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| You're here:
MiBSAR's home page Page contents: • Special Operations Blog • Chimo!—Welcome to MiBSAR • MiBSAR's special ops SAR team • MiBSAR's special ops SAR services • MiBSAR's advisory board • SAR cold-cases being researched • MiBSAR's origins • Emergency SAR operations • Contact MiBSAR |
Revised on
July 30, 2010 12:50 PM
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by Michael A. Neiger
MiBSAR launches investigative Web site in support of State Police task force investigating disappearance of Mary Tautkus
MiBSAR
has designed and uploaded an investigative Web site in support of a Michigan
State Police task force that is investigating the disappearance of Mary
Ann Tautkus, a 64-year-old white female who was last seen in the Eben
Junction, Michigan area in January of 2009.
She was last seen by her husband in May of 2009 when he dropped her off in the St. Ignace, Michigan area to meet an unknown female with whom she was going to visit the Detroit, Michigan area.
He reported her missing on August 31, 2009.
A task force of five State Police detectives is currently investigating this case; foul play is suspected.
Click
here or on image at right for high-resolution imagery visit f Mary
Tautkus' investigative Web site.
07-30-10
MiBSAR uploads new Map Datum primer to the Net
MiBSAR has uploaded a 5,500-word primer on Map Datums to the Internet...
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Know your map datums! Correct map-datum selection is essential for team-level operational accuracy as well as joint interoperability among different agencies If you're a ground pounder coordinating with nautical and/or aerial assets—irrespective of whether you're using the Lat/Lon or UTM coordinate system—keep in mind most current nautical and aeronautical charts are based on the NAD 83 (or WGS 84) map datum, not the NAD 27 datum common to most current USGS quadrangles. Map-datum selection or conversion errors are blamed for numerous friendly-fire accidents—some of the deadliest— in U.S. conflicts such as the 1990-1991 Persian Gulf War (Desert Storm), the 2001-current War in Afghanistan (Operation Enduring Freedom), the 2003-current Iraq War (Operation Iraqi Freedom).
(Imagery courtesy of the US National Geospatial-Intelligence Agency) |
With hundreds of local, regional, national, and continental map datums in existence across the globe, it's essential that land navigators and cartographers know what particular map datum is associated with every set of map coordinates, irrespective of whether they are Latitude/Longitude (Lat/Lon) coordinates or Universal Transverse Mercator (UTM) coordinates obtained from quadrangles, global positioning system (GPS) units, or digital mapping software programs.
Map datum mismatches can result in significant errors in accuracy, up to 200 or 300 meters in the conterminous United States, and perhaps up to 1,600 meters in some regions of the world.
And datum shift is not constant—significant, systematic distortions occur over large areas.
The Rock of Ages Lighthouse just off the western tip of Lake Superior's Isle Royale offers a good example of the consequences of failing to account for different map datums.
When the lighthouse's NAD 83 coordinates are plotted on the USGS 1:24,000 Feldtmann Lake OEW, Michigan quadrangle—which is married to the NAD 27 map datum—the error is substantial, especially if one were navigating a storm or fog.
While the easting coordinate error is nominal, only 2 meters, the northing coordinate error is more significant: 207 meters....read more.
Primer table of contents....
- Introduction
- Spheroids, geoids, & ellipsoids
- Evolution of North American-specific
map datums
- New England Datum of 1879
- United States Standard Datum of 1901
- North American Datum of 1913
- North American Datum of 1927
- North American Datum of 1983
- Evolution of global-wide
map datums
- World Geodetic System of 1960
- World Geodetic System of 1966
- World Geodetic System of 1970
- World Geodetic System of 1972
- World Geodetic System of 1984
- Locating map datum information
- Paper maps
- GPS units
- Mapping software
- Converting coordinates between map datums
- Map datum errors
- Reminders
- References
To learn
more about map datums, click here.
07-23-10
MiBSAR uploads revised Lat/Lon primer to Net
MiBSAR has uploaded a revised and updated 11,100-word primer on the latitude-longitude coordinate system to the Internet...
Today's
latitude/longitude coordinate system is an extremely accurate and unambiguous
way to describe any location on the earth’s surface. Of all the geographic
coordinate systems, it is the one most often found on maps, charts, and
globes. It is also the most commonly understood and often used coordinate
system in existence.
The system consists of an imaginary, two-coordinate grid overlaid on the earth’s spherical surface. The grid framework consists of an unlimited number of parallels of latitude, which are represented by the horizontal lines on a map or globe, and meridians of longitude, which are represented by the vertical lines on a map or globe.
The
grid system’s zero point--0° latitude and 0° longitude--is
defined as the place where the north-south running system base line, known
as the prime meridian, crosses the east-west system base line, known as
the equator. It is situated in the Gulf of Guinea in the Atlantic Ocean,
about 375 miles south of the coast of Accra, Ghana, in western Africa.
A specific location within the latitude/longitude grid system is described by two angular descriptors, both of which are measured with respect to the center, or core, of the earth. A location’s latitudinal descriptor is represented by the angular deviation of its local parallel from the equator, or zero-degree line of latitude. A location’s longitudinal descriptor is represented by the angular deviation of its local meridian from the prime meridian, or zero-degree line of longitude.
By design, no two locations on the earth’s surface can have the exact same parallel and meridian combination. In other words, every latitude/longitude coordinate combination identifies a unique and individual geographical location on the earth’s surface...read more.
Primer table of contents...
- Introduction
- History of lat/lon system
- Parallels of latitude
- Introduction
- Notable parallels
- Arctic circle
- Tropic of Cancer
- Equator
- Tropic of Capricorn
- Antarctic circle
- Latitudinal coordinates
- Meridians of longitude
- Introduction
- Notable meridians
- Prime meridian
- International date line
- Longitudinal coordinates
- Calculating & plotting lat/lon coordinates
on topo maps
- Introduction
- Drawing the lat/lon grid on maps
- Using a lat/lon plotter
- Commercial lat/lon plotters
- Improvised lat/lon plotters
- 1:20,000-scale lat/lon plotters
- 1:24,000-scale lat/lon plotters
- 1:25,000-scale lat/lon plotters
- 1:50,000-scale lat/lon plotters
- Lat/lon & UTM format conversion utilities:
- Introduction
- Lat/lon & UTM format conversion
Web sites
- Lat/lon to lat/lon format conversions
- Lat/lon to UTM format conversions
- UTM to lat/lon format conversions
- Downloadable lat/lon format conversion utilities
- Lat/lon & UTM format conversion via GPS units
- Lat/lon format manual conversion formulas
- Deg-Min-Sec format to Deg-Min format
- Deg-Min-Sec format to Deg format
- Deg-Min format to Deg format
- Deg-Min format to Deg-Min-Sec format
- Deg format to Deg-Min format
- Deg format to Deg-Min-Sec format
- Lat/lon coordinate lookup Web sites
- References
07-18-10
White Gravel Canyon mystery plane wreckage investigation update
MiBSAR's investigation of the wing-rib plane wreckage found in Canada's White Gravel Canyon continues.
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| Introduced in 1956, the Cessna 172 Skyhawk pictured above is still in production today. Over 43,000 of these four-seat, 160-horsepower, single-engine, fixed-wing airframes have been manufactured to date. The 27-foot-long 172 has a wingspan of 36 feet, a cruising speed of 140 mph, and a range of 790 miles. | |
MiBSAR has identified one missing airframe along the north shore of Lake Superior as a Cessna 172 that went missing in July of 2005.
A single-engine Cessna 172 piloted by Dr. Ness Amano of Marathon, Ontario has been missing since mid-afternoon on July 24, 2005. He was reported missing by coworkers on August 2 when he failed to show up for work.
Neither Dr. Amano nor his plane have been seen or heard from since they departed the Sault Ste. Marie, Ontario airport, perhaps on a local flight, or en route to Marathon. Investigators said Amano's normal route was along Kings Highway 17, which involved 140- and 110-km legs along the eastern and northeastern shores of Lake Superior.
The Canadian Air Force, Canadian Coast Guard, and Civil Air Search and Rescue Association (CASARA) combed a 30,000-km-square area for Amano's plane without finding a trace.
Assets involved ground searchers, helicopters, planes, and boats: seven military aircraft, two CASARA aircraft with several spotters, two coast guard vessels, and two coast guard auxiliary vessels. Canadian Forces reportedly expended $692,000 during the search effort.
Dr. Amano was a single, 45-year-old dentist who practiced dentistry at the Marathon Dental Clinic in Marathon, Ontario for 20 years. An intensely-private outdoorsman, he had a camp east of Marathon. VFR-rated, he was reportedly a perfectionist, very cautious and meticulous when it came to his plane and flying.
In 2008, Tom Farnquest, the man who recovered the Edmund Fitzgerald's bell from the depths of Lake Superior, searched Batchawana Bay with a Phantom S4 ROV for Amano's plane without success.
MiBSAR is working on getting some aerial reconnaissance of White Gravel Canyon—perhaps in late fall or early spring when the foliage is down—prior to an extensive ground search in 2011.
MiBSAR's efforts to identify other planes missing along the north shore of Lake Superior continue as, according to the August 6, 2008 edition of The Sault Star (Sault Ste. Marie, Ontario), there are at least four missing planes in the region.
Learn more about this crash
investigation as well as the 2011
SAR expedition aimed at finding and identifying this mystery airframe
in White Gravel Canyon.
07-18-10
MiBSAR uploads crime-scene-investigation (CSI) pages
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MiBSAR has just uploaded one of the most comprehensive lists of crime-scene-investigation (CSI) books on the Internet.
A companion page includes crime-scene-processing
Internet links.
07-17-10
MiBSAR welcomes Brooks-Range Mountaineering Equipment Co., of Fremont, California as its latest corporate sponsor
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Pro gear for everyone
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MiBSAR is pleased to welcome Brooks-Range Mountaineering Equipment Co., of Fremont, California as its latest corporate sponsor.
Brooks-Range is a leading manufacturer of mountaineering and outdoor equipment, much of it high-end, specialized mountaineering gear that's become a favorite of backcountry professionals—especially search-and-rescue team members, ski guides, and ski patrollers.
It's innovative, top-quality, backcountry gear has been field tested by some of the world's top mountaineering, avalanche, and backcountry professionals, many of whom form the core of the company's Advisory Board.
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Matt Brooks, founder of the Fremont, California-based
Brooks-Range
Mountaineering Equipment Co. (Photo courtesy of Caroline
George's Blog post on the 2010 Outdoor Retailer Show in Salt
Lake City, Utah.)
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Brooks-Range is a proud supporter of organizations promoting wilderness education and safety including the American Mountain Guide Association, Association of Canadian Mountain Guides, American Avalanche Association, Canadian Avalanche Association, and the American Institute for Avalanche Research and Education.
The privately-held company was founded in 1995 by Matt Brooks, an avid mountaineer, certified mountain guide, and member of the American Mountain Guides Association.
Matt is credited with the first ascent of Galactic Hitchhiker, the longest technical rock climb in North America.
In addition, Matt holds US national and international aviation records for Speed Around the World, C-1 & C-1.d, Group III. He also holds 68 US national or international aviation records, including Distance without Landing and Trans-Continent Speed records.
View Brooks-Range's Web catalog or PDF catalog.
Click
here to learn about MiBSAR's other partners and sponsors.
07-16-10
MiBSAR distributes Mary Tautkus missing-person poster in support of State Police task force
MiBSAR
is producing and distributing missing-person posters in support of the
Munising State Police Post's investigation into the disappearance of Mary
Ann Tautkus, a 64-year-old white female who was last seen in the Eben
Junction, Michigan area in January of 2009.
She was last seen by her husband in May of 2009 when he dropped her off in the St. Ignace, Michigan area to meet an unknown female with whom she was going to visit the Detroit, Michigan area.
He reported her missing on August 31, 2009.
A task force of five State Police detectives is currently investigating this case in which foul play is suspected.
MiBSAR is also assisting task force detectives with a missing-person Web site and other special operations.
Click
here or on image at right for high-resolution imagery.
07-15-10
Mark your calendars—Tip Top Mountain Expedition and Bush Plane Crash Site SAR Field Operation set for July 31 to August 12, 2011 in Pukaskwa National Park
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| We'll be chartering the 30-foot, catamaran (twin hulls) landing craft pictured above for our insertion and extraction, hopefully at the mouth of the White Gravel River and in White Spruce Harbor, respectively. Captained by Keith McCuaig of McCuaig Marine Services in Marathon (mccuaigmarine@shaw.ca, 807-229-0193), it's capable of transporting 12 passengers and rucks. Custom-built in 2008 by Armstrong Marine, Inc., in Port Angeles, Washington, the catamaran has an electric-hydraulic ramp and is powered by twin gas outboards—4-cycle Yamaha 250s. |
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The above plane wreckage—believed to be a wing rib—was found in White Gravel Canyon in a remote Pukaskwa National Park canyon during a 2005 Canadian backpacking expedition. Click here to read more about this investigation. (Photo courtesy of Mary Powell) |
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| The wing cross-section, including an intact rib, is likely from a small bush plane, perhaps one about the size of the deHavilland Canada DHC-2 Beaver pictured above. Click here to read more about this investigation. |
MiBSAR's late-summer 2011 Canadian Backpacking Expedition—Tip Top Mountain Expedition and Bush Plane Crash Site Field Operation—has been set for July 31 to August 12.
This 13-day, 40-klick (kilometer) minimum expedition will involve MiBSAR's first attempt at summitting Tip Top Mountain.
This rocky peak was regarded as the pinnacle of Ontario from its discovery in 1899 until improved cartographic techniques pushed it off its top spot 1967.
The later half of this expedition will involve a SAR field operation in White Gravel Canyon.
We'll be searching for a unidentified, hidden crash site that is likely the source of a piece of plane wreckage found further downstream on a 2005 expedition.
Estimated costs include per-person park permits of about $100 and a per-person equal share of the $1,400 round-trip, landing-craft fee.
Click
here to learn more about this expedition.
07-12-10 (rev. 07-16-10)
Mark your calendars—MiBSAR's Spring 2011 Canadian Backpacking Expedition and long-range SAR operations training exercise will be on the second-largest island in Lake Superior: Michipicoten Island
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| Michipicoten Island, the second-largest island in Lake Superior. Click here or on image to view high-resolution imagery. (Image courtesy of Ontario Ministry of Natural Resources) |
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| Point Maurepas Lighthouse on the extreme eastern tip of Michipicoten Island. Click here or on image to view high-resolution imagery. (Photo courtesy of Lake Superior Provincial Park Staff) |
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| One of over 200 woodland caribou on Michipicoten Island. Click here or on image to view high-resolution imagery. (Photo courtesy of Lake Superior Provincial Park Staff) |
MiBSAR's spring-2011 Canadian Backpacking Expedition and long-range SAR-operations field training exercise has been set for May 28 to June 5, not including travel days to and from Wawa, Ontario, and a couple extra days in case of delay by rough seas.
This 9-day expedition will involve MiBSAR's first recon of the remote, seldom-visited, 2nd-largest island in Lake Superior: Michipicoten Island.
While sea kayakers and boaters visit this island from time to time, this archipelago is not known to have been visited by backpackers, according to those who are familiar with it.
Click here to see Michipicoten Island's location in the northeast corner of Lake Superior.
The island is home to an abandoned commercial-fishing operation, several abandoned copper mining operations, an old mining railroad, several old lighthouses, endangered plants, numerous sand and gravel coves, ancient raised cobble beaches, and over 200 woodland caribou.
While the island is designated as Michipicoten Island Provincial Park, it is a closed, non-operating park, with no facilities, trails, or transportation service etc.
Insertion and extraction will be by way of a 75-foot commercial fishing tug operating out of the Wawa area. The $1,600 round-trip cost of chartering the tug will be shared equally by all participants, including the organizer.
Current plans have MiBSAR traveling over to the island in the early morning hours of May 28, and returning to the mainland in the early-morning hours of June 5.
If necessary, due to the tug's 7-foot-draft, we'll use a dingy during insertion and extraction.
Participants should allow a day or two extra in case Lake Superior's rough seas prohibit the tug from extracting us off the island at the end of our expedition.
In reviewing the quadrangles for the island as well as the information turned up to date, it looks like it will take several expeditions to explore it in its entirety!
Research continues on this historic
island....More info will eventually be posted on the expedition-beta
page.
07-10-10 (rev. 07-11)
MiBSAR to field test Ultralite™ Guide-Plus Tarp™ and All-in-One UTM Reader™ for Brooks-Range Mountaineering Equipment Co. of Fremont, California
Brooks-Range
Mountaineering Equipment Co., of Fremont, California recently contacted
MiBSAR about field testing one of their new Ultralite™ tarps.
MiBSAR welcomed the opportunity since Brooks-Range is probably the only manufacturer to offer a wide variety of tarp configurations in a camouflage pattern suitable for subdued operations in wilderness areas.
The
Ultralite™
Guide-Plus Tarp™ is a 15-ounce, 10' by 10' tarp constructed
from Intrepid®, Brooks-Range, Ultralite, hi-tech, 20/20 denier ripstop
nylon. Instead of relying on a polyurethane coating or silicone impregnation
for weatherproofness, the fabric has a cire finish produced with heat
and pressure. Known as calendering, hot rollers litterally iron the fabric
yarn until it is fully bonded together for waterproofness.
A thin strip of velcro around the perimeter allows the tarp to be closed off in variety of configurations, including a simple, flat, ground bivy.
A center pullout configured to accept a ski pole or walking stick combined with 24, bar-tacked perimeter loops allow unlimited pitching options.
The Ultralite™ Guide-Plus Tarp™ will be field tested on upcoming SAR operations as well as the 9-day Soldier Mountain Expedition in Canada's Pukaskwa National Park in August and the 6-day McCormick Wilderness Tract SAR field training operation in September.
MiBSAR
will also be field testing a Brooks-Range All-in-One
UTM Reader™, a Universal Transverse Mercator (UTM) roamer
scale on steroids.
Manufactured from non-glare, flexible plastic, this 0.4-ounce (11.34 g), 4.25"-by- 7" (108 x 178 mm) roamer (corner plotter) is designed to function well in bright sunlight and stand up to rough field use.
Accurate to 1/50th of an inch—the USGS cartographic standard, about the size of sentence period—it includes 8 UTM corner scales that cover 11 different quadrangle scales: 1;20,000; 1:24,000; 1:25,000; 1:30,750; 1:50,000; 1:62,500; 1:63,360; 1:100,000; 1:125,000; 1:150,000, and 1:250,000.
The All-in-One UTM Reader™ also includes twelve slope indexes; a compass rose with both degree and mil graduations; a 24,000, 0.1-km-grid, UTM plotter; inclinometer; and common conversions.
Brooks-Range
is a small mountaineering company providing a selection of innovative,
top-quality, backcountry gear that's been field tested by some of the
world's top mountaineering and backcountry professionals.
07-08-10
State Police dive team searches quarry in Mary Tautkus investigation
"A
Michigan State Police underwater recovery team searched the depths of
a 4-arce water-filled quarry in Alger County Friday as part of the ongoing
investigation into the disappearance of" Mary Tautkus, according
to the July 3, 2010 edition of the Mining
Journal (Marquette, Michigan).
Click
here or on image to read article.
07-04-10
MiBSAR makes progress in identifying plane wreckage found during a 2005 Canadian backpacking expedition
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| The wing cross-section, including an intact rib, is likely from a small bush plane, perhaps one similar to the deHavilland Canada DHC-2 Beaver pictured above. |
MiBSAR's investigation of the White Gravel Canyon plane wreckage continues.
A panel of aviation experts in the Seattle, Washington area have agreed with MiBSAR that the wreckage is a wing rib, one that was sliced apart during an extremely violent impact.
They concluded the piece was not from a deHavilland, Cesna, or Beechcraft airframe. Whatever plane it was from, it was old, perhaps from the 1940s or 1950s they said.
A Daytona Beach, Florida-area aviation expert was able to eliminate Piper airframes as the origin of the wreckage
The results of MiBSAR's research of the Mil-Spec markings on the interior of the wing cross-section seem to indicate the aluminum alloy used in its manufacture was in use between 1947 and 1963.
Click
here to here to learn more.
07-03-10
State Police suspect foul play in disappearance of Mary Tautkus; MiBSAR to assist task force
"At
this point," Michigan State Police Det./Sgt. Greg Cunningham said,
according to the July 2, 2010 edition of the Mining
Journal (Marquette, Michigan), "we suspect foul play."
D./Sgt. Cunningham is one of five task force detectives investigating the May 2009 disappearance of Mary Ann Tautkus from Eben, Michigan.
MiBSAR will be assisting task force detectives with the production and distribution of missing-person posters, development of an investigative Web site, and special operations.
Click
here or on image to read article.
07-02-10
MiBSAR launches investigation of plane wreckage found in remote, Pukaskwa National Park canyon during a 2005 Canadian backpacking expedition
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The above plane wreckage was found in a remote Pukaskwa National Park canyon during a 2005 Canadian backpacking expedition. (Photo courtesy of Mary Powell) |
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| The wing cross-section, including an intact rib, is likely from a small bush plane, perhaps one similar to the deHavilland Canada DHC-2 Beaver pictured above. |
On August 7, 2005, Michael Neiger and four of his partners— Gail Staisil, Mary Powell, Cathy Susan, and Charlie Robertson—discovered what is believed to be the wreckage of a bush plane during a 12-day backpacking expedition
The single piece of wreckage, which was likely carried downstream from the original crash site by years, or perhaps decades, of ice-outs and spring floods, was found in White Gravel Canyon, a seldom-visited, thickly-vegetated area situated deep in the heart of Canada's roadless and nearly trailless Pukaskwa National Park.
The 29-inch-long piece of aluminum wreckage is believed to be a wing rib from an as yet unknown airframe.
MiBSAR is currently working with United States and Canadian aviation crash experts to learn more about this piece of wreckage, particularly the make and model of airframe it originated from.
Click here to read more about this investigation.
Click
here to read more about a 13-day search-and-rescue operation being
planned to find the crash site proper, the fuselage, and—if this
is one of the region's mysterious, long-missing aircraft—perhaps
the pilot, passengers, and/or cargo.
06-28-10 (rev. 07-03)
Mary Ann Tautkus—missing
since May 2009
from her home in Eben Junction, Michigan
The
Mining Journal (Marquette,
Michigan) reports Mary Ann Tautkus, 64, was reported missing on August
31, 2009, having not been seen or heard from since May.
Click
here or on image to learn more.
06-27-10
MiBSAR Special Operations Ranger Pacing Beads now available from The Paracordist's Store
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| A set of special-edition MiBSAR Special Operations Ranger Pacing Beads. (Photo courtesy of Kevin Gagne) |
Kevin Gagne of The Paracordist's Custom 550 Creations recently expressed an interest in creating a special edition set of ranger pacing beads, customized to MiBSAR's operational needs.
The special edition MiBSAR Special Operations Ranger Pacing Beads consist of pacing beads fashioned from olive-drab 550 cord tied into Turk's Head knots. The main, double cord and three, larger Turk's Head stopper knots are fashioned from black 550 paracord.
This contrasting, but subdued color arrangement was requested for special operations requiring concealment and stealth. Likewise, the smaller 100-meter and 1000-meter knot beads are easier to differentiate from the larger stopper knots by feel only, especially in total darkness, without a headlamp.
To order a set of handmade, special-edition MiBSAR Special Operations Ranger Pacing Beads or other custom 550 paracord product from Kevin Gagne, visit his Web site, The Paracordist's Custom 550 Creations.
To learn more about Ranger Pacing Beads
and pace counting in the bush, click here.
06-23-10
August 6-15, 2010 Soldier Mountain Expedition and long-range SAR field training operation in Canada's Pukaskwa National Park
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| A Lake Superior shoreline bivouac on the May 2010 Canadian Backpacking Expedition to Lake Superior Provincial Park. (Photo courtesy of Ewa Roszczenko) |
MiBSAR has uploaded complete info on the August 6-15, 2010 Soldier Mountain Expedition and long-range SAR field training operation in Canada's Pukaskwa National Park.
Click
here for complete details.
06-15-10
MiBSAR completes 9-day, May 2010 long-range SAR training operation and public backpacking expedition in a remote section of Canada's Lake Superior Provincial Park
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Till Creek Falls, the highest
and remotest waterfall within Lake Superior Provincial Park. (Photo
courtesy of Dennis Waite)
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| Ewa Roszczenko of Livonia, Michigan with a rare pair of matched moose shovels--2 of 8 found during the course of the expedition--recovered near Sommers Lake. (Photo courtesy of Cathy Susan) |
MiBSAR completed a 9-day, May 29 to June 6, 2010 long-range SAR training operation and public backpacking expedition in a remote section of Canada's Lake Superior Provincial Park.
The 7-member team explored the seldom-traveled bush and coastline between Chalfant Cove and Old Woman Bay.
As a service trip in support of Lake Superior Provincial Park operations, the team worked to locate a provisional route and document unique features for a future extension of the Park's rugged coastal trail.
Along the way, they charted several hidden waterfalls, recovered 8 moose sheds, explored an 1896 shipwreck, discovered a fully serviceable aluminum row boat, practiced their first-aid skills by managing Michael Neiger's severely-sprained ankle for 8 days, and dined on fresh brook trout and lake trout caught and boiled-up by Charlie Robertson.
Read pre-trip beta.
Read Mary Powell's wilderness blog.
View Dennis Waite's photo album.
View Cathy Susan's 119-image slide show.
View Ewa Roszczenko's 132-image slide show.
View Mary Powell's slide show.
To learn more about MiBSAR's other long-range
wilderness SAR training operations and field operations, click
here.
06-10-10 (rev. 06-13)
Parking Placard for MiBSAR field operations revised
A
revised Parking Placard for MiBSAR field operations has been uploaded
to the Net.
Click
here or on image to print revised placard.
06-10-10
Missing since March 6, 2010, Jeremy Gould was found on May 9
Jeremy
Lee Gould has been missing from Iron Mountain, Michigan since March 6,
2010.
On May 9, 2010, investigators from the Iron Mountain Police Department found Jeremy in a wooded area behind an Iron Mountain business.
Click here or on graphic at right to learn more about how Jeremy was finally found.
Click here to read Jeremy's obituary.
Click here to visit Jeremy's missing-person Web site.
Click
here to view Jeremy's missing-person poster.
05-13-10
Wife of homicide victim Robert Dusseau pens letter to the editor in Mining Journal
The
May 5, 2010 edition of the Mining
Journal (Marquette, Michigan) carried a letter to the editor from
Carly Dusseau, wife of homicide victim Robert Anthony Dusseau ...read
more.
Click
here to read more media coverage of the Robert Dusseau homicide.
Click
here to visit the Robert Dusseau investigative Web site.
05-06-10
The best
way
to find yourself,
...is to lose yourself
in the service of others.
—Mohandas Karamchand Gandhi
a.k.a. Mahatma, 1869-1948
Indian nationalist leader and philosopher
| Chimo is an ancient Inuit—or Eskimoan—term used to convey the warmest of greetings and salutations. It's often accompanied by a friendly hand gesture; namely, a circular movement of the left hand over one's heart |
Chimo!
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Welcome to the home of Michigan Backcountry Search and Rescue (MiBSAR), a special operations SAR team of volunteer, cold-case investigators organized as a Community Emergency Response Team (CERT) under the auspices of the U.S. Department of Homeland Security (DHS).
As a Michigan CERT team, MiBSAR's mission is to assist law enforcement agencies with unsolved missing-person cases.
Job one for Michigan Backcountry Search and Rescue is reuniting bereaved families with their missing loved ones.
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MiBSAR's specialized squad of volunteer investigators primarily focus on cold cases that occurred in remote, wilderness regions of Northern Michigan as well as the eastern Lake Superior watershed of Ontario, Canada.
Because the
search must continue,
...so loved ones aren't left behind.
—MiBSAR's creedo
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MiBSAR is a member of the National Association for Search and Rescue (NASAR) and the International Society of Professional Trackers (ISPT).
NASAR is a national, not-for-profit association of 1,000s of civic-minded, search-and-rescue professionals who have dedicated their efforts to the ultimate of humanitarian causes: saving lives. One of NASAR's primary missions is advancing professional, literary, and scientific knowledge in the field of search and rescue. NASAR's motto—that others may live.
The ISPT is an international, nonprofit organization of paid and unpaid trackers. Its primary mission is the promotion and advancement of the science of tracking, including man-tracking, combat tracking, and tactical tracking operations.
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View/print
poster
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Michigan Backcountry Search and Rescue is dedicated to the honor and memory of Joseph R. Clewley, a beloved, 73-year-old, father of five.
An avid North Country Trail (NCT) and off-trail hiker, Joe and his dog Chip, a nine-year-old chow-springer mix, vanished in the Upper Peninsula of Michigan's Tahquamenon Falls State Park on July 13, 2008.
While Chip did return to the Clewley family's, circa-1920 log cabin—The Chippewa Hunting Post—along the north bank of the Tahquamenon River some 20 days later, Joe has not....learn more.
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The best way to do
good to ourselves,
...is to do it to others; the right way to gather, ...is to scatter. —Lucius Annaeus Seneca a.k.a. Seneca the Younger, 4 B.C. - 65 A.D. Roman statesman, philosopher, and writer |
MiBSAR's special ops SAR team members are hard-core, dyed-in-the-wool bushmen and women who thrive in remote, inhospitable wilderness. They're at their best living out of a rucksack, panier, sledge, or canoe for days—sometimes weeks—at a time.
Wilderness survivalists by nature, these foul-weather-ready, expert land navigators spend dozens of nights in the bush yearly, irrespective of the weather or season.
Since they frequently work the bush fully equipped and provisioned for long-range operations—without support or resupply for up to 10 days or more, if necessary—they're considered a heavy team by conventional SAR standards.
To learn more about MiBSAR's special operations
SAR team volunteers, visit:
• MiBSAR's special ops SAR
team qualifications page
• MiBSAR's special ops SAR
team volunteer page
• MiBSAR's special ops SAR
team operations log
• MiBSAR's special ops SAR
team message board
Do all the
good you can,
By all the means you can,
In all the ways you can,
In all the places you can,
At all the times you can,
To all the people you can,
As long as ever you can.
—John Wesley, 1703-1791
Christian theologian and founder of Methodism
John Wesley's Rule
MiBSAR's free,
special ops SAR investigative services
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To learn more about the free, special ops SAR investigative services MiBSAR offers, visit the special ops SAR Team Services page
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If you want happiness
for an hour,
...take a nap. If you want happiness for a day, ...go fishing. If you want happiness for a year, ...inherit a fortune. If you want happiness for a lifetime, ...help someone else. —Ancient Chinese proverb |
To more efficiently
and effectively assist Northern Michigan law enforcement agencies and
families with unsolved missing-person cases, Michigan Backcountry Search
and Rescue (MiBSAR) has formed an Advisory
Board, partnering with some of the Midwest's top forensic experts
and investigative specialists:
• Forensic scientists
• Forensic pathologists
• Forensic anthropologists
• Forensic odontologists
• Attorneys
• Wildlife biologists
• Cartographers
• Geographic information system (GIS) specialists
• Search and rescue coordinators
• Forensic computer examiners
• Specialized K-9 handlers
• Man-trackers
To learn more about
MiBSAR's Advisory Board, visit:
• MiBSAR's special operations Advisory
Board page
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We make a living by what
we get, |
•
Robert Kyle, 15, 1972, Isle Royale National Park
• Raymond Perry, 85, 2006, Pictured Rocks National
Lakeshore, Mich.
• Bush plane, wreck date unknown,
White Gravel Canyon, Pukaskwa National Park,
Ontario, Canada (wing cross-section found
by Michael Neiger in 2005)
1944 wreckage of a
U.S. Army B-17 Flying Fortress
found on a July '08 SAR training op
in the Porcupine Mountains
by Dennis Waite and Michael Neiger.
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People who say it cannot
be done,
...should not interrupt those who are doing it. —Anonymous |
MiBSAR's origins
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| July 19, 2008 issue of the Mining Journal (Marquette, Michigan) |  |
MiBSAR was founded shortly after an article—headlined "Search for missing man suspended"—appeared in the July 19, 2008 issue of the Mining Journal (Marquette, Michigan).
Buried deep inside the Upper Peninsula's largest daily paper, the short, 5 paragraph news briefing immediately caught Michael Neiger's attention.
Perhaps it was because he'd backpacked through this area just a few weeks prior...
Maybe it was the plight of the family...
The Mining Journal reported the man—Joe
Clewley—had gone missing "in a remote area of Whitefish Township",
apparently along a section of the North Country Trail (NCT) located in
Tahquamenon Falls State Park, south of Paradise, Michigan.
As a retired Det./Sgt. with the Michigan State Police; decades-long, off-trail wilderness guide; solo expeditioner; and a member of the North Country Trail Association (NCTA), he wondered if he could be of any assistance to the Sheriff's Office and the Clewley Family.
Figuring the Chippewa County Sheriff's Office SAR resources must be stretched to the limit, and the Clewley Family must be going through a living hell, he contacted the Undersheriff of Chippewa County with an offer of assistance.
After learning both the Sheriff's Office and the Clewley Family would "most certainly welcome your assistance," Michael packed his rucksack with foul-weather gear and 5 days worth of rations; called his partner Chris Ozminski to alert him to the SAR mission at hand; and began what would be a months-long SAR effort in the eastern reaches of Tahquamenon Falls State Park.
Thank you again for all your efforts. I don't know what good deed gave us the blessing of having you [Michael Neiger] in our lives at this particular moment in time; but I'm forever grateful that we have had your unwavering support, expertise and commitment towards Dad's search.
As you can imagine, being in Alabama has distanced me from the search efforts...Your communications are a lifeline for all of us. Thank you again Michael; at the end of this journey I hope we can somehow return this gift to you.
God bless.
—Jamie (Clewley) Anderson, Opelika, Alabama, daughter of Joe Clewley, Sr., September 2, 2008Thank you for [your] continued diligence in the quest to find my Dad. It makes it easier to continue to push through to the next available time for searching when I know that you guys are out there covering the most likely places that he could be. My family can not begin to thank you enough, we are blessed to have such good people as you [Michael Neiger] & Chris [Ozminski] helping to locate him.
Very grateful.
—Teresa Clewley, daughter of Joe Clewley, Sr., October 2, 2008I would like to add my continued thanks to Mike [Neiger] and Chris [Ozminski] for the undying efforts that you have displayed. Thank you for the website and the searches, it has been a comfort when we aren't able to be there. I hope that we are able to locate my father soon to put this tragedy to rest. I also would like to thank everyone who has responded to the thread [blog], I don't feel so alone with your responses.
Thank you everyone.
—Tkdjunkie (Russ Clewley), son of Joe Clewley, Sr., Backpacker.Com Midwest Forum, October 3, 2008
While Joe's whereabouts—as well as the circumstances surrounding his disappearance—remain a mystery to this day, MiBSAR has been able to make substantial progress in the investigation after months of hard work in the bush:
Hey Mike [Neiger]...I just wanted to say thank you for the clue. It was getting very frustrating to search without any sign of my dad. After approximately fifty days of searching, you somewhat broke the case with your discovery....
Anyway, thanks again for the help and the reassurance that there is still hope, through any little clue, that we might find my dad.
—Joe Clewley, Jr., Lansing, Michigan, son of Joe Clewley, Sr., September 6, 2008Special thanks must go out to Mike Neiger and Chris Ozminski. They have dedicated most of their summer searching diligently in the search area.
A personal thanks to them is needed as their searching came up with some very pertinent/hard-to-find evidence that has led this investigation in a certain direction.
Mr. Neiger is a survivalist with an extensive Law Enforcement background. His knowledge in the preservation of evidence and crime lab expertise has been a great help in the field.
—Det./Sgt. Mike Bitnar, lead investigator, Chippewa County Sheriff's Office Web site, October 23, 2008
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poster
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Since the Joseph Clewley investigation is currently an open and active police investigation, the Sheriff's Office has requested that no additional information be released about the case at this time.
MiBSAR continues to search for any sign of Joe in the hope that one day, hopefully very soon, they may be able to reunite this beloved man with his bereaved family.
Thank you again for the time Chris [Ozminski] and you [Michael Neiger] have dedicated to finding my dad and helping my family....I know that my family and I look at you guys as more than dedicated searchers....[you're] friends.
—Joe Clewley, Jr., Lansing, Michigan, son of Joe Clewley, Sr., December 2, 2008
To learn more about this baffling and protracted case, visit Joe's missing-person Web site, which is maintained courtesy of MiBSAR.
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Up
to
$1,000 Reward for anonymous tips about Joe Clewley's disappearance Northern International Crime Stoppers Tip Line: 1-800-465-7867 |
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There is pleasure in
the pathless woods,
There is a rapture on the lonely shore, There is society, where none intrudes, By the deep sea, and music in its roar: I love not man the less, but Nature more. —Lord Byron (George Noel Gordon), 1788-1824 Childe Harold's Pilgrimage, canto IV [1818], stanza 178 |
While MiBSAR's special ops SAR team collaborates with law enforcement agencies on active SAR operations, MiBSAR is a SAR team of last resort, not a first response SAR team.
As such, all requests for emergency SAR operations should be referred to a law enforcement agency—typically the county sheriff—which has jurisdiction over the SAR area. Simply call 9-1-1 for help.
MiBSAR generally only investigates unsolved
missing-person cases at the invitation of either a family member or law
enforcement official.
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Those who can,
...do. Those who can do more, ...volunteer. —Anonymous |
To
contact MiBSAR—or suggest a wilderness-related, missing-person, cold
case for MiBSAR to investigate—contact:
Michael Neiger
Lead Investigator
Michigan Backcountry Search and Rescue (MiBSAR)
Marquette, Michigan
E-mail: mneiger@hotmail.com
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When you cease to make
a contribution,
...you begin to die. —Anna Eleanor Roosevelt, 1884-1962 Civil rights advocate, author, speaker, politician, and activist Wife of President Franklin D. Roosevelt |
In God's
wilderness
lies the hope of the world,
the great, fresh, unblighted,
unredeemed wilderness.
—
John Muir, 1838-1914
Alaska Wilderness,
1890
If
you've been able to read this Web page...
thank a Teacher;
If you've been able to read this Web page in English...
thank a Veteran.
—Author
unknown
•
Disclaimer notice •
The information contained on this Web page and this Web site
is provided solely for information, illustrative, and discussion purposes.
Although the author has made a sincere effort to ensure the accuracy and reliability of the information presented on this Web page and this Web site, no warranty is expressed or implied.
The author assumes no responsibility or liability for any injuries, damages, losses, or other consequences that may result from the use of the information contained on this Web page and this Web site.
As with any human endeavor, omissions, inaccuracies, and errors will occur on this Web page and this Web site and the author makes no representations or warranties with respect to the accuracy or completeness of the information presented or that the information presented will produce any particular result or be suitable for any particular situation, person, organization, or other entity.
While corrections and revisions may or may not be made from time to time, any changes made to this Web page and this Web site are made without obligation to notify any person, organization, or other entity of any such changes.
The activities associated with the information contained on this Web page and this Web site are by their very nature inherently dangerous and the information presented can not take the place of good personal judgment, sound decision-making, professional training, proper equipage, adequate physical fitness, and expert guidance by trained and experienced professionals.
•
Copyright notice •
Content Copyright
© 1984 to 2010
•
All rights reserved •
No part of this Web page or this Web site protected by copyright law may
be reproduced, transmitted, or used in any form—including graphic,
electronic, Web, mechanical or other for—or by any means—including
photocopying, recording, taping, Internet distribution, information storage
retrieval system, or by other means—for any purpose, except by a
reviewer, who may quote brief passages, without the prior, express, written
permission of the author.
Comments?
Suggestions?
Dead links? Inaccurate info?
Contact the WebMaster, Michael A. Neiger, at mneiger@hotmail.com
Web site URL:
http://therucksack.tripod.com/MiBSAR/MiBSAR.htm
Web site short URL: www.MiBSAR.com
You're here: MiBSAR's home page
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15-19: |
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| • |  Mar
5-8 : Public wilderness skills winter-camping (ski) &
long-range SAR operations training, Grand
Island National Recreation Area, Munising, Michigan |
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| • |  April
9-12: Public wilderness skills backpacking trip & long-range
SAR operations training, Pigeon
River Country State Forest (elk bush), Vanderbilt, Michigan |
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| • |  April
18 : Long-range SAR operations endurance training, Navarino
Eco-Marathon, 26 mile trail marathon, Shiocton, Wisconsin |
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| • |  Long-range SAR operations endurance training,
13-mile Pictured
Rocks Road Race, Munising, Michigan |
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| • | Public wilderness skills backpacking trip and long-range SAR operations training, Grand Island National Recreation Area, Munising, Michigan. Off-trail exploration of Grand Island's Thumb, including visits to the Muskrat Point, East Channel Lighthouse, Bootlegger's Cove, The Cave, Cobble Cove, etc. (trip cancelled) | ||||||||||||
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| • |  Aug
1:Long-range SAR
operations endurance training, 26-mile Grand
Island Marathon, Munising, Michigan, Marquette, Mi |
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Aug 6-15: Public wilderness skills backpacking expedition and long-range SAR operations training, Pukaskwa National Park, Marathon, Ontario, Canada. Soldier Mountain Expedition: extremely arduous off-trail exploration of the remote backside (north side) of the park, including Lurch Falls, Soldier Mountain, etc. |
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| • |  Long-range SAR
operations endurance training, Marquette
Trail 50-mile ultra-marathon, Marquette, Mi |
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| • |  Sept
3-8:Public wilderness
skills backpacking trip and long-range SAR operations training, McCormick
Wilderness Tract, Big Bay, Michigan. Rugged off-trail backpacking
in Huron Mountain Highlands, home to wolves, moose, waterfalls, peaks
overlooking Lake Superior, stands of old growth, etc; with focus on
map-and-compass land navigation skills. |
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| • |  Long-range SAR
operations endurance training, Dances
with Dirt 50-mile utra-marathon, Hell, Michigan |
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| • |  Long-ange SAR operations endurance training, The
North Face Endurance Challenge Midwest
Regional Gore-Tex® 50-mile ultra-marathon, Madison,
Wi |
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| • |  Sept
25:Long-range SAR
operations endurance training, Birkie
Trail Run, 26-mile marathon, Hayward, Wisconsin |
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| • | Public wilderness skills backpacking trip and long-range SAR operations training, Pictured Rocks National Lakeshore, Munising, Michigan. Rugged off-trail & on-trail backpacking with exploration of numerous caves and waterfalls. | ||||||||||||
| • |  Oct
10:Long-range SAR
operations endurance training, Glacial
Trail 50, 50-mile ultra-marathon, Hayward, Wisconsin |
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| • | Public wilderness skills backpacking trip and long-range SAR operations training, Mackinaw Wilderness Tract, Moran, Michigan. Off-trail backpacking with focus on map-and-compass land navigation skills | ||||||||||||
| • | Public wilderness skills winter backpacking trip and long-range SAR operations training, Pigeon River Country State Forest, Vanderbilt, Michigan. Off-trail backpacking with focus on map-and-compass land navigation skills | ||||||||||||
| • | Public wilderness skills snowshoe-and-sledge winter-camping trip and long-range (7-day) cold-weather SAR operations training, Porcupine Mountains Wilderness State Park, Silver City, Michigan. Off-trail sledging with focus on map-and-compass land navigation skills and extended cold-weather operations | ||||||||||||
| • | Public wilderness skills snowshoe-and-sledge winter-camping expedition and long-range (10-day) cold-weather SAR operations training, Lake Superior Provincial Park, Wawa, Ontario, Canada. Trans-Park Expedition: extreme off-trail snowshoe-and-sledge from Highway 17 to Agawa Canyon with bush train extraction. Skills focus--arctic weather bushwhacking and bivouacking, map-and-compass land navigation skills | ||||||||||||
| • | Mar
3-7, '11: Public wilderness skills winter-camping (ski
& snowshoe) & long-range (5-day) SAR operations training,
Grand Island National Recreation Area, Munising, Michigan |
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May 28-Jun 5, '11: Michipicoten
Island Backpacking Expedition: 9-day public backpacking
expedition & long-range SAR operations training, Michipicoten
Island Provincial Park (closed, non-operating park), northeast Lake
Superior, Wawa, Ontario, Canada. Seldom-visited island has old copper
mines, lighthouses, sandy beaches. Second-largest island on Superior
and over overrun with caribou. Not known to be visited by backpackers. |
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July 31 to Aug 12, '11: Tip Top Mountain Expedition & Bush Plane Wreck SAR Operation: 13-day pubic backpacking and canyoneering expedition and SAR field operation, White Gravel Canyon, Pukaskwa National Park, Ontario, Canada. |
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—Anonymous |
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May
29- Jun 6:
