roberts Rd. You'll see the landfill on the right, and various turnoffs to the left. Take the road to where a large yellow army corp of engineers gate blocks the road and park to the left. We walked out onto the causeway that is the control structure... mud flats and open ponds to the left, open lake erie and visible shoreline/ swamp to the right. Pelicans were in the large pool to the left, waders in the adjacent mudflats. Egrets everywhere! I guess there are other places to enter the Pt. Mouilee State Game Area that may provide better access. Also, the Erie marsh area to the south along the shore is supposed to be quite excellent as well. You might try one of the Bird Lords (Mike Kielb, Rick Nieubig, John Swales) for better directions/hints about the area. Thanks for the phone number, and best of luck! DBS Chelsea -------------- From: Sarah.Bandes@um.cc.umich.edu Date: Mon, 22 Aug 94 19:16:06 EDT To: birders@um.cc.umich.edu Subject: Pt Mouillee [REVISED BY BRUCE BOWMAN] I'm glad you asked. After we got thoroughly lost, I discovered that the Metroparks map has the main roads. Go south on 275 (not 23, as we had been told) to Will Carlton, which looks to be the fourth exchange after I-94. East on Will Carlton until it intersects with both Telegraph and S. Huron River Drive (from the map, this is more-or-less going straight). [S. Huron River Dr. is essentially just a continuation of Will Carlton. There is no street sign for it, but you will go straight through the intersection.] Follow S. Huron River Drive south-east [until it ends at U.S. Turnpike. (It's W. Jefferson to the left.) Turn right (south) and go 1/4 mile to Sigler Road and continue past for approximately 0.9 miles. Turn into the first turnoff (a parking area) 0.5 miles after the Pte. Mouillee Shooting Range. It's just before a bridge over the Huron River. There is no identifying sign at the parking area.] -- Sarah -------------- Date: Fri, 10 Sep 1999 15:25:03 -0400 (EDT) From: Macklin Smith To: Local Birders Subject: Mouillee today/Whimbrels All-- Enticed by Dave Sing's report of many shorebirds at Mouillee earlier in the week, my dog and I had a pleasant amble out there this morning. As I sort of expected, almost all of the shorebirds had cleared out with the recent front, but I did see the two Whimbrels that Dave reported (a new Michigan bird for me). It was very breezy, and a lot of birds were hunkered down, but I don't think I missed much. Huge Redwing Blackbird flock by the Sigler Rd. entrance. Barn Swallows with a few Rough-wingeds and one Tree. Lots of Great Blue Herons and Great Egrets. Lots of Ring-billed Gulls, a few Herring Gulls. Counted 19 Mute Swans, alas. About half a dozen Caspian Terns fishing with perfect flair, no other tern species seen. One Black-crowned Night Heron at the usual "logjam" spot. Hundreds of ducks, mostly Mallards but also quite a few Green-winged and Blue-winged Teal. Didn't see any geese; nor had a couple of hunters I chatted with. One warbler that I couldn't identify because it rode off with the wind before I could get my glasses up. The only good shorebird habitat I saw was the Huron River "beach," on the way out, which had three Killdeer and one Short- billed Dowitcher (by call), and the North Cell, where the two Whimbrels were, and also three peeps that I couldn't identify even in the scope, too far, but probably Semi-palmated Sandpipers. I didn't check the north part of the Lead Unit, however, which sometimes has good habitat. After circling around the North Cell, I headed north along the Vermet Unit and then retraced my steps, feeling fairly sceptical that there would be many or any shorebirds anywhere else, even with good habitat. For those who want to look for the Whimbrels, the North Cell is the empoundment east of the Vermet Unit (and the north part of the "banana"). If you walk out from the Sigler Road gate, you will soon be passing the Long Pont Unit on your right, then the Vermet unit (there's a sign). At the NE corner of the Vermet Unit, the "main road" bears right sharply, but you can also veer off to the left, clockwise around the North Cell. You'll see some cracked mud, and water with a grassy edge, lots of ducks on the shore. The Whimbrels today could be seen on this shore about half way out, across the pond. The cost of this trip included gas from Ann Arbor and $9.00 (with my coupon) for the Dog-O-Mat, which is imperative after a visit to Mouillee. There is great stuff to roll in out there. At one point I saw about 50 flies on Sadie's back, but even they couldn't clean her up. Macklin Smith University of Michigan Ann Arbor, MI 48104 macklins@umich.edu -------------- From: Wayne Fisher on 05/28/99 08:55:38 AM To: birders@umich.edu (birders) cc: (bcc: Mary Wise/Faculty-Staff/LSA/University of Michigan/US) Subject: Pt Mouillee I generally go in the Sigler Rd. entrance, but last fall the best shorebird habitat was most accessible from the Mouillee Creek entrance. My impression of the Roberts Rd entrance is that you have to walk a long stretch of dike across open water before you get to anything interesting. Be prepared to walk a long way in any case. Wayne Fisher wayne@horiba.com