CNAS Collaborates on Sugar Bush Program

Participants begin their snowshoe to the maple trees

Mar. 23, 2026

Northern Michigan University's Center for Native American Studies (CNAS) is involved in a collaborative 2026 Sugar Bush ("iskigamizigan") program. Last Friday, a group met at the Vielmetti-Peters Conservation Reserve for a Spring Equinox event and ceremony, followed by a group snowshoe to identify maple trees that will be tapped for sap collection and processing.

Reichel Leads Ishpeming to Another State Championship

Apr. 3, 2026

After leading the Ishpeming girls' basketball team to its second MHSAA Division 4 state championship in three years, head coach and NMU alumnus Ryan Reichel announced he will step down after 14 years at the helm to spend more time watching his daughter play the sport.

Reichel at the 2024 State Championship (Detroit News photo)

Alumnus Releases New Book

Apr. 2, 2026

NMU alumnus J.C. Vande Zande (‘93 BS) released a new horror novel set in Michigan that continues his exploration of psychological storytelling and human struggle. “Blood of the Witness Tree” is a sequel to his earlier novel, “The Dance of Rotten Sticks,” and is set in Northern Michigan's Pigeon River Forest. It blends elements of literary fiction with horror, focusing on deeper themes such as anxiety, grief and the human condition.

J.C. Vande Zande and the cover of his new book

CNAS Collaborates on Sugar Bush Program

Reichel Leads Ishpeming to Another State Championship

Alumnus Releases New Book

Salamander Migration Has New Citizen Science Component

Reichel Leads Ishpeming to Another State Championship

Kovar Named MCLEAA Officer of the Year